spot. All the Halo Knights were wearing my masks and their complexions ranged. I share everything that I remember about that swift fight. There were five Halo Knights total wielding axes and swords and crossbows. One man was immediately killed by Dione before having her head cut off by a short woman. “Then June, this specter with ghost blood—I don’t know if Maribelle explained all of that—possessed some man. Nimuel, I think.” Tala’s eyes water at the mention of his name. “June forced him to kill two Haloes. I warned the woman that he was possessed and she said she was his wife. When June didn’t leave his body, the Halo told Nimuel she would see him in another life and stabbed him. But June escaped in time and then Stanton killed the woman.”
Tala is vibrating with anger.
“I’m sorry for your loss. They fought bravely,” I say.
She doesn’t seem to welcome my condolences. “We will always put our lives on the line for the birds of many lives.”
“Gravesend was supposed to be safe behind a vaulted shield, but my former boss traded her life for mine so he could get famous.”
I don’t tell Tala how I considered killing Gravesend myself, hoping it would make a difference during the ritual. I tense up reliving the moment Luna stabbed Gravesend and then me with the infinity-ender blade. I should’ve died at that church too.
“My parents died for that century phoenix, to make sure she could live and never be used,” Tala says, and turns to Brighton. “Then you stole her essence for your own gain.”
He really should dash downstairs and get far away. “Better me than Luna. I’ll avenge Gravesend with her powers.”
“Gravesend was supposed to have her own lives, her own futures!”
Tala crouches behind a bush of lilies and when she rises she’s aiming a crossbow at us. Maribelle shouts at her to stop, but it’s too late. An arrow flies toward Brighton, and he dashes out of the way and almost tumbles over the roof’s ledge. Prudencia telekinetically snatches the crossbow away from Tala and holds it close to her chest.
“Roxana, strike!”
The phoenix stands on its black talons and fires a lightning bolt toward Prudencia. I don’t think she’s going to be strong enough to deflect the light howler and thankfully Brighton dash-tackles her out of the way. The lightning bolt strikes the ground and the aftershock blasts me across the roof and I roll toward a small pool. My hearing is buzzy, but I think I can make out Maribelle shouting for Tala to stop. But maybe Tala can’t hear either because she leaps straight at Brighton. He runs circles around her and Tala holds out one leg and immediately trips him.
Even if I could use my powers, I wouldn’t dare use them against Tala, a Halo Knight who does honorable work for phoenixes, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let her try to beat my brother to death. I fight past all dizziness as I charge straight toward her, but Tala grabs me by the arm and flips me over her shoulder. She goes back and forth between punching me and Brighton, but her glare becomes deadlier.
“You started this,” Tala says. “You’re the first specter. The Blood Casters exist because of you!”
I’m trying to get my words out, but Tala’s blows don’t stop. My body is trying to heal itself, but new wounds keep coming, more blood keeps spilling. It’s possible Tala might kill me before my healing power can save me.
I wonder who I’ll be in my next life.
Before her next hit can collide, Maribelle wraps her arms around Tala and carries her into the air, demanding that she put an end to this.
I try catching my breath to ask Brighton if he’s okay, but my power keeps involuntarily trying to heal me and I can’t stop it. I have to endure the pain. Prudencia grabs my hand and I squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. For the first time in my life I feel like my grip might be strong enough to break someone’s bones. Once the burn subsides, Prudencia fully turns her attention to Brighton, who isn’t self-healing. There is pink and red bruising around his right eye that’s closed shut. I wonder how he feels about being more trusting to strangers now that he’s groaning in pain.
Commotion above catches my attention and Tala wrestles out of Maribelle’s grip and drops down onto the rooftop. She shoulder rolls toward her crossbow and aims it at my chest.