A high-pitched scream drew Milo’s attention. Hovering high in the sky, a small child wriggled in terror, surrounded by a shimmer of light.
“You might be immune to our casting efforts, but these mortal fools aren’t,” said the devil possessing Enchanter Lopez. He held the child by the collar of their shirt with one hand and tapped his forehead with the other. “One thing I’ve learned, studying the mind of this feeble witch, is that enchanters such as yourself waste time and energy protecting the vulnerable.”
Milo glared, still focusing his banishment on expelling the devil from Richard Kingston.
“Your species would be so much stronger if you all collectively culled the weak,” the devil said, teleporting away, and leaving the small child to plummet.
Milo leapt into action, flying faster than he’d ever done before, and catching the child midair. It wasn’t enough. A shimmer of light appeared, quickly followed by a man’s scream. Milo spotted another bystander falling from a terrible height. He soared over, wrapping the man in a telekinetic grip.
Shimmers of light sparked from every direction, carrying a screaming person in their wake. Some of the bystanders snatched into the sky were able to levitate on their own accord, but many required Milo’s intervention. He swept back and forth, catching innocent people before they plummeted to their deaths. As he held nearly thirty people in his telekinetic grasp, waves of magical strikes came from below.
Deadly plants erupted from the earth. Shards of jagged ice catapulted ahead. Golden chains bound the witches who tried to fly away on their own.
Milo did everything in his power to dodge the strikes, weaving not only himself, but everyone in his grasp. It took all he had to sweep through the sky, keeping every single person safe.
Kingston zipped through the air and hovered in front of Milo in a flash. His hand was clawed from the devil’s vampiric nature slipping through. The hand was bloody, though. I blinked with confusion, mine and Milo’s.
Blood trickled down Milo’s face, making his vision splotchy. He’d been slashed across the face.
“Aren’t you a tasty treat?” The devil licked his clawed fingers, then lunged for Milo and sank his fangs into Milo’s neck.
I quivered, synced to Milo’s aching body. A rush of heat swept over him, followed by an icy chill that left him drained. Milo’s magic waned, giving way to the civilians he held telekinetically. His eyes rolled back, locked in Kingston’s embrace as he gorged on Milo’s blood.
There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t help Milo. I couldn’t interact. I couldn’t reach my core self. All I could do was watch Milo’s agonizing death.
The devil laughed, leaning back some and basking in the bloody mess he had made. “You were a fool to think you could defeat us on your own.”
And in that instance, a fist struck Enchanter Kingston with such tremendous force that it sent him propelling to the ground and crashing through the street several hundred feet.
“He’s not alone.” Gladiatrix floated beside Milo, fury on her face and body tensed for combat.
Gladiatrixgrabbed hold of the people Milo had lost a grip on, then used her telekinesis to send them all far enough to safely escape. As she descended to the streets with Milo, Wadsworth flew over and immediately went to work on Milo’s arm, neck, and face.
“Damn, dumb kid.” Wadsworth jerked Milo’s arm, twisting it despite Milo’s pained yelps and pleas. “Shut up. I have to examine the infection. That sensory bullshit can have long-term effects. Do you want to be in constant agony for the rest of your life?”
Milo shook his head.
“Then shut the fuck up and let me work.” Wadsworth glowered. “Gladiatrix, can you handle them while I tend to this goddamn idiot? If I don’t deal with these injuries now, they’ll never heal right.”
“Don’t worry about—” Milo groaned when Wadsworth thumped his broken forearm.
“I can handle the top three.” Gladiatrix shifted her stance. “But the others? I’m gonna need help on that one.”
“Cocky,” Wadsworth said. “I know you think theyintentionally hold your ranking back, but the top three aren’t to be quarreled with.”
“Oh, I know.” Gladiatrix smirked. “But I also know those devils can only harness about half of our magic while suppressing our consciousness. Plus, they don’t possess any of our trained instincts.”
“They have their own hellish instincts,” Wadsworth said. “But alas, I can’t handle the others. I’d need to take my Infinite State, which would mean no healing Enchanter Dumbass here.”
“Hey,” Milo whined. “I saved your lives. It was all part of my plan. Exorcise you two, hold off the other eight, you come into action, and the day is saved. Sort of. Still, lots of other moving pieces.”
“Like I said, Enchanter Dumbass needs me.” Wadsworth went to work healing Milo.
“That’s okay,” Gladiatrix said. “I brought my own backup.”
“Which I accounted for, too,” Milo insisted, revealing mental musings of the speedy flight plan he booked. “You’re welcome.”
Two masked witches flew from a distance, making their way closer until Gladiatrix had a clear sight of King Liberty and Queen of Jesters.
