The Spells We Cast by Jason June

Author:Jason June [June, Jason]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2023-10-03T00:00:00+00:00

I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG WE STAND THERE. I DON’T KNOW WHEN Ori’s vomit turns to white, foamy bile. Why don’t I feel more like celebrating? I mean, I feel good in a way; we just stopped a Depraved. Meema’s going to love that. This is what we’re supposed to do as members of the Guild. There’s something magical—no pun intended—about Ori and me working together and ridding the world of evil. Our magics magnified, just like Bex said they would. I was nearly tapped out, but one touch with Ori and that Depraved was gone in seconds. Though staring at the leftover cube of bone makes my stomach turn. Especially considering how Pallavit almost shared the same fate.

My blood turns cold as ice.

What we have…it could be dangerous.

With a high-pitched whinny of triumph, Frosty canters over. My shoulders sag with relief to see Pallavit beaming from her position on their back like she wasn’t almost killed.

“What a wild ride, baby!” Even hoarse, her voice swells with excitement. She climbs off Frosty, laughing to herself the entire time. When her feet touch the ground, she practically runs over to give both me and Ori a squeeze.

“I’ve never seen such quick handiwork!” she says. “You’ve got to be the strongest apprentices in years!”

“They certainly are.” Alister’s expression is strange. Confused. Maybe even disappointed.

I glance at Ori, but his face is blank, as if he didn’t hear them.

“But…what about you?” I almost don’t want to break the spell of victory. It’s the first time I’ve really been praised since starting the Culling. But I need to know what happened back there. “We almost turned you into—” I gesture to the Depraved cube.

Pallavit waves me off. “So you don’t know your own strength. We’ll figure out a way to harness it.” She gives both of our shoulders a shake. “The Depraved won’t know what hit ’em.”

“No time to celebrate just yet, Pallavit,” Alister says. “They still need to cure their victims.”

“I thought there’d only be one,” I say.

Alister looks at me like I’m an idiot. “Oh yes, restraint is what the Depraved are known for.” He motions to Ori. “You get the girl.” Then he gestures for me to carry the boy.

Now that we’re not fighting for our lives, my ears finally register the victims’ screaming again. They’ve been yelling this whole time, but I don’t know if that battle took five minutes or five hours. The victims’ eyes are still closed, their minds still seeing whatever horrors the Depraved cursed them to. Their yells do nothing to chase the memory of the Depraved’s tortured scream, much less Pallavit’s, from my mind.

Alister shakes me. “Move!”

Ori walks forward as though spelled. There’s no confidence in his gait, no perfectly cocky grin tilting up the side of his mouth. He makes an effigy of the girl from a doll in his bag and uses it to have her float next to him. When he looks my way, his face twists in disgust.

“What did you do?” he hisses.

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