But as it is, the wand snaps, and I banish all the High Earth mages back in the next instant.
Whirling to see what the fuck saved me and whether I need to be concerned, I find Seamus’ tiny car with a dented front.
A breath whooshes out of me, and all at once my knees buckle and I sag.
The car door slams, and Seamus runs toward me. “God almighty, what the feck, Sierra!”
I laugh, hysterically. My hands are already starting to shake. “You saved me. Thank you.”
Seamus kneels in front of me and takes my face in both hands, forcing me to look at him. He searches my gaze frantically for a second and then mutters, “Jesus wept, you’re really all right.”
He was worried.
He stepped in.
Even without magic.
I have no idea what else to say. I’m not even sure what emotion I’m feeling right now.
But even if I finish setting this anchor up, I didn’t do what I needed here. Ididn’tbeat Evram on my own, and in this game it isn’t enough to just be his equal, because he has mages at his disposal and I don’t.
I take a deep breath and force myself to my feet. “Well. I’d better finish up here before they gear up again.”
“Are you serious?” Seamus demands.
I’m already moving Stonehenge back into its usual position. The anchor spell won’t be visible to anyone without magic—a great advantage of magical embedding. Nothing I can do about the evidence of our presence on the ground here though, or the scratches and chips on some of the stones.
No sooner have I thought that than the grass begins to straighten up, the divots in the ground flattening and pebbles returning to their former glories, and Nariel materializes next to me in a swirl of shadows.
I blink at him, and he smiles lazily at me. “Please, allow me to assist. After all that, I’m somewhat flush.”
Ah. His cloak didn’t just disguise our excess magic—Nariel waseatingit. Should have guessed that, him being a spirit and all.
Seamus swears loudly. “And you feckin’ lied to me about this one! No way he’s your average spirit.”
“I didn’t say he was average.”
“You damn well know that’s the impression you let me have, and you did it on purpose.”
I don’t pause. I can’t. I have to get this anchor up and active and shielded before Evram or Destien is recovered enough to try to get back here and destroy my work—or destroy me—before I can get the other two anchors up and running.
So without looking at Seamus, I ask, “Would you have still brought us here had you known?”
Seamus snaps, “So you’ll trust a bloody demon over one of your own kind?”
“I’ll trust anyone who will actually lift a finger to help instead of giving up as if nothing can be done, even if it’s hard. Which I would have thoughtyouwould understand.”
Seamus’ anger practically radiates off him as he points deliberately at his damaged car. “I did lift a finger, if you’ll recall.”
“And I’m grateful. But are you going to stand there and tell me you’d have done the same if you hadn’t seen me take them on first? If I hadn’t proved to you already that I could make a wand work? Because don’t think I don’t remember you telling me to give up on magic for my own good, Seamus. I never forgot.”
“Then why in God’s name did you call me, if you thought so little of me?”
I do finally look at him then. “Because I hoped you didn’t actually believe it. Are you going to take the wand now, or not?”
“You’d better feckin’ give me a wand after all this shite,” Seamus growls at me. “Then you’ll leave me to my business and get your arse and the problems that will follow you out of here.”
“Then it’s yours.”
