Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

M y nerves were jumpy and I was convinced the journal was acting as a beacon for any of Lyra’s other Tainted witches. This tunnel system was a major site for Lyra. The forest spirits were right when they said she put up some powerful protections. She would never leave this unprotected.

We cautiously ventured deeper into the labyrinth in a single file line. There was an undeniable tension lingering among us. It was more than a residue from our previous encounters with Lyra's dark forces. It was the weight of what was at stake. If we failed, this wasn’t just about Stella’s mom. It was about the survival of life as we knew it.

Stella took a step forward at the same time my eyes narrowed on what I thought were ancient symbols etched into the stone floor. What was that? And what did they do? Alarm bells went off in my head and I reached for Stella to stop her but I was too late. Suddenly, a soft click echoed through the chamber. Stella lifted her foot and looked down at the button she’d pressed accidentally.

Before any of us could react, a shimmering barrier sprang to life around her. It went from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. Her expression twisted with fear as it isolated her from the rest of us. Nana and I pounded on the shimmering film and called out to her. “Stella!” Our voices echoed in the small chamber.

On the wrong side of the blockade, a sinister laugh echoed before a woman appeared a few feet from Stella who had backed up until she was pressed against the shield. My magical feelers activated instinctually out of worry for Stella. Things had just gone from bad to worse as Stella was now face to face with another of Lyra’s Tainted witches. I couldn’t get a feel for where the bubble was anchored but there was no mistaking the energy from the new threat. The witch’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light as she looked all around us.

"Stella!" I called out renewing my effort to punch my way through the barrier. It remained solid and unyielding. Like everything else in Lyra’s nexus, it also shimmered with dark energy. Nana immediately began examining the spell with her signature focused intensity. Before I could do the same, Stella glanced back at us. “I’ll handle her,” she called out. Her voice was steady despite the dire situation. “Just find a way to get me out of here.”

The Tainted witch let out a low, mocking laugh. “You're all alone now, little girl. Your friends can’t save you this time.”

Stella didn’t flinch. “I don’t need saving,” she retorted. Her fingers moved at her sides, and I felt her power building right in front of me as she prepared to cast a spell. The witch’s grin faltered as Stella’s magic flared to life. My best friend’s energy was a radiant light against the barrier.

Nana slammed her elbow into my side without stopping her fingers from tracing the lines of the barrier. “Snap out of it, Phoebe. We need to dismantle this carefully and fast. It’s a containment ward that is designed to weaken its target. Find the damn anchors.”

I nodded and turned my focus to my surroundings. I followed the edges of the ward. There were dark runes that glowed faintly along the edge of the barrier. The malevolent energy that pulsated through it matched Lyra’s twisted power. “I found them,” I told Nana. “They’re Lyra’s so they’re powerful. And I get the sense that they connect to something else.”

I examined it closer, looking at the threads of magic. A knot formed in my gut when I noticed the full scope of the thing. Swallowing the bile that burned the back of my throat, I grabbed Nana’s hand. “Disrupting the ward in the wrong way will likely harm Stella.”

Nana gaped at me. “Of course, it will. No pressure though, right? Lyra is like an open book so this will be easy.”

I squeezed her hand and went back to examining the runes. “Find the end of the threads. Destroy the one that pulses fastest first. The others should fall after.”

Nana nodded while on the other side of the barrier, Stella and the witch clashed relentlessly. I threw my arm up to protect against the power that came right at me. The ward stopped any from hitting me as their magic erupted in all directions. Stella’s spells would have slayed ten elephants, but the witch’s attacks were wild and brutal. My heart hammered as I watched Stella hold her ground. I turned my attention back to the task at hand so I didn’t see the strain she had to be experiencing.

“Stella, you can do this!” Aidon’s voice echoed from behind me. I was glad he was acting as her cheerleader. I couldn’t split my focus.

Layla growled a sound of pure frustration. “We need to find a way inside! She can’t keep this up forever. ”

Nana glanced at me sharply. “Focus on that rune, Phoebe. I’ve got the first one.”

I nodded, channeling my magic into the rune Nana indicated. I started by identifying the threads that made up the power in the symbol. When I tried to pull on the end that was strongest, it resisted. Deciding to use tweezers instead of pliers, I took a more delicate approach. When I had a hold of the end, I cast a spell that would worm its way up and into the heart of the rune. The barrier trembled under our combined assault.

Stella dodged a particularly vicious attack and her counterspell sent the witch stumbling backward. “You’ve got her scrambling, Stella!" I shouted, hoping to bolster her spirits. “Just a bit longer!”

Stella’s attention remained fixed solely on the witch before her. She twisted her wrist, sending a bolt of energy directly at the witch’s chest. Oh, damn that looked like it hurt. The witch snarled and her Dark magic flared in response. It was a brutal, chaotic dance of light and darkness. And unfortunately, I could see Stella’s strength beginning to wane.

