I noticed more of Zerra’s magic surrounding Nadir, swallowing him up. All I can see now is the top of his head as the entire horrible creation writhes with his movements, still fighting to break free.

And then I’m up and running, once again slamming into her. She grabs my wrist and squeezes so hard my knees buckle. “You little brat!” she hisses. “You took my arks and my Herric. You won’t get away with this.”

Then she grabs me by the throat and lifts me up, squeezing hard enough to make stars burst in my vision. My feet dangle in the air, my toes just barely scraping the ground.

“Herric betrayed you,” I choke out, yanking on her hand and trying to loosen her grip.

“I trusted him,” she says. “The others refused to visit me. He was the only thing I had left from the surface.”

I hear the anguish in her voice, and it makes a small piece of my heart twist with pity. She squeezes harder as she lifts me higher, and spots swim in my vision. Dimly, I register magic flashing around us as the others try to help, but they also don’t want to hit me or Nadir.

“That’s not Herric. You can’t have him,” I gasp as my legs flail uselessly against the air.

I grab onto her wrist and call up a blast of lightning. It spirals around her arm, over her shoulders, and down her torso, before her heart starts to glow right through her skin. She screams and then drops me. I roll over, coughing, trying to catch my breath, but I’m fueled by something primal and the need to save Nadir.

I leap up, grabbing her wrist before I douse her with another surge of magic.

Her eyes spread wide before she clamps a hand over my face. I jerk when I feel an opposing surge of her magic flow into my blood. My skin glows with that same silvery color, and we both cling to one another, battling for dominance.

I moan as it feels like I’m being cooked from the inside out. We are nearly equal in strength, fighting for our lives. But hers is coming to an end, and mine has barely begun.

Another blast of power sends me flying with a scream. I crash into the wall and collapse in a tumble of limbs. I try to get up, falling to my hands and knees as I stare at Zerra. She stands straight, flinging her arms wide as she bursts into silver light so bright I use my arms to shield my eyes.