“Shut up!” I scream, and the flames on my arms flare higher.

I grab Sel’s hand, but instead of letting him pull from my power, I push into his, feeding his construct until it grows bigger, stronger.

Erebus strains to keep his sphere together, eyes squinting against the light.

I lock gazes with Sel, and he nods, understanding my meaning without words.

Our construct expands outward with a massive cracking sound, shattering Erebus’s. The force knocks Erebus back, sending him flying.

When it is done, and he is gone, I finally let myself collapse.

Sel catches me before I fall over the edge, and the last thing I see is the light of my power fading from his eyes.

When I come to, I’m draped over Sel’s back again. The woods are still dim, but the dark soil of the forest floor at this altitude is turning speckled white with early snow. Silent flakes that won’t stick, won’t stay. We’re moving at human speed, and his hands are clenched beneath my thighs. When I groan, he pauses.

“Bree.” He’s out of breath.

I’ve never even heard Sel out of breath before. It shocks me alert.

“Put me down.”

I can’t see his face, but I see him shake his head. The black strands of his hair are plastered against his head and neck. “Not yet. Not until you can walk. The air is… thinner up here.” His voice cracks on the last word, and fear shoots through me.

“What’s wrong? Is that why you’re out of breath?”

He shakes his head. “No, that’s not why.” He starts walking, and that’s when I notice his gait. Each step feels purposeful. Careful.

“Sel, stop.” I slap at his chest. “Something’s wrong.”

“ ’M fine,” he pants. “We have to keep going.”

I wriggle against his grip. The fact that I can move against him, and that his fingers loosen, tells me he is not fine. I shift my weight around until he’s forced to stop, and press back until he’s forced to let go.

Immediately, his shoulders slump forward, and his hands go to his knees. He turns to the left, to the right, eyes narrowed in profile.

“Are we lost?”

His jaw clenches. “I just need a minute.”

“Erebus—”

“Our construct,” he says, standing up with a hand in his hair. “It burned him pretty badly. I could smell blood and muscle. Gonna take him a while to heal.”

Memories flood back to me. How I’d saved us, but only barely. How Jessie’s solution worked so easily for her, but not for me. “I used my root. A lot of it.” I whisper. “The Hunter—”

“No one’s found us. Yet. That’s why we need to keep moving—”

“You need to rest.”

He breathes out a hollow laugh. “I’m not tired.”

“Then what—”