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Authors: Jenna Black
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A shock of static electricity sparked on the back of my hand. No, not static electricity: magic. It was gone before my brain had a chance to process what I’d felt, but hope surged through me. I picked at the corner of the tape, then stuck my face in hers so she was forced to look into my eyes.
“Don’t yell, okay?” I said in an urgent whisper.
Al blinked blearily, but nodded. I wasn’t entirely sure I trusted her, but I didn’t have much of a choice. If Al could use her magic, I was confident we could get out of here pretty easily and this whole rotten adventure would be over.
Holding my breath, I yanked off the tape. Al made a high-pitched squeal, but she kept her mouth closed, trapping the sound inside. My pulse did a little salsa dance anyway, but I didn’t hear any footsteps on the stairs.
With hands that shook just a little, I undid the zip tie holding Al’s hands together. I had to help her sit up—not a good sign—and she kind of sagged against my shoulder.
“Come on, Al,” I urged. “Stay with me.”
“Trying,” she murmured sleepily.
I needed her more conscious than this if I was going to engineer an escape, but I didn’t know what to do to help her. Another static shock pinged against my skin, as ephemeral as the last. Al groaned.
“Can’t . . . hold it,” she said, panting. She was still sitting on the floor, leaning on my shoulder, but her head was hanging lower now. She was fighting the drug with all she had, but I feared it wouldn’t be enough.
“Magic, you mean?”
She nodded. “Need to . . . burn off . . .” She sagged, and I had to put both arms around her to keep her semi-upright. Her eyes closed, and I swallowed a string of curses.
I couldn’t hold Al up indefinitely, so I lowered her back to the floor as gently as possible. My heart was racing, and my ears were straining for the sound of footsteps. There was no reason Gary or Tom should be coming to check on us again so soon, but if they did and they found us like this, we were doomed.
“Please, Al. Wake up.” I shook her and patted her cheeks again, and
eventually her eyes opened. She looked confused and disoriented. “We need to get out of here,” I reminded her. “You were saying something about using magic to . . .
burn off the GHB?” She hadn’t said anything quite that clear, but it seemed like a logical assumption.
She dipped her chin in a half-hearted nod. “Gather . . . for me.”
I frowned, trying to make sense of her telegraphic messages. “You want me to gather magic for you to use?” There were two steps to using magic: gathering the magic to you, and commanding the magic to do your bidding. I was really, really good at the former. The magic loved me. Unfortunately, it was rarely interested in doing what I commanded. The only spell I’d ever been able to cast successfully turned Fae into mortals, which I supposed could come in handy if I were on the verge of being separated from Al, but otherwise didn’t do much good under the circumstances.
I’d heard that the Fae could channel magic to one another in a pinch, though I’d never seen anyone do it.
“Um, I don’t know how to channel it,” I told Al doubtfully, not at all sure I was capable of such a thing.
“Just gather. I’ll use.”
Figuring it couldn’t hurt to try, I began to hum under my breath, which was my peculiar way of summoning magic. Magic is an almost sentient force, and it had always seemed to “like” my voice. Almost immediately, I felt it coming to my call, prickling over my skin. I didn’t know how much magic Al needed to cast her spell, but I figured the more, the better, so I kept humming. Al’s eyes were heavy lidded, and I was afraid she was going to pass out again, but I kept humming.
Eventually, Al drew in a deep breath, then murmured the word “out.”
The magic dimmed like a flashlight with a dying battery, and Al’s back arched. I stopped humming, knowing she’d already cast her spell and
“Don’t yell, okay?” I said in an urgent whisper.
Al blinked blearily, but nodded. I wasn’t entirely sure I trusted her, but I didn’t have much of a choice. If Al could use her magic, I was confident we could get out of here pretty easily and this whole rotten adventure would be over.
Holding my breath, I yanked off the tape. Al made a high-pitched squeal, but she kept her mouth closed, trapping the sound inside. My pulse did a little salsa dance anyway, but I didn’t hear any footsteps on the stairs.
With hands that shook just a little, I undid the zip tie holding Al’s hands together. I had to help her sit up—not a good sign—and she kind of sagged against my shoulder.
“Come on, Al,” I urged. “Stay with me.”
“Trying,” she murmured sleepily.
I needed her more conscious than this if I was going to engineer an escape, but I didn’t know what to do to help her. Another static shock pinged against my skin, as ephemeral as the last. Al groaned.
“Can’t . . . hold it,” she said, panting. She was still sitting on the floor, leaning on my shoulder, but her head was hanging lower now. She was fighting the drug with all she had, but I feared it wouldn’t be enough.
“Magic, you mean?”
She nodded. “Need to . . . burn off . . .” She sagged, and I had to put both arms around her to keep her semi-upright. Her eyes closed, and I swallowed a string of curses.
I couldn’t hold Al up indefinitely, so I lowered her back to the floor as gently as possible. My heart was racing, and my ears were straining for the sound of footsteps. There was no reason Gary or Tom should be coming to check on us again so soon, but if they did and they found us like this, we were doomed.
“Please, Al. Wake up.” I shook her and patted her cheeks again, and
eventually her eyes opened. She looked confused and disoriented. “We need to get out of here,” I reminded her. “You were saying something about using magic to . . .
burn off the GHB?” She hadn’t said anything quite that clear, but it seemed like a logical assumption.
She dipped her chin in a half-hearted nod. “Gather . . . for me.”
I frowned, trying to make sense of her telegraphic messages. “You want me to gather magic for you to use?” There were two steps to using magic: gathering the magic to you, and commanding the magic to do your bidding. I was really, really good at the former. The magic loved me. Unfortunately, it was rarely interested in doing what I commanded. The only spell I’d ever been able to cast successfully turned Fae into mortals, which I supposed could come in handy if I were on the verge of being separated from Al, but otherwise didn’t do much good under the circumstances.
I’d heard that the Fae could channel magic to one another in a pinch, though I’d never seen anyone do it.
“Um, I don’t know how to channel it,” I told Al doubtfully, not at all sure I was capable of such a thing.
“Just gather. I’ll use.”
Figuring it couldn’t hurt to try, I began to hum under my breath, which was my peculiar way of summoning magic. Magic is an almost sentient force, and it had always seemed to “like” my voice. Almost immediately, I felt it coming to my call, prickling over my skin. I didn’t know how much magic Al needed to cast her spell, but I figured the more, the better, so I kept humming. Al’s eyes were heavy lidded, and I was afraid she was going to pass out again, but I kept humming.
Eventually, Al drew in a deep breath, then murmured the word “out.”
The magic dimmed like a flashlight with a dying battery, and Al’s back arched. I stopped humming, knowing she’d already cast her spell and
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