As everyone readies themselves for the fight—securing last minute weapons, Crasual viles and pep talks, I am lost in my own thoughts. What if I can't break the shield? What if my power alone isn't enough? I've made them believe it is, Sam is putting his trust in me, and if I succeed then I'll gain his entire trust. But the truth is, this could go horribly wrong. And it'll be my fault.

"I like your hair," Sophia says as she joins me in the corner.

"It'll fade," I whisper.

"You're afraid, aren't you?"

I stare at her. She smiles warmly.

"I've never met a human that isn't afraid of war."

"This isn't a war."

"Isn't it?" she says. "There's going to be fighting, possibly killing, what part of that isn't war?"

"This is for a good purpose. I just want to make a difference to those humans' lives. But what if I can't do it, Sophia?"

"Don't doubt yourself. I've seen what you can do."

"I feel like I'm losing myself." I take a deep breath. "I'm no closer to finding my coven's spell than I was yesterday and everyone is depending on it. I don't want anyone depending on me. It's strange because sometimes I feel like I'm getting closer, but then it just fades."

"Maybe some outside forces are keeping you from it," she mutters. "I'm the last person that would refute the reach of magic."

I think about that. She could be right. Vienna would have every reason to keep that spell from me, and I never even considered the possibility that she'd try. With Vienna interfering, there's no chance of accomplishing anything.

Curtis suddenly appears at my left. "Forgive me, but I've been listening."

"Of course you have," Sophia says.

"I've gotten quite good at decoding spells lately and with your permission I could take a look through your mother's book? Maybe there's something you missed."

"I guess it couldn't hurt," I say. "It's in the chamber."

He nods. "I need something to do while you're all off saving lives. Even if leads to nothing, I'll be happy for the distraction."

"Good luck," I whisper. "You'll need it."

"Is everyone ready?" Sam enters the kitchen with Megan, they've been talking for a while, but no one knows why.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Milasia says.

"Everyone pair up to transport together," he orders. "They might be able to sense if there's too many at once."

At his command, the pairs hold hands. Sophia holds hers out and I take it gently, Sam joins her at her right.

"I'll see you all in a day," Curtis says from the doorway. "I've got a new batch of Crasuel brewing for the aftermath."

"That won't be needed," Milasia says. "We're going to knock those nature freaks off their mountain tops."

"Prepare for anything," Sam says. "We all know the capabilities of their magic. The codeword is lightening."

They all nod.

"On my lead."

I take a deep breath as we transport. Sam's transportation is a lot faster than Sophia's and it leaves me hardly any time to prepare. I fall over my feet as I land in the woodland, my hands reach out to grip around a tree and I linger behind as Sam and Sophia charge on to the clearing.

I breathe against the tree, pinching my eyes closed as I try to imagine the outcome of today. Even though Sam ordered them not to kill the Wiccans, what if they're left with no choice? I cannot assist in the murder of my own kind, not when the demons are literally beyond the horizon. When that time comes, we'll need all the help we can get. Amara knows that, but she still slaughtered the most powerful coven in the world for her own gain, maybe that's where she and I truly differ.

I walk towards them, my head and eyes low, a thousand thoughts swirling around endlessly in my brain.

"Tex's intel was right," Sophia whispers. "There's two."

"For now," Sam says.

I finally glance through the front line of trees. The compound isn't as big as I thought it'd be, which makes it worse for the humans. The building is a square-shaped cabin that ranges around seventy feet wide, there isn't any windows, and just one door at the front, leading to an outdoor pit surrounded by a metal fence. The main gate is guarded by a male and female wiccan, both are talking to each other, smiling, engaging in light conversation. They are older, in their thirties, and that will make it more challenging.

"Theresa?" Sam groans.

"I don't understand," I say. "I can't feel anything."

"What do you mean?" Sophia demands.

I focus on the metal fence, but all I see, is a metal fence. There is no shimmer, no barrier of power, the only magic I sense is from the Wiccans themselves.

"There's no shield?" Sam asks.

I shake my head. "Unless it's cloaked, I can't find one."

"That doesn't make any sense," Sophia says. "Maybe Tex's intel was wrong."

"Tex's intel was right," Sam hisses. "They knew we were coming."

"It's a trap for Slayers." Sophia nods to herself. "Drop the shield, draw us in closer. It's smart."

I stare at the female witch, my chest becoming tighter and tighter. Suddenly, she looks at me from across the way and my lungs start to fill with smoke. When the coughing starts, my vision blurs, forcing me to my knees.

