Ashwood, still kneeling on the floor as Tavia continued to squeeze the mirror doll as hard as she could, was yelling.

Yelling at the demon.

“Don’t stop!” he screamed. “Make them pay!”

He’s controlling them, Karam thought.

The creature would risk being burned by the light of Saxony’s magic if it meant obeying its master. It was up to Karam to save Wesley. She was supposed to be his bodyguard after all.

Karam reached for the pouch on her belt. Trick bags weren’t her weapon of choice, but Tavia had taught her how to read charms for a purpose and Karam was not about to waste those lessons.

The small marble felt like melting glass in her hands.

Splinter charm, she thought.

Karam threw the marble and it hit the shadow demon square in the tallest spike of its spine.

It went still and then it shattered into smoky pieces by Wesley’s feet.

“Are you okay?” Karam asked.

Tavia pressed her hands on his wound, keeping the blood in, and Wesley leaned against her shoulder, like he found relief from the pain in her touch.

“Nice work,” Wesley said to Karam. “We might make a busker of you yet.”

She grimaced at the insult. She would have punched him for suggesting it if she didn’t think he had been hurt enough.

“I was doing my job,” she said.

Wesley clutched at his leg. “Remind me to give you a raise.”

She checked the others for injuries, but they seemed fine, except for Zekia, who still squeezed her eyes shut in agony.

Whatever the Kingpin had done to her, it was too painful for her to even move now.

“I can’t keep this light going by myself forever,” Saxony said.

Wesley clenched his teeth together and held his hand out, trying to conjure a light of his own to keep the remaining demons at bay, but it was as dim as Saxony’s and Karam could still see the fear in his eyes.

“It’s okay,” Tavia said, like she could see it too.

She folded her hand into Wesley’s, like together they might just be unstoppable.

To Karam’s surprise, his light grew a little brighter.

Karam smiled.

They could do this.

She kept hold of her blade and the four of them faced the four demons just like they had faced every enemy they had: together.

40

ZEKIA

Zekia pulled herself to her feet, blood trickling down to her toes.

It felt as though Ashwood had pulled her apart from the inside. And maybe he had. Maybe he’d done it a long time ago and she was only now feeling the pain.

It had been a while since she’d been this weak, but also a while since she’d been this strong: this clear on who she was and what she needed to do.