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She giggled and almost danced on the spot with glee. “You’re so silly, Charlie. You just let me walk you right in here.”
“Listen, whatever fucked-up shit you’re going to try to do, can you leave it for now? We are about to be attacked!”
“Charlie, you’ve already been attacked.”
She looked so pleased with herself it confused me, and I had to ask, “What?”
She waved her hands at the cage I found myself in. “Don’t bother struggling. It’s too late for that.”
A shocked laugh startled both of us. I was hysterical, laughing until tears streamed down my face. When I was calm enough, I said, “Your seduction tactics need work, but seriously, you need to let me out now. I need to talk to the council about hunters.”
“Who said anything about seduction?” She set her bag down and started pulling stuff out of it.
I had no clue what she was doing, but the more pressing issue of the hunters made me call out to Clawdia.“Hey, Karin’s trapped me in a circle, and I can’t get out, but can you go to the council and tell them the hunters are on their way. They need to lock this place down right now. Then come get me.”
Usually when I spoke to her, I could hear her response or feel her presence. But it was like she’d disappeared.Why the fuck can’t I hear her? Feel her? Why isn’t she replying?
I looked at the witch in front of me, the witch I knew Clawdia was going to see today and currently had me trapped. Suddenly, this didn’t seem like a game or a prank anymore.
“What have you done to Clawdia?” I asked darkly.If she’s harmed a hair on her head …
“Oh, that?” She didn’t even look up as she replied, and I froze. “Nothing. I just didn’t want her to be able to contact anyone or you’ll be able to stop me.”
“Stop you doing what?” I asked, the knot in my stomach turning to ice as I realized the seriousness of this.
“Getting a familiar, of course.”
“What do you mean? How is trapping me here going to get you a familiar?”
“I’m not trapping you. I’m killing you.”
I coughed, choking on my own saliva. “You’re crazy. You literally tried to seduce me yesterday, and now you’re going to try to kill me?”
She stood up and shrugged, her eyes serious and … bored. “Just testing how I could get you alone. Thankfully, you provided me with just the right opportunity at the right time.”
I shook my head and stepped back until the cage zapped me to stop me going any further. “You don’t have any power. You can’t kill me.”
Her bored expression fell away to reveal an evil sneer. “Not with my power, no.”
“What does that even mean?” I asked, my eyes getting bigger as I took in my surroundings, looking for bottles of fire or other magic that she might have hoarded.
“You didn’t come here to donate magic to strengthen the wards. Clawdia did, though. Yesterday. We managed to get a good bit of power from her. Enough that I could create the tea she so willingly took from me this morning. Ironic, really.”
“You’ve been draining the wards to use the magic?”
She gave a slow round of applause. “Very clever, Charlie.”
“You can’t drain the wards, Karin.” I stepped closer, panting as panic clawed up my throat. “Please listen to me. The hunters know about this island and are on their way. We need the wards—“
She interrupted me. “But if I do, I’ll be able to kill you, drain your magic, bind the most powerful familiar in the world to me, and then I’ll be able to stop the hunters before they step foot on land.”
“You’re so dumb,” I choked, actually shocked at how pigheaded she was being when we were about to be attacked.
“You can’t stop this from happening, I’m afraid.”
“Will you just warn the council then? So they are prepared in case you can’t stop the hunters.” In a last-ditch attempt, I started begging, “Please. Fuck, if you’re going to kill me, I need to know the others are going to be okay.”
Is this the moment Zaide gets caught? Because of me? And I’m fucking dead, so I can’t even find him?
