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I flexed my fingers against the hilt of my knife, then shoved one bottle of holy water into the waistband of my jeans and popped the cork from the other. I hoped they wouldn’t be needed, but feared that they would.
I swallowed heavily and then said, “Okay, ready.”
“Go for it,” Eli replied.
I started the spell. As my magic rose, the basilisk reacted, throwing itself at the barrier on Monty’s side—the side that was still unraveling—causing the magic to pulse and shimmer at a faster rate.
The certainty that things were about to hit the fan in a big way rose, but I ignored it and continued spelling. There was nothing else I could do.
The basilisk hissed, a long, low, furious sound that vibrated through every inch of my being. It was not a good sensation.
I finished my part of the spell, stepped back, and glanced at Monty. He immediately took over, his words loud and sharp against the high-pitched noises being emitted by the furious basilisk.
The vibrations increased and the nearby trees quivered, leaves falling like rain all around us. There was a crack, and a branch came down, missing Monty by several meters.
The basilisk. Somehow, the sound it was emitting was causing the trees to shatter and break.
Another limb fell, larger and closer to Monty. I swore and cast a protection spell. As the magic settled around him, another limb fell, this time directly over his head. It hit the protection spell and bounced away, drawing dust as it hit the ground.
The basilisk screamed—a sound so odd with its snaky form—and returned its attention to the fracturing net, tearing at it with its fangs and then hitting it with its tail. No netting spell, no matter how strong, could withstand such an assault for very long.
As Monty wound up his portion of the banishment spell and Ashworth started, a large section of the netting completely fractured. The basilisk lunged at the gap, raised its teeth, and sprayed a dark and bloody liquid at Monty with venomous force.
But it wasn’t venom. It was acid.
It hit the protective spell hard enough to send Monty stumbling back as it dribbled down the surface of my spell and hit the ground with loud splashes that instantly began to bubble and steam.
Monty’s foot caught a tree root and he fell awkwardly, his glasses flying from his nose as he yelped and grabbed at his ankle.
“Monty,” I yelled, even as he squeezed his eyes shut, “stay down and protect yourself. The basilisk won’t attack my magic.”
And hoped, even as I said that, that it remained true.
Monty’s magic rose, and a dark orb formed within mine. A shielding spell—one dark enough to stop light entering and, hopefully, mute the basilisk’s stone-turning ability.
As Ashworth continued the banishment spell, the basilisk lunged again for the break in the net. Its teeth scored the remaining spell threads, tearing multiple lines. It was going to get out…
And Monty was directly in its path.
Believing my magic would protect him was one thing; standing back and watching it being tested by the sheer force of this thing was another. I couldn’t take the risk. I swore and sprinted toward him. The basilisk’s head snapped around and, just for an instant, its gaze caught mine. Magic ran over me—much diluted thanks to the sunglasses, but still powerful—and an odd sort of ice began to creep through my body. It slowed my movements, thickened my thoughts.
Wild magic rose within me, but it couldn’t battle the lethargy. I would freeze, just as the basilisk’s other victims had, if this thing wasn’t banished or killed.
But I wasn’t frozen yet, and this bastard was not going to get me. Not while I still had breath in my lungs and movement in my limbs.
It lunged at me, its head so large it was all I could see. I didn’t stop, didn’t slow, forcing every ounce of speed and strength into my faltering legs. The basilisk’s mouth opened wide, ready to consume.
I drew my arm back and threw the holy water into its throat.
Its response was instantaneous. It reared up, shaking its head violently from side to side, smoke streaming from its mouth. I doubted there’d been enough holy water to kill it, but it sure as hell was making it uncomfortable.
Eli’s voice rose above the din. The final section of the banishment had begun.
The basilisk showed no awareness of the danger it was in, and we needed to keep it that way.
The high-pitched keening increased and the trees around us reacted violently, leaves and limbs thumping around me. I called my inner magic, but before I could raise any sort of protective spell, the basilisk dove for me.
I swore and threw myself sideways, hitting the ground and rolling back to my feet in one smooth motion. The basilisk’s tail whipped around, catching me off guard, sweeping me off my feet and sending me tumbling through the air. I hit a tree hard and slid down its trunk to the ground.
