Time continued to trickle past. Dani lounged around for a while before she got up to leave. I didn't move, but my distance from Dani didn't change. As she roamed, I trailed after her like a ghost. It was so dark that I could barely see sometimes. 

   I still couldn't move beyond a slow twitch. No air moved into my lungs. Every time I moved, my lungs burned for oxygen. I tried to keep as still as possible, my whole body screaming. Being locked in this void was slowly crushing my organs. 

   My memory blurred in and out. My brain searched for information and anything that wasn't considered essential was left out. I attempted to keep track of what was happening, but it was practically impossible. My eyes kept blacking out. Dani's spell might not have been working constantly, but it was still trying to blind me. The blackouts were getting less frequent.

   It could have been days or years later when my brain finally snapped somewhat awake. Fire seared up my arm. My jaw tried to open for a scream. A white-hot poker jabbed into my heart. My eyes wrenched open. Dark swirls were surrounding my body, concealing my surroundings. The magic was flowing forward and using me as a funnel. As it raced through my being, it tore apart the cells in its wake. 

   I could actually see Dani dragging her magic through my body to amplify it. Small stains of red dripped through the dark river. Every time there was a red trickle, it was as if sandpaper was being rubbed through my brain. My ability was being rubbed raw. 

    "One cannot force magic alone. They must have someone to take the magic from, lest they risk imploding from the intake. So the dark magic user takes a source and directs the magic they are using to flow through the source, diluting the power enough for use, and then rip it away. Any time she used dark magic, she pulled it through you first and you took the force of the pain. She was destroying your ability to use magic. Picture a water channel. Used and maintained properly, it will last forever. However, if the water becomes too much, too much pressure and activity, it will erode the channel. The channel will become too unstable and weak for use and will eventually collapse. And the chances are that you'd die. I've never heard of anyone surviving complete draining of their potential."

   Alexie's words echoed through my head over and over. It was as if my brain was slamming the memory repeatedly against my skull, trying to make me register it. It finally sunk in.

   The red magic, the sandpaper feeling. That was my ability being eroded. Dani was forcing magic and using me as the shield. And that shield was losing integrity. She was draining my ability to use magic.

   I had to stop her. She was going to kill me. 

   I couldn't move through the pain. The magic flowed through my body like a funnel. Every atom in my body felt like it was getting ripped apart repeatedly. If there was air, I would be screaming. The infection in my leg had felt like a hangnail compared to this. 

   It stopped. My muscles released and my lungs seized to get a breath. Nothing came, of course. The magic around me faded enough for me to see. My thoughts cleared enough. 

   Dani lowered her hands. She stood in the middle of a road in the night. I recognized the outline of the mountains in Alaska. She studied the town before looking down at the half a dozen bodies. Kingsley stood beside her, still wearing that stupid cap and sunglasses. She snorted. "Well, I can get that barrier down easily. We just have to send someone with one of those bracelets in. It'll counteract their protection. They break down the source of the protection spell and then I shatter the rest of it."

   "How long do you think it should take?"

   "Not more than five minutes."

   "Even now that the Council will be aware that there was an attack?" Kingsley looked down at the dead Enforcers. "They will realize this troop is missing in about five hours."

  "I'm not worried. All they can do is send out the Enforcers." Dani smiled and rolled over one with her foot. The woman stared blankly up at the stars. "With Reilly contained, this took practically no effort. I could take on every Enforcer in this town at once and not even break a sweat."

   Kingsley smiled softly. "Excellent. So, let's say we get this down tomorrow morning at nine. Make a spectacle of it. We'll send in someone to the inside and you break the barrier. Then we storm the place and take the Council. The rest of the magick government will fall soon after. Once we have Anchorage, taking Death Valley will be easy. When these two are gone, we've won."

   "Right at the jugular," snickered Dani. "Alright. Fine. I'm going to bed. I'll be at this barrier at nine exactly. Make sure the insider won't be late."

   He nodded. Dani disappeared into the nex line. I dragged with her until she appeared in a random room. It had a bed in the corner, no windows, and a punching bag in the corner. Dani sat down onto the bed and ruffled her hair, grinning. The way she started to chuckle made shivers go down my spine. She sounded . . . unhinged.

