Page 40 of Bearly Bewitched

“Oh good,” Romi quipped, directing a precise lightning strike through the window that lit up the courtyard. “For a moment there, I worried this might be too easy.”

Vail watched their allies fall into a natural rhythm around her—Sabine’s containment runes glowing bright, Romi’s storm magic crackling overhead, Clover’s earth power stabilizing weakening stone. The twin elders wove layers of protection spells with centuries of practiced ease. But even their combined power barely slowed the corruption’s advance.

A bone-deep resonance suddenly shook the academy walls. Through the windows, Vail caught glimpses of stone wings spreading wide as the gargoyles tore free from their perches. But instead of moving to defend the school, their eyes filled with sickly light. They turned as one, methodically targeting specific magical anchors with frightening precision.

“Okay, that’s new,” Romi muttered, gathering more storm energy. “Since when do our gargoyles go rogue?”

“Since something started corrupting the very magic that animates them,” Neve answered grimly. She spared a glance at her sister. “Reminds me of that incident with the enchanted statuary in ’92.”

“Must you bring up every magical disaster we’ve survived?” Zephyrine asked, though her lips twitched slightly.

“Only the relevant ones, dear.”

Another bear roar echoed through the stone, closer this time, followed by the sound of shattering rock. Vail’s hands trembled slightly as she maintained the protective barrier. She wanted desperately to check on Kaine and Daisy, but she couldn’t abandon her post. She had to trust that he could handle whatever was happening below.

“Vail.” Sabine’s voice pulled her attention back to the immediate crisis. “The corruption’s changing its pattern. Look.”

The dark tendrils had started moving with new purpose, forming geometric patterns that pulsed in sync with each other. Vail’s recently healed burns twinged.

“Those formations...” She squinted at the intricate designs taking shape. “They match the restoration patterns in Daisy’s diary.”

A crash from the courtyard punctuated her words as one of the corrupted gargoyles smashed through an anchor stone. Stone fragments scattered across the ground, each piece trailing violet light.

“Romi.” Vail gestured toward the window without taking her hands off the protective barrier. “Can you?—“

“Already on it.” Lightning arced from Romi’s fingertips, striking the gargoyle mid-stride. The creature stumbled, its movements becoming jerky and uncoordinated. “They don’t like direct hits, but there’s too many of them. We need?—“

Another explosion rocked the foundations. Clover gasped, her earth magic flaring bright green. “Something’s happening in the lower levels. The corruption’s gathering power, like it’s preparing for...”

The floor beneath them shuddered. Cracks spread through the stone, dark energy seeping up like blood from a wound. Themain ward stone’s protective glow flickered wildly under Vail’s hands.

“No, no, no.” She poured more fire magic into the failing defenses. Sweat beaded on her forehead from the effort. “Don’t you dare give up on me now.”

“Vail.” Madame Zephyrine’s voice carried centuries of warning. “The magical network’s destabilizing. If we don’t?—“

FORTY

Adeafening roar cut through her words, followed by the sound of shattering stone. Vail’s heart lurched at the raw fury in that bearish sound. Whatever Kaine had encountered below, it wasn’t going well.

“Go.” Neve stepped forward, adding her power to the protective barrier. “We’ll hold this. Find out what’s happening down there.”

Vail hesitated, torn between duties. The ancient stone’s erratic pulse matched her racing heartbeat.

“She’s right.” Sabine shifted back to tigress form, muscles coiled to spring. “Something’s very wrong. I can smell it. Romi and I will handle the gargoyles. Clover and the twins can maintain the defenses.”

Before Vail could respond, arcane energy exploded from below. The blast knocked them all off their feet as corruption surged through every crack in the stone. Vail rolled to her knees, throwing up a hasty shield of fire magic.

“What in the seven hells...” Romi scrambled up, lightning crackling around her hands. Through the window, they watched in horror as every gargoyle on the grounds suddenly turned toward the academy’s highest tower.

Ledger stood there, silhouetted against the darkening sky. His crystal rod had grown to twice its original size, pulsing with stolen power. Energy streamed up from the broken anchor points, feeding into the crystal-like tributaries into a river.

“Oh, this is bad,” Sabine growled, her tiger form bristling. “Very, very bad.”

“The protective barrier.” Vail pushed to her feet, fire magic flaring defensively. “We have to?—“

Another explosion rocked the foundations. This time, the crack that formed in the floor ran straight toward them, dark energy blazing from its depths. They barely had time to dive clear before the stone split apart.

Felicity burst through the door, ancient scrolls clutched to her chest. “The archives!” she gasped. “I found—“ She broke off, staring at the growing chasm in the floor. “Is that...”

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