Erica flung herself in front of us.
"Get back!" I felt what was left of her power gather. "I'll distract it. When it's away from the exit, you run!"
"We're not leaving you," Quaid and I said together.
"That's another order," she shot at us. "I mean it." But I could tell she didn't. Not really. She shook so much I wondered if she would be able to bring her magic under control enough to fight the thing and not hurt herself in the process.
I gripped her shoulder on one side and Quaid did the same on the other. We pulled her back until she stood between us.
"You can't face it alone," I said. "And Mom is coming. We just have to hang on."
The agony in her face was horrible and I wished I could help more than I did.
"All right," she said. "But if we get a chance to run-"
"We run." Quaid s
