Isai’s hand and then wound his body around his legs. Isai was certain the show was for Sable, to make certain she understood who her family was. He turned and started back up toward Julija. Blue and Isai began to make their way around the steep bluff to the other side.
At once they felt the pressure of mage magic. It seemed to be coming at them from every direction. Above them, gray and black lines zigzagged like lightning across the sky, lashing at anything that moved. Below ground, something lifted the earth, running like a beast beneath the surface. Occasionally, a large spray of dirt and rock burst upward into the sky.
Isai halted Blue with a hand to his head, fingers absently rubbing in his thick fur. “Look at her, boy,” he said softly. “She is just underlying his magic, challenging it, but acting as if she can barely keep up with him. She is amazing.”
His woman. He wanted to bask in her power. Her colors were there, bright and shimmering with just an edge of the firepower she could bring. She had her brother fooled. Clearly, he believed she was doing her absolute greatest effort to best him.
Are you ready, sívamet?
I am.
Isai heard the growing confidence in her voice and it warmed him.
11
Julija shrugged off all doubt and stood, facing the direction of her brother. There was no room for hesitation or uncertainty now. Either she could defeat him and allow Isai to get close enough to destroy him, or he would kill her. She knew Vasile was extremely dangerous. Their father underestimated him, just as they did Julija. It would be Anatolie’s downfall someday. He counted on loyalty from his followers, but he didn’t give them much reason to follow him, other than fear.
She knew her stepmother, Crina, had little loyalty to Anatolie and tried often to get her sons to conspire with her against him. Neither respected her enough to do so. There was little love lost in their family. Crina didn’t know how to love. She was with Anatolie because he gave her prestige in the mage community.
They lived in a good neighborhood, in a gated community, one made up mostly of mages. The occasional pure human moved in but was never invited to any of the gatherings. Usually, after some time, they moved on, uneasy, but not ever knowing why.
Vasile was the strongest of the family, aside from his father. He looked up to Anatolie, almost revered him. He would do anything the high mage asked of him, including killing his twin, his mother or her. He was far crueler than his brother, merciless in his quest for power. But even he didn’t rival Barnabas, although none of them seemed to know.
“I tire of your antics, little sister. And I’m running out of patience.”
She found it interesting that he had engaged with her, defending his grid of magic but not striking at her. That didn’t make any sense unless Isai was right, and he didn’t want to kill her. Her blood had fed them for years. It had boosted their abilities to produce magic.
She was tired. Maintaining her shape and the fog was just too difficult after time. Her head pounded with pain. She had to keep up the fog because that was what kept Isai safe.
No, little mage. I am perfectly capable of maintaining my cover. Your job is much bigger. This brother of yours feels strong.
He is extremely powerful. I’ve been testing his grid. There are weak points on the southern side. Just two. If you make your entrance from that side, once I start tearing it down, you’ll be able to get inside what he believes is his safety zone. Just know, he will have traps, all of which will be lethal within that grid. I can do nothing about them without seeing them.
I will have no problem with his traps. I am going to send Blue in first to get to Phantom, Sable’s mate. If Blue can get him to cooperate, Blue will try to free him. The two will slip away while Vasile is trying to hold you off.
Unlike Avram, he will retaliate by striking at me.
You are out in the open, sívamet.
She spotted Isai making his way to the south side of the field surrounding Vasile on three sides. His back was to the rock. She could make that rock unstable, and as a last resort she would. Yosemite was beautiful. Even if she tried to put everything back