Stunned, I flew my hands to my neck as if to put back what she took from me. My own mother. I searched the space where seconds before she'd stood. Bitter tears scorched the backs of my eyes. How could she kill me, her own daughter?
Battles raged around me, but I couldn't process who was where as I bled out. Crimson rivers leaked between my fingers and down my wrists where they gathered in a pool before plunking steadily to the carpet, marking the brief time I had left.
I sank to my knees, bumping against something hard. Spells and magic zipped over burnt pews. Fangs flashed white against the charred backdrop.
"Fin!" someone called to my right.
I turned and locked gazes with Hendry, who stood in the side aisle. He stared in horror, the whites of his eyes blazing, his hand jerking to th
