Page 14 of Light Magic

Ripples of shadow rose from the floor and tangled around the harpy. With its wings tied, it fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Levi tightened the shadows, then he produced a small mirror from his pocket, and pointed it at the harpy.

The creature screeched as it was sucked into the mirror in a whirlwind.

I stared at Levi, eyes wide, shocked.

He pocketed the mirror and turned to me. “That’s why I’m here. Myg didn’t lock the door of the prison wing last night after cleaning the hallway, and the creatures woke up and got away.”

“You’re saying evil monsters are loose in the hall?”

He nodded. “They can’t get out of here, but they are hiding and attacking us when they can. I was asked to help the witches catch them and return them to their eternal sleep.”

“The mirror is a prison.”

“It’s more like a police car. I’ll release the harpy back into its dungeon, where it can’t hurt anyone.”

I looked up to where the harpy had been perched on the ceiling. I could see its talons' marks on the vines around the archways and walls. I had known many of the artifacts and books this place held were dangerous and evil … but monsters? I had no idea there were monsters here.

“Did they hurt anyone yet?”

He shook his head. “Nothing critical so far.”

“That’s what Abbie meant when she said you were working on something important first.”

“Yes. Keeping everyone safe in the hall is the priority right now.”

I stared at him. I had seen him kill a demon who had been chained to a post, torture an angel, he had threatened me several times, trapped me in a witch’s circle, and he had killed his own father.

What could be eviler?

And yet, here he was, helping the witches of the Grand Eternity Hall.

This man was contradiction on two legs.

“I know I’m handsome, sweetheart, but you can stop staring now.” He winked at me and started down the hallway as if nothing had happened.

I huffed, annoyed, but followed him.

After a dozen turns—at least it had felt like that—we crossed another archway and walked into a large room with a long wooden table with knotted feet and twelve knotted chairs.

The four witches I had met before were here with Lacey, along with an older one, who was seated at the table’s end.

“Ariella, this is Belinda, our grandmother,” Abbie said as I approached them. Levi, though, rounded the table and took a seat beside his sister.

Belinda turned her milky white eyes to me. “Hm, an angel.” She frowned. “But not quite. What’s wrong, dear?”

Standing beside the table, I shifted my weight. “I recently recovered my wings, but I’m still deprived of my magic.”

She offered me a wrinkled hand. “May I?”

I hesitated. I knew a bunch of witches, most of them were super nice, but there were plenty of wicked witches out there.

I slipped my hand in hers. She gripped it tight, closed her eyes, and hummed. I felt her power enveloping me and I gasped. She looked frail with white hair tied in a loose bun, and more wrinkles than any witch I had ever seen, but she was powerful.

“I see it was stolen,” she whispered. “By a prince of the underworld. He’s dead now, and your magic gone.”

Why did it hurt to hear the truth out loud? Especially coming from a stranger?

She opened her eyes and dropped my hand. “Don’t worry, dear, my granddaughters will do everything they can to help you.”

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