“Well, that’s one way to solve the problem, I guess.” I forced a smile because I knew Merlin needed someone in his corner and Luna was oddly detached at the moment.
“In truth, I’m lucky that Tom didn’t put out the APB the first time I disappeared. My guess is he’d find it far more satisfying to land a few good strikes of his own than to simply rob me of my magic due to a technicality.”
I nodded slowly and glanced to Luna. Her blue eyes were wide as she took everything in, but still she remained silent—letting Merlin decide this one for himself, no doubt. Luna wanted Merlin to let her make her own decisions about what was safe versus what held more risk than acceptable, and now she was returning the favor.
“Is there anything we can do to help you get ready?” I asked after a brief moment of silence passed.
“Yes.” He rose to all four feet and stretched. “I need you to remain as close to me as possible once I’m on the field while also keeping a safe distance from harm.”
“How will I know what that is?” Too close and I’d put myself at risk. Too far away and I’d put Merlin at risk. This was not going to be easy, but it was the least I could do.
Merlin rubbed his head against my shin.“I don’t know, but I’m trusting you to figure it out. Your presence will give me an advantage over Tom. He doesn’t have a familiar, which means only I will have access to extra reserves if needed.”
Oh, that was right!
Maybe we could win this thing after all. It could all come down to me. I could save Merlin’s magic, and then once he defeated Tom fair and square, we wouldn’t have to be afraid to return to Nocturna.
Finally my status as his familiar meant something; it gave me a bit of power—power which I fully intended to use for the greater good.
With any luck, Merlin would clinch a quick and painless victory, and we would still have the time we needed to visit the blood witch before the morning sun came out and put the city into a slumber.
If not, I’d need to be ready to bunk down in a town that wasn’t made with humans in mind. And if Merlin lost his magic…
“I have a question,” I blurted out. I didn’t want to add to his anxiety over the pending duel, but I also needed to know.
Merlin plopped onto his rear and stared straight up at me.“Yes?”
“If you lose your magic, what happens to me?” I whispered meekly.
“Well, you remember what happened to Virginia when Luna cut hers off. It severed the tie. Just don’t go chasing after the fleeing magic and try to avoid any wells, and you should be fine.” He smiled half-heartedly, and I reached down to stroke his head.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing you should probably know,” he added sheepishly. “If I lose, then Luna and I will be able to leave with another cat’s aid, but Gracie… You’ll be stuck in Nocturna forever.”
15
Stuck in Nocturna? But what would I do here? How could I make a life in a world to which I simply didn’t belong?
“Can’t another cat help me out, too?” I squeaked.
Merlin met my eye briefly, then looked away.“It’s my blood to which you’re tied. Our connection is what enables you to transport here. Without my magic, that connection is severed.”
I gulped down the tangled knot of emotion that had formed in my throat. Merlin needed a strong second right now, not a liability. I had to push past my fears of what could be and do what he’d asked of me without any added doubts or hesitations on my part.
Merlin was a powerful witch. He’d proven that many times over.
He could win this.
In fact, he would.
Yeah, I just had to keep believing.
After all, he’d given me no reason to doubt his abilities before.
I clapped my hands together with more pep than I felt.“Then we’ll just have to make sure you win this thing. Let’s go!”
Merlin nodded slowly, then blinked twice, transporting the three of us to an open clearing far past town. An outcropping of buildings was just barely visible on the horizon, thanks to a ceiling of roaring fire that hung above us, illuminating the sky in all directions.
“Um, Merlin, what kind of witch is Tom?” I whispered, unable to tear my eyes away from the flames that threatened to come crashing down on us at any second.
“Volcano,” he said with a tightly clenched jaw as he scanned the field for his rival.
I followed his line of sight but saw no one. Least of all Tom.
“Huh. Maybe he realized he bit off more than he could chew and decided to forfeit?” I suggested hopefully, but Merlin appeared unconvinced.
Above us, the sheet of fire undulated like a gentle wave, and I jerked my face up to watch the spectacle. As I watched, the waves began to crash angrily against an invisible barrier, then sloshed over its edges in massive plumes of lava.
Cracks appeared in the ground beneath my feet, and I jumped to the side to avoid being swallowed up by the sudden quake.
That tiny crack grew into a chasm as it raced off in the distance and exploded upward, creating a throne of dirt and rock.
The flames above reformed into a solid sheet and chased after the snaking fissure in a deadly dance. Both elements converged in a cyclone of grandeur born of destruction, and Tom leapt down from the throne, passing straight through the wall of fire.
“It’s about time you showed up,” the orange tabby said with a sinister smile. “And isn’t it just like you to show up at the last possible minute?”
“Isn’t it just like you to show up in a literal blaze of glory?” Merlin bit back with open contempt. “It’ll take more than a few silly party tricks to impress me, though.”
“Enough with the chit-chat. Your tail is mine, cat!” Tom chuckled cruelly as he raced toward Merlin on fast and steady paws.
I also moved swiftly toward the Maine Coon, knowing that the closer I clung to him, the easier it would be for him to put this guy in his place.
As Tom ran toward us, flames shot up behind him, propelling his thick mass even faster.
Merlin stood rooted to the spot as if entranced by the spectacle before him. And just when I was certain Tom would crash into him headfirst, Merlin spun around in a tight circle, kicking up a storm of his own.
A howling cyclone formed above him and launched toward Tom. By now the tabby had built up so much momentum that he couldn’t stop himself in time. He crashed right into the maelstrom and was sucked inside, flames and all.
Merlin shouted something into the wind, but I couldn’t hear it over the roaring gusts.
The twister spun faster and faster, lifted Merlin’s opponent higher and higher. But Merlin wasn’t done yet. He kicked his feet back behind him in a familiar maneuver. This was the power of his I most dreaded—after all, it had shot a hole straight through my roof.
He kicked faster and harder, again and again. His feet were a blur, and dust flew up, obscuring my view of the field.
And then from the sky…
CRACK!
A mighty bolt of lightning struck the cyclone, and I swear I saw Tom’s skeleton flash before me, just like in the old-timey cartoons I’d watched on Saturday mornings as a child.
Merlin stumbled and fell forward. He’d just used his two most powerful spells back to back, and it had clearly taken a toll.
The tornado dissipated, and Tom thumped down onto the ground.
Neither cat moved, other than to take in giant racking breaths. Tom’s magic sparked and flickered around his body.
Merlin did nothing.
“Merlin!” I called out to him. “You have to summon the rain. That’s an easy one. You can do it!”
My witchy cat raised one paw to the sky but couldn’t hold it up long enough to cast his magic.
I ran toward him. Maybe my touch could give him the strength he needed to finish this battle. I’d almost reached his side when a column of tightly packed mud shot straight from the earth, blocking me from moving any farther.
I darted to the side, but another pillar rose up to obscure that path, too.