Now all we had to do was focus on getting Fawn back to normal before we located the rest of the ingredients.
“Fawn’s brother took her to Blossom Grove to practice earth magic when she was a teenager,” I murmured, glancing back at the paper. “It’s kind of adorable the way she explains it. Definitely written from a teenage perspective.”
“Earth magic?” Aimon strolled into the room with Casper behind him.
“Oh, I haven’t read that one,” he mumbled sleepily. “It’s about time with her brother? She seemed to really get along with him.”
“She’s complaining about him being too hard on her,” I chuckled. “He made her conjure a boulder and knock a tree down with it before summoning a new tree in its place. She’s saying he expects too much from her here and that she’s not as good with earth as he is.”
“He’d always make me summon a peach tree.” Fawn yawned cutely as she came out of the bedroom with Bastian behind her. “He loved peaches.”
“Do you?” Aimon asked.
Her brows knitted together as she nodded. “I do, but I haven’t summoned a peach tree since he died.”
Aimon’s gaze softened as he nodded. “I understand, bug. I’ll start adding peaches to the fruit bowls.”
“That’d be sweet.” She smiled, coming over and sitting next to me on the couch. “I used to think he was out to get me, but now that I look back on it, he was just trying to help me.”
“Brothers are annoying,” I muttered, shooting Casper a sly smirk. “But they usually want to help.”
“I agree with that,” Casper chuckled, sinking down next to her.
Her head leaned against my shoulder, and my soul vibrated with the closeness of being next to her. Her warmth spread to the depths of my being.
"I wish you could’ve met him," her voice carried a soft ache, a wistful yearning for a future that had been stolen.
A sudden, shrill shriek shattered the fragile moment, the sound slicing through the air like a blade. The wards that encircled the cottage trembled violently, their protective embrace tested by the relentless onslaught of monstrous cries that echoed in the distance.
The six of us were on our feet in an instant, our movements synchronized by a shared surge of anger that pulsed through the bond.
Amidst the torrent of fury, Fawn stood as the embodiment of raw rage, her eyes aglow with a fierce, bright blue fire that mirrored the storm brewing within her.
“There’s an entire horde out there with Matthieu, and he’sdefinitelyin his monster form,” she said as she glanced around the cottage.
A chaotic chorus of monsters crashed against the wards. Their attempts to breach our sanctuary met with fierce resistance—Fawn's barrier magicrefusedto be broken.
All four of her cats jumped into the refuge of her runes as if they could sense the danger outside.
“We need to get out of here,” Silas growled, stress flickering through the bond.
“No! I want to end this!” Fawn’s voice shook with anger, her hands thrusting upward as magic exploded from her palms.
Crystals of all colors shimmered in the shape of a dome around us, and we were all six in a protective bubble of magic cast by our goddess.
“Fawn, we talked about this! We have to stick to the plan,” Silas urged, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Remember what Samantha said. He’s scared.We’re on the right path.”
Tears glistened in Fawn's eyes, her resolve wavering the same way her flames flickered when she’d cast fire for Karma to play with. “You’re right,” she breathed.
I sent waves of reassurance, the threads of my power intertwining with hers, and the others followed suit. Her spirit magic intertwined with our collective efforts, infusing the shield with an ethereal glow that seemed to emanate from the very core of her being.
With a maelstrom of chaos raging outside, the monsters relentlessly pounded against our magical barrier. The moment of impact shook our home.
The cottage became ablaze from one of the dragons outside breathing torrents of fire. Smoke billowed around us, and flames covered the walls. I couldn’t be more thankful for Fawn’s shield. The flames crackled and popped as the fire roared around us.
As the walls of the cottage crumbled, the once-peaceful dwelling that my goddess loved transformed into an inferno, flames leaping and crackling as they danced along the walls. The air grew thick with the acrid scent of smoke, a tang that invaded every breath, and the heat enveloped us in an oppressive embrace.
Silas acted quickly, creating a barrier of his own over Fawn’s, a watery ring that complemented the shimmering shield around us. The cottage collapsed with a thunderous rumble, and the very ground beneath us quaked.
