Page 39 of Spirit Witch

“Oh fine.You know now anyway,” Armstrong spat, eyes spitting angrily at us as she straightened her shoulders.

Somehow, she’d maintained that same impeccable air about her throughout the battle.But right then, she looked disheveled and manic like I’d never seen her.The ever-present braided coil fell from her head, revealing bald patches and scarred over bits of scalp where she must have worried her skin with her nails.Her lips were cracked, and the bags under her eyes were dark and wrinkled.It was like she’d aged twenty years in just twenty seconds.

“I had to wait until I could control you six headstrong witches before I closed the rift.I don’t know how it started, but I needed to control our source of magic.Yes, I brought you together.I was going to take charge of the Mobilis Coven, the same way I did the Council and Westwood Academy.”

“But why?Why would you do this?Why did you rip me from the life I had?From Judge?”

“You found your soulmate at thirteen!I knew that Spiritwalker slime was going to claim you and solidify your matebond the second you turned twenty-one, and I had to stop him.So, I blew up his grandfather’s shed, destroying his memory cache and casting blame on you.It took him months of fighting with his Clan elders to even be allowed to search for you.Still, I was not counting on him not giving up, but you just couldn’t keep it in your pants.Goddamned mated pairs, you will be the death of magic!I should have known the Lorekeeper had more than one memory cache.It would have worked if not for your stupid, slutty ways.”

“You stole my life!”I screamed, but Mabe held me back before I could attack her.

“Yes!And I would do it again.Magic is dying!I need you six to save it.Then, I will control it.I am the only one strong enough.I will see who it goes to and how much.No one will have to be at the mercy of what their ancestors or the fickle universe wills to it.We could all be equals, under me, of course.But look what you did, Leanna, you ruined our last chance,” Armstrong spat at the blonde witch.

“No, she didn’t.And you are not qualified to lead anything.Armstrong, you are nothing but a power hungry, lying monster.”

Energy filled me, compelling me to reach out and pluck the green medallion the headmistress wore around her neck.Once I held it, I felt a shock zap through my system, like I was holding on to an electrified fence.Suddenly, memories flooded my brain.Images, feelings, sights, smells, and I wept silently, overcome with emotion.

I knew everything then.

The argument that had me fleeing Judge’s side.

Someone had cast aspersions on my intentions toward him.Claiming I wanted his power.Baba and the elders were angry and asking questions and Judge was too stunned to defend me.So, I ran to the shed where I came upon a stranger, a witch, Helga Armstrong, casting a spell to destroy Roald Dusek’s memory stores.

I tried to stop her, but she was too strong, and caught me off guard with her vehemence.She was the monster in the dark.The foe disguised as a friend, and I raged inside, wanting to hurt her like she hurt me.

Peace, Nizhoni.You have other work, Judge’s voice reached me from the spirit realm, and I knew he was right.

In order to do what needed to be done, I had to let go of my grudge.I looked down at the medallion and with a single surge of magic, I fried it.Almost immediately, all the green-banded wizards and witches stood down, looking befuddled.It seemed Armstrong had put a spell on many of them, to force them to fight for her.Disappointment filled me and anger toward the woman who was more snake than witch sizzled through my veins.

I turned my head, gazing at the rift between worlds.With the others bound, some of them confused and not sure how they even came to be there, this was our next battle.

“Well, are you six going to fix this rift, or what?”Stolbright asked after Rio slapped Armstrong with a heavier fistful of snow.

“Yes, we are,” I said.Instead of being the coward, the weak link, I became what I was always meant to be.

The conscience.

The soul.

Spirit witch.

I took my sister witches’ hands and faced the hole draining magic from our world with them.

“What do we do?”Rio asked.

“Just concentrate,” I said, feeding them instructions through our link.

We were strong, but we were not alone.Everyone needed this gap bridged, and I used that knowledge, pulling on the stores of everyone in the area.All our enemy witches and wizards, all our friends, and to my surprise, even the dead.I felt the spirits of our ancestors, thousands of witches and wizards sending their strength to me, and to my coven, as we hit that rip with everything we had.

Lightning bolts of blue, white, orange, green, red, and lavender flew from our joined hands, and together we repaired the irreparable.We started closing the hole, healing the rift that had been sucking our world dry, but not before sending a spell into the void that returned magic to the ether where it would then be re-supplied to the witches and wizards, and any other magical creatures that had been affected by it, on our realm of existence.

Magic was finite.

Our most precious resource.

It was to be used, for sure, but with restrictions, and only after we learned how to manifest our powers.But no one had the right to control who it went to.

Not Armstrong.

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