Page 76 of Outlaw Witch

I don’t even know how he knows it’s possible for me to absorb all of his power.

Unless... he knows more about me than I thought?

Daring to meet his eye for a moment, I can’t read his expression at all. He’s trying to hide his pain, that much is clear.

“You’re sure? You won’t have any power left if I do this. It’s not something that can be reversed.”

“What the hell, man?” Zeph yells. “What about Sebastian? If you lose your magic, how the fuck are you going to help him?”

Fabian glances briefly at Zeph before returning his focus to me until his steady gaze is on my face. “I won’t. That’s why it’s an act of sacrifice. I’m sacrificing my ability to help someone I love, in the hope it’ll keep me alive to work out another way through this.”

He winces at the last few words, like the act of talking is causing him pain. The strain of holding onto the curse is increasing and I know that I need to act, to dosomethingor I’m going to lose control of the situation.

“All right.”

As I speak the words, I open up another facet of my magic. It’s the part I usually have to work to keep a lid on, the greedy sponge part of me that wants to absorb all magic.

I know that this might be a huge mistake. I’m opening up a part of myself that I don’t show to anyone. While these guys won’t be able to see exactly what I’m doing, it’s going to be evidence that I’m more than just a normal witch.

The next part is the trickiest of the whole ritual. I have to keep a hold on the curse while simultaneously using my magic to absorb all of Fabian’s.

Two totally different streams of magic, crossing together.

If I fuck this part up, there’s every chance I might absorb the curse into myself, as well as Fabian’s magic.

Well, here goes.

With one final pull, I feel apopas Fabian’s magic detaches, along with his curse. He drops to his side and the runes glow so brightly I go blind for a moment. When my vision returns, it’s spotty and filled with random blotches of swirling color. I close my eyes for a moment, feeling inside myself for Fabian’s magic or any hint that the curse has invaded my body.

But... I don’t feel anything different from usual.

No curse.

None of Fabian’s magic, either.

I blink my eyes open just in time to see the runes glow with a sickly green light before petering out like a snuffed candle.

“What happened?” Zeph’s voice is hoarse, like he’s spent the past hour screaming.

I check inside myself once more, before focusing again on Fabian’s prone form. Where the curse still writhes across his skin, angry and agitated.

The words are like ash as they form on my tongue.

“It didn’t work.”

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