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Time lost all of its meaning. The wound itself felt cold, but everything radiating out of it, was far too hot, even for me. I could feel myself sweating through my blouse and I needed water in the worst way.
It could have been minutes or hours or days later when the door was thrown open and Bianca came in with more guards. It only took two of them now to lift me up since I was no longer fighting them. They were silent as they carried me out the door, up some stairs, and through a house that looked vaguely familiar. I wanted to ask where we were going but I didn't seem to be able to make my mouth work.
I was thrown into the back of a truck and they didn't even tie me up. I probably couldn't have run from them anyway. The wind on my leg and the wound seemed to cause me even greater pain and I could feel fresh tears of tracking down my cheek. Leaping from the truck and running from them wasn’t possible. I couldn’t even imagine putting weight on my leg.
When we stopped, I could see the fountain in the middle of the town square. Of course we were here. Of course this is where I would die.
Bianca had the guards drag me from the back of the truck and throw me down in front of the fountain.
A flash of a memory in my head appeared.
It was a cloudy day and the anniversary of our parent's death. Eli and I could not find Artie anywhere and in a last-ditch attempt came here. Artie was standing in front of the fountain, his fingertips dipping into the water. When he saw us, he looked up and said, "There's so much death here. So much more than we can never know."
I leaned up against the wall of the fountain and behind Bianca, I saw others building what looked like a funeral pyre.
That also made sense.
"I don't know if my sister was being thick on purpose or if you managed to make her ignore the truth. But we both know where the magic is. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out."
My fangs had descended hours earlier and I couldn't seem to pull the back. The pain was making me lose control. It didn't matter. I bared my teeth at her anyway and she gave me her own bright smile.
"It makes perfect sense that your little brother is both the teacher and the student. Call him and I will put you out of your misery."
Apparently, it did take a genius.
I laughed but it sounded dangerously close to a sob. "Whoever the magic chose, doesn't belong to me. I can’t call them and it isn't Artie."
Bianca raised her gun once more, taking aim at my right shoulder. "Call him and I won't have to raid your house. Savannah is the one you can thank for that. She narrowed it down and it only took a few hours for my people to find your house. Call them and maybe your other little brother will survive."
She stepped closer to me and pressed the gun to my shoulder. I closed my eyes and prayed, harder than I ever had before. I prayed to the hunter goddess that our father used to tell us stories about. I prayed that if she was up there, she would give me just one last bit of strength.
I looked up at Bianca and roared.
As I did, it seemed to startle her and I lunged forward, claws out and slashed her across her face. The gun went off.