Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Not bad, she begrudgingly allowed.
Remaining on the top step of her porch, Emberlyn slammed up a hand and sent out a forceful blow of glittering magick that knocked him clean off his feet. And that’s how it’s done.
Just then, a Rabid rushed up the path, making a beeline for her. She sent out a heavy blow of power that caused it to fly backward, plunging it into the fray. Giggling goblins and squawking crows quickly descended on it.
Just to make things more interesting, she sent a gust of magick upward, letting it circle in the sky. Thunder cracked. Lightning flashed. Crimson rain came pouring down. A whistling wind built up.
Well, if the faction wanted destruction, she’d give them destruction.
‘Bitch!’ cursed Ames, lobbing a ball of power her way too fast for her to dodge. It was like taking a punch to the thigh, the impact so hard it almost numbed her leg.
Snarling, she slashed out her palm, emitting a hot blade of magick that carved at and singed his skin, drawing blood, leaving scorch marks, dragging cries of pain from him.
Two goblins crashed into his back, knocking him down flat. Others grabbed his legs and hauled him backwards.
The faction had no doubt intended to attack Emberlyn as a group – an intention they couldn’t follow through with, since the goblins kept them preoccupied. Several had swarmed each witch, attacking hard while laughing like little maniacs.
She really liked their style.
Catching movement on the ground, she looked to see Reena army-crawling away from the scene, clearly weak and shaky, and likely devastated at the participation of her husband and sister. The High Priestess wasn’t a woman to flee like that, so she had to be feeling awful to—
A cursing Penelope hurled a clump of magick that quickly morphed into a cobra as it came sailing toward Emberlyn.
Emberlyn caught it by the throat and sharply snapped her hand to the side, breaking its neck. As it crumbled to magick ‘dust’, she glared at Penelope. ‘Like snakes, do you?’
Emberlyn sent out a wave of power that bounded along the ground in front of the faction, forming small crack after small crack. Chanting, she thrust her fists upward slightly . . . and snakes came slithering out of the fissures in the earth. Then toads, rats, scarab beetles and huge spiders.
Squealing like a little girl, Penelope backpedaled fast.
Emberlyn laughed – okay, cackled. Whatever.
Penelope’s gaze snapped back to her, narrowing with fury. She lifted her hands to retaliate, but then several goblins descended on her. All dragged her backward even as they attacked the now screaming woman.
Marvelous.
Really, Emberlyn could throw up the manor’s shield and simply stand back to enjoy the show. But that wouldn’t be even half so much fun as drawing out the faction’s downfall.
Again, a Rabid charged up the path. Again, it was quickly surrounded by crows and goblins that herded it away. She’d made it clear to her helpers that she didn’t want the Rabid to be killed, only kept at bay.
Hearing Ames yell, she looked his way. Oh, it was a total pleasure to see him stumbling everywhere while crying out in pain. One goblin had latched onto his back, stabbing at his throat with the stinger of its tail. Another was wrapped around his thigh, its sharp, filthy fangs biting deep into flesh. A third flew around him uber fast, its horns stabbing him; its bony fingers clawing at him. As such, he was covered in bites, scratches and puncture wounds.
All the witches were, to be fair, thanks especially to the contributions of the serpents, rats and insects.
‘I’m going to kill you, bitch!’ Penelope screeched at her, clumsily stumbling up the path with a goblin attached to each leg by their teeth and limbs.
Oh, she was back. Lovely.
A flying goblin grabbed Penelope’s hair from behind and heaved with an evil giggle, wrenching back her head and making her spine arch. She cried out, earning herself another giggle. It pulled her hair harder, causing her to clumsily backpedal as she shrieked in pain. Still, Penelope blindly hurled a gust of magick at Emberlyn.
Emberlyn dodged it, twisted her hand, and snap went the witch’s throat . . . right as Ethel and Thad pressed up against the fence, lashing out with a power that sliced at Emberlyn’s arms like jagged knives.
Her heart sank. Killing the twins’ parents would bring her no pleasure, despite the crimes that the couple had committed. But they didn’t deserve to live. They just didn’t.
She slammed a gust of magick at their skulls, wrenching unholy screams out of the pair. Sadness chewed at her conscience until, at the last moment, she eased back the force of her magick, plopping them into a coma. She just couldn’t bring herself to be responsible for their demise; the Watchers could deal with them instead.