But The Spellcast Goes Wrong: A Murder, She Witches Mystery by Kat McGee

Author:Kat McGee [McGee, Kat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Towering Pines Publishing
Published: 2024-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Acircle of faces blurred around me, their expressions ranging from alarm to sheer disbelief. The charged air crackled with the remnants of Serendipity’s spell in a web of energy she’d spun intending to bind me.

Yet there I stood, the center of a tempest of her own making, a sadness not too deep to bear.

I clutched my spell writing feather, its tip glowing with a pale, steadfast light. The murmurs in the crowd grew louder, a cacophony of concern and awe as Serendipity glared at me, her posture rigid with defiance. She’d underestimated me, likely thinking that an academic witch like me would falter under pressure.

“Serendipity Eutheringly,” I began, my voice carrying across the clearing. “With malice intent and actions unkind, your magic’s mettle is now confined.”

Her eyes widened, a stormy sea churning within them. I continued, the rhythm and flow of the spell rolling off my tongue effortlessly. “Twist and twirl, loop and swirl. Let your own spell unfurl.”

Within a blink, with magic streaming from the tip of my quill, my spell took hold.

Serendipity’s posture slackened, as if an invisible string had been cut. A ripple went through the crowd as her spell of sadness rebounded upon her, ensnaring her in a lattice of light and laughter.

It started as a giggling in a sound so out of place it made heads turn. Then it grew into chuckles that danced through the air like leaves in the wind. Soon enough, it was as if every soul present had caught an infectious bout of mirth.

Laughter echoed through the Shadowlands, resonating within each cabin and tree hollow.

The laughter was a balm to my frayed nerves but left me feeling drained, like a hollow shell sapped of energy by my own counter spell. I swayed on my feet, vision blurring at the edges.

“Octavia?” Cassius, still surrounded by shifters, called out from the throng, concern etching his features. “I’ll take you back to your cabin and will track down Vernon and Elzadora.”

“Find her, please.” I raised a hand to stop his advance and breathed out between shallow breaths. “I’ll manage.”

Steadying myself on a nearby tree trunk, I took measured steps toward my cabin. Each footfall echoed defiance against my weakening body. Serendipity’s laughter, with that of others joining in as my spell spread, filled the clearing behind.

At the cabin’s door, I fumbled with the handle before stepping inside the modest space that had become my refuge these past days.

Minutes passed. Or perhaps hours. The entire time, I pressed my back against the door’s interior, struggling to catch my breath, weakened from using magic, as any witch would be. Perhaps the stress of the last few days had drained me more than I cared to admit.

Scratching from outside brought me back to the moment, with Elzadora slipping in as soon as I opened the door.

“Octavia?” Serendipity’s voice filtered through the narrow opening.

“Come in. It was your cabin first,” I said, mustering what strength I had to sink into a wooden rocking chair before the hearth.

The

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