Page 100 of Magic Touch
"I had heard you were injured, but you seem quite fit." His examination of me is uncomfortable.
"I wonder what pleasure you gain in harming a young girl like Trina or an old woman like Prudence. Was something lacking in your childhood that makes you prey on the helpless?" I keep edging toward the hearth.
A dark shadow falls over Orin's face, and his eyes narrow an instant before he hurls the ball of light at me. Esme throws fire back and the two magics collide, exploding in midair.
Minerva and Sara Beth throw magic.
Orin raises both hands.
Magic fills the room.
The hair on my arms stands as magic sets my skin tingling from every direction. Before it can happen, the carnage is in my mind, bodies lying about dead and injured in my mind. Unable to bear it, I call to my magic to stop the scene. Everything before me freezes.
Esme holds another ball of fire, and she's about to hurl it at Orin from over my right shoulder. I send her magic back to Goddess.
Aiming his pistol, Henry is midstride, moving to my left for a better position. I lift his arm so the shot will do no harm.
Blue, gold, and green magics fly in Orin's direction from the other three witches.
With a swirl of my magic, theirs rain down like fireflies and disappear.
Orin's magic is dark and murky, and it crackles in bolts of lightning from his fingertips.
I ask for strength to disperse his magic to the ashes in the hearth where it can hurt no one.
"Just for a few seconds, Goddess. Please," I pray.
I let loose my breath, and the room comes alive again.
Henry shoots the ceiling, and dust and wood rain down.
Everyone looks too shocked to breathe while they consider what happened to their magic.
I level my gaze on Orin. "No one will die today. Not here. If you are wise, you will pray Goddess saves you from whatever demon has seduced you."
Orin gives Trina's limp body a long look. "I am the demon that you should fear, William." His eyes lack the passion they held before as he flashes into black smoke and is gone.
Esme runs to Trina, who is crying as she recovers from the spell that entranced her.
Sylvia bounds up the steps. "Prudence?"
Minerva helps get Trina into a chair.
My legs feel like water. Kneeling on the floor, I draw a shuddering breath. "I thought I'd lose you all in one moment just like my men on the killing fields."
Esme turns and wraps her arms around me.
Henry squeezes my shoulder. "You did well, sir." He finds a chair near the door and sits. Sweat drips down his face despite the cool day.
On unsteady feet, and with Sylvia's help, Prudence descends the steps. "I never felt him coming. We will need better wards."
Sara Beth runs her fingers through her long dark hair. "I'm a fool. The spells that protect this house have changed little since Orin lived in Windsor. I never dreamed he could have become so dark."
Looking at me, she lets only one tear fall. "What did you do?"
"I removed the threat to life."
"I understand your desire for all to be spared, William, but that might not always be possible. Today, Orin had no notion you could do such a thing, but he will protect against it in the future." Sara Beth folds into a chair. "I wish it was as easy as scaring him, and he’ll fly away for good."
