Wild Knight (Midnight Empire: The Tower #1)(53)

Korriganes.

But they couldn’t be.

There was no time to worry about their origin. They were here and ready to cause trouble.

Kami attacked first. She produced a throwing knife and her blade sliced right through the first one. She frowned when she realized all she’d done was rearrange a few air molecules. The spirit’s mouth split in a mischievous grin.

Kami’s face hardened. I knew that look well. Game on, it said.

“How do we kill them if they’re made of air?” Neera yelled. She jumped from the canopy and sailed right through another spirit like it wasn’t even there.

I jumped aside as the bigger spirit made another attempt to swallow me.

“Do you want to eat me or make out?” I asked. “I can’t tell.”

The Korrigane hovered in front of me, as though debating the answer. I seized the moment and ran, trying to identify a safe place to buy me time to come up with a plan. If they set their minds to it, they could topple buildings on this block like dominoes. There was nowhere to climb that they couldn’t reach me. Weapons did no damage. I couldn’t think of any particular brand of magic that would stop them. I was running out of options.

“What if we trap them in something?” Neera asked.

“Like what? A giant bell jar?” Kami swept a hand outward. “By all means, if you see a life-sized, hermetically-sealed container, feel free to grab it.”

I scanned the area. There had to be something we could use to contain them.

My gaze landed on something better than a bell jar.

I whistled to the other knights and motioned toward the corner. If we could lure them close enough, it might work even better than containment.

I sprinted toward the corner and spared a glance over my shoulder to make sure my departure got their attention. Two Korriganes tore after me. Two was better than zero.

I could’ve run faster, but I held back not wanting them to give up and go for easier prey.

That’s right, ladies. Free samples. Just follow me.

I reached my destination but didn’t break stride. There was a man unhooking a nozzle from the pump to fill his car. My hand shot out and swiped the nozzle from his loose grip.

“Hey! I already paid for that.”

I ignored his objection and fired at the oncoming spirits. Gasoline sprayed from the nozzle and drenched the air. It came in handy to have a built-in accelerant. I opened my palm and whispered, “Ignis.”

It was a risk to use Latin in the middle of the city when not acting in an official capacity, but under the circumstances, it was one I was willing to take. It would be easy enough to persuade the authorities that we were acting for the greater good. My problem was not wanting to draw attention to myself, especially not from vampires.

The Korriganes exploded in a ball of fire. I watched for an extra beat to see whether they reformed or the gasoline and fire combo had done its job.

The air remained still.

Two down. Seven to go. Not the best odds but much improved.

I handed the nozzle back to the man. He stared at me in awe before setting the nozzle back on the pump and ducking into his car and speeding away. Not that desperate to fill up, apparently.

None of the other Korriganes had tried to follow. That meant I needed another way to get rid of them.

I returned to the original site. The problem with Kami’s magic specialty was that it was mind control and I had no idea whether that would work on the Korriganes.

“I’ve got two on the hook,” she said, answering my question without breaking her focus. “All I can do is hold them in place though.”

Which left Neera fighting three on her own. I glanced around for any sign of her.

“Where’s Neera?”

“I don’t know and I can’t look,” Kami ground out. Beads of sweat bubbled along her forehead. “They’re strong. If I try to make them do anything, I’ll lose them.”

“Then keep them still. I’m going to find Neera.”

Neera’s specialty was earth magic. There was a chance she had them under control.

I rounded the corner and immediately saw I was wrong. The remaining trio of Korriganes had Neera surrounded and were holding her in the air, about three feet off the ground. They must have realized she was stronger when in contact with the earth. Neera’s eyes locked on mine and I saw the fear reflected there. Her arms were pinned to her side, which made it even harder for her to perform magic.

Luckily for her, I had a touch of earth magic in my arsenal. I turned myself invisible and focused on the ground beneath their feet, causing it to rumble. I couldn’t split it open the way I’d divided the Serpentine, but I could make them nervous.

Sure enough, three heads jerked down to inspect the ground. I pushed harder and the seismic action increased. They looked back at Neera in wonder.

That’s right. It was all Neera. Focus on her.

I couldn’t seal them in anything while they had Neera caught between them. I’d have to be able to keep the trio in a tight group while also getting Neera to safety.

I crept closer and unleashed a blast of air. My magic begged for more release and, this time, I happily complied. I pushed the air so hard that I lost my balance and toppled forward.

All at once the remaining spirits dissipated. From my position on the ground, I watched for any sign of movement. The air calmed.

I made myself visible again.