EZRA  We'd been walking for a few hours, following Suon on a thin trail through the dense jungle. I was towards the back of the line, only a pair of warriors walking behind me, with my eyes focused ahead on John. He leaned heavily on the staff he carried, not completely steady on his feet as he had assured me earlier in the day.I turned, speaking briefly to the warriors in their language the little that Suon had taught me in the past few days. The younger of the two nodded, and took off, running ahead to relay my message to Suon.Quickening my pace, I caught up with John. Sweat beaded on his forehead, gathering in his hair enough to make it look wet along his hairline. He glanced at me but didn't say anything. I wasn't sure he could with how hard as he was breathing."Let's slow down a bit," I suggested. "We'll be stopping for a break soon anyway."He gave me a dark look. "I don't need any special treatment.""I d

JohnI shot up, my chest heaving with every gasping breath I swallowed. Wiping at my face, I fought against the lingering images from the nightmare and struggled to clear my mind of teeth and claws. The fire had died down to a low flame, and everyone else slept soundly nearby. Even Hunter, who was rolled onto his side, facing me. His eyes were peacefully closed, all the strain gone from his features.Watching him helped to calm me the most. I imagined what life might be like if we were together, what it would be like to kiss him and to hold him close. Just his being there chased the uneasiness of the dream away, though it left another kind of tension in its place.I stood and, after a small wave to the warrior standing guard, walked off into the trees to relieve myself. Afterward, I didn't feel ready to try to sleep again. I walked instead, staying where I could just see the light of the dying fire through the leaves, working my way slowly a

EZRA  Kaylee stared at John with star-struck awe. Her father wrapped an arm around her shoulders and looked up at me with what I thought was hope in his eyes. "Has the war ended then?""No," I said, shaking my head. "It's just become more complicated. I don't even know where to begin.""But you really are a witch?" Kaylee asked, peering around her father to look at John. "Can you show me?"John glanced down at his hand that was intertwined with Hunter's. "I wish I could, but it's complicated. I can't reach my power anymore. "Benji's gaze swung back and forth between John and I. "How is that possible?"The fire crackled between us as I tried to find my words. "The witches have developed a new weapon. John took a shot that was meant for me during a fight. It's part of the reason we're still here in the Half World."No reason to mention that it was my brother who'd tried to poison me, or that he was why we had

JOHN  Hunter and I followed Ezra through the trees, and even though Ezra was walking fast, he wasn't in the same hurry everyone was in when Kaylee ran off into the jungle. Impatiently, I wiped the sweat from my eyes. The heat had built to an almost unbearable temperature, the humidity climbing even higher. Almost as if I was breathing water.Ezra slowed, glancing back to motion at us with a finger to his lips. "No sudden movements either, I don't want to startle them."I frowned, not knowing what to expect as we pushed past the last of the bushes. On the other side, a large demon was stretched out on the jungle floor. I recognized it immediately. It was kind of hard not to, since it had tried to kill me yesterday.The demon was like a giant black panther with two saber tooth like teeth protruding from its mouth. It stretched out on the ground, tail twitching back and forth with Kaylee curled up next to it, as if it were nothing

EZRA  "Are you sure?" I asked Anissa as I fed another handful of sticks to the fire. She and her sister were sitting on the opposite side, their expressions serious. The rest of our group were gathering our things and taking down most of the camp in the late morning light. Everything except for what Benji and his daughter, and the twins now, too, would need for another day or two. Anissa nodded. "Yes, Tessa and I have decided we would like to stay with Benji and Kaylee if he will let us. He can help us just as well as you can." "Perhaps, even better," Tessa said, as she reached up to tie her braids back, "since he trained with the family before they were all killed." Benji let out a sour laugh. "Barely, I was hardly more than a kid." He sat to my right and Kaylee still slept curled next to him. From what John had described about her powers yesterday, and how she'd he