Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Immediately, Vance raised his arm, a ball of fire dancing in the center of his palm and he threw it straight at Douglas. "Run, Portia!" he yelled.

Douglas swung his arm in a wide arc, magically deflecting the fireball and sending it smashing into a wall, growling as he charged toward us. Vance stepped in front of me, protectively shoving me behind him. Caught off guard, I stumbled over my own feet, falling first against the wall, before tumbling onto the floor.

Vance raised his arm, ready to attack again. Douglas snatched his wrist before he could throw the next fireball, yanking Vance's arm to the side.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said flatly, punctuating his words with a piercing stare that promised instant repercussions.

"Yeah? Well, I'm not you," Vance replied hotly, defiantly letting the fireball go anyway.

Jerking his head to the left, Douglas scrambled to avoid being hit. The ball of flame soared across the room, crashing into the table at the foot of the stairs, and shattering it into a million pieces.

From my position on the floor, I raised my hand, shooting several ice shards at Douglas. Using the hand he wasn't restraining Vance with, he quickly directed them back toward me. Panicking, I threw both my hands into the air, barely having enough time to ward them off. They slammed rapidly into the wall next to my head, sticking out like spikes. Vance tackled Douglas with a roar, and the two of them went sprawling across the marble floor.

Rising to my feet, I desperately watched for an opportunity to safely incapacitate Douglas without hitting Vance as well.

Suddenly Colin appeared followed by Fiona, both looking around wildly for the source of the noise. "Get him!" Fiona commanded Colin when she saw the two men struggling together.

Raising my hand, I called on the magical source inside me to attack Colin, determined to protect Vance. But before I could fire some unseen force hit me, throwing me backward and pinning me against the wall. Completely immobilized, I stared at Fiona, who had her arm outstretched toward me. This wasn't good.

Colin hurried to where Douglas and Vance were still rolling around on the floor together, grabbing Vance by his arms and hauling him up from behind with a strength that belied his thin frame. Vance yanked one arm free, and turned, throwing a punch and hitting Colin square in the face, knocking him backward. Immediately, he fired at Douglas once more.

Douglas dodged the fireball by lowering his head and jumping toward Vance, knocking him firmly into Colin, who grabbed both of his arms up behind him again.

"No!" Vance yelled, continuing to struggle against Colin, refusing to give up. Douglas straightened and backhanded him across the face.

Even I could feel the wave of anger that infused Vance in that moment. Fueling his strength, Vance roared as he wrenched an arm free and raised it to fire. Reacting quickly, Douglas reached out and grabbed it, lifting it high into the air.

In that second, Vance noticed me pinned to the wall. A look of pain flashed through his eyes and he stopped his struggles instantly.

"Release him," Douglas said to Colin, and he did so, though Douglas kept his firm grip on Vance's arm.

"What is going on?" Fiona screamed, glancing around at all of us as if we were crazy. Colin quickly moved to douse the small flames that were devouring the wooden splinters on the floor.

"Our grandson was trying to leave us," Douglas said, continuing to hold Vance's arm into the air.

"Is that true?" Fiona said, as she walked toward us with a look of disbelief on her face, and I suddenly felt the force field around me release.