Black Magic Sanction

Ceri paused in her chanting, and upon feeling the weight of her stare, I swallowed hard and released the tight grip on my energies, letting them flow between us, balancing.

Pierce's breath hissed in, his fingers in mine clenching for a moment. Neither I nor Ceri said anything, but we waited until he nodded, accepting the level of power. It was a joined spell, and I could taste the three of us mixing, the bite of metal and ash, the powdery residue of sun and pollen, and the cold edge of wild, windswept water in winter. That was me—windswept water in winter. I was going to kill someone with magic. There had to be another choice!

'Stop,' I whispered, and Pierce's thoughts wound into my own, holding me to the task.

'Stay the course,' he said, eyes fixed on mine with an eerie intensity. 'Hold.'

'Everyone kills to live,' Ivy whispered, vampire incense pulling through me to then vanish.

Not me, I thought, my fingers hurting where Ceri gripped them, refusing to let me go.

'Accendere!' she shouted victoriously, finishing the curse.

I stumbled as I jerked from them, but it was too late. Stunned, I felt the black curse tear through my brain like a heated knife, searing the knowledge into my memory. Ceri gasped, her head thrown back as the curse escaped Pierce's bubble. As if in slow motion, I followed it with a ribbon of thought, the first tendrils of silver heat darting to find the edges of the confines of my circle, widening to fill the space, crawling over the inside of the dome, snaking up the tree to crisp the leaves. The ground smoked, the wet earth steamed to show the expanding curse.

I was going to burn everything aboveground. Everyone kills to live, echoed in my mind.

Not me. Panicked, I threw myself from Pierce and Ceri, hitting the interior shell of Pierce's bubble and staring at them in horror. Not me!

'No!' I shouted, reaching out for the curse. I had seen its creation. I could call it back.

'Rachel?' Ceri called, eyes wide as she felt something shift.

Pierce stared at me. 'Rachel, no!' he cried as if knowing what I was going to do.

Eyes wide, I reached for the curse, wrapped my will around it—and pulled it back.

Crap. This was really going to hurt.

With the sensation of fire, the curse rebounded into me, backlashing in my mind as if it were alive, angry to be jerked home. Not me! I thought as bursts of green flame lit and died outside Pierce's circle, showing where fragile wings shivered into flame. A terrible cry went up as the fairies dropped to the burning earth, and still I pulled, taking it into myself. They were dying. My head flung back and I screamed so I wouldn't go mad with the pain.

And when I had it all, when I had everything that I could bear, I pushed the curse back into the ley line. I emptied everything into it, letting go of the line with a quickness that curled me into myself, hurt. My outer circle dropped, and I took a sobbing breath in the sudden quiet.

The pain vanished from my mind, and I shook as I fell to the wet ground. What have I become in the name of love? Of friendship?

'Rachel!' Ivy exclaimed, but it was Pierce's arms that slipped around me, smelling of witch and power.

The imbalance hit, and I clenched anew, teeth gritting as I took it all. This was mine. The filth, the scum. All of it. And I heard Pierce sigh as I shuddered and accepted the entirety of the smut. I deserved it.

'What did you do!' Ceri shouted, angry. I could see her tiny feet as I lay in Pierce's arms, the pain now only a memory but my panic and fear growing. What have I become?

'Rachel! What did you do!' the elf said again, demanding my attention.

I looked up, wiping my eyes. 'Is Jenks okay?' I whispered.

From the edge of the circle, Ivy said, 'He's still underground. Are you okay?'

'She misaligned it!' Ceri shouted, furious as she stomped her foot. 'And she did it intentionally! They're still alive! Never has anyone misaligned my work, never!'

They were alive? I looked up, not believing. My throat was raw and my muscles felt like rubber bands. The fairies were alive!

'It wasn't misaligned,' Pierce said as he eased me to the ground and stood. Hands at his side, he looked irate. 'She drew it back.'

'Why!' Ceri shouted. 'I told her Jenks would survive!'

'I have no idea,' Pierce said, standing beside me as my butt got wet from the grass.

'Jenks,' I whispered, and I felt Pierce let go of the line and his circle drop. The breath of a new day stained with the stink of burning shifted my hair, and I looked for the bright glitter of pixy wings. Outside Pierce's circle, paths of ash showed where the spell had started to take hold, but the garden was green. Small voices rose in pain, and my heart clenched.

Where is Jenks? My breath came in a sob when Pierce crouched before me, his unburnt hand reaching to wipe my tears away. 'Rachel,' he said, his hand damp when he took mine to help me rise. 'We're in deeper trouble now. Best face it on your feet.'

Numb, I let him draw me to a shaky stand. 'Jenks!' I shouted. God, had I killed them?

Pixy wings exploded from the stump. I dropped back, relief almost making me pass out. They were okay. All of them. But as they darted over the garden, shrieks of fear rang out. My face went cold. Shit, they were killing the grounded fairies.

'Jenks! No!' I shouted. 'It's done! Stop! Damn it, Jenks, stop it! Don't kill them!'

Jenks was atop his stump, having dragged a sallow-faced fairy with him. He turned to me in disgust, his sword at the helpless warrior's neck. The fairy's eyes were wide and a nasty ooze was puddling at his feet—the remains of his wings.

'Jenks...,' I pleaded, and with a sour look, the pixy threw his blade in the air to shift his grip. With no fanfare, he gave the leader of the swarm a vicious thunk on the head. The fairy's eyes rolled up and a ribbon of red blood leaked out.

'Damn it, Rache,' Jenks said as he let the fairy drop at his feet. 'Why do you make things so difficult?'

'Thank you,' I whispered, kneeling to put our eyes on the same level.

'Round them up. Tie them down!' Jenks shouted, and his kids complained as he took to the air, seeming to pull me to my feet as well. Blood smeared him, and wiping his sword he said, 'TJiis is going to be trouble, Rache. You should have let me kill them.'

I started backing away, my gaze darting over the garden. He was angry, motions quick as he flitted away, savage and stinking of death. His kids were cruelly driving the flightless fairies together with torments and cuts. It was survival, but it was scaring me.

My gaze touched on Ceri, the hem of her dress shaking. I'd ruined her curse—a black curse as foul as a hanging corpse. Ivy's eyes were black as she tried to regain control of her emotions, driven to the brink by the aggression around her, her grimed sword on the grass beside her. And Pierce stood watching me, a sad, tired expression in his eyes.

What am I doing? Who are these people I thought I knew, crying for death, lusting for it?

'I have to go,' I whispered, backing up farther yet.

Ivy's eyes flashed even blacker, and Ceri turned, her expression hot with anger.

'Inside,' I added so they wouldn't think I was leaving. 'I need some water.'

I headed for the porch, snatching up Rex so she wouldn't eat any of the grounded fairies.

Maybe I should have gone into the ever-after. Even Al is better than this.

Twenty

 The slamming of the screen door behind me jumped through me like a spark. I had to get away. I had to go somewhere to regroup, figure out what had just happened. But as I stood in the silence, there was no peace in the living room. Ivy's couch was heady with vampire incense and memories. Leaving wet footprints, I paced into