"Theresa!" Sophia is at my side, shaking my shoulders as I choke.

I can't breathe. The air tastes like poison. I try to speak but my throat is becoming bigger and bigger, filling with lumps and soreness. I hear the sound of a sizzling bolt going past me and the cool, fresh air enters my airways. I breathe again, my vision clearing. Sophia helps me to my feet and I see the shape of a black, charred hole in the gate. The Wiccans dove out of the way of Sam's attack, but they return a moment later to their original positions. When I feel well enough to stand, the three of us make ourselves known and enter the clearing.

"You were looking for a shield," the woman shouts. "We are the shield."

"Sam, what do we do?" Sophia says.

"I'm thinking."

"They're called latent Wiccans," I whisper. "I thought they were wiped out."

"What are we looking at?" he demands.

"It's not good," I say. "Their coven practised dark magic, forbidden magic. They usually have one target; they work like assassins. If Amara's recruited them then she really is desperate."

"Something tells me they weren't guarding this place yesterday," Sophia says.

"No," I say. "They've taken over. You were right, Sam, they knew we were coming."

"Who's their target?" Sophia asks.

Sam and I look at each other, we each have an answer for that, but neither of us can say it. He doesn't know how to handle a latent witch and that unnerves him; it's a first for me too.

"Nothing changes," Sam says. "We stick to the plan and we get those humans out. Whatever it takes."

Sophia nods. Before I get the chance to warn them, they both begin to charge, I try to stop them, but I get as far as shouting "stop!" before Sam and Sophia are met with a force that blasts them into the woods behind me.

I'm left standing in a light blizzard which slowly dies out. The Wiccans stare at me, not even blinking, as I move forwards.

"You've just pissed him off," I say. "Bad move."

"Theresa Harmon," the witch calls. "We have a message for you."

I stop a safe distance from them, taking a deep breath. "I'm listening."

"The Elder orders you to remove yourself from the Slayers and to come with us. They can save their humans today with no interference from us, but you are the price."

"The Elder knows why I cannot do that."

"The Elder says you've been released from your duty. We will take care of the rest."

"Amara doesn't have a say in what happens to me anymore," I say. "I released myself from my duty a long time ago."

"You can save one hundred humans today," the witch says. "But if you step aside, you can save millions of them."

"Theresa!"

The Wiccans put their hands up and I turn around to see Sam and Sophia thrashing against a barrier.

I bare my teeth. "If you hurt her-"

"She said you would be conflicted about your feelings towards them," the witch says, her amber eyes flash with hints of gold. "So, if you come with us, I won't harm them. Right now, the Malachi's Slayers are surrounding this compound and are being met with our coven's best. You haven't got a choice. We're the Redding's. Heard of us?"

I clench my teeth. The red hair, curled and frizzy, the golden stare of death. I know exactly who she is. "Natalia Redding."

She smirks. "Just as notorious as Vada Frasier I can assure you. I was disappointed you didn't bring my name up all those weeks ago in the dungeon."

I step backwards, keeping my eyes high. She watches my footsteps with satisfaction, her face doesn't weaken the slightest as she upholds the forcefield. I've never met a Latent before, mainly because they were all presumably executed, but it doesn't surprise me that Amara kept them alive. From what I know of Natalia, she is the head of her coven, the mastermind behind unthinkable dark spells and murder of our own people. She is damaged and callous; she would sooner kill Amara herself and take her place than fight alongside her. Amara has offered her something. Freedom? Possibly. But the more obvious answer, the more seductive promise; the chance to kill the Malachi. No Wiccan would pass on that opportunity, to kill the Malachi would be seen as a sure way to wash away every sin you've committed and enter the afterlife to be met with glory.

I'm meant to be helping them do that. And I could. With Natalia's help we could kill Sam within minutes, together. I know that to save the future it has to happen, but then why, the moment I look to him, do I have this burning desire to help him? I can't yet figure out what it is about him that makes me stop, what makes me care for him, what makes me feel this way. Maybe it's because every day I find myself learning a little bit more about who he is and it only brings good energy towards me.

And Sophia. How could I do that to Sophia? I'd fight for her until my last breath, as anyone would for their sister. Sister. I begin shaking my head of these thoughts. They are forbidden thoughts. I can't possibly think of the Slayers as my family, they can never be that much. But in their own way, they are my home. And right now, they trust me. They trust me enough to allow me to come, they trust me to save the humans, and they trust me to get them back safely. If I break that trust now, after weeks of being isolated, ignored and made to feel useless, then there is no coming back from it.

I can't do this here. Vienna's order will be completed but not here, not now.

