A fiery sensation rips across my chest, and I cry out with the sting. It feels like it’s my skin burning in the sun. Bloody witches. I’m about to strike a kick to his knee, but a distant boom pulls everyone’s attention toward the edge of the forest.

A pillar of black smoke rises like a mushroom above Blackriver. A cold chill floods my veins. No.

Flanagan roars. He throws himself at the walls of his prison, hammering at the hard web of light, but it’s useless. Alexei lies on his back behind him with a satisfied smile.

This was his plan all along. An attack on Blackriver. I was his Trojan horse, his blasted decoy. His precious weapon. I look back at the rising cloud of black smoke. Laasya’s in there and injured. I’ve got to get Flanagan back to Blackriver. That means getting rid of these witches.

While the human witch remains distracted, I slam my fist into his face. He stumbles sideways, and the burn across my chest returns.

“Aaah, ya bastard!” I shout.

I strike at his knee with a heel, and he buckles. The heat on my chest releases, but he doesn’t go down. I jab a double to his kidney. With a cry, he collapses, and the barrier around Flanagan shimmers but remains. I need to get to that other witch and knock the bugger out. Will calling the Flame affect witches if they’re not vampires or Channelers?

“Michael,” Flanagan shouts. “He’s taking the students. They’re defenseless.”

“It is done, Gabriel,” Alexei says. “Your precious Channelers are mine.”

Flanagan’s howl rips through my chest. He leaps on top of Alexei, who still lies on his back, and fastens the vampire to the rock. But the prince stays relaxed while the werewolf roars in his face. Alexei’s neck lies exposed, but he makes no attempt to fight the wolf off. He only watches, waits.

What is he doing? Flanagan could rip his throat out. And for a moment it looks like that might happen. Saliva drips from Flanagan’s teeth onto Alexei’s skin, the werewolf’s tight features betraying some inner battle. He bellows in frustration, spittle spraying over Alexei’s victory smile as his roar echoes across the valley.

“Michael,” he growls. “Go back. Save as many as you can.”

I step closer to the glittering dome. “I can get you out. We’ll both go back.”

Flanagan shakes his head. “They need you. You can call Flame from the Anlu’kyr.”

I’m not sure they need me more than him or if I can make it back to the mansion in time to save anyone, but if I let Flanagan out, I let the prince out. Better to get away now. I slip past the witch who’s back to concentrating on his force field.

“No!” the prince snaps. “You will stay, Michael.”