I did not see this coming, I was not going to lie. After I'd started training, I'd kinda forgotten that regular technology existed. Normally, guns pointed at me wouldn't be worrying. I could blast them away, knock them out of their hands, create a shield, or even just crumple them into lumps of metal.

   In the Ghost Realm, with no magic, those guns were as dangerous as they had been before that fateful night in the alley in Memphis. I eyed them warily, annoyed. Fortunately for these people, they acted as a pretty damn good threat.

   "Tell the crythal to let him up," said the fae/elf. 

   "It doesn't obey me, you idiot."

   "No, but for some reason, it's with you." He looked at the feline, his face smug. "So let him up, or we kill her."

   I snorted, crossing my arms. "You won't. Dani wants me for something."

   "We can still blow out your kneecaps or take off your hands." His eyes glinted. "How would you perform any magic without spellcasting, Reilly?"

   The hairs on the back of my neck raised. While not all of my magic required spellcasting -- which needed my hands -- I suddenly realized they were entirely serious. If they wanted to, they'd cut my hands off. My jaw tightened in response and the guy saw it, his smirk widening. The crythal looked toward me reluctantly. I pinched my lips and growled, "Yeah, fine. Let him up. They won't kill me, so you're fine."

   The crythal snorted and backed off of the man's shoulders. He rose to his feet. I scrutinized him critically, recognizing the bulkiness of his body probably meant he was a shifter. Right? So one shifter, a fae or elf, a vampire, and I wasn't able to determine the species of the final guy. He was average height, not overly muscled, and no staff. There was literally no marks I could use to tell what he was.

   "Hands behind your back," instructed the unknown guy. I gritted my teeth and did as asked. As he pulled out some zipties, my mind raced. There was no way I could fight if three of these guys had guns. I had to wait until they put them aside. Or I waited until there was an opportunity.

   I was going to have to bide my time.

   "Jeez, that's a bit tight, don't you think?" I remarked dryly. The plastic dug into my skin.

   He tightened it more for good measure. I gave him a look over my shoulder. The barrel of the fae/elf's gun dug into my back. "Get walking. We're going into that clearing." 

   Right towards Tate. I'd completely forgotten he was here. He had to have heard me get ambushed, right? I looked down at the crythal, but he was gone. I blanched. I hadn't seen him leave. 

   I limped heavily on my good leg. Getting an idea, I screwed my face up into an expression of pain and exasperated my limp. My bad leg dragged awkwardly. The vampire snickered. "What got your leg?"

   "A crythal pride," I answered honestly, taking the chance to make my voice sound strained.

   "A whole pride?" The unknown guy frowned. "Well, it's impressive that you survived. I'll give you that much."

   "Sure took a lot of the fight out of you for us," grinned the fae/elf.

   "I'd like to see you face a pride and come out unscathed," snorted the vampire.

   We finally came around the tree. Tate was gone, leaving nothing in his wake. My backpack and his splint project were gone. I blinked for a second and looked at the four hunters, realizing they didn't know he had been there. They thought I was alone. 

   So they went after Tate at the grove for the fun of it? Something wasn't adding up.

   A hand shoved my back and I pitched forward with a yelp. Without use of my hands, I face-planted into the mud. There were laughs. I rolled over and spat out the mouthful I'd gotten when I yelped. The water lapped in the background. Sitting upright, I glared at the guy who'd pushed me. I hadn't even heard him walk closer.

   "How long do we have to have to wait?" asked the vampire, checking a watch on her wrist. An Apple watch. Figures. She seems like the kind of person that would buy the newest product every time one is released. How did she even have service?

   "Until a mage comes to pick us up," replied the unknown guy. "We had a day to track her down. What's the timer at?"

   "Twenty-two hours and three minutes."

   "So less than two hours. Not bad." The fae/elf sat down and yawned. "Where'd you stash your food, Reilly? I'm starving."

   I snorted. "Out of all the things I'd be willing to give up, my food is not one of them."

   "Planning on being here a while?" The unknown asked, shaking his head. "Are you really that stupid?"

   "No, I just like food."

   "Kids these days," muttered the fae/elf. I subtly twisted my wrists and the plastic dug into them sharply. My fingers were losing feeling. I blew out a breath. I knew I could snap the zipties with a quick thought, but after that, I had no plan. I couldn't fight with magic, and I couldn't fight without magic because of my leg.

   The shifter lifted his head, his eyes narrowing. "Are we expecting company before that?"

   The fae/elf shook his head. "Not that I'm aware. Why?"

   "There's something coming." The shifter stood up and looked at the lake. "Something from two directions . . . the lake and the trees."

   The vampire narrowed her eyes and the claws from her fingers extended. "Any idea what?"

   "It sounds like a pride of crythals is running in our direction. I can't tell what's in the water."

   The unknown guy looked at the lake. "I'll check. It's probably just a nekel. They hunt using pressure waves in the water. Our voices are loud enough to vibrate the lake. Also, be wary with those guns. A shot is going to summon every nekel in that lake."

