I thought I heard shouts down one hallway at the junction, so I took off down the other, hoping I wasn't heading for a dead end.
This hallway ended in a window. I held out my hand, blasted the glass panes with magic so they shattered outward and leapt, before realizing I probably should have looked before I jumped.
I somehow managed to wrap myself in my magic as I sailed out a second story window. I still hit the ground hard, but I didn't break anything as I rolled and scrambled to my feet. Angry shouts from the house chased me as I sprinted toward the shelter of the nearby forest.
Magic blasted the ground in front of me, and I fell back, throwing up my hands to shelter my eyes from the dirt clods that pelted me. I tried to run. The mages chasing me blasted the ground every way I turned.
My neck tingled. That seemed to be a warning I was about to get hit with a spell, and I dove to the side.
It sizzled through the air, just missing me, though the energy left burns along my arm as I sheltered my head.
"Stop fighting, or we might get tired and just kill you," someone shouted.
Somehow, I still had the knife clutched in my hand, and though my hands shook, I held it in front of me as I got to my knees.
"No."
The lights at the house blazed and made it hard to see much. I could barely make out several people walking toward me. Two of them had their hands up, ready to cast spells.
I took a step back, trying to judge when I should run. If I should run. I didn't want to be killed, but I wasn't going to let them keep me, either.
Light sparkled around the two people who held their hands up. One's spell was tinged magenta as it built around his hands, the other tinted light blue. I thought they would probably still try to incapacitate me instead of kill me. The forest was too far to reach before they blasted me, and I had nowhere to hide.
I tried to make another shield. I couldn't focus enough to make the energy cooperate. I was so dead.
The mages came to the same conclusion that I had. I couldn't fight back with magic. The one with the magenta colored magic cast his spell, and it streamed toward me.
I blocked with the knife. It went red hot in an instant, and I dropped it, shrieking as my hand burned, though it deflected the spell.
The other mage threw his spell at me. I screamed.
"Sofia!" I heard one of my guys shout. I didn't turn. Wasn't going to make it. Wished I'd had a bit more time. Tears blurred my vision.
The spell splashed against an invisible shield in front of me.
That got the other mages' attention. They yelled in anger and then lit up the night trying to blast the shield in front of me.
A moment's search let me find the knife I'd dropped. It was still warm, though not burning, and I clutched it as I turned and sprinted for the trees.
"Sofia!"
I ran toward Ed's voice. He and Allan crouched next to Doc at the tree line. He and Allan were both armed with wicked looking knives, and they protected Doc while he held the shield spell. I really wanted to know how he was managing something so powerful, especially since I didn't think he had touched the magic in the bracelets he wore. Amber light sparkled around his hands. I thought I'd seen that magic signature before, but I couldn't place it. It certainly wasn't mine.
"Go," Doc ordered. "I'll hold them."
"We're not going to leave you," I refused.
"I'll be right behind you." He didn't look, gaze intense, amber light flickering in his dark eyes.
Allan grabbed my hand and pulled. We had to trust that Doc knew what he was doing, and we sprinted away.
As soon as we were farther down the ridge, Doc dropped the shield. Spells crashed into the trees above us. Then I heard a few of the mages scream.
I glanced behind me.
Doc stood, tossing spells at the mages like he had magic to burn.
"Gods, what did he do?" I let the werewolves drag me away, but the sight of Doc practically glowing with amber magic as he covered our escape was burned in my memory. I just hoped he managed to get away, too.
People started shouting in confusion, and then I smelled smoke.
Moments later, Doc caught up to us, panting. "Set their house on fire. Hopefully, that will keep them occupied for a few minutes."
We raced downhill, Allan holding my hand to help me keep my balance, since I couldn't see as well as the others in the dark. We slowed when we reached the bottom, and I stumbled, falling. The adrenalin was keeping me going. My body wasn't going to cooperate for much longer.
Doc put his arm around me and held tight. Allan let go of my hand, and Doc half carried me as we continued toward the road.
"Is that Victoria's car?" I asked when we got close to a small turn off.
"Thought it would be less obvious than my truck. Come on. We need to get out of here. Allan, I can barely see straight, can you drive?"
"What's wrong?" He still dragged me along, and I couldn't tell if he was hurt or not.
"The answer to your question about if I can cast magic if I drink a magic user's blood is yes. The problem is, this was a powerful magic user, and I drank a lot of his blood. My head is swimming," Doc
