The Atrika followed her, looking as though he intended to simply rip her apart and bypass magick completely.

Seeing an opportunity to end this right now, Sarafina angled her sword upward. Bai fell heavily against the tip, his momentum driving the hilt deeper into his body than Sarafina could have ever hoped to achieve on her own.

She let go of the handle as Bai rolled away from her, the sword still deeply embedded in him. He came to a rest on his side in the deadfall. His body twitched and shuddered, low moans coming from between his thin, white lips. Blood coursed from his wounds, making a dark and smoky puddle in the dirt.

Sarafina also lay on the ground, her breathing coming fast and shallow. Pain had blossomed in her seat and was enhanced by the injuries from the fight—the acid burn, the bruises and cuts she’d sustained. There wasn’t a square inch on her that didn’t hurt, and blood—her own—had dripped onto her shirt and pants.

Her magick was tapped, gone. Her capacity to do physical battle was also gone. If Bai wasn’t dead, if he pulled a horror movie monster move and got up now, she was done for.

When Bai no longer made a move or any sound, she forced herself up onto her feet. Dragging herself to Bai, she saw that the copper blade was still stabbed through his gut. Blood caked the wound on his throat. His eyes were open, but unseeing.

Sarafina knew from Micah’s book that the Atrika would go into a coma if they were badly injured. It was how they healed severe wounds and regenerated. Was Bai in one of those healing comas now?

The only way to be totally sure he was dead was to cut off his head, but the sword was in the Atrika. She supposed she could go get one from the building. There were more in the basement.

God, she didn’t want to cut off his head. All she really wanted to do was pass out.

Her body protesting every moment, she walked back toward the building. She didn’t want to, but she had to. It was the only way to make sure he never came after her again. It was the only way to ensure she ever enjoyed another night’s sleep.

As she approached the building, she remembered the cave. When she’d been in it, she’d felt like something—someone—had been in there with her. At the time she’d thought it had been her imagination, and then Theo had shown up and she’d been distracted.

She went into the building and found another sword. On impulse, she grabbed a flashlight, too. She couldn’t produce so much as a flicker of fire right now.

On the way out, she turned toward the cave and stood, considering her options. Something about that place nagged at her.