Reaching Retribution(71)

I whip around and face him, totally forgetting about the fight ensuing around us. “What? Why would you do that? You know I wouldn’t risk his life like that. There’s a chance we’re not going to come out of this alive and I don’t want that to happen to him either.” I point in Colton’s direction, but I honestly have no idea where he is right now. I lost him when he started fighting all the Gadramicks.

“Because I want you to get out of this. Do you think he’d be able to live with himself if you died and he didn’t even try to save you? No, he wouldn’t. You have to think about what your death would do to him as well. You’re soulmates. If you can’t survive without him, what makes you think that he could survive without you?”

“Because I’m weak, Liam! Colton’s not.”

Liam grabs my shoulders and turns me toward him. Grabbing my chin, he forces me to look up at him. “No, you’re not, Ryanne, and you’re going to prove that to every last one of the Gadramicks here today. Channel their anger and strengthen your magic. Think about everything you’ve felt and heard since you’ve been here. Do whatever it takes to make it out of here alive.” When I don’t say anything, Liam continues, “Ryanne, Colton came out here to save you. I want you to fight so you get that life you imagined afterwards. You deserve that much.”

Colton did come here to save me. The least I can do is fight. I nod and look at the mess around me. Mages are still running from behind the bushes. Our numbers look evenly matched. “Okay,” I turn and look between Adam and Liam. “I’m going to drop the shield. Are you guys ready? It’s about to get crazy.”

“It’s already crazy, Ryanne. Drop the shield. Let’s do this,” Liam announces. Both Liam and Adam step on either side of me, preparing for a fight. I see Natasha fighting her way through the chaos. She’s asphyxiating people left and right, both mages and Gadramicks. I need to stop her from hurting anyone else. However my eyes are drawn to the area behind her. Zahtri is fighting multiple mages at once and succeeding. I’m the only one who has a chance of stopping him, but I don’t think I’m strong enough right now.

“Liam,” I say as I drop the shield and start fighting a Gadramick that jumped in front of me. I block his punch and Adam commands him to walk away. “I need Logan if I’m going to stop Zahtri. I need my full strength.”

Another man runs toward us. Liam steps in front of me and makes quick work of him—knocking him unconscious before the man even knew what hit him. “You’ve got to teach me that,” I tell him.

“Maybe someday,” he says without even looking back at me.

The tintinnabulation of swords hitting each other echoes through the field, and my stomach tightens with each metal-on-metal pang that I hear, because I know that this could very well be the end...for all of us. Every shout and grunt I hear pierces me, weakening me with guilt. This is all because of me. These people are getting hurt because of me. I never wanted any of this to happen. I didn’t want a large battle to ensue. I wanted a quick ending. A simple fight between two people where one comes out victorious. The end.

Nothing can ever be that simple.

I didn’t want to be the prophecy girl. I didn’t want magic. I just wanted a normal life with friends and family—people who loved me as much as I loved them. I guess some things don’t come free. Through this process, I’ve gotten myself into some sticky situations, but I’ve come out of all of them stronger. Everything I’ve been through, everything I’ve done, has brought me to this moment. I gained so much through this whole ordeal.

I have a family now. I have a soulmate, best friend, and future husband all in one man. I have a dozen people who are willing to risk their life for me tonight and are now fighting with everything they have in them to stop the Gadramicks from wreaking more havoc. Their reign has gone on long enough and it needs to be stopped. All these mages are fighting for me to succeed. Each of them has a different story, a different reason for being here, but a reason nonetheless. I can’t let them down.

I scan the crowd again, trusting Liam and Adam to protect me if anyone comes near. I see Emma and David fighting off to my right. Seeing fire to the left, I know that Incendia is near there and if my hunch is correct, Bragden will be fighting beside her. Larkin and Kyril are tag-teaming it and creating a lot of confusion on the far right side of the field. Larkin is transporting in and out of different areas, knocking unobservant Gadramicks unconscious. I’d like to think he’s only knocking them unconscious anyway. I see Lily in the middle of a fight. She’s standing back to back with Natalie, Colton, and Logan. Colin, Tom, and a third man are all standing together, fighting. Based on their teamwork, I’d say that they’ve worked together before.