The Right Side of History (Schooled In Magic Book 22) by Christopher Nuttall (top ebook reader txt) 📗

down, then drew on her magic and flew down the alleyway. Going too high would be a good way to get killed, but as long as she stayed low she should be able to put enough distance between herself and the wardcrafters to teleport out. She glanced up at Laughter as she flew past a taller building, wondering if she should try to get to the school. It might provide refuge... she shook her head. Duchene had plenty of reason to want Emily out of the way for a while. Going there might just get her arrested.

A force snapped around her legs, cancelling the spell. Emily fell, drawing on more of her magic to cushion the landing. The ground seemed to explode around her, turning rapidly to animated mud... she rolled over and over, catching sight of a magician roaring and chanting as he directed his spell. Ingenious, part of her mind noted. He’d turned the ground into a bog, charming the water to wear down her magic. It would have worked, too, if Void hadn’t taught her how to drain the magic from liquid. The sensation was thoroughly unpleasant, but... she sucked the magic out and directed it back at the caster, channeled into an overpowered stunning spell. His eyes went wide, an instant before he tumbled to the ground. He was still twitching, still trying to throw off the spell, as she ran past.

That might have been a mistake, she thought, numbly. She didn’t have time to kick him in the head. Hopefully, he’d be distracted long enough to keep him out of the fight even if the spell didn’t put him to sleep. Overpowering spells is a necromancer trick.

She reached out with her senses as she picked up speed, trying to determine the nearest edge of the wards. It wasn’t easy. The wards were constantly shifting, as if they were centered on her. She looked around, then - kicking herself for the oversight - up. A pair of magicians were clearly visible, staring down at her. She could see the threads of their magic, blurring together into the wards. As long as they could see her, they could trap her. And direct their fellows to her. She reached for her magic, then stopped herself. If she cancelled the spells holding them in the air, they’d plunge to their deaths. She didn’t want to kill them.

A force picked her up and hurled her right across the street. She had a brief impression of eyes watching from behind the curtains, which vanished as she hit the ground. The townspeople had to be panicking as they watched living gods tear their town apart, caught in the middle of a violent conflict... she shuddered, wondering what would happen to anyone who was injured in the crossfire. Nothing good, probably. Pendle had been overshadowed by fear for the last month and even though the source of the fear was gone, it would be a long time before everything returned to normal. None of the townspeople were going to help her. They’d turn and run to avoid being caught in the storm.

Just like Jan, she thought. Where did he go?

She pulled herself to her feet and sprinted into an alleyway. A robed magician stood in her path and she rammed her fist into his gut without thinking. He bent over, coughing and spluttering. He’d thought to wear leathers, but not charmed armor. Another stepped out, holding a wand in one hand and a battery in the other. Emily cursed under her breath as she sensed the magic in the wand. A simple cancellation spell, linked to the battery... every spell for hundreds of meters around would be cancelled. She had to admire the trick. They would cancel her magic, then overpower her by main force and pour the potion down her throat. It would work. She was tough, but Master Lucknow was probably tougher. He didn’t need all of his comrades to beat her into submission.

Her hand dropped to the pistol at her belt. She drew it, pointing the barrel at the magician. His eyes went wide... he was probably a veteran of the war, someone who knew what a pistol actually was. There were sorcerers who didn’t know what a gun did and wouldn’t recognize the threat if one was shoved into their mouths. He hesitated, visibly. If he activated the battery and triggered the spell, he’d render himself defenseless as well. The bullet might not be fatal, but he’d be seriously injured. Pistols weren’t very accurate, yet... they were at point-blank range. She doubted he would want to gamble his life on her missing...

She heard shouts behind her and altered her pose, pointing the gun at the battery and pulling the trigger. The blast was deafeningly loud in the confined space, the bullet striking the battery and sending it crashing to the ground. Weird sparks of light darted out of the containment ring, magic surging like water spewing from a balloon. Emily wasn’t sure what would happen, when a battery lost containment completely, but she didn’t want to stick around and find out. She shoved a force punch at the stunned magician, denting his wards enough to drive him back, then threw herself past and started to run again. Behind her, there was another surge of magic. She hoped - prayed - it hadn’t killed anyone.

Her legs started to ache as she burst onto the street and raced down to the edge of town. There was no one in view, but she heard the men behind her. She glanced at a hastily-abandoned fruit stall, then cast a levitation spell and hurled tons of fruit at the hovering magicians. The impacts wouldn’t cause them to fall - probably - but they would make it harder for them to keep the wards in place. They were still centered on her, damn it. She wondered, suddenly, if she should try to knock them out of the sky anyway. Their comrades might catch them before