I pulse the power around me once with that pronouncement, sending a wave flattening the water around me.
Doesn’t mean anything, but it looks cool. Grand gestures help make everything feel more symbolic.
And when you get down to it, magic, ultimately, is about creating action symbolically.
“So be it,” Koshiel murmurs, and the glow around her expands as her expression goes peaceful.
I may have just given her what he wants: an excuse to have to pummel Nariel.
But I have faith in Nariel. Koshiel may have muscles, but Nariel hasn’t exactly been resting on his laurels for hundreds of years.
“Sorry about this,” I tell Nariel, raising an invisible layer of magic around my skin like a protective glove. “If you need to leave—“
“Iam not leaving,“ Nariel says. “Not of my choice.”
Okay, still not happy about that then. “Well in that case, here’s a present for you.”
Dark amusement in his gaze. “You do always get me the nicest things.”
Gifting overpriced airport caps and the chance, nay,obligationto punch an angel: That’s me in a nutshell.
Then a surge of magic overwhelms my senses, and I almost miss the unbelievably powerful spear of light that pierces right where Nariel is standing—
—only Nariel’s form dissolves into shadows. It didn’t connect.
But the time for words is past.
Without seeing, without even feeling the magic, I know that Evram has already launched his first attack at me.
I don’t dodge. I can’t: Brook is standing behind me.
All the power in this world no longer feels like enough.
But it’s what I have, and I use magic to gather the water and raise a towering shield of magic and waves in front of me, blocking whatever he’s trying.
It’s a frankly ridiculously powerful defense. Totally overpowered.
Except that I feel the impact of Evram’s angel-backed spell, and it is only just barely enough.
That’s... very bad.
Not just for this duel. The power differential of the magic an actual angel can wield is staggering.
And I have just positioned Low Earth in opposition to them.
“Sierra.”
I whirl to the sound of Destien’s voice.
He’s standing next to Brook with his wand raised.
“Wait,” he commands—but quickly. “You have her anchored here, you’ll feel it if that changes. I’m just here so you have one less thing to worry about.”
“Why,” I say flatly.
A familiar scowl. “Because kidnapping and hostage-taking is beneath us.”
His wand isn’t pointedatBrook—just up and ready.