   What the heck is a nekel? I watched, confused, as he jogged to the shoreline. As my eyes followed him, it was as if he was turning into fog. His substance dissolved and I could see the scenery through his body. My mouth went dry as I realized what he was.

   That guy was a demon. The book I'd read about them from said they were rare. Something had nearly wiped demons extinct ages ago. While they weren't common, the book warned that they were powerful. It specifically warned the readers against making an enemy of a demon. As I watched him walk down into the water without a care, I realized why. They were essentially ghosts. He had no substance. He could walk through anything.

   The exact moment that his head went underwater, two shapes burst out of the trees. My head snapped so fast that my neck cricked. The shifter shot to his feet as a crythal with yellow eyes rushed towards him. The sapphire crythal launched directly onto the fae/elf. My eyes widened and I focused. A small, red blade sliced through my zipties and my head throbbed.

   The shifter's scream was cut off and I looked up, alarmed. The yellow crythal dropped the body and turned toward the vampire. She lifted her gun and shot it between the eyes. The bullet ricocheted off, burying into the soil. The yellow crythal's lip curled.

   I struggled upright. A hand grabbed the top of the branch on my back and swung it with incredible strength. Seeing as I was attached to it, I was thrown in a half-circle until I landed on dry land. The fae/elf had managed to tear the branch from the straps and held it, snarling. "If we have to die, then you will too!" He ran for the water and I realized what he was going to do right before he did it.

   I shrieked angrily as he launched the branch into the lake. Fury raced through my veins. I've been working on that for a whole day, you asshole! I rushed towards the lake, my eyes fixed on where I'd seen it splash into the water. The fae/elf waded in faster than I could, his face splitting into a smug grin.

   Not a chance! I reached both hands out. My head exploded into further pain as crimson dripped from my fingertips. It wound into ropes that stretched and tied to two trees on my side. I stretched them backwards like elastic. And then I launched myself forwards, soaring ten feet before I plunged into the lake.

   The fae/elf was right beside me. Obviously, he wanted to make sure I didn't get that branch. He started to swim my way. I squinted through the water, looking frantically for the branch, and something moved in front of me.

   The water in front of him shifted. Dark green glinted against the sunlight. My eyes widened as the fae/elf frantically backtracked. There was a splash of water into his face. Suddenly he was being dragged downwards, bubbles frothing from his mouth. The reptilian beast hauled him into the depths.

    So that's a nekel. Wish I hadn't figured that out. I was able to see the branch feet away from me, floating on the surface. What an idiot. That guy apparently didn't know that wood floated. Swimming was painful, but I kicked my legs and rotated my arms. Growing up in a city near water was pretty helpful, huh... 

   I finally reached it. Breaking the surface, I wrapped my arms over the top and gasped for air. My legs kicked me to face the shore and then forward. Water shifted underneath. A shape surged toward the surface and my face barely had time to drain of color before a massive maw snapped upwards. I furiously kicked with my legs, narrowly dodging the teeth, but it snapped into the branch. The nekel's maw was more like a massive seal, but those teeth still looked razor sharp.

   It realized it was chewing wood. With a massive snort, it dunked back into the water. Unfortunately, it was still biting the wood. Even worse, I was still gripping it for dear life. I was yanked underwater.

    The nekel dived further and further. I knew I had to let go of the branch or I was going to drown, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I'd just jumped in the lake to get it, I wasn't going without it. The water pressure started to make my organs groan and fire warning signals into my brain. I felt dizzy.

    My hands weakly pulled at the branch, but it didn't budge. The nekel had apparently decided it wanted it. I braced my feet against its head and pulled with all my might, my arms straining to actually get some purchase in the water.

    My lungs began to burn. Desperately trying to keep my breath in, I jabbed for the nekel's eye. My finger hit skin. The one damn time I need an eye to poke the goddamn animal doesn't even have one! The thing had no eyes. I was convinced that the world was trying to kill me.

    I only had one option left. Judging by how my brain was already trying to jackhammer its way out of my head, this was going to be my limit. I could feel my energy running on fumes. I pulled myself closer to the nekel and a faint spark of gold flew from my finger. Focusing was nearly impossible. My lungs screamed, my organs groaned, and my arm and leg were aching. The water pressure alone was awful.

    Scarlet lines pooled from my fingers and wound into a net. A very weak, very faint net, but I had one. I threw it over the nekel's head. It jerked backwards, but the net was rapidly tightening. It let go of the branch and thrashed desperately. I clutched the wood with both hands, and as I did, the net obeyed the command and snapped closed. Blood spurted into the water as the nekel stilled.

    Shit . . . I didn't . . . mean . . . I'd forgotten that spell had the ability to do that . . . My hands had triggered the final motion. Exhaustion became a cobra, starting to squeeze the life from my body. I kicked upwards, my legs slowing as they started to feel like they weighed more than the rest of my body.

    Dark spots clouded the edges of my vision, slowly closing in on the center. I pushed for the air, knowing that if I didn't make it, I was dead. My lungs burned and bubbles burst from my lips. I shoved upwards sluggishly, and just as my face broke the surface, I felt my consciousness slip away.