Page 50 of The Bairwick Witches
“Come down here and spout that shit, Fagatha.” Issac’s hand trembled, ready to fire off a spell.
“A slur! The audacity of you. You literal demon twink.”
“Both of you, enough,” Schuyler shouted, fed up. If this was the way, then so be it. “Wands at the ready,” Sky commanded.
The cue for both parties to initiate the dueling stance: standing sideways, feet shoulder-width apart, their heads turned to face their opponent, dominant arm stretched forward, withwands extended, and the other arm held tightly behind their back.
The Overseer, Schuyler, ensured both parties were in proper form before moving forward. “Wands at the up.”
The duelers raised their forearms, holding their wands straight up, allowing for a Moment of Grace: the respected space given to allow a dueler to exit with honor. Schuyler knew neither of them would be backing down. “Wands at attack.”
The duelers brought their hands across their chest, resting on the shoulder, and waited for Sky to give the final cue. At his word, spells would be cast. Schuyler took a breath and raised his right arm. He saw the tension flexing in the muscles of Issac’s arm, the determination on his face, the way he bit the corner of his lip. Could he beat Dev, who floated in cocky reassurance, his face stone-still, not a hint of emotion?
Sky dropped his arm. “Rezayat.”
A single silver spark shot from his finger, up into the sky, signaling the start. Without a moment of hesitation, Dev and Issac swung their hands, shouting their spells at the same time. Both released bolts of energy from their wands.
Devion’s, a blast of spiraling red-black energy, like lava, hot and angry, slammed into the surprisingly powerful blue spell Issac attempted, but ultimately was no match for.
His spell was obliterated.
Dev’s spell tore through it, knocking the wand from Issac’s grip and scalding him. Issac grabbed his hand and went to the ground, screaming in pain. His wand flew into Dev’s waiting palm as he swooped in closer.
“Booyah! Might be dead, but I still got it.” Dev cheered for himself and gave a little love to the spectators watching. When Issac attempted to lunge at him, he pointed both wands at theyoung man. “Boy, have you lost your mind? I will end you,” he warned.
“Stop!” Schuyler jumped between them. “There’s no need to hurt him.”
Dev conceded, retracting both wands, his disappearing—Issac’s he tossed to Schuyler. “You need to get him out of Bairwick, then destroy that. Somewhere, someone is missing their power, and I’m sure they’d like it back. We need to erase my loser nephew’s mind.”
“He’ll leave,” Schuyler assured him, speaking for Issac. “I’ll see to it.” Sky hated saying the words, hated condemning Issac to leave, but he had lost.
“I don’t want to leave,” Issac growled, holding his hurt hand.
“Well, then think about that before you enter a duel with stolen power, ya little bitch.”
Schuyler, fed up with their back and forth and Dev’s continued taunting, shouted at both of them. “Devion, you can stop being at dick at any time. Issac, you lost, accept it.”
“Fine,” Dev relented with a whine, “but,” he continued, raising his pointer and middle fingers on both hands, “I still don’t trust him, and we’re going to deal with that right now.” He spun one set of fingers around the other, as if wrapping them up. “I bind you, Issac Carrow-Kincaide. Bind you from touching magic again.”
Issac protested, hurling more expletives and slurs as he winced, an invisible vice pressing around him tightly.
“I bind you, Issac. I bind you from ever doing harm again.” Dev continued to spin his fingers around, the pressure around Issac growing.
His arms were forced together at his chest, his face red with pain, eyes nearly bulging. “I hate you, you selfish cunt.” Issac screamed through the pain, struggling against the binding, his anger boiling over.
“The language outta you, I swear. I bind you, Issac. Bind you from ever touching magic again in any form.”
“You took everything!”
“Dev, you’re hurting him, please.” Schuyler wanted to intervene further, watching Issac in so much pain brought him no pleasure, but he also felt the binding necessary. Maybe with that they wouldn’t need to erase his memory; a messy procedure even the most capable witch could fumble.
Issac yelled, nearly rabid, repeating how he didn’t care that he’d lost, how Dev ruined his life. “I’ll fuck a hundred demons if I have too.”
“I bind you, Issac.”
“I’ll find a way to undo what you’ve done to me, and I’ll come back here and dig your sorry ass up and have my revenge!”
“I bind y-” Dev instantly ceased the binding spell, throwing his hands up. “Oooh, well you done fucked up now.”
