My heart beat hard in my chest. My stomach rolled as I was knocked from all sides. Ducking, I forced my way through people and back onto the stairs. Jake followed, his hand holding the back of my jacket. Once we were on the first tier, I turned into an almost empty aisle of seats.
“I need to use magic to calm these people. There’s-”
A scream cut off my words. My gaze traced a portion of the crowd nearest the stage. People were rammed against it, their faces bright red where they couldn’t breathe. Shit, they were dying.
Closing my eyes, I chanted the first spell that came to mind. It was an ancient spell cast to calm those who were going to be hung when the witch trials were held back in the days when humans knew that something was going on with magic. Their lack of knowledge led them to mainly kill humans, accusing the wrong people. King James I knew that there were witches in his country, so he set up crusades to try and eradicate them. Unfortunately, his men were easily overcome with magic. Witches didn’t care much for humans back then, considering how cruel they were to those that practiced witchcraft, so the collateral damage was swept under the dusty rug. The only saving grace they gave to humans about to be hung or burned alive was to cast a sedative spell over them to calm their nerves.
That was the spell I was casting in the arena. I braced my boots on the ground as I held my arms to the side. Magic from the ley line poured into every inch of my body, transforming into an energy that left me and filtered into the air.
“It’s not enough,” I said through gritted teeth. “Get Dave.”
Jake had no idea what I was doing, but trusted me completely. Closing my eyes when he nodded, I concentrated on creating a stream of magic that continuously came into me from the line. Those around us started to calm, their frantic energy cooling slightly. It was working, but it would take a massive blast to fill the whole arena.
“They’re dying,” Dave called as his voice came nearer. “What’s she doing?”
Holding my hand towards him, I gestured for him to place his palm in mine without opening my eyes. He did as I asked, his fingers linking with mine. As my magic pulsed into him, he jolted, almost yanking his hand away. He would never have felt such power.
“Please,” I said as loudly as I could. “Chant with me, push the spell outwards.”
As soon as he listened to the spell a couple of times, Dave started the chant. The magic from the ley line intensified as it went through me and into Dave’s body. The spell was double the strength.
“It’s working,” Kate said nearby. “I can see people relaxing, pulling away from the exits.”
The muscles in my legs started to shake. If I wasn’t careful, the spell would drain my energy completely. A movement behind me alerted me to someone close by. Jake’s scent filtered into my nose before his arm came around my back and under my shoulder.
“I got you,” he called into my ear. “Keep going.”
The feel of blood dribbling from my nose made me lose focus for a second. Dave shook my hand to get me back on track. Our chant was drowned out by the screams of terror, although they were starting to die down.
“Please, ladies and gentleman,” a voice came loud over the tannoy. “Keep calm and stay where you are. There is no risk to your life. Someone has played a prank.”
As the spell increased, the magic travelled over the soundwaves. Opening my eyes, I sucked in a breath as the humans instantly stopped panicking, each one either staying where they were, or moving off the people they were trampling.
“They’re dead!” someone shouted, and yet, they remained calm. “Get help!”
Dropping the spell, I clung to Dave’s hand, unable to let go. The serial killer’s video had been cut, the big screen now black.
“Are you okay now?” Jake asked.
His question brought me back from where I’d been in my head. The killer had been successful. Those who now lay on the ground, crushed to death, were an extension of his vile hatred towards me. It was personal, I just knew it.
The doors suddenly burst open on all sides, the loud noise echoing in the now reasonably quiet venue. All the humans would be scarred for life. Trauma on this scale was inevitable.
Releasing Dave, I blinked before bringing myself back down to earth. “We need to go and help those below. Jake and Kate, I want you to talk to security. Keep checking for anyone suspicious. We need to find this bastard.”
Jumping over the seats in front of me, I made my way down to the floor. The stairs were full of people who had been rushing to try and get to the exits. They were milling around now, almost in a daze. Security were escorting people out of the arena, their calm composure a testament to their training.
A group of people by the door and the stage were dragging bodies out of the piles. My stomach rolled as I counted ten people already laid out. Shit, the wanker had mass murdered at a concert of all places.
“Gemma.” Dave grabbed my arm as I went to run forward. “We need to get that footage. These people are mainly human. We have to let the authorities deal with the deaths.”
Tears exploded in my eyes as I saw a young pre-teen girl being pulled across the floor to lay next to an adult male. They wore matching band shirts with Dad and Daughter written on them.
“No!” I pushed through my teeth when Dave tried to pull me away. “These people have died because of us. We have not done our job. I will not rest until we catch him.”
Storming away, I swiped at the
