Episode 10 of The Witch’s Key: “Something Much More Powerful”
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Episode 10: Something Much More Powerful
I hung in the air, my body dangling about four feet off the ground. Something invisible slithered around my neck and tightened its grip.
I struggled against it, kicking and trying to pull away, but nothing made any difference.
I scanned the woods again. I needed to see who was actually doing this to me.
Whoever they were, they were casting from a distance, and they were completely hidden by the smoke. Their magic was definitely strong, though.
What could I do? I had no idea if they were trying to kidnap me or kill me, but as the invisible rope tightened around my neck, I was leaning toward death. And I just couldn’t let that happen. I was not going to go down like this to some unknown creep.
I did my best to calm my mind, despite the panic building inside me.
A lot of the magic available to me as a young witch with just a single key needed reagents, but there were a few things I knew how to do that didn’t take any ingredients at all.
I longed for the dagger I brought, but I’d dropped my bag somewhere in the woods.
I thought back to the encounters I’d had with demons in the past. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure this was demon magic attacking me now, but it was my best guess from what Kai had told me.
Demons hated salt, but I didn’t have access to that right now. I made a mental note to put a handful of salt in my pockets from here on out.
I knew the command to open doors and other things without needing any spell ingredients, and what I wanted right now was for this invisible rope to open and set me free. I had no idea if it would work, but I was running out of time to figure this out. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to speak.
“Solvo,” I said with all the confidence and authority I could find.
To my complete shock, the spell released me. I fell hard to the ground below and rolled to my side, pushing up with my good arm.
I ran, wanting to put some distance between me and this demon, so that I could buy more time. I hated to leave Kai behind, but it wasn’t going to do him any good if we both got caught or killed. I must have rolled my ankle when I fell, though, because each step was agony.
I stopped and ducked behind a large tree to catch my breath and try to wrap my mind around what was happening.
Since this demon was comfortable with fire, I was certain ice would help to slow it down or even harm it, but I didn’t have a water source to use to create it. I’d seen my father pull moisture down from the clouds before, but I wasn’t high enough to access that magic.
I thought back to some of the jobs I’d gone on with my parents. What had I seen them do in situations like this?
I closed my eyes, pulling up a mental image of my parents at one of the last demon slayings they took me on. With demons, sometimes they cast a circle and used it to trap him before banishing or containing him.
I didn’t have the time or tools to cast a circle right now.
But then I remembered something else I’d seen them do before to push a demon back when it had us trapped in an old castle. Mom had forced it to another room with a bright light.
I could remember the incantation my mother used, too. It was a simple spell they’d taught me when I was just a young girl afraid of the dark, but it had been effective against the demon. At least temporarily.
Each girl was taken during the night, so it was possible this demon’s powers were more potent in the darkness. Light should repel it. I hoped.
I stepped out from behind the tree and pushed my left palm forward.
“Lucerna,” I said.
A bright, focused light radiated from my palm like a flashlight.
It was one of the first spells I’d ever learned. I never dreamed I would use it on a night like this.
I rotated my arm, shining the light all around the area. It was hard to see very far, because of the smoke reflecting the light back to me, but when I turned to my left, something hissed and scurried off to my right.
I followed the movement as quickly as I could.
“Amplio,” I said in a strong voice.
The flashlight grew stronger, illuminating a slightly larger area in front of me.
For a moment, the demon appeared in the darkness, its invisibility spell wavering in the bright, conjured light. And Kai was right. This was definitely a demon.
Most demons had the ability to appear human when they wanted to, but this demon had shed its human form, making it more powerful. My heart raced as it walked straight toward me.
In its hands, it gathered a fresh ball of flames.
The first time, I was sure the flames were meant to separate us from each other. This time, though, it aimed to kill.
I took a step backward and winced at the pain in my ankle. There was no way I could outrun its spell. I was out of options, and though the light had temporarily slowed it down, I wasn’t strong enough to stop it.
This was it. I was going to join my parents in heaven.
I clasped my mother’s locket, sending up one final prayer for help.
The locket trembled for a moment, the cool surface of the silver warming beneath my fingertips. Just as the demon lifted its hands to unleash its fresh flames, the locket somehow super-charged my flashlight spell, throwing a sunburst of light outward in all directions.
