Perfect.
Stepping forward, Tia called on her fading powers and muttered the words to a healing spell. She stumbled through the words more than once. Her magic was devoted to collecting power and punishing her enemies, not curing the ill. At last she managed to mutter the right incantation and with a desperate mental push she released her magic.
It started with a low hum. A gentle vibration that spread over the frozen shell of magic. Once Tia was certain it was entirely surrounded, she intensified the hum, increasing the volume along with the speed. Nothing happened as Maya continued to scream, her eyes squeezed shut as if trying to block out the pain.
Tia clenched her teeth. This would work. As long as she didn’t panic.
The vibrations continued, the sound becoming more of a high-pitched squeal than a hum. Tia winced as the noise threatened to pierce her eardrum, but the spell at last reached the perfect resonance, and with a thud that sent her stumbling backward, the spell surrounding Maya abruptly shattered.
Regaining her balance, Tia rushed forward as Maya slowly sat up, her hand pressing against her heart as if making sure she was still alive.
“What the hell was that?” she rasped.
Tia’s breath hissed between her clenched teeth. “It has to be the creature from the mist.”
Maya sent her a confused glance. “The toxic magic that’s attacking Joe? It’s spreading?”
Tia took a second to recall her brief battle with the shrouded form. The magic had been unfamiliar, but it didn’t have the same clinging evil as the stuff that was currently wrapped around Joe.
“It doesn’t feel the same,” she admitted, “but they must be working together.”
Maya shuddered. “Great.”
Tia placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “You have to leave.”
“What?”
“The creature is using your presence to distract me from protecting Joe.” Tia glanced at the ceiling, her instincts clamoring for her to return to the male who was alone and vulnerable on the upstairs floor.
“Then we face the threat together,” Maya insisted.
“We can’t. Whatever it is has the ability to disappear into the mist. We can’t follow or stop them.”
“I won’t leave you unprotected.”
Tia felt a burst of warmth at Maya’s determination to keep her safe. It’d been decades since she’d allowed herself to care what anyone else thought about her. She’d told herself that her independence made her stronger. Back then she would have willingly sacrificed Maya if it meant she got what she wanted.
Now she knew that arrogance just made her lonely.
She wasn’t going to let her friend remain a target for the mystery assailant.
“The barrier will stay in place even if you leave.”
“Yeah, they’ve been fairly worthless,” Maya said dryly, obviously referring to the dragon and thief who’d managed to slip through their shields. “But that’s all the more reason I need to stay.”
Tia shook her head. The intrusion by the mysterious male dragon had been a shock, but she would worry about that later. She was far more concerned with his warning that if they didn’t stop the evil magic from spreading, the entire world might be consumed. “We’re losing, Maya. Unless we figure out what’s attacking Joe and how to stop it, the magic is going to overwhelm us.”
Maya’s lips parted as if she intended to insist on staying, then with a heavy sigh she glanced toward the large front window.
“You might be right, but I don’t know where to start if this threat really is connected to the dragons. I’ve never run across any information that goes into any detail. Everything is always rumors and speculation from scholars. Unless you have some unknown manuscript hidden in your library?”
Tia shook her head. “I have nothing. The dragons erased all information before going into hibernation.”
“Then how am I supposed to—”
“I have to return to Joe,” Tia abruptly interrupted, sensing his call of warning. The creature had returned and was circling closer to him. “Find the source of the magic and how to get rid of it,” she commanded, turning to head out the back of the shop.
“Right. Sure. Just produce a miracle out of thin air,” Maya called out, clearly frustrated by the herculean task. “No problem.”
