The Magic Pawn Series: The Discovery (Volume 1)

Chapter 9: Almost dead

I don't know what hurt more: the pain that Meya was causing me, or seeing Eric suffer, who was practically a stranger? It was as if someone had torn him apart just like I was being torn apart. I looked at him and I felt the strangest sensation. I had a connection with him. I know I was not only imagining it. He was so sad as if all his dreams had fallen to pieces; as if all the dreams he had, had been thrown into the pitfall of past. I could feel him so close to my soul. I could sense that the feelings he had were a mix of pain, sadness, disappointment and hatred, but it was fear that was the most dominant of all feelings.

I could feel a wave of heat coming from him; like the warm touch of love that makes you feel comforted and safe although that's not how I was at that time.

Things happened very quickly after that and they took on a completely different turn. Christine came. She was together with a tall blonde woman. A battle of lights deployed before me, much too fast for me to keep up. The morh also seemed to be disoriented and did not know what to do. It was waiting for a command from its master. Aaron was held down to the ground by Christine and the stranger was fighting Meya. They both seemed to be of equal strength. A green light passed just millimetres away from the blonde. Aaron took out a gun and shot Christine – no fuss about it – in the shoulder. The morh became even more confused. It was struggling between the incontrollable lust for blood and the need to listen to its master. But she was too busy to remember it. Just a brief absence of mind and the blonde took a hit from Meya. She was thrown into the air and then dropped to the ground. Chris was perplexed and looked at her father in shock. He took another shot, but this time he missed.

'Hit him!' The blonde woman shouted at her.

But Chris was not doing anything. Maggie ran towards her and made a spell which threw Aaron's gun away from him. She was preparing for another one when Chris placed herself before her.

'Don't you dare touch him!'

'He is my father also, she shouted. 'Do you think it's not difficult for me too?'

'I don't want him to be hurt', she said crying.

'You are so stupid', Maggie said angrily.

While they were arguing, Aaron ran for the gun. I wanted to scream to warn them, but I could not.

The gun unloaded and hit the blonde woman. She was shaking but she ignored the pain in her leg and continued to fight Meya. What a brave woman. Maggie pushed Chris out of her way and was about to hit Aaron with another spell. Stubborn Chris just continued to protect their so-called father.

'What do you think you are doing?' Maggie asked desperately.

'I won't let you hurt him, I cannot.'

'I don't want to fight with you.'

'Neither do I.'

'Then move!'

'I cannot', she said.

'You're so stupid Chris, and you Aaron...this is not over.'

She ran to the blonde woman who was now lying on the ground.

Meya came to me and I could feel again the world collapsing around me. The barrier continued to get weaker but not weak enough to permit strangers to come in. Eric was still trying to pass through it. Chris put Aaron in a space-limiting spell so that he could not go away. Both she and Maggie then turned their magic against Meya who wouldn't stop the incantation. She was probably protected by some spells, because the two girls could not get to her. Their powers were not as strong as the ones of the blonde woman.

I got that strong nausea once more. That was the feeling I always got around the morhs. Damn it. I was not mistaken. The creatures appeared again one at a time. They were thirsty for blood and were bringing death with them.