I darted away from him and jumped through the gaping hole in the wal Wil 's body had created. The settling dust choked me, but I made it through and ran to Wil . He was struggling to get to his feet, leaning heavily on his sword as the point dug into the cold ground. When I reached him, I dropped my swords and wrapped my arms around his chest.

"I've got you," I said, helping him lift his torso the rest of the way up. I heard a sickening snap in his chest as he groaned, and I knew something was broken. He buried his face in my shoulder and growled in pain.

A powerful hand grabbed a fistful of my hair from behind and yanked me back. I screamed and twisted, but Geir held me too tightly. He squeezed harder, making me cry out in pain.

"That hurt, you little wench!" he hissed against my cheek, blasting my face with his foul, hot breath. "I don't think Bastian would mind if I maimed you before I brought you to him. I'l just cut you up some before I finish dealing with your Guardian."

From the corner of my eye I saw Wil chuck something, and it slammed into Geir's chest. I looked down and saw a two-foot-long splinter of wood protruding from him, just inches from his heart. Without releasing me, Geir scowled and pul ed the stake out of his chest and chucked it back at Wil , nailing him in the shoulder and knocking him back. My heart kicked when I heard something crack in his shoulder.

"Glad we could share, brother," Geir growled.

Wil roared in pain and ripped the stake from his body before raising his sword to fight again. He cradled his wounded arm to his chest as the bones and tissue healed.

"Don't even think it," Geir said with a slow shake of his head in warning, pressing the tip of a claw to my throat. "Do you want the little girl to die?"

I jerked, but fighting the reaper's grip was like wrestling with an office building. He pressed his talon deeper, and I gasped when the skin broke. I watched the blood drain from Wil 's face, and I knew he knew Geir real y would kil me. I shut my eyes tightly and tried to focus my energy, remembering what Wil had told me: "Don't stop fighting."

With a cry, I let my power erupt, lashing into Geir. The impact surprised him and threw him off me. As he flew, I slung my fist back and pounded him in the face. He hit the ground hard, flat on his back. His wings shuddered and curled with pain.

"You little bitch!" he roared, covering his face in his hands. I grabbed a sword off the ground and turned it upside down to shove it into his heart, but he rol ed out of the way and leaped to his feet. He evaded each stroke as I swung left and right, but something raged through me, a fury spinning with madness. As I fought the reaper, I felt my control slipping, and something dark throbbed in my skul until I could barely breathe. The world around me went black, until al I could see was Geir's horrible face as I swung my sword, unable to think coherent thoughts. I wanted to throw my weapon to the ground and grab at his throat with my bare hands.

Wil appeared like a flash between us, shoving me back and swinging his arm out and smashing it into Geir's face. Geir growled and spat in rage.

"El ie, go!" Wil shouted, looking back at me. "Get out of here!"

His voice brought my senses back to me. I blinked and the rest of the world came back, but Wil blocked my view of the demonic reaper. "I can beat him!" I cried. "Let me try!"

He took a firm hold of my arm. "You aren't ready to fight him yet--now run!"

"You're losing yourself. If I let you continue to fight him, it'l get bad. Now Run!"

"What about you?" I cried. "I'm not going to leave you here!"

"You are the only thing I care about," he said. "You must survive!"

Even if I had wanted to, I couldn't move. My pulse pounded inside my head like tribal drums, drowning out Wil 's pleas. I couldn't force myself to turn and run. Not when he was wounded. I couldn't abandon him.

Geir stood up and vanished for a moment, reappearing in the air above Wil . He came down hard, fist swinging. Wil jumped behind the statue of a woman and Geir's fist pounded through her abdomen, spraying chunks of marble. Wil leaped around the statue and hit Geir over and over again. Geir flew straight back and halted abruptly, gagging, blood dribbling from his lips. He looked down at his chest and found himself skewered on the lance of a stone knight. Blood oozed thickly from his wound and ran down the length of the lance. He snarled up at Wil , his yel ow eyes flashing, his shark's teeth gnashing like a piranha's. He grabbed the stone and started to pul himself free.

"El ie!" Wil shouted, rushing back to me. "We have to go, now! I'l grab the sarcophagus."

I nodded, let my swords disappear, and darted back inside the house, Wil right behind me. He bent down over the box and lifted it--almost effortlessly, to my amazement--and took off at a run.

"No!" Geir shrieked. "You can't! Damn you, no! "

As I ran after Wil , I looked back at Geir, who was stil trying to free himself. I saw him pound his fist into the stone lance and snap it in half. His dark wings beat the air violently. He shrieked like some demon bird spawned in Hel and his eyes glowed brightly with rage. In the failing light, his face appeared to change, his teeth growing longer and sharper, his eyes narrowing to slits. I stopped watching and ran faster. We final y reached the truck, and I threw open the back doors so Wil could set the sarcophagus inside. We climbed in front as fast as we could, with Wil in the driver's seat, and we sped off.

21

"YOU'RE HURT," I SAID, LIFTING UP WHAT WAS LEFT of his tattered sleeve to examine the deep gouges in his arm. Though we were free of the Grim, Wil 's attitude sure wasn't. He shrugged away from me, his good hand maintaining a death grip on the steering wheel while he cradled his wounded arm against his chest. "I'm fine. You worry too much about me."