Page 48 of Her Magic Light

“What did you think of the colors?” he asked like he’d somehow read my mind. “Were they powerful? Could you have achieved that heightened sense yourself?”

I shrugged. I didn’t care. Barely even knew what he wanted the answer to be. It was all nonsense.

He huffed, sounding displeased.

“Okay. Now I want you to stand in one of the shadowed corners and extract the light I know is in it.”

I was halfway out of the chair before I stopped moving and looked at him. “Light in the what now?” I shook my head. Enough was enough. This guy was crazy. I glanced at Coop to see if we could leave yet, but he appeared to be focused elsewhere.

Dr. Anderson took on his endlessly patient tone, as though I was too stupid to grasp spoken English. “I want you to go to the corner. Stand there. Extract the light you find in the shadow.”

I shook my head again. “What? How?”

Dr. Anderson’s expression hardened. “You heard me. I’m done playing games with you. I know you can do this, and I need you to do it now.”

I sighed. Apparently, there was no arguing with the man. “You think I’m some rainbow mage with skills I just don’t want to show you?”

He glared.

“Fine.” I took a breath. “So I just stand in the corner in the dark?”

“Yes.”

I strolled into the corner. It was really no different than being in my cell.

“Now extract the light.”

I closed my eyes, so he couldn’t read my thoughts about him. None of this made any sense, and what did he actually want me to do?

“Extract it.”

I screwed my face up then glanced at Coop, pretty sure I just looked constipated as I concentrated on something I didn’t understand. Then I waved my hands around.

“Extract the light,” Dr. Anderson repeated.

“I don’t think I can do this,” I said to the room. “I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.”

“You can. I’m sure you can.” Dr. Anderson moved so quickly I barely saw him, but when I focused on him again, he had a gun pointed directly at me, his hand sure and steady as he held it.

My mouth fell open. “What are you doing?” I rasped. “You’re going to shoot me if I can’t do whatever this ‘extract the light’ bullshit is?”

“Youcando this, and you will, Meira.” His finger hovered over the trigger, not touching it, but it wouldn’t take much to send a bullet hurtling toward me.

Cold fear froze me in place. Would they tell anyone how I’d died? Shot in cold blood by a raging madman?

Coop took a breath and then coolly drew his own gun. At first, he pointed it at me, and Dr. Anderson grinned. Then Coop twisted slowly and directed his barrel toward Dr. Anderson. “Put the gun down, Doc.”

Dr. Anderson’s gaze narrowed, but his arm didn’t lower.

He didn’t falter, and neither did Coop. More fear ricocheted through me, morphing into terror until the sensation numbed all of my thoughts. My mind seemed to crack open, clawing for something stable to hold on to.

When I next breathed in, something cloying and ugly filled me, clogging my throat and lungs. It shaded my vision, and I gasped and I wrapped my arms around my chest and tried myself to stop fracturing under the new force pushing out of me from the inside.

I tried to suck in another breath, but I was already full of something that wouldn’t move.

I was submerged in the dark of the corner.

Drowning in the shadows.

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