Page 108 of Truly Madly Magically

Just like that, I know. The Joywood’s black magic is working to make this fire. To make it rage and potentially consume me.

They can’t do both. They can’t keep the fire going like this and maintain the dark, grimy block on my protection at the same time.

They don’t want to. They want to make the fire last longer than I can last, trapped here, protecting myself.

I have to force myself to breathe. Not to hyperventilate.

I can’t panic.

I have to fight.

Because I won’t let them take this away from me. This new life I’ve found in the last year—in these last few months. My baby girl. The love of my life. My coven’s very good chance at kicking the Joywood’s ass in the ascension, through the voice of the people they claim to protect but have only controlled.

I won’t let anyone take this away.

I heard Zander before, so I try to reach out. Zander. Baby, where are you?

I know he can’t hear me, because that man would tear down heaven and earth to hear me call him an endearment of any kind. I have to accept that our connection is blocked.

No doubt by more dark magic. The necklace was only the beginning of the ways they’ve cut me off from my coven.

I understand that this is supposed to wreck me and leave me sobbing in a ball on the metaphoric floor as the fire sweeps in and gets rid of me once and for all. They couldn’t harm my physical body, but they can get my soul out here.

Only if I let them.

I have more weapons than the Joywood ever gave me credit for, then and now. Elizabeth, I can’t reach Zander, but they don’t know about you. You can reach Zachariah. Tell him we’re in the fire. They’ll find us then.

I won’t be able to help you with the protection.

I look around me, at the way the bubble has shrunk down. The way I can already feel my strength start to flag, but if we don’t do anything, I’m literal toast anyway.

Reach out to him. Connect to him. Lead them to us, Elizabeth.

I can feel her inside me. Her fear, her worry, and her determination. Then a kind of sigh. All right, Ellowyn.

Because she knows, as I do, that this is our only shot.

I try not to shake at the enormity of that.

All it means is that failure is not an option.

Be strong, child, Elizabeth whispers to me, and then she slowly begins to ease her magic away from the protective bubble. I don’t hear her call out to Zachariah. Maybe I’m too focused on keeping the fire back, but it doesn’t matter. I have to trust her too.

I tell myself she’ll only be a moment, but the moment seems to stretch out into an eternity.

My muscles are shaking from exertion. Sweat trickles down my temples, my back. I’m not sure how much of this I can sustain.

But I have to, I think with a resoluteness that feels more like me than anything else ever has, though I’ve never encountered it before. So I will.

And I do.

Moment after moment after one more terrible moment, I do.

Then I see something. Something out there in all those writhing flames. At first, I think that it’s just a mirage. Me making up what I want to see most—a little spot in all that fire that means someone is reaching through.

That someone is coming to help me.

I can’t let myself believe it.

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