Page 9 of The Fairy Hunter
"Use your spells on the spirits!" I shout, even though I'm not sure that's the way to go. At least it’s better than continuing to do what we already know isn’t working.
Magic flies from behind me. One spell hits the mailman, knocking him on his ass. Another spell hits the PE teacher, lighting his little shorts on fire. He screams, a high-pitched wail, and races around, smacking his butt and trying to put it out. Betty and the others are next, their clothes catching on fire causing them to scream and run around like fools.
I might have laughed if the vine didn't suddenly shoot through my shield, crumbling it as blue sparks fall to the ground. Suddenly, the vine is around my throat. A half-scream comes from my lips before the sound is cut off. Sharp spikes cut into my flesh and I scratch at the vine, trying to free myself as blood pours from my throat and my air runs out.
Olivia is beside me a moment later. She presses a finger to the vine. The vine begins to burn, the smoky smell hitting my face, and then it loosens just enough for me to pull in a ragged breath. Suddenly, hands are pulling the vine from my throat, and then the pain is gone, and I hit the floor.
Someone screams as I gasp in breaths, crumpled on the floor, my vision changing from black as images come back into focus. I see vines all around me. Vines that have dragged my friends back to the runes on the ground, including Olivia. The spirits are back around the runes, murmuring the words to their sick spell. And the fairy that stole Tamara's face is grinning down at me. The vine that had been growing from her hand is dead and black on the ground.
"Where's all the brave talk now, Luna? Brave Luna. The unofficial leader of her people."
I stare at her, then my gaze snaps back to my friends. The vines have encircled their bodies, covering even their mouths, preventing them from uttering spells. The vines wiggle around me, coming from the door, and a strange sense that I'm in big trouble comes over me.
"Potentia!" I shout the words to one of my most powerful spells. It strikes the fairy in the chest, and she flies back and hits the wall.
I turn my hand toward the others, even though I can feel that I'm straining my magic, and utter the words to another spell. But rather than hit the spirits, the vines from the door block my attack, and the spell hits them, knocking the vines onto the ground for a moment before they start wiggling once more.
"That's all you've got?" the fairy asks, getting to her feet with a smile.
I'm breathing hard. No, it isn't all I've got. But it is pretty damned close. Yes, I can keep going for a while longer, but each spell is tiring me out more and more. While at the same time, it’s not seeming to gain me any traction against my enemies.
This isn't working. None of this! But the only other options are to give up, which I'll never do, or change tactics. Magic, it seems, is no match against fairies and spirits. So, I'll have to go with another option. A messier one, but definitely a possible one.
The fairy’s still smiling. "Need a minute to catch your breath?"
Her lover speaks, through panting breaths. "We can't keep this up forever. We need her in the center of the rune."
"I'm working on it!" the fairy snaps back.
"Of course you are," he mumbles, sarcasm lacing his words. "You're just playing with her first and stroking your ego, just like you always do."
"I'm not!" the fairy roars. "I pulled you and your idiot friends from the other side, on my own. Saving your ass, just like I always do. But all you can focus on is the negative, because that's just how you are."
A thought occurs to me. A strange thought. So, I turn to the mailman, keeping my face as carefully neutral as I can. "It does seem like you're not being very grateful for all she's done for you."
The mailman stops his spell and turns to me with a frown. "Stay out of this."
The fairy moves closer to her lover. "Don't tell her to stay out of this." She spins to face me. "I actually want to hear what you think."
My friends give me a 'what the hell' look, but I keep my expression neutral. "It seems that your... wife?"
"We're married,” the fairy says with a nod. “My name is Matilda, and his is Orion."
Interesting. Okay. "So, it seems your wife, Matilda, went out of her way to help you get free from the Otherside, at a great risk to herself. Have you even thanked her for that?"
Our mailman, or, well, Orion, frowns. "Well, she knows I'm grateful."
The fairy snorts, arms still crossed over her chest.
"But did you thank her? Did you actually speak the words?"
The mailman adjusts his glasses while his friends snicker behind him, then they continue chanting while the runes on the ground grow a little dimmer. "I didn't think it was necessary."
I nod again, trying to keep my face blank. "Well, does she thank you when you do things for her?"
"I immediately did, when he found his own body!" the fairy says, irritation in her voice.
"Did you appreciate that?" I ask her husband.
