Mathilda, SuperWitch (Mathilda's Book of Shadows #1)(107)

But I had to bide my time and be smart.

For once.

* * * * *

Then something happened.

Agatha Darling walked toward Althea and Althea unsheathed her wand.

“Back off, woman,” Althea warned.

I took in my breath.

Why would they allow a witch, a powerful witch like Althea, to deliver Josie to them?

Why wouldn’t they pick Lucy?

Or send someone of their own to collect her?

“Oh, you poor deluded soul,” Agatha said, her voice, as usual, serene and bored. “Put that away. You aren’t fooling anyone.”

My heart jumped.

They didn’t know!

They didn’t know that Althea had her power back!

I looked up at Ash who was watching the scene and then I saw his chin dip ever-so-slightly as if he was nodding yes.

My heart leapt.

Ohmygoddess!

Ohmygoddess!

Could it be?

It flooded my head (from the mind-meld, direct from Ash, he gave a quick explanation, too long to go into here) the moment I felt something rough scrape my back and slide into the waistband of my jeans and the tingles came back double time, surging through my body, my limbs…

My magic!

Gabriel was beside me, his hand behind me…

…slipping me my wand!

Agatha turned dismissively from Althea and nodded to a couple henchmen who’d trained guns on Althea and Josie.

“You can kill them now,” then she looked at me, “but leave that one for the sacrifice.”

“No!” I screamed, pulled out my wand and I zapped a killer flash of electric blue, hot pink and sliver magic that hit Agatha Darling slap in the middle of her chest, blew her straight into the air and twenty feet away… to the very edge of The Tor.

Just as Althea lifted her wand straight to the sky and shot an enormous lime green spark that exploded in a mushroom of blue and green pixie dust that covered the entire Tor.

* * * * *

That’s when it happened.

That’s when it really began.

The Supernatural War.

There hadn’t been one since recorded time.

And it started that night… on The Tor.

* * * * *

The atmosphere exploded in a dazzling and fiery array as Althea’s spell broke the magical cloak mere moments before the Modernists flooded the top of The Tor.

There was confusion amongst the Traditionalists; The Chosen One still had her power as did the already stripped Edwards Oracle.

Surprise gave the Modernists the upper hand.

Witches, vampires, sorceresses, wizards, banshees and unicorns flooded the scene.

Faeries flew in, zipping this way and that, flashing white, salmon, pistachio and lemon zaps everywhere.

Vermillion, sunset orange, grass green, bruised peach, Prussian blue, crocus purple – you name it, you saw it – every color known to human and not-so-humankind flooded the arena in flashes and jolts.

There were shouts, screams, stamping, flying… utter mayhem.

“See you later,” Gabriel said to Ash.

Then Gabriel grabbed my head roughly, kissed me on the top of my hair (!!!!) and then he jumped over us, landed by Josie and picked her up, jumped again and disappeared over the side of The Tor.

“Get them!” Agatha shouted in her best Cruella DeVille impersonation, pointing at where Gabriel and Josie disappeared.

She was not bored anymore.

She turned to me, wand raised.

But before she could get off a single zing, her wand exploded in a blaze of lilac, powder blue, butter yellow, gold, scarlet and copper – a spell simultaneously cast from the Triumvirate of Mavis, Mom and Gran.

“Let’s go.” Ash took me by the arm, pulled me from the altar and we ran.

I zapped the offending “human sacrifice” goblin (who was about to hurl a ball of flame at Ash and me) and then I constructed a shield of sparkling pixie dust that twirled unceasingly around Ash and I. It deflected the spells of two witches and a sorcerer.

We just about made it to the edge of The Tor when I heard Althea shout, “Girl! Watch out!”

I turned in time to see Althea throw herself in front of Ash and I, just as Addison’s bat swooped low and transformed.

And then the f**kity, f**k, f**king bullet fired at close range hit Althea and ripped straight through her then lodged into Addison who simply (being undead and it not being a silver bullet or piercing his heart) leapt away, transforming into a bat again.

I didn’t scream.

I also didn’t hesitate.

I just lifted my wand and zapped the gunman (who was now aiming at us) so violently that he flew through the air and over the side of The Tor.

(I didn’t notice that this dramatic event was helped a tiny bit by the bullet that came from Ash’s gun.)

I ran to Althea and dropped down to my knees at her side.

“Althea!” I cried as I watched the dark stain spreading across the excruciatingly ugly, pilled oatmeal of her jumper (if I told her once, I told her a million times, she should wear jewel tones). I looked up at Ash. “We have to get her to the hospital.”

Althea grabbed my hand. “No, this is my death.”

She said it in a quiet, calm voice and I watched the magical explosions that were filling the air above us reflected in her eyes.

I barely noticed the turquoise, sage green, grape and bronze shield that Viv and Su generated over us.