Rectification

Chapter 14

Only a moment later, the sound of shattering glass drew Amity back to consciousness.

Her vision was still hazy when she opened her eyes, and every muscle from the top of her head to the tips of her toes wailed in agony, but nevertheless, she was alive.

The basilisk.

Amity tried to pull herself to her feet, or at least make herself sit up, but she could barely feel her limbs. For a moment, she lay helplessly clawing at the floor. Out of the corner of her vision she could see Willow struggling to her feet. The dark presence of the basilisk loomed over them both, and with a surge of fear Amity realized that Willow was going to try to fight it. What else could she possibly be doing?

And what about Willow's memory? Did she even remember any magic?

"Get away from my friend!" Willow yelled- though with smoke filling her lungs, it came out as nothing more than a harsh whisper. "Back off!"

Willow, that's not going to do anything.

The basilisk regarded Willow with a contemptuous look for a moment, and then it lunged at her, opening its jaws and revealing fangs that glinted in the light of the fire.

She wanted to yell, to scream at the witch to stop, tell her that she was going to be killed if she persisted, but her voice wouldn't come to her. She was petrified.

Without her magic, Willow surely wouldn't survive her injuries.

And then, quick as lightning, there was another.

A girl wearing yellow and concealed within what looked like some sort of magical fireproof force field dashed between Willow and the basilisk and scooped Willow into her arms before making a run for the doors, which had been broken open. As she ran the girl drew a spell circle and summoned what appeared to be a large levitating cauldron through the opening. Shouldering all of Willow's weight in one arm, she used the other to toss the cauldron at the flames covering the entrance. Liquid splashed out and the fire was extinguished.

The girl turned to look at Amity. "Let's go," she snapped.

For a moment Amity could do nothing but stare at surprise at her three-eyed rescuer.

"Follow me and then forget this ever happened," Boscha growled. "Unless you want to just lay here and die."

The basilisk turned its malignant stare on Boscha. "You're muchhhhh stronger than the others," it hissed, but before it could make a dive for her, Boscha drew another circle and the basilisk screeched, falling to the ground and gripping its long neck as if it were choking. A few strangled, guttural cries came from its throat. Then it thrashed once and fell still.

"Problem solved. You're welcome," Boscha said. "Now get over here."

Amity struggled, but still could not find the strength to move. The cheek she'd previously hurt was pressed to the warm floor, and she could feel her breathing growing shallower again.

She could have sworn she saw Boscha roll her eyes. The three-eyed witch spun and ran down the steps of the school. She gingerly placed Willow at the bottom of the steps, well away from the fire, and quickly returned for Amity. She didn't tenderly carry Amity the way she had Willow- rather she grabbed Amity's arm and not-so-gently yanked her to her feet.

In the motion, her fingers brushed Amity's burnt hand, causing Amity to wince. Amity's valiant rescuer showed no reaction.

Together, the two girls stumbled into the sunlight. Amity took a gigantic gulp of fresh(er) air and slid to the ground. Her breaths came fast and short as she leaned up against a stair, but she was breathing, she was alive, and to her, that was a miracle of all miracles. If only Luz was here to see-