As long as she could feel her decoy fighting, she knew she was safe from any attack from Parrish or the others, but how long would that horde keep them away? She needed to move quickly.
The fifth would be hers, and nothing could keep her from her goal.
The witch summoned a ring of fire in the air in front of her. It started small, only about as big as her own torso and thin like a hoop.
She poured her power into it until it burned so hot the red flames turned almost white with heat. When she was sure it was as hot as she could make it, she pulled back and rolled it toward the building, turning it faster and faster. As it rolled, it grew taller, too, until it was maybe seven or eight stories high and so hot, it melted a hole in the asphalt.
With a push, she shoved the ring into the building, expanding the flame until it consumed the first fifteen to twenty floors in a brilliant white light that made the air surrounding it wave.
The witch breathed in, and then, with a final upward thrust, sent the flames toward the rooftop and waited.
The fifth would have two choices.
Burn or flee.
And by now, the buildings surrounding him had no place left for him to land. She’d sent rotters up there in large swarms to fill every available inch of space.
She had him now, she was sure of it.
When he jumped from the rooftop, he was nothing more than a speck, really. A small sphere of air, covered in frost to protect them from the flames.
As he grew closer, though, the witch’s heart raced and she could hardly keep herself from laughing with excitement.
He’d fallen right into her hands, and there was no one here to save him now.
She stepped forward, conjuring more white-hot flames as she moved, sending them out in every direction in order to box him in as he landed on a cushioned bed of compressed air.
Her mouth went dry in anticipation as she sent a final wave of fire rushing toward the sphere.
But as the ice encasing the sphere melted and the two figures inside appeared, the witch dropped her hands to her side in surprise, taken aback by the innocence of it all.
She’d never expected this, and for just a moment, the shock brought her to her senses.
The fifth was just a child, his dark eyes tugging at a piece of her soul she’d locked away a long time ago.
I can’t hurt a child, she thought.
The voice that responded was not her own, but it was in her mind.
The voice of the Dark One.
You can, and you will. He is only a child in this lifetime. He is more ancient and cunning than you could imagine.
As the Dark One spoke, the witch could feel her trying to regain control.
How could she have been so easily manipulated? She hadn’t even been in control of her own mind these past few days.
The Dark One had somehow taken her over, forcing her thoughts toward loyalty and revenge. Toward hatred and power, at whatever cost necessary.
But this.
This was too much to ask.
She could not hurt this child.
Infect him now, the Dark One said with a hiss. End him now, or I swear you will suffer worse than before. I’ll make you suffer for lifetimes, if I have to. You belong to me, witch. You have since the moment you stepped through that portal to this world.
A tear fell down her cheek as she struggled to hold back the Dark One’s control.
My name is Lily, she said, placing both palms against her temples, forcing the Dark One out of her head.
With a deep breath, she reached out to the one person she knew she could count on to hear.
Forty-Eight
Karmen
The fight against Lily and her minions was unrelenting, and Karmen wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold out. She was convinced the only reason she’d made it this far was because of how close they were to David’s energy.
She kept hoping they’d see him descend from the sky any minute now, but Parrish had said she’d had contact with him and told him to stay put until they got through this horde.
Karmen had managed to tap into the minds of four additional super zombies so far, bringing her total to six. She didn’t think she could handle more than that right now. Not at this level of exhaustion. She was afraid taking even one more into her control would make her lose all of them.
Besides, she was also still having to cast her fire magic and hold as many of the regular zombies back as best she could, so their whole group wasn’t overrun.
She had actually tried tapping into Lily’s mind again, just to mess with her and try to distract her from the fight, but each time she focused on the woman inside the flames just ahead, she got no response. Only a strange type of static, as if she was tuned to the wrong station or something.
But then suddenly, out of nowhere, Lily’s voice sounded in Karmen’s brain, as if she’d tapped into the earbuds Crash had given them.
It was so clear and distinct, Karmen actually wondered if everyone could hear her, too.
“Karmen, I don’t have much time. I need you to listen to me,” Lily said.
She shook her head, unable to pair the desperate tone of Lily’s voice with the confident witch at the end of the street sending a nonstop barrage of rotters their way.
How about you let up on the attack and we can have a nice, little chat, then?
“I know the woman you’re fighting looks like me, but she’s just a decoy,” Lily said. “I sent her to distract you so that I could capture the fifth and Parrish’s sister. They’re here with me now, and the Dark One wants me to kill the boy.”
Karmen wasn’t sure how to react. She couldn’t
