Page 22 of Ignited Spirits (Haunted Magic #3)

IZZY

W hen nothing slams into me, I hesitantly peek an eye open to see the flickering navy dome of Rhys’s magic protecting all of us. I look over at him with wide eyes. “Thanks.”

He gives me a jerky nod, his hazel eyes filled with relief that I wasn’t obliterated by whatever spell almost crashed into me.

Three more spells shoot out of the opening at us, all of them easily deflected by Rhys’s shield.

I think it’s safe to say that they don’t have cura artifacts this time.

Otherwise, they’d tear through mage magic like it’s nothing.

As a group, we move closer to the opening until we can see what’s in the cell.

I groan softly when I see the twenty-five mages crammed into the concrete cell, with Dad standing in front of them as a human shield.

Dad looks rough. He’s sporting two black eyes, a purple and blue bruise along his jaw, cuts up and down his exposed arms, and I’m sure more injuries are hidden under his orange jumpsuit.

Anger at what they’ve done to Dad spreads like acid through my veins, tempered only by a crushing sense of failure for not protecting him from this. I’m the reason he’s here, so I need to be the reason he gets out.

“Welp. I think it’s safe to say we found where Dad is,” Aiden comments unnecessarily.

I roll my eyes half-heartedly at him. “Thank you, Captain Obvious. Now the question is: how the fuck do we get Dad out of there safely?”

“I think our only choice is to try to take out the guards around him.” Bishop’s magic starts ramping up as he stares down the council goons. “The more of them there are, the more likely one of them will take out your dad. We need to handle that as fast as we can.”

Nodding grimly, I call my magic and give it no other directions other than to get rid of the council dudes surrounding Dad. I let it build inside me until it feels like it’s going to explode. Then I free it to pour out of me, uncaring about the damage it causes.

The purple and blue magic zings through the council thugs, rendering anyone it touches unconscious. Or dead. I can’t tell, and I really don’t care.

Rhys, Aiden, Bishop, and Levi all fire magic at the guards as well. Cerberus grows to his gigantic form but stays by my side, not venturing into the fray quite yet.

Cain lets his hellfire rush toward the goons, burning anyone it touches to a crisp. While it’s a gruesome way to go, it’s pretty fitting for people who voluntarily work for the council.

Luca and Archer can’t do much from within the shield, so they just watch the whole confrontation anxiously.

Together, we manage to kill all but five guards. I’m feeling pretty on top of the world until a portal opens in the back of the cell, and more goons come pouring through.

I resist the urge to groan in dismay as two guards pop up for each one we manage to take out. As more and more guards fill the cell, the hope that all of us and Dad are going to get out of this unscathed drains away.

We put up a good fight. We’re knocking the council minions down almost as fast as they pop up, but it’s taking its toll.

Everyone is starting to wear out. Rhys, Aiden, and Bishop are firing off spells slower and slower. Cain’s fire is sluggishly crawling along the ground. Levi’s magic is getting weaker and requiring more tries to take out the goons. And even my well of magic is draining alarmingly fast.

“Stop!” one of the bulky council thugs next to Dad screams, his voice just able to be heard over the roar of the battle. Surprisingly, people on both sides pause what they’re doing to look at him. He holds his hand, glowing with yellow magic, up to Dad. “Fire one more spell, and I will kill him.”

At the man’s threat, twenty more mages ready their magic and point it at my dad. I don’t know how I can take out all of them before they take out my dad, who’s basically defenseless in the magic-suppression cuffs. I’m not willing to gamble with Dad’s life like that.

“Do that and you’re a dead man,” I growl as I push to the center of our line. “Harm one fucking hair on his head, and I’ll make you beg for a death that won’t come.”

I let my mage magic illuminate my hands. It buzzes through me in anticipation of the fight, making my eyes glow and my hair wave in a nonexistent breeze.

The man gulps nervously before schooling his features. “I guess we’ll both lose in that scenario. If you really care about your father that little, then go ahead.”

I clench my jaw because the last thing I want to do is get my dad hurt. “In what scenario do we both win?”

He pushes my dad forward, causing him to stumble. I clench my hands into fists as Dad regains his balance.

The council guy smirks at me. “I am authorized by the council to trade your father for you. You get what you want, and the council is able to enact justice for all the lives you stole.”

“What lives?” I have no clue what he’s talking about. Yeah, I’ve killed people over the years, but almost all of them have been horrible people. I thought they were just mad about Doyle and my forbidden magic.

“Oh, don’t play dumb.” He scoffs. “They uncovered your disgusting scheme of draining mage children for their power. Soon, the whole mage world will know of your evil when the council makes an example out of you.”

I have to give it to the council.

Pinning their program that drained lower mage kids on me is pretty brilliant. Enough kids have disappeared over the last few years that people were bound to ask questions. In one fell swoop, they can get rid of me, absolve themselves of responsibility, and boost their popularity.

I close my eyes in resignation because I already know that trading myself isn’t an option. My mates would be royally pissed off if I even tried to do that.

I doubt I’d get very far before they stopped me. I’m strong but not nearly strong enough to win against the five of them and my brothers.

Speaking of Aiden and Rhys, there’s no way they’d want me to turn myself in for Dad. And I know that’s not what Dad would want me to do.

