same blue haired fairy from Crone Island that lured the kraken out. I tried to scream but it was like one of those awful nightmares where no matter how hard you ran you remained glued in place. It was happening too fast.
The woman thrust her arms out and thick green vines shot out of her hands. They flew forward and wrapped around Riah, Bentley, Amelia, Landy, and Paulina. A glowing green circle opened up behind the woman and my heart stopped. It was an opening for the Seelie tunnel. I recognized it from before. She grinned and pulled her arms back — and the vines dragged all of them into the hole.
They were gone. Vanished. All of them.
“NO!” Saffie screeched and the sound broke my heart.
Everyone screamed and panicked. Energy slammed into my back so hard it knocked me to my knees.
Saffie sped by everyone, flying straight for the opening that hadn’t fully closed. The thick green vines wriggled and moved slowly back into place – but she was going to make it. She was too fast for everyone.
Warm air rushed by me and then Tennessee tackled her from behind. They both dropped to their knees. She thrashed and tried to get free but his thick arms were wound tight around her tiny body, pinning her against his chest. Her glittery wings smacked him in the face but he didn’t seem to notice.
I sighed in relief — and then I saw Tegan gunning for the tunnel opening. Bettina was hot on her heels. I gasped and my heart stopped all over again. They were going for it.
“Stop them!” I screamed.
But Tennessee was holding Saffie.
And the rest of the Bishops were sprinting right behind Tegan and Bettina, with Deacon and Braison right there with them.
My stomach dropped.
All of our strongest Cards were headed for that damn tunnel.
In a blind panic I thrust my wand out toward Tegan and a ball of magic shot straight for her back. I had no idea what spell I’d just done but a cloud of rainbow mist disintegrated it in the blink of an eye, without Tegan even looking.
Magic shot from every direction but nothing was stopping them.
They were still running and getting closer.
The rest of us were panicking and they knew real magic, unlike me.
Royce screamed and threw his hands out. Thick brown vines shot up from under the sand and coiled around Deacon’s and Cooper’s legs. Royce flicked his wrists and they crashed to the ground. Vines burst out of the sand in rapid fire, wrapping around their bodies and pinning them to the sand. Hunter leapt over them like a track and field star but a vine reached out and snagged him by the ankle. His face slammed into the sand. He tried to break free but the vines moved faster. Father and son fired their magic into the vines but they weren’t budging.
“BETTINA, NO!” Jackson shouted and raced after her.
That boy may have been British but he tackled his soulmate like this was the SEC Championship. “ROLL TIDE, lemme tell ya. YASS, ma’am. That’s how you do it.”
Ice shot out of Bettina’s hands but Jackson didn’t loosen his grip. Pink mist burst all around them. He cursed and rolled on his back, then hooked his legs over hers. Ice wrapped around both of their bodies until they were in a frozen cocoon.
“Bloody hell, woman, just STOP!”
“NO! BENTLEY!” She shrieked back.
Red lightning shot over their bodies. I jumped and spun – only to find Deacon using his Devil magic to persuade the vines to release him. In the blink of an eye Deacon was up and sprinting toward that damn tunnel opening.
Royce dropped to his knees and screamed so loud his face turned red and the veins in his neck pulsed. He thrust his arms forward and hundreds of vines ripped through the sand, forming a wall between us and the tunnel.
Kessler gripped the vines and tore them straight out of the ground, then threw them over his shoulder. Emersyn’s fire scorched a path that let her, Devon, and Deacon get through. Tegan was already on the other side and I hadn’t even seen her break through.
Braison got stuck between two but it wasn’t going to hold.
“ALBERT! GET HIM!” Chutney screamed from behind me.
A black shadow raced by me. I turned toward it only to find it was Albert, the black mastiff. He cleared the beach in a flash and tackled Braison to the sand and then sat on his back. Olli appeared