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No, no, no.
Thessa closed her eyes, to find her sea within. She dove deep into its depths with every speck of strength she could muster. Anchoring down, down, down … until she exploded.
The scream that escaped her was akin to a banshee. Hades reared in protest just as the sky went dark, and stayed that way. The world was cast in shadows like a sustained eclipse of the sun. Enemy soldiers may outnumber the rebels, but to what advantage do they hold without fire?
The rebellion roared, reigniting their fight as the Elemental soldiers called for a retreat.
Hades stomped her hooves into the earth.
“Thessa, stop!” Soren wailed. At some point he’d hopped off of Ares, because he was bracing her leg.
Sure, she was swaying a bit, but she was focused. This was working.
No, I’m concentrating.
“But your nose is bleeding. Your eyes. Your ears. You have to stop.” He was pleading.
I won’t.
You’re bleeding too much, something isn’t right.
I can end this. Let me.
No. Not like this.
With a flash of night, Soren shifted into the predator he was.
49
LECTURE NOTES FROM IMMORTAL ANATOMY:
Major arteries branch out from the neck, traveling into the shoulders, and down through the arms. They feed our fingertips with a healthy supply of magic. When our supply diminishes, kidneys will stimulate the production of new cells alongside red blood cells in the bone marrow, which can take a few days. The spleen and liver help recycle everything.
One heartbeat Soren had been by her side, begging her to stop, and in the next, he was a serpent.
Losing focus, Thessa’s veil of darkness collapsed. Nothing remained of her shadows, but a small, sputtering sphere around her.
Something warm coated her face and neck. A finger inspection revealed fresh blood. A lot of it. Thessadismounted, smacking both Hades and Ares on their rears, leaving bloody handprints behind. “Run!”
The enemy had ended their retreat at the abrupt return of light. Fireballs already streaked across the sky, and more of her army burned. This far away from the gates, a cluster of soldiers formed a wall of protection around her, despite her pleas for escape. She was desperate; her veins pounded with worry. She pushed and shoved the rebels, trying to get to the massive serpent thundering through enemy lines.
Elemental soldiers scattered at the sight of Soren, tossing frantic fireballs, while ally Elementals were using their air-magic to blast them away. Soren’s tail looped through legs, tripping soldiers off balance while his fangs shredded their calves into ribbons. He’d taken down three soldiers in approximately three seconds, until a single blast of air sent him tumbling out of sight.
Thessa screamed, “No!” And as if the sky cried with her, rain began to fall. Her view was cut off, as was their fire—at least not without their energy-sucking air wraps and shields.
Then, like a red sea parting, General Valstrom waltzed through her army, dragging Soren by his mighty tail. An air-shield big enough for the two of them protected the fire-cuffs encasing his throat. Any relief Thessa had felt, was replaced with pure horror.
“Stand down if you want your companion back,” General Valstrom ordered.
Anger rippled through Thessa, enough to breach her wall of protection.
Her allies fended off the Supreme’s guards, leaving the two of them boxed in alone with Soren. Her magic wasn’t strong enough to absorb the general’s air-shield. There was hardly enough left to protect herself.
“Aren’t you done yet?” General Valstrom crooned.
“Let. Him. Go.”
General Valstrom pouted. “Why? I’d quite like something I can lock up and poke when I feel like it.”