Page 116 of Autumn L.A.W

A bright beam of light shot out from Rosa's head. Another shaft of light shot from Victoria’s. The lights crossed and sank back into their respective bodies. Both women fell back onto the grass, eyes open wide.

Duke rushed forward. He held out a hand to each of them. “Rosa?” he asked, looking at the short woman with gray hair. “Victoria?” he asked the long, leggy brunette.

“I’m here!” The tall brunette grasped his hand, jumped up, and twirled. “I’m me again!” With tears in her eyes, she threw her arms around Duke and murmured, “Thank you!”

Duke grinned.

Behind them, Rosa checked her pockets. “Crap. What did you do with my cigarettes?”

The rogue sorceress, being watched in the cabin by Lioness and Sahara, let out a blood-curdling scream. Duke, Victoria, and the remaining witches ran into the cabin.

The room shook with the force of the sorceress trying to counter the spell, causing objects that had previously been cloaked to rattle and fall to the floor. The witches who had just arrived watched in awe as their fellow witches’ spell fought the Sorceress.

“What’s happening?” Victoria yelled over the crashing jars and pottery.

The Sorceress called out, “You fools! Merlin placed a curse on that spell. Trying to undo it will result in irreparable damage!”

“How do we stop it?” Victoria asked.

“It cannot be undone.” She cackled. “One of you will pay a hefty price!”

Duke quickly taught the witches a chant meant to work as a protection spell. They all chanted together, but the sorceress just laughed. “Nothing will protect you!”

Duke paused only to address the other witches. “Victoria and I will face this together. The rest of you had little to do with it. Get out!”

The witches hesitated.

“I mean it! I need you out of here! Trust me!”

The seven backup witches trusted the librarian's wisdom and left the cabin.

Victoria and Duke held hands across the sorceress’s flat body and continued to chant, their voices growing louder and more intense with each passing moment. The rogue woman struggled against the containment spell's hold, but it was no use. She was no match for the combined power of two skilled and powerful witches with immense motivation.

As the spell reached its peak, the rogue sorceress let out one final scream before she was fully engulfed in smoke and flame.

Then she disappeared.

The room fell silent, the only sound being the heavy breathing of Victoria and Duke as they released their hold on the spell and each other.

With a flick of her wrist, Victoria banished the residual smoke, revealing the charred outline of the rogue sorceress on the floorboards. Duke approached Victoria cautiously, ready to take her into his arms.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes. Are you?”

“I’m relieved!” He smiled. “Ding dong, the bitch is dead.” They shared a long, tight hug.

Hand-in-hand, they left the room, grinning. The other witches erupted into cheers and applause. Victoria and Duke shared a knowing smile.

“You successfully completed your mission and restored peace to our community!” Duke announced to the group.

“The preloaded capture spell proved to be a powerful tool in our fight against the rogue sorceress,” Victoria said. “I think we should all feel a sense of relief and accomplishment. But you did more than any of us, Duke. I was honestly afraid that at least one of us wouldn’t come out of this alive. Why do you think the sorceress paid the price instead of one of us?” she asked.

“Merlin was a powerful Druid. He and others like him were feared by those who didn’t understand their form of justice. As frightening as they might have appeared, they were committed to righting wrongs and keeping balance in the world.”

From the outside, it may have seemed like a simple capture of a rogue witch, but for Victoria, it was a reminder of the strength and unity of their coven, and the importance of using their powers for good.

“What should we do with this cabin?” Joell asked.