my head. Addie gets sloppy when she’s antagonized.
Got it! Squaring my shoulders, I leveled my gaze at Addie and projected that I found her pathetic. “Do you have a point you’re eventually going to make? Or are you trying to soliloquize us to death?”
My bestie stepped into me and grasped my hand, covering up the movement with a chuckle. “Good one, Ken.”
I watched the rage move across Addie’s face. “Acid. That’s my point, dearie. Acid is a much more effective way to melt someone.” The slithering balls in her hands began to secrete liquid. A single drop fell from her hand. With a sickening hiss, the spot blackened as the grass turned to zombie fungus. “Not me, of course. But I’m thinking it will do the trick on the two of you nicely.”
Without a second to spare, Kenna and I raised our hands, using our rings to put up a shield as two purple balls flew through the air. The orbs expanded into a gelatinous web that coated our protective bubble. As it oozed to the ground around us, the earth decayed and blackened.
My head began to buzz as Jamie’s voice ordered, Take cover now!
I looked to Vee who clarified, Bomb!
A moment later, a metal ball rolled past, coming to a stop against Addie’s boot. The witch glanced down and her eyes flew wide. In unspoken agreement, Vee and I expanded our protective bubble to include the MacCraes right before the garden exploded.
Duncan wrapped me in his massive arms as a wave of heat pushed us back several steps. Thanks to my boyfriend’s ogre-like stature, we managed to stay upright. But just barely. Vee and Jamie weren’t so lucky.
The moment Duncan loosened his grip, we rushed over to where Vee and Jamie lay in a tangled heap. As Duncan reached for his brother, I knelt next to my best friend. Both of them were alive, but dazed.
Jamie impatiently pushed Duncan’s hands away. “I’m fine. Tend ta the queen.”
“I’m fine too,” Vee insisted in sloppy speech. She looked about her without focusing on anything specific. “The protective bubble?”
“Gone.” I stuck my hand under her nose. Uncle Cameron’s ring no longer emanated any light; neither did its counterpart on Vee’s hand.
“An’ the witch?” she slurred.
Holy Hammerstein! With the explosion, I’d forgotten all about Addie. I stood and swiveled around, fighting against the sensation of vertigo as I looked toward where I’d last seen the Witch of Doon.
The miniature bridge had been blown to bits. Stone fragments littered the garden in all directions. In the middle of the rubble, Adelaide struggled to sit up. The skin on the right side of her face, from cheek to jawline, hung down from her skull in a loose flap. The gross combination of tendons, arteries, and bone that it exposed lent a nightmarish quality to the scene as the witch shakily stood up.
“Is that the best ye’ve got, love?” She directed the taunt to Jamie, the loose side of her face undulating as she spoke. “I dinna mind a quarrel now and then. Not when the prospect of making up is so sweet.”
Vee, who’d gotten to her feet and was being held back by Jamie, growled, “You’re delusional, witch.”
Addie just chuckled. “Where were we? Oh, yes . . . acid. For all but my sweet prince.”
Magic began to ball in her palms as I reached for Vee’s hand. Unfortunately, the rings didn’t respond.
We’re defenseless! Vee’s voice buzzed through my brain followed by Jamie’s. Make a run for it. Duncan and I will hold Adelaide off while the two o’ you get away.
I’m not leaving you. We’re stronger together, Vee and I responded, our replies overlapping as we refused to cooperate.
The gathering magic in Addie’s hands began to sizzle. “Time’s up,” she sneered. The ground shook as she arced her arms up over her head. The magic in her palms became a supercharged, violet black hole. Debris from the bridge began to fly through the air as it got sucked into her magical void.
The wind caused by the witch’s vortex snatched my hair and clothes and pulled me painfully forward. Unable to resist, I searched for anything I could use to anchor myself, but the scorched, spongy earth offered no help. Vee, Duncan, and Jamie fought their own futile battles against the witch’s power.
Link arms! I commanded as I reached for Vee. She, in turn, grabbed hold of Jamie, who clung to Duncan. Step by unwilling step, the witch dragged us closer. As we struggled to resist