Page 7 of Traitor Witch

The population of our world was decimated overnight, and the survivors were left to pick up the pieces.

But all of that was over five hundred years before I was even born. The wall is all I’ve ever known, and I can’t imagine a world without it.

Felicity drops another charm down to one of the houses by the wall and starts to turn back.

Her golden broom jerks to a stop.

I pull up, waiting for her to say something else, but she looks as confused as I am.

I frown, flying back for her. “Are you—”

Her broom is yanked backwards, and Felicity has no choice but to hang on. The gleaming golden metal doesn’t stop, heading straight for the wall.

Without thinking, I speed after her. My broom is ancient—nowhere near fast enough—and I know I won’t catch up.

That doesn’t stop me urging it forward.

Before I know it, we’re over the wall and slamming through the canopy of trees on the other side. Felicity crashes into the ground in the distance, but I can still hear the snap as her broom shatters on impact.

She’s sprawled, unmoving in the snow, red blood covering the white powder as one of her legs sticks out at completely the wrong angle. She only starts to stir as I draw closer, but I’m still too far away.

“Mother Solar!” I push my broom harder.

I’m not as fast as the mist.

White tendrils catch her as she starts to come around. I’m still not close enough to tell her expression, but her body tenses and she starts dragging herself backwards.

She’s not going to make it.

The moans herald the wraiths’ arrival; a horrible, tearing sound, like nails raking along my eardrums.

Felicity looks up at me, then back at the mist. A golden shield of pure Solar light bursts to light above her, her sigils glowing through the fabric of her robes as she calls on her Goddess to defend herself.

It won't work. No magic works against the wraith. No weapon has ever harmed them. Even salt only drives them away.

Not that I have any weapons.

My own policy of remaining unarmed to stop the Solars seeing me as a threat has come full-circle to bite me in the ass. Opal is too far away right now for me to call on the small piece of Moon's magic I have stored with her.

All I can do is pray my broom is fast enough to reach Felicity before the wraiths do.

“Fly!” Her voice hits me like a whip. “Get back over the wall.”

Claws form beside her, raking straight through the shield like it isn't there and into her remaining good leg.

Her scream is harrowing. Her shield flickers, but glows brighter a second later as she heals her own wounds. If Felicity can just heal and dodge their attacks until I get there...

Come on, I urge my useless broom.

Too late.

The spectral face of the wraith materialises fully beside her, red eyes glowing. It's a horrible, skeletal nightmare, formed of mist and savagery.

My breath leaves my lungs in a silent scream as it lunges forward, buries its fangs into her neck and snaps viciously.

The golden shield snaps out of existence but I barely notice as I reach out, trying to snatch Felicity away.

My hands dig into her hair and pull, trying to separate the two of them as I yank my broom up as fast as I can.