Page 34 of Catatonic


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Debs sneered, “Why would we do that, familiar? Your magic will ensure he is not just alive, but back to full strength.”

I clenched my fists as fear turned to anger and I realized that she wasn’t doing this for the good of the world. She was doing it for the power and the fame. She didn’t care who she hurt to get it. We would be nothing but collateral damage.

Her orange line swayed next to her, drawing my attention. I wanted that line to wrap around her throat like a boa constrictor. I wanted her throat to feel tight and sore and I wanted her to feel fear as she realized she couldn’t take a breath.

So focused on my imaginings, I almost missed her raising her hand to her throat and coughing. I blinked. The line hadn’t wrapped around her throat, but it had turned from orange to red. Debs spluttered and massaged her neck as though suddenly suffering from a cough.

Did I do that, or was it just a coincidence?

Zaide interrupted my musings. “Little Cat. Charlie—”

“If you are about to make a ‘before we die’ speech, I don’t want to hear it. There’s no way these fuckers win.” Charlie stopped him before he could finish.

I nodded agreeing. “These lines are attached to witches. I think I can affect them somehow, but I don’t know if I can affect all of them at once.”

Charlie frowned at the salt line on the ground. “These witches drained themselves of magic to give it to someone else. They should be weakened. Maybe we can draw some magic back from the ground and give it to you to help with reach?”

Give magic to—?my brain repeated, and then it clicked.

“Charlie.” I put my hands on his shoulders. “You’re a genius!” I gripped his face and pulled him to me to peck him on the lips. “Close your eyes. Focus on finding your magic. It's in your center. Push it out to where you can feel me touching you."

"Clawdia—'' Charlie started as I took his hand and gripped Zaide’s with the other.

"Do it," Zaide snapped.

I felt Zaide's magic first. He was good at meditation and had taught me how to reach my cat, so I expected him to be the best at this, but what shocked me was the feel of it. How I knew it was him. How it greeted me like a long-lost love, kissing its way through my body. It felt calming and comforting and joyous.

Debs had recovered enough to shout, “Start the drain!”

My eyes shot open. We were about to get a first-hand experience of what Savida must have gone through when Winnie and Mary took his fire.

Terror gripped me. My legs shook, my pulse raced, and my heart seemed to hide in my ears with how loudly it beat.

"Charlie,” I hissed.

His hand clenched around mine, and his closed eyes squeezed. “I’m fucking trying, Clawdia, but I'm new to the magic thing, remember?"

When the witches started chanting, my blood ran cold, and all the magic buzzing under my skin froze.

Zaide whispered, "Little Cat, whatever you were going to try, now would be a good time."

I nodded, my breaths coming in shallow pants. Closing my eyes, I tried to block out the chanting and concentrated on the magic swirling within me. Charlie's magic hit me like a ton of bricks suddenly and painfully, whooshing through our connecting hands, sending my nerves sparking with power.

“Ouch. But thank you.”

Opening my eyes, I found the lines were brighter, clearer. The same colors and shapes, but they seemed to throb with power, power I would try to control.

A crunch sounded, distracting me from my task, as the cage cracked and shrank. Zaide, Charlie, and I stumbled into each other as we fell to the ground. Our arms wrapped around each other tightly as we watched the witches chant.

Pain rippled across me in waves which drew more and more of the power that I needed to save us out of my body. Power that I had already taken from Zaide and Charlie.

What have I done?

"Fuck!" I heard Charlie shout and grit his teeth.

Zaide grunted as he, too, began to feel the drain. He struggled to turn his head to look at me. "Little Cat," he panted, "I don't think Daithi or the gods are coming. Please, try for us."

I gulped and ignored the tears falling down my face. I ignored the chanting. I ignored the grunts and howls of pain from my men. I ignored the pain of magic being torn from my body.

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