Lightning bolts spark from Katya’s fingers, dropping to fizzle in the snow even as she rushes forward. If only Katya knew battle runes, she’d be formidable. As it is, she needs to touch her target before she can unleash her power.

“Don’t hurt Hannah!” Aoife screams.

Hannah’s eyes widen, her mouth opening and closing as if she’s struggling to breathe. Emmi carves sigils in the air with the tip of her blade, sending an invisible fist pummeling into Katya. She goes flying, landing in an explosion of snow several meters away. Aoife and Morgan dive sideways to avoid Emmi’s next barrage. Only the bear seems undeterred.

“I see you’ve brought a friend,” Emmi says as the bear nears. She pulls Hannah in front of her like a human shield.

The bear circles, trying to get between her and the trees, one of which must be the hiisi, but Emmi holds her ground.

“Emmi, please, you can stop all of this,” Toivo says as he approaches our teacher with his hands up as if he’s approaching a cornered dog and not a chaos mage.

“I wish there was another way,” Emmi says. “But you wouldn’t stop. I tried to tell your mother. I tried to get her to do the right thing, but she and her council friends—no one would listen. Something had to be done.”

Tell our mother what? What didn’t Mom do?

“Stay back, children,” MacCrone orders, one hand pressed to her neck.

Emmi draws a complicated sigil and, muttering in a language I don’t recognize, sends MacCrone pirouetting headfirst into the trees. The battle mage falls and doesn’t get up.

Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods. We’re all going to die.

“I’m sorry,” Emmi says. “I’m sorry it has to be this way, but soon you’ll understand.”

Hannah’s eyes roll back in her head, and she collapses as if her bones have turned to water. Emmi drags her closer to the hiisi, dagger at the ready.

The bear attacks.

Kalma springs, tiny claws extended toward the giant creature, her ears pressed flat against her head.

“Protect the trees,” my voice is a squeak. I swallow and try again. “The trees! That’s where the shard is!”

Toivo gives me a nod and Aysha squeezes my arm.

“We need to save Hannah,” Aoife says, picking herself out of the snow.

“Just don’t let Emmi touch you,” Toivo adds.

“I’m going to kill her.” Morgan’s face is weirdly blank of any discernible emotion, then a blur of brown careens into him.

“Varo, maahisia!” Toivo shouts in warning. “You know how to deal with them. Do it!” he yells at Aoife as another monster hurtles into the clearing.