Page 134 of Magical Melee

“By light and will, your darkness be gone. Time will cast you to the beyond.” My wand, charged with electricity, zapped toward the creature as my body fatigued.

“Let the wand guide you.” Keegan watched me.

“Let the wand guide me,” I muttered, holding it up again. “Alright, wand. Do your thing.”

“By light and will, your darkness be gone. Time will cast you to the beyond,” I said again and charged toward the being.

In an instant, the creature vanished.

But another came in its place.

“Fire!” I shouted, and a blast of bright blue energy shot from my wand.

The bolt streaked through the air, narrowly missing Karvey, who had just launched himself off the roof in a surprisingly graceful attack on another shadow figure.

“Watch it!” Karvey yelled with a chuckle. “I’m on your side!”

“Sorry!” I called back, my face heating with embarrassment. “First time with a wand!”

Karvey let out a grumble that sounded suspiciously like “Amateurs” before slashing at a shadow figure with his sharp stone claws.

“Focus, Maeve,” Keegan shouted, his voice cutting through the noise. “You’ve got this!”

I gritted my teeth and tried again, this time aiming more carefully. I took a deep breath, aimed, and released as I thought the spell instead of saying it.

The energy surged from the wand, striking the evil darkness in its side. It let out a piercing cry, its flight faltering as it spiraled downward, crashing into the garden below.

“Yes!” I pumped my fist in triumph. “Take that.”

Would Celeste even believe this?

Or Skye?

Another one came to attack. I raised the wand. My confidence grew as I sent another bolt of energy flying. This one hit its target dead-on, and the creature veered off course, narrowly avoiding a collision with one of the gargoyles.

Keegan paused for a brief moment and turned to look at me with his sword held loosely in his hand.

There was something in his eyes—something warm, almost admiring. His gaze lingered, and despite the chaos around us, I felt a sudden heat swell in my chest.

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding for reasons that had nothing to do with the battle.

“Eyes on the fight, Keegan!” I called, forcing a grin. “You’re not the only one who can take down a beast.”

He smirked, his hazel eyes flashing with something unreadable. “Not bad, Maeve. Maybe you’ve got some talent after all.”

“Maybe?” I shot back, firing another blast at a rolling darkness from the forest. “I’d say that’s solid talent!”

Stella, still hurling energy bolts with deadly accuracy, laughed. “This Bellemore’s got spirit. I’ll give her that.”

Nova, calm as ever, reinforced the cottage with another sweep of her staff.

“Focus on the task at hand,” she said, though there was a faint smile on her lips. “The fight isn’t over yet.”

As if to prove her point, another wave descended, with screeches filling the air. The gargoyles soared through the sky, meeting them head-on in a fierce aerial battle.

A black cloud dove toward Karvey, and I gasped in panic as I raised my wand. The energy within it crackled eagerly.

“Not today,” I muttered, sending a blast of blue light straight at the beast. It hit with a satisfyingthud, and the creature spiraled away, disappearing into the trees.