Page 105 of The Fallen Kingdom

Sorcha looks up. “Don’t do it. The Book isyoursnow—”

The Morrigan crashes her fist into Sorcha’s face and she collapses into the cobbles. I lunge for her, but the Morrigan lashes out at me with her power. It strikes me with the force of a tidal wave. My teeth clamp together and the coppery taste of blood is stark on my tongue. I barely raise my own power in time to stop her from breaking every bone in my body.

“Say yes, girl.”

Catherine’s voice rings clear in my mind, warmth amid the pain.We’ll return everything to the way it was.

And Derrick:Get off your arse and finish this.End it, Aileana.

“Aithinne,” I breathe. “I’m sorry about this.”

I throw my power into the Morrigan. It rips out of me like a lightning strike, tearing through my body with a pain that leaves me gasping. I fight through it and knock her off her feet. Our bodies collide. We slam into each other, fists and nails and hard, thrashing hits laced with power.

My body isn’t immortal. My body is a frail, fallible thing of flesh and blood, and every punch makes me stagger back until she comes at me with a hard final strike. I’m breathless as I collapse onto the cobblestones. And I’m going to lose. I’m going to lose this fight because I can’t throw everything I have at her. Because then I’ll kill Aithinne.

“Kam!” Kiaran’s call breaks through the haze of pain. “Use one of Lena’s spells!”

The spells. Of course.

The Morrigan is on her feet but I tackle her back to the ground, my power slamming into her. The force of it is enough to make me see stars. I scramble over to Lena and throw up a shield to protect us from the Morrigan’s attacks. It’s clumsily erected, but it should buy us enough time.

Lena is slack against the vines. I grip her arm. “Lena. Give me a spell.”

“I can’t,” she murmurs. “It’ll kill you.”

The Morrigan’s power slams into the shield. Electricity crackles in the air, bolts of discharge that snap around us. The remains of the few buildings left around us are shuddering, falling. Gavin, Daniel, Sorcha, and Kiaran dodge falling bits of stone and use the Morrigan’s distraction with me to leap inside my shield for protection.

“I say we mount one last attack.” Daniel says grimly, his voice ragged. “Let’s finish her off and be done with this.”

“I agree,” Gavin says. “Blaze of glory. Die with dignity.”

“I’ll help.” Sorcha swipes at the blood on her face. “I didn’t escape the Morrigan just to hide like a coward.”

“And I don’t run from battle,” Kiaran says. “Especially not when the realm has degraded enough that I can finally feel my powers again.”

The Morrigan’s power crashes into my shield again. I wince, straining to hold it up.Keep holding it. If we don’t act soon—

Catherine’s soft voice in my mind reminds me:This world isn’t your burden. It belongs to all of us. Even them.

“Wait,” I tell the others. “Lena? What if Kiaran and Sorcha combined their powers with mine?”

Lena smiles. “Now that’s an idea.”

“Then it has to be all of us,” I say, looking at them. We’re all that’s left. “Together. We have one chance.”

Gavin’s jaw is set, determined. “If you only have one chance, then you’ll need a distraction.” He looks at Daniel. “What do you say, old chap?”

Daniel nods once. “Aye. Time for your idiotic Plan B.”

No. Everything in me is screaming to say no.Don’t let them go. What if they die and I can’t win?

But it’s their choice. When Gavin’s eyes find mine, I see the flicker of fear there. “Destroy her and bring us back,” he says. “Or I’ll haunt your arse forever, do you hear me?”

This world isn’t your burden. It belongs to all of us.

“I hear you, Galloway.”

I glance at Sorcha and reach out my hand, palm up. “This doesn’t change anything,” I tell her. “I still hate you.”

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