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Turning her head she gave Isabella a look she hoped said, Are you crazy? “Right now, any non-magics are probably totally confused and have rationalized that the shot of magic was a large muzzle flash. If we suddenly vanished into thin air, it will be the first thing people will tell the police and news crews when they arrive. Plus, we don’t know if the restaurant has cameras and that could catch us flashing.”
“Right. I wasn’t thinking. There hasn’t been another call for magics again and it’s gotten kind of quiet. Maybe they’ve left. Take a look, but be careful.”
Kate nodded. Already facing the front of the room, she scooted backward so she could come up on the back side of the table. It wouldn’t be much cover, but she wanted the table between her and the guys in the front, hoping they wouldn’t see her.
Sending some magic to her legs for a bit of extra strength and support, she balanced on half-bent knees without needing to hold onto anything. Using visible magic in public wasn’t something she ever thought she’d need to do, but she wanted her hands free in case she needed to get off a blast of power.
She shoved up, her eyes just above the edge of the table. “Fuck it,” she whispered to herself and called on more magic, slightly blurring her image to anyone watching her. She hoped anyone who saw it could rationalize it away due to their state of panic.
Kate took in what she could, but there were pillars blocking about thirty percent of the front. What tables she could see were surrounded by empty seats. Some tables had people huddled together underneath them, but not as many as she’d expected. Hopefully, that meant most of the people had escaped during the chaos.
The second guy who had burst through the door stood next to someone crouching down or kneeling. There were too many tables in the way for Kate to figure out what he was doing; only the top of his head was visible.
To the right of the two men were some people standing in a row, but they were too far away for her to know if they were magic. If it wasn’t for the blast of magic the first guy threw, she wouldn’t have known he was magic either.
The urge to stand up taller to see what was going on ate at her like a fierce itch that begged to be scratched.
At a tug on her jeans, she looked down.
Anything? Isabella threw the thought into her mind.
I can’t tell what’s happening. I’m going to listen.
Looking back at the front of the room, Kate sent some magic to her ears to enhance her hearing.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Standing Guy asked.
“Fuckin’ relax, man. I just need to get the guy’s wallet for ID to prove who he is.”
A moment later, Crouching Man jumped to his feet and held up a wallet like it was a trophy before shoving it in his pocket. He nodded at Standing Guy and they both walked over to the line of people.
Kate still couldn’t tell how many people were in the line, but she could see four before her line of sight was cut off by a pillar. From the angle Crouching Man was facing, she expected there were at least a few more.
“You have a choice to make,” Crouching Man directed to the group. “You come with us and serve Maverick, or you end up like him,” he said as he half-turned and pointed to the floor behind him. It didn’t take much brain power for Kate to know there was a dead body on the ground. Likely the first guy who had run into the restaurant.
“Fuck you!” someone said.
“Your choice,” Standing Guy said and raised his hand toward the line of people. A second later a scream pierced the air.
“Shut the fuck up!” Crouching Man yelled, and the screaming stopped as if a switch had been flicked. “Now, we’ll ask again. You can join Maverick or end up dead like these two fuckers. What will it be?”
Kate didn’t wait to hear what they were going to choose. Ducking back under the table, she cut the extra power to her hearing. They’ve got magics lined up. She paused before sending another message as she was only able to send less than ten words at a time. They’re killing anyone who doesn’t agree to join Maverick.
Isabella grabbed Kate’s arm and pulled, almost toppling her over. She managed to steady herself and Isabella spoke right into her ear. “Repeat what I say.”
What? Kate asked telepathically.
“Don’t argue,” Isabella whispered. “Just repeat what I say. It can’t be done telepathically. Say the words.”
Kate wasn’t sure what Isabella was doing but nodded anyway.
“With these whispered words, a mystical defense is spun.”
As soon as she heard the words, Kate knew that Isabella was giving her Reece’s protection spell. She immediately repeated each line.
“Cloaked in safety, by the moon and the sun.
Weave a shield, protect my frame.”