The sheer power of the spell flowed through me like a dam being released somewhere deep inside. It was so intense, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold it long, but since I had it now, I poured my entire soul into it.
The spell consumed the darkness completely, lighting up the forest as though the sun itself had come out.
The demon screeched and stumbled backward, dropping its focus and losing the fire spell. In the brilliant moment of light, I saw it bare its pointed teeth in a snarl.
I hoped the strong light would scare it away, but this was no lesser demon. It wasn’t going to just turn and run. Whoever this was, he had great power.
My power, on the other hand, was being drained so quickly, I felt lightheaded. I fought to keep my eyes open, but I refused to give up.
The demon stretched its hands outward and the same bluish-purple energy I’d seen pulsing around Kai now pulsed around the demon’s body. With one swift motion, the demon threw the dark energy to the forest floor.
It spread out quickly, like fog, to consume my light.
I held on for as long as I could as I watched the dark energy expand and grow upward, quickly reaching the height of my waist. Tears streamed down my face as the light radiating from me blinked and faded.
My eyelids drooped, and I fell back against a tree. I couldn’t hold it much longer.
The last of my energy cut off, and my legs gave out. Like a ragdoll, I fell to the ground. I had nothing left to give, but I’d given enough.
At that moment, Martin’s face appeared in the shadows behind the demon. I saw nothing but the flash of steel as my eyes closed and everything went dark.
**
I woke to the sound of Kai yelling my name and the feel of smoke in my lungs.
I coughed and tried to sit up, but my shoulder hurt so badly it nearly made me pass out again. I winced at the pain and lay back in the dirt.
“She’s here,” he yelled. “She’s hurt.”
My eyes fluttered open, and I smiled as Uncle Martin’s face came into view.
Tears rolled down the side of my face and into my hair. “I didn’t die,” I said. “I’m still here.”
“Yes, you are, my brave girl,” he said as he knelt at my side. “Everything is going to be okay.”
My eyes closed again, and I drifted off to sleep.
I woke again as someone lifted me into their arms. Kai. His arms were gentle around me, and I got the sense of floating as he carried me through the woods.
Is this what it feels like to fly? I thought.
The next time I awoke, there was a faint light coming through the window in my bedroom. I sat up with a start, wincing at the pain that covered the entire right half of my body.
Kai stood, nearly knocking over the chair he’d set beside my bed.
“You’re awake,” he said. He reached for my hand, as if we’d known each other all our lives.
I didn’t pull away. I needed some comfort right about now.
“What happened last night?” I asked, pulling myself upright.
Kai moved to stack a few pillows behind me, never taking his hand away from mine.
“What do you remember?” he asked.
“Everything up until the attack.” I closed my eyes and tried to remember what happened next. “I remember seeing you caught in some kind of netting. The demon had me. I thought we were going to die.”
I touched the key and locket hanging against my chest and sucked in a breath.
“What did I do?” I asked. “How?”
Uncle Martin appeared in the doorway with a tray of his famous peanut butter chocolate chip pancakes, a large glass of water, and a rose from his garden out back.
“Somehow, you amplified a simple spell and turned it into something much more powerful,” Martin said. “The how is a bit of a mystery.”
“The locket,” I said. “When I touched it, the spell grew so much bigger. I could hardly contain it.”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t get there sooner,” Martin said. He set the tray down at the end of the bed and pulled up a chair on the opposite side from where Kai sat. “I never would have let you go if I’d known you were in any real danger.”
“Sir, did you know about Blythe Greer and the guy everyone calls Bates?” Kai asked. “Did you know what that guy was up to out in the woods?”
Uncle Martin nodded and handed me the glass of water. His eyes dipped to our clasped hands for a moment, but he was polite enough not to say anything.
I pulled my hand away from Kai’s, a little embarrassed.
“I am familiar with Bates,” he said. “I didn’t realize he’d opened up shop here in Newcastle until you mentioned him last night, but I knew he was relatively harmless.”
I wasn’t sure if I should feel angry or grateful.
Anger pushed its way to the surface, but I didn’t allow it to fully take control.