As much as I want to charge in and fix everything myself, I can’t. At least, not by trading myself.

Although, a fake trade could be just what we need to get Dad out of here.

Blanking my face and making sure not to let any of my thoughts show, I look down at the guard holding my dad. Letting my shoulders slump in defeat, I call out, “We have a deal. But I need a moment to say goodbye to everyone.”

Not letting him argue with my plans, I give the goon my back and throw up a silencing dome.

Before I can even finish the spell, Bishop is in my face. He hauls me up against him and cages me in with his arms around my lower back.

“Like fuck are you giving yourself up to the council,” he snarls. “That’s a fucking death sentence, and I will fight until my last breath to keep you from doing that. All of us will.”

I roll my eyes at him. “It’s a good thing I’m not actually planning to hand myself over, then, isn’t it?”

Bishop opens his mouth to yell at me some more before he processes what I said and snaps it closed. His face scrunches up in puzzlement, and he opens and closes his mouth a few times before he finally says, “Then why did you say you were?”

“Because I need to get my dad away from all the soldiers surrounding him. Once he’s free, then we can open a rift and get the fuck out of here. I don’t think we’re winning this battle today. We’ll have to come back another time to take down the council.”

Unfortunately. I’d love to see them go down today, but I don’t think that’s in the cards.

“Oh,” Bishop says before seeming to shake off his shock. “I still don’t like any plan that puts you that close to a bunch of council guards.”

“I mean, I’m not super thrilled about handing myself over, either, but I can’t think of anything else. If you have any other brilliant plans to share about how to get all of us out in one piece, then I’m all ears.”

Bishop clenches his jaw but doesn’t say anything.

One of my mates steps up behind me and rests his hands on my hips.

I can tell it’s Luca by his dark, woodsy smell.

“I don’t like anything about this plan, but I agree with Izzy.

I think it’s our best shot at getting everyone out of here alive.

The only other option is to leave her dad, and I don’t think any of the Gallaghers are going to agree to that. ”

I look at Luca in surprise, having thought he would be on the stop-Izzy-at-all-costs train with Bishop. “Thanks, wolf boy. That’s surprisingly reasonable of you.”

He snorts at me and shakes his head but doesn’t add anything further.

Rhys plants his hands on his hips and glares at the mages behind me. “They’re not going to give us endless time to figure this out, so what’s our plan? Because I’m not sending my little sister into the middle of all this without a solid plan.”

“I go over there, they send Dad over to you guys, then I nope out before they can slap magic-suppressing cuffs on me. Anyone have any objections?” I look around at everyone with my eyebrows raised.

“No objections. I just don’t think you’re going to get out of there without a fight, sunshine.” Archer gives me a half smile, trying to lighten the mood. It doesn’t reach his eyes, though, as hard as he’s trying to be cheery.

I flash him a savage smile. “I’m counting on it.”

Letting the silencing dome drop, I turn back to the guards and my dad before any of my mates can object further. I walk down to the edge of our defensive shield, square my shoulders, and stare down the council goon. “Hand him over first.”

The man chuckles, the sound grating. “Do you really think we’re that stupid? No. You come over first. Then we’ll let your father go.”

I shake my head. “No deal, then.”

Turning to walk away, I stop when he says, “Wait! Fine. As soon as you’re outside of the shield, we’ll let him walk over to the middle. You can meet him there.”

I nod and walk out of the dome. I hear a commotion behind me, but I don’t dare take my eyes off the more than sixty council soldiers staring me down. Once I’m clear of the defensive spell, the guard shoves my dad toward me.

My dad twists around to glare at the guard holding him. “I’m not walking anywhere. I’m not participating in this.”

I wish I could let my dad know that I’m not actually planning to go with the council, but I can’t without tipping off the plethora of goons in front of me.

“Unfortunately for you, you don’t have a choice.

” Before my dad can respond, he’s encased in the same yellow magic the guard was just holding.

The man uses his magic to float Dad over to me ever so slowly.

With the magic-dampening cuffs, there’s nothing my dad can do about it.

Once he’s right in front of me, the council goon says, “Now, walk over to me, or I’ll kill him. ”

Blowing out a breath, I trudge over to the council minions. The ten feet feel more like ten miles as I regret all my life choices.

When I’m in front of the man, he maliciously grins down at me, looking pretty smug about what he thinks is a victory. He holds out magic-dampening cuffs for me to put on.

Before I comply, I send a punch of magic at the man’s midsection.

Not enough to kill him, but enough to make him lose control of his magic.

I turn around as my dad falls to the ground without the magic supporting him.

I wince at the oof he lets out at the impact, but at least he’s safer than he was.

With a smile on my face, I turn back to face the guard. Before I’m even fully turned around, he backhands me hard enough that I stumble and fall to my knees. I cup my cheek and glare up at the man.

He walks over and grabs one arm, then the other. I struggle, but it’s not enough. He slaps the magic-suppressing cuffs on me before fisting my hair in his hand. He pulls me up by it, and I let out a choked scream at the pain searing over my scalp.

My magic tries to bubble up to defend me, but it gets blocked by the cuffs.

Well, this certainly isn’t going according to plan. Here’s hoping my mates or I can figure out some way to get me out of this mess entirely of my own making.

Otherwise, I’m in deep shit.