Nana’s eyes lit up and she gestured to the ground. “There! Those secondary runes are reinforcing the main spell. We need to disable them simultaneously.”

Aidon and Layla sprang into action, following Nana’s instructions to locate the secondary runes. Aidon attacked with his power while Layla went the old-fashioned route and tried to claw furrows in the symbols to disrupt the power. As we all worked simultaneously, the barrier weakened and its pulse grew erratic.

When she felt that, the witch unleashed a desperate attack. Because she’s a badass, Stella met it head-on. Her magic blazed with a blinding light that lashed out at the Tainted witch. The two forces collided with a thunderous crack and for a moment, everything was still.

The rest of us didn’t stop working and we managed to dismantle all of the runes. The barrier shattered, the malevolent energy of it dissipated into the air, and Stella was still fighting. Seeing her unhurt was a huge relief.

“Now’s your chance!” I shouted, my voice barely audible over the cacophony of battle. “Take her down, Stella!”

Stella’s eyes blazed with renewed determination. She drew on the energy we had unleashed. Her next spell flared to life with a force I had never seen from her before. It blew my hair back and dried out my eyes. Nana and I were rushing forward to help Stella. She moved with her usual grace and agility. She was in her element and ready to kick ass. With quick thinking and strategic maneuvering, Stella launched a counterattack before Nana and I managed to toss so much as a magical bomb.

Blinding beams of light shot from her hands, slicing through the air toward the Tainted witch. They looked like lasers that would cut her in half. I held my breath and prepared my spells to launch. Stella’s spells cut through the witch's defenses like a hot knife through butter. The clash illuminated the chamber in brilliant flashes of magic. I lobbed the explosive at the witch. A second later Nana followed suit.

The Tainted witch’s eyes widened in shock as her Dark magic faltered under our onslaught. She tried to retaliate by summoning shadowy tendrils. They made me falter and drop my next bomb to the ground. Before it could blow up in our faces, I kicked it toward the dark witch. It was a newbie move, but you would have done it too if you’d seen the way they writhed and snapped at us like snakes. These tendrils crackled with Lyra’s vile energy. That in itself was terrifying. Even more so when they lashed out and sought to ensnare and crush us. Stella dodged and deflected them and made it look easy. Her movements were fueled by a worry for her mother and the driving need to save her from Lyra’s torture.

I finally made it to Stella’s side, along with Aidon and Nana. The tight space made it difficult for us all to converge on the witch and kept Layla, Tseki, and Murtagh behind us. We had to maneuver carefully to avoid obstructing each other’s attacks. Aidon summoned the dark flames of the Underworld, sending them roaring toward the witch. Nana called forth binding spells that sought to entangle the witch and limit her movements. While they worked their magic, I focused on disrupting the witch’s spells. I channeled my energy to counteract her Dark magic.

The witch's eyes burned with rage and desperation as she retaliated. She conjured a storm of black, crackling energy that lashed out at us. It carried enough power to force us to scatter. The air buzzed with the sheer force of her magic, making it hard to breathe. I threw up a protective shield just in time to deflect a bolt aimed at my chest. The impact reverberated through my bones. Even my babies were jolted awake.

Stella was pissed off this witch was part of imprisoning her mom and she funneled that anger into her magic. It became a whirlwind of light and power. She moved with fluid grace. Each of her movements were precise and calculated. Her spells struck the witch again and again. I added mine and whooped when they weakened her further.

The Tainted witch staggered under the assault and her defenses crumbled. Suddenly, a tendril of Dark magic broke through our defenses and wrapped around Nana’s ankle. I gasped when it pulled her to the ground. Aidon reacted quickly and sliced through the tendril with his black blade. “Nana, are you okay?” he shouted. He bent and scooped her up. I continued throwing attack spells at the Tainted witch while keeping an eye on them as well.

“I’m fine,” Nana replied though her voice was strained. She pushed on his chest, trying to get him to let her down. “Keep the pressure on her!”

Stella and I nodded. “We are,” I promised her. I clasped Stella’s hand and twined my power with hers. Our next incantations weren’t identical, but they unleashed a torrent of magic that engulfed the witch. The chamber was filled with the crackle of energy and the air vibrated with the force of the spell.

The witch screamed and it was a sound of pure agony. We continued funneling power into our spells and focused on it consuming her. It tore apart her malicious energy, leaving her powerless. When the spells faded, the Tainted witch was gone.

Stella's chest heaved with exhaustion, but her eyes were alight with triumph. Aidon and I rushed to her side, relief washing over us. “We did it,” I whispered, the words barely audible as I tried to catch my breath.

But even as we began to regroup, the ground beneath us started to tremble. A low, ominous rumble echoed through the chamber. This fight was far from over. Something deadlier and more powerful was stirring in the depths of the tunnels and had likely been drawn by the clash of magic.