Imha had brought chaos with her because everything and everyone suddenly went crazy.

Omi broke through Ceris and Izaera, and reached Imha. Side by side, Victor and Micah lunged toward Imha and Omi. More demons burst through the door, and Keisha and Zelen went to them.

I needed to help. If I didn’t, they would be two short. Even though two of them had just recovered their powers, we were still embarrassingly outnumbered.

I sat up and my head spun. Oh God, what had happened to me?

Keisha showed up before me, striking a demon that had dove to me and I hadn’t even noticed. My brain was mush. So were my muscles.

She fended off a couple more, while I scooted back. If I couldn’t help, I had better hide because I would only attract unwanted attention and distract Keisha’s focus. Feeling weak, exhausted, small, and alone, I reached the edge of the altar. I prepared to jump off and stopped. Morgan’s body was right there, at my feet. A sob raked my body, and I pressed a hand to my mouth to keep it in. Oh my God. Morgan was dead. My family was dead. The world was destroyed. How many more would die before this mess was over?

Keisha roared and the sound made me turn around. She brandished her sword, dropping one demon after another with her sure strokes, her blade ripping through their grayish bodies like she was ripping through paper. Zelen and his staff weren’t too bad either. He moved fast for a guy who appeared so old.

Farther away, Ceris and Izaera took turns assisting Keisha and Zelen, trying to thin the wave of demons running to them, and throwing bolts at Imha and Omi trying to catch them off guard. The beauty of it all was to watch Victor and Micah working together to beat Imha and Omi.

They looked like ninjas, moving fast, exchanging blows, spinning around each other, throwing bolt after bolt, a fierce look on their faces and a lethal glint in their eyes.

If I didn’t know better, I would believe they had worked together forever.

“Isn’t it fun?” Imha asked, flinging a huge purple ball at Micah. He slipped to the side and let it pass. “All of us back together. Playing, fighting, killing.” She threw a purple bolt at them. Victor cast a shield and when it broke, it exploded in purple smoke.

That was new.

Coughing, the guys clambered back, and Omi threw several red bolts at them. The bolts hit them on the chest and shoulders, sending them flying several feet. They landed on their backs.

Imha charged them, producing two Black Thorns on her palms.

Oh, God.

I jumped from the altar, not sure what I was doing, but knowing I had to do something. I took a step and kicked something.

The Crimson Dagger.

Morgan had kept that damn thing all this time. I wondered if he also kept …

I crouched down and searched his pockets. I found the vial in one of his belt pockets. There was only one drop inside. He probably used it to disenchant Keisha’s armor. Ugh, only the Fates knew what else he had used it on, what else he had done against us.

Rushing, I opened the vial and let the drop fall over the blade. Without hesitation, I shot up and ran—or better, limped—around the altar toward Imha.

“Hey, bitch,” I called her.

Surprised, she paused, giving me enough time to aim. I threw a dagger at her, missing on purpose, distracting her of my real objective as I threw the Crimson Dagger.

She tilted her head back and cackled. “By the Everlast, Nadine, what a lou—” She looked down at the Crimson Dagger in her chest.

I snickered. “Lousy aim?”

One second later she disappeared into thin air, taking along Omi and the demons.

Everyone else stilled, looking at me.

“What was that?” Ceris asked, carefully approaching me.

The adrenaline was wearing out. I leaned on the altar for support. “Morgan still had the vial with the fountain water. I put the last drop on the dagger and threw it at her, wishing her and all her associates to appear in a deep cave in the South Pole.”

“Clever,” Micah said, standing up. The wounds on his shoulders and chest were already healing. “I like that.”

Heat crept up my cheeks.

Keisha put an arm over my shoulder and kissed my cheek. “You’re my hero!”

Ceris stood before me, her eyes on mine. “You truly are a hero.”

“Whatever you are, you’re amazing.” Zelen patted my back.

I winced.

“What is it?” Victor asked.

Micah pushed through them and reached to me. “Her wound.”

The cloth he had tied around me was gone, and my shirt and the side of my pants were soaked in blood.

Exhaustion and pain flooded me, and I slid to the floor. Micah passed his arms under my knees and shoulders, and pulled me to him.

A huge groan shook the mountain.

“It’s going to explode,” Izaera said. “Any second now.”

“We need to be outside to transport to another place,” Ceris said.

“Let’s go, then,” Victor said.

Holding me tight, Micah ran back to the entrance with the others. I rested my cheek on his chest and closed my eyes, welcoming the sleepiness.

I could feel heat and more tremors, but I wasn’t sure if it was the volcano or me.

“Stay with me, darling,” Micah whispered. “Please, stay with me.”

I tried to stay with him, I really did, but I had no strength or will left.

When the darkness closed around me, I couldn’t fight it.