Page 23 of Witchful Thinking

She flourished her wand like a conductor on too much pepper-up potion."Traditional dueling relies on direct opposition—spell versus counterspell.But what if..."she paused for dramatic effect, "we could turn an opponent's magic against them?"

Diana rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw her own brain."That's not revolutionary.That's basic reflection, taught to Juniors."

"Observe,” Guillet twirled elaborately, casting a spell that created a swirling violet bubble around her."This is an absorptive redirection field.When hostile magic encounters this shield, I can capture and repurpose it."

Diana froze.That wasn't reflection.That was a modified reflective void, forbidden after the Lisbon Disaster when half the city's witches ended up casting spells that worked backward forever.

Before Diana could shout a warning, Xena's assistant—a nervous witch who clearly wanted to update her resume—sent a simple stunning spell toward the bubble.The red bolt hit the surface and disappeared with a softpfftsound.

Students applauded.Diana didn't.She'd seen what happened when magic disappeared into places it shouldn't go.

"Again," Xena commanded, flashing a smile and a bit of cleavage in Alarick’s direction."Something stronger this time."

The assistant cast a more powerful hex.When it hit the bubble, the surface rippled like water about to boil.A discordant hum filled the air.

"That's not right," Diana said, already moving."Alarick!"

He'd seen it too."Xena, your field is destabilizing.Dissolve it now."

Either Xena couldn't hear over the increasingly loud humming, or her ego had stuffed cotton in her ears."Now for the most impressive part," she continued, raising her hands dramatically."The absorbed magic can be—"

The bubble collapsed inward with a sound like tearing silk, then exploded outward in a wave of chaotic magic.Xena flew backward like she'd personally offended gravity.

Diana sprinted forward, weaving protective charms around the nearest students.The golden shimmer of her magic—enhanced by her connection to Alarick—spread wider than she'd ever managed before.

"Is this the demonstration or did something go wrong?"a confused freshman asked as Diana shielded him.

"If it was the demonstration, Professor Guillet wouldn't be doing her impression of a rag doll thrown by a toddler," Irideane Kallus snickered.

Students stumbled around like they'd sampled too much enchanted cider, their faces twisted in confusion as magical aftershocks rippled through the air.One senior’s hair became a snapping wad of serpents.A pair of sophomores spun in slow circles, unable to stop, while a Newttown student hiccupped tiny storm clouds.

"I feel like my brain is floating three feet above my head," complained Polly O’Chetter, whose skin had switched over to scales.

"That's the magical disorientation," Diana explained, quickly casting a stabilizing spell that returned the girl's skin to normal."The void disrupts reality."

All the while, she sensed Alarick fighting to contain the wild magic still whipping around the demonstration area, their golden threads of their fusion occasionally visible as he corralled rogue spell fragments before they could cause more chaos.

Xena had taken the worst of it.She lay unconscious, faint bolts of lightning crackling over her skin.Diana knelt beside her, diagnostic charms revealing the damage.

"Magical contamination," she reported to Headmistress Raven, who had appeared silently beside her."The field collapsed and left fragments embedded in her core.She needs specialized treatment."

"Already summoned," Raven replied, her expression grave as Edgar circled anxiously overhead."How severe?"

"She'll live," Diana said after a deeper examination."But whether she'll cast again without turning teacups into tadpoles depends on how quickly help arrives."

As they waited for the specialists, Diana and Alarick worked together to stabilize the area.Their fusion made them extraordinarily effective.His protective magic reinforced her healing spells.Her healing energy strengthened his wards.

"Your barriers saved lives today," Diana said."If your circle hadn't held..."

"It nearly didn't," he admitted, his voice strained."That collapse was stronger than anything I've ever contained."

"But you adjusted.I felt you drawing on our fusion.Quick thinking."

A tired smile touched his lips."High praise from the woman who once told me my ward designs had all the stability of a drunken unicyclist."

Their eyes met, a moment of connection amid the chaos.The golden threads of their fusion brightened between them.

"The Magical Education Board should never have approved these demonstrations," Diana muttered as they helped another injured student."Experimental defensive magic requires proper safety protocols."

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