Page 50 of Jade Lion and the Witch Boy
I nod. “I will need time to think about it. Alone. So much has happened…”
“I won’t try to stop you. Can I give you something before you go running off as a lion again?” She grins and takes something out of her pocket. “Like a goodbye present?”
Ah, another American custom, I assume. I step forward and squint my eyes, trying to discern what she’s holding.
“Hold out your hand,” she instructs. “Open up your palm.”
I do as she says, and she places her hand above mine.
“This…is an ebony spirit blade.” She reveals a palm-sized dagger, no bigger than a butter knife. The dark metal is contrasted by the glowing red gem in the center of the handle.
“It can cut through all magic.” She quickly turns the blade so that she is wielding the handle. “And flesh.”
I don’t have time to react as Ashley grabs my wrist, holds my hand in place, and slices down my palm.
“Ah!” I hiss. I can barely process the pain before she lets go and uses the blade to cut her own palm. “What…what are you…?”
“I’m doing this to protect witches. You’re going to help me right the wrongs generations of wizards have inflicted on us.” Ashley flicks her bloody hand down and steps back. In a flash, the ground beneath us glows with red markings. As I lookaround at the circle of illuminated symbols, Ashley begins to chant.
“Bloody water, thorn and vine. Wrest this body, soul, and mind.”
Suddenly, my body stops moving. I gasp as my every bone and muscle tense up. Panic fills my heart as I realize what is occurring. All around me, crimson runes shine and begin to float upward.
“Bloody water, thorn and vine. Wrest this body, soul, and mind!”
Ashley’s chanting grows louder. I try to cast any magic, but it is too late. The runes around me have bound my body, and the woman before me is clearly in control.
I have been betrayed by a single witch casting this hex on me. Now, I’m drowning in fear and panic as Ashley takes over me. I sense her ill intent, her lust for violence. She wants to murder wizards, I feel it. Before she can completely engulf my mind, I think of the one thing that has grounded me in over a hundred years.
“Sebastian…stop Ashley,” I whisper. He is asleep at the house, and I sense his presence flicker in my soul for two seconds before my magic is cut off. I am unsure if he heard my desperate message, but I am no longer connected to him.
With a blinding flash of red, the runes fall back down to being chalk carvings on the muddy ground. I fall on my knees and try to control my breathing. I hear the sound of three steps slowly approach me, and my eyes burn with fear and anger.
“Show me the Jade Lion,” she says in a sinister tone.
“Auggh!” I roar as a shift is pulled out of me. I’m in my lion form, still on my knees.
“Good. Now look at me.”
My head pivots upward on its own accord, or rather, Ashley’s control. She grins, a look of pure malice in her eyes. “You shouldhave let me share in your arcana. But now I have my sights set on a bigger prize.”
I want to growl, scream, claw her eyes out, or run. But of course, her hex has full power over me. “Bring me to the Union of Mages. It is time for me to take back the power and destroy all the wizards.”
I stand tall and put my arms out. Against my will, my arcana flows out of me and into the dirt below. The earth rises against gravity, a small platform made of rocks, and takes us into the sky. My arcana is lifting both of us, and I fear for what Ashley wants me to do.
This witch is going to use me to commit unspeakable atrocities, and I have no say in the matter.
CHAPTER 20- SEB
MY LEGS DANGLEoff of a cement dock as I gaze at boats floating by. The words on the vessels don’t make sense to me. That must be because they’re Chinese. I look around and recognize the towering buildings and forested hills surrounding me. I’m back in Hong Kong, my solo vacation from weeks ago. But how did I get here? And why do my muscles feel so calm?
I whip out my phone to check the time, but I can’t read the numbers on the clock. That’s not right.The last thing I remember is…
I pocket my phone and frown. I was lying in bed, crying myself to sleep, but now…ah, I get it. This is a dream.
My subconscious brought me back to my memory of Hong Kong because it reminds me of Kai. I ruined what we had, and now he might not ever want to speak to me again. I’m almost as guilty as the coven. All he wanted was someone to trust, and I blew it. My heart breaks and my eyes prickle, even in the dream world.
I sigh and wipe my tears. There’s no point being sad in my subconscious. I stand up, ready to ride the waves of lucidity. Maybe I can summon a fun distraction? This is my dream, after all.
