The Kuthun by S.A. Carter Page A

ability to reverse the effects of poisoning in the body by drawing out the toxins through the point of contact. ‘Come on, come on!’ I say through gritted teeth.
Please don’t let her die, please
. ‘Here!’ I scroll my fingers down the page titled Poison Extraction. ‘It says we need a poultice of some kind. Charcoal, lemon myrtle leaves, slippery elm and salt.’ My finger is poised on the page and I look up at Aunt Lily expectantly.
    Startled she says, ‘What! Oh yes, right. Wait. What do we need again?’
    I repeat the ingredients and she starts shuffling madly around the kitchen.
    ‘They’re in marked containers on the bottom shelf in the pantry,’ I shout. I know where they are because I’m the one who makes sure we always have herbal ingredients on hand, just in case I need them.
    She finds them and hastily puts them on the counter. Her hands tremble as she undoes the lids.
    I turn back to the spell. ‘Okay, now you need to mix them together making sure to knead it gently so it sticks to form a smooth paste.’ She does what I ask and passes the poultice to Uncle Jo.
    ‘Right. Gently apply the poultice to the wound, making sure to cover the whole area,’ I instruct him.
    When he has applied the poultice I read the spell again to myself and place my hand over Magi’s foot. My hand starts to throb with magic and the electricity in the air around us charges. Aunt Lily’s eyes widen at the change in the atmosphere. Uncle Jo holds out his hand to her and she grabs it tightly.
    My power responds and a light breeze sweeps through the room. I begin. ‘Incala sim tamaka fay.’ The breeze picks up speed around me, making Magi’s fur stand up on end. ‘Sabesa dun tuleta ra.’ Magi’s body begins to shudder. ‘Manisa fek bontada!’ I finish, taking a deep breath.
    The atmosphere slowly settles and we wait in silence, hoping to see if Magi will respond. The minutes tick by and feel like hours. I hold my breath. Uncle Jo puts his hand on my shoulder. ‘No. Don’t. Just give her a minute,’ I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. He pulls his hand back and watches me silently.
    Move
,
Mags
.
Move
.
Please move!
    She begins to stir and we all let out a sigh of relief when she lightly opens her eyes. I place my head down near hers and whisper, ‘Hey, Mags. Everything’s alright.’ I stroke her head and kiss her nose. She looks at me with wounded eyes and tries to lick my face. ‘It’s okay, girl. You need to rest now.’ She whimpers and gently falls back to sleep. ‘Can we move her into the lounge room so she can be more comfortable?’ I ask.
    Uncle Jo gently lifts her up and carries her through to the low set chaise near the fireplace. He places her down and I lay a blanket over her
.
I look down at her sleeping form and the pain of losing her threatens to engulf me.
    No one will ever hurt you again
.

Chapter 9
    I turn to find Uncle Jo watching me warily.
    ‘What?’ I ask him, anger bubbling away within me.
    He shakes his head, raising his hands in a submissive gesture. ‘Ellie, I know what you’re thinking and it’s not a good idea. You can’t go out there. That’s exactly what he wants.’
    ‘Did he use Magi as bait to get to me?’ I ask, shaking with anger.
    He takes a moment before answering me. ‘Yes, that’s exactly what he did. He can’t penetrate the property because of your warding and the few devices that I implanted, but he needed to lure you out where you were vulnerable. He waited until Magi breached the perimeter, probably picking up on his scent, and then…’
    ‘And then he shot Mags,’ I seeth.
    My body feels like pins and needles are attacking it from every surface as my magic erupts within me. I feel my energy surge outwards in violent waves. Uncle Jo is staring at me helpless. He hesitantly takes a step towards me.
    ‘Don’t!’ I warn. My voice doesn’t sound like mine. A burning begins to flare at my chest and I can feel the kuthun pulsating. I look at Uncle