Misplaced Magic (Book 8)

Chapter 19

Hi everyone! I'm back! 

I'm so sorry for not updating, I didn't intend to be away for this long. 

But this story has now been completed and I'm almost finished with a 9th book! So thank you to everyone still interested and I hope you enjoy. 

xxxxxx

"If you fell down yesterday, stand up today."―H.G. Wells

'So, you promised a demon my power and Lauren's new power, and now he's pissed off because he has neither?' Christina wanted clarification as they sat in the living room of her apartment. She sipped her coffee and waited for a response.

'Yeah, pretty much spot on.' Amy said.

'Fantastic.' Christina sighed. She sat back and lent her head on the back of the chair.

'We didn't know what else to do Chris, you and Lisa were stuck and we had run out of options.' Katherine defended. 'I'm sorry if it was the wrong call, but it was the only one we thought we could make.' Christina looked at her and smiled.

'It was the right call.' Christina assured her. 'I'm just tired Kath, not angry.'

'Okay, if you're sure.' Katherine sat next to her and took her hand.

'What was Perdition like anyway?' Dani asked.

'Oh tons of fun.' Lisa said sarcastically.

'I'm serious.' Dani said throwing a cushion at her. Lisa caught it and grinned.

'I know.' She said, her smile fading. 'It was so cold. It felt like nothing good had ever happened there, or will ever happen there.'

'I take it your powers didn't work properly either?' Amy asked.

'You are correct. It felt a little like the forest.' Christina confirmed.

'Right now I think we need to focus more on Bathin.' Lauren said. 'He was super pissed and I'm pretty sure someone is going to notice a hole in the side of our house.'

'I put a cloaking spell over the house.' Katherine said. 'It's hidden for now.'

'Good job Kath.' Lisa squeezed her shoulder.

'And we can make potions and figure out how to stop Bathin.' Katherine said. Christina was looking off into the distance, her brain trying to formulate a plan. Her eyes moved to Lauren and she stared at her.

'Chris.....' Dani knocked her knee. 'Whatcha looking at?' Christina snapped out of her trance when Lauren clicked her fingers in front of her face.

'Sorry.' She shook her head. 'We need to get Bathin out of the city and, if we can, separate him from some power?'

'Yes, so he can't hurt anyone.' Dani confirmed.

'So why don't we just give him what he wants?' Christina said.

'What are you talking about?' Amy asked. Christina turned to Lauren.

'How do you feel about a little field trip?' She said, and Lauren grinned.

xxxxxx

The empty field was eerie as Lauren and Christina walked out over the grass. Lauren looked to her big sister nervously and made a point of moving closer to her. 'Are we sure this is a good idea?' Lauren asked, her eyes glancing all around.

'No, but we're running out of options.' Christina admitted.

'Do you think a power stripping potion is going to work on Bathin?' Lauren asked

'Might do. He has been taking lots of powers that don't belong to him.' Christina said, moving cautiously forwards.

'And if it doesn't work?'

'Then we fight or run like hell.' Christina said.

'That doesn't fill me with comfort.' Lauren admitted.

'I know, but Amy is on standby and they can get us home as soon as she feels anything off.' The grass rustled as a sudden rush of wind swept passed them. Lauren took another step closer to Christina. The next gust of wind was enough to lift them from the ground and knock them off of their feet. They were thrown backwards, landing on the grass with a thud. Christina looked up quickly and saw Bathin materialise in front of them. She grabbed for Lauren's arm. 'Laur, get up.' She hauled them both to their feet and they stood facing him.

'Witches.' He hissed.

'You seem upset.' Christina pointed out.

'I want my power.'

'Technically it's not your power.' Christina said, earning her a worried squeeze from Lauren telling her to be careful.

'Just give me what's mine and I'll be on my way.' He took a few steps towards them.

'You know we can't let you have these powers.' Lauren said. The demon sighed heavily.

'I thought that might be the case now.' He quickly sent out another blast of energy which Christina shielded. It hit her blue barrier with force and pushed her back. Lauren stood firmly behind her and helped channel some energy. Once the energy had dissipated, they noticed that Bathin was no longer in front of them.

'Where did he go?' Lauren asked, panicked. Bathin appeared behind them and used both hands to lift them up by the necks. As they were lifted off the ground Christina reached into her pocket and pulled out a small potion vial. She threw it at Bathin. It hit him and exploded. It shook him momentarily but only succeeded in pissing him off more. He threw Lauren to the ground, blood coming from some scratches on her neck where he'd held her, and turned Christina to face him. He lifted his hand above her chest and started to draw her power from her.

'Not this again, can every demon drain power like that now.' Lauren said, frustrated. She got to her feet, determined, and raised her own hand. 'Come on, come on.' She willed her new power to work and closed her eyes. After a few moments she opened her eyes and they were bright yellow. She sent a blast of bright energy towards Bathin. It hit him in the side, releasing his hold on Christina who dropped to the floor, breathless. Lauren didn't let up, she walked forwards sending more anergy into him. She didn't get to see if her efforts were going to pay off because the next thing she knew they were back in Christina's flat with four worried sisters looking back at them. She looked down on the floor and saw Christina almost passed out next to her, before she felt her knees give way and everything go dark.