Page 24

D aisy

“ Sebastian! ”

Daisy ran around the mechanic shop, immediately diving out the way of a family that walked along the sidewalk.

They yelped and jumped in surprise, but she was already too full of adrenaline to stop herself and apologize.

The plaza behind main street was full of crowds and oncoming vehicles.

Behind the plaza, the treetops of Willowbrook’s shadowy forest loomed.

Sebastian seemed to course towards the direction of the woods, leaping over parked cars and shimmying past families.

“He’s trying to get to the woods,” Tessa shouted as they shot into the busy parking lot. She waved a hand towards him, where he was already nearing the front of the plaza. “We can’t let him get to the woods!”

Daisy pushed herself even further. The only avenue available to get a hold of Sebastian was out racing him.

There were far too many people nearby to try and use magic against him, and Daisy could hardly get a good look at him.

The plaza was busier than usual, with kids and teens riding their bikes and skateboards through the already packed lot.

Daisy skidded by a few of them, almost falling over herself until Tessa appeared at her left, hoisting her back onto her feet.

They kept going, despite the familiar faces they passed that called out their names in confusion.

Sebastian glanced over his shoulder at them, and Daisy could’ve sworn she saw a hint of a smile. But, she quickly told herself, he was quite far ahead of them, and what could there possibly be to smile about in a moment like that?

The more he ran, the easier it was for Daisy to believe that Sebastian sent her that potion.

If he didn’t have anything to hide, he would've taken off the moment he saw them coming up to his shop.

It was as simple as that, and Daisy was desperate to hear his confession.

The sooner they removed the spell from her, the sooner she could return to Ethan with open arms. The sooner her life would return to as normal as it possibly could be.

Sebastian ducked around the plaza, dipping towards the woods effortlessly.

Letting out a frustrated groan, Tessa glanced over at Daisy as they paused in their chase beside the plaza buildings. With the forest in front of them, the shadows and darkness almost begging them forward, Daisy drew in gulps of air to try and catch her breath.

“What now?” Daisy stammered breathlessly.

Tessa shook her head. “Only guilty people run like that.”

“I doubt he’ll be willing to write a confession down.”

“If he’s so desperate to run,” Tessa said, “let him run.”

Daisy narrowed her eyes. “But -”

“The only way to get him is through magic. You know that.”

“We could get in trouble with the Council as easily as he would.” Daisy eyed her friend. “You’re testing for the empath license soon, Tess. Maybe you should go back, and I’ll -”

Tessa grabbed onto Daisy’s wrist, her grasp tight and serious. “If you think I’d let you go after him alone, you don’t know me at all.”

“But -”

“We’ll go after him together,” Tessa interjected. “And when we need to use magic against him, we’ll do whatever it takes. Won’t we?”

Daisy felt the determination seep into her as Tessa allowed it to trail through their intertwined hands.

Even if she didn’t quite agree in her own mind, Daisy was in no place to fight Tessa’s empathic abilities, and eagerly soaked up the confidence she was freely giving.

With their hands still bound together, they shot off towards the woods, following in the path Sebastian left behind.

The woods surrounding Willowbrook were old and even more powerful than all of the Elders on the Witch Council combined.

The trees came from a time before every last one of them, when witches and warlocks ruled the land and shadowy creatures resided in the darkness.

Even then, as Daisy and Tessa chased after the warlock through the woods, the energy radiated all around them, almost fueling their steps forward.

Daisy ran faster than she ever thought she could, not a clumsy bone popping out to force her to trip or slow down.

Beside her, Tessa ran with an unmatched determination, her brow furrowed in a dark line.

Daisy suddenly felt lost in a reverie, remembering the last time she and Tessa found themselves within the woods.

They were a few decades younger, less wrinkles clouding their face and more energy filling their bones.

After long hours in school or at the community college, the pair found themselves beneath the canopy of trees, desperately practicing their magic and tonic brewing skills without any prying eyes to stop them.

They would spend ours out there, fine tuning their trade before returning to town, dirtied and exhausted.

For a moment, Daisy wondered what it would’ve been like if she could return to her younger self.

What would she say? Was there a warning broad enough to prepare her for the very moment she suddenly found herself in?

Daisy pushed herself harder, desperate to go faster.

In front of them, twice their size with long legs, Sebastian weaved around the thick tree trunks effortlessly, as if he had spent his entire life within the forest. From what Daisy knew about him and the rest of the Crowe family, Willowbrook had been their home for generations, and their magic came from the place itself.

They were powerful magic users who depended on the land itself to gather their strength.

While most other witches and warlocks in Willowbrook merely had an inherent power to wield magic or an unstoppable determination to learn, the Crowe family relied on their ancestors to practice magic.

The moment they dared to step over the town lines, they would feel their magical energy deplete by the second.

It made more sense than ever before that Sebastian retreated into the woods.

As far as Daisy knew, the old witches and warlocks who once filled the town had long since been buried beneath the trees, their magic seeping into the very soil beneath their feet.

Though Daisy wasn’t a member of the Crowe family, she felt the growing energy all the same, and planned to use it as much to her advantage as she possibly could.

“He isn’t slowing down!” Tessa shouted as they kept dipping and weaving around the trees. Her height forced her to duck every now and then, a few low hanging branches threatening to knock her over if she wasn’t paying close enough attention.

Daisy gritted her teeth together. If anything, it looked like Sebastian was merely growing faster, his figure disappearing into the dark woods. There was only one way to level the playing field, and it was to use the magic as much as they possibly could.

