Nora's POV
"Coercitio." Gideon spreads his fingers wide, and thick tree roots burst from the earth below, snaking around James's wrists and ankles like living restraints.
Antonia shoots up from the porch steps, her eyes going wide with shock. The display of raw magical power is breathtaking, even for someone accustomed to supernatural abilities like ours.
The roots tighten their grip on James, binding him securely to the ground. Gideon strikes a match and lights a bundle of dried herbs, letting the smoke drift over James in careful patterns. He's dismantling the binding spells that have been holding the curse at bay, and once they're completely removed, the deadly magic will surge back into James's body.
I turn my head away, knowing what comes next will be agonizing to watch. James grits his teeth but stays motionless as the magical barriers fall away one by one. Gideon drops the smoldering herbs onto the dew-covered grass, and Antonia quickly stomps out the remaining embers.
