Page 128 of The Demon's Spell

I tried to put the thoughts out of my head, but my hope was near non-existent by now. We said we’d risk it all for the Seer Wand, and we had.

No one had spoken in over an hour. Even Cooper had stopped telling stories. I think he could sense that we’d given up hope. I’d put Nadine’s shoes back on and watched her drift in and out of consciousness. The Fortune Fairy fluttered above her, and she opened her eyes to admire it. The insect glowed a pretty blue, then landed in her hair. Talia reached for him and pulled him off her. She placed him on her shoulder, then started smoothing Nadine’s hair down. In her other hand, she still clutched the Seer Wand tightly.

“There’s an old Miriamic lullaby about Fortune Fairies,” Talia said. “Do you want to hear it?”

I thought she was trying to distract us from the hopelessness that had taken over the stairwell. I wanted nothing more than to hear her voice.

“I do,” Nadine told her.

Talia began singing, still stroking Nadine’s hair as her soothing melody echoed off the stone.

“Deep in the forest

They flutter by

Like magic lights

Twinkling in the sky

All you must do

Is walk on by

You’ll have luck

When Fortune Fairies fly.”

A light began to glow within the stairwell, brighter than the orb above us. It startled me, and I sat up straighter. I gasped when I saw that it was the Seer Wand. Everyone became immediately alert. Talia’s jaw dropped as pink magic swirled around the Wand and up her arm.

“It’s working!” I cried. “Talia, what did you do?”

“I don’t know,” she said, still amazed at the tendrils of magic surrounding her.

“Was it luck from the Fortune Fairy?” Miles asked.

“Talia must’ve connected with the Wand,” I realized. “When Grant got the Alchemy Wand, he had to prove to the cauldron that he would use its treasure for good, but he was proving himself to the Wand, too! Talia’s song must’ve convinced it.”

“Seers have a unique belief about how to contribute to the coven,” Miles said. “We believe that we best serve the coven by becoming our best selves and using our hobbies and passions to empower others. Talia used her song to help us feel better and lift our spirits. The Wand must’ve resonated with that!”

Nadine pushed herself to a sitting position. “This is great! We have enough power to cast the spell now. We can get out of here. Everyone grab hands.”

Nadine looked tired and weak, but she was determined. She stood on shaky feet, then took my hand on one side, and Grant took my other. His hands were sweaty, and his whole body seemed to quiver. He swayed a little on his feet, and I knew we had to get him something to eat right away.

This damn well better work.

Talia swished the Wand through the air. The end glowed white, like the Alchemy Wand had when Grant used it. A melodic chord rang through the stairwell, similar to the Alchemy Wand’s song, but different too. Tendrils of magic filled the stairway, so much Seer magic that it could easily rival the magic of all five Casts.

It should be enough… it had to be.

Magic left my body as I offered my power to Nadine. The Seer magic swirled up Talia’s wand, across her arm, and into Nadine. She began to speak the incantation while she manipulated our magic to her will.

“I can feel the space-bending spell,” Nadine announced. “The magic’s chaotic. I can see why the stairwell blinks in and out of existence. It’s like the magic doesn’t know which way to flow.”

I felt the magic in my chest shift. Nadine was taking all the magic she could from each Cast and combining it into a single spell.

The magic began to spin out of control. Around us, the staircase began to grow stories taller, and stairs appeared out of nowhere. The ground shook beneath us, and the sound of stone grinding on stone filled the air.

“Nadine!” Miles cried.

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