   There was a prickle down my arm. Moments later, Karrae appeared in the doorframe. "You summoned me?"

   "Yes." Dani smiled. "I want that shapeshifter dead within the hour."

   No. Not Tate. You can't. Karrae straightened. A gleeful look took over her face. "Yes, ma'am. You want a finger or anything as proof?"

   Dani considered it. "He's a previous Enforcer trainee, isn't he . . . When a trainee dies, the parents get his supplies and his uniform in compensation. The only thing Leon has is that tag." Dani smirked. "I want it."

   "Done." Karrae dipped her head. Her body disappeared from the frame. Dani shut the door without moving, causing ice to shoot down my palm, and she leaned against the wall. After a moment she stripped off her jacket and boots. In moments, she was lying in the bed and falling asleep.

   It was bizarre to be standing in the same room, even if it wasn't exactly the same place. I could see her sleeping. My hands desperately wanted to conjure magic. I wanted her dead. This was the perfect opportunity. She was completely unaware of my presence. I could kill her now. She'd killed Alexie and laughed about it. Attacked my father. Killed Simone. And now she was killing Tate.

   Killing. Tate wasn't dead yet. Karrae had one hour to kill him. I moved my gaze away from Dani, knowing that I didn't have a choice. I wasn't going to let Tate die. 

   Once I was sure Dani was deeply asleep, my body clenched. My foot moved slowly. Blood rushed into my head as I focused on the nearest wall, trying to get through it. I had to get out of the room. My foot touched something -- not quite a solid -- but my body moved forward. An agonizing eternity later, and my body slowly passed through the wall. The blood in my head from the effort made my ears ring and my forehead pound with pain. It felt like I was carrying a thousand pounds.

   There was no one in the room. My muscles relaxed. Muscles in my throat contracted for air and got nothing again. But now that I was out Dani's sight, how did I get out of here? 

   She'd said I was in the gap between the Mortal Realm and the magic barrier. It was the same place I put my staff whenever it disappeared. I'd never had any idea that it was possible to put a person in the gap. How did I get myself out?

   There had to be a way. Had to be. How did Dani get me in here? She'd used some sort of transportation spell. She'd used magic to get me in here. Her magic was still keeping me here. It was present every time she moved and every time she used magic. It kept me with her and allowed her to access my ability.

   Wait. The whole reason that I was in here was because of a spell. Because magic was holding me here. But what if I closed off that magic? 

   The magic-blocking spell.

   Logically, it should shut off all magic that I was able to use. Dani was using my magic and her own to lock me in here. The magic-blocking spell worked by creating a shield between a magick and the barrier. If I used that spell on myself, it would create a wall between me and the barrier. It should shove me out of the gap, because magic would be unable to touch me. Her magic was relying on my magic. If mine disappeared, hers would too. Dani's spell would be broken.

   But even if I somehow managed to conjure magic, create the spell, and hit myself, I would drop right into this building. I'd be stranded right in the middle of my enemies. Then there was nothing stopping Dani from catching me and throwing me back, and improve her spell to make sure it didn't allow my escape.

   Screw it. Tate's about to die.

   My fingers curled into a fist. My mental hand reached for the barrier nearby. The barrier curled towards my hand like a swirl of fog. I felt it hit my skin and seep inside. Almost immediately, Dani's link trying to yank it away. I grabbed ahold of the magic with all of my being and condensed it tightly. 

   I twisted my hand, turned my ankle, and pushed my hand forward. It was like I was trying to move in Jello. The small swirl of magic colored into red and sharped into a bullet. Just as it started to leave my palm, I reached out with the other hand and caught it between my thumb and pointer finger. The bullet stopped.

   Exhaustion tried to freeze my arms. Slowly, I was able to turn the bullet around. With a soundless shout of effort, I let go. The bullet shot forward and sank into my chest. A feeling, almost like breaking through cold water, shocked through my body. The sound of glass shattered nearby. Red covered all of my vision.

   My body flew into reality and slammed into the opposite wall. I slumped to the floor, gasping in air. Oxygen filled my lungs. My skin shook. Coughing and shaking, I pushed myself to my feet. My knees trembled. I braced my hands on the wall, staggering to the door out of the room. It was identical to the one beside it -- a bed and a desk. I was in some sort of dorm.

