Grim reflects the necromancer’s attack with his own fire. Green and orange collide, consuming each other, leaving crushing heat followed by deathly cold in its wake.
I drop Riddle and run to Riven, using instinct over training. Charm Element. I get the flames to die down, and I convince the green flame to simmer, but it won’t go out. No matter how much charm I put into the spell, the fire isn’t going to commit suicide. Not when it has fuel to burn.
Riven screams, and my concentration is obliterated.
Again. I have to try again.
The spell doesn’t work. I’m losing him.
No! I yell at myself.
Think of something, Everly!
But I can’t think of anything. Each spell I try doesn’t work.
So try something different!
Think!
And that’s when something occurs to me, something I’ve never thought to do.
Mix different classes of spells.
Chill Touch was a Necromantic spell. But Charm Element was an Enchantment spell. Mixing them never crossed my mind before. Until now.
I start casting both spells in my mind. As I did before, when Riven shadow dressed, I separate myself from my body, and two of me cast different spells at the same time, matching their timing in unison.
Charm Element I know well, but Chill Touch is new. Regardless, I work on them both, at the same time. I try to end both simultaneously, but it fails. I hear Riddle peep from beside me.
“What?” I ask a bit too harshly.
My familiar closes his eyes, and I feel his familiarity but also his separateness within me.
“Try it together?” I ask him.
The golem nods without opening his eyes. And so we try it his way. Together.
I charm my way to the core of the element once more, and when the fire simmers, I end both spells and Chill Touch snuffs out the last of the green flame.
Riven drops to the floor, gasping, eyes shut tight. He’s burned, but healing. Just not fast enough.
Riddle growls and snarls beyond our little circle.
Tor is back and keeping Grim occupied. Faunus looms over the count, sneering, “You were a waste of time.” He kicks the vampire, and I hear a gasp escape the count’s lips. I can only hope Jean-Claude’s going to survive.
Riddle rushes towards Faunus in a stupid feat of bravery.
“Riddle! No!” I yell.
Faunus grabs him by the scruff of his neck and ignites his hand with green plasma. Riddle howls. Pain shoots through me and I drop to my knees. And then I remember Riddle is an extension of me so whatever I can do… Riddle can do it too. I just have to funnel my abilities through myself and into him.
Faunus laughs and shakes the little guy. “This is why you shouldn’t have a familiar. They make you too vulnerable.”
Crap. He could get to me through Riddle. “How?” I manage to get out. Riddle and I have a connection, but it’s supposed to be one-way. From me to him.
Faunus doesn’t respond but suddenly, I’m blinded by my suffering. My eyes can only see black. More pain. Sharper. More focused. Not like Riven’s and not like Faunus’s, but it takes my breath away all the same.
“Get back or she gets it.” Faunus holds Riddle out in front of him as two swirling balls of hate glow in Grim’s hands. He looks at me, then at Faunus, and the hatred and intensity in his soul shines through. He’s so angry, he’ll burn himself out before he gives in. Yet when Riddle is presented before him, Grim steps back and lets the flames in his hands die.
There’s something between the two of them—between Grim and Riddle. Faunus said something about Grim being Cackus’s familiar and I wonder if that’s true—and, if so, would that describe the attachment Grim and Riddle seem to have to each other? Because they are both familiars? It’s a mystery for another day.
Faunus drops Riddle and pulls back his arm. He’s going to attack. I shield Riven the best I can, knowing this is, at the very least, going to hurt. At most, this is the last moment of my life.
But the pain never comes. And everything goes dark for a few seconds.
And then I remember what I was about to do. I close my eyes and feed my strength, my power, into Riddle. I imagine a bright white light engulfing me and taking my life force. Then I imagine this light connecting to my familiar, my golem. And I see Riddle lighting up with the light of my force, my power. I keep my eyes clenched tightly shut as I continue to feed my golem.
I hear something… something loud. But I don’t break my concentration and I don’t open my eyes. Silt falls from the ceiling. There’s a crash, then a roar so big, it frightens me, though it’s the same sound Riddle makes, just deeper.
I wait for pain. I wait for death. Neither comes.
I open my eyes and turn to see a stunned Grim, slack-jawed as he stares at my golem.
“Riddle?” My familiar stands there, smacking his mouth and stretching his neck. He flaps his wings and appears much larger than he did a split second ago. He’s almost the size of Riven or Jean-Claude. I scan the room, but Faunus is gone. Tor is on the ground, passed out.
“Grim?” I ask as I face the elemental. “What happened?”
“He… he…” he starts and waves his hand at Riddle, clearly at a loss for words.
Riddle belches and a spout of sickly green flame escapes his lips.
I’m stunned. Um… did my familiar just eat Faunus? Did Riddle just eat Dr. Ephesius?
“You ate him?” I ask, but I can’t understand how that’s possible. I
