Page 91 of The Powerless Witch

Isaac groaned as he pushed himself up. He was alive, which was all I cared about to check before turning in the direction of the road. I was pretty sure that the creature on the path had been a deer shifter, but they were already gone by now.

Despite the darkness overhead and the brilliant light ahead of us, I could see movement—birds soaring high above and forms running parallel to the road—away from the city. Once they drew closer and the light wasn’t in the way, I recognized a few—wolves, cats, dogs, even a bear. Shifters, all of them.

“Goddamn it, what is this?” Isaac snarled, breaking into a sprint. I shouted for him to stop, but he ignored me, so I followed. I caught up just before we reached the city sign and that’s when we noticed the cars speeding in our direction.

“Yours?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at the driver in the first one—an unfamiliar man with red hair and a long beard—flew past us. More and more followed.

“Some,” Isaac replied with a relieved sigh. “Let’s hope they all got out. What do you think it does?”

“We’re about to find out,” I murmured as I pointed to a brown horse that was trying to run away from the spell. There was something wrong with its foot and instead of gaining on it, it seemed to be falling behind. The shifter neighed in panic as the light caught up, and despite the brilliance, I kept my eyes open. The light pushed him, like a spell that was trying to keep him out, but then kept pushing and pushing while the shifter neighed in pain.

The horse fell and the light bent as if trying to circle him, but then it surged up and went over the creature. The shifter’s pained shrieks rose a few octaves, then abruptly ceased.

“Fuck!” Isaac cursed, his heart racing even faster. He took a step back, then another. “Roman, we need to go! This thing will kill us! Move, damn it!”

I didn’t move. I stared while the light crawled closer and closer, the heat of it already burning my skin. How did they make it so it affected vampires? There had to be some trick because witch magic didn’t work on my kind. Yet I could feel this thing humming with danger, with light and fire that could destroy me in ways nothing else could.

A hand grabbed my elbow and yanked, and I almost staggered back at the force.

“I’m not explaining to Celeste why I’m bringing back your ashes! Fucking move!” Isaac snarled in my face.

I shrugged him off, turning toward the light again. It was almost upon us, no more than twenty steps separated us.

“It won’t reach us,” I said confidently, hoping I was right.

“What? How the fuck do you know?”

“She said they want to rid the city of us,” I replied distractedly, glancing at the welcoming sign rising just ten feet away. Another few seconds and the spell would reach it and then…then I’d find out if that witch had told me the truth.

“What if you are wrong?”

“Then we die either way.”

Isaac blew a frustrated breath, but he stayed beside me, watching the light swallow the last of the city territory. It didn’t destroy the trees or the grass or the road; it glided over them like they weren’t even there. When it reached the sign, I held my breath and waited.

The light stopped, the buzzing of the ward growing louder as it shimmered and settled.

Isaac puffed out a relieved breath while I stepped closer, extending a hand toward the fading spell. I felt the pressure even before my fingers reached its surface and as I set my hand upon the barrier, fire swallowed it, melting the flesh even before I peeled it back.

“Shit!” Isaac cursed, taking a step toward me but then stopping. His eyes returned to the ward that had turned almost transparent, and he reached out. I was not surprised when he barely brushed the magic before jumping back, his palm smoking as blisters sprung over his skin. Hissing, he let his hand fall and met my gaze.

“We’re so screwed,” he murmured, looking back at where the shifters had stopped to watch. Several of the cars had pulled over, heads poking out of doors or windows.

“We are alive,” I said as much to him as to myself. “So it’s not over.”

The spell had turned entirely transparent as if it wasn’t even there, but I could feel its presence, the hum of its power. It wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’m going back to Celeste,” I announced, and he nodded. “You…” I hesitated again, the odd feeling in my stomach twisting until I was saying, “You may stay on my land, but the house is off-limits. There are plenty of places suitable for camping.”My eyes turned to the others, now watching us, and I sighed. “We’ll need to make some rules for those who plan to linger. I don’t want any more messes to clean.”

He nodded, glancing back at the vehicles. He must have recognized someone because he perked up, taking a step in their direction. Isaac abruptly stopped, glancing back and saying with visible difficulty, “Thank you. I’ll call when I gather them all. Make sure Celeste is safe.”

“Celeste is always safe with me,” I said, sharper than I intended. A small smile pulled on his lips as he shrugged.

“She is not with you now, is she?”

I gave him an exasperated look, but still, I was running a moment later.

To our witch.

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