Chapter 25 #2
Chad stepped forward, his voice resonating with power. "Damien Ravok, you have no place here. Return to your own dimension and trouble us no more!"
Damien laughed, a chilling sound that sent shivers down the spines of those present. "Your words may have banished my minions, but I am not so easily dismissed. I've tasted the power of this world, and I will not be denied!"
Brianna moved to Chad's side, her hands glowing with temporal energy. "Together," she said quietly. Chad nodded, understanding what she meant, as if they were of one mind.
Chad and Brianna joined hands, combining their powers. Chad's voice rang out once more, infused with Brianna's ability to manipulate time. “One second before the last rift closed,” he said, and Brianna backed up time to the exact place.
"Damien Ravok, Cassandra, by the power of our words and will, we banish you not just from this place, but from this entire time. You shall find no purchase in our reality, now or ever! You are erased!"
A blinding light erupted from the joined hands of Chad and Brianna.
It enveloped Damien and Cassandra, who screamed in defiance as their forms were dragged through the remaining rift.
The air crackled with temporal energy as the two pirates were not just pushed back into their own dimension but erased from the very fabric of this reality's timeline.
As the light faded, Damien and Cassandra were gone. The jungle clearing fell silent, save for the heavy breathing of the exhausted witches.
Back at the mansion on Long Island, the witches gathered in Bas’s office—still a small corner of the library. She plucked off the shelves one of the many books written by her witches.
As the others gathered around on the long couches facing each other and the two swivel chairs flanking the fireplace, where Chad and Dr. Emerson were seated.
Bas paced back and forth, seemingly distracted. “You probably think we’re here to process what just happened,” she said.
The witches glanced at each other and nodded. “That’s usually what we do after an op, successful or otherwise,” Joell said.
Chad’s eyebrows raised. “Are you ever not successful?”
Bas smiled briefly, then schooled her expression. “Not really, no. We may lose a battle, but ultimately…”
“Win the war,” Dr. Emerson supplied.
“Something like that,” Bas said. “Now, if you’ll stop distracting me, I have an announcement.”
Everyone straightened their posture and waited, as if they knew something important was coming.
“I will be leaving for an extended period of time,” Bas said. “One of you will lead the league on a quarterly basis. And also, to be fair, I picked one of your books off the shelf, without looking at the spine. That book’s author will be our first leader.”
The witches craned their necks, trying to get a look at the author’s name on the book in Bas’s hand.
She flipped it up to see the cover, then showed it to both sofas. It was Joell’s first novel, Roommates.
“Oh, wow!” Joell said. “You want me to go first?”
“No, but I said it would be fair,” Bas smirked.
“Ha ha! I know you’re just making a joke. You trust me.”
“I trust all of you,” she said, making eye contact with every witch. Then she turned her intense gaze on the two men in the room. “And I trust these two as well. I’ve already spoken to Chad about taking over my other job. Booking our missions.”
Some of the witches reacted with a gasp or by leaning back in their seats. Brianna just smiled and said, “I can’t think of anyone better to choose what we get ourselves into.”
“And you, Brianna, will still be the accountant, making sure everyone gets paid on time, right?” Lioness asked.
Brianna looked momentarily insulted. “Of course. How could you doubt it?”
Bas shrugged one shoulder. “Don’t worry. This was a hard mission. The hardest we’ve had to face so far. You haven’t been with us for very long, Brianna. I’d understand if you wanted out.”
“Oh, hell no! If I ever doubted my worth or purpose in life, I don’t now. Plus, I’ve grown to love and trust my witch sisters here. If they’ll have me, I’m happy to stay.”
Magda reached over Victoria and squeezed Brianna’s knee. “Of course, we’ll keep you. We love and trust you too!”
Victoria smirked. “And who else can reset time when we need a do-over? I love that expression.”
The witches all laughed.
Then Joell leveled her gaze at Chad. “You’re new too, Chad. Are you sure you’re ready to keep us safe by triaging the missions we take?”
“Since my girlfriend is part of your squad, you can bet I’ll start slowly and take conservative missions. I don’t want to put her in danger, if I can help it.”
Joell rose and placed a hand on her hip. “Well, what fun is that? We like taking dangerous missions and challenging ourselves.”
Bas raised one hand to halt the conversation. “I instructed him to start small. As he gets to know what you are capable of, he’ll undoubtedly call on you to do more.”
“And what about you?” Crystal asked. “Why do you have to leave? What will you be doing?”
Bas resumed pacing with her hands clasped behind her back. “Ah, yes. Me. Well, it seems as if there are some good prospects in Europe. I will find and train them into a new L.A.W. Euro division.”
The witches looked surprised. They all said, “What now?” in unison.
Bas laughed. “You didn’t think you were the only supernatural witches in the world, did you?”
Joell crossed her arms. “Well, we’re already International with Magda from Australia and Victoria from Canada.”
“Barely,” Bas said. “You’re all English speakers. But the new division will have Spanish, French, Italian, and German speakers. You might need to call on one of them when I get them up and running.”
Joell let out a breath in a huff. “I guess that might be useful.”
Bas placed a hand on her hip. “Oh, so I have your permission now?”
“Don’t be daft. You don’t need our permission,” Joell said. Some of the other witches gasped. No one spoke to Bas that way.
She acted as if she didn’t even notice. “I hope you will all take a few days off. You need to rest and recharge. Joell can let you know when it’s time to return.”
“Yay! R&R. Finally,” Lioness cried out.
Everyone laughed, and Bas disappeared.