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A giant serpent hewn from stone lay in pieces in the center of the temple floor. The head was massive, with a gaping mouth and ornate stonework creating elegant, gruesome designs over its surface. The sword hovered just above it. The black witches strode ahead of the group and took their positions in a circle around the head. Raising their hands to the sword, they began to chant.

“Bianca,” The Summoner said, extending his hand to her, “it’s time to usher in the new world.”

With a whimper, Bianca lowered her eyes understanding now what her fate was to be. “I knew it. He always wanted just you, Amaliya.”

“No, you can’t.” Amaliya protectively shoved Bianca behind her.

The Summoner’s blue eyes focused on her, cruel and demanding. “Amaliya, we discussed this.”

“Get the girl,” Etzli ordered from behind Amaliya.

Amaliya twisted about, snatched Etzli’s bone dagger from her waist, and slashed her throat in one swift movement. Etzli gasped in shock, her fingers gripping Amaliya’s shoulders. Amaliya was aware of the others descending on her, but ignored them. Thrusting the dagger into Etzli’s heart, she shoved the woman to the ground. The shock on Etzli’s face was satisfying, but not as much as the feel of her heart clutched in Amaliya’s fingers.

“Bye, bitch,” Amaliya hissed.

Amaliya yanked her hand out of the woman’s chest and shoved the organ into her mouth. She swallowed the bloody thing as the were-jaguars hauled her away from Etzli’s body.

“No!” Gregorio cried out, falling to his knees beside Etzli.

Blood dripping from her mouth, Amaliya smirked at The Summoner.

With an angry howl, he grabbed Bianca, who was staring in shock at Amaliya.

Etzli’s blood power surged into Amaliya a second later. It took her a few seconds to find the red thread of Etzli’s power mingling with her own, then Amaliya summoned all the blood from Etzli’s body. In a mighty gush it exploded out of the hole in Etzli’s chest and splashed over Amaliya and the six were-jaguars clutching her. Taking advantage of their shock, Amaliya wrenched free of their slippery grip. The blood soaking the were-jaguars turned into a supernatural vice as Amaliya attempted to utilize Etzli’s power over blood. The were-jaguars thrashed about in an attempt to break free of the blood encapsulating them while Amaliya struggled to contain the vampire blood magic. Etzli’s power was foreign to her, but Amaliya was good at winging it. She finally yanked the red thread of power taut in her mind’s eye and was rewarded when

Etzli’s blood tightened around the were-jaguars and popped them like ticks. As their destroyed bodies fell, Amaliya kicked Gregorio down the stairs of the temple and he vanished into the rubble.

The murk lit up with a red glow and the demons turned toward Amaliya, their hands aflame.

“Shit!”

To her surprise, Aimee landed in front of her and the witch lobbed balls of white magic at the demons. They immediately scattered. Cassandra appeared, silver knives flashing as she fought her way through a cluster of Etzli’s vampires charging up the broken stairs toward them.

Then Cian was there, handsome, fierce, and armed with his obsidian dagger. She wanted to drag him into her arms and kiss him, but she had to save Bianca. She raced toward the serpent’s head where The Summoner was attempting to hold down Bianca and Cian followed in her wake. Bianca had bought them some time by actually fighting against The Summoner. The slender girl battled savagely, kicking and punching, and to Amaliya’s relief, was not using her necromancy.

It had been a huge gamble, but Amaliya had believed that The Summoner would be too arrogant not to want to be in his true form at the end of the world. That meant he’d utilize the power of Lucifer’s Sword to manifest himself and abandon Bianca’s body. To create his body in the greater world, she’d assumed that he’d have to utilize most of the power of Lucifer’s Sword and hoped that the drain on the sword’s magic would be too great to also keep her captive. She’d been right.

It hadn’t been until they were almost ready to leave the mansion that she had finally remembered the advice Innocent had whispered to her in her dreams.

Trust yourself.

Amaliya planned to do exactly that.

“Finish the ritual!” The Summoner barked at the black witches. Reaching over his head, he gripped the hilt of Lucifer’s Sword.

“I’ve got the witches!” Cian shouted.

“I’ve got The Summoner!” Amaliya answered, but immediately knew she was too late.

The Summoner swung the sword toward Bianca’s throat.

A great white sparkling mist billowed into view. Riding the wave was Samantha, eyes glowing, body shrouded in the power of the dead. Amaliya gasped as the ghosts bore The Phasmagus down on The Summoner. Samantha struck the sword from his hand a split second before it was going to strike Bianca. The look of shock and anger on his face was extremely satisfying, then The Summoner launched himself at Samantha.

The Sword of Lucifer arced through the air and Amaliya ran after it, tracking it with her eyes. Blood flew through the air as Cian killed the black witches, darting around their bursts of magic with eerie swiftness. Orbs of white fire flashed, driving back the demons rushing to help their masters. The glint of silver blades revealed Cassandra’s brutal dance of death through the vampires and infused humans.

Amaliya lashed out and the hilt of Lucifer’s Sword slapped into her palm. Twisting about, she sprinted after The Summoner. The ghosts had lifted Samantha out of his reach, but he was scrambling up the broken walls trying to catch her. Not a vampire, not human, not a necromancer, he was confined to his false form.

Bianca, much to Amaliya’s surprise, was closing in on him, scampering up behind him, clutching at his ankles and bare feet to drag him off. The blonde girl climbed rapidly and with purpose, but he kept out of her grip. So consumed in anger, The Summoner had made a mistake. Unarmed, his pursuit of Samantha was futile.