Mine to Fear (Mine #3)(45)

I picture the flow of blood stopping and her skin covering up the wound. Once it's in my mind's eye clearly enough, I call on my magic to do exactly that. The spell comes out white, tinted with green. It moves to the cut, quickly stopping the flow and healing the skin back together. I'm a little tired by the time I pull my magic back in, but not by much.

“Well done,” she says. “It took me more than a dozen tries before I could even get the blood to stop flowing. You're a natural.”

“It's about time I'm a natural at something.” Relief that I can do this, that I will do this and help people, fills me. Now I only hope that I don't have to use it.





Chapter Thirty-Three





As encouraging as teaching the women and girls to fight is, there are other things to worry about. Things not nearly as enjoyable. Despite what food we gathered from Ryan's, we desperately need more, but the amount of warlocks we have with us is being heavily outweighed by women. We need warlocks to go out with women so they don't get in trouble with the law officers. Though there's no promises that that will help. Most of the warlocks who have come to us have been placed back into society where they can do more to help us from the outside. That's the hope anyway.

With such a limited number of warlocks though, and with such a great need, we decide to have one warlock with two women go search for food. I'm placed in a group with a guard I'm unfamiliar with and Nelly. The entire walk to town, she stays as far from me as possible, despite our strides forward yesterday.

How am I ever going to get these people to trust me? It's frustrating being here to help and being treated like I'm the enemy. It eats at me, gnawing at my concentration.

Suddenly, there's a law officer in front of us. Dandy.

“What are you doing here?” he demands.

“Just going for a walk,” our guard answers.

Not a good enough excuse at all. Not for the first time, I wish I could do more in this country.

The law officer circles us both, stopping in front of me. “Going for a walk, huh? With what appears to be an Envadi scum.”

I tense, my muscles bunching, though ready to run or fight, I'm not sure yet.

He grips my chin and forces my face down to his. “Are you an Envadi scum? Or just a freak who looks like one?”

I don't answer that. What good answer is there? Instead, I twitch my hand toward him, ready to zap him with a hex should it prove necessary.

He lets me go and moves to Nelly. “And what are you? A freakishly short Envadi?”

“Leave them alone,” the guard says.

“Are you going to make me, Envadi lover?”

Our guard's hands are clenched into fists, but he doesn't prod the law officer further.

The law officer chuckles. “That's what I thought. Now, let's take you in. Walk toward town, and don't try anything funny. I'll be following you.”

We can't go to the law office. If we do, the only reason we'll come out again is to be tarnished or buried. Our guard looks over at me. I nod my head to the law officer. Suddenly the guard whirls on the law officer, flashing him with a yellow hex.

The law officer screams with rage, zapping a midnight-blue spell at our guard. The guard falls to the ground. The law officer puts his hand up toward Nelly.

I race toward the warlock, throwing a fireball of anger straight for him. He must sense it coming because at the last moment, he throws an icy-blue shield up protecting him for the blast.

Nelly screams. Great way to call more attention to our situation.

“Run and get help,” I yell at her.

The warlock blasts an orange spell at her, but I block it. He glares at her like he wants to capture her, but he knows I'm the bigger threat. One of the leaders who have led so many people to hide from their vicious ways. A barbarian at that. He zaps a cutting spell at me, slicing into my stomach.

I fling a fuchsia spell at him that sprays him with sparkles. Gee, why don't I just decorate him to death? He sends a black-tinged blue spell my way. It looks deadly in its shine. I throw a bright purple wall up. The blue spell smashes into it, followed by two more of the same thing. My shield spell weakens, draining my power.

Help had better arrive soon. I don't know how long I can hold him off. An orange hex bashes into me, searing my left arm and chest. I groan in pain even as I fling back a sliver cutting spell. He blocks it with a wall of green, but lets his guard down too fast. I zap a sleep spell at him in a soft blue that's deceiving in its quickness.

It slams into him, but not before he has the chance to throw out one last spell. I try to bring up a shield spell, but too late. The gray tinged aqua spell pounds into my already searing chest. I drop to the ground, light-headed.

I can't pass out now. I force myself to crawl. Each move agonizing as I near the law officer. When I finally get there, it's all I can do to see he's knocked out. I fall to the ground.

Faint voices call my name. Someone puts their hand on my shoulder while probing my wound. I open my eyes, but I can't make sense of the scene. Jack is above me, but his eyes are withered with worry.

“Hold on. Help is coming,” he says. “Just hold on.”

“Is she safe?”

My words are faint, even to my own ears, but he replies, “She's safe and well. You'll be well soon, too. Please hold on.”