It was as if someone had reached into the center of it and pulled a thread loose.
The hedge sagged, and several shadows slipped through the opening immediately.
Bella caught one in midair and slammed it into the ground, while Nova sent another burst of green flame across the clearing.
But I could feel it now.
The magic wasn’t responding the way it should.
The shadow on my shoulder tightened.
Rendel noticed first.
His eyes were fixed on the mark.
“They’ve connected to it,” he said grimly.
“Connected how?” Stella demanded.
“They’re using the mark to reach her magic.”
Twobble froze. “That feels extremely unfair.”
Another shadow struck the weakening hedge.
The vines split apart under the impact.
Skonk swung the broom again. “I’m not equipped for magical sabotage!”
I tried to push the hedge back into shape, forcing the magic outward the way I had before.
The vines answered, but sluggishly.
The shadow on my shoulder moved again, and this time the strands of darkness crept farther along the hedge, weaving through the thorns like a parasite threading itself through living roots.
The vines began to twist in on themselves, and my stomach dropped.
It wasn’t just weakening the magic.
It was changing it.
“Maeve,” Nova said, her voice tight, “something’s wrong with the hedge.”
“I know!”
Another pulse of pain shot through the mark, and my wand slipped in my grip for a second.
The shadows surged again, slipping through the collapsing barrier as Bella lunged forward to cut them off.
Ardetia’s magic flashed beside her, sharp and bright in the dimming light. Vivienne, Opal, and Mara followed a beat later, sending quick spells snapping through the clearing like sparks from a fire.
But the shadows had stopped going after them.
They were moving around me.
Slowly at first. And tighter.
The mark singed hotter as the shadow tangled in my Hedge magic moved again.
