“What is she doing?” the princess glanced between the witch and Raxx with wide eyes.
“Being a bitch,” he hissed.
Raxx steadied his footing and not a moment too soon. With a brutal yell, Tabitha released the huge bolt of energy she had built up, square in his direction.
Raxx’s hands flew up and he fired a blocking spell forwards with all his might. His majick collided with hers, hissing and crackling as they fought against one another.
Raxx knew the witch well, they had been sparring with one another since they were children. He knew all her tricks, when she was tiring and knew when she was holding back. Tabitha was not holding back.
The witch pushed forwards with even greater force and Raxx’s arms began to shake beneath the ever-growing pressure. Quicker than he would have liked, the shadow demon felt his majick beginning to wane, the massive drain from teleportation beginning to show.
Tabitha’s crimson majick flared brighter and items around the room began to shake and rattle. Raxx could hear the witch growling as she continued to fight him.
“No! Stop this, it’s not funny!” Faye shouted.
“It’s not meant to be funny, my sweet!” Tabitha yelled, her voice distorted by majick. Her serpent eyes glowed brighter still and she took a step forward.
Raxx grunted with effort as he fought to hold off the onslaught. A loud snapping sound broke through the roaring of majick as the pressure began to grow too strong for his shield.
“What’s happening?” Faye screeched.
Tabitha wasn’t going to stop until she got what she wanted. The witch was goading Faye into attacking her and she didn’t care at what cost. Something about the princess had sparked the demoness’s interest. There was only one way out of this.
“Stop her, Faye!” Raxx shouted, a bead of sweat running down his nose. “She’s not kidding around. She wants you to stop her!”
“I don’t know how,” Faye screamed.
“Yes, you do. Justfeelit, Faye.”
Raxx’s arm buckled and his shielding spell crumbled before his eyes. Tabitha wouldn’t kill him, that he was sure of, but he knew the witch didn’t have any qualms about seriously injuring him. She would heal him back to full health, just as she always did whenever they sparred, but that didn’t mean her attack would hurt any less.
Raxx clenched his jaw and disembodied, digging the claws of his wings into the threadbare carpet. Tabitha wasn’t stupid enough to use a spell the shadow realm could protect him from, but it would certainly lessen the effects of whatever she had aimed at him.
The demon hid behind his wings as he felt Tabitha’s majick slice into him like a thousand knives. The agony stole his breath and he knelt down, to avoid as much of the onslaught as he could.
As quickly as it had started, the pain stopped. Shaken and hurting, Raxx’s wings slumped. A spear of light, brighter than anything he had ever seen, permeated the darkness. He hissed and held a hand up, shadowing his eyes.
Tabitha and Faye were locked in a head-to-head battle.
Majick coursed around the small office. A terrarium smashed into a thousand pieces, shooting shards of glass across the room and books rattled themselves free from shelves, clattering to the floor all around.
Though it was far too bright for Raxx to see, he heard Tabitha laughing maniacally, even above the deafening noise.
The shadow demon roared in pain as the light grew brighter still and he turned away, squeezing his eyes shut. He used a battered wing as a barrier between him and the fight that was ensuing.
“I yield! I yield!” Tabitha yelled with a laugh.
The room grew suddenly quiet and, as Raxx cracked his eyes open, it dimmed to pitch black.
Comforted by the darkness, the demon got to his feet and took in the carnage surrounding him. Tabitha’s office was completely destroyed. Not a single surface remained untouched by the incredible force of the majick blast.
He watched as both Faye and Tabitha struggled back to their feet, gasping for breath. The witch raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
The candles around the room reignited, and to Raxx’s astonishment, the office was back to its usual dishevelled mess. The glass tank that had smashed so spectacularly was now whole once more, a mysterious purple plant growing inside it unaffected.
Tabitha was sitting in her chair, resting her heels on top of her desk. Faye and Raxx glanced around, confused and bewildered.
“I have seen all I need to see for one evening.” The witch smiled. “Be sure to bring Faye to see me every evening from now until she is granted her freedom, Raxx.”