“Mother Hecate,” Daisy whispered as they ran, the words coming out jumbled with every rushed gasp of air she took.

“Bring your power onto me, let this man fall over a tree !” She thrusted a hand out, and the magic rippled out of her skin, flying through the air till it came upon Sebastian in the distance.

A tree cracked and moaned as it fell from its spot, splaying across the floor that Sebastian was moments away from coming upon. Even from their distance, they could see him flail his arms in the air before leaping over the thick trunk.

“Rats,” Daisy snapped as they pushed forward.

Tessa grumbled and she rubbed her hands together, beginning to breed some magic of her own. “Tunnel of wind, tunnel of air,” she chanted, her short and spiky hair beginning to rush in every direction as the wind funneled towards her hands. “Knock this Crowe through the air!”

Tessa thrusted her hands forward, and the wind rushed towards Sebastian.

It surged together like the funnel of a tornado, whipping loose branches and leaves and twigs all around them.

Daisy shoved the hair out of her face as everything rushed chaotically in all directions.

The wind carried itself yards ahead, seeking out Sebastian’s feet before dissipating.

The magic reached him, but Crowe happened to be far more clever than they’d realized.

Sebastian flipped around, almost catching the wind himself.

Even at their distance, Daisy could make out his lips moving, the sound of his words barely carrying down to where they were.

It was muffled and hard to hear, but Daisy pushed Tessa behind a thick tree trunk either way, fully aware that the man was gearing up to send the magic right back at them.

The moment he shot his hands forward, the wind rushed back much quicker than before, almost catching Daisy by the foot.

She dove behind a tree, wrapping her arms around the thick trunk instinctively as the funnel of wind passed between her and Tessa.

The screaming noise of the air screeched by them as it melted into nothing, the trees no longer shaking or quivering.

Leaves fell like rain from above as the magic settled.

Daisy gritted her teeth together.

All her life, Daisy had allowed the world to walk over her.

Whether it was through Gary’s passing that brought her to her knees, or something as simply foolish as Drusilla hating her for telling the truth, Daisy never once fought back, never once raised her voice, never once said enough was enough.

Perhaps it was because her mother taught her otherwise, or because her grandmother preached a much different way to handle approaching darkness.

But, by that point, Daisy was sick and tired of playing it easy.

She’d allowed the bad guy to slip through her fingers more than once, and with her future and happiness on the line, Daisy was in no hurry to let it ever happen again.

Whipping out from around the tree, Daisy held her hands out, the magic and energy racing through her long before she thought of what she wanted to say.

“Mother Hecate, bring yourself to me,” she chanted, her eyes focusing on Sebastian, who was moments away from disappearing within the darkness of the woods, “and use your power to set me free! ”

Out from the center of Daisy’s hands came an unstoppable surge of power.

The force ricocheted through the woods, knocking down thin trees and shoving the older ones aside.

It shot forward till it hit Sebastian’s back.

He let out a faraway yelp, tumbling over his own feet and falling through the underbrush.

The large bushes swallowed him whole, the sound of his body hitting the earthy floor echoing out to where Daisy stood.

She staggered for a moment, the feeling leaving her legs.

“Blessed be,” Tessa breathed as she caught her and held her upright. “I haven’t seen power like that in a long time.” She rested her palm against Daisy’s forehead. “How do you feel?”

Daisy kept her hands in fists. “Determined to see this done.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tessa teased with a whistle. “Won’t catch me arguing with a witch like that.”

Hiding her flushed embarrassment, Daisy pushed herself out of Tessa’s hands and jogged towards the last place she’d seen Sebastian.

Every movement threatened to bring her down to the ground, but she kept herself moving.

The energy and ability to stand could leave her the moment it was all said and done, but that was far from now.

When they reached the thick bushes where Sebastian had fallen, they realized the greenery was so bushy and wide they could hardly see through it.

Daisy dug her arm through it, searching for the other side, when her foot slipped on the leaves and she began to tumble forward.

Tessa yelped, one hand fisting the back of Daisy’s shirt, but she only managed to fall in right after her.

The pair shouted and gasped in surprise as they fell through the bushes in the same fashion Sebastian once had, the world around them growing dark and muddy, till their backs landed against the hard ground.

Daisy blinked a few times and groaned as she pushed herself back onto her feet.

While there wasn’t enough pain to be worried about, the aches and sores beginning to fester within her limbs were enough to promise a new slew of bruises for the morning.

Beside her, Daisy reached for Tessa, helping her up as she let out a few similar groans. Daisy glanced around.

They’d fallen right into a deep pit. While Daisy was sure they could find a means to climb their way out, the pain throbbing in her arms told her an entirely different story.

As far as she was concerned, the only thing strong enough to rescue them from where they were now was magic.

And unfortunately for Daisy, she felt as though she was a dried up well, without an ounce of magic left to spare.

“Well, well.”

Daisy lifted her head towards the top of the pit. Crouching where the ground sloped downwards was Sebastian Crowe, a proud and smug look on his face. Dirt and mud and grease stained his cheeks and sandy blonde hair.

“Looks to me like you, Daisy Fields, have no choice but to finally listen to me ,” Sebastian mocked, his smirk growing wide and toothy.

Daisy gulped.

And, for the first time in a long time, the only feeling she could feel from Tessa’s radiating power was nothing more than fear.