Here is chapter 4, rather short, but important. Please enjoy. :)
"As you can see, those potions you brewed, while not as good as the real thing, were enough for me to seep into their minds unnoticed."
Sofia trembled, pressing against her friend as fear pulsed through her. There was nothing they could do as Cedric, in a flash of teeth, was suddenly bleeding and as magicless as the girl. The bite was potent, and the poison sang through his veins. He felt his eyes go purple faster than ever before, and he began to see visions of half-there creatures.
"There. Matching bites," Thorn said, then inhaled.
Both Cedric and Sofia could see something like a mist pour from themselves into his darkened, smooth face. His purple eyes became brighter, and he sighed in delight.
"Delicious. I will take you back to the Isles. Fully, this time, and I will feast on your magic until you have none. By then, I will be strong enough to tame that dreadful place, and to make it my own."
Cedric quivered in terror, gripping Sofia hard and shifting so that she was slightly behind him as if to protect her. She whimpered and their eyes met. There was literally nothing they could do. Wands wouldn't work. They had none of their core magic. They had nowhere to run. There was nowhere to hide. They were going to be taken and used. And Thorn knew all this. He began to glide forward slowly, relishing their terror.
"Sofia?" Cedric said gently, needing to let her know how he felt before they were imprisoned forever.
"Yes?" she asked faintly.
"You are the bravest, smartest person I have ever met. I am so glad that we had so much time together to grow and explore our powers. We have done much good, and I am honored to be your friend."
There was the sense of a light coming on, and Thorn paused, glancing around to see what had caused it.
"And you are the best friend I have ever had," Sofia replied. "You're so strong and kind, and it was a lot of fun to learn potion-making from you. You taught me so much. Thank you. And I am honored to be your friend, too. I love you, Cedric."
"And I love you," he said with a smile.
There was another sensation of a light coming on, and suddenly they were bathed in a lavender glow. Thorn swore violently and lunged, but the two amulets around their necks suddenly gave a tug on their cores, and their magic was free. They both gasped at the sheer amount that was released into their bodies, and they began to float a couple feet off the ground just to channel the energy into something. Linking hands, they did something they had only done in the land of magic. They gathered every bit of core power to themselves and let it run over in a rush of nothing but raw might and force.
Thorn was swept away by the ferocity of the attack, and they felt a tear open as he fled back to the Mystic Isles, but the damage was done and they knew it. They let their magic wash over the minds of the people, once, twice, thrice, until they were themselves again. Still the power pulsed out, repairing the damage in the school and pushing the excess poison out of Cedric and clearing their systems of the aftereffects of the bites. They weren't completely healed as they dropped to the ground, dazed beyond anything they'd ever experienced, but they hadn't been focused on healing. There were still teeth marks in their sides, but the poison was gone.
Sitting there as the people came alive and started rushing toward them, they looked at each other. Feeling safe, they fell back, unconscious, and, unsure of what else to do, they ran back to the Isles to escape.
