With two down, that only leaves the one. Jinx is groaning in pain, and Mel, Grace, and Aziza seem to have lost strength from the battle. Even Ya-Ya seems to have lost some glow. That just leaves Sunday and me. Sunday steps up to face off with the demon Rye pummeled.
I look from him to Rye as the demon roars and swipes its claws toward him. Rye tries to duck, but his timing is just off and the demon catches him, tossing him to the side like a rag doll. His body hits the ground with a sickening thump. When he doesn’t move, I feel myself panicking but I try to focus. This is far from over.
“Stay back, Sailor. Run if you get the chance,” Sunday shouts.
I ignore him. My eyes dart from the demon to Rye. Come on, get up, Rye! Sunday and I both rush forward, me with my knife ready and Sunday with a glowing orb in his hand.
“You might want to duck,” he tells me as an aside.
I stop and hit the ground, not going to question anything when it comes to a group of gods in battle at this point. I’ve seen what they can do, and whatever that orb is, I sure as hell don’t want to be on the receiving end of it. Sunday releases the orb and it sails toward the raging monster. It hits it square in the chest, and I watch in fascination as it is sucked in on itself.
“Whoa,” I say, pushing myself up. “Why the hell didn’t you do that to begin with?”
Now I’m mad. If he could make these things just poof away, why the hell didn’t he do it already? Sunday falls to his knees, out of breath, his chest heaving. Sweat trickles down from his brow.
“Because,” he says through labored breaths, “it takes energy to use energy, Sailor. We are powerful, but like all things, there’s a cost to our power.”
I will have to follow up with them all about that one later. Right now, I need to check on Rye. I rush over to him and push him gently onto his back. He groans and slowly sits up, looking around confused. I sigh in relief.
“Guys! We have to port Jinx, now. Grace?” Mel’s voice rings out in the suddenly very quiet space.
Rye isn’t on his feet, and Sunday is still catching his breath, but Ya-Ya and Aziza are looking almost back to normal again. By their pained looks as they hover over Jinx, I know he is in serious trouble. Grace runs to meet them, opening a portal with ease and disappearing with Jinx, Mel, and Ya-Ya.
“Is he going to be okay?” I ask.
Aziza scoffs and crosses her arms. Sunday gets up and joins us. Rye shakes his head.
“I don’t know. His best chance is with Mel and Grace. They’ll take care of him.”
I think he is saying it to reassure himself as much as he is to reassure me.
“What about you, Sailor? You’re bleeding,” Sunday says, pointing to my knee.
I look down at the new rip in my jeans and the splotch of burgundy dampening the spot.
“Oh, I’m fine. It’s just a graze.”
“No, we need to get you back to the cabin. You need medical treatment,” Rye insists.
I can feel my rage rising, but I bite it down. Rye has enough to worry about with Jinx’s condition without me starting an argument over nothing.
“Come on,” Aziza says, assuming the lead as she starts to navigate back out of the forest.
I push through the pain in my knee, wishing for that portal. It’s a bit more than a graze after all. Rye and Sunday fall in behind us, and soon we are back out of the forest, looking at Main Street, which is still lit up with lights and ringing with laughter.
“They have absolutely no idea, do they?” I whisper to nobody in particular.
“It’s easier to live in the dark,” Rye says beside me.
Once we have safely made it past the crowds, who are too busy to notice a bloody ragtag group of teens, Rye stops me. Aziza and Sunday continue on.
“Are you sure you are okay? We can get you healed up; you know it’s not a problem.”
I’m touched by how caring he seems but I shake my head anyways. I don’t want to look like the weakest link.
“I’m fine, really. I just want to know if Jinx is okay.”
“You know it’s okay to not be fine, right?” Rye says.
“The team already thinks I’m weak. I don’t want them to heal me and think—”
“You just helped us fight off Slip Demons. You’re not weak.”
“Then why are you so against me being the Paradox? Admit it, you think I’m weak,” I mumble.
He takes my hand in his. My stomach flips and my heart races. I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks, giving away my feelings. As a tingle rips through my body from his touch, I try to swallow back my desire.
“Look, Wonder Woman, I don’t think you’re weak. I just don’t know if I’m strong enough to watch someone else that I’m in charge of protecting die. I don’t have doubts about you, I have doubts about me.”
I hesitate, but I finally find the courage to ask the one question that’s been buzzing about in my mind since I made my decision to do this. The one I have barely let myself acknowledge, let alone say out loud.
“What if I’m not strong enough?”
“You’ve been braver in the last few hours than anyone I’ve known in the last few years. We will train you. We will help you get ready and we will find the horsemen together.”
“Hey, wait,” a small voice interrupts our moment.
We
