Situla struck first. Faster than I could register, she was on top of Antoinette, strangling her. Warden made toward Zeke, just as Carl sent a nearby spirit hurtling toward Eliza. It must have been Nelson, the most powerful spirit in the square: Eliza crumpled against one of the lions, clutching her chest, and cried out in a strangled voice: “I cannot command winds and weather, nor can I command myself in death!” Amelia flew out next, only to be tackled by an enraged Nick, who had seen Eliza’s pain before anything else. David took Jax; or tried to take Jax—Dani swung her fist at him, knocking a spurt of blood from his mouth. In less than ten seconds, I was the only one who had not yet come out to fight.

That suited me. It did not suit Jaxon.

He saw me at once, another masked enemy. He drew up a spool of six and hurled it in my direction. I had to move, and fast—the spirits of Trafalgar could pose a serious threat. I sent a flux dart at him, but aimed well above his head. Jax still ducked, sending the spool scattering all over the place. Give it up, I thought. Don’t make me attack you.

But Jaxon never gave up. He was livid. We’d spoiled his plans. He lunged at me, wielding his cane. I tried to land a kick to his stomach, to push him back, but I didn’t do it hard enough. He grabbed my ankle, and with a flex of his arms, he flipped me over. Pain. Move, move.

Not fast enough. Jax drove his steel-capped boot into my side, kicking me onto my back. His knee crashed down on my chest. His fist flew—a blur—then something solid struck the unprotected part of my face. Knuckleduster. And again, in the ribs. Something cracked, and it hurt. And again. I swung up my arm to block a fourth punch. His eyes were gleaming, hot with bloodlust. Jax was going to kill me.

I had no choice. With my body pinned, I used my spirit.

He wasn’t expecting that. He wasn’t concentrating on my aura. The thump against his dreamscape made him fall. His cane clattered to the ground. I clawed myself to my feet. My face was pounding, my ribs seared, and my right eye wasn’t working as it should be. I grasped my knees, dragging air through my nose. I’d never known Jax could be so brutal.

A screech caught my attention. Near one of the fountains, Nadine had abandoned spirit combat and pinned Amelia to the ground. I pulled out the syringe in my jacket, opened it with bloody fingers, and I pushed the needle into my wrist. After a few seconds, the pain dulled to an ache. My vision wouldn’t settle, but it wasn’t incapacitating. I could still see well out of my left eye.