Page 38 of Bearly Bewitched

Kaine launched himself between them, his bear form filling the corridor with muscle and fury. The stone floor cracked under the force of his landing. Behind him, Burke and Xabir moved with practiced efficiency to cut off Ames’s escape routes.

But the corrupted wizard didn’t retreat. If anything, he smiled—a terrible expression made worse by the crystal formations creeping across his face. His magic, twisted by Ledger’s influence, lashed out with devastating force.

“The eclipse comes,” Ames spoke in a voice that echoed with evil as if multiple people spoke through him. “She’s the key—the catalyst—“ Another surge of energy burst from the crystal at his throat, and the temperature in the corridor plummeted.

The blast caught Kaine full in the chest. Pain seared through him like liquid nitrogen in his veins. This wasn’t like normal magical attacks that his bear form could shrug off. This felt ancient. Powerful. Like it was trying to corrupt his very essence. His bear roared in defiance, fighting the foreign magic trying to take root in their shared soul.

“Uncle Kaine!” Daisy’s shout held more fury than fear. Her magic surged forward in familiar tendrils. But instead of causing harm, it wrapped around him like a warm blanket, neutralizing the corruption attempting to spread through his system.

Above them, the academy shuddered violently. A wave of Vail’s fire magic swept through the hallways—he’d know that signature anywhere, would recognize it in his sleep. His bear whined, clawing at his control. But Daisy’s next words snapped his focus back.

“The crystal,” she gasped, dropping to her knees beside her diary. Pages flipped rapidly under her fingers until she found what she wanted. “It’s like my curse—but twisted. Look!”

She thrust the book toward him, and even in bear form, Kaine could see what she meant. The diagrams showed magical patterns he’d seen her magic create dozens of times. As he watched, her magic continued weaving protective barriers around them, working in harmony with the ancient stones instead of fighting them.

The similarity to how Ledger’s corruption spread was undeniable.

“He’s been studying you,” Kaine growled, his deep voice echoing off the stone walls. Rage burned in his chest, hot enough to combat the lingering chill from Ames’s attack. “Using your magic as a template for something darker.”

Another blast of corrupted magic crackled through the air. Kaine spun, shoving Daisy behind a fallen column. The strange, frozen energy caught him in the shoulder, spreading crystalline patterns across his fur. His bear snarled at the foreign sensation.

Burke and Xabir pressed forward in perfect tandem, herding Ames away from Daisy. The corrupted wizard fought with unnatural strength, lightning crackling from his hands in deadly arcs. But something fascinating happened wherever those bolts met Daisy’s magic—the corruption fizzled out, creating pockets of safety in the chaos.

“The anchor points,” Daisy’s eyes went wide with sudden understanding. She clutched her diary to her chest, energy dancing around her small form. “They’re not failing—they’re transforming. Like my magic did when I stopped fighting it!”

THIRTY-EIGHT

Another tremor rocked the foundation, this one strong enough to send chunks of carved stone raining down. Kaine’s ears twitched, catching the sounds of battle above. More shifter energy signatures had joined Vail’s—reinforcements arriving to help. His bear’s anxiety eased slightly, knowing she wasn’t fighting alone.

“Burke.” Kaine caught his second’s eye. “Get Daisy to?—“

“No!” Daisy’s shout cut through his order. “Look at the crystal! Every time my magic touches it, the badness weakens. I can help!”

As if to prove her point, she thrust out her hand. Her power spiraled out in precise tendrils, wrapping around a bolt of Ames’s corrupted magic. Instead of exploding on impact, the two energies seemed to dance, testing each other’s boundaries.

But Ames was changing, transforming into something that made Kaine’s bear recoil in primal horror. The crystal’s power crawled across his skin like living shadows, hardening into armor made of dark crystal. His next blast caught Xabir mid-leap, sending the wolf crashing into a wall with a yelp of pain.

“The curse seeks balance,” Ames’s distorted voice echoed unnaturally. Multiple tones layered over each other. “But Ledgerwill use it to purify—to cleanse—“ The crystal pulsed, cutting off his words in a scream of agony.

Kaine launched himself at the wizard, his massive bear form slamming Ames to the ground. Up close, the horror was even worse. The crystal had begun physically merging with Ames’s flesh, spreading its infection through his body like ink in his veins. The sight made Kaine’s stomach turn.

“Uncle Kaine, wait!” Daisy darted forward before Burke could catch her. Her small hand stretched out, trailing that familiar light. “Let me try something!”

Her magic spun out in delicate spirals, wrapping around both Ames and the crystal-like curious vines. Where it touched, the corruption seemed to hesitate, its spread slowing to a crawl. Daisy’s face scrunched in concentration as she worked to counter the dark energy.

“It’s fighting back,” she gritted through clenched teeth. “But it’s similar to my magic—if I can just?—“

The crystal flared with blinding intensity. Ames convulsed beneath Kaine’s paws, then went terrifyingly limp. Shadows poured from his body like smoke, coalescing into more of those crystalline creatures from the vault. They moved with deadly purpose toward Daisy, their faceted forms catching and refracting the light.

Kaine’s roar shook dust from the ceiling as he spun to face the shadow creatures. His bear exploded into motion, massive paws swatting crystalline forms aside like deadly chess pieces. Each impact sent shock waves up his arms, the corrupted magic trying to seep into his fur. But Daisy’s energy followed in his wake, neutralizing the infection before it could spread.

“Behind you!” Burke’s warning came just as a shadow creature lunged. Kaine ducked, feeling crystalline claws whistle past his ear. His second reared up, bringing both paws downwith devastating force. The creature shattered—but its pieces simply reformed into two smaller versions.

Xabir darted between the shadows like quicksilver, his wolf form a blur of motion. “They’re learning our patterns. Getting faster!”

He was right. With each passing moment, the creatures adapted. They anticipated feints, countered standard attack formations. Three of them coordinated to drive Kaine back toward where Daisy stood, her magic creating a shimmering dome of protection.

“The ward points,” she called out, pointing to where mystical energy pulsed through spreading cracks in the walls. “They’re connected to the crystal somehow. Every time it pulses—“ She broke off as several shadow creatures slammed against her shield. The barrier held, but Kaine saw the strain in her face.

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