He regarded me for several seconds as though he were weighing the pros and cons of allowing me access to sharp, deadly implements. “I will consider it. Now, give me your hands again. Time grows short.”
Chapter Ten
Sweat poured down my face as I held my hand palm up in front of me, concentrating with all my might. It was after midnight and I should have been asleep, but instead I sat cross-legged on my bed and focused on the spell the Chief Mage had taught me earlier. Moonlight spilled in through my tiny window, illuminating my palm as I stared at it – I was determined to master this thing before I fell asleep tonight.
Find your center, Iannis had said, and I drew in a deep breath, focusing in on the tiny glow within my chest. I touched the glow, and exhilaration raced through my veins. Magorah, but it felt so good to finally be able to do that! To be able to reach for my magic whenever I wanted –
The magical connection severed.
“Damn it!” I snatched up the pillow on my bed and flung it across the room. This happened almost every time. I got so freaking excited about using my magic that I lost my focus, and then it would disappear.
This wouldn’t happen if Iannis gave you access to all your magic.
I sighed. There was no use thinking about that. Fact was, it was probably better that he didn’t, because I seemed to have a knack for conjuring flame. Iannis said it was because of my fiery disposition – each mage had a natural bent towards certain types of magic based on their personality. Of course, when I’d asked him what his was, he’d told me that if I focused more on my magic and less on him then I might actually conjure a decent flame.
Cantankerous bastard.
Determined to prove that I could conjure a flame without the Chief Mage’s help or the threat of mortal danger, I focused my attention inward again, closing my eyes so I could search for that tiny glow inside my chest. It winked into existence in my mind’s eye, and as I connected with it, I channeled my thoughts into a single idea.
Fire.
Heat exploded above my palm. My eyes flew open, and I laughed at the sight of the dancing red flame. How fucking cool was that? I had a ball of fire bouncing around my hand. Talk about a killer weapon!
“Here, little flamey-flame,” I cooed. The flame seemed to grow even bigger in response – though that was probably just a reaction to my thoughts as I doubted the thing was sentient. Grinning, I bounced it back and forth between my hands, marveling at the fact that though there was heat emanating from the flame, it wasn’t burning me.
Headline: BURNED BY MAGIC: SUNAYA BAINE FOUND DEAD IN SOLANTHA PALACE AS THE RESULT OF UNSUPERVISED EXPERIMENTS WITH MAGICAL FIRE.
I snorted. Both the Herald and the Shifter Courier would have a field day with that one. But Iannis probably knew my own fire wouldn’t burn me, or he wouldn’t have given me this particular spell to practice on.
“Naya!”
Shock burst through me at the sound of my cousin’s voice in my head. The flame in my hand winked out instantly.
“Rylan? What’s going on?” Fuck, fuck, fuck. Was he already here?
“Look outside your window.”
I turned to the window and peered out into the darkness, trying to spot him through the bars. At first I saw nothing but the gardens below and the bay stretching beyond the property, but then I spotted two huge condors heading our way… and there was a small, human form atop one of them.
“Please don’t tell me you’re riding one of those birds.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you. But I am here to rescue you.”
I didn’t think – I simply flew from my bed and straight down the stairs, heading for the nearest exit. Fear for my cousin’s safety trumped the logic that told me there was no way to get past the wards which confined me to the palace. There was no way in hell some mage wasn’t going to see them coming and shoot them down. Iannis wasn’t an idiot – he would ensure that his home was well-defended from intruders.
I flung open the door at the bottom of the tower that led out into the back gardens and sprinted through. The wards gave me some pushback, singing my eyebrows and the hairs on my arms, but a burst of magical energy flared out from inside me, burning a hole through the barrier. The cool, salty evening air rushed across my face as I raced for the edge of the property, but I couldn’t stop to enjoy it – Rylan was approaching far too fast.
“Go back!” I shrieked. I repeated the warning mentally in my head, slashing with my arms to indicate that they should not, under any circumstances, land. But it was too late – the two shifter-birds were already here.
“Don’t worry,” Rylan assured me. “We know about the barrier. We brought amulets that should help get us through.”
I held my breath as they soared over the hedge separating the palace grounds from the street. The amulets that dangled around the birds’ necks flared to life, and for a triumphant moment I thought they were actually going to work. But then they went black, and an energy field buzzed to life, encasing the palace in a glowing blue wall that surrounded the entire perimeter.
My heart plummeted into the soles of my bare feet as my would-be rescue crew squawked and shouted. They writhed frantically, trying to break free, but the energy field only crackled in response, holding them fast.
“Stop!” I shouted at them mentally. “Stop struggling! I… I’ll get you out!”
“How?” Rylan’s voice was tinged with fury and desperation. His yellow eyes blazed down at me as he writhed in the confines of the shield, his long black hair flying around his square face. “They’re coming!”