The hot white light dissipated as Merlynn’s senses adjusted to chaos. Dust filled the air and her throat. She pushed herself up scattering bits of brick and debris as she lifted her body up. Behind her a brick column crumbled and live wires shot hot sparks sporadically. Suddenly the sirens and car alarms poured in from all angles slamming into her ear drums. “Morgana…” Merlynn coughed. More debris crumbled and shifted but Merlynn heard no response. As she pooled her strength, she pushed away a section of roof that blocked her at the table she and Morgana previously occupied. “Morgana!!!” Merlynn screamed blinking away dirt. As she rubbed at her eyes Merlynn felt a sickening sensation in her stomach. She began hearing faint wails and sorrowful moans off to her left. She turned briskly and called forth her staff to find a pale purple glow emanating over a large pile of rubble. With a whisper of will Merlynn held aloft her staff as its runes glowed an orange hue then released it. The staff began orbiting around her pulsing with power as she climbed the smoldering rubble.

Peaking the top, she found Morgana speaking incantation hovering over the source of the purple glow. She watched in shock realizing what Morgana was doing. She watched as purple wisps streamed out around Morgana's body, form a wailing face, then be pulled back in by Morgana’s will. “Morgana! Why!?” Merlynn screamed now feeling the blood that had soaked her right shoulder. Morgana never once tried to acknowledge Merlynn, only focusing on her incantation. Merlynn screamed in agony as she wrenched her forty-five from its holster screaming even louder as she forced her wavering finger to squeeze the trigger. The bullet flew wild missing altogether, burying itself in the remains of a brick wall.

“Morgana! Please! Answer me! Tell me you're not doing what I’m thinking! Please tell me this is a hallucination, a dream, an illusion! Anything! MORGANA!!!” Merlynn screamed louder with every word, her gun arm shaking and traveling frantically. With Morgana’s first incantation finished the purple light pulsed and condensed into a smaller size. The wailing purple streams now spiked in random succession trying to pull away from the condensing orb. With a flash of will Morgana began her second incantation. By this time Merlynn had walked around Morgana to look her in the face and fully see what she so dreaded, under Morgana's control.

The purple orb pulsed again condensing a little more. It was now no bigger than an eight-pound bowling ball and looked like a fortune teller’s crystal ball, except instead of clear the purple orb emanated with a deathly purple glow and seemed to house a raging storm of pained souls within. Merlynn heaved heavy breaths as her vision swam periodically and clearing as she brandished her forty-five again, her aim faltering no longer. Morgana's eyes snapped open locking onto Merlynn as she heard the hammer click in place on Merlynn’s gun. “Lynn…” Morgana clearly spoke as her second incantation finished and the orb shrank to the size of a grapefruit. Morgana raised two fingers to her lips whispering rapidly and her eyes flashed. She then took the same two fingers and drew a quick symbol in air then walked towards Merlynn. Morgana stared at Merlynn hard, her eyes brimming with determination and resolve. “You can’t stop this, Lynn.” Morgana spoke with clarity as she stared down the barrel of a forty-five. “Stop what Morgan!? The fucking meteor that apparently you knew of!? Or stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life!?” Merlynn cursed as she pushed the barrel into Morgana’s cheek.

For the first time since their reunion Morgana began to chuckle softly. Merlynn took a step back shocked by her response. Morgana’s chuckle quickly deepened into an insidious cackle then finally into an uproarious manic brouhaha. “Oh Lynn! Sweet precious Merrrr Lynn! You know me far too well to know I never make mistakes.” Morgana continued to cackle as she pushed away the gun with a finger. “Toil and Trouble Morgan! You're making a Scholar's Stone! A SCHOLAR’S STONE MORGANA!” Merlynn scolded her, her voice spilling out in rage as she threw her hands in the air for emphasis. “It’s necessary for what’s to come dear sister. You wouldn’t understand Merlynn, you couldn’t possibly so.” Morgana paced with a twisted pleased smile. “What’s going to happen Morgan!? What is so dire that you need such a thing!? I can help you, Morgana! Tell me what’s ’s coming, together we can stop anything! We can do anything!” Merlynn pleaded, her eyes spilling tears.

