The first breath that made it back into Emma's lungs felt like the first time she'd ever breathed. She felt dizzy, and made it worse by spinning in place to look for Cern, only to realize that the Hell Hound had realized the same thing Bel had and was rounding on him.
“Bel, what do we do?” Groaned Emma. Her body was still protesting her brief stint of trying to live without air, but she didn't have time to concentrate on that.
“We're going after his spirit.” Bel said with determination, releasing her. Emma had no idea what that meant, but she had no time to wait on Bel to explain. The Hound had sunk his teeth into the bandages around Cern's chest, and Cern had a grimace on his face. He met Emma's gaze with a look that said he was trying to tell her goodbye.
“No!” Emma yelled an
