UnFamiliar

Chapter 17

Val grabbed my hand.

A witch hunter was advancing on us with a gun pointed specifically at Val while none of our magic or powers were doing anything, and all Val did was grab my hand. 

I squeezed it back. Maybe I could somehow combine my and Val's power. One of the books we'd looked through in an attempt to break the bond mentioned whatever power the familiar had could be used by the witch.

The witch hunter had his finger on the trigger and seemed to have begun pulling it when Sherril pounced onto him. 

I'd forgotten among us was a rather large black panther. Her momentum knocked the man down as the gun went off, making the bullet go wild. She growled into his terrified face, her paws on his chest.

I stood there, like an idiot. Val let go of my hand and rushed over to the witch hunter. By the time I'd shook myself out of the shock, the witch hunter had strips of Val's brightly colored t-shirt tying him up. 

I knelt down in front of him, pushing Sherril's head aside in hopes that I could get his attention. "What's blocking our magic?"

He smirked. "The cleansing ceremony."

The thing was magic wasn't actually of the devil or whatever the fanatics wanted to call it. At least no more than any other traits were. Some kids had green eyes. Some had blond hair. Some had a tendency to like bugs while others liked dresses. Some had magic. Some didn't. 

Any sort of "cleansing ceremony" shouldn't have an effect. It should be as useless and insane as trying to get rid of cancer by burning sage. Sage, without the proper incantations and runes, would do nothing except make your house smell a bit weird.

They had to have an extremely powerful artifact to block our power or a a spell. Whether they knew it or not, they were combatting magic with magic. 

"What is the cleansing cere--" I got cut off by two more witch hunters rounding the corner and spotting us.

Unlike the first guy, they started shooting at us on sight. Sherril pulled Nina away, and I didn't really see where to. 

Val grabbed me and tried to pull me away, but I put my hands up. "I, um...our magic isn't. working. No need to shoot."

...

Val seemed tense as we were led into the gym, but it wasn't like I could do anything about that. 

It had been a bit dumb, I know, to get ourselves caught. I just couldn't fathom what was blocking the magic and I wanted a better look. 

The teachers and students looked up as we were marched past them, but they seemed lethargic. The teachers in particular seemed like their limbs felt heavy. I cocked my head. Typically just by virtue of being around longer, the teachers were far more powerful than the students. Shouldn't the weaker ones be affected more by whatever was causing this?

We were told to sit in the middle of the gym, where the basketball players circle around to start a game. I sat in the exact middle, on the dot and looked around. The witch hunters that pulled us in here retreated quickly. No other witch hunters were visible. If I'd not know better, I'd think the witch hunters were surrounding the gym chanting whatever incantation would cause this.

Val sat down, putting his back to mine. Presumably so we both had something to lean against. "You got a plan?"

I shook my head. Where could the hunters possibly be? I looked at the ceiling as if that would give me the answer. Then I paused. "Do you think those witch hunters could be on the roof?"

"What?" Val asked.

I twisted around to face him. "The roof. They aren't in here and they are surrounding the building outside. What if they're doing their 'cleansing ceremony' from the roof?"

"Even if you're right, what good would that do us? We're stuck in here." 

"But they aren't in here," I practically shout, "What's actually stopping us from leaving?"

"Guns?" Val asked,

"You...guys...can...still...move?" A voice said from my left. When I looked around, it was Jackson, the kid who was always earning the top spot in my class last year. 

"You...can't move? Why?" I asked.

Jackson shrugged. He looked sick I realized. He was sweaty and pale. 

Val nudged me. "Maybe it's because he's been cut off from his magic for too long?"

Jackson shook his head. "As...soon...as...I...got...here."

I stared. The only real difference between me and Jackson was that his magic was far stronger. We got similar grades on any and all classes that didn't require actual casting of spells. It'd been...odd. He'd sort of acted like my failure was a personal affront and tried to tutor me. It hadn't helped, and frankly made me more frustrated with my situation. 

"I wonder why you're so affected," Val said to Jackson. He actually got up and walked the few feet to Jackson, squatted down, and poked him in the cheek. He turned to me frowning. "I'm not sure if it's because my power is blocked or his or possibly both, but I can't tell he's anything more than human. Not even when I'm touching him." 

"The...Hell," Jackson moaned.

I squinted at Val. "I didn't know you could do that."

"Well, it's kind of a useless trick when everyone we talk to is a witch or you know a native to hell," Val said.

"Right...what exactly do I register as? I mean normally, not like right now." 

Val's lips are pressed together. "Ambrose...I don't know if--"

"I need to know," I said.

Val let out a huff. "Fine. You barely register. In fact, I would say I'd probably put you in the normal human category if I didn't know any better."

I nodded. "That's what I thought." I looked around at my fallen classmates and teachers. "Val, do you know what happens to witches if they lose their magic?"