The Unconventional Macy Gray

~14~ Who Will Win?

Ever fight in a place where the laws of physics do not apply? Me neither. I slung a mass of anti-magic at Celia and the mass careened off to the right, ricocheted to the left, then down and right toward me. I went into a fetal position and it missed me by centimeters, if that.

How could anyone hope to win a fight in here? I rotated helplessly unable to stop. There was nothing to grab onto, nothing solid to bump into to stop this infernal spinning. Nauseated, I swallowed down bile but it kept coming back up.

My hands recharged, I launched a volley of magic at her. Most of it never touched her but some slammed into her chest. Not enough to knock her off her feet. She just laughed at my feeble attempts to destroy her. Enraged, I gave her everything I had sending myself into a helpless spin while she cocked her enormous head like a puppy.

I was doing my best and my best wasn't good enough. Nothing I did had any effect. How was she still standing? Weakened, I helplessly rotated in a place that had no gravity. She had her feet firmly planted on solid ground while I floated as if I were in space. I would rotate like this forever without an outside force to stop me.

It infuriated me that Celia held all the cards. When will I get the upper hand? Never it seems. At least Cynthia was safe. I consoled myself with that fact as Celia unleashed a barrage of magic on me. I couldn't stop it from slamming into me. Not fair. So not fair. Bullies shouldn't always win. 

I spun from one end of the portal to the other. It was charged with a polarized energy matching her magic. Same as the cocoon. My arms and legs splayed out. The force of the impact made the very molecules in my cells hurt with excruciating pain. I let out a groan which made Celia laugh.

"You'll never win," Celia said. 

I couldn't move, I was frozen place while my body absorbed every bit of the magic. Celia took advantage of my immobility. The same nasty gray tendrils enveloped me. Really? This again? Even as a monster she had no imagination.

I fought, struggling against the tendrils' tight hold on me. I refused to let her win again. "No!" I shouted. "You won't defeat me."

"I already have." Her voice was mellow now, husky and soft. "You never had a chance. Your destiny lies elsewhere." She paused for dramatic effect. "In a grave."

"My destiny is none of your damn business." Magic sputtered in my fingers. What the hell? I lost it again.

"I add a feature that I thought you might find interesting," Celia taunted. "Want to know what it is?"

"I can figure it out for myself." Why was I even talking to her? Talking got me nowhere. I refused to allow her to bait me further and closed my eyes. I concentrated with everything I had in me. Come on, I thought, it worked before.

I couldn't summon up the energy. I was fading fast. Celia had found a way to drain the magic right out of me. She had to have help. No way she was doing this all on her own. Mordok. I might have left him stuck in the ground, but he must have extricated himself by now. Right then, Mordok appeared in the Portal showing me once for all, that he had been adding his magic to Celia's all along. Damn, I hate it when I'm right.

His appearance emboldened Celia's resolve to finish me. Together, they aimed all they had within them to entice the tendrils to tightened their grip on me. Every bit of air was squeezed out of my lungs. My bones cracked and splintered. My muscles stretched beyond the confines of my body. I felt elastic and solid all at once.

I couldn't think fast enough. Nothing came to mind which would help me. I was fading fast into oblivion while Celia and her father cackled gleefully. I tried to summon up the anger I knew I needed to extricate myself out of this but even it fizzled out to nothing. Numb, I stared up at them helpless and frightened beyond words. If there was a God, I'd better be prepared for Him. If there wasn't, I would soon know nothing, feel nothing, be aware of nothing.