“I will not be defeated.” Moire’s severed limbs and broken bits fell away, leaving only a string of symbols that took on the form of a giant beast.
“I’ve had enough of sentient magic to last ten lifetimes,” I said, unleashing as much telepathy as I could spare to shatter the enraged consciousness of this living grimoire.
“I am the most powerful witch in the world,” Moire screeched, bleeding ink and shattering nearby memories.
They wouldn’t be gone permanently, so long as I had a chance to mend Katherine’s mind later, but if Moire kept this up, she’d leave Katherine a broken shell.
“Enough of this.” I used all the magic at my disposal to contain Moire’s wrath.
“I created more spells than any enchantment witch before me,” Moire roared. “I offered the Celestial Coven greatness. I am far more than any pillar. I am the knowledge itself. Unstoppable.”
“How’s that superiority taste?” Katherine asked, holding a flame between her hands. “Is it as delicious as you thought?”
I created a buffer long enough for Katherine to chant a new spell, one which lit Moire ablaze. As the grimoire burned outside, Moire burned in here. Soon her beastly form crumbled to cinders and floating ash.
“Get the hell out of my head,” Katherine wheezed, fully exhausted, but standing triumphant against a member of the Celestial Coven.
“Good job,” I said with a small smile and a nod of approval. “You were amazing, Katherine.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to do this without your help, Mr.—er, Enchanter Frost.”
“Either is fine,” I said. “Now, let’s go help the others.”
“Right.” Katherine nodded. “I might have the perfect spell to give them an edge against The True Witch.”
“Good.” I carried my consciousness toward the surface of Katherine’s mind, prepared to do all I could to assist in Amara’s defeat.
When Katherine fully awoke, she stared at the burned grimoire, torn and scorched pages scattered all around her. All signs of Moire’s consciousness had vanished. Definitely a cruel fate, but she didn’t leave us much choice in the matter. I wasn’t about to let an evil grimoire shatter Katherine’s mind and leave her body a living puppet.
“No,” Katherine whispered in absolute horror.
Her petrified expression nearly locked me in place, lost in her fear. I turned to see Caleb and Tara defeated and unconscious at Amara’s feet.
“We’re too late.”
“Whatdo we do?” Katherine trembled, knees ready to buckle any second. “I can’t fight her on my own. I can’t—”
“You aren’t alone.” I kept my manifested form linked to her mind, conserving as much of my remaining strength as possible.
My hope was that, with Moire gone, it’d limit Amara’s access to those tattooed spells she always utilized.
“I can get past her guard,” I thought. “I’ll shatter her mind while you trap her.”
“She’s got a dozen different protection spells at the ready.” Katherine eyed Amara’s tattooed chest and shoulders. “No way I break through all of them in one go.”
“They might be on the fritz since Moire is gone.”
“Doubtful.” Katherine shook her head. “These are prepared spells. The magic and energy to create them are already in place. They literally only require a simple activation trigger.”
“Dammit.”
“With Moire gone, The True Witch might not get new spells anytime soon, but she still has full access to everything else.”
“Then I’ll go in and shatter her mind—what parts I can.” Iprepared to leap out of Katherine’s head. “While I hold her back, you grab Caleb and Tara and get as far away from this place as possible.”
Amara turned her gaze toward us, piercing green eyes falling to the burned grimoire.
“Impressive, little girl.” Amara smirked, no sign of sadness or empathy for her fallen coven mate. “Few can hold their own against such a titan of knowledge.”
