Witch and Wizard_ The Fire - James Patterson [70]
With the connection lost, I’m weaker than ever and can’t fend off this monster any longer. I try to scramble away, but he grabs at my hair with one hand, wrenching me backward and off my feet.
Pearce starts to get his claws around my head, and I wince, bracing for the end.
Chapter 74
Whit
MY TIMING IS perfect. I see Wisty caught in Pearce’s death grip, and alarm bells explode in my head. I’m seeing red.
I streak toward them from the woods and slam my whole body into Pearce with the force of a thousand rabid soul-suckers, pounding him to the ground. He’s wickedly strong, but in that moment he’s no match for my absolute need to save my sister.
He’s down, but probably not for long.
I rush over to Wisty, crumpled on the forest floor. Relief sweeps through me as I realize my sister is alive. She’s coughing and choking on the ground and she’s got a nasty welt on the side of her cheek, but she’s alive.
“Hey.” Wisty eyes me, pain written all over her face. “I was wondering when you’d show up. Not that I didn’t” — she collapses in a coughing fit —“have the situation under control.”
“Shh,” I tell her. “Take it easy.” But as I rub my sister’s back, I’m filled with debilitating fury. I survey the situation and see the pale, bloodied form of Byron Swain curled lifelessly against a stump.
I feel the color drain from my face. No one deserves to go out like this.
“Don’t. Move,” I sneer as Pearce starts to get up, iron in my voice. “I’ll kill you where you stand.”
Pearce smiles, jovial as ever behind those cold eyes. “Let me get this straight: You’re telling me not to move? I don’t think you quite understand who’s in charge of this situation here, whiz kid.” His eyes flash a warning. “Or who is going to be the one to die.”
I stand up and move away from Wisty, keeping on the balls of my feet, keeping ready.
“You forget that we don’t have to fear you, Pearce. You can’t kill us. The One wants us alive, otherwise he can’t take our magic. You’re the only vulnerable party here.” I try not to look at Byron’s mangled body off to the side.
Pearce laughs. “Ah, Whit. Naive, sensitive, idiotic Whitford Allgood. It may amuse you to learn that I’ve discovered a way to absorb your magic, actually. The only thing it requires is … your death. The thing is, if I kill you, I’ll grow even stronger. Then the only part left to do — and I’m really sad you’re going to miss out on this — will be to bring your beloved sister back to The One to do the honors of the slaughter.”
His face changes, and I see that he’s got his own agenda behind that loyal mask. “That is, if I feel like it. I don’t really need his assistance at all anymore, if we’re being honest.”
Chapter 75
Whit
MY HANDS ARE balled into fists, but sweat still pools in my palms as we maneuver around each other.
As I step over Byron’s motionless body — one arm still flung across his head protectively, the other reaching for my sister — I feel such hatred for Pearce that I’m surprised I’m not the one shooting fire.
He is going to pay.
I’m angry but not stupid. I try to keep my distance from him at first, crouching low and moving slowly through the eerie red light, anticipating his first move. He’s uncharacteristically silent, which puts me even more on edge.
Considering our last encounter, I expected Pearce to be afraid of me, or at least to show some respect. Instead he exudes confidence with that taunting little smile. He stays on the offensive, his long strides pushing me farther and farther into the woods, where the volume of magic is increasingly oppressive.
I’m dizzy before the fight even starts.
Soon the path narrows, the arms of the bone trees reaching for us like hungry demons. He’s got me backed into a corner. I’ve beaten Pearce before, but I’ll be honest, there’s no way I can take his being anywhere near my skull again. If I close my eyes, I can almost still feel the white-hot pain searing through my temples.