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.
'Brilliant,'Al whispered, his cultured voice soft beside me.
I did nothing as a gloved hand curved under my jaw and tilted my head up. I couldn't see him as I blinked, but I felt the warmth of his hand. 'You broke her utterly,' Al said in wonder.
Lee's breathing was harsh. Clearly it had taken a lot out of him. I couldn't stop crying, the tears dribbling down my cheeks, cold in the wind. Al let go of my jaw, and I curled into a ball in the rubble at his feet, uncaring of what might happen next. Oh God, my dad.
'She's yours,' Lee said. 'Take my mark off.'
I felt Al's arms go around me, lifting me up. I couldn't help but press into him. I was so cold, and he smelled like Old Spice. Though I knew it was Al's twisted cruelty, I clutched at him and sobbed. I missed him. God, I missed him. 'Rachel,' came my dad's voice, pulled from my memory, and I cried all the harder. 'Rachel,' it came again. 'Is there nothing left?'
'Nothing,' I said around my sobbing breaths.
'Are you sure?' my dad said, gentle and caring. 'You tried so hard, my little witch. You really fought him with everything and failed?'
'I failed,' I said between my sobs. 'I want to go home.'
'Shhhh,' he soothed, his hand cool against me in my darkness. 'I'll get you home and put you to bed.'
I felt Al shift into motion. I was broken, but I wasn't done. My mind rebelled, wanting to sink deeper into nothingness, but my will survived. It was either Lee or me, and I wanted my cup of cocoa on Ivy's couch and a theme book of rationalizations.
'Al,' I whispered. 'Lee should be dead.' It was easier to breathe. The memory of my father's death was slipping back into the hidden folds of my brain. They had been buried there so long that they found their places easily, one by one filed away for lonely nights by myself.
'Hush, Rachel,' Al said. 'I see what you intended by letting Lee trounce you, but you can kindle demon magic fully. There has never been a witch that can do that.' He laughed, his glee chilling me. 'And you're mine. Not Newt's, not anyone else's but mine.'
'What about my demon mark?' Lee protested, several steps back, and I wanted to cry for him. He was so dead, and he didn't know it yet.
'Lee can,' I whispered. I could see the sky. Blinking profusely, I saw a dark shadow of Al holding me silhouetted against the red-smeared clouds. Relief slipped into me, pushing out the last of my doubt to leave a shimmer of hope underneath. Ley line charms of illusion only worked short-term unless they were given a permanent place to reside in silver. 'Taste him,' I said. 'Taste his blood. Trent's father fixed him, too. He can kindle demon magic.'
Al jerked to a stop. 'Bless me thrice. There are two of you?'
I shrieked as I fell, crying out as my hip hit a rock.
From behind me, I heard Lee's shout of fear and shock. Turning where Al had dropped me, I peered over the rubble and rubbed my eyes to make outAl drawing a sharp nail across Lee's arm. Blood welled, and I felt sick. 'I'm sorry, Lee,' I whispered, hugging my knees to myself. 'I'm so sorry.'
Al made a low sound deep in his throat of pleasure. 'She's right,' he said as he brought a finger from his lips. 'And you're better at ley line magic than she is. I'll take you instead.'
'No!' Lee screamed, and Al jerked him closer. 'You wanted her! I gave you her!'
'You gave her to me, I took off your demon mark, and now I'm taking you. You can both kindle demon magic,' Al said. 'I could spend decades fighting a scrawny, high-maintenance familiar like her and never wedge the spells you already know into her cotton-fluffed head. Ever try twisting a demon curse?'
'No!' Lee cried, fighting to get away. 'I can't!'
'You will. Here,' Al said, dropping him down onto the ground. 'Hold this for me.'
I covered my ears and curled into myself as Lee screamed, then screamed again. It was high and raw, scraping across my skull like a nightmare. I felt like I was going to vomit. I had given Lee to Al to save my life. That
