Even her garments held protection spells.
Her eyes found Gideon first as he straightened. The Priestess’ eye narrowed on him.
“You’ve chosen wrong, Gideon.”
He stared at her. “I don’t believe so.”
Anger flickered across her face…and possibly, possession?
The shadows circled around her feet.
“You helped build this place,” she said softly. “You shaped its bones with me.”
“I created a prison of my own making.”
“A necessary one.”
“I wasn’t talking about here.” His eyes locked on her.
“Oh, darling. Did they get to you? Soften you up a little too much?”
The Priestess’ gaze finally shifted to Celeste and me.
The moment her eyes landed on the pendant around my daughter’s neck, something dark and furious moved through her gaze.
“You gave her the moonstone,” she nearly hissed.
“Yes,” I said, smiling.
“How predictable.”
“You kidnapped my child. You don’t get to critique my parenting decisions.”
Beside me, Twobble whispered, “Honestly, that felt powerful.”
The Priestess’ gaze remained fixed on Celeste, and I felt my daughter stiffen beneath my arm.
“You were always going to bring her here eventually,” the Priestess said quietly. “Blood calls to blood.”
Celeste lifted her chin. “I came because you fooled me.”
A tiny smile curved the Priestess’ mouth. “Oh, she does sound like you.”
I stepped slightly in front of Celeste, and the shadows reacted instantly. They rushed toward me with wicked, twisting tendrils that slithered across the floor and to my ankles.
Keegan moved before I could say a word as magic exploded outward from him in a silver burst.
He shoved Celeste and me backward while driving his power straight into the shadows. The impact cracked the stone beneath our feet, and the room shook hard enough that dust rained from the ceiling.
The Priestess barely blinked, and she lifted her hand slowly as shadows gathered into spears.
“Keegan,” Gideon said low.
Keegan spun just as the spears launched.
One.
Two.
