Teleportation

I took a deep breath, held it, and cast my chain at her now. She wasn’t moving. It was an easy shot. The silver chain whirled aloft, then descended, lit by a shaft of moonlight into a gleaming spiral.

The result was excellent. It dropped down on target to enclose Alice perfectly. The lower section of chain pinned her arms to her sides, while the upper part tightened against her teeth to prevent her from speaking spells of dark magic.

Alice gave a soft little cry before she was silenced by the chain, and she fell to her knees, staring up at me with wide eyes.

My own eyes brimmed over with tears that trickled down my cheeks, and I gave a sob of anguish. How had it finally come to this? Never in my wildest and darkest nightmares had I envisioned binding Alice. Yes, I had practiced, but this was for real.

And what would happen now? Must I put her in a pit? Must I do what I had often struggled to persuade my master not to do?

I stared down at Alice, my vision blurred. Then I noticed that, despite the chain, her left hand was still holding the burlap sack. I reached forward to snatch it from her . . . and then it happened.

Alice vanished.

B13 C17