to see you weren’t stunned to death,” Conemar said. I could barely hear him over the battle sounds happening around us.
“You murdered my father!” Bastien made for Conemar. “I’ll kill you!”
“That should be fun.” Conemar stretched his fingers.
Arik held Bastien back. “Keep your head straight.”
A Sentinel made for them, and Arik swung his sword, their blades meeting with a loud clank. They shuffled around each other, throwing blow after blow, their dance moving them off from us. My eyes darted from Arik to Conemar, not knowing what to do.
Conemar glanced at the book in my arms. “I see someone found my book. I sense shielding charms. Three. Did Katy cloak you with a brand, Gia? Furthermore, why did she cloak your friends? Puzzles. Puzzles. I do so love to figure them out.”
One of the werehounds sprang from a table and landed in front of me, baring her teeth at Conemar.
Nick pointed his hands at Conemar. “Stand back or I’ll zap you.”
Conemar threw his head back and laughed. “Boy, I can smell you from here. You’re a fledgling wizard. I could destroy you with my pinky.” He wiggled his finger at Nick.
The werehound readied to make a jump for the wizard, but Conemar was quicker and hit her with his magic. She yelped and crashed to the floor.
“No!” I made for the werehound, but Afton grabbed my arm to stop me.
“She’s breathing.” Fear sounded in her voice. “Help Nick. He’s going to get himself killed.”
Nick shot a wave of blue light at Conemar, and the wizard blocked the current with his hand and sent it back. Nick pushed me out of the way and shoved Afton to the side. Afton landed on the floor and slid until she collided with a bookcase. Nick tried to catch the current but he fumbled and it hit the floor, knocking him back.
“Nick!” I screamed, grabbing his arm and trying to keep him from falling to the floor.
He righted himself and gave me a quick look. “I’m fine.”
Bastien hurried over, magic sparking in his hands, blocking us from Conemar.
“Nick? Nice strong name for a wizard,” Conemar yelled over the fight noises. “Bravo. That was an impressive attempt, boy. Too bad it wasn’t good enough. It’s dark in here. I’d like to see your face when I kill you. Let’s put some light on the situation, shall we?” He lifted his palms and the room illuminated.
Bastien stepped in front of Nick.
Conemar gave him a curious look. “Now this is interesting.” He took a heavy step forward. “The next High Wizard of Couve risking his life for a fledgling.”
Demos propelled a green globe at Conemar. The globe spun with great force, and Conemar threw up his hand to block it, not even flinching. The globe busted against an invisible shield, sending a gust of air at a nearby bookcase and knocking the books from the shelves. Loose papers floated in the aftermath.
A female Sentinel tackled Demos and they wrestled on the floor until Lei kicked her off him. The Sentinel whisked to her feet, stopping Lei’s katana with her sword. They scuffled, moving into the fray.
I began to form another globe in my right hand as I held tight to the charm book in my other. The globe rose up to the ceiling, and I scrambled in front of Bastien and Nick, shielding them with it and blocking Conemar’s view of Nick.
“What’s special about this fledgling? Why are you and Bastien worried about protecting him?” He took a few steps to the right and looked at Nick. “It can’t be.” A confused look shadowed Conemar’s face before it lit in awareness. “Well, well, Jacalyn, you minx, you gave me a son.” He grinned at Nick. “You’re the spitting image of me at your age.”
“You murdered Jacalyn, you bastard,” I said. “You stay away from him.”
My accusation actually surprised him. “Jacalyn and I were in love, until she met Phillip Attwood. I do admit I killed her. I couldn’t help myself. After all, she was mine, not his. How can you blame me?”
Born evil. Sinead’s words replayed in my mind. He believed he was the one who had been wronged and had every right to take her life.
Demos jumped off a table and landed in front of Conemar with his sword extended in front of him. “Come on, fight like a man.”
“Silly boy, I’m not a man. I’m a wizard.” A spark snapped out of Conemar’s hand and hit Demos in the chest, and he flew back onto