Free Firstborn (The Legacy Series) by Ryan Attard

the other side.
    As it was now, unless I appeared in front of the car in the next ten seconds, they would escape – and take Abigale with them.
    A swear word slipped through my teeth.
    Thank you, universe, for once again screwing up my awesome plan.
    You know how sometimes you just got to take a leap of faith? If I survive this I’m going to hunt down and kill the idiot who said look before you leap .
    C ause, you know what?
    As I stood up there, mentally counting down and calculating the trajectory of that limo, my brain kept playing images of me squashed into a hamburger. And despite that idiotic saying, I took the leap.
    Magically charging up my run, I soared into the air and let out the girliest scream to ever leave my throat. I didn’t even know my voice went that high – maybe I should try out for X-Factor. After the initial ecstasy, I felt focus unlike anything I’d ever felt. It was like my brain was trying to beat gravity with reasoning.
    I reached backwards and unsheathed Djinn, holding it in reverse grip. Magic ran through it. There was an explosion of azure light as the energy layer on top of the blade engorg ed to twice my height. I held the gargantuan lightsaber point down and saw the car getting closer. And closer.
    And then, BOOM.
    Djinn impaled the hood of the car. The limo’s body crunched as the front was flattened like a can. The rear end rose upwards and settled back down with a loud crash.
    Meanwhile , I was still dangling over Djinn’s handle like some sort of charm. My magic faded, returning the short sword back to its original petite size. I slumped down and felt something pop – both my shoulders had been dislocated. My magic had already begun healing my wounds but I still felt the pain. All I could do was roll on the ground as an Ow escaped my lips in a low, pathetic moan.
    The limo’s door was blasted open and Gil emerged. She sen t another ripple of air at me. I managed to roll and avoid most of the damage.
    She repeated her spell, knowing full well I couldn’t move. A boulder shot up in front of me, shielding me from my sister’s magic. Amaymon’s figure spat out from the ground like a mole and a series of stone spikes went through the undamaged part of the car.
    “ Control your pet, brother,” yelled Gil. “He's going to kill the girl.”
    “ I'm sure your dog is protecting her,” I yelled back.
    “ Erik, get the girl,” Amaymon said with glee. He focused on my sister, driving her away with his vicious onslaughts.
    I had regained the use of my arm s by then and extracted my gun. Inside the limo was Abigale, semi-conscious. I reached inside to grab her and a pair of canine jaws clenched around my hand. The dog, Mephisto, crushed bone and tendon.
    His malevolent demonic eyes shone in the darkness and he began to shake his head, trying to rip my arm off.
    I snapped the gun at his face and pulled the trigger. Chunks of flesh flew away but he was otherwise unharmed. His bite got even more vicious and I thought the pain was about to make me pass out.
    I dropped the gun and reached inside the leaking gas tank , splashing some of the liquid on his face.
    Then , I used the same trick I used to burn Roland’s cigarette.
    The dog’s head lit up in a blaze and he let go of my hand. Some gas had gotten on my wrist and I felt the intense burning in addition to the bite injuries. My magic healed my hand as I wrapped it in my coat and choked the flame.
    Mephisto appeared above the car, hovering in a gust of wind.
    Amaymon’s element is earth – Mephisto’s is the air and wind. And whilst his personality is not that of a frontline fighter, he can still do some serious damage. He was an air Elemental, after all.
    He’s not like Amaymon, who beats his opponents down with raw strength. Mephsito is more subtle. He served as the advisor to the Demon Emperor around the same time that Amaymon was leading the army. He knows every strategy, every trick in the book.
    And he was eager to use