Infinity Son(56)

I forever wish I had the power to teleport instead of creating fire, especially now, when it means I could get Wesley to safety. But his health is counting on me to be on the offense, so I follow Atlas back into battle. He’s doing his best to hurl funnels of wind while dodging spellwork. Maribelle is floating around, kicking wands out of the hands from acolytes. She throws a gem-grenade at June, but the force field sends it back, exploding in midair.

I take a deep breath and go off on all these acolytes. Fire-dart straight into the acolyte aiming a wand at me and another into the one shooting at Atlas. An acolyte jumps out of a tree with a net to try and capture Maribelle and I cast a fire-orb, timing it perfectly to explode against his chest.

The path is as clear as it’s going to be, and I have to break past this force field. I charge a fire-orb and release, hoping phoenix power will drive through, but it slings back at me at a speed I can’t dodge. The orb hits me like a hammer to the gut and knocks the wind out of me. I’m not immune to my own power. Good to know, bad time to find out.

I’m staring up at the sky from the ground when Atlas is shot out of the air. He falls twenty feet and crashes into the dirt beside me.

“Atlas!” Maribelle appears beside us.

“Mari, Mari, I’m okay,” Atlas weakly says.

There’s fury in her eyes. “Watch him,” she says to me.

Maribelle picks up a wand and takes off into the air, showing no mercy against the acolytes.

The cemetery gets even colder, like I’m lying naked in streets of snow. There’s a howl that’s so piercing I’m convinced I’ll never sleep again, and it digs deep into my heart, making me feel incredibly lonely, like no one will care if I die this very second.

Anklin is no longer chanting.

Two shadows of black light appear out of nowhere, above the graves of Luna’s parents, and turn into ghosts so lifelike they could be living people. The ghosts stare at Luna with confusion, then horror. The person before them is much older than the young woman who violently murdered them. The Marnettes try holding hands, but they slip through each other.

Luna’s laced gloves begin to glow. The ghosts step back as she stalks toward them like a predator. The Marnettes move their mouths, but no words come out, just that awful howling that makes me feel painfully empty, like I’m starving for crumbs of happiness. Unlike June, Stanton and Dione look to be suffering from this agony too, but they hold on to the ropes, locking the Marnettes in as they try escaping. They pound on the force field like it’s a door someone will open for them, and Mr. Marnette even goes so far as to bang into it with his shoulder. Mrs. Marnette howls in Dione’s face. Dione closes her eyes, but there’s no shutting out that ghost song.

Heroes aren’t supposed to feel so easily defeated, but I’m damn near down for the count. I don’t have the heart for this life. I can throw fire but it’ll get deflected. I may as well be powerless.

Luna corners her father while Anklin follows her with the urn. She doesn’t even say anything to him as she grabs him by the throat, her gloves sparking as she presses his face into the urn. He isn’t sucked in easily, so Luna keeps pressing down on him as if her father is simply a pair of shoes she’s trying to fit into a full suitcase. Within a minute, her father’s ghost is gone, trapped in the urn, to be vanquished later. Mrs. Marnette’s ghost howls even louder as she falls to her knees. Luna circles her like a vulture and shoves her into the urn too. Anklin seals the urn and hands it over to Luna.

Her grin sends chills down my spine. “Kill them,” she says in the silence.

The force field vanishes when Stanton, June, and Dione drop the rope.

Me and Maribelle are the only active Spell Walkers, with Iris tending to Wesley and Atlas a couple feet away. This is it; this is not only how we fail everyone, but where we’re going to die. Where we’re going to be killed.

Stanton charges me, and I’m quick with a fire-dart, but it only stalls him for a second. He races forward, grabs my neck, and flings me through the air. My world spins as I soar across the cemetery until I slam into the ground and bang into another headstone. I’m fading in and out, fighting to keep my eyes open. Maribelle is locked in hand-to-hand combat with Stanton. They’re anticipating each other’s punches, but Stanton speeds up, surprising her with a kick to her chin. Dione runs at me, screaming as two extra arms punch out of her sides, and she leaps. I’m not quick enough to attack back, but Iris jumps over me and catches Dione in midair, slamming her to the ground.

“Get the urn,” Iris commands as one of Dione’s new fists clocks her in the chin.

I get up, fighting past all limping and dizziness. Luna is watching the chaos and doesn’t flinch when I approach her.

“You don’t have the fire I thought you would,” Luna says.

“I’ve come this far,” I say.

“This is where you’ll end, my little wonder.” She slides a dagger out of a sheath. The handle is made of bone and charred black, and the serrated blade is yellow. “You’re familiar with the infinity-ender, yes?” Anklin joins her side, and she hands him the blade. “I made the grave error of not stabbing Bautista in the heart when I killed him, my dear Anklin, so be sure to pierce Emil properly so we can end this bloodline once and for all.”

Luna walks off with the urn, and Anklin barrels into me before I can make a move. He pins his knee deep into my stomach and drives the blade down on me. I catch his wrist and try wrestling the weapon out of his hand. The phoenix cries within me, guiding my reflexes like never before, like its essence is aware that our fire might be snuffed out for good. Anklin gains control, and the tip of the blade kisses my heart, and I pray Brighton isn’t watching and has the common sense to get the hell out of here. I don’t want to kill this man, but I have to fight for my life. I’m sweating and shouting as I ignite fire, burning Anklin’s hands. Gold and gray flames crawl up his sleeves. He drops the blade beside me as he tries to extinguish the fire.