   My hand fumbled for the door knob. Getting the door open, I looked down the hall. It was the middle of the night and completely empty. Leaning heavily on the wall, I stumbled quickly towards an exit sign. It lit up my path in a dark red color. 

    My body wanted to give out. Having been trapped in the gap seeped all of my strength. My feet picked up the pace desperately. How long had it taken me to escape? Was Karrae already near Tate? How long did I have before she killed him? He was an able fighter, I knew that, but Karrae was determined. And she wasn't bad, either. She'd be taking him by surprise.

   The end of the hall turned to a stairwell. I grabbed the railing and set my foot down. My knee buckled sharply. Sucking in a breath, I caught myself on the railing, but my feet were still trying to find purchase. Once I got my footing, I started down the stairs. On the second stairwell, both of my knees gave out. I slid down the wall and tumbled for a few steps, bruises forming on my elbows and knees.

   Letting out a groan, I gripped the railing and pulled myself back up. My arms trembled. Dark stars clouded my vision in a dance and worsened the longer I stood. My head started to feel too light. Something was desperately wrong with me. I could barely stand.

   Finally, I reached the bottom floor. A door stood right in front of me. The windows beside it told me that it went to the outside. This was my way out. My foot slipped again and I fell down the last stair, hitting the ground harshly.

   There was a scuffle of shoes. Dread froze my knees as I staggered upright, leaning on the wall. Karrae stood in front of me, stunned. She stared at me. I stared back, too exhausted to be annoyed. "How did . . . you know what?" She dipped into a crouch. Both hands pulled knives from her boots. A wicked smile coveted her lips. "How happy will Dani be if I give her that shapeshifter's tag and you?"

   I grunted. My instinct was to conjure a shield and break through the door behind her. Of course, I had no magic. No defenses, no fighting capability. I could barely stand. Pants still escaped my lips. "You . . . are . . . a  . . .pain."

   Karrae grinned wickedly. She rushed forward. One knife slashed for my face. The only reason it didn't slice through my cheek was because my knee gave out. As my back slid down the wall, her knee crunched into my ribs. A wheeze escaped my lips. I threw a punch for her gut, but she twisted her arm around my wrist and yanked it up. Her other hand pressed the knife under my chin.

   Exhaustion and frustrated and desperation combined into one. On my knees, I jerked one up into the junction of her thigh and hip. Her back buckled slightly. When the knife slipped, I shoved off of the wall and crashed into her. We went down in a clumsy pile.

   Karrae fisted her hand in my hair and jerked it to the side. A painful cry left my lips as she stood up, dragging me with her. She was only a little taller than I was. "You're pathetic," she hissed. "What's your problem? You're weaker than a human."

   I got shoved into the wall. Karrae's fist sank into my gut. The second blow to my ribs felt no better than the first. I doubled over. Karrae jumped and spun midair. Her foot slammed into the crook of my neck. I hit the ground painfully, the pain ricocheting through my skull. She's just showing off now. I can't even fight back.

   Her hand grabbed my hair again. Blood leaked from my lips as she pulled my chin up, eyes boring into my face. My eyes were too dazed. Black dots clouded my vision too much to see clearly.

   The knife danced across my throat lightly. Karrae smirked. "Finally. You know what it's like to keep losing? Over and over and over?" Her face darkened. "But you wouldn't know. Not the great Roxie Reilly. Like you could ever lose. But guess what?" She leaned into my face, sneering. "I win."

   My voice tumbled past my lips, unable to form words. Instead of bothering to try to make sense of what I'd been trying to say, I jerked my hand up. Karrae gasped as her own knife stabbed into her stomach. She lurched away from me, hands reaching for the hilt. I slid back down the wall, seeing double. She tripped over her own feet and fell onto her ass. Panicked rasps left her lips as she looked at me.

   Gripping the wall, I pushed myself up. Karrae started to pass out. Her eyes never left me as I staggered for the door. My bloodied hand slipped on the knob until I was able to get it open. The night air washed over my cheeks. Without looking back at the bleeding woman, I dropped down the steps. Both of my legs gave out. But before I could hit the ground, there was a blast of air. Something grabbed my body and everything around me disappeared.

Update 2/3.