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Major affinity: controlling water.

Minor affinity: conjuring stupid glass structures.

A human would imagine a million uses for that minor affinity, but Aecora used it for one purpose and one purpose only: creating bubbles to drown you in. Back during Brad’s and my mercenary days, we’d had a few run-ins with her nasty tricks.

She kicked Lana forward into the clearing she’d made, and my whole body tensed up.

Lana landed in a heap, her hair dripping. Slowly, she raised her wounded eyes to mine, and then her elbows buckled and she slumped over. She was sickening fast.

My jaw clamped, and I drew my Glock, aiming it at Aecora’s head.

Before I could squeeze off the shot, a wave rose out of the dirt behind me and broke over my back. I sprawled forward, and the gun tumbled out of my grip and splashed at Lana’s feet.

Hold onto your fucking guns, Asher!

“Too slow, Jame,” Aecora taunted. “Much,muchtoo slow. My, you’ve lost your touch.”

I climbed to my feet, wiping water and silt from my mouth. “Alright, Cora, you got me. Let’s make a deal. You let me live, I let you keep Lana. You have my word I won’t kill you.”

I had no intention of honoring that deal, but Aecora didn’t need to know that.

I had to steel myself against the wounded look Lana gave me.

My gaze flicked to the gun, lying a foot from her hand. A yard from mine.

“Now why would I trust yourword,” Aecora said, “when you’ve never kept your word before in your life? And why would I even make that deal, when I can just kill both of you right now? Which option sounds smarter to you, Jame?”

She had a point. I focused back on the demon. “How about you spare an old friend, huh?”

“An old friend,” she scoffed. “How about you die with some dignity? Or is that asking too much from you?”

I raised my palms. “Cora, come on, I’m unarmed... you know you won’t get glory from killing me like this.” Unable to help it, I peeked at Lana again, who looked sicker by the second.

I needed to get her to a pharmacynow.

“My gods, did you come to rescue her, Jame?” Aecora cocked her head. “I’m not sure which one of you is the bigger traitor. It’s too bad I don’t trust your word. There are others who would allow you to surrender and keep your life, and for Lana to keep hers...no onewould have to die.

“The trouble is,” she continued, “I am not one of them. You have no honor. You’re an animal, no better than a mangy cur... and what you do with a cur that keeps trying to bite your hand? You put it down. You kill it. You don’t try toreasonwith it.”

“Lana’s infected,” I said, trying a different tack. “You touched her, Cora, which means you’re infected too. Only way you live is if I get you the antibiotics. Your choice.”

Aecora drew back from Lana, her lip curled.

That was the best opening I was going to get.

I dove for the gun.

“Nuh-uh-uh—” Aecora raised her hands, and out of thin air, a glass bubble materialized around Lana and the gun.

I thunked into it.

Behind the thick glass, the gun was unreachable. Inches away... yet so far.

Trapped inside the bubble, Lana scrambled backward, hit the other side, and frantically slapped the walls with her palms, her eyes wide.

Then, it began filling with water.

My breath left me in a rush.No...