'That's right, magic. Don't you believe me?'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5Iez4C64Q
'I'm sorry miss, but...'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKvR42u4Wg
In frustration, Christine flung the officer out of his chair. 'That's called magic. They're either going to try to track me down, or launch an attack on the WestGo building. You know the one?'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrQZz5A1jD
Stunned, the officer could barely manage a nod.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb03BMxwrK2
What was I thinking? The police can't help with this. I have to do this on my own.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mcYxHxmES
She left the station without another word. I can't just hide. If I stay in the shadows without confronting them, they'll just continue on with their business. I have to take them down.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DXeQS8F6R
Where would she find them? No doubt they would have vacated their hideout, so... WestGo.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUBdCdsHVz
If she ran, it'd take her almost 20 minutes to get there.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCu6j5N5J6
Christine looked at the parked cars in the street. She had a better idea.
Dammit!544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTI28ePIRz
Hughes and the others were already at the WestGo office building. As the screaming began, Christine realized that the fire had started.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85VI0HBXQQ
'Hughes! Stop it now! Thousands of people work in there!'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AyFMaFVOV
He had locked the doors of the building. A construction crane in the neighboring street began turning ominously towards the offices, and with a groan, Christine held out a hand to stop it in it's tracks.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLu0s8bCq1X
Hughes smiled. The High Priestess was powerful, no doubt, but all of Floor Twelve Minus could tire her out.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCoHOdtaI4M
One by one, cars began rising into the air, and when the first one was launched into the 26th floor of the building, she realized what they were doing.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9GQt62Aav
'STOP IT!' She yelled, straining to keep all the cars down.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHQirDq4ux
Hughes flung one to Christine - and with a shock, she quickly diverted it away into a small cluster of magicians. But it had served its purpose - her attention had been taken away from the crane, and it began tipping into the building.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEps8syAkMo
'Don't you dare - ' She shrieked from exertion as she tried to stop the crane from falling, but Floor Twelve Minus added with the force of gravity was too much for her, and she collapsed onto the ground.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtD5P6m91oz
'NO - ' She could do it, she could save them all, she knew she could, and with a scream that drowned out all the ones coming from the building, she rose onto her feet and the crane followed suit with a metallic groan.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzqnuxDiVw
'Hughes! You can't go any further!' But she didn't need to say it - he and the others had been exhausted trying to move such a large object at that altitude.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLG3OTCjiRC
With ragged breaths, Christine sent all the magicians to collapse on the side of the street in a pile, leaving Hughes standing by the base of WestGo.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18CrvZ378G
'Give it up, Hughes. I'm not going to let you kill them.'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHFKkM8skc
As Hughes fell onto his knees, he let out a scathing laugh. 'You think you've saved them all?' Ignorant bitch. He gave a smug roar. 'You don't know anything about magic, Christine.'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUXYfD7Shl
'There's no need to play anymore games.'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSHqwd8Z9V
'Magic is not a game. The Bind is not a game.'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKqKvDLQYz
'The Bind?'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleKGQ48R2C
As realization began settling into Christine's face, Hughes laughed again. 'The ancient Bind of magic, Christine. No power comes for free. For every time you draw magic from the Void, you have to give back to it.'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tRiCeV0Fl
'Oh my god, no...' The crackle-crackle-crackle of the flames, all the screaming...544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkJRi9sIcx
'For every spell you cast, a person needs to die by the hands of your bloodline. And it looks like I'm doing it on behalf of us both.'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9EmX1EUR2
'My god, stop it, stop it -' She had forgotten about the fire. The crackle-crackle-crackle as the fire erupted to engulf glass, concrete, and flesh...544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyn02LdoZZ
'No, no, no no no...' She watched in despair as the flames rose, a pillar of fire in the center of the city. She couldn't put it out, there was no magic she could do to stop the crackle-crackle-crackle of the screaming shimmering red of the house fire where her parents burned...544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufB3bDXJqM
The internal structure of the building had been destroyed - and with a monstrous sound all forty flours of the building began to collapse like a series of vertical dominoes.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAt1xv3MWSz
'No...' A thousand three hundred and seventy two lives. More than what was needed. The Bind was held, the Void was satisfied.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIMl1kFQwL
Hughes' barking laughter could still be heard even as the collapse finished, a mountainous pile of burning rubble, dust, and bodies.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFCmd3sbqG
The firefighters, the ambulances, all started arriving, but it was too late, just like it was too late when she was just a little girl - because it was impossible to save them. Her parents had been the price of that little bit of wonder.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBsGRqMlFu
Christine closed her eyes, and she, too, collapsed onto her knees, tears carving tracks into the dust and grit on her face.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvZ0eqPT4G
'Sir, ma'am, are you two alright...'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSBx3fbNqa
'Come with us please, sir, ma'am...'544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvX5wOYrOMC
Tears and laughter.544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTqY5snLFE
544Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WhssyqVe1
