Read Online The Skinwalker's Apprentice by Claribel Ortega - Free Book Online

fingers, as she assembled a makeshift broom. Without slowing down, she jumped on her creation and rose up into the air, circling the trees as she did. She heard the wind howl behind her, and she picked up her speed, branches pricking her face as she hurtled through the forest. Margo had become quite capable with a broom. She knew she couldn’t run forever, but she needed at least a few moments to ready herself for battle. She looked behind her and could tell The Priestess was still far enough away that she could not see Margo. She took her wand from her skirt pocket, pointing it to her own chest and chanting, “Of fire, and ice, make one of me thrice.”
    Margo pointed her wand to her left, and a white vapor slithered from the stick, materializing into a vision that looked exactly like Margo. She did the same on the other side, and this time a stream of fire shot out, creating another clone of the witch. The three Margos split in opposite directions, and she hoped it would be enough to hold The Priestess off for at least a few minutes.
    She found the clearing she had been searching for and hit the ground running. She stood at the very center of the glade, casting a circle of protection with her wand. She went over her plan of attack, ignoring her trembling hands and trying her hardest not to think of the fear sinking into the pit of her stomach. She scooped two smooth, black stones from a red velvet pouch she had fastened to a rope around her waist. She dropped one to her left, and the other to her right, mouthing a spell silently as she did.
    The forest around her was noiseless, and Margo did not hear when The Priestess landed right behind her, but a small ripple forming in her dome of protection gave her just enough warning.
    “ OCCULTO ,” she shouted, waving her wand in a circle above her head just as The Priestess howled, “ IGNARO ,” a spell that would have rendered Margo unconscious.
    But she was too late and Margo had already vanished. Margo’s heart raced, as she realized what she’d just done. She had gotten away from her teacher not once, but twice. She knew there was no time for celebration, she had heard the frustration in The Priestess’s voice right before she disappeared, and she knew she was in for her most difficult lesson yet.
    She silently watched from her perch in the trees, as The Priestess cast trap after trap for her. She knew she’d have to strike soon, or the battle that awaited her would only become grizzlier.
    “Drat,” Margo whispered. The Priestess found the two stones Margo had dropped. They had been part of her plan of attack; pebbles that were enchanted to explode into a billion connected fragments, trapping its victim in web of stone. The Priestess cast them aside with a flick of her wand, sending them hurling into the forest.
    Margo fretted, she could feel her hands becoming slick with moisture, her stomach in knots as she thought of what she had to do next. Come on then , she thought to herself, this is no time to be afraid . Just as she prepared to ascend and face The Priestess, she was knocked headfirst through the trees, flailing through the air, and landing at the center of the glade. She had landed face down, and shot up to her feet, searching her skirt waist for her wand. Thank heavens , she thought to herself as she felt the smooth wooden stick, she’d luckily managed to hold on to it despite her nasty tumble. The sky above boiled to a dark gray, and The Priestess appeared before her. Only, there was more than one of her. In fact, Margo spun around only to see she was flanked by a circle of identical witches and she had no way of knowing which one was the real Priestess. The Priestesses took a step towards the young witch and Margo dropped her wand in fright, the confidence she’d had mere moments ago had been completely drained. The circle of witches raised their hands, green light shot at Margo from all directions, and she was pummeled with a wave of pain unlike