Page 20 of Hellfire to Come
Immediately, the image of Yoda popped into my brain again, and I snorted.
Because obviously, my mind would reach for Star Wars in a high-stakes magical jailbreak.
“Focus, dumbass,” I whispered to myself. “Loop. Flick. Spiral. Angry flick. You can totally do this because you are a badass bitch as well. Let’s get cracking.”
I mimicked the pattern I’d seen the youngest witch use, repeating silently in my head: loop, flick, spiral, angry flick. Then I added a dramatic chant for effect.
“By the crusty socks of chaos and the great hormonal rage of a PMSing woman during full moon, I banish you!”
…Nothing.
“Worth a try,” I muttered, scratching at my forehead. I was running out of ideas.
The chain sparked again, this time harder. My arms trembled with something, not pain, but potential, maybe? My skin lit up from the inside like it had before, that horrible glowing sensation returning all over my body.
Except now, it didn’t hurt.
Now, it felt right.
Mine.
I turned back to the glowing ward and with a running start slammed my palm flat against it.
“Let. Me. Out!” I shouted at it with everything in me.
The ward cracked loud enough to scare the hell out of me.
My eyes widened. “Well, hell.” Urgency made me reckless. I had to get out of here to help them a little.
I did it again. “LET ME OUT!” I screamed at the ward, my voice lost in all the noise coming from above me.
A bolt of light surged through the chain. It shattered with a shriek of metal and a burst of magic that tossed me straight on my ass. I slid across the room like a ragdoll and hit the back wall hard enough to see every childhood trauma flash before my eyes.
“Motherfucker! Why is it always the landing that sucks?!” Grunting, I rubbed the back of my skull while staring at the ceiling.
I was free.
Holy shit I was actually FREE!
I scrambled up, heart pounding like I’d just been reborn and screamed into the world with a middle finger raised. I flipped off everything around me with gusto. I grabbed a broken piece of stone and a rusted rod from the corner, my makeshift weaponry, because sure, why not channel some feral raccoon chic energy today.
I’d rescued a few of those back in the day and let me tell you, those mofos are vicious.
I cracked the door open slowly peeking gingerly at the hallway.
Empty.
Of course, it was.
I crept into the corridor, tension coiled in every step. It was worse out here, darker. Like the walls absorbed all sound and hope. Every stone whispered a different scream. The air tasted like rust and bad dreams.
And beneath it all… the fight raged.
Closer now. Boots. Growls. Magic splitting the air like thunderclaps.
Something hissed from around the corner, the sound prickling my skin.
I spun just in time to see a vampire—okay I should call it an Atua since Brooklyn was very peculiar about it. But the fucker was pale, fast, and very not on our side since he was lunging at me. My hands flew up instinctively, one to hold him back and the other to protect my neck. I had no intention of being anyone’s’ juice box, thank you very much.