“Why did you let us go if you knew he had nothing to do with the missing girls?” I asked. “Why didn’t you just tell us who Bates was and that he wasn’t worth looking into.”
“I thought it would be good practice for you,” Martin said. “I thought it would help you to feel useful, but I honestly did not believe you were putting yourselves in harm’s way.”
“So, what happened out there?” Kai asked. “Who attacked us?”
“I’m not sure,” Martin said. “The demon ran when I pierced it with my dagger. I’d like to go back to the area this morning and have a look around.”
“I’m going with you,” I said.
“No, you will stay in this bed and rest,” Martin said. “I’m afraid your role in this investigation has come to an end. I will not have you risking your life for anyone else right now.”
Anger definitely flared at this news, and I shifted my weight on the bed, pulling my legs up to sit criss-cross under the covers.
“What are we going to do about Peyton and the other girls?” I asked. “We have to find them. It’s only two days now until the full moon. We’re running out of time.”
Uncle Martin brought the tray of pancakes toward me and set it on top of my legs. “Eat,” he said. “We can discuss battle plans after breakfast. Kai, can I get you something to eat or drink?”
“I’m okay for now, but thank you for offering,” Kai said.
I didn’t know about him, but I was absolutely starving.
I was also really curious how my arm had mostly healed. I was in pretty bad shape last night. There were bandages across a lot of my right side, but I could tell the burns weren’t nearly as bad as they had been.
“Who healed me?” I asked between bites of pancake. “I’m assuming you didn’t take me to a hospital.”
“I may be retired, but I’m not useless,” Uncle Martin said, as if I’d offended him. “I still have many of my old Keeper supplies, which includes various instruments of healing. Your shoulder wasn’t too hard to put back into place, but the burns were slightly more complicated. How is your head feeling this morning?”
I shrugged and swallowed.
“I have a mild headache, but it’s nothing I can’t handle,” I said. I touched the back of my head where I’d slammed it against the tree. It was a bit sore, but it could have been a lot worse. “I think it’s okay.”
“Be sure to drink all of your water,” Martin said, standing. “I put a flavorless powder in it that will help your headache. I’ll be downstairs in my study. Come find me when you’re feeling up to it, and we’ll decide what we’re going to do about your friend.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.”
“Let’s not think about that now,” he said. “You’re home, and that’s what matters.”
I smiled and touched a hand to my bandaged arm.
I was home, yes, but there were five other families out there missing someone.
“What do you think?” I asked when Kai and I were alone again. “Is he going to let me out of this room again before I’m eighteen?”
Kai smiled, and the whole room lit up.
“He cares about you a great deal,” he said. “Have you always been this close?”
I shook my head. “I had only met him a handful of times when he’d come to visit my parents,” I said. “To be honest, he always used to frighten me a little. But he’s been there every moment since the funeral. I don’t know where I’d be right now without him.”
“I’m glad you have each other,” he said.
Sorrow darkened his eyes. It was strange how his emotions could control the mood of a space.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.
“Another time,” he said softly. “For now, let’s just focus on getting you to a better place. There will be plenty of time to talk about my family later.”
I didn’t want to press the issue, so I let it go, but I really hoped he’d fill me in soon. He knew so much more about me than I knew about him.
I opened my mouth to ask him if he’d gotten a good look at the demon last night when the doorbell rang downstairs.
I glanced at my clock across the room. It was just barely after seven in the morning. Who in the world would be coming to visit at this hour?
Afraid it was Ms. Greer coming to reprimand me about last night, I pulled myself out of bed and hobbled down the hallway with Kai following closely behind.
But when I got to the stairway, it wasn’t Blythe Greer at all.
A tall man in a blue suit and tie glanced up as I appeared, a strange look crossing his face as he noticed Kai at my side.
Uncle Martin, who had just answered the door, wore a look of frustration.
Looking down at my bandages, I suddenly understood why. This wasn’t going to be easy to explain.
“Looks like she is here, after all,” the man said, patting Uncle Martin on the shoulder and stepping inside. “You must be Lenora Thorne. I’m Officer Lancaster, and I have a few questions for you.”