Page 112 of Autumn L.A.W

“That’s Rosa, the dry cleaner. She’s still in my body, so she’s on house arrest, but we don’t have to tie her to the bed anymore. I think she wants out of this mess as much as the real me does.”

“Seriously? She wants to go back to her old life?”

“I don’t know about her life, but she misses her old body. She says she feels like a giraffe.”

Duke laughed. He couldn’t help it, after spending time with Victoria, who’d had several mishaps trying to get her short legs to stretch as far as her real legs would have. Once she landed in a river while trying to jump from rock to rock to cross it. Another time, she couldn’t stretch from one rung of a primitive ladder to the next, and he’d had to haul her up.

“Okay, let’s try this last-ditch effort. I know the L.A.W. isn’t at full strength without you, but how many do you have who aren’t on assignment right now?”

“Chad has been holding off any non-emergencies, so we can give you all 7 witches and non-magical me.”

“You’re still a witch. You might not have any supernatural powers right now, but you know how to help cast a spell. I might need you to activate a trapping spell if the rest of the women can occupy the sorceress long enough.”

“You set it up, and all I have to do is push a button or something?”

“Something like that. I’ll set it to activate if you say the magic words.”

“Which are?”

“Think it over and come up with something you’ll remember and she won’t guess.”

“I’m sure I can do something simple like that. How dangerous is this woman?”

“I’m pretty sure she has the power of invisibility. Not only that, but she also transported me from inside her cabin to the outside, instantly, without opening a door or using a Star Trek transporter.”

“Wow! I don’t think any of us can pull that off. Laws of physics, and all…”

“Yes, well, the predicament you’re in defies the laws of physics too.”

“You’re right about that. So, we really need this woman, or entity, or whatever she is…”

“I’m afraid so. The good news is I know where she lives, and I’m coming for her.”

Duke didn’t pace. He prowled. Back and forth across the jungle floor, fingers flexing, jaw tight, as if his thoughts might catch up and tackle him if he stopped moving.

A sorceress who could vanish mid-step. Slip through space like it had an invisible revolving door. Probably a few more party tricks she hadn’t bothered to show yet.

Great.

“Say it out loud,” Joell called from the table, not looking up from the map she’d stabbed full of pins. “You’re thinking so hard it’s distracting to the psychics.”

Duke dragged his hand through his hair. “We need everyone.”

That got their attention.

“The witches,” he said. “All of you. Battle-ready.”

Lioness’s mouth curved. “Finally. I was getting bored.”

Victoria folded her arms. “You think she’s that strong?” she asked.

“I think,” Duke said, “we’ve only seen the demo version.”

Magda pushed off the wall. “Well, I didn’t bring my good boots for nothing.”

That was that. No need to vote or debate. Just the quiet, collective shift from theory to war.

Duke exhaled sharply. “We hit her at the cabin.”