The Sentinel nods and shoots up into the sky. I watch her trajectory, itching to know how she’s doing that.
“It’s Elemental magic,”Sabin announces in my head, like he can read my mind.
I whirl around to face him.“What the fuck?How the hell are they doing that with Elemental magic?”I demand.
“They’re manipulating the air. It’s very difficult and taxing, and it’s a surefire way to drain a caster quicker than a lamia,”Sabin explains.“I honestly don’t know how they’re doing it and are still able to stand, let alone fight.”
I stare up at the sky, no longer able to see the Sentinels that just took off. Ory is saying something, but I don’t pay it any attention.
“You’ve been holding out on me?”I accuse, and his answering snort echoes in my mind.“I’m going to kick Kallan’s ass too for not cluing me in. Are you telling me I could have been flying my happy ass around this whole time?”
“Like I said, it’s not common practice among casters; it requires too much magic. I didn’t think about the fact that, as a Sentinel, you have more magic and therefore could fly your happy ass around without killing yourself.”
I smile and shake my head at him.“As soon as we get home, we’re going to flight school,”I declare, and a stunning smile appears on Sabin’s face.
“Let’s go,” Suryn snaps at us.
The order pulls my attention away from Sabin, and I watch as she runs her gaze over me and then my group. Her face scrunches up with obvious disgust. I do the same back to her. Fuck this snooty bitch.
“Well, get a move on, we’re going to be walking the rest of the day,” she snidely informs me, gesturing away from her body like she thinks I’m going to go first.
I bite back a groan at the announcement of more walking. At this rate, I’m never going to have to do cardio again.
“If you think I’m going to put you psychos at my back, then you’re an idiot. Lead the way,” I tell her, mimicking the same arm sweep she just gave me.
Her eyes narrow, but she takes a step and then another. “Fine with me,Sentinel, you’ll find we don’t scare so easily.”
I scoff at the implication that they’re tougher than we are, but stay quiet. I don’t give a fuck what these people think of me. I just want to get this shit sorted with my Shields and get the fuck out of here.
We fall in line behind the eleven other Sentinels. No one talks. I activate my mental link with all my Chosen when it’s clear we’re only going to get the cold shoulder from them.
“Are you guys okay?”I check in, worried once again about what happened earlier with the barrier.
“We’re good, just trying to figure out what the hell happened,”Ryker explains.
“What happened was we all lit up like fucking spotlights, did something to their barrier, and then you guys went down like a wall of bricks. Did I hurt you somehow?”I fill them in, tension radiating from every cell in my body.
“No, you didn’t hurt us, but I could feel you tugging at my magic when you went all nuclear with the barrier,”Valen tells me, and the other guys sound off their agreement.
The other Sentinels take turns peeking over their shoulders to watch us.Tougher my ass.Enoch and his coven are whispering quietly back and forth, and I know I need to find out if they’re okay too. I look back, and Sorik gives me a smile and a thumbs up, like he can read the worry in my face. I smile back and then tap back into my conversation with my guys.
“It must be a barrier thing. I did it before at Lachlan’s house. It didn’t make anyone pass out, but I wasn’t connected to them like I am with you. It did put them on their ass though,”I tell them, recalling Lachlan and his coven going flying when my magic pulsed out into their barrier.
“So how long had you guys been fighting before we woke up?”Knox asks, and I can hear the anger and frustration in his mental tone.
“Not long. They showed up about twenty minutes after we decided moving targets were better than sitting ducks. We only went at it for less than ten minutes before that Suryn chick’s magic went all claimy with the other guys.”I don’t do anything to temper the irritation I feel at recounting that information, and Ryker reaches out and rubs comforting circles at the small of my back.
“What’s with Wings McGee, over there?”Torrez asks, and I look up to find Ory the winged douche staring at us.
“No fucking clue,”I tell him.
“I want wings,”Knox admits, and I crack up.
“Dude,”I tell him in agreement.
“Why do the assholes always get the best toys?”Knox adds, and I reach out and pull him into a hug.
“I wonder which rune does that? Think you can magicjack him like you did with Elder Kowka?”Bastien encourages.
