Page 93 of The Magic of Betrayal
"Great, when I tell you, cast your magic as forcefully as you can to the center of the pentagram. It will feel draining, that's normal. It is going to take a tremendous effort to get this spell to work, so push yourselves. We'll get her back."
I could feel the excitement from the others, the hope.Hecertainly was hopeful.
‘Let me out of here, you psychopath!’he screamed in my head.
‘Not yet.’
“Kai, add your magic,” Laurie directed.
A burst of yellow magic fired from Kai's hands to join the red fire and a sparking line of electricity from Cam. The earth actually shook beneath my feet and I grinned.
After a few moments, Laurie looked to me and nodded. Holding my own hands out, I let my own black and silver magic fly toward the center of the pentagram to join the others last, just as the first raindrop hit my cheek. The wind increased, blowing my hair around my head as our magic swirled in the center of us, cycling around and around until it resembled a tornado. A tornado of fire that flashed with lightning and produced the sounds of Kai's animal and the screams my power induced.
It was scary as fuck. And I didn't scare easily, fuck, I didn't scare at all.
Sweat was running down my face and I could hear the groans of the others as they continued to funnel their magic into the cyclone.
But this felt... unnatural. Not right. Something wasn't right.
"Keep going, not much more now," Laurie shouted and then continued her low chanting as she moved around the outer circle, careful to stay back from the flames as her hair whipped around her face. The book was no longer in her hands and I saw a slow smile on her face as she looked out into the woods where a figure moved in the darkness.
Is it Saige? Did it work?
Suddenly, there was pressure around my ankles and my torso, which caused me to break my concentration for a moment as I glanced down and saw a vine twisting around and around, securing me tightly to the chair I was in. Before I could call out, my wrists snapped down to the armrests and more vines made sure those were equally secure.
"What the fuck is happening?" Cam boomed. "LAURIE?!"
Our magic died as we all realized something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
Tinkling laughter danced in the air and a chill ran up my spine. No.
"You boys are fools," Laurie chuckled just as the figure in the woods stepped forward.
Bryce.
The flames of the pentagram burned out, leaving smoke in its wake, wafting up to the dark sky.
Kai let out a savage roar and I knew that Bagheera must've returned. That wasn't a sound a human could make.
‘Faris! Let me out, you fucker!’Fischer screamed, my brain aching.
My eyes looked around at the guys, we were all tightly secured to our chairs. Kai was about to lose his fucking head, rocking his chair and snarling. Cam had closed his eyes, like he was trying to get a hold of himself, and when I looked at Sloane, he was still as a statue, his eyes locked on my face.
Laurie moved to the center of the pentagram, Bryce beside her, a smirk on his face.
"I honestly expected Khol to have trained you all better than this, it's slightly disappointing," Laurie taunted, her blue eyes, the same shade as Bette's, were cold and full of fury.
"What the fuck are you doing, Laurie?" Cam barked, his eyes narrowing.
She laughed and tutted, like he was a six year old asking a stupid question.
"Cameron Jacobs, thirty-one years old, storm mage, brother to Hunter Jacobs. Such a sad story," Laurie sighed, holding a hand to her heart in mock sympathy.
Fischer snarled in my head. “Gods dammit.”
"Fuck you, you crazy bitch," Sloane growled.
Laurie threw her head back and cackled. Unhinged.
