There are shallow claw marks down his cheek, and the sleeve of his jacket hangs in ragged strips. His face is drawn, and eyes sunk deep in bruised sockets.

“Are you?” I ask.

“Completely out of gas.”

“We can stop her. Together.” I squeeze his hand.

“I don’t—”

“For Hannah,” I say, and he leans on me as we make our way toward Emmi.

She’s so focused on carving into the hiisi, she doesn’t notice us approach.

When we’re in range, I feel a tug on my energy as Morgan traces more runes in the air.

Snow tumbles from the branches, forcing Emmi to stop her work with the dagger to deflect the avalanche. That’s when Morgan launches a second attack, drawing on my energy to knock Emmi sideways with a blast using raido and another rune he must’ve learned from the battle mage handbook.

He staggers and I catch him before he falls. His wrists are bleeding, and he squeezes his eyes shut as he tries to stay upright. Using my energy is only going to hurt him more. He can’t keep doing this.

Emmi stumbles away from Hannah but remains on her feet, her gaze narrowed at Morgan.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “Maybe one day you’ll understand.”

Her fingers flick a sigil into the air and the spell wrenches Morgan out of my grasp, tossing him across the snow as if he’s made of paper.

He looks at me, eyes terrified, but he can’t move. I know how that feels, only the magic won’t slough off Morgan like it did from me. Emmi leaves him paralyzed in the snow and returns to the tree, sinking her blade hilt-deep in the trunk.

My feet move of their own volition, closing the distance between us.

“No!” I kick and punch at her, bite and tear with every last bit of my strength.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Aysha tending to Morgan. He’s coughing, but at least he’s breathing and slowly starting to move again. I redouble my assault on Emmi.

“Enough, Taika.” She spins, dagger raised, and I freeze.

All I can see is the tip of the blade hovering above my face. I can only watch as the dagger plunges toward me.

31

I watch in frozen fascination as the blade descends.

“I’m sorry,” Emmi says, even as the dagger continues its slow-motion trajectory toward my chest.

Toivo charges in from my left, reaching for my shoulders as he dives to cover me. The blade disappears into my brother’s back.

We roll, Toivo shoving me away as we go sprawling in the snow. Winded, we both lie still for a moment, only there’s a pool of blood spreading out beneath him and I’m uninjured. I crawl over to him, and Morgan joins me.

“Is he dead?” I whisper, barely able to form the words.