CALLUM
I'm frozen mid-punch. Fist extended toward Cormac's face. Six inches away. Couldn't connect. The spell hit first.
I can see. Can hear. Can think. Can't move.
Paralysis. Complete. Magical. Unbreakable.
Around me, everyone's frozen. Valentina mid-shot. Tom mid-spell. Fae warriors mid-swing. Every fighter on the battlefield locked in place.
Hermetic Order mages walking through us. Examining. Cataloging. Marking.
Professor Fell approaches me. Studies my face. Smiles.
"Callum Brennan. Excellent specimen." He pulls out magical tag. Attaches it to my chest. I can feel it burning through my shirt. "Wolf-001. Priority subject. High-value genetic material."
I try to speak. Can't. Mouth won't move. Throat paralyzed.
Fell moves to Cormac. Frozen three feet away. Fist also extended. We
