eyes catch and hold, a spark of tension lighting between us that has me remembering just how closely allied we’re about to be.
Cheeks heating, I look around and let out a shuddering sigh, nervous about crossing so many lines with him but deeply relieved to be away from Vogel and the rest of the Mages.
“One night here,” I think out loud, turning to look at him, this man I’m about to give myself to.
“Yes, Elloren,” Lukas says as he moves to take another rune stone from the box and sets it against the base of the wall before him. “One night until all hell breaks loose. Enjoy the very brief respite.” He touches his rune wand to the stone and murmurs another spell. The walls around us briefly shimmer with a gauzy, wavering blue film.
I tighten my brow in question. “What does that rune do?”
Lukas rises and turns to me. “Holds the barrier magic. At least until we’re gone.” He glances up at the ceiling’s lingering blue shimmer. Seeming satisfied with his work, he sets his rune wand down beside the box of rune stones. “I’ve broken down their magery.” He cocks a brow at me. “Someone had a Light Mage set up echo runes in my bedroom.”
“What are those?”
“They absorb sound and allow its echo to be accessed at a later time. Tricky magic. The runes take months for a Light Mage to build and can be used only once.”
Comprehension lights. “Did Vogel have them placed to listen in on us?”
“I suspect so,” Lukas somberly concurs, apparent disgust tightening his features. “And, perhaps, to hear all that transpires between us this night.” Revulsion surges in me as Lukas gives me a poignant look. “I, for one, would prefer that everything that happens between us remains private.”
“Does this mean they brought the Council’s Light Mage here?”
“Yes, Elloren,” Lukas grimly answers. “It also means that Vogel thinks you’re important enough to spend complex runic magery on. So he can anticipate your next move.”
His use of your instead of our catches troubling hold.
“You think Vogel has figured out what I am?” I murmur.
“Perhaps,” comes Lukas’s unvarnished reply.
“Why hasn’t he confronted me, then?” I challenge.
“Because he’s a religious zealot, above all else.” Lukas’s lips tighten with derision. “It says right in The Book of the Ancients that no new spells are to be cast from the time of Sealing until the Blessing of Dominion. And I don’t think Vogel realized what you are until he cast the Sealing spell.”
Fear makes a harder play for me, and I force a wavering breath, struggling to not let it pull me under.
“Lukas,” I say, my voice constricting, “how are we going to get past so many soldiers? Vogel’s got an army of Level Five Mages surrounding this estate. And dragons too.”
Lukas gives me a predatory look. “When they see our changed fastlines tomorrow morning, their defenses will be down.” His gaze darkens. “Ours won’t.”
“But how can we possibly outrun them? Will the Blessing of Dominion give us enough time?”
Lukas takes a step toward me, a lethal glint in his eyes. “We’ll be allowed the open-ended solitary time in the woods that The Book of the Ancients demands during the Blessing. Vogel is fanatical about following the Book to the letter. That’s his weak spot, and we’re going to take full advantage of it. We’ll gain a lead on them and take to the high ground.”
I shake my head in desperate refute. “They’ve got dragons. Our odds are not good.”
Lukas draws closer and gently touches my arm, a pulse of his warmth rippling through my lines. “Elloren,” he says, his voice low and emphatic, “do you trust me?”
Pressing back my haze of fear, I glance around the room at all the unexpected rune stones and take in Lukas’s creative melding of magical systems, my confidence in him reinforced. I know he wouldn’t have brought us both down this path if he didn’t truly believe we have a real chance of escape.
Our eyes meet, and Lukas gives me a slight smile, his green gaze warm and full of resolve.
“I trust you,” I tell him.
He sends a caress of earth magery around my lines. “Good,” he says, and I’m overwhelmed by the level of emotion in his eyes.
I look away, eager to distract myself from thoughts of what tomorrow could bring, focusing instead on the fine craftsmanship of everything in Lukas’s bedroom. It’s all fashioned in midnight black and forest greens, with a sizable library built into one wall.