Page 16 of Whispers of the Magical Forest

"Hey, discount Voldemorts!" I called out as my spellgathered force between my palms. "Let's see how you handle this!"

I released the built-up energy in a wave that sent them flying into a rack of wine barrels. The ancient wood splintered, which released spurts of something that definitely wasn't wine. It moved like liquid shadows and smelled of decay.

Violet's phoenix-enhanced magic blazed golden as she used her fire to disrupt the binding circle. Her flames cut through the corrupted energies like sunlight through fog. The trapped souls rose from the liquid darkness like a tornado of spectral energy. Their screams of rage shook dust from the ancient ceiling. The temperature fluctuated wildly as they swirled around the chamber. Ice formed and melted in rapid succession.

"The vessels!" the leader shouted, gesturing toward the bodies on the altars. "Protect the vessels!"

I ducked behind a fallen barrel as another blast of dark magic ripped through the air. "Anyone else wondering why the vessels are important?"

"Less wondering," Aislinn grunted as she deflected another attack with a wall of crystalline energy, "more fighting!"

She was right. I focused my power. I allowed it to build like a storm about to break. "Hey, Mr. Purple Robes!" I called out, gathering force between my hands until the air itself seemed to vibrate. "Catch!"

I unleashed a wave of pure force that sent several cultists flying into the walls. Their leader stood firm, though. He simply lifted his hands to catch my spell. The energy twisted in his grasp and was quickly corrupted into something darker. He rebounded with purple lightning, but Violet was ready. Her shield spell flared golden and absorbed the corrupted force in a display that lit up theentire chamber.

Peterson chose that moment to make his move. He slipped behind a pillar and emerged with hands full of what looked like black fire. He hurled it at Aislinn, who responded with a blast of water so cold it turned the ebony flames to ice. The frozen fragments hit the ground and shattered. Each piece contained tiny screaming faces.

"You cannot stop what has been set in motion," the leader intoned as he gathered power. His hood had fallen back slightly. I caught a glimpse of a neck that was so pale it was almost translucent. His face remained in shadow. It was hidden by magic older than any we'd encountered before.

"Watch us," Aislinn snarled. She stepped forward. Her Fae heritage was evident in the way she wielded the elements.

The leader actually laughed at us. The sound was like breaking glass. "Your power is nothing compared to what we will achieve. The old ways will return. The barriers between life and death will?—"

"Oh, shut up," I interrupted and used my magic to fling a barrel at his head. He dodged it. But not quickly enough to avoid Violet's binding spell. Golden chains of energy wrapped around him. A snarl of rage echoed from beneath his shadowed hood.

"Now!" Aislinn shouted.

We combined our magic. My nicotisa power, Aislinn’s elements, and Violet's magic and phoenix fire. We channeled it into a single devastating attack. Our combined power broke through the leader’s defenses. He screamed as our magic struck him. His robes smoldered with golden flames as he staggered backward. I caught glimpses of ritual implements and ancient scrolls tucked into his belt. "This isn't over," he spat in a voice distorted with power. "The vessels are already prepared. At midnight—" We increased the energy we funneled into our spell. An explosion cut off his words, filling the chamber with light bright enough to blindus. When it cleared, the leader was gone. Along with Peterson and the other cultists. The bodies on the altars had vanished, too. Frost patterns and the lingering scent of winter roses were all that was left behind.

"Why do they always have to be so dramatic about leaving?" I muttered as I leaned against a barrel. The adrenaline began to fade. My hands were shaking slightly from channeling so much power.

"Says the woman who asked for villainous exposition," Violet teased in a voice that was tight with exhaustion.

I straightened up, eyeing the corrupted barrels. "We should strip this place. Take out all the dark magic before they can use it again. Like magical pest control, but for evil."

"Right now?" Aislinn raised an eyebrow. "You can barely stand."

"I'm standing just fine, thank you very much." I demonstrated by pushing off the barrel and promptly stumbling. "Okay, maybe I'm a little wobbly. But come on. When do we ever get the chance to be proactive instead of reactive?"

"Usually right before everything goes spectacularly wrong," Violet pointed out.

"Five minutes," I insisted. "Quick cleansing, in and out. No muss, no fuss, no more evil wine cellar of doom."

Aislinn sighed that special sigh she reserved for when I was both right and annoying about it. "Fine. But we do this fast."

We formed a triangle, each taking a point around the chamber. We'd done enough cleansing spells to write a book about them (not that anyone would read it). This was different. The corrupted magic had seeped into every stone and every barrel, like mold in a bathroom. It was persistent and would be really annoying to get rid of.

"On three," I called out. "One... two..."

We raised our hands in sync. Violet’s magiccombined with mine, and it met Aislinn's elemental magic in the center of the room. The energies twisted together. They formed a spiral of light that expanded outward like a shock wave. We were the first ones to successfully combine witchcraft with Fae magic. And we’d only been able to do it because I had shared my nicotisa powers with them. I could only do that with Aislinn because I was part Fae as well. We’d since taught the Six Twisted Sisters how to combine both sides of their heritage to create a more powerful force.

Where our spell touched, the purple glow retreated. It hissed like angry cats being sprayed with water. The barrels creaked and groaned as the dark magic was forcibly extracted. One actually exploded, showering us with fragments of wood and the last remnants of whatever evil juice they'd been storing. Gross. It was going to take a Silkwood shower to get clean after this.

"Next time," Violet panted, "let's check for exploding barrels before we start."

"Where's the fun in that?" I grinned, even as I wiped something suspiciously slimy off my jacket. "Besides, look. No more creepy purple light."

The cellar did look better. It was still creepy as hell. But in a normal abandoned-wine-cellar way rather than an evil-cult-headquarters way. The air felt cleaner, too. Although, that might have been because we'd just magically pressure-washed the place.

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