Mathilda, SuperWitch (Mathilda's Book of Shadows #1)(108)

“Matty, sweetheart, we have to go,” Ash said quietly, gently but urgently.

I ignored him and spoke to Althea. “Althea, I can get you down with a levitation spell then we’ll get you to the hospital.”

She weakly shook her head against the grass. “I’ve seen enough in my visions, girl, to know my own death. Follow your man.”

“Althea.”

“Go, child. It was always my destiny. The Chosen One would give me back my most precious gift so I could die with dignity. Then I would help her with her work. Destiny.”

“Destiny, shmestiny,” I said.

She laughed an icky, shuttering cackle and blood trickled out of her mouth.

Oh goddess!

“Althea!” I exclaimed.

She clutched my hand. “It was an honor to die for you, girl.” She looked at Ash then whispered to me, “Choose well, sweet child, and remember to be true only to you.”

And that was it.

Then she died.

She didn’t close her eyes serenely but the light went out of them all the same.

My stomach clutched and my throat closed.

“We have to go.” Ash was firmly but gently trying to pull me up.

“I can’t leave her here!” I cried, struggling against his efforts.

“You won’t,” Ash whispered.

And I didn’t.

All Obi-Wan Kenobi (save with a shitload of lime green and robin’s egg blue sparks, flashes and pixie dust), Althea disappeared, her beautiful sparks, flashes and pixie dust scattering to the stars, the earth and the wind.

Until nothing remained of her but a soft blue twinkle that seemed to wink at me before it flashed out.

In the midst of battle, it was a beautiful thing to behold.

“Now!” Ash yelled, pulling me up and we were gone.

* * * * *

The fight was in full swing on top of The Tor, down its sides and in the skies above it.

Witches were zapping witches.

Vampire bats swooping down and transforming into men, flipping their capes and flashing their teeth.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Lucy kick a baddie in the crotch then link her hands together and nail him one in the face as he bent forward in pain.

“You go girl!” I shouted.

I saw Prunella, the Hag, blaze one of the witches who escorted me to the bathroom.

I saw Mavis and Endora in what looked like a battle to the death, wands slicing through the air, pixie dust shooting out like lasers, shields erecting then exploding.

Ash led, running swiftly, leaping with agility over holes or mounds or prone supernatural beings all the while holding my hand.

I followed, tripping and skipping, zinging and flaring with my wand here and there to protect Ash and I and to help any of our allies that I could see.

BecBec zoomed in, trailing us, zipping away in a flash to trip up a baddie or deflect a spell.

Chaos.

* * * * *

The whole thing was pretty mind-blowing if you got right down to it.

And kinda all my fault.

It appeared that Ash and I were running away from the action rather than participating in it which didn’t sit well with me.

It wasn’t lost on me that a whole lotta people went out of their way to keep me safe and alive.

And two of them had just put themselves in front of a bullet for me.

I was The Chosen One, SuperWitch and Glamour Girl.

And I wasn’t just gonna run away.

* * * * *

I skidded to a halt and pulled free of Ash.

“What the f**k are you doing!” he snapped, urgency in his voice.

I put my wand to my lips and winked.

He raised his face to the heavens and said, “Oh for f**k’s sake.”

(Not sure which deity would appreciate that prayer.)

Then I took three deep breaths.

I turned around three times and stopped at North.

I said out loud to my tree, “Okay, tree. Here goes nothing!”

And I… let… fly.

A soft pink laser of pixie dust shot out of my wand, winding swiftly and fully around The Tor looking like the strawberry swirl on a lollipop.

I saw an offshoot of the pink beam strike out, wrap itself around Endora’s ankle and knock her off balance so that she dropped her wand and Mavis leapt forward to grab it.

I saw another beam shoot around the waist of the bathroom witch so she was tugged backward, whatever spell she’d thrown going off its mark and missing Prunella.

I saw up above a vampire sliding down the beam like he was surfing a wave, leaping off in a double somersault and landing behind a troll who was about to bring his hammer onto the horn of a unicorn. The vampire kicked the troll in the back of the knee. The troll went down. The unicorn leapt forward, magic surging from its still healthy horn. The vampire transformed into a bat and flew away.

(Don’t be too impressed, vampires are known to be show-offs.)

Everywhere my beam touched you could hear screams, cries or cheers.

It was just my little bit.

I put my hand out to Ash and he was watching me with what looked like pride gleaming in his eye (Yes! Pride!).

My fingers closed around his then I declared, “Okay, now we can go.”

* * * * *

We made it to the bottom of the hill though I didn’t see it as I was looking behind me to watch my twirly spell. I kept on going after Ash stopped and ran smack into something solid.