Page 4 of A Bolt of Magic

I clear my throat, trying to appear more confident than I feel. “I heard you’re a powerful witch,” I begin, “and I need your help.”

She arches an eyebrow, unimpressed. “And why would I help you?” She looks down her nose at me.

I swallow hard, feeling the weight of desperation settling in the pit of my stomach. “Because we’re both trapped. I want my freedom. I’m sure you do, too. I’ve figured out how to make that happen, but I can’t do it on my own.”

She laughs in my face. “Don’t you think I would have escaped by now if there was a way? Like you said, I’m powerful. My big problem is that this is keeping me here.” She clasps a ruby amulet in her fingers, then drops it like her hand was burned. “Unless you’re a powerful wizard, you can’t help me, which means that I can’t help you.”

“That’s just it. I have an idea. I—”

“An idea?” she sneers. “You realize that we are dead if we are caught trying to escape?”

“I’d rather be dead than rotting in this Court. This is no life. Don’t you want to go back to your coven?”

Her eyes brighten, but the light soon dims. “I want nothing more, but I’ll take this life over none at all.”

I look up and down the hallway. “Then let me in, and we can talk about it. I’ll tell you of my plans.”

Her eyes narrow, and she folds her arms tightly across her chest. “No, you have ten seconds to give me a brief idea of how you plan on getting us out. You need to convince me of why I even need you.” Her jaw tightens. “Thing is, I don’t have it that bad here. My quarters are comfortable. I get certain…privileges. I would be stripped of everything. I’d be thrown intothe dungeons. Or…put to death.” She shakes her head. “I would love my old life back, but at what expense if we fail?”

This is what I was afraid of. The truth is, my plan is just a theory. I don’t know if it will work, and she doesn’t need me…not really.

“But you would prefer your freedom…surely?”

“Of course.” She snorts.

“You would need to trust me. If I can get the amulet off your throat, you’ll help me escape. Do we have a deal?”

“No.” She rolls her eyes. “The amulet can’t be removed. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. You have to give me more than that, and quickly. I’m growing tired of this conversation.”

“Okay…fine.” I sigh. “I managed to get my hands on a tool that holds magic,” I say under my breath.

“What tool?” Her eyes narrow with interest, but it’s clear that she’s also skeptical. “And what kind of magic?”

“A hammer. I believe it holds enough magic to remove your amulet by breaking the chain.”

“You believe? Believing something and knowing it are two different things.” She shakes her head. “Not good enough, human. You realize that the moment you break the chain, there will be a gigantic magic shift. The fae will know that one of the witches is escaping. They may even know that the witch escaping is me. In fact, I’m sure they will. They’ll come for me…for us, if you survive breaking it, that is.”

“I know they will come for us. I know the risks, but I don’t care. I have a plan. We’ll need to time it just right. So that by the time they find out, we’re long gone.”

She narrows her eyes in thought and then gasps, her eyes brightening. “You’re planning to do this tomorrow during the eclipse, aren’t you?”

“Yes, there’ll be a big surge of magic, which could mask the shift when the chain is broken.”

“Could, maybe…” She shakes her head again. “I believe. I don’t like any of these terms. You’re not sure that this will work. In fact, you’re going to take a huge gamble. Gambling with your own life is one thing, but gambling with mine is another entirely.” She shakes her head slowly as she speaks.

I’m doing a terrible job of convincing her.

“It will work.”It has to.

“Youhopeit will, you mean. Bring me this hammer you say holds magic. If it does, we can talk about it, and I’ll give it some thought. Without seeing thismagichammer, my answer is no.”

“There isn’t much time.” It’s the truth, but not the reason I don’t want to bring her the tool.

“I know,” she grinds out. “That’s why you’d better hurry.”

“Be reasonable; curfew is nearly upon us. Let’s talk through the plan. It will work. The hammer is strong, and so am I. Quick, too.” I wince inwardly. I shouldn’t have said the last. It makes me sound desperate…which I am.

“You’re a human,” she says in disgust. “Hardly strong. Best you run and fetch the hammer. I’m not attempting an escape unless I am certain it holds the kind of magic you say it does. Don’t come back without it.”

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