Page 49 of Brews and Banishments
Daisy glanced at her. “What?”
Tessa nodded her chin towards Sebastian’s path, her eyes flaring as something brewed within her mind. “He’s practically inches away from falling into the pit himself. He’s not paying attention.”
Following her gaze, Daisy turned back towards Sebastian. He spoke and looked ahead absentmindedly, entirely unaware of how the walls of the pit grew less steep with every step he took. Soon, if he kept it up, they would be able to climb out without needing too much extra effort.
“That’s good and all,” Daisy muttered, “but he can push us right back in the moment we start climbing.”
Tessa nodded. “We need a spell.”
“You’ve got magic left still?”
“Hardly,” Tessa whispered. “But together, we could be strong enough.”
Daisy focused her attention back on Sebastian.
“That woman I found myself with,” he was in the middle of saying, “is miles upon miles away from you, Daisy. I hope you see how I made a lapse in judgement by turning away from you, but perhaps that might all be forgiven.”
Daisy pressed her lips together, holding back her bitter laugh. Suddenly, then, an idea presented itself to her. There were a few things Sebastian wanted to hear. What, she wondered, would happen if she managed to give those over to him? How far would his barrier fall? How distracted would it render him?
Glancing to her side, Daisy met Tessa’s gaze, and mouthed:trust me.
“Sebastian,” Daisy called out, turning to face him once more. “I forgive you.”
He froze and faced the inside of the pit. “W-What?”
“You’re right,” she continued. “You had a lapse of judgement, but all is forgiven.”
Sebastian blinked a few times before his eyes grew wide. “Daisy,” he murmured, “you see me now, don’t you?”
“I see that the only way for people like you and me to survive,” she said, “is for us tostick together like glue!” Her eyes flicked over to Tessa, who didn’t seem to understand at first.
Sebastian nodded rapidly.
“I mean,” Daisy held her hands up, “what better way to get out of a situation like this, other thanstickingtogether?”
“Bound!” Sebastian said. “Bound together!”
By that point, Daisy glanced back towards Tessa, and she had wide eyes, finally seeing the point. Sebastian beamed with excitement. His feet hung over the sides of the pit, arms outstretched and beckoning for Daisy to come closer. She crept forward, entirely aware of Tessa moving alongside her, though Sebastian was too deep within his own mind to notice it.
“By the power of Hecate,” the pair of them whispered once they were side by side, as close as they could get to Sebastian.
Daisy snatched onto Tessa’s hand, clutching onto her as tight as possible as the magic coursed through them both. Raising their other hands, a surge of energy shot out from their palms, flying through the air and landing directly onto Sebastian’s chest. With a surprised grunt, he flew backwards, the sound of his back hitting a tree resounding loudly through the empty woods.
“You were thinking of glue, right?” Tessa asked.
Daisy shrugged. “Glue, sticking, same thing.”
Tessa winced. “Hopefully he’s only glued to the tree.”
They both climbed out of the pit, and Daisy was more than surprised by the amount of feeling and strength she had left within her limbs. Once they made it to the top, resurfacing on the grassy floor, their eyes landed on Sebastian.
He writhed and jerked, trying to pry his back off the tree trunk but he couldn’t budge. The spell worked soundly in gluing his entire backside to the wood. Sebastian’s eyes grew wild with anger as he saw them, his mouth opening to spew more words that Daisy could hardly handle.
She surged forward, barely recognizing herself as the anger she kept so close to her heart finally found its way to the surface.
“Now you’re going to listen tome,Sebastian,” Daisy snapped, pressing her finger into his chest. “Don’t youdareact as though you were always there for me. Each time you came by my house, offered to do those things or did them without even asking, you had one motive - onedisgusting -motive.” The confidence surged through her without Tessa’s empathic abilities needing to intervene. “Claim to be my friend all you want, but you only wanted to sleep with me. You wanted to be in all the places you weren’t allowed, even though my husband had justdied.”
Sebastian stared with wide eyes, his mouth slack.
