that do not require the exercise of free magic. I won’t let any harm come to you. Trust me.”
Tentatively, Emily brought her hand back out.
“I don’t think I’ll ever learn all the ins and outs of this credomancy nonsense,” she muttered.
Mirabilis continued as if she had not spoken. “On April the 23rd, the flame was at this level.” He held the tall measuring stick next to the flame and pointed to a place on the stick that was at least eight inches higher than where the flame currently guttered. “On April the 24th, a little more than two weeks ago, the flame dipped to the level you see it today. For such a dramatic reduction to occur, fully seventy-eight percent of the magic potential in the Mantic Anastomosis would have to simply … vanish.”
“Vanish?” Miss Pendennis called up to them. “Power cannot vanish!”
“April the 24th,” Emily said softly. “That’s the day the stone went into my hand.”
“So you told me earlier,” Mirabilis said. “Which leads us to the experiment.” He took her hand and drew it close to the flame.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered tenderly. “It’s quite cool. You won’t feel a thing.”
He had such a reasonable tone, such a soothing way of talking. She hardly knew why she didn’t struggle more as he put her hand over the flame, putting the gem right in the tongue of blue fire. In a brilliant whoosh, the flame flared through the stone.
Emily blinked, staring at the blue flame as it danced and twisted like a gas jet. It was on a level with the mark for April the 23rd.
“We’ve found our missing magic,” Mirabilis said.
“Do you mean that seventy-eight percent of all the magic in the world is in the rock in my hand?” Emily looked at the stone, at the black blob within it that seemed to pulse faintly with every beat of her heart.
“Poppycock!” Miss Pendennis barked. “Mirabilis, that’s impossible.”
Mirabilis shook his head and smiled down brightly at her. “Nothing is impossible.”
Mirabilis gestured for Emily to climb down, and she did, slowly and carefully, head spinning. Seventy-eight percent of the world’s magic? Well, no wonder everyone had been so all-fired anxious to get ahold of it!
“But magic is still working fine.” Emily looked at Mirabilis. “If all that magic is in my hand, then why are you still able to float around like a hot-air balloon?”
“Think of a lamp, Miss Edwards.” Mirabilis drifted thoughtfully to the ground. “Whether it has an inch of oil or is full, it will burn just as brightly. It will only sputter and fade when it is empty.”
“So … unless there’s some way to get the magic back out of the stone, then magic will … dry up?” She blinked. “But it’s part of everything that lives!”
Professor Mirabilis said nothing for a long moment. And when he opened his mouth to speak again, his words were lost in the sound of a shuddering, booming explosion.
The entire room went brilliantly, blindingly white. The first boom was followed hard by a second; the sound resonated through Emily’s entire body, making her teeth rattle. Miss Pendennis put both hands on Emily’s shoulders, and for a moment, Emily felt certain that the large woman was going to throw her to the ground.
“Merciful goddess,” Miss Pendennis barked, looking around. “We’re under attack!”
“Of course we are.” Though Mirabilis’ voice was mild, he did take Emily’s hand rather quickly, clasping the Boundary Cuff around her wrist. Her hand faded back into insubstantiality.
“Well? Who’s attacking us?” Miss Pendennis said. Another flash and explosion, and a fine dusting of flaking gilt shimmered down from the ceiling.
“I thought the Witches’ Friendly Society knew everything,” Mirabilis said derisively. “Were you not aware that this girl has both the Maelstroms and the Sini Mira after her?” He paused, anticipating the next flash and rumble; it rattled the glass of the windows obligingly. “Given that we are under attack from magic, and military magic at that, my guess is that it’s the Maelstroms.”
B-b-b-bring her out, Mirabilis.
The strangely stuttered words were a rumbling in the air, a command vibrated rather than spoken. They shook the walls of the Institute with their resounding volume. Emily recognized the voice.
Captain Caul.
“Oh, the nerve of him!” Mirabilis said. “That bloodletting scoundrel thinks he can give me orders in my Institute, does he?” Mirabilis stormed up one of the curving staircases, taking the steps two at a time, Emily and Miss Pendennis hot on his heels. Walking quickly to a pair of glass doors that