Page 9 of Catatonic


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“Maybe you should come in here and check her yourself.” I smiled innocently. It was a long shot, but we were imprisoned, what else did we have to lose?

She laughed. “I don’t think that will be happening.”

I smirked. “Then I suppose you’ll have to live in suspense.”

She growled again and then waved her hand in the direction of Clawdia, muttering gobbledygook. A shot of light blasted from her hand, raced past me, and hit Clawdia. Her body jumped on impact, and I felt a jolt of pain come from her. I let out a low moan and moved away from the bars, stopping next to Clawdia.

“Clawdicat? You all right?”

Peachy.I bit back a laugh at her sarcasm.

I coughed. “Well, if she wasn’t asleep then, she’s unconscious now. Conked her head something rotten.” I moved to stroke her hair.

“Sorry.”

“It’s all right. ‘Tis merely a flesh wound.”

My mouth twitched before I could stop it.“You watched too much Netflix.”

“What else was I supposed to do?”

I must not have been as spy-like as I thought because Debs narrowed her eyes and said, “I see the bond has taken, then. She is now your familiar. Interesting that gods of another dimension would know how to manage that when our people have struggled to even summon familiars in the first place.”

I shrugged. “They're gods, Debs. Don’t know what you want me to say.”

“It’s also interesting that you managed to hold the bond.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I narrowed my eyes and stopped petting Clawdia's hair.

“Only a strong witch can hold the bond. You managed to take on a familiar with no instructors or practice, which tells me you have a lot of natural magic.” She sneered. “We would’ve taken you in. Trained you. You could’ve been great. But you have ruined our chances of survival. You are a traitor to your people. You should and will pay for your crimes.”

“Firstly, my people? Debs, babe." I felt Clawdia snigger, but Debs didn't notice. She was focused only on me. And boy, did I have a rant for her. "I found out I was a witch literally a week ago. I don’t owe you anything. I owed more to the demon whose fire you tried to use in a fucking stupid ceremony to revive someone for no good reason.

Secondly, fuck you and the horse you rode in on. I might be a magical whiz, but I’m not a murderer. I wouldn’t have wanted your training if it came with that price. You’re calling yourselves the good guys but acting like the supernatural mafia. Fuck you. And thirdly, I don’t care about your survival.”

She blinked a few times. “Our whole world is under threat. Humans and supernatural creatures of our realm are being taken and distributed across dimensions. Otherworlders are using our realm like they are on a day out to the strawberry farm!” she screeched and stamped her foot. It was comical, really.

“The strawberry farm? Really?”

She snarled. “You’re laughing, but your family will be taken next, and then you’ll be sorry.”

Really hasn’t done her homework on me, then. I’m a little insulted.

“So it’s all about fear, then.”

“What?”

“Your whole plan is to close portals so no one else can be taken.”

“That’s right.”

“And what about those that have already been taken? You’re leaving them to otherworlder slavers? What if they have already escaped? How can they get home when you’ve blocked the portals?”

She swallowed, and I jumped on her vulnerability. “Centuries of ancestral work collecting fire from demons. Centuries of calling demons for that rainy-day possibility, following the instructions of an old book instead of thinking up a better way. Just admit you’ve fucked up. You attracted the slavers to this realm by calling portals to take demons. You witches drew attention to our realm, and you’re terrified you’ll be on the chopping block next.”

There was silence as Debs gathered her thoughts; the words “chopping block” literally echoed around the cave.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and announced, “As you said, Charlie, you have only been a witch for a week so you’ll forgive me for disregarding your expert opinion on the situation. We’ll be continuing our plan. I can’t wait for you to realize that everything you worked for was for naught.”

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