Shift

TWENTY-SEVEN.2

The spell had finally reached its peak. Power was flowing from the rune in visible waves that refracted the chandelier lighting, making the air ripple. Naven stretched out his glowing red arm, aiming at the boy closest to him in the casting circle. He was going to kill the boy and stop the spell.

Kayden had only a second to react. She wrenched her hand out of Lexi's grip and hiked up her gown.

She heard Lexi gasp "Kay?" behind her, but she didn't have time to turn around. The spell pressed against her, willing her to be still, but she ignored the feeling and pushed away from the wall. She took an odd first step and felt her ankle twist in Lexi's high-heeled shoes, but there was no pain. Instead, just as Naven opened his mouth to speak an incantation, she barreled into him from behind.

Naven stumbled and wheeled around. The lights from the spell were blinding, and Kayden closed her eyes as she grappled with him. She felt the sting of his hand burn her flesh and she cried out in pain, but then the last word of the shifting spell was spoken, and with a ripple of power unlike anything she had ever felt before, she and Naven were torn apart, flung away from one another as if by an invisible hand.

Kayden landed on her back a few feet away, jamming her elbow on the wooden ballroom floor. Pain shot up her arm, and she could finally feel her ankle throbbing. She gasped as she tried to prop herself up, pointing at Naven who had just begun moving from his spot on the floor. "Grab him!" she yelled, her voice hoarse. She made a futile effort to stand up, but cried out in pain when her ankle buckled beneath her weight.

Lexi rushed to her side. "Kay, are you okay?"

"Someone grab Naven!" Kayden shouted again, pushing Lexi away. Most of the potestas stared down at her in confusion, dazed from the strenuous casting. But Blaze heard her cry.

"Walter! Joseph!" he called out, darting across the chalk circle to where Naven was attempting to get up.

A second later, a swarm of people were atop of Naven. The first couple of people who reached him, people who had been in the conference room the night before, tried to pin him down. But then there were the latter few who were trying to rip the others off of the man.

"Naven's hurt!" one tall black man called, trying to pry Blaze away from Russ and nearly succeeding. "Give him air to breathe!"

This is what happens when we don't tell everyone about what he's done, Kayden realized through the throbbing pain of her ankle.

Thankfully, the rest of the Congregation seemed to realize what was going on.

Lira gestured for an attendant, who fumbled in his pocket before pulling out a vial of orange liquid. He passed it to her, and she shouted, "Pin him down!" as she rushed over to the mob, sweeping her long gown aside so she could kneel down over him.

Kayden expected Naven to speak. Instead, he just spat in Lira's face. There was a loud gasp from those around her, but Lira's face was like stone. She uncorked the vial and poured the contents on Naven's mouth. His lips were pressed tightly together, and Kayden doubted that he swallowed any of it, yet after a moment, his thrashings stopped and he grew still. He was out cold.

Lira paused for a moment, looking down at his face. The room was silent. Finally, she said, "Keep holding him down and someone grab me some rope." Her voice was very calm.

A woman on the other side of the ballroom shrieked.

Everyone turned and saw another Naven standing across the room, looking around in confusion. The nearest man grabbed onto him, but then dropped the arm hastily. "It's an illusion," he called back.

This was too much for everyone. The ballroom erupted into a loud slew of shouts and accusations, all aimed at the Congregation. Carsten looked like he was about to be sick, and Wheeler tried to fend off the questions with outstretched palms. Lira Fallon was the only one who was able to ignore the crowds that pressed on her from all sides. The woman remained on the floor near Naven, pulled at his eyelids as if checking for something, and then graciously accepted the rope someone had found for her. She began to bind Naven tightly, and then passed the task off to a few advisers with some recommendations on knot types.