The beating continued until Layla’s willpower shattered and she transformed back into her human state.
“I’m going to take my time with you.” Bardot wrapped his diamond fingers around Layla’s neck and tightened his grip.
Layla gasped, choking as Bardot strangled her. Despite her best efforts, Layla couldn’t break the grip on her throat. Her face turned red. She flailed and fought, but her arms grew heavier with each passing second.
“NO!” I roared, hitting Bardot with as much psychic energy as possible.
“The telepath?” Bardot looked up momentarily. “Figures. The True Witch said she’d kill you. How predictable she’d fail. Still, if your best shot is to make me feel bad, you clearly don’t know me.”
It wasn’t enough to do anything. All I managed was to bypass his protective psychic wards, unraveling his thoughts. I didn’t have enough magic at my disposal to shatter his mind, to break him before he killed Layla. I failed.
Clack. Snap. Crack.
Lightning. Fire. Ice. Gravel. Each element zipped through the office in a flurry of swift slaps.
Chanelle stood in the doorway with an electric whip in hand. She’d knocked both of Bardot’s diamond swords out of the office and snatched Layla into her grasp.
Name: Chanelle Whitehurst
Branch: Arcane (Infinity Spectrum)
“Leave my students alone.” The rage and sadness in Chanelle’s eyes flooded her emotions.
Seeing her frightened students, taking in the destruction of the guild, and finding a dead Guild Master Campbell sent Chanelle into a flurry of anger.
Her mind fell into the deep depression of Jamie’s death that once consumed her. With a slow, calming breath, Chanelle buried that sorrow and focused on the future.
“Fall back, girls.” Chanelle stepped in front of them and braced herself for fighting against Bardot, the diamond witch who came to slaughter everyone within the walls of Cerberus Guild. “I’ll never let down another one of my students again.”
I wasn’tsure what my other fellow manifestations were dealing with, but the chaotic thoughts surging through the city made it clear the Celestial Coven had come. Unlike the other psychic extensions, I managed to make my way back to the Global Guild station where my core self worked.
Outside the facility, Enchanter Diaz and his interns patrolled. There was no urgency in their surface thoughts, meaning the chaos in the city hadn’t spread everywhere. A calculated strike, precision. Even though my core self had been struck down somehow from within, it seemed no one had realized yet.
“Sort of offensive the Global Guild would only assign one of theirs to guard their sanctum.”
A slender guy with dark brown skin slicked toward Diaz and his interns. I fought off a headache from the memories shoved into my thoughts before losing connection with my core self.
“Dammit,” I whispered, before linking my thoughts to Diaz and his interns. “This is one of the Celestial Coven witches. You need to be extremely careful.”
Name: Lambert Finch
Branch: Bestial (Hybridization)
I shared what little intel I had on Finch, but I didn’t know much about the hybridization branch.
“Frosty?”
“Ba-ba-bawk.”
“That sounds like a dangerous branch.”
“We need to stay on guard, Duchess.”
“I’m absolutely flattered the Celestial Coven would send a fellow bestial branch witch to face me,” Diaz said with a cocky grin. “Priscilla and I can’t wait to test our might against you.”
The armored bear roared ferociously as Diaz pulled out his enchanted sword.
“Please, you familiar witches think you’re of the same caliber as me?” Finch scoffed, disgust pouring off his tongue. “You lot insult the bestial branch.”
