I gasped desperately for air and clawed at y throat. This guy was a real piece of work. Apparently, he'd been Spati's friend, which only made our situation worse. Their past friendship would make it tough for Spati to fight back against Victor.

As he stood there, taunting us, every ounce of my being screamed for me to break free and take this guy down. A few moments later, he seemed to get distracted, and I took a chance. I pulled out my whip, intending to use it to divide him in two, but I was too slow. The air around me suddenly got thiner, and I dropped my now-useless weapon to the ground.

I wanted to scream. Wanted to tell Spati to ignore me and get this creep. But I couldn't speak, couldn't move. I was vaguely aware of tears streaming down my face. It couldn't end like this, it couldn't...

That was my last thought before oxygen starvation claimed me and I blacked out.