Wits
MONA
Mona huddled behind the door as the Titan stormed into her room. He hadn’t noticed her yet, but he would soon.
Her mind was still clouded, churning, and muddled. She couldn’t think straight. And Goddess, she felt so weak.
He was here to kill her. Prue was right—they didn’t need both of them alive.
Mona would never be able to fight him off. Not without magic.
Magic…
Mona glanced down at her still bleeding hand. Her heart pounded madly against her rib cage. Dizziness crept into her mind, threatening to drown her.
Without another thought, she shoved the door forward, making the Titan stumble.
While he was down, Mona flexed her bleeding hand toward him and shouted, “Disjungo!” She shoved all her remaining energy into summoning the rune.
The magic gathered around her, but it was slow, like molasses.
The air here was so arid that it took a long moment for her rune to take effect.
During that moment, the Titan staggered to his feet, rage brimming in his dark gaze.
Mona let out a squeak of terror, backing away from him.
He took a menacing step, the floorboard creaking from his movement, then halted. A choked sound rose up his throat. His eyes bulged. He gripped his neck as if she were strangling him with an invisible rope.
Mona could only watch, wide-eyed, as the Titan’s face drained of color. He slumped to his knees, his body convulsing. Mona sidestepped before his massive form could crush her toes. She darted around him, hand at her chest, trying to control her breathing.
But a part of her was curious about how this rune affected a Titan. It was meant to dislodge a person’s soul from their body, but Titans weren’t entirely human…
Even so, it was clear her rune had done something to him. And she didn’t want to wait around for him to awaken.
She raced toward the open door but hesitated at the top of the staircase. The sounds of scuffling reached her ears, followed by a sound that chilled her to the bone.
Prue’s anguished whimper. Mona had never heard her sister utter that sound before.
Prue was always the strong one. Fearless and confident, even when facing the deadliest of horrors.
She made another sound, this one a tortured moan.
Then came Hyperion’s voice. “That’s it. Make her bleed.”
Oh, Goddess. Mona was going to be sick. She was going to vomit all over the stairs.
They were torturing Prue.
They were torturing her sister. Her brave, beautiful sister.
Fear iced over Mona’s body, freezing her in place. But as Prue made another desperate sound—a plea mingled with a sob—something else rose up inside Mona.
Rage.
She gritted her teeth. Her vision tinted red as she thought of what those vile monsters were doing to her beloved sister. She had literally gone through Hell and back to save Prue, and she wasn’t about to stand by and do nothing while those beasts mutilated her.
But she had to be smart. To rush in without a plan would be something Prue would do.
Mona needed Prue’s strength right now… but she still had to keep her wits about her.
She was vastly outnumbered, with little access to magic.
She could cast another rune, but she was so drained that she wasn’t sure she could manage anything too powerful without fainting from exhaustion.
Each one took so much of her energy because of how barren the air was.
But a lesser rune—that was something she could manage.
What she needed was a way to draw the Titans away from Prue. Something to divert their attention.
She almost laughed at the irony. Prue had volunteered for this very task—something Mona had been too terrified to do herself.
But, here she was.
Letting her rage fuel her, Mona dug her fingernail into the bleeding cut on her arm, drawing more droplets of blood.
She hissed from the pain, but the sharp intensity of it sent a bolt of clarity in her mind.
She crept back into her bedroom, checking to ensure the Titan was still down.
His body twitched, but he was otherwise motionless.
With careful steps, Mona reached the open window, then slid her bleeding hand through the gap. Closing her eyes, she murmured, “Sono.”
Her skin prickled, and energy swirled around her. A tendril of magic flowed from her fingers, shooting toward the sky. But unlike the fire spell, this one was almost translucent against the murky gray surroundings.
After counting to ten, Mona opened her mouth and let out a shrill, piercing scream. The rune projected her voice somewhere above the cottage, circling the sky. Her shout rang out, reverberating through the forest as if she were floating high in the air.
Downstairs, the Titans shouted in alarm. Heavy footfalls indicated they were searching for the source of it. Mona’s scream increased in pitch and volume, allowing her anger and panic to flood her. She channeled all her emotions into that singular sound until it resembled a screeching, dying animal.
The Titans’ shouts turned into petrified yelps. Mona heard the front door open, and a few Titans exited. She noticed them sprinting toward the forest—toward her scream—as if to uncover who was making that noise.
The magic was fading. Any moment now, her rune would wear off and her voice would return to her body. She ended on one final, powerful note before she fell silent, her throat raw. Swallowing hard, she inched toward the staircase again, pausing to listen for any sounds.
