far. I swung out my feet, trying to brace against the sides. The tiny ledge crumbled, leaving only enough room for my fingertips to hang on.
No. It can't end. Not like this!
Using all my concentration, I summoned my focus and willed myself to rise toward the ledge. Something tingled in the back of my mind, working its way forward until it seemed to press against the inside of my skull. A presence brushed against my feet.
Up. Push me up.
A slight pressure grew against the soles of my shoes. It was working! I willed it to push harder and harder. The weight of the world seemed to drop onto my shoulders. My focus vanished at the shock. The strain on my shoulders vanished.
The ledge gave way. Gravity grabbed my ankles and jerked. My stomach lurched and I stifled the scream threatening to rip from my throat. Eyes squeezed shut, I waited for the end.
"Justin, I can't hold this for long," came Bella's strained voice. "My fight with Dash tired me more than I thought."
I opened an eyelid and looked up. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her hands trembled. Instead of falling, I hovered. Bella held her staff tight as she raised her hands toward the ceiling. My feet didn't feel like there was anything solid beneath them. I tried jumping, but my legs kicked against thin air.
"Please??on't do that," Bella said in harsh whisper. "Wait for the ledge."
I looked up and stretched out a hand. The lip of the hole remained at least an inch away.
Amanda's voice echoed down the tunnel. "Bring me the bodies."
The sound of feet tramping through the room reached my ears. Bella clenched her teeth. Sweat beaded on her forehead. A low moan scraped through her throat.
The ledge grew inexorably closer, each second feeling like an hour.
"What the hell?" someone said from very close by. "There's a hole here, but part of the wall collapsed on it."
"Well clear it and check it," Amanda said. "Now!"
My fingers grasped the lip. In one big heave, I pulled myself to solid ground. Bella moaned in relief. Her staff clattered to the floor. The dhampyr toppled straight toward the hole. I dove to the ground and barely caught her arm before she slid over the edge.
Voices grew louder from down the tunnel. We were screwed. I dug with desperation into my magical education, grasping at straws. On the other side of the hole, I noticed the crushed rock was partially gone, leaving a divot and a pile of rocks. There was just enough room for us to crouch on the other side of the jumbled stone and, with any luck, hide. If I could camouflage us, it might just work.
"I heard a noise in the tunnel," someone shouted.
With Bella held tight under one arm, I jumped the gap and ducked under the unbroken shelf of stone just above the ledge. I scraped the remaining stones into a higher pile. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. I put Bella down, and ducked beside her, praying the pile of rocks would hide us, willing with all my might for it to happen.
A familiar tingle touched my mind, as it had when I'd tried to push myself out of the hole. I knew I was capable of magic, but how in the hell could I stop an onslaught of vampires? Unlike Shelton, I couldn't form a magical barrier. I couldn't zap vampires with a magical light beam like Adam. Unless I could figure out how to summon a fireball like I'd done while Maximus's prisoner, Bella and I didn't have much of a chance.
Then again, who said magic had to be all about brute strength? Maybe I could cloak the two of us. But if a vampire jumped the hole, they'd land right on us, and that would be that. I might be able to fight off a couple, shove them down the hole, but if they had guns, I might as well jump down the shaft with Bella.
In a flash of inspiration, I raised my head and focused. The tingling grew stronger, thicker, and nauseating in my stomach. It was all I could do not to heave. Footsteps echoed ahead. I didn't have time to see if my little spell had worked before two vampires rounded the corner and came straight toward us. I ducked, forcing my mind to concentrate on my intentions instead of the panic welling inside me.