And then Karam reached up through its shadow body and took ahold of its spine.

She grabbed, squeezed, and then snapped it violently in half.

The demon screeched and fell back in a quiver.

Karam knew she hadn’t killed it—not even she was capable of such a feat—and sooner or later the pieces of darkness that made up the creature would merge back together.

But for now it was gone.

For now, she was alive.

One down, five to go.

She turned back to her friends to see the five remaining shadow demons were still clawing against Saxony’s shield and it was barely keeping them at bay.

Karam ran for her friends and the demons that surrounded them, catching Saxony’s wince as her shield began to dwindle.

The shadow demons hungered for flesh.

One of them ripped its hand through Saxony’s magic and grabbed ahold of Wesley’s ankle, pulling half of his body from Saxony’s protection.

It tore at Wesley’s leg, teeth showing no signs of letting up.

He yelled out in pain, while the others tried desperately to pull him back inside the barrier.

Karam felt a burning in her chest.

No, not in her chest. On her chest.

She looked down and her father’s pendant was aglow against her heart, burning into her just like it had done that day on the shores of Tisvgen.

Then, it had warned her of the danger they were in. Now, it felt like something different entirely.

It felt like faith.

Like her father’s spirit whispering to her.

My daughter, it said. Do not lose hope.

Karam touched a hand to the pendant and felt her father’s light.

She felt the force of the Rekhi d’Rihsni.

This was her family’s legacy: to protect the Crafters and bring peace to the realms. Her grandparents had died for it. And Karam would see to it that their dream for the future was fulfilled.

For the first time, Wesley truly needed her help and she wouldn’t let him down, like she had almost let Tavia down.

“The light!” Karam yelled out to Saxony. “Cast a light.”

Saxony held out her other hand and a small yellow orb began to glow in her palm.

It was dimmer than Karam would have liked, but juggling to keep the shield up alongside this new magic must have been draining her.

Still, it was bright enough for the demons to recoil. They flinched back as the light burned their bodies, barking and growling like they were screaming at Saxony to stop.

But the demon with the hold on Wesley’s leg didn’t move away or tear its teeth from its new meal. It persisted, gnawing at the space below Wesley’s knee like Saxony’s light meant nothing to it. Even as her magic burned the bones of its ankle to ash, it refused to let go.