The desperation sitting heavy in Vica’s chest exploded - panic morphed into enraged terror, wrapping around her heart and squeezing it until she could bear it no longer. Her head tipped back, and the scream that sat in her throat, confined by the hex-ropes that gagged her mouth, boiled in her chest like rising lava. She thrashed again, and this time, her magic flared out with a wild sweep to knock back the approaching soldiers.
The sound of voices rising together in an eerie, synchronized chant made her tremble, and again, she lashed out with her power at anyone who was unlucky enough to remain close to her. This time, however, it crashed against an invisible barrier, flailing against a smooth wall as solid as any physical shield.
“Hold her!” someone else shouted, and the voices chanting
