wards?”
“I’m sure it does.” My steps were silent as I floated over the plush carpet toward the door I knew was concealed in the smooth white wall. I placed my palm straight out and ran my hand over the light texture. A faint ripple of magic tickled my hand. “Yes. They’re there.”
Kane nodded, picked up his dagger, and crossed the room to stand beside me. The stone in the dagger remained dark and lifeless. Then he pressed the hilt of the weapon to the wall and turned to me. “I need your help.”
I nodded, casting him a curious glance. “Sure.”
He gestured to the hilt of the dagger. “I need you to pull the magic from the wall into the stone.”
Surprise stirred my magic coiled in my chest, followed by determination. That stone collected magic to neutralize enemies. If it could steal the magic from the wall, we might have a chance of breaking out. I placed my hand over the dagger and focused on the tiny thread of magic pulsing from the core of the stone. A small burst of my own magic shot into the hilt.
The moment my magic connected with the power of the stone, a wave of warmth slammed into me, and something inside me connected to the ancient magic. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath. As I slowly let it out, I tugged, pulling on the magic from the stone.
My body went rigid and vibrated from the first jolt of mixed magic, and then everything came to an abrupt stop as if the power had collided with an invisible wall. My mental hold struggled to maintain the connection, and sweat broke out on my brow.
“Jade?” Kane asked, his voice sounding a million miles away.
I shook my head. I had to focus. Losing concentration for even one moment meant the connection would be lost. Something told me if we didn’t break out of there, we’d be in there for years. Chessandra wasn’t stupid. She knew if someone had control over our future child—who no doubt would hold considerable power—she’d be screwed. This was our one shot. And between the two of us, we had to get it done.
“Put your hand over mine,” I ordered Kane.
I felt his movement beside me and then the brush of his flesh against the back of my fingers. “Pull the magic with me.”
“On three?” he asked.
I nodded and counted. When it was time, a blast of his magic pinned not only my hand but my forearm to the wall. Our streams of power mixed, and the spell embedded in the wall slowly began to move.
The effort was so great I felt as if we were pushing boulders uphill. But it was moving, and as I watched the wall, a faint outline of the door flickered into view.
“It’s working,” I assured Kane.
He let out a grunt and increased the pull on the magic.
A dam burst, and just like that all the magic that had been collecting into the stone shot into my hand, up my arm, and straight to my heart.
My body convulsed, and all control of my magic vanished. Sparks of power and remnants of the spell shattered through me. I saw nothing but the horrified expression on Kane’s face as I rose in the air, floating at least a foot off the ground.
The spasms in my muscles vanished, and I hung there serenely as if I were a fairy godmother come to grant Kane a wish.
“What the hell?” I asked, glancing around.
Kane stared up at me in awe.
“Snap out of it, dude!” I reached for him, but my hand slid right through his arm. “Oh my God.” I stared at my hands and arms. They were solid just as they’d been before. What was happening?
Kane’s surprised expression turned to one of determination. He reached a hand out to take mine, but again when we tried to connect, his hand passed right through me.
“Jade!” Kane took a step forward, both arms raised, and grabbed for me, but he came up empty. “Goddammit! That went all wrong.”
“Not completely wrong.” I waved a hand at the now-visible door. “At least now we know where it is.”
The stricken expression on his face told me he couldn’t care less about the stupid door.
“I’m sure it does.” My steps were silent as I floated over the plush carpet toward the door I knew was concealed in the smooth white wall. I placed my palm straight out and ran my hand over the light texture. A faint ripple of magic tickled my hand. “Yes. They’re there.”
Kane nodded, picked up his dagger, and crossed the room to stand beside me. The stone in the dagger remained dark and lifeless. Then he pressed the hilt of the weapon to the wall and turned to me. “I need your help.”
I nodded, casting him a curious glance. “Sure.”
He gestured to the hilt of the dagger. “I need you to pull the magic from the wall into the stone.”
Surprise stirred my magic coiled in my chest, followed by determination. That stone collected magic to neutralize enemies. If it could steal the magic from the wall, we might have a chance of breaking out. I placed my hand over the dagger and focused on the tiny thread of magic pulsing from the core of the stone. A small burst of my own magic shot into the hilt.
The moment my magic connected with the power of the stone, a wave of warmth slammed into me, and something inside me connected to the ancient magic. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath. As I slowly let it out, I tugged, pulling on the magic from the stone.
My body went rigid and vibrated from the first jolt of mixed magic, and then everything came to an abrupt stop as if the power had collided with an invisible wall. My mental hold struggled to maintain the connection, and sweat broke out on my brow.
“Jade?” Kane asked, his voice sounding a million miles away.
I shook my head. I had to focus. Losing concentration for even one moment meant the connection would be lost. Something told me if we didn’t break out of there, we’d be in there for years. Chessandra wasn’t stupid. She knew if someone had control over our future child—who no doubt would hold considerable power—she’d be screwed. This was our one shot. And between the two of us, we had to get it done.
“Put your hand over mine,” I ordered Kane.
I felt his movement beside me and then the brush of his flesh against the back of my fingers. “Pull the magic with me.”
“On three?” he asked.
I nodded and counted. When it was time, a blast of his magic pinned not only my hand but my forearm to the wall. Our streams of power mixed, and the spell embedded in the wall slowly began to move.
The effort was so great I felt as if we were pushing boulders uphill. But it was moving, and as I watched the wall, a faint outline of the door flickered into view.
“It’s working,” I assured Kane.
He let out a grunt and increased the pull on the magic.
A dam burst, and just like that all the magic that had been collecting into the stone shot into my hand, up my arm, and straight to my heart.
My body convulsed, and all control of my magic vanished. Sparks of power and remnants of the spell shattered through me. I saw nothing but the horrified expression on Kane’s face as I rose in the air, floating at least a foot off the ground.
The spasms in my muscles vanished, and I hung there serenely as if I were a fairy godmother come to grant Kane a wish.
“What the hell?” I asked, glancing around.
Kane stared up at me in awe.
“Snap out of it, dude!” I reached for him, but my hand slid right through his arm. “Oh my God.” I stared at my hands and arms. They were solid just as they’d been before. What was happening?
Kane’s surprised expression turned to one of determination. He reached a hand out to take mine, but again when we tried to connect, his hand passed right through me.
“Jade!” Kane took a step forward, both arms raised, and grabbed for me, but he came up empty. “Goddammit! That went all wrong.”
“Not completely wrong.” I waved a hand at the now-visible door. “At least now we know where it is.”
The stricken expression on his face told me he couldn’t care less about the stupid door.
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