PLS DONT READ THIS IT ONLY FOR ME THANK YOU

THE LOVE

Brady stepped in front of me again. "Why do you want us dead?"

Malfurnio scowled. "Weren't you listening to me earlier, idiot boy? My plan cannot be carried out until my enemy is dead."

"Then why won't you let Brady go?" I asked. "He has nothing to do with this!"

"Because he is the one you love, and I need him to break you."
"Why do you have to break me first? Why not just kill me?" I asked. I didn't want to die, especially not now that Brady and I were finally together, but more than anything, I wanted Brady to be safe. No matter what.

He laughed. "Because where's the fun in that? And you deserve it."

"How? What did I ever do to you?" I wanted to know.

"Shut up! As if you didn't know! Your kind tortured and teased me to no end, called me an idiot and laughed at me-"

"But that wasn't me!" I said. "I would never do that!"

He shook his head. "I do not care. You will pay. You all will pay."

Brady pointed the knife at Malfurnio. "No, you're going to pay. If you want to kill me, Malfurnio, then let's duel. Just you and me, one on one. No magic."

"Brady," I hissed in his ear, but he didn't move or even acknowledge me.

Malfurnio laughed. "Give up my magic? Do you take me for a fool, Mr. Parker?"

"So you're too afraid to fight me without your magic? I thought I was pathetic? And yet you can't even beat me without help from your all-powerful magic?" Brady asked, staring Malfurnio right in the eyes. His tone was mocking. He was goading him on.

Malfurnio took a step back. "Ridiculous! Absolutely not!"

"So you accept the challenge?"

He scowled. "Perhaps you are not such an idiot. I suppose I have no choice."
Brady gave out a dry laugh. "Not really."

Malfurnio placed his hand on his chest, drew out a huge black ball of swirling black mist, and sent it over to a nearby tree, where it hovered placidly. Then a machete hurled out of it and into Malfurnio's hand.

"Stabitha!" I cried. "That's mine!"
He shook his head. "Not anymore. It's mine now."

I glared at him fiercely. "I don't like you."

"The feeling is mutual, annoying little girl."

Brady beckoned me over right then, so I couldn't retort. I walked over to him. "What?"

He leaned into me and whispered, "while I distract him, you go over to that magical sphere. See if you can do anything with it."

I looked over at it. "Like what?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea. But just try, okay? It's our only hope, at this point."

"Unless you win this," I said hopefully.

He gave me a look. "Yeah, that's never going to happen."

He straightened and stepped up to face Malfurnio.

They bowed to each other, then began to fight.

As much as I wanted to support my boyfriend (he is my boyfriend, right?), I had a job to do. Malfurnio's back was already turned, so I hurried over to the sphere at once and examined it.

Looking at it more closely, I couldn't see anything different from what I could've seen from far away. Sure, it was unusual, but how could it help us?

I looked over my shoulder to make sure they were still facing away from me, then I reached out a tentative finger and touched it.

Instantly, everything went black and I was whirling through a dark void until I felt my feet hit the ground hard.