"You're either with us or against us, it's your choice. But the Malachi will die today. Join us, and Amara will give you everything."

I finally look back to her, making my choice. "There's nothing she can give me."

"Then you die with them."

Natalia's eyes, now a sun-filled yellow, narrow down at me, the incantation she speaks is quiet but powerful, a tingling sensation begins at the edge of my brain, but I am ready for that now. The male Wiccan remains focused on holding the shield against the trees, but even he is now staring at me, wondering the impossible. Why aren't I crippling to my knees? Why is the spell doing nothing to weaken or injure me?

I wonder the same. Like a human virus, when you have it once, your body builds up an immunity. Spells work the same on me. Without the amulet I know I'm not completely immune and a second spell could kill me any moment, so I choose to act first. Natalia still stares at me, her expression widening with shock and fear.

"Impossible," she whispers.

"Not quite," I say.

I take a deep breath and I will for the shield to break. While Sam and Sophia become free and are charging towards us, I push a barrier of air towards Natalia and her friend, forcing their vision to become distorted and blurry.

Natalia fights through my attack within seconds, hitting my chest with a volt of extreme heat. The male Wiccan isn't so lucky and he meets his end by a long-distance throw from Sam. As I clutch a hand to my chest in pain, I watch Natalia scream in anger as the man beside her collapses to his knees. The blade is lodged into the front of his skull, blood squirts all over Natalia's face.

Sam throws a second blade. Natalia's hands capture it inches from her head, her magic holds it for several seconds before she screams and turns it around. Sam dives out of the way, a second later he is pulling out another. Sophia stops mid-run; her eyes divert to behind me.

"Theresa! Watch out!"

I turn around quickly, hearing the thunderous charging of the footsteps first. Two witches, their teeth bared, their eyes blood-red, bolt in my direction. I swing my hand and I push them into the trees.

"Is that all you got, Malachi?" Natalia shouts.

Sam doesn't respond, naturally. His hands conjure the electrifying blue lightning which doesn't even get as far as the length of his arm before Natalia makes it explode. The explosion lights up the air, causing a wave of dust and air to greet us all. When it dies out, Sam is barely getting to his feet at the base of a tree.

Sophia narrows her eyes and runs for her. Natalia's head snaps so sharply that it's almost inhuman. Sophia falls to her knees, holding her head, screaming out in pain. Natalia leaves her alive and focuses her entire attention on Sam.

I check on Sophia first, who is rocking back and forth on the ground with her hands tight around her ears, and then I run to catch up with Natalia.

"You're not as invincible as they say you are," Natalia goads at Sam. "I thought killing you would be a lot harder, but I've hardly broken a sweat."

Sam smirks at her as he gets to his feet. "I'm not dead yet."

"How many must cower at the sound of your name," she says. "The great, the powerful, even the Elders." She conjures a long, metal javelin into her hand and pushes it backwards over her shoulder. "But not me. El Quanta."

The incantation slows down Sam's movements. His body begins to stiffen, paralyse to the spot, and his face snarls as he fights it. His eyes show no fear of death, but merely raw anger.

Do nothing, a voice hisses inside my head. I clench my teeth. Think of the millions of lives you will save by choosing to allow this moment to happen. Your choice will be written in history. Stop resisting, Theresa.

"Get out of my head," I hiss, rubbing it tenderly.

The problem will be taken care of, and your conscience will be clear. This is what the gods want, his fate is sealed.

I bite on my teeth to keep from screaming. The frustration I feel is catastrophic. All I have to do is nothing, literally nothing, and Natalia kills him. I don't have to be conflicted anymore, or fight with my feelings. It'll all be over. But it'll never be over. Sam's death won't stop the demons from coming, it won't stop the world from ending, it won't stop the Slayers from being forced to fight a war they would rather die than fight in. Sam isn't the enemy, and his life is worth more than a spell by Natalia Redding. It'd be so easy to do nothing, so simple, maybe even liberating. But that's not the person I want to be.

"I guess you finally met your match, Malachi."

The sharp edge of the javelin is thrown through the air towards Sam's heart. I make my final choice. I hold out my hand and I use all of my strength to freeze the weapon mid-air. Sam looks at me. The weapon drops and Natalia spins around.

"What are you-?"

Her body is flown through the air, it isn't fatal, but it buys us time.

"Take Sophia and find Megan and the others," I say. "Her coven is dangerous. They don't know what they're up against."

"What about you?" Sam pants.

"I got this. I think. Just go."

"Whatever it takes?" he whispers.

