Page 138 of Her Blood Revenge

With Pixie riding on his back.

Her eyes are firmly on the wall of water as they run full speed at it.

I don’t get a chance to react before dozens more witches charge past us, all focused on the water and town ahead.

They barge into us as they run, and we watch them skid down the slope of the hillside. One of them is fucking Thalia! And holding her hand is that air fucker Leo.

‘What the fuck is she doing?!’ Dorian yells, watching not only our brother but our fucking girl barrelling straight towards the danger. ‘WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY BOTHDOING?!’

‘What she always does. Something bloody stupid!’

The pair run towards the dam and skid to a stop at its base. She leaps down and slams her hands into the ground. Behind her, eight more witches do the same, all sinking their fingers into the soil. The valley fucking moves! Rising up and shifting to block the towering wall of water. As it hits their barrier, they all skid back in the dirt. Five other witches stop amongst them, their hands raised instead of buried.

Water witches. They push the water back, screaming in effort as they work together.

Earth and water working together!

Dorian and I turn to look at one another. I’m relieved he shares the same look of utter bewilderment because I was seriously concerned I had gone mad for a moment there.

‘That fucking girl,’ he grunts. ‘We forbid the mixing of covens, so of course she mixes the fucking covens. We tell her not to use her magic, and what does she do?’

We run down the slope.

Archie has turned back into a male when we reach him and is hastily pulling on a pair of trousers when I smack his arm.

‘What the fuck did you bring her here for?’ I yell.

‘You try telling that crazy bitch to do as she’s told! The cow had the entire coven against me in a matter of seconds. It was either I took her myself or get pummelled by that lot and left behind!’

He shoves me back just as hard as I shoved him. The wound in my side feels as if it’s torn further as I stagger.

He doesn’t notice and resumes focusing on the battle between that wall of water and these witches.

‘What is that?’ I ask. ‘I have never seen a wave that big.’

Archie points to the right, where up on the hill’s ridge stand three dozen or so witches, all in blue.

‘It’s a water coven trying to wipe out the earth coven,’ Archie replies.

‘And we’re saving them because?’

‘Because she has a fucking death wish. Because if we don’t die here, I am going to bloody kill her myself.’

Archie points to Pixie, who is furiously muttering something as she channels her earth magic.

The earth coven of this valley has spotted those on the ridge and are gathering their forces.

We need a plan, and we need it now.

‘Dorian. Go after those water fucking witches up on the ledge. Kill as many as you can, but save one so we can interrogate them. Archie, protect her!’

Archie rushes to Pixie, who grunts as she reaches out her hand to the attacking water coven. The ground beneath them splinters, opening a crevice. Several of them abandon their water manipulation to steady their footing, giving the witches down here a chance to shove the water back a little further.

The wave falls backwards and dissipates, sending a great swell of water over the makeshift dam. Not enough to drown us, but enough to have us left in a few inches of water.

Pix goes to stand. Archie grips her arm as she staggers, wiping her nose from the blood spilling down past her lips.

She nods, saying that she’s fine, and sees me behind her.

---