Reaching Retribution(85)

“This is how you want this to end?” I shout at him.

“No, but I need to get back to the field. I need to rally my men and stop all the mages. To do that, I need you out of the picture.”

“Then let’s fight. Let’s fight like everyone in that field, Zahtri.” I say as he stops on the edge of the cliff. I can feel the blood dripping down the side of my face from a cut above my eyebrow.

“It didn’t have to be like this, Ryanne. You chose this.”

I try to call my magic to me, but I can’t. What is he doing?

“I told you that you weren’t strong enough, darling. You did pretty well for a little while. Kudos for that. But I’m done playing games.”

The drop looks much longer now than it did before when I glanced down the cliff’s edge. I start fighting against Zahtri again, but it’s useless. There’s nothing I can do against him. My heart is pounding against my chest; I’m sure that he can hear its obnoxious beat. There’s no way out of this. I can’t use my magic, and in a battle of physical strength, Zahtri has me beat by a long shot. I didn’t see any weakness in his fighting earlier. There’s nothing I can do.

This can’t be it. It’s not supposed to end like this.

So don’t let it. I try to keep my body slack so Zahtri doesn’t sense anything.

Claire?

Use your resources, Ryanne.

What does that even mean?

Zahtri stops at the edge of the cliff. The breeze is blowing my hair in all directions. Use my resources. My resources…? What the heck does that even mean?

“It’s a shame,” Zahtri whispers. He glances down at me and shakes his head as he throws me off the edge. I scream as I flip through the air, hurtling toward the rocky water below.

My resources. I have resources?

I have resources.

“Larkin!” I scream.

If he doesn’t come…like right now, I’m dead. I feel arms wrap around my waist. I close my eyes. I hope that I didn’t just get us both killed.

I stop screaming as my back slams into the ground. The arms around my waist disappear and I roll, crashing into multiple people. A large person falls on top of me, knocking any last breath I had left in me out. I don’t even have enough energy in me to push him or her off of me. My eyes close and I start to lose consciousness yet again.





Colton


I run past Liam and Natalie and head toward Larkin and Kyril. We need all the people out here that we can get. I step behind a Gadramick and kick him behind the knees. As he falls to the ground, I kick him in the temple, knocking him out. I step up to Larkin right as he disappears. I turn toward Kyril who shrugs, unsure of where he went. Bragden and Incendia move toward us, closing the circle we’ve created in the middle of the field.

I’m amazed at how much everyone has come together the past couple of days for this moment. When we needed everyone the most, they came together. We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without them. Even mages who didn’t know each other a few days ago are now working together to ensure everyone makes it out of this alive.

I reach out and punch a man as I hear a scream echo from behind me. I kick him in the gut and push him backward as I turn around. Larkin lands flat on his back in the grass behind me and a girl lands on the ground beside him and rolls to the side, knocking into David. He attempts to move back, but he loses his balance and falls on top of her.

Though I haven’t seen her face, I know that’s Ryanne. I’d recognize her anywhere. A column of fire surrounds us all, separating us from the Gadramicks. Incendia nods at me as I bend down and pull David off my soulmate. Larkin grunts and crawls toward us.

“Ryanne?” I ask. She groans, but doesn’t open her eyes. Above her right eyebrow is a giant bruise. A cut on her hairline is causing blood to drip down her face. I push her wild hair out of her face. She looks so tired.

“Logan!” I shout. She needs healed before she loses consciousness. Logan pushes past everyone and falls to the ground at her side.

“What happened?” I ask Larkin as Logan places his hands on her face.

“I don’t know,” he says while grasping for air, having difficulty getting any oxygen into his lungs. “She called me and I transported to her and…I don’t know. She was free-falling. I grabbed her and transported back here as soon as possible. She would have been killed instantly if she hadn’t called me,” he says as he watches her.

Ryanne gasps and rolls to the side coughing. I lean forward and grab her chin, making her look toward me. When she sees me, she jumps up and hugs me tightly around the neck. I wrap my arms around her back. “What happened?” I whisper. I can feel everyone watching us, but I don’t care.