CHAPTER 55

The pea cleared my pharynx on the journey down my esophagus at the same time Damien and his shadowy counterparts started forward. I glanced down at the wooden box in my hand and then threw it as hard as I could at the glass bottle that held Izzy. It smashed into the glass, which vibrated from the attack.

A crack started at the bottom of the bottle, growing larger and larger, and then the bottle shattered into millions of pieces. I turned to avoid the brunt of the flying glass, but sharp edges tore into my flesh. Thankfully, Damien and his friends took the full force of the shrapnel. It mowed them down, stopping their forward assault. Maybe we would survive this after all, I thought until I caught sight of Izzy.

She lay on the ground just behind Damien. At first I thought she was dead, but then I caught a small flutter of her wings. The relief I felt made me dizzy.

Izzy was still alive.

Now I had to keep us both that way.

Easier said than done, I thought, as Damien and his followers gained their feet.

Time for plan B.

The only problem was I didn’t have one.