Everything slowed to a crawl as sick realization dawned on me. The cloaked figure wasn't Silas, but Maya. Her cries reached me even from stories below, each sob tearing through my chest like a knife.

The undead had gathered around her in a circle, not surging forward yet, but it was only a matter of time. We needed to act now.

I spun to face the guard closest to me, gesturing to his bow. “Why aren't you shooting at the undead? They're surrounding that kid!”

The guard’s helmet turned toward me, but he made no move to intervene. “King Silas's orders still stand. Until the enemies are in place, we aren't to intervene.” His tone was flat, as if we weren't talking about a child's life, and my vision drowned in red.

Grabbing the strap of his quiver, I dragged him closer until our noses were inches apart. “Why is she even there? Silas was supposed to be bait, not her!”

I couldn't see the guard's face, but his scoff oozed with derision. “We would never allow King Silas to accept such a role. Who better to do the job than an orphaned brat? No one will miss her once she's gone.”

Rage rose to clog my throat, robbing me of words at the heartless statement and how carelessly the man spat it out. Monsters were real and they often wore human skin. I'd seen it too often to count on Earth, but I'd hoped Nexus would be different. Apparently, that was an inescapable fact that covered all universes.

Wait until I got a hold of Silas! That cowardly snake would wish the undead army had killed him by the time I was finished.

Shaking aside the bloodlust vibrating through my veins, I yanked on the guard. “She's a child and deserves to live like one. Slime like you don't get to decide her life is better served as bait.”

He gripped my hand, his hold bruising as he huffed. “And what are you going to do about it?”

Ignoring the pain in my hand, I glanced down at Maya. The undead were circling, a few inching closer while she scrambled to get away. Then, as if sensing my gaze, she turned, wide, terrified eyes locking with mine. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she reached for me, her mouth forming my name in a scream.

I made my decision, and the entire world shifted to realign itself, a stone-cold determination hardening in my chest.

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That kid was going to make it out of this alive, even if I had to kill every last person here and myself to do it.

Focusing back on the guard, I tightened my hold. “I’m going to save her, and you're going to help me.”

I could practically feel his eyebrow raise behind his helmet as he laughed. “Why would I do that?”

His head was tilted back, leaving himself wide open. I surged forward, planting both palms on his chest. “I never said you'd be doing it willingly.” Using all my strength, I threw him over the edge of the wall and jumped after him. The stares of the other guards drilled into my back, but I ignored them, focusing on the prick desperately trying to shift on top of me.

His nails dug into my arms, leaving stinging grooves, and he lashed out with brutal kicks that would surely bruise by tomorrow. I moved with him, preventing each new attempt.

You thought you were so big and bad, sacrificing a child. Not so tough when it's your head on the chopping block, right prick?

The vicious thought hit as the ground came closer. His struggles picked up to a fever pitch once we were mere yards away. Then, I landed on him with a sickening crunch. His bones gave beneath my weight, and he screamed, the sound catching the undead army's attention better than a siren's call.

Their heads swung towards us, and I jumped off him, staggering at the lingering pain in my legs. That didn't matter. Nothing did aside from making it to Maya before those things jumped on her.

With single-minded purpose, I pushed through the pain and ran toward the crowd. Half of them were already moving toward the fallen guard, and I spared a brief second to soak in the vindictive pleasure.

Who's bait now, bitch?

Shaking the thought aside, I dragged the staff off my back and channeled magic into it. The runes along its length glowed brighter. Once I stopped just feet away from the circle surrounding Maya, I slammed the staff down.

The ball of light lifted higher, growing to ten times its previous size. Looking away from the blinding magic, I tore through the crowd until I reached Maya.

She was unharmed, thank fuck, and her eyes were shut tightly, her body half-turned away to shield herself from the light. I dragged her against my chest and slumped to the ground, relief ripping through me as if I were made of tissue paper.

She was alright, I'd made it in time and the undead army was–

…Still alive?

The light glowed above us, just as bright as when I first summoned it, but none of the armored forms so much as stumbled. The description said it should reduce them to dust, yet none of them seemed hurt!

Dread replaced my relief, and I tucked Maya closer on instinct. The undead were stunned, not dead, and once that wore off, we were in for a world of trouble.

Running wasn't an option, not with us surrounded on all sides, and I could already feel the drain from using the staff.

I wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer and then… the real problem started.