The Fae World: Earth: Rosalind: Spellbound

[k_a_webb]

The bathroom seemed the best place to go. I could feel the spell wrapping around me and I tried to breathe as it tightened around my rib cage. It wasn’t the easy thing I’d ever had to do. Whatever had been used made me want to curl up on the floor and sleep, but I knew that letting the spell get the better of me was going to be a mistake. Then my cousin would grab me the way he’d been threatening to since he realised what I could do, because he needed me for the next step in his plan to take over the world. Laughing at him when he asked me for help probably hadn’t helped things.

A part of me wanted someone to notice that something had happened to me, but they couldn’t help me. They had no magic, so I smiled like I normally would at the people I passed that I knew, and tried not to give in to the urge I felt. Finally I reached the closest ladies, where I had to hope I could be alone in order to attempt picking apart the spell. Even without trying I knew it was going to be harder than I wanted it to be. It probably had a tracking element in it, so I had to work fast.

It seemed that the only inhabitant left as I entered. Still trying to breathe I sat down next to one of the sinks and started prodding at the spell with a tentative finger of magic. Being on the floor, unsurprisingly, increased the urge I had to sleep, but I knew if I stayed standing I’d only end up injuring myself. There was at least seven parts to the spell, so my cousin had got someone else to cast it for him because there was no way he could have created something as intricate.

When I looked at it all I could see was the way they each knotted together, creating the binding that was wrapped around my ribs and slowly making their way down my body. Each of the parts was a different colour and it was beautiful. Normally I’d need to slip into a meditative state to start picking it apart, which would make it easier for whatever part of the spell it was to make me sleep, so that was out. I’d never tried to free myself from a spell without being in that state.

“I can help,” a male voice said from closer than I was happy with, making my jump. I winced. “Unpicking spells like that is my speciality.”

For a moment I just stared at him. I vaguely recognised him from one of my classes, although I couldn’t remember which one, and I’d never once picked up that he had magic. That wasn’t exactly unusual. A lot of the fae who chose to live as humanly as possible managed to hide their magic from other fae.

“What do you want in return?” I asked, knowing that I didn’t have time to haggle too much and I probably needed his help more than he realised.

Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.