"Neo!"

His name isn't even fully out of my mouth before the spell breaks.

The wind that had been whipping through dies down. The fire that danced on the salt dies away without the magic that seeped into the salt, allowing for it to stay contained. Mia no longer whispers the words that would have kept it alive. The magic that had been buzzing through the air dims, leaving only a hum behind it.

Mia sits with her leg clenched to her chest. Even from here I can see the tears that roll down her cheeks.

I shoot off the ground. I clumsily cross the line into the circle, smudging the salt.

Niko doesn't even look up as I move through the grass. He pushes Neo onto the ground before crunching in front of him. His mouth moves in words I can't hear, and all I can do is hope that he isn't using ko'rinmas.

"Niko!" I shout. Ice seeps from my sleeve and down into my hand. I curl my fingers as a knife sharp slice of ice slides into my hand.

I didn't want to be the one to kill Niko, but if I have to protect my friends I will.

He doesn't move from beside Neo as he tilts his head towards me. A wicked sharp smile slithers its way onto his face. "Ready to fight?" he asks.

"Back away from Neo."

He glances between me and Neo. "I don't think I will."

I grit my teeth and move closer to him.

Niko brings his hand that holds my dagger up to Neo's neck. "I would stop there if you want your friend to make it out of this."

I freeze.

I glance at Neo to see if he has a look on his face that says he knows how to get out of this. But what I see shocks me.

He looks... like he's at peace. His eyes are closed, while the rest of his face is slack.

"Neo?" I croak.

He opens his eyes and smiles. "I trust you Lumi."

Tears make my vision swim. He shouldn't trust me. Not at all. Not with my dagger against his neck. So why does he still trust me? Why won't he fight for himself? For Madam Mara? As a knife is being held to his neck, as Mia sits with a sliced leg, as Niko is free... he still trusts me? "How?" I whisper.

Instead of Neo answering Niko laughs. "Trust won't save you. Did trust save Madam Mara? No! It got her killed and us here."

"Don't talk like you care about her!" I scream. Tears drip from my face.

Niko shakes his head. "I did care for her. Until she made it clear that no one would be better than you." His dark eyes seem to shine with a want.

My grip on the ice spike loosens. "Let him go," I grit out.

He shakes his head. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because seeing you in pain is so much better than killing you."

My vision seems to freeze over with anger. All I can see is Niko and his big grin.

Before I know it I'm moving. Moving closer to Niko at lighting speed. Nothing can stop me from killing him.

Before thinking about it I bounce behind him moving my arm with the ice dagger up towards his neck.

But he meets me there instead. And in a blink the dagger cuts into Neo's neck instead of Niko's.

"No!" I yell.

The ice dagger drops from my hand. The end is painted red with Neo's blood. Blood that I spilt.

As my eyes widen Niko drops Neo and lets him fall forward. I rush to meet him, to catch him in my arms. He lands in them as tears roll from my eyes down my cheeks and onto Neo's hazey eyes. "Neo," I choke.

His irises move at the pace of a snail as he turns them to me. A ghost of a smile crosses his lips.

"Neo." I move the hair from his face. "It'll be okay. We- we can fix this! We can- can h-" My gaze moves from his eyes to the silt where blood pours out. There has to be something I can do. I can't let him just... just die.

His smile fades. "Lumi... it'll... it'll all... be okay."

My vision blurs. I shake my head back and forth. "No... no!"

But as I hold him and his blood slides down his neck onto my lap. As his eyes go unfocused. I know there will be no saving him. "Neo..."

"Look at all that pain."

My head snaps up. My gaze instantly lands on Niko.

"This is your fault!" I scream.

All he does is grin.

I carefully slid my legs out from under Neo and lay his head against the ground softly. Careful not to hurt him more.

Once I'm up I only have eyes for Niko.

Another ice dagger forms in my hand without any thought. Stepping away from Neo I lunge at Niko.

I stick my dagger up, aiming for anything I can hit just to hurt him. But Niko slides out of the way and moves my dagger so that it's just inches in front of me. Right before I can collide with it my training kicks in. "Protection burst. Ko'rinmas. Distraction." Blinding light flashes as all three spells activate at once. A shield pops into existence in front of me and intercepts the dagger before disappearing into the realm of invisibility with me.

