Page 58 of Sorcia's Heart
Hortense stood her ground, her now-emerald-hued skin glowing brighter as if it were feeding off the storm itself.Her neon-green eyes blazed with fury as she faced Hazelton.
“You let her go!”Hazelton bellowed, his voice a guttural roar that reverberated down the empty street.
Behind him, Bethany moved carefully, her every step calculated as she edged closer to Jane and Zelda.The three witches were positioned nearly shoulder-to-shoulder, a temporary safety measure.But Sorcia knew the moment they moved to enact the spell, they’d be vulnerable.
Hortense ignored Sorcia’s plea, stepping closer to the demon, her voice cutting through the din.“You can’t hurt them!”she spat, her tone laced with betrayal.
Hazelton’s head snapped toward her, his fury palpable.“I paid you a portion of our agreed fee!”he roared, his furiously red face glistening with rain.He froze, suddenly aware of the other witches surrounding him.His head whipped back and forth, his eyes narrowing as he tried to suppress his rage so he could concentrate, but Sorcia saw the cracks forming in his composure.
This was her chance.
“It doesn’t matter that Hortense released Bethany,” Sorcia said, stepping forward.She felt Marcus beside her, his steady presence a reassurance she desperately needed.Her love for him swelled in that moment, and she silently vowed to stand by him when he needed her.
Hazelton’s face contorted with rage.“Of course it matters!”he screamed, doubling over, bracing his hands on his knees as though his fury was a physical weight.“She was mine!I controlled her powers!She was my reward for all my hard work!”
“You needed my help to capture her!”Hortense shouted back, her voice rising above the storm’s growing intensity.Thunder rumbled as if echoing her anger.“You were too weak to catch her on your own.Without me and my trees, you never would have managed it.So, no, she wasn’t yours.She was mine!I caught her for you and imprisoned her even though she’d done nothing to me.And after everything I did, her friends still helped me heal my forest!”
The elf stepped even closer to Hazelton, trembling with indignation.“And you?You didn’t hold up your side of the bargain!You’re a liar, Hazelton Birchsmire!A cheat!”
Hazelton’s face darkened, and for a moment, Sorcia thought his head might literally explode.His fiery red skin looked as though it might combust.She might have found it fascinating—if not for the real danger he posed.
Marcus shifted beside her, sending a small magical pulse to her right.She didn’t look but trusted he was setting the stage for their trap.Time was running out, and with humans beginning to stir nearby, the stakes were even higher.They had to finish this quickly.
Lightning cracked across the sky as Jane raised her hand, her eyes locking with Sorcia’s in a silent question:Tell me when.
Sorcia nodded slightly, her jaw set.“Hortense,” she said firmly, her voice cutting through the storm.“Step back now.”
The elf hesitated, her rage flickering like a candle in the wind.She glared at Hazelton one last time before retreating a few steps, her glowing form dimming slightly.
“Ladies,” Sorcia commanded, her voice steady and clear.“Now!”
The air was electric with tension.Zelda, Jane and Bethany moved in tandem with Sorcia, their focus razor-sharp.Marcus stepped closer, his quiet strength radiating behind her like an anchor.Sorcia's attention, however, was laser-focused on Hazelton.Overhead, a blinding light burst across the sky, illuminating the street in stark, dazzling clarity.She didn’t flinch.The witches were unharmed, and Marcus was by her side.That was all that mattered.
“You can’t just lie and cheat, you bastard!”Hortense yelled, her voice cutting through the crackling storm.She raised her hand, calling on the nearby trees for aid.But as she glanced upward, confusion flickered across her face—the trees were no longer visible, as if the storm itself had swallowed them.
Sorcia took another deliberate step forward, her hand lifting to signal her witches.One finger.Two fingers.Then a nod.
Zelda, Jane, and Bethany moved in perfect unison, their hands rising in graceful arcs.Sorcia bent her knees slightly, her hands cradling a swirling orb of light that pulsed with raw magic.The others mirrored her, their own glowing spheres shimmering with vibrant energy.
Hazelton's expression shifted from anger to confusion as he scanned his surroundings, finally realizing he was being encircled.His confusion deepened into panic, his eyes darting wildly.Sorcia might have laughed if she had the luxury of time, but she was too focused on the spell.
Slowly, she stood upright, channeling every ounce of her power into the light.The orb in her hands spun faster, growing brighter, more intense, until it became almost impossible to look at.Circling him, the others followed suit, their orbs whirling and merging into an intricate, glowing circle of light.
“Again!”Sorcia commanded, her voice sharp and decisive.
In perfect harmony, the four witches threw their circles of light toward Hazelton.Sorcia’s circle was the first to strike, spinning faster as it neared its target.Hazelton froze, his body rigid with shock.If he’d understood what was happening, he might have dodged or countered.Instead, he stood like a statue, mesmerized, as the shimmering circle enveloped him, locking into place.
Bethany’s circle came next, a glowing hue that overlapped with Sorcia’s.It descended swiftly, tightening around him.Then Jane’s circle wrapped him in its radiant grip.Finally, Zelda’s circle hovered above, sparkling with an ethereal brilliance before snapping into position at the top of the glowing prison.
Hazelton roared, thrashing against the bands of light.“Let me go!”he bellowed, twisting and jerking his body.But the circles held firm, glowing brighter with every movement, their energy stronger than any steel.
The demon's frustration boiled over as he growled and clawed at the glowing rings.The effort was futile—he was completely immobilized.The circles shimmered like living chains, pulsing with the combined power of the witches.
Sorcia straightened, her chest rising with a deep breath.A smile spread across her face as relief washed over her.“It worked,” she whispered, her voice trembling with exhilaration.“It actually worked!”
Marcus stepped up beside her, his hand brushing her lower back in a reassuring gesture.“Of course it worked,” he said, his voice laced with admiration.“You led them perfectly.”
The storm overhead began to settle, the crackling tension in the air easing.The witches stood together, their expressions a mixture of exhaustion and triumph.
