My first target was the elf that had thrown the knife at me. Crimson magic flowed off of my arm and clinked as it solidified into a chain, loops forming further and further down my arm. A claw formed at the end. I stalked forward before lashing the chain forward. The elf, distracted by an Enforcer, didn't see it in time. The chain lashed around her knees and the hook stabbed into her knee. Blood spat from the wound. 

   The elf shrieked. I hauled her towards me. Her dagger sliced off my chain -- another spelled weapon, dammit -- and she drew another from her boot. With a kick of her legs, she launched at my face. I threw up a shield. Her daggers cut right through it, but I was ready. My foot sunk into her open chest. A jolt shot up my knee as it hit the armor plate. Her head cracked against the ground, but she was damn determined.

   A fist enlarged by layers of magic slammed into her chin. Her jaw clenched onto her lip. When she stumbled, I slapped the paralyzing spell sitting in my hand into her chest. Her dagger scratched my arm, but the spell had already sunken in. She collapsed.

   My ears faintly picked up on the sounds of footfalls before something slammed into my back. I went crashing onto my front. Teeth latched onto my shoulder and sunk in, drawing my blood. I released a shrill cry and slammed my palms into the ground. A shockwave exploded from my back, throwing the tiger off of me. It twisted midair and landed on its paws, tail lashing in a furious snarl.

   I felt the warmth of my blood trickle down my arm. Panting, I snapped one hand at the ground. A net fell from my fingers, rapidly wreathing into a large mass of rope. With the hand holding my staff, I beckoned the tiger forward. It didn't hesitate. The feline's hindquarters bunched before it shot forward. I raised the net before spinning to the side, throwing up my leg. The padded side hit the tiger in the throat. As the feline twisted midair, I completed the spin and threw the net over it, tightening it harshly. The ropes bit into its skin as the beast yowled. I clenched my fist. The net squeezed until the animal writhed in agony.

   "Reilly!" The voice howled. I turned my head, face cold, as I observed the woman stalking my way.

   "Karrae."

   The woman had some blood leaking from her lip and temple. Nonetheless, she drew two blades from her wrists and dipped into a deep crouch, curling her lip up. It was an invitation. The memory of her glee at killing Tate slammed into my temper. I sneered under my breath and dropped the tiger, facing her fully. Karrae bared a wicked grin before she threw the first blade.

   I knocked it aside with ease, the pressure between my eyes gaining size with each spark of gold or droplet of crimson. My eyes located the wooden bracelet on her wrist. Perfect. Karrae's foot pushed off of the ground and she soared upwards. Tate was right. It was as if gravity didn't affect her as much.

   Her daggers crashed into the red shield. With a twist on her heel, she darted around it. Both knives lashed out in a slash for my face. I locked her wrists with my staff, but she'd been waiting for it. With a twist of her arms, the staff was pulled from my grip and thrown to the side. The magic around my arms faded rapidly as I felt the block of not having my staff. Brat.

   Karrae flipped the knives her hands. I took a step back, raising my hands. She had no idea I wasn't powerless. My eyes darted across her figure. The woman flashed a dark grin. "Not so good without that staff, are you?"

   "Come find out," I snapped, raising my fists. Her attack was predictable. I ducked to the side and my fist sank into her side. Her elbow wrapped around my wrist and she bent it backwards, causing pain to shoot up my shoulder. Instead of showing it, I lashed the rope around her throat and yanked harshly. 

   A gasp tore from her throat. Startled, she stumbled and grabbed for her neck. I finally took the shot I'd wanted for days. My fist sank into her jaw. 

   There was a sickening crack. Karrae staggered away, her hand cupper her jaw. Fury seared into her molten eyes. I observed her, startled. That punch shouldn't have broken the bone. Her bones were weak. What kind of magick had weak bones?

   Pain shot through my back. A breath stopped midway into my lungs. Searing agony ran in waves down my spine. Twisting to the side, I barely saw the shape of a demon vanishing. My hand groped at my back and found a knife's hilt. That little shit stabbed me.

   I gripped the hilt and pulled with a fierce jerk. My nerves screamed at me. Dropping the bloodied knife, I hooked a foot under my staff and kicked it up into my grip. "Alright, you little shit," I hissed. "Come fight me, coward." Pain lanced up my back as blood dripped down my leg. I really hope he didn't hit anything vital. Like an organ. That'd be bad.

   Karrae attacked. The moment my attention shifted, a fist sank into the flesh of my stomach. Oxygen stole itself out my lungs. I spat out a glob of blood and Karrae's knife slashed across the side of my cheek. A boot hit the back of my knee, buckling the joint. Karrae's fist hit the side of my cheek and I saw stars as I hit the ground.

   Teaming up on me. Anger in the form of red magic poured from my hands. Digging my fingers into the dirt, I focused and allowed my power to gather in my core. My own body began to heat up. Footsteps approached.

   "That's all it took? Two of us?" Karrae crouched, her voice smug. A knife traced my bloodied arm. "No wonder Dani doesn't have to worry about you."

   The magic in my gut pulsed. It was so rich with power that it pulsed dangerously. My eyes opened and found Karrae's. There must've been something in my face because hers drained of color.

   I released the built-up magic. All of it tore out of my body in a fierce explosion. It released with the force of a bomb. Everyone within ten feet was thrown into the air and hit the ground, half of them unconscious. The very air around me was tinted red. I pushed myself up to my knees before I felt the strain of the spell. Such a massive blast had caused a sharp pain to pulse through my heart. With every beat, it shot down my spine.

