Page 16 of Hunter

“Yes?” he asked.

“Sprint to the kitchen and bring me the big canister of salt,” Kana instructed. Marc nodded and dashed off.

Kana turned back to the window. There was no telling when the coercion spell had been put on Ary, or how deep the claws of Samantha’s magic went, but as long as that spell remained in place, Ary was essentially her slave. Kana couldn’t leave him like that. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to be precise about removing it.

“I don’t see any issues with my coming inside too,” Samantha said as a second coercion spell flew from her and shattered when it impacted Ember. She frowned, and Ary’s fist tightened around his spear.

Marc ran into the front hall, the large cardboard container of salt in his hands. He gave it to Kana, and Kana yanked open the metal pour tab at the top.

“Thanks,” he told Marc with a nod of his chin back toward the hallway where Marc had been hiding before. Marc pouted but obediently went.

Kana poured salt into his hand until the mound overflowed and spilled onto the floor. He needed a pick rather than a chisel, something sharp and immediate that would pierce through the spell and force it to dissipate before Samantha could raise any defenses.

Kana moved to stand where he was still hidden by the door, yet closer to Ember, who still stood in the middle of the stoop.

“Get ready,” he hissed just loud enough for Ember to hear.

Ember didn’t tense although his fingers flexed. Warning given, Kana called on his magic. He needed runes for strength, force, breaking, and dissipating. Then he needed a second circle for protection, to keep Samantha from being able to retaliate.

The salt in his hand stirred, shifting around on his palm to form a rough circle as he pushed magic into the grains. When it started glowing, Kana threw the salt into the air.

The salt shot out of Kana’s hand like an arrow from a crossbow, arcing over Ember and Samantha and striking Ary in the chest. Samantha let out a screech as she spun to look at Ary, but she was too late. The spell in the salt sank into Ary’s chest, cracking through the coercion spell and most of the rest of the magic on Ary. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, and the salt scattered around him, forming another circle as protection runes flared to life inside.

Samantha’s magic smacked into that circle and rebounded uselessly into a shower of sparks. She spun again, this time to glare at Ember.

“Give me your witch! Bring her to me now!” Her voice echoed with power, as if she were shouting a spell in the middle of a cave. Her spell washed up against him and Ember staggered back a step, but then it flowed back like an ocean wave, leaving him completely untouched. He straightened and glared at her.

“Leave my property at once,” Ember said, and while his voice sounded cordial, like Samantha’s, there was an echo of power to it that turned the simple words into a promised threat.

Kana was already drawing the magic before Ember glanced over his shoulder in question. A circle formed under Samantha’s feet, the lines of the pentagram blossoming as light filled the driveway. The dimming sun from encroaching dusk was eclipsed as the circle’s light grew.

Samantha screamed, the circle rocking as she threw magic at it. Kana clenched his fists and poured more magic into the spell. The rune for movement appeared directly underneath Samantha’s feet, and Kana felt the spell settle properly into place. He made a shooing motion with one hand, and the circle started moving, dragging Samantha down the driveway and back toward the front gate. Her screaming was still audible long after she was no longer visible, but Kana kept feeding power into the spell until she was well away from the pack property.

Her familiar? Kana asked.

We found him. Sora sounded smug. He was skulking around the house, trying to find a side entrance that didn’t have a wolf guarding it, but when she flew by, he chased after her. He’s gone too.

Kana stepped outside and stood next to Ember on the front stoop. Mika and Sora sauntered into view, and Mika hopped up into Kana’s arms, purring and asking for pets. Kana obligingly dug his fingers into the ruff behind Mika’s ears.

“How far are you sending her?” Ember asked.

“The bus stop on the main road. The spell won’t go any farther than that,” Kana replied. Mika crawled up onto Kana’s shoulder, which left space for Sora to jump into his arms. Kana cradled Sora close, drawing on the comfort of Sora’s fur and gentle purrs to calm his heart, which was still beating wildly after that fight.

Sora licked one of Kana’s fingers. Ooh. Salty! he exclaimed, and then proceeded to wash Kana’s hand completely clean.

Ember chuckled and shook his head at Sora’s antics, but then his laughter faded when he looked down where Ary was still crumpled on the ground, unconscious.

“What do I do with him?” he asked, but he walked down the stairs without waiting for an answer. Kana followed and brushed a toe through the salt circle to break the spell.

“I removed all his magic,” Kana explained. “He’s dealing with a lot of backlash.”

“Well, we can’t leave him lying there.” Ember lifted one hand, and two wolves trotted over from the other side of the driveway. “Put him in one of the guest bedrooms, please,” Ember told them. He turned to Kana while the wolves bent to get their hands under Ary’s shoulders and knees. “I need to coordinate our defensive measures in case that witch tries to come back.”

Kana nodded, but then he bit his lip, undecided as to what he should be doing. Ember would need his help to lay spells along the perimeter of the property to protect the grounds should Samantha try to force her way in. But Ary had been subjected to a coercion spell for who knew how long, and it was Kana’s duty as a witch to ensure he was able to recover.

Ember’s going to need to move fast to cover everything. You won’t be able to keep up. Mika leaped off Kana’s shoulder, landing next to Ember. I’ll go with him and pick out good places for you to spell later. You and Sora go with the hunter.

“Mika’s going with you to see about where to lay protective spells,” Kana explained. “He’ll be able to keep up with you.”

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