Page 39 of Defying the Relic Hunter

A cold prickling ran up my spine. “Granny?”

“If we can tap into what’s left of the sphere’s power, we might be able to channel it into opening a portal big enough to handle all of them.”

The bones swirled wildly around the cavern.“Free us. Free us.”

I could sense the spirits’ growing fury. If we didn’t do something soon, they’d tear us apart.“Do you know where the sphere is?”

“It is hidden beneath the sacrificial platform. Once we link with it, we either open the portal or cease to exist.”

Xenia’s grip on my hand became painful.“What can I do to help?”

“Lend us your strength,”Granny said.

“Done.”

Granny chanted,“Cuidamn. Monstrata. Dicitur moss.” Bits of blue energy danced around the sacrificial platform.“Ostium, fluminis, sont. Fluminis zap.”

I winced as the ancient power coursed over me. God, I hoped this worked.

Granny took my other hand and together we chanted,“Miraculin sepulcrum ibidem solus novum. Domum rotundam vivtorie construxit!”

A portal formed in the ceiling.

I poured everything I had into holding the gateway open.

“Gallice material transferm est quaeda,”Granny and I shouted.

Pure radiance poured from the portal, filling the cavern with an unearthly light. The thousands upon thousands of souls ran into it.

Agony knotted my muscles and my skin grew ice cold. I was tapped out. So were Granny and Xenia. We had failed. Funny black spots danced in my vision.

Granny Annabel’s ghostly form flickered in and out.

The portal shrank as our powers failed.

“No!”Ethan wrapped his mind around mine and tremendous energy poured into us. The portal blazed like a supernova and drew the remaining spirits like a magnet.

“Go! Now!”I rasped.

When the last one had passed over, the brilliance vanished.

“And I thought the Tai-Kok were tough to fight,” Xenia muttered.

Poof! Twenty Coletti warriors in full battle armor appeared in the cavern.

I snickered. “And the cavalry arrives in the nick of time.”

“I think I’m going to lay here for a moment,” Xenia said.

Huh? We were both face down on the floor. “Me too. I can’t feel my legs.”

Ethan scooped me up and cradled me against his chest like I was the most precious thing in his life. “I thought I had lost you.”

“For a minute there, I thought I was a goner too. Thanks for the power boost.”

Ethan rained kisses over my face. “Thank. The. Overlord.”

“Ok.” I caught a glimpse of Xenia with her arms wrapped around a Coletti warrior before they teleported. Zarek, Voss and the other warriors were busily scanning the sacrificial platform and bones.“Granny you still with us?”

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