Page 152 of Black Willow Witch
Marvelous.
Really, Emberlyn could throw up the manor’s shield and simply stand back to enjoy the show. But that wouldn’t be even half so much fun as drawing out the faction’s downfall.
Again, a Rabid charged up the path. Again, it was quickly surrounded by crows and goblins that herded it away. She’dmade it clear to her helpers that she didn’t want the Rabid to be killed, only kept at bay.
Hearing Ames yell, she looked his way. Oh, it was a total pleasure to see him stumbling everywhere while crying out in pain. One goblin had latched onto his back, stabbing at his throat with the stinger of its tail. Another was wrapped around his thigh, its sharp, filthy fangs biting deep into flesh. A third flew around him uber fast, its horns stabbing him; its bony fingers clawing at him. As such, he wascoveredin bites, scratches and puncture wounds.
Allthe witches were, to be fair, thanks especially to the contributions of the serpents, rats and insects.
‘I’m going to kill you, bitch!’ Penelope screeched at her, clumsily stumbling up the path with a goblin attached to each leg by their teeth and limbs.
Oh, she was back. Lovely.
A flying goblin grabbed Penelope’s hair from behind and heaved with an evil giggle, wrenching back her head and making her spine arch. She cried out, earning herself another giggle. It pulled her hair harder, causing her to clumsily backpedal as she shrieked in pain. Still, Penelope blindly hurled a gust of magick at Emberlyn.
Emberlyn dodged it, twisted her hand, andsnapwent the witch’s throat . . . right as Ethel and Thad pressed up against the fence, lashing out with a power that sliced at Emberlyn’s arms like jagged knives.
Her heart sank. Killing the twins’ parents would bring her no pleasure, despite the crimes that the couple had committed. But they didn’t deserve to live. They just didn’t.
She slammed a gust of magick at their skulls, wrenching unholy screams out of the pair. Sadness chewed at her conscience until, at the last moment, she eased back the force of her magick, plopping them into a coma. She just couldn’t bringherself to be responsible for their demise; the Watchers could deal with them instead.
The couple dropped to the ground like stones, deeply unconscious. She formed a small dome of magick around them, stopping the goblins and other creatures from touching them. It was the most she was prepared to do for the couple.
A Rabid cleared them with a fluid leap as it made a beeline for Emberlyn. Once more, goblins and crows blocked its path and ushered it away. Considering the Rabid only seemed to have eyes for her, it was obvious that they’d been spelled to target her. Collectively, the goblins and birds were doing a fine job at protecting her from them.
They were doing just as fine a job as protecting her from the faction. Admittedly, it was somewhat amusing to watch these asshole witches – who’d caused drama, hurt and damage not only to the town and its inhabitants but also to the Rabid – stagger around, yelling, cursing and letting out pained cries while goblins and animals crawled all over them.
Emberlyn took a quick moment to check on Reena. The woman must have still been unable to access her magick, because she was huddled in a tremoring ball on the grass just beyond the yard.
Emberlyn’s peripheral vision screamed a warning.
She tracked the movement, but she did it too late. Magick rammed into her head so hard that her vision went dark around the edges.Motherfucker.
Getty laughed, delighted – until a black cat appeared out of nowhere and flung herself right at the witch. Lucie hissed and growled as she clawed at Getty’s face, leaving deep, bleeding grooves.
Shaking off the effects of the blow, Emberlyn yelled, ‘Lucie, move!’ As soon as the feline backed off, she lobbed a lethal waveof magick Getty’s way. It rammed into the witch’s chest, going right for her heart.
Getty jolted. Wheezed. Slapped a hand to her chest.
And promptly died.
‘No!’ Ruben shouted, grief coloring the sound. He made a mad dash for the gate, shooting magick ‘bullets’ at Emberlyn.
Hissing as one pinged off her shoulder, Emberlyn called down a lightning strike, directing it right at him. The bolt hit its target, causing Ruben to shake and seize, his eyes rolling back. Then he hit the ground.Dead.
Five down, three to go.
Speaking of the other three . . . She quickly scanned the scene. Ames was still covered in goblins. Ward was kicking at rats while tugging at the snake curled around his throat. And Bennet—
Was coming right for her.
Before he could attack, she threw out a fluid beam of magick that snapped around his whole body like a vice.
He snarled, struggling against its grip, unable to move. ‘You were right. We would have killed you once we no longer had use for you.’
‘Oh, you might havetried. This would have been the result.’ She flicked a finger and the vice tightened its grip, crushing every bone in his body.
More than ready to end this shit now, Emberlyn switched her focus to Ames. She threw out a ‘loop’ of magick and used it to snatch his ankle. Then she yanked, pulling him right off his feet and dragging him up the path. The goblins released him and backed off with ghoulish squeaks.
