Malik's neck solidified from flame to flesh.
I dug the disc deeper into Malik's shoulder, his body now corporeal all the way up his left side. "Fix him!"
Malik's fingers dug into the tapestry, white-knuckled and shaking, despite his level voice. "I can't."
"Then prepare to die."
He closed his eyes, and fire cascaded down his right arm in a sheath. "You are such a bother."
The disc flew out of my hand. I grabbed for it, then jumped back as flame spurted out of Malik's palm and melted the amplifier into a useless iron puddle on the floor.
Smirking, the demon disappeared. Daniel and Leo were gone as well.
I placed both hands flat on Ari's chest. "Don't you dare die on me, you asshole!"
One more shock.
After the longest moment in history, Ari wheezed in a breath.
I slumped against the wall in a puddle of pool water, keeping a close eye on him.
"Where's Daniel?" Ari's voice was gravely. He waved off my offer of help, and using the wall, sat up.
"Why?"