Iris: Child of prophecy

Chapter Forty.

Since I wasn't casting for almost a century, I gathered quite a lot of magic. But now, I was almost dry. Ten years of magic is the same as draining a garden or killing ten squirrels.

Mage magic comes from nature. That's why there are mages for each element. They study one element and cast in that discipline. We are two opposites, and for some reason, their natural magic was dangerous for us witches.

"I nodded. Mages and witch magic don't go together at all. I cannot be within ten feet of a mage and be conscious."

"If that is the case then aren't they all we need to defeat your sisters?" Aria asked.

"Mages would not interfere in this situation. Especially since the witches are also shifters," Malik explained. "Other factions are not allowed to interfere in civil wars in another faction."

The collective sigh ensuing after Malik's statement caused the morale to drop. I needed to fix this. I needed to fix this right now. "The beetroot needs to be powdered. It would be easier if I release this by air. It's the quickest way to get all the werewolves to ingest it."

"And that would help?" Leonard asked.

"Not really. It's more like a buffer. I told you guys once that black magic makes witches immobile, well, for people who do not have magic to act as a shock absorber for the black magic, it could kill them."

"So the beetroot is going to be that shock absorber?" Malik asked, and I nodded.

"And for the actual spell causing this?" Aria asked. A heavy sigh escaped my lips.

"I know a spell to counter that, but-"

"But what?" Malik asked, but I just shook my head.

"When I start the spell, no one can come at least within twenty feet of me," I instructed.

"Why not?" Malik asked, grabbing my arm. "I'm not leaving you."

"You have to. If I start that spell, I will drain every life that steps into the circle. If I kill a person, a wolf with a soul, then I have made a bargain with Anubis, the king of the underworld, and the black magic will eat me inside out," I said. "But forget about me, instead of waking up in the bosom of the moon goddess, how would you feel waking up in the underworld?"

Everyone except Malik took an instinctive step backward. Which was no surprise. Anubis was the boogie man in every wolf's nightmare and the villain of every childhood story.

"I-I thought he was a myth," Leonard whispered, but his words were audible in a gathering of beings with supernatural hearing.

"And humans think werewolves are fantasy," I retorted.

"Iris," Malik said again, pulling me to himself. "I am not comfortable with you doing a spell so dangerous."

I looked up at him. "I will be fine, I promise. Just don't, don't let anyone come close to me," I whispered. Looking into his beautiful blue eyes, he was scared for me. I was scared for myself, but this was something I needed to do, so I forced a small smile to assure him. "I'll be okay, Malik."

He held me even tighter, wrapping his arm around me. "Promise me, promise me right now that you will stop if it gets too hard. That you wouldn't sacrifice your own life, please Iris. I cannot lose another mate. I will go mad this time." He murmured.

His last statement shocked me. It made me feel so guilty. I was blaming him for loving all those people when he was my one and only, but I never thought about how excruciating it must have been for him each time to watch them die and leave him all alone. Even this time, how long did he have to wait for me? All alone.