   Karrae, somehow, staggered to her feet. Blood leaked from her arms. With a weak snarl, she dipped into a fighting crouch. My chest heaved. Glowering at her, I swung my staff in an arc around my head. Like a whirlpool, crimson liquid spun around until it funneled onto my staff. I aimed at Karrae with a cry and all of it blasted in her direction, a six-inch thick river of raw energy slamming into her chest.

   The spell hit her hard enough that the woman went flying. My hands trembled with exhaustion as I watched her hit the ground, darkly satisfied. She wouldn't be getting back up any time soon.

   That spell had caused the pain in my heart to double. Now I felt the pain in the tips of my fingers. Ignoring the warning, I focused on the nearest brawling group. No time to rest.

   I hadn't seen Tate since we separated at the door in City Hall. Through the crowd, I could spot Mark, Captains Tyson and Lugo, but not many others I recognized. Bodies were starting to litter the ground. In the moment that I skimmed the carnage, my gut sank. There were twice as many Enforcers collapsed than Dark Star members.

   I'd taken out three Dark Star members so far, and I was almost spent. It took twice as much energy to conjure magic to my finger tips. Shaking my head, I focused on the shifter nearby and approached, focusing on the barrier. It felt so far away. 

   Diluted crimson swirled up my palm. Even to me, the magic felt weak. Sheer will alone made me launch at the shifter, tackling him midair before he could sink claws into an Enforcer. 

   Two unconscious bodies later and I staggered, my knee trying to buckle. The pressure between my eyes was getting to be unbearable. I wasn't sure how much longer I could go before I collapsed from overuse of magic. But I couldn't stop. I wouldn't. My eyes landed on another Dark Star member before a voice crackled to life in my ear.

   "Roxie -- she's -- the door!"

   The sheer panic in Zain's force said more than her words. All blood drained from my cheeks. Dani's at the door. Shit. If that fell now -- it'd be a massacre. 

   I took off, pumping my legs through the lead that weighed on them. A few weapons slashed for me as I passed, but I hardly gave them any notice as I sprinted out of the battle, panicking. Tate was guarding the door -- if Dani so much as touched him--

   The doors to City Hall had been thrown off. Smears of blood covered the floor as did bodies. One was the elf I'd met here. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, a hole straight through her chest. There had to be five dead Enforcers in the main room. My heart leapt into my throat as I bolted down the hall.

   There was no sign of Tate. I rounded the corner and all of the remaining blood in my body fell into my feet. My heart leapt into my throat. 

   Dani stood before the door. Her hand -- covered in dark purple magic -- held Zain's throat. The woman's feet dangled. Her face was scarlet as she kicked furiously, nails digging into Dani's wrist. Dani tilted her head, annoyed. "Whatever the hell you are, you're a nuisance."

   Clearly, Zain's fast ability had angered Dani to the point where she was dragging out Zain's death for the fun of it. As I rounded the corner, something launched. The hind feet of a crythal hit my front and my ass hit the ground, but I'd been forced out of sight.

   The crythal slammed into Dani's back. She tipped forward, releasing Zain. The hybrid sucked in air. She only managed to get one foot under her body before purple magic caught her neck. Zain's body blurred as she tried to bolt. Dani threw her into the wall before a sharp spear flew for her chest.

   The crythal darted in the way. The spear shattered as it hit his side. My eyes found the glowing grey gemstones, and then my heart truly started to scream. Tate hit the wall and slashed for Dani's face. She dodged the sharp claws and a cloud batted Tate aside. Before he crashed through the nearby wall, his body rapidly shifted into a smaller cat that twisted midair. His paws landed on the wall and he launched off, shifting into a large bear. 

   Dani's magic spiked around the bear's throat. Tate yowled and his paw threw her to the side. She continued to pressure his scruff until he shifted again. The serpent slipped out of Dani's hold. Her hand sealed around his head and squeezed until Tate's body lashed in agony. Her lips pulled into a smile.

   I staggered upright, panicking, as she faced the door. With her other hand, her palm pressed against the wood. Dark purple cracks started to form under her finger tips. Tate's body started to sag.

   "No!" 

   All I saw was red. Red fury and red magic lashed out in a furious storm as I threw myself into the room. I lashed a hand forward and swirls wrapped around Tate's body, forcing Dani's hand to open. He hardly twitched as I shoved him out of the way, dragging Zain's form out by the foot. My eyes locked onto Dani's back.

   What was I supposed to do? Was there anything I could do? In seconds, she would throw me back into the gap to amplify her power--

   The gap. She put me in the gap to amplify her ability. Her power was stronger because mine was.

   I had never felt so stupid in my life. The answer had been sitting in front of me for days. I had to beat Dani at her own game. With a shrill cry, I tackled Dani around the waist. Her voice echoed with a surprised grunt. The cracks in the door faltered as I reached around Dani for the gap, my arms straining, but I found it. With a massive shove, I threw her inside. Her body vanished.

   Magic speared into a knife. I jabbed it into the gap and hauled myself in, my feet skidding across the floor as I vanished from the Mortal Realm. 

   Dani straightened as I slid to a halt. Her eyes swept over our surroundings. It was utterly dark in the room, but I could still hear the crackling of the barrier nearby. My chest still rose and fell with each deep breath. 

   The string around my wrist led directly to her right one. Magic crawled across it, almost like an infestation of bugs.

   "Well," said Dani. "I didn't expect this. But you're still stupid enough to try and fight me?" Her eyebrow raised. "Still going to kill me?" Her voice turned taunting.

   My heart thundered from within my ribs. I punched my fist at the ground. Red magic slid down my skin and braided into a long blade that sat as long as whole arm. It sharpened with the sound of metal sliding against metal. In my other hand, the crevices in my staff leaked magic like sap. 

   "Count on it."