I nod. "Whatever it takes."

He suddenly disappears and I turn my attention towards Natalia. She stands at the other side of the clearing, far away from Sophia and far away from causing any more damage to someone I care about. Her feet are wide apart, her hands by her side, ready for war.

As I walk, she sends her first fireball. I dodge it effortlessly, hearing it crash far behind me. She sends another, and another until she lights the sky with fire. Her eyes are now red, the signature colour of the coven. The next one is bigger, stronger, brighter and will burn me on impact.

She sends it at the speed of a bullet. And by the law of physics it should hit me, I should be burning, writhing in unbearable pain; but my power exceeds such laws and has a mind of its own. I hover myself into the air, several feet above ground, and above the charred spot where the fireball hit. Natalia blinks up at me in awe. I gently land back to the ground, closer to her than I've ever been.

"Witches do not have control over the air," she says. "It is a god power."

"That's not entirely true, we are part angel after all."

"Descended," she hisses. "And no witch has ever been able to hover more than a few inches above ground. You are something. . . else." She narrows her eyes, her lips just slightly parting as she breathes. "You can manifest."

"I don't want to have to fight you either," I say. "Just take your coven and leave."

"Oh no," Natalia says, suddenly smiling. "Forget the Malachi, killing you will be my greatest victory. A practise run for when I fight the real thing."

She begins an incantation that hardens my feet, a slow-moving, stone-shaped liquid begins to cover my shoes, rising up to my knees as the concrete thickens around my skin. I clench my teeth and I kick through the stone; it falls to rubble around me.

"If you're against Amara then you're on our side!" I shout.

"I don't take sides. Take my advice, Theresa, this world is screwed. Whether you're a witch, slayer, human or a goddamn dolphin, there's only one side. Your own side. I had to learn from an early age to look after myself because no one else will. Your people, even your coven, they will eventually disappoint. I was on my own, until I found the dark side of magic. Now, my coven and I have never been closer. Stronger."

"The dark side will consume you," I say. "I think it already has. I understand the temptation, the need to leave everything behind. But it will take everything from you. Dark magic is forbidden for a reason."

Natalia laughs. "You think you can kill Amara without accessing it? The type of power to kill an Elder can only come from dark magic. I bet that's something they didn't teach you in witch school."

"You're lying, my coven-"

"Your coven, in their sheer desperation to stop the Elder Agnes, summoned the darkest forces to exist. Why do you think the spell isn't written anywhere? That it's forbidden to speak of? How they killed her is still unknown, but it wasn't traditional magic. Are you prepared for that, little girl? To lose yourself? Your coven survived and fought the transformation, but you, alone, I don't think you could let it go. I think you'd even like it."

I don't believe her. I can't believe her. Sam killed Vienna without obtaining any such powers, and I refuse to imagine that my coven would risk their humanity for anything less than world destruction. But if it is true, then that would explain why I cannot find the spell in my mother's spell book, because she would never encourage a witch to turn that way. If the only way to stop Amara is to summon dark magic, then I could become something frightening in her place. I could become cold like Natalia; consumed with hatred and rage until I eventually succumb to it and go on a killing spree. She murdered eleven wiccans before she was captured and presumably executed. Her coven was exposed for carrying on Natalia's work and they too were announced dead. This was many years ago, before my mother was killed, and I can only imagine the amount of time Natalia has had to perfect her darkness further.

"This isn't about Amara or dark magic; this is about the humans that are trapped in that building. They are scared and in pain and if you have any ounce of humanity left inside of you then you'd step aside and let us help them."

"Do you think that's what it takes to be good? Humanity?" she laughs. "The humans are as cruel and merciless as any other being. They don't deserve to be saved. Amara did the world a favour by overthrowing them."

"You're wrong," I say.

"I don't particularly care if I'm wrong. You're boring me now, Theresa. But I like you. I like your spirit. So. . . I'll spare you. The Malachi is the only one I'm interested in anyway, and I'd hate for you to be collateral damage."

I snort through my nostrils. "You can't have him."

"I never thought I'd hear a witch say that. Then again, you are a Harmon. A keeper of the balance and. . . taking out the Malachi would give Amara an unfair advantage. Perhaps your confliction to end his life is more strategical than you believe."

Even if she's right, it doesn't make a difference. If I have to choose between two evils, then it would always be Sam. Amara doesn't deserve a chance of redemption, and I used to believe everyone did.

"We're not leaving today without those humans," I say.

"Then you are not leaving at all."

I take a deep breath, summoning the power at its full force. "Enough talking."