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I throw up a shield, but it’s not strong enough to protect us from it. My shield fails almost instantly, and the bookshelf is a mere foot away from slamming right into me. Luckily, Rukh is stronger. He throws up a second shield, much stronger than the one I attempted to protect us with.
His shield is not only successful, but it counteracts as a rebound spell, causing everything to bounce right off of it and back into her. She easily dodges it, still laughing. This is a game to her.
“Nice.” She smirks. “I love it when my prey fights back.”
“I am not your prey,” Rukh simply says before sending a wall of fire at her.
For a moment, the flames are all I see, but they stay controlled. I’m sure that she’ll be nothing but a crisp when they dissipate. But as they recede, I see that I’m sorely mistaken.
It seems that maybe we’ve misjudged how powerful this witch really is. Or rather, I did. Rukh doesn’t seem fazed that the witch still stands behind a shield of her own, with her arms crossed against her chest.
Anger threatens to take over me as I wonder what it would’ve been like growing up as powerful as her. What it would be like to be able to properly defend myself like this. But more than that, it angers me that she would abuse her power like this. That witches like her are the reason that people like me are getting wrongly accused and thrown out of their homes, or worse, sentenced to death.
Her gaze snaps to mine, and her smile widens, showing all of her teeth.
“Jealous?” she asks as if reading my mind.
“Not even a little.”
“Really? It doesn’t bother you at all that you need this demon to protect you, while I don’t? I could teach you, you know. I could teach you how to kill someone like him. How to be extraordinary. We could take over any one of these towns together.”
I stare into those black eyes, seeing her for who she truly is. A tired, lonely, sad witch. And I could never be jealous of someone like that. So I tell her my truth.
“I may be weaker than you, but I would rather have zero power than be someone with too much, who has no idea how to use it. Sure, you can throw any spell you want my way. You can walk around killing anyone you want and make everyone believe that it was someone else. But at the end of the day, you’re alone. At the end of the day, you have no one to help you if you need it. You’re pathetic, and the only joy you have in life is taking away from others. And I would never, ever want to be like that. I would rather die.”
“I can make that happen,” she retorts, sailing right past all my insults.
“You will do no such thing.” Rukh growls, stepping forward. “This is enough. You will die for your crimes.”
“Is that so?” That creepy smile returns to her face. “Try me.”
And so he does. Tendrils of black mist, just like the ones I saw him use against those elves, make their way towards her. She closes her eyes and puts her hands up in front of her, palms facing us.
The tendrils continue to make their way towards her, but she does nothing. I admire the confidence she has in herself, but she should really be running. Finally, the black mist is only a foot away from her when it hits an invisible wall and starts sizzling away. Her shield reduces it to almost nothing.
The witch’s eyes are still closed, but the corners of her mouth are lifting up. Rukh steps closer, and more tendrils fly at her shield, these ones thicker and darker. It doesn’t take long before these ones are eating away at the invisible wall and slipping right past it.
Her eyes fly open, and the small smile she wore now turns into a look of pure wrath. She tries to reinforce her shields, but before she can, the tendrils are wrapping around her arms and burning her skin.
She lets out a shriek so loud that I’m sure everyone within a few miles radius can hear her. It takes everyone in me not to cringe or cover my ears.
Rukh walks closer and closer to her, her body now completely covered with his black mist, leaving only her face out in the open. A face so angry that if looks could kill, I know for a fact that I’d be dead.
“You will apologize to her for being the reason she was cast out of her hometown,” Rukh demands.
“You may be able to kill me, but you can’t make me do that.”
“You’re right. Besides, I don’t actually think she needs an apology from you. I’m sure doing the honor of killing you will be more than enough.”
My eyes widen. Does he mean that? He can’t possibly think I’m strong enough. But he turns his head to look at me and nods.
I take a few steps in their direction, staring at that evil face. She definitely deserves to die. She’s been killing innocent people for months now. So why am I so hesitant to do this? I should be jumping at the chance.
I stop in my tracks. Because I’m better than this, that’s why.
“No,” I say.
Rukh raises an eyebrow at me, clearly confused.