“Dear sister, as I said. You can’t. STOP THIS! I’ve seen the things to come and despite how hard you try, you fail! Every time, every scenario, you always fail. You die…your friends…die…Gloria…” Morgana spat each word with venom. Merlynn fell silent, lost in her sister's words. Without a single shake, nor uttered word Merlynn raised her forty-five once more aiming the barrel at Morgana. “As long as this threat you speak of remains unknown to me how could I possibly prepare for it?” Merlynn asked in a cold tone. “I’ve played out every scenario. Every dance, each chorus, and every available option. You. Cannot. Stop this not like you are now, not like you were then.” Morgana spat once more. Merlynn clicked back the hammer on her forty-five firmly holding the trigger and spoke. “Maybe, but I can stop you.” Without another word the forty-five roared blinding both Merlynn and Morgana. As the bullet ripped itself from the barrel it screamed at Morgana who suddenly fell backwards into a rip in time space disappearing. “Dear sister, ever so impatient.” Morgana’s voice echoed in air.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Merlynn quickly emptied the empty casings from her gun replacing each round before the final casing clattered to the ground. “Over here!” Morgana patronized as she appeared to Merlynn’s left. Merlynn quickly spun squeezing off a round as soon as she was turned. The bullet ricocheted off the crumbling walls as Morgana disappeared again. “Missed me again! My my I remember your aim being terrible, but I never imagined it would get worse!” Morgana called as she disappeared again. Merlynn cursed then waved her free hand in the air summoning her will. “Advanced Calculation!” Merlynn’s voice echoed as her eyes flashed green once. Merlynn then shot her gaze around the room at specific angles finally culminating into a single empty space. Merlynn screamed as she shoved the barrel of her gun into the empty space and into Morgana’s open mouth as she appeared once more.

Morgana and Merlynn heaved heavy breathes locked in their struggle with Merlynn gaining the upper hand. “Move and I will blow your fucking head off! Sister be damned I will not let you go through with this!” Merlynn screamed through blood-soaked teeth apparently having torn her lip fighting against her own words. Morgana mumbled a few muffles against the warm metal of the gun causing her eyes to flash a pale green in a flicker. “Sister be damned, eh? Dear Merlynn, do you mean to kill me?” Morgana's words pierced the veil of thought entering Merlynn’s mind clashing against her psyche. “It's what I said isn’t it!?” Merlynn roared in an angry basso as she pushed harder on the gun. Morgana gagged against the gesture stumbling backwards to catch her breath. Merlynn shot forward before she could recover fully, rocking the hammer back as she presented her big iron to her sister’s face once more.

Morgana opened an eye focusing on the tunneling barrel before her. She began cackling in between breathes as she watched that barrel follow her till, she was standing upright. “Boo!” Morgana shouted jerking towards Merlynn as her vision suddenly went white and her ears rang. Merlynn rocked backwards screaming in agony dropping her smoking gun, she stumbled shaking with what she had just done. She struggled to raise her vision higher, to bear witness to her actions, however Morgana’s twisted laughter found her first. Her gaze shot up to see a pale blue light formed in front of Morgana’s face and the bullet she unleashed flattened, no thicker than a nickel.

Morgana halted the blue light with a hand gesture then waltzed over to Merlynn her twisted grin giggling with glee. “Oh, Lynn dear Lynn. Too bad. You gave it your all and now it’s time to go.” Morgana cackled as she leered at her sister. Merlynn raised her head to speak however Morgana was faster, casting a simple but effective enchantment covering Merlynn’s mouth in a bright white band. “Hush Hush, Adults are speaking here.” Morgana giggled twisting her fingers together as she paced closer to her sister. Merlynn flailed to no immediate avail however, she did feel a hefty bottle lid strike her hand as she brushed up against her coat pockets. Gripping the bottle firmly she started counting down in her head as she bored daggers into Morgana with her eyes.

“You’ve got a fifty-fifty chance that’s just an ordinary soda Lynn. However, my work here is done and if your luck holds out, you’ll need that potion, otherwise you might not get to her in time.” Morgana spat at Merlynn as the scholar's stone coalesced into a sphere no larger than a golf ball, the lingering wicked energy now fully contained within. Merlynn’s eyes waivered as she drew her remaining strength then dug for more. “See sister I am going to take my hard work and leave this place. You can waste more of both of our time by trying to stop me, or you can save Gloria.” Morgana spoke calling the Scholar’s stone to her. Merlynn’s eyes flooded with panic as she watched the stone effortlessly float into Morgana’s outstretched hand. Without looking at Merlynn, too absorbed with the pale glow of the scholar’s stone she spoke one final word. “Choose.” Without hesitation as the enchantments effect dissipated Merlynn wrenched the bottle from her pocket slamming the contents down her throat as she withdrew her keys from her pocket and summoned her motorcycle. As she mounted it, she felt Morgana’s psychic presence press against her mind as she felt the bike roar to life underneath her. “Hurry Lynn, right about now, Gloria should be getting the birthday present I sent her. A lovely silver rosary with an even lovelier enchantment. Once she fastens the clasp around her neck, she can never remove it, else it will also take her head.” Morgana’s words echoed in Merlynn’s mind as she rode harder through the streets than she had ever before. She flew off her bike upon reaching her apartment clearing nearly six steps with each panicked stride as she climbed each flight. “Gloria!!!” She screamed in labored breaths as she neared her floor. As she rounded the final flight, she nearly bowled over an Amazon delivery man. “Did you just make a delivery to apartment six sixty-six?” she asked him frantically as she grabbed him by his lapel shaking him. “Yes, mam please don’t hurt me!” the delivery man answered in fear then broke free from her grip all but throwing himself down the stairs. Merlynn cursed screaming Gloria’s name as she wrenched the door off its hinges blinded by the light within.