Right where I had been standing is another me. This one smiles at Niko before he jumps on her. When he lands she disappears like mist.

He growls. "Where are you?"

I try to still my breathing and stand as still as I can as I try to think of what to do. If the grass wasn't so tall and I could sneak through it I'd have no problem sneaking up on him. But the grass moves with each of us, so there's no way I can do that.

I glance over at Neo's body, alone as the blood continues to pour out of his neck. Mia crawls through the grass, her slit leg trailing behind her like dead weight. She makes her way over to Neo.

I turn my attention back to Niko.

"Fine!" he shouts. "If you won't show yourself I have other things to do."

"Five lava arrows," I whisper.

Niko whips towards me. "There you are." He smiles.

Fire arrows made of molten rock and lava appear in front of me.

Niko laughs.

I ignore him as I bring my hand up and point at him. The arrows don't waste any time before shooting towards him. They move like lightning and as I think he won't be able to dodge a shield pops in front of him. The arrows hit it and ledge into it. The last arrow hits the shield and breaks it. The shock of the burst makes Niko back up.

Outside of the salt circle.

That he wasn't supposed to be able to leave.

My eyes widen.

Niko's eyes widen as he glaces from where he stands to the salt barrier. Then, slowly a smile creeps onto his face. "It seems like you failed worse than I thought."

"No." I shake my head as my vision gets blurry. "You... you can't-"

"Oh. But I can." He turns and steps through the barrier before walking away.

"No!" I cry. I drop to my knees. The ground scarps against them but the pain is barely noticeable.

I failed.

Madam Mara is dead with no revenge on her killer. Instead Neo is the one who got killed, while Mia got hurt and Niko walked away without a scratch on him. Neo trusted me to do this. He had hoped I would be able to save him. Instead I killed him and let Niko get away. A hic shakes my body right before a sob tears through me.

I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't powerful enough.

Tears wet my face and my hands. Somehow, through my blurry vision I make it over to Neo and Mia. Neither of us say anything as I pick up Neo's head and lay it in my lap once again. I brush his black hair out of his face before resting my forehead against his.

"Neo..." I whisper. "I'm so sorry." Silence settles over us.

I hate how this feels like it did with Madam Mara. I hate how I've lost two people to Niko. I hate how this feeling is my friend now.

Sobs still rock my body. My tears now wet Neo's pale empty face. I'll never get to see him smile again. He'll never get to play soccer again, or score the winning goal. He'll never say another spell or practice anything again. He'll never graduate from high school.

And it's all my fault.

A gentle weight settles on my shoulders. "Lumi," a soft voice whispers. I look up and see Mia with glossy eyes staring at me. "We can't stay here."

That's when I notice the soft murmur of sirens getting closer.

"I can't leave him!" I cry.

"Do you want the police to arrest you?" she asks, still using her soft voice. There's an edge in her words that leave me frozen so I don't get cut by them.

"I don't care what they do. I can't leave him."

Mia sighs and glances over her shoulder. "I'm sorry Lumi. But I don't want to risk being caught here. Ko'rinmas." And just like that, she disappears. Being the last to leave me alone in this mess.

I take a deep breath before sitting up. I raise my hands above my head and release the barrier that shields us from the town and the town from the chaos that will surely follow the second murder.

I close my eyes as the sirens get louder and louder until it's blaring in my ears. There's the sound of skidding wheels right before a bunch of doors open and a voice shouts. "Lumi Fay! Put your hands where we can see them!"

I raise my hands. My eyes are still closed as footsteps come closer.

"Don't try anything," a rough voice says right before calloused hands grab my wrists and bond them behind me with cold steel.

Another pair of hands wrap a cloth around my eyes as the first holds me in place.

I don't bother fighting. What's the point? It'll only prove that they can't trust me and that I'm a failure. That I can't protect anyone.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against..." he continues to state my rights, but I don't listen. I don't care.

"Just take care of him," I whisper before they slip me into a car.