Nothing. Then, a low, wet rasping sound.
Goddess above… Prue.
Mona was about to fly down the stairs before she heard someone move. Someone who was much heavier than Prue.
Dammit. Of course the Titans wouldn’t send everyone out to investigate Mona’s scream. Desperate for another diversion, Mona scanned her surroundings, finding nothing of use at the top of the stairs. Then, her gaze fell to her grubby shoes.
It would have to do.
She snatched one of her worn shoes off her feet, then launched it as far down the stairs as she could manage. It landed near the kitchen, and a clatter rang out. A Titan grunted, then lumbered off in the direction of where her shoe had fallen.
Then, Mona was moving, flying down the stairs. She didn’t pause to take in her surroundings or look for the Titans. All she focused on was the trembling form in the middle of the floor, covered in blood.
Prue.
The entire left side of her face was covered in blood, her hair sticky and matted.
Her skin was far too pale, and her lower lip was split and bleeding.
Mona raced over to her, her heart twisting so painfully in her chest she thought she might collapse right alongside her sister.
Hot anger burned behind her eyes, but she didn’t have a moment to cry or rage over Prue’s condition.
She had only seconds before the Titan realized she was there.
As delicately as possible, Mona thrust her hands under Prue’s arms and tried to haul her to her feet. Prue let out a groan of pain, and Mona froze.
From the kitchen, the Titan let out a roar.
Shit. Mona could either stay with Prue, or avoid this Titan’s wrath.
“I am not leaving you,” she told Prue through gritted teeth.
She was not a coward.
With fury in her gaze, she glared at the approaching Titan—Atlas, the purple-skinned demon with ram horns. He stomped toward her, fangs bared and clawed fingers flexing toward her. When he was only steps away, Mona lifted her hand and whispered, “Disjungo.”
The air hummed, then fell silent.
Nothing happened.
“Dammit!” Mona hissed.
Atlas only grinned, drawing closer.
“My… blood,” Prue croaked.
“What?” Mona hissed.
“Use it!” Her raspy voice was insistent.
Atlas lunged, and Mona pressed her hand to the fresh blood coating the left side of Prue’s face. “Disjungo!” she cried.
Just like the other Titan, Atlas went rigid, then sank to his knees. His shoulders shook, and tremors overtook his entire body. Prue slumped against Mona, no doubt drained from the cost of fueling a rune with her blood.
“I’ve got you,” Mona whispered. She scanned the cottage, noting every doorway. Was there a back door? If she and Prue hobbled out the front entrance, the other Titans would notice.
“Window,” Prue wheezed, blood dribbling from her lips.
“Shh,” Mona said softly. “Don’t strain yourself, Prue. I said I’ve got you. I’ll get you out of here, I promise.” Her eyes latched onto the massive window in the back of the kitchen. Damn, Prue was a genius.
Mona gently eased Prue on the floor, then raced over to the window.
After realizing it was bolted shut, she snatched a rusted candlestick from the table and used it to shatter the glass.
She dragged the candlestick over the edges of the pane to ensure no shards remained, then returned to Prue.
Hoisting her up, Mona slid Prue onto one of the dining chairs.
“I need you to go through first, in case one of them comes back. Can you climb?”
Prue mumbled something incoherent, but Mona interpreted that as a yes.
Mona lifted her sister, arms quivering. Sweat pooled down her neck and face.
Prue struggled, then her weight eased as she no doubt found purchase on the other side.
With one last shove, Mona managed to get her all the way through the window.
Something crashed upstairs. The other Titan must have awakened.
With a gasp, Mona scrambled through the window. Prue was crouched on the other side, one hand outstretched toward Mona. Mona took it, and the two collapsed in the dry weeds just outside the window.
Lightning burst in the sky—the Titan’s rage, no doubt. Around them, the Titans were shouting something to one another. Mona wasn’t sure if they were still trying to locate the source of her scream, or if something else had spooked them. Either way, she was grateful for the distraction.
“Come on.” Mona wrapped Prue’s arm over her shoulders, then helped her to her feet. More lightning forked through the sky. Together, they edged around the cottage, away from the shouts, until something made Mona go perfectly still.
“…those damned death gods,” a Titan was saying.
Prue gripped Mona’s tunic, her hand surprisingly strong. She, too, had gone rigid.
“Both of them?” another Titan said.
“No. It’s just the one. The king.”
Prue and Mona exchanged a look of surprise and relief.
“Cyrus is here,” Prue whispered.