Even in their weakened state, Edric and Zeke fought admirably. He was proud to call them brothers and even grateful that they fought at his side. Though, it pained him to fight in his human form. It seemed to drain him of his energy faster, and he couldn’t move as quickly as he wanted or fight as hard as he needed to.

Despite all that, he wouldn’t have chosen any other men to fight alongside him. They complimented each other. Ezekiel with his wit and magic. Edric with his strength and tactics.

The thugs attacked at random. Some of them seemed too inexperienced, with fear in their eyes and their skin paling. They would be the ones to watch out for.

A thug approached, swinging his sword toward Andreas’s neck while he jabbed at another. A rush of heat burned past him, blasting away the thug who had swung at him, and he glanced over his shoulder at Ezekiel who nodded.

Andreas smirked and nodded in return.

Look at that, the sorcerer saved my ass.

That’s when Andreas caught the sight of a thug moving in the shadows, inching up behind Ezekiel. Andreas threw his sword. Ezekiel’s eyes grew wide, his mouth agape. Andreas wasn’t worried, the sorcerer was smarter than to step into the path of the blade.

It landed true, in the gut of the thug.

Ezekiel stared at the thug for a moment then pulled the sword out and tossed it back to Andreas. All the while a look of confusion and relief covered his features. Yes, Zeke, the wraith just saved your ass.

Though Andreas tried to ignore the paled expressions and slightly more sluggish movements of his two brothers, he knew the fight would drain them to a devastating point. He feared what lay beyond the room for them on the way out and just how long it would take for them to recoup from the mountain’s poison.

Stepping up his game, he fought harder, faster, burning through every ounce of energy within him, all the while fighting his urge to shift into the wraith that kept calling to him. Pleading with him.

He frowned. The wraith was near death. He was near death. Andreas knew that if he didn’t shift, he would die. But if he shifted, the vexsnare which followed him throughout their journey through the mountain would find him. And there was no way he could face that creature in the state he was in. Shifting would mean death as well.

For the time being, he would have to trust in his brothers and fight with everything he had until his final breath and heartbeat.

He searched for Sophia, to see how she was faring and found her at the back of the room, fighting thugs, slowly making her way toward him, Edric, and Ezekiel. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of her focused determination as she took down each man on her own.

She certainly did better than he and his brothers. And that didn’t really surprise him. She seemed to have grown much stronger compared to when she was outside of Ripthorn. He wanted to analyze that more with his brothers and her, but that would have to wait for a time when they weren’t in the mountain and his brothers slowly dying from the poisoning effects of the mountain magic.

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through his back, radiating throughout his torso. His knees gave out from under him, sending him to the floor with a thud. Edric rushed toward him and leapt over Andreas, into the thug that stabbed him in the back.

Sophia rushed to him. Ezekiel used his magic to collapse the entry, preventing any more thugs from entering the room. He approached and also knelt by Andreas’s side.

“That was the last of my magic,” he said. His face was sunken in. Like he had lost too much weight. The magic was close to taking his life. “But that should buy us some time.”

“I have to shift,” Andreas said. “Or I’m as good as dead.”

He knew the weight of his words and that it would mean the vexsnare would zero in on him quicker. But he had no choice. The wound he endured was taking the last of his strength.

Sophia’s brow creased with worry, but she nodded. “Do it.”

He shifted. He instantly sensed the vexsnare pinpoint him. It had finally found them.

Though he felt the joy of being in his wraith form, his desire and need to protect his family overwhelmed everything. He needed to defend his family from the creature that loved the taste of wraiths, but he knew if he fell, so would Sophia, Edric, and Ezekiel.

Resolved, he floated farther into the room. Haris rushed in.

Sophia asked, “Did you find the exit, my friend?”

Haris nodded his big, antler-covered head, trilled, and stomped his foot. Andreas wondered if he too could feel the dangerous creature heading toward them.

“Let’s get out of here,” Sophia said.

“Finally,” Edric said. A small bit of the tension in his shoulders eased.

“Lead the way, Haris,” Ezekiel said.

They all filed out of the room, following Haris to the exit. All the while, Andreas was stuck on high alert, hoping beyond all hope that they could either out-run the vexsnare or fight it off.