Evariste collapsed his spyglass and eyed the older enchanter. “What do you mean?” Hesnarled.
“That’sa lotof magic that’s about to pound into a tiny village,” Enchanter Lazare tapped a rock with his cane. “Can you really say it won’t do any harm atall?”
“What is she doing?” Enchantress Lovelanaasked.
Evariste bit back a growl as he fixed his spyglass and searched out Angeliqueagain.
She had her back turned to them, but Evariste would be able to recognize what her stance meant if he was halfblind.
She was going to fightit.
“Angelique—DON’T!”
* * *
Angelique triedto regain control of her magic, but it overpowered her like a tsunami wave. It was all she could do to stand as the stones wrenched more and more of her magic from her. She scrabbled for a hold on it, but it mercilessly ripped through her control, overwhelming her with sheerstrength.
Her limbs felt heavy, and she would have screamed if she could get her throat to workcorrectly.
“S-stop it!” Angeliquecried.
The stones were mercilessly silent and glowed an eerie emerald greencolor.
Angelique grit her teeth as she watched her magic surge, rushing closer and closer to the village. She knew Evariste had told her it would be fine, but she could feel it in her heart. If her magic rammed into that village, it would raze it to theground.
I have to stopit!
Desperation gave her new strength, and she once again grasped her magic. This time, when the avalanche of power slammed into her, Angelique dug her heelsin.
She held her ground as she expanded her control, cutting off the flow of hermagic.
Itburned. Her magic rammed into her, trying to break through her hold. She was battered andfrightenedas the vast ocean of her magic curled around her, threatening to drownher.
“ENOUGH!” Angelique forced her magic back, pushing it back where it belonged—in the deepest recesses of her soul. It hurt. Every muscle in her body felt like it was on fire as she used everything she had to push it back, to fight against the compulsion to releaseit.
It took an enormous effort, especially as the jade crystals glowed stronger, and she felttheirmagic try to crack hercontrol.
Battered between two powerful forces, Angelique looked out and saw that though her magic had stopped its outpour, it still surged on, streaking up the sides of the mountain and deeper into thedesert.
Her magic was still going to plow over the village and wreckit.
Tears of pain blurred Angelique’s vision as she reached for her rampant magic, while struggling to keep holding her powersback.
She grabbed her loose magic, then yanked itback.
It ignored her and poured mindlessly on, uncaring of the destruction it left in itswake.
Angelique felt the magic in the crystalsflare.
She roared as she fought against the ancient stones, grappling for control of her own magic. Blood dripped from her nose, and the ringing noise pierced her skull like a nail, but Angelique clenched her jaw and again yanked on hermagic.
It wasn’t enough. She knew it in her desperation and wildfear.
Strangely—unnaturally—she felt something snap, and her magic’s surging progression abruptly stopped. All was quiet for a moment, before her magic at the same pace it had advanced, rushed back toher.
Angelique took a breath and wondered if her heart was going to burst as she watched her ruthless, callous magicretreat.
When it reached the gorge, she smashed her eyes shut and gave her magic one lastyank.
