Page 39 of The Powerless Witch

This witch was not like the ones in the mountains who touched to soothe, to heal, to help. This one did not fight to protect herself and others like Celeste did. She came here to hurt my pack, like others had before. She deserved no mercy. She was the reason I hated magic.

My teeth sank into her flesh again, warm blood filling my mouth as I tore her apart. A shout behind me pulled me out of the craze and I took a step back, watching her slump to the ground while the light faded from her eyes. The sounds of fighting and the screams of the witches had died down, replaced by crying, shouting, and movement.

When I looked around again, I realized the battle was over. The air was heavy with the smell of blood and magic, but none of the witches breathed anymore. My warriors had made sure of that. On a battlefield, witches had the upper hand as long as they could keep their distance. The moment they were within our range, no amount of magic in the world could save them from our claws.

“Isaac!” I twirled to find Alice standing a few steps behind me, blood dripping from her hands and staining the fabric of her pants. She had changed into what looked like some of Allison’s clothes, her hair flying everywhere despite the band she used to hold it out of her face. “I need help!”

I shifted instantly, rushing to her side and catching her shoulders. The blood didn’t smell like hers, but it definitely belonged to a werewolf. Still, I dared not breathe while I examined her, making sure she was unharmed.

“Where—” I started, but she was already tugging me after her. She ignored the carnage around us with ease, which made me wonder what she might have seen among the witches to harden her so much. Before I could ask, she pulled me between two of the houses where a large group of children and elderly were huddled together. There were traces of blood on the front of the lawn, but no further. The three wolves standing on guard had made sure of that, even though they looked like they were about to collapse.

“Tell them to shift!” Alice shouted, pointing at my warriors. One of them let out a low snarl, his black eyes switching to me. “They needed to be tended to before it’s too late! That one took a spell directly to his stomach!”

I looked at the wolf she was pointing at, noting the blood dripping from his chin.

“Battle is over! Do as she says!” I barked, and they exchanged a brief look before shifting into their human forms. Alice was beside the one she pointed at even before he was fully transformed, ready to catch him like she knew he’d lose his balance. She grunted as he leaned his weight on her, and I hurried to their side, helping her lower him on the ground. His eyes had rolled back, and he seemed like he was hardly breathing, but at least I could hear his heart.

The other two warriors stepped toward the street, peeking out to make sure there was no danger coming our way. The children remained huddled by the walls, with a few of the elderly moving closer to offer help.

Alice unclasped the bag she was carrying across her chest. The smell of herbs and flowers filled the air while she rummaged through it, taking a handful of vials out, along with a small wooden bowl. Thoroughly focused on her hands, she ignored the onlookers and the voices shouting from the street until she had ground the ingredients in the bowl and added a few drops of water.

“Open his mouth and keep him steady,” she ordered without looking at me. I did as I was told when I noticed the purple tinge of the concoction. I put my hand over his mouth, almost causing her to spill it, and Alice glared at me.

“What is that?” I asked, looking at the potion again. “This purple stuff. It destroys magic.”

Alice blinked—out of surprise or annoyance, I wasn’t sure—then she grimaced.

“Of course it does! How else do you think I’m supposed to stop the magic from destroying his brain?” It was my turn to look at her with shock and when she pushed my hand away, I didn’t resist. “It’s very harmful to witches, but in small doses, it can be a great remedy for shifters and non-magical beings. It purges any signs of magic from the system and it speeds up the recovery process when diluted with a mix of the dried Echinacea leaves and Starshade moss clippings…” She trailed off when the man’s body shook and he tried to turn his head away. She grabbed his cheeks and pinched his nose until he swallowed the concoction. His body went limp.

I couldn’t remember how to breathe as I counted his heartbeats, half expecting them to stop. Alice released his nose, keeping his head steady until the green tint of his skin subsided for a healthier pink.

“He must not be moved until he wakes, and someone has to keep his head still while the potion fully spreads.” Her eyes darted to one of the women standing nearbyand she dropped to her knees by the warrior’s head. “Thank you,” Alice said before turning to me. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” I replied, just as the sound of running feet made us all look up.

The group that had formed a circle around us made space for Allison and a few of the warriors flanking her. My Beta had found a shirt to throw over herself, not caring that the blood dripping from her hands and legs stained it red. She glanced between the body lying at our feet, the children behind us, and then Alice until finally, she locked eyes with me.

“They are gone,” she announced, her teeth screeching in annoyance. “Those on the other side of the street left the moment we breached their defenses. We’re doing a head count but…there are a lot of wounded and…” She licked her lips, shaking her head. “Magic wounds are hard to heal when we don’t have—”

“Take me to them.” Alice was on her feet before my Beta was done speaking. “I might be able to help.”

Allison turned to me with a question in her eyes. I gave the warrior at our feet one last look—the wound on his head had clotted and the tremors of his body had subsided already—and rose to my feet.

“Give Alice everything she needs. If anyone can help them, it’s her,” I ordered, looking around to show this applied to everyone. “Take the children inside and establish a perimeter around the houses. Those who are not badly hurt, help us move the wounded. If anyone has first-aid skills, go with my sister and do as she says.” A few people mouthed ‘sister’ in surprise, but nobody contradicted when I added. “We won today, but it’s not over. Let’s take care of our pack.”

Everyone nodded, the last of their fear draining as they rushed to fulfill my commands. I smiled thankfully to one of the women, who handed me a pair of sweatpants, then jumped into them before returning to the street where more of my people were carrying or kneeling beside the wounded.

I watched as Alice hugged her bag to her chest, rushing to the closest body and checking on their wounds. She said something to the warriors watching her, and they dispersed to fulfill her orders.

“I’m sorry,” Allison said from beside me, and when I looked at her, she was staring at the ground. Blood and scorch marks marred the concrete, and I doubted any amount of cleaning would get either out.

“What for?”

“For getting caught unaware even though we expected this,” she replied, her hands balling into fists. “You left me in charge of protecting our people, and I failed. If you choose to replace me, I’ll understand. Just allow me to stay in—”

Turning to face her, I caught her shoulders and squeezed until she looked at me. Her eyes were blurry with tears, which she refused to let out. I wanted to shout with frustration and tell her she was talking nonsense, and that the only person to blame was me. She had been here the whole time, watching and protecting, while I was in another state, trying to save another witch for my own reasons. If anyone had failed them, it was me.

I almost didn’t make it in time, all because I didn’t want to leaveherside. I was a fool.