I just knew it, the same way I knew harpies would steal anything shiny, even if it was nothing but shimmery glass, and pixies could get drunk off honey.
Breandan's gaze slid to the right as if he'd just heard something interesting. Baran shot him a glance that said be careful.
They were hoping it was Arlan the Scattered had spotted, I realized.
It seemed I wasn't the only one hoping for a rescue.
Perhaps I could make these two allies if they didn't turn me into a mindless puppet by accident.
Without saying anything else, the twins linked hands, a web of power emanating between them as they concentrated.
Ah, I saw what they were doing.
Knowledge of the purpose behind the working drifted through my mind. If the spell had been a book, I'd just gained a reading comprehension level that was off the charts.
It was an intricate thing they wove, containing a genius that was easy to overlook. It was meant to jump start my own abilities in eating away at the stone encasing me. The tradeoff being that I'd be permanently tied to the two of them.
Forget the compulsion Niamh had managed to place on Liam, this would be damn near unbreakable short of death. Even then, I wasn't sure death would free me.
The chain wasn't entirely by their will, either.
Magic of this level and nature, tended to carry unexpected costs. The chain extended into the ether. If allowed to take hold, it would tie my soul to theirs.
I was starting to see why Arlan kept them around.
In terms of sheer power, Arlan was more powerful, but I didn't think even he could have done what they were attempting.
Certainly, none of the Scattered could. This took special training, and an ability to work seamlessly with the other. It spoke of a trust so implicit that nothing could break it.
The twins finished their working, pulling away from each other at long last. There, hovering above my chest, their working curled in on itself, the channels of power creating an intriguing ball. The magic never stopped circulated.
Its flow was spell binding. I itched to touch and play.
If I hadn't been paralyzed, I would have reached out, nudged the curly line at the end into something new. To twist and shape it into something of my own making.
The magic ball lowered. Its magic splashed against my stone. Irritating nudges grabbed my attention as it tried to burrow through. It slid off, unable to gain purchase.
Little specks from the failed spell clung to me in my mind's eye, useless without the framework that had fueled it.
"How long before this works?" Travis asked in a brisk voice.
The twins were quiet for several seconds, frowning down at me like they knew something was wrong.
Perhaps they sensed the traces the failed spell had left behind before it dissipated.
"Something is wrong," Baran murmured. At least I thought it was Baran. The dimples in his smile always seemed a hair deeper than Breandan's and his eyes were a shade lighter. You had to be looking to notice, but stuck like this I had nothing better to do.
"What do you mean?" Callie asked.
The captain moved into view, his eyes razor sharp as he observed us.
Breandan shook his head, not opening his eyes as that frown deepened. "The spell isn't working."
Astrid giggled. "Someone is in trouble."
"I thought you said you could do this," Travis protested.
"They can," Owen said. A beat passed. "Right?"
