The flash of energy turns into a jolt, and I throw my left hand out, feeling heat radiating from my fingers. The closest bird-demon rushes toward us, and flames erupt around my hand. I don’t have time to think. I just react, throwing my hand out and sending the flames from my fingers to the bird-demon’s chest. It stumbles back, madly patting at its chest to put the fire out.
Adrenaline pumps through my veins, pushing my fear to the side. These motherfuckers are going down. Setting my face, I raise the dagger and stare down the other two demons. They hiss and lurk closer, talons out, waiting to make a move. Ethan strikes first, punching one of them so hard it stumbles back a few steps.
The other rushes me. I hold out the dagger but falter. I close my eyes in fear, and my wrist weakens. It comes at me with inhuman speed, knocking me onto the ground so hard that I can’t breathe. The dagger falls from my grasp.
The demon crouches over me, staring into my eyes as if it’s searching for something. It lowers its face to mine and runs the end of its beak along my cheek. Panicking, I thrash under it.
Its clawed hands press against my chest, crushing me. Madly, I slap the ground in a desperate attempt to find the dagger. Just inches away from my face, the demon opens its beak and lets out an ear-piercing screech.
The dagger is too far away. I can’t get to it in time, and if I don’t do something now, the bird-demon is going to kill me. Inhaling deep once again, I summon something from deep inside me, causing embers to spark around my fingers. Finding a strength deep inside me, I will the dagger to slide across the dry earth and into my hand. Thrusting my hand up, I plunge the dagger into the demon’s neck.
“Ignis!” I shout, and feel the dagger heating up.
With a scream, smoke starts to billow out of its eyes, choking me. I grip the dagger harder, twisting the blade, fire burning so hot around my hands it’s blue. Flames swallow the demon, and I can feel their heat, yet it doesn’t burn me.
Fire circles around the bird-demon, encasing it in flames. With one final harrowing cry, the demon collapses into a pile of charred skin and bone. I scramble up, brushing demon ashes off of my clothes.
Killing the demon gives me a rush, and I want to do it again. The demon I’d first set on fire is back on its feet now and coming at me fast. I throw my hand in front of me, and a thin wall of fire appears before me. The thing pushes against it, unable to break through. I hold my ground, keeping my hand outstretched.
I turn my head, frantically looking for Ethan. He’s several feet away, fighting off another demon. It swipes its razor-sharp claws at Ethan’s face. He leans back, out of its reach, and counters with a strike of his own. His fist collides with the side of the demon’s face, and the demon stumbles back.
“Ethan!” I yell, holding up the enchanted dagger. He quickly glances up and extends his hand. I toss it to him and turn back to the demon in front of me, which sidesteps back several feet after getting burned from the flames erupting from the dry earth in front of me. I look back just in time to see Ethan ram the dagger into the demon’s chest. Thinking it’s going to be paralyzed in pain and then go up in flames, he turns to me.
“Anor—” he starts. But then the demon in front of him screams and, with the dagger still in its chest, launches itself on Ethan. Ethan puts both hands on the dagger, sending the blade in even deeper and twisting it at the same time.
Nothing happens.
Taking advantage of his shock, the creature steps back, and the bloody dagger clatters to the ground. It thrashes its talons across Ethan’s chest, tearing through his shirt and skin. It claws at him again, this time ripping open a gash on his bicep.
“No!” I scream, anger boiling inside of me. Without thinking about what I’m doing, I throw my hands out again, fire burning hot around my fingers. The demon looks at me and hisses, recoiling from the flames. My heart lurches in my chest, and I watch in slow motion as Ethan falls to his knees, clutching his