Lee smiled, and I wiped my hands off on my borrowed dress suit and stood straighter. He was right to feel confident—I was an earth witch without her charms up against a ley line master—but he didn't know everything. Al didn't know everything. Hell, I didn't know everything, but I knew something they didn't. And when that ugly red sun set behind the broken buildings, it wasn't going to be me who was Al's familiar.
I wanted to survive. Right now it didn't matter if giving Lee to Al in my stead was right or not. Later, when I was curled up with a cup of cocoa and shaking with the memory of this, would be soon enough to decide. But to win, I'd first have to lose. This was really going to hurt.
"Lee," I said, trying one last time. "Take us out of here!" God, please let me be right!
"You're such a girl," he said, tugging his dirt-stained suit straight. "Always whining and expecting to be rescued."
"Lee! Wait!" I shouted as he took three steps and threw a ball of purple haze.
I dove to the side. It skimmed past at chest height to hit the remnants of the fountain. With a rumble, a section of it cracked and broke away. Dust rose, red in the darkening air.
When I turned, Lee had my business card in his grip—the one I had given the bouncer at his boat. Shit. He had a focusing object. "Don't," I said. "You won't like how it ends."
Lee shook his head, his lips moving as he whispered. "Doleo," he said clearly, the invocation word vibrating the air, and with my card in his grip, he gestured.
Jerking straight, I caught my harsh gurgle before it came from me. Gut-twisting pain doubled me over. Breathing through it, I staggered to my feet. I couldn't think to come back with anything. I staggered forward to try to free myself from pain. If I could hit him, it might stop. If I could get my card, he couldn't target me but would have to throw his spells.
I crashed into Lee. We went down, stones jabbing me. Lee kicked out, and I rolled as Al applauded, white-gloved hands a soft patting. Pain clouded me; thinking was impossible. Illusion, I told myself. It was a ley line charm. Only earth magic could inflict real pain. It was an illusion. Panting, I forced the charm from me with pure will. I wouldn't feel it.
My bruised shoulder throbbed, hurting worse than it actually did. I fastened on the real pain, willing the phantom agony away. Hunched, I saw Lee from around my hair, now completely fallen out of that stupid bun. "Inflex," Lee said, grinning as his moving fingers finished his spell, and I cringed, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did.
"Oh, I say!" Al exclaimed from his rock. "First rate. Capital!"
I wove on my feet, fighting the last shadows of pain. I was in the line again. I could feel it. If I knew how to trip the lines, I could end this right now. Bibbity bobbity boo, I thought. Alakazam. Hell, I'd even twitch my nose if I thought it would work. But it didn't.
The rustle around me grew. They were becoming bolder as the sun threatened to set. A rock fell behind me, and I spun. My foot slipped. Crying out, I went down. Nausea hit me as my ankle twisted. Gasping, I clutched at it, feeling tears of pain start.
"Brilliant!" Al applauded. "Bad luck is extremely difficult. Take the charm off her. I don't want a klutz in my kitchen."
Lee gestured and a brief whirlwind smelling of burnt amber lifted through my hair. My throat tightened as the charm broke. My ankle throbbed and the cold rocks bit at me. He had cursed me with bad luck? Son of a bitch…
Jaw gritted, I reached for a rock to pull myself up. I had blasted Ivy before with raw ever-after, and I didn't need a focusing object if I threw it at him. Anger growing, I pulled upright, reaching into my memory for the how of it. It had always been instinctive before. The fear and anger helped, and as I staggered to my feet, I pushed the ever-after from my chi into my hands. They burned, but I held it, pulling more energy off the line until my outspread hands felt like they were charring. Furious, I compressed the raw energy in my hands to baseball size. "Bastard," I whispered, stumbling as I threw it at him.
Lee dived to the side, and my gold ball of ever-after hit my circle. My eyes widened when a cascade of tingles raced through me as my bubble broke.
"Damn it all to hell!" I shouted, not having thought ahead enough to realize my aura-laced spell would break my circle. Terrified, I spun to Al, thinking if I couldn't get it back up in time I'd be fighting both of them. But the demon was still seated, staring over my shoulder with his goat-slitted eyes wide. He looked over his glasses, mouth hanging open.
I spun in time to see my spell hit a nearby building. A faint boom shook my feet. I put a hand to my mouth as a chunk the size of a bus flaked off and fell with an unreal slowness.
"You stupid witch," Lee said. "It's coming right for us!"
I turned and ran, hands reaching as I scrabbled my way across the rubble, hands numb on the frost-cracked rocks. The ground shook, dust rose thick in the air. I staggered and fell.
Hacking and coughing, I got up, shaking. My fingers hurt and I couldn't move them. I turned to find Lee on the other side of the new rockfall, hatred and a touch of fear in his eyes.
Latin came from him. My eyes were fixed upon the card in his moving fingers, heart pounding as I waited, helpless. He gestured, and my card burst into flame.
It flashed like gunpowder. I cried out and turned away, hands over my eyes. The shrieks of the minor demons beat upon me. I reeled backward, balance gone. Red smears coated my vision. My eyes were open and tears streamed down my face, but I couldn't see. I couldn't see!
There was the sound of sliding rocks, and I yelped as someone cuffed me. I blindly lashed out, almost falling as the heel of my hand met nothing. Fear settled into me, debilitating. I couldn't see. He had taken my sight!
A hand shoved me over, and I fell, swinging my leg. I felt it hit him, and he went down. "Bitch," he gasped, and I shrieked when he yanked out a handful of my hair and scrabbled away.
"More!" Al said cheerfully. "Show me your best!" he encouraged.
"Lee!" I cried. "Don't do this!" The red wasn't clearing. Please, please let it be illusion.
Dark words came from Lee, sounding obscene. I smelled a strand of my hair burn.
My heart clenched in sudden doubt. I wasn't going to make it. He was going to all but kill me. There was no way to win this. Oh, God…what had I been thinking?
"You gave her doubt," Al said wonderingly from the blackness. "That's a very complex charm," he breathed. "What else? Can you divine?"
"I can look backward," Lee said nearby, panting.
"Oh!" Al said gleefully. "I have a marvelous idea! Make her recall her father's death!"
"No…" I whispered. "Lee, if you have any compassion. Please."
But his hated voice started whispering, and I groaned, falling into myself as a mental pain cut through the physical. My dad. My dad gasping his last. The feel of his dry hand in mine, the strength gone. I had stayed, refusing to leave for anything. I was there when his breaths stopped. I was there when his soul was freed, leaving me to fend for myself far, far too early. It had made me strong, but it had left me flawed.
"Dad," I sobbed, my chest hurting. He had tried to stay, but couldn't. He had tried to smile, but it was broken. "Oh, Dad," I whispered, softer as the tears welled. I had tried to keep him there with me, but I hadn't been able to.
A black depression rose from my thoughts, pulling me into myself. He had left me. I was alone. He had gone. No one had ever come close to filling the void. No one ever would.
Sobbing, the miserable memory of that awful moment when I realized he was gone filled me. It wasn't when they pulled me from him at the hospital, but two weeks later when I broke the school's eight hundred meters record and I looked into the stands for his proud smile. He was gone. And that was when I knew he was dead.