Elemental Assassin 05 - Spider's Revenge

had to do.
    I gritted my teeth and forced my feet to move forward. The motion made my concentration waver, just for a second, but the lapse was enough to let Mab’s Fire blast through my Ice magic. The flames licked at my skin like a sloppy lover, burning me down to the bone. I screamed again, in agony once more.
    Mab laughed, thinking that I was weakening, thinking she’d finally won. Her delighted cackle only made me that much more determined to end this thing—forever.
    Despite the searing pain and the stench of my own burning flesh, I kept moving forward, inching closer and closer to the endless Fire streaming out of Mab’s fingertips. I wasn’t able to push back as much with my Ice magic, wasn’t able to completely block her attack, and I felt my skin begin to bubble, blister, and burn from the incredible heat. But I didn’t care. All that mattered now was killing Mab.
    Maybe it was all that had ever really mattered.
    Five feet, four, three… I inched closer and closer to the other elemental. Through the flames, Mab’s black eyes narrowed, as if she couldn’t figure out what I was up to. She’d know soon enough.
    I crept closer still, my silverstone knife still in my righthand. Despite Mab’s magic slamming into me, I’d managed to keep my death grip on the metal. It felt soft and hot in my fingers, but maybe I could do something about that. Carefully, I reached for the Ice magic that Bria had stored in my spider rune ring. There was only a trickle of it, compared to what Mab and I were throwing at each other, but it was enough—more than enough for what I had in mind.
    “Oh, do come closer, little Genevieve,” Mab mocked in her silky voice. “It’ll make your death that much quicker.”
    Only two small feet separated us now, and I felt my skin melting, melting, melting, dripping from my bones like candle wax under the fiery roar of her magic. Somehow, I managed to draw in one final breath, even though flames coated my mouth and throat like acid.
    “You want close?” I rasped. “How’s this for close, bitch?”
    With my left hand, I reached through the wall of Mab’s elemental Fire, grabbed her sunburst necklace, and used it to yank her toward me. With my right hand, I drove my silverstone knife all the way through her heart.
    The Fire elemental’s black eyes bulged in shock and surprise, and she screamed with pain and fury—all the elemental pain and fury that I had felt minutes ago. Flames exploded from the wound, along with blood, and spattered against my cheek, adding to my agony. But I didn’t care anymore. My world had narrowed to one final thing—killing my enemy.
    Mab jerked back, trying to get away from me, but I didn’t let her go. Hell, I didn’t even try to defend myself. Instead, I redirected all of my magic, pouring everythingthat I had into keeping my silverstone knife cold, solid, and sharp in her chest. I twisted and twisted and twisted it, driving it in deeper every single time, even as her Fire washed over me, consuming me.
    Mab screamed again, or maybe it was me. Hell, maybe it was both of us shrieking with pain like a couple of harpies come to life out of one of my mythology books. Whoever was screaming, I knew I’d done my part. Mab wouldn’t be coming back from the sucking wound in her chest. It was just too bad that I wouldn’t be coming back either, not from the elemental Fire that had burned me to the core.
    Then the silver and red flames engulfed us both, and I knew no more.

I hurried down the snowy street, my steps quick, sure, and purposeful. I was late, and I knew that he’d be waiting for me. He always waited for me after a job, no matter how long it took me to get here
.
    No one moved on the deserted downtown Ashland street except for me, and no cars crawled through the foot-deep snow. The flakes were coming down harder now, as heavy and wet as teardrops on my face, but I trudged on, eager to get to my destination. I turned the corner, and the familiar multicolored sign of the Pork Pit came into view, burning like a beacon through the dark night
.
    Home—I was finally home
.
    Light spilled out from the storefront windows, looking like pure liquid silver streaming down the snowbanks outside. I paused a moment and trailed my fingers over the cold, battered brick. The muted murmurs of clogged contentment sounded back to me the way they always did. I smiled and
opened the door. The bell chimed a single cheery note, announcing my presence
.
    Inside,