“She’s out cold,” Necia says.“But there is a pulse.”Necia and Max lay her down and begin to call in HQ to report the situation.Before anyone can dial, the far door opens abruptly.
A man in a purple robe stands before us.He looks just as shocked as we probably look, and he’s holding a dagger.It seems we were just in time for the party.
“Freeze.Drop it,” I say.
“Arrête!”Max says.
Before Necia can conjure a mock gun from her pockets, the man drops his dagger and raises his hand.He might be surrendering, so the four of us slowly approach him.My relief is short-lived when I notice the purple energy floating around his fingers.
“We got a warlock,” Taz announces.
I raise my hands, ready to cast any spell, but it’s too late.The cultist summons a wave of purple energy, pushing Necia and Max to the floor.Taz and I are far enough away that it barely shoves us, and we remain upright.
The man flees, but I run to my partners.When I crouch down, Necia waves me off.“I’m fine.Get that sonuvabitch.”
“But you could be?”
“We can’t let him get away!Think of the mission,” Necia says as Max stands up.
I nod at Taz, and, without saying another word, we run out the door.
The woods aren’t too dense, but a dark, unfamiliar environment is still exactly that.Luckily, our suspect is out of shape, and Taz and I gain on him in seconds.Before he can get to the proper woodsy trail, he stops and turns on us.
Huffing, he declares, “We will be heard.In this world or the next!”
Instantly, I’m pushed back with a blast of red energy.Taz stops next to me, and the look on his face is one of shock and distress.
“Your chest!”Taz says.
On my shirt now lies a maroon construct made of pure energy; it’s about the size and shape of a bowling ball, but weighs nothing.With both hands, I summon magic to pull it apart.It fizzles, but turning around, we can see the ball reforming behind me in the air.
The cultist laughs in a sinister tone and runs off, faster than before.Before I can tell Taz anything, I feel a tug on my body.
It’s a maroon void.The suspect summoned a magical black hole.I can barely stay upright, and the bubble behind me grows larger.No amount of leaning forward is countering the gravitational pull.When the void engulfs my back foot, I struggle to move forward.
Taz stares at me in alarm, but before he can say a word, Necia and Max reappear.They slow down, but I nod toward the forest.“He went into the woods!”
“But you?”
“There’s no time!”I say, cutting off Necia.“Think of the mission!”
Necia appears irritated at her words being thrown back at her, but she knows I’m right.Taz takes my hand.“I got him.I’ll undo this hex; you two get the cultist.”
This seems to assure my team, so Max and Necia give chase.
The bubble, however, continues to pull me in.“Can you undo it?”I ask, hopping forward on one foot.
“Maybe, but I need to study it.”Taz pulls me, but he’s no match for this hex.
“We don’t…rggh…we don’t have time,” I say as I grunt.The orb has both my feet and most of my torso.With my free hand, I pull in more power from the setting sun.Magic sparks through my fingers as I focus on any spell to pop this bubble.
“No, Luther, don’t!It might?”
Taz’s words are the last thing I hear before the bubble hex pulls both of us into the void.
CHAPTER 8- TAZ
(THEN)
