the way it was, it would never be exactly the same.
Isai waved his hand toward her. She moved before the air could reach her and surround her with a shield.
Isai, I can’t work behind a shield.
You did.
I wasn’t fighting against Vasile. I need to be able to move.
She could hear him murmuring something in his ancient language, but he kept his hands to himself. She sent him warmth and then turned her attention once more to Vasile’s grid of defense. The entire time she’d engaged with him, she had been testing the strength of his traps. He was far stronger than Avram, so much so that it surprised her. Over the years, Vasile’s diligent practice had paid off. Every line in his grid pulsed with energy.
She ignored Vasile’s implied threat. It was best not to think about it. Isai had already killed four of the enemy. She had to think of them like that. They were people she had known growing up, but they weren’t at all nice and she knew each of them had killed people and would kill more if allowed to live, so they were the enemy.
Little mage, I only wanted you to know how powerful you truly are. I do not need your help in defeating this mage. I have fought many over the years. Let me build a shield around you and distance you from this fight.
She heard the genuine sympathy in his voice. He wouldn’t think less of her for allowing him to take over.
You have done your part. Isai meant it.
She looked down the mountain and saw Blue slipping through the magic safeguards Vasile had constructed. The cat ducked under one particular line and immediately flattened himself to crawl beneath the next even lower one.
She didn’t want to face Vasile because she wasn’t nearly as brave or as certain of her skills as Isai thought she was. It would be so nice to let him take care of her. But what if he got hurt? Or injured? That would be on her. She knew Vasile and his dark magic far better than anyone else unless it was Anatolie, and she was fairly certain she knew more than he did.
Julija had paid attention when they’d studied. She’d paid attention to each spell, even if it was one she never wanted to use. She’d memorized the construction of it, how each word was put together, not so she could use the spell, but so she could counter it. Barnabas, Anatolie and Vasile favored dark illusions. They could turn anyone’s dreams into nightmares that turned into reality. They created dark webs of deceit, terror and agony and they reveled in their abilities to do so.
She lifted her hands. I will bring down the grid. She poured a confidence into her voice that she didn’t feel. Concentrating on that southern tip where her brother had sent out his magic but failed to follow up on his construction, she began to weave strands of shimmering color.
Julija could almost hear Vasile’s sigh of annoyance, then a wave of anger hit her, much like a blast of hot air from a vent in the ground. In the distance, she could see dust rising as something came toward her bluff very fast.
Her heart sank. She knew what was in his first attack. She didn’t mind scorpions. She knew Anatolie often took their venom, and that her brothers thought her secretly afraid of the arachnids. It wasn’t true. She had come to peace with them.
Right now, the birthmark of the high mage reacted, the scorpion squirming in anger that anyone would use scorpions against one born with the mark. The snake loosened his coils, rattled his tail, and the scorpion lifted his stinger as if they could help stop what was coming.
The scorpions moving fast toward her were large, close to twelve inches tall, and positioning as an army. She judged the distance to her. Vasile thought she would run, not fight. She didn’t want to hurt them, but Vasile’s evil had already invaded. First, she sent her magic straight to the southern tip of his grid. She shot it straight toward the spinning black and gray layers of magic. She made certain to keep the colors as soft as she could, hoping there would be no sparks of energy to give Vasile any clue that she was attacking his defense.