Zarek tried to push himself to his feet, but his body no longer responded.
There was no part of him that didn't hurt. Didn't ache.
He was still using his powers to keep the snowmachine going in the right direction.
Depleted, he had nothing left to fight with. Not to mention the fact that he couldn't see Thanatos anyway.
The blows seemed to come at him from every direction.
Just as they had when he'd been human.
Zarek laughed.
"What is so funny?"
Zarek lay in the snow, freezing and bleeding but continuing to laugh. "You. Me. Life in general, and the fact that I'm freezing my ass off as usual."
Thanatos viciously kicked his side. "You are psychotic."
Yes, he was. But most of all he was weary. Too tired to get up and move. Too tired to fight anymore.
He thought of Astrid.
Fight for her...
For once in his life, he had something to live for. A reason to pick his blind ass up and fight.
Squeezing his eyes shut he tried to summon up some of his faltering powers to use against the creature.
Zarek heard the sound of a dagger leaving its sheath.
"Zarek..." Ash's voice whispered in his mind.
Zarek flinched as his eyesight came back unexpectedly. "What the hell?"
Five shining claws appeared on his left hand.
Zarek smiled at the sight of them as he balled his hand into a fist and felt the sharp ends of his finger caps biting into his palm.
Ash had always known him just a little too well.
"There's a crescent moon between Thanatos's shoulder blades," Ash's voice whispered. "Stab it and he's dead. Artemis never creates anything without an off switch."
Zarek flipped himself up to stand.
Thanatos arched a surprised brow. "So you do have more fight in you."
"Looks like the devil just hiked his ass up to Alaska to see the snow. C'mon, punk, let's dance."
Zarek hit him, and Thanatos flew back.
It appeared Ash had given him more than his claws. Strength and power surged through him unlike anything he'd ever experienced before.
Zarek took a deep breath as all the pain he felt vanished.
Thanatos struck him across the face.
Zarek laughed as the pain came and went. It didn't even faze him.