Free Sacrifice by Jennifer Quintenz

rooftop patio. Gretchen’s dash took her straight for the stairs. She was halfway there before she realized I wasn’t close on her heels.
    “Braedyn!” Gretchen’s voice, thin and high with panic, cut across the murmurs of the crowd. I whipped my head around, taking a mental snapshot. Two of the Lilitu were closing in on Amber. The brown-haired Lilitu was just steps behind me. I grabbed one of the pergola supports as I passed it, running full speed. My momentum spun me around the post but I held on, careening to a stop. The brown-haired Lilitu overshot me, colliding with the roof’s railing before she could regain her footing. I had two seconds to decide; escape with Gretchen, or keep the Lilitu from gutting Amber. My eyes sought her out. Amber had given me plenty of reasons to turn my back on her. But Dad had spent his life teaching me compassion and empathy; I couldn’t just switch them off when it was inconvenient.
    “Damn it, Amber.” I pushed off the pergola and darted forward.
    The gathering was in chaos. Nearly everyone was on their feet now, pooling into tight groups, unsure what was happening or what they were supposed to do. I dodged through the crowd, reaching Amber as the first Lilitu grabbed hold of her arm.
    I tackled Amber, wrenching her free of the Lilitu’s grasp. We hit the floor and rolled to the edge of the patio, knocking over two bowls of candles in the process. One of the candles came to rest at the base of a pergola support post. The flame teased the dry stem of a vine that had grown up around it like vertical kindling. Fire licked up the vine, spreading faster than I would have thought possible. Someone screamed, and the crowd scattered, buying us a few moments before the Lilitu could disentangle themselves from the panic.
    “Get up!” I rolled to my feet. Amber glared at me, refusing to budge. “Amber, this isn’t a game. Get up!” I hauled Amber to her feet beside me. Before the chaos could subside, I willed my shadowy wings to manifest. They snapped around us both, cloaking us from human vision—not that it would do much to protect us from the Lilitu. We were trapped together, tightly bound beneath my wings, like two caterpillars in a cocoon.
    “Let me out,” Amber hissed, fighting me with all her strength.
    “We have to get away from here.” I tightened my grip on her arm. The two Lilitu who’d been closing in on Amber broke free from the crowd. Their eyes latched onto us. “Crap.” Our path forward was blocked—several women had jumped toward the fire and were trying to beat it out with some of the smaller wool rugs. I cast a quick glance over the side of the building. The drop wasn’t welcoming, but it was our best bet.
    Amber’s eyes bulged. “What are you doing? Braedyn?!”
    I looked up at Amber. Whatever she read in my expression freaked her out. She turned, trying to push through my wings to escape.
    The Lilitu surged forward, cloaking themselves with their own dark wings.
    “Hold on.” I grabbed Amber in a bear hug from the back. She sank her teeth into my arm. Shooting pain lanced across my skin, but I didn’t release her.
    With all the strength I could muster, I kicked us backwards, over the edge of the building. I hit the sturdy awning beneath us back first, feeling a flash of relief when the thick canvas fabric held. Amber crashed down on top of me. My grip weakened, and we rolled apart. Amber grabbed the edge of the awning as she slid over, managing to control her drop the last ten feet to the ground. I wasn’t so lucky—still recovering from breaking Amber’s fall, I wasn’t fast enough to grab the edge of the awning. I slipped off and fell ten feet to the ground, landing on my side on the pavement below. Amber dropped to her feet beside me, eyes blazing with fury and adrenaline. I glanced around. We were alone in the little side street between buildings.
    “What the hell is wrong with you?!” She glanced up the side of the building. “I could have