Page 114
Story: Bewitched
I reach for its hands, desperate to pry them from my neck. I startle at the feel of the creature’s skin, which feels like…like…potter’s clay.
Don’t I have a magical aptitude for clay?
The being’s hold tightens, and a gurgled sound comes from my mouth.
Selene, use my power!Memnon bellows inside my head.
Power, right.
I yank on Memnon’s magic, and for the hell of it, I try drawing on the creature’s own essence. To my shock, I feel its magic migrate from its body to my own. After gathering all the accumulated power, I force it down my arms and out my palms, willing the hands beneath mine to loosen.
For a moment, they do, and I drag in a grateful gulp of air.
But then those hands tighten once more, and the creature stares down at me with those lifeless obsidian eyes, its features slack.
A shadow drops from the treetops above us, landing heavily on my attacker. I hear the dull sound of clay breaking, and I swear to the triple goddess that the monster’s backcaved inunder the impact.
Nero snarls above us. I see a flash of his fangs, and I feel a stray claw of his accidentally tear at my flesh as he mauls the creature between us. I grunt at the wave of pain that comes a moment later.
Damn the gods, Empress, USE MY POWER! IT IS YOURS!Memnon roars.
My pain and panic and those compelling words are enough to call forth another wave of power.
I don’t mean to let my magic make use of my blood; it’s simply that my attention drifts briefly to my newest wound, and the magic follows. Once there, my magicfeasts.
My power comes alive like never before. I didn’t know it could feel like this—like a live wire. It’s burgeoning more and more as my blood dissolves.
I gather it in my palms and move my hands to the monster’s chest. Its own hold is still fast around my neck, despite Nero’s attack.
For an instant, I move into Nero’s head.
Move away. Now, I command him.
I shift back into my own head as my panther hops off the creature, then prowls back to the girl.
Black spots obscure my vision, but I wait until my magic has finished devouring my blood. I know that’s forbidden magic; I know that tomorrow I’ll be sorry I used it.
But tonight, I have no remorse.
I stare into those empty eyes, and I speak a single word.“Annihilate.”
My power detonates.
The creature blasts into the air, its body shattering as it’s thrown across the forest. My spell continues, the last of it hitting a tree and cracking it apart.
Then the woods fall silent, so painfully silent.
There is my queen.Memnon’s words seem to echo in the silence, though I know I’m only hearing them in my head.
I take a deep breath of air, then cough, my throat raw. Nero comes over to me, rubbing his head and then his body against my face.
I force myself to my feet, though my body feels incapable of holding me up. I stumble over to where I saw the creature’s remains fall.
When I get to where I think it landed, I whisper “illuminate” into my hand.
A weak orb of light bursts forth, the light from it flickering. I blow it off my palm, watching it float over the ground.
I draw in a breath when I see dozens and dozens of clay shards. I lift one of the larger pieces, one that resembles a finger. The inside of it is hollow. There’s no muscle, no bone, no blood. The thing that almost killed me literally shattered like a broken pot. Still, several feet away, its head and one of its shoulders lie mostly intact.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114 (Reading here)
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185