“Putting your hands on my student will be your downfall.” I waved a hand, conjuring a gust to smother the protective tentacles. “Katherine, this is your mind. Anything you will into belief will aid you. Trust your magic, trust yourself.”
“Right.” She nodded nervously, still shaken by having her autonomy stripped away by this vicious witch.
“The girl was but a tool, one with a potent enchantment branch, but I’ve brought down witches ten times her level.”
“You haven’t faced anyone of my level.” Katherine took a shaky breath and whispered a spell, summoning the same elemental tentacles as Moire. “Just as you were in my head, I was in yours.”
“Learn much did you?”
“Memorized every wicked spell, from the foulest constructs to the most deadly of assaults.” Katherine waved her arms in Moire’s direction, commanding her elemental tentacles to lash out.
As Moire leapt away, I stomped my foot onto the ground, willing the earth to reach out and stop her. Clawed hands made of mud and gravel grabbed at the witch, each one slowing Moire’s escape, stalling her evasion.
Water and fire collided, coiling around the witch in a steamy explosion, followed by a dozen other elemental bombardments. Katherine didn’t relent for a second, channeling more magic into the spell and binding Moire within a hundred elemental tentacles.
“You two truly believe that will be enough to stop a witch of the Celestial Coven,” Moire said from behind us.
I whipped around, only to get struck back with a powerful pulse of telekinesis.
“You read my spells, girl.” Moire breathed a piece of twine between her fingers, extending her hands far apart to show the length of the thread. “But you have no understanding of spell craft magic. We are creation itself. The greatest of all magics. It is I alone who keeps the Celestial Coven safe from threats; it is I who conjures the necessary craftsmanship these witches require to be the supreme deities they aspire to be once more.”
Katherine clapped her hands, creating a gray spark between her palms. It darted ahead, sizzling along the thread Moire held until the magic in her spell fizzled out. Did Katherine just use a spell to copy Kenzo’s branch? She must’ve done that without his permission because no way was Kenzo going to sit down and assist Katherine in that spell.
“I will admit, you have some top-tier spells,” Katherine said with a smile. “More elite than anything I’ve ever laid my eyes on. It took me weeks to decipher the codex you used in your grimoire. And when I finally did, I still couldn’t comprehend the levels of some of your creations.”
Spell craft allowed an enchantment witch to write their own spells, speak them into existence, but a witch only had so much magic to channel. Katherine’s mind whispered ideas to exploit Moire’s energy, drain her, and bring her down.
“You really believe she’s at her limit?” I linked our minds.
“Nowhere close,” Katherine replied. “But I learned something about her while she was controlling me.”
“What’s that?”
“I just need you to distract her long enough for me to regain control of my body.”
Of course, even with Katherine’s mind made her own again, her body was still entranced by Moire’s grasp.
“I’ll kick her out of your head.”
“No.” Katherine glared at Moire. “I don’t want her getting away.”
Perhaps Moire’s body was far away, tucked somewhere safe. If I expelled her now, Katherine would be free, but the witch would have the advantage of an ambush. With Tara and Caleb already fighting against Amara, I couldn’t risk letting Moire escape to counterstrike later.
“Okay.” I cracked my neck. “What do you need me to do?”
“Hold the bitch back while I work on a new spell.” Katherine dropped to her knees, immediately going to work, tracing symbols into the dirt.
“Oh, little one, I’m tempted to let you write out whatever sad spell you think will offer you victory.” Moire sauntered toward us. “The devastation when you realize you’re up against someone far superior to you will be delicious.”
“How about you focus on me?” I said, teleporting behind Moire and swinging a fist.
Before I connected, she created a green shield, protecting herself.
“Nice barrier.” I commanded the shield to bend inward, wrapping around Moire and slowly crushing her. “Anything you can do, I can manipulate. You might have a million spells, but I have a billion bizarre thoughts.”
Moire screamed, creating a skull-crushing headache that shook my focus. Once free, she flew away, hurling fireballs at me. I smacked them back toward her, commanding they take on a lion’s form. The fiery cats lunged for Moire, roaring furiously with the full intention of tearing open the witch’s jugular.
But Moire hissed a spell, calling forth rain clouds. The lions roared as they were engulfed by a watery death. The droplets splashed down on me, harmless at first, but almost instantly followed by a painful pinch.
