Ever My Merlin (Book 3, My Merlin Series) by Priya Ardis

tightened my grip on Excalibur, expending every fiber of my being into holding the heavy blade upright, knowing that any slip was equal to the plight of a million souls. It was the only means of providing protection to the whole city and I struggled to balance it.
    “ Hurry up ,” I said to him.
    “ I’m underwater now, DuLac, ” Vane replied. “ Need I remind you that you’re the one who insisted on me moving around this whole wretched ocean? I’m working as fast as I can. ”
    “ So much for being the Fisher King ,” I said grumpily. “ What… are you moving one stone at a time? ”
    Excalibur wobbled in my hand once more. My grip loosened. The shield wobbled and the tenacious water closed in on us until the wall of water was brushing our noses.
    “ DuLac, shape up, ” Vane shouted again. “ If I have to come rescue you, our deal is off and the rest of these unfortunate souls will drown. Hold the line. ”
    Taking an unsteady breath, I pulled myself up straighter. The shield strengthened and pushed back the water just a fraction. I begged Vane, “ Hurry. ”
    I closed my eyes. A picture of him flashed in my mind. He was swimming underwater, trident in hand. I felt myself going underwater, almost as if I were beside him, even though I knew I wasn’t. Two sides of the sea floor, the fault lines of two plates, slowly met and slipped past each other. To relieve the strain, the ground rumbled. Vane used the trident and magic to suppress the rumble. He aimed the trident at two parts of the sea floor that moved to rub against each other. Then, emitting some kind of warbling song, he extended his hand and let loose a stream of green magic, which managed to move the rock, piling it high. The new rock formation was the beginning of a new mountain range.
    “ I’m directing it south ,” he told me. “ Out into the Indian Ocean, instead of at the coastlines. ”
    I watched him blast away with the trident in awe.
    “ It’s like you really are Poseidon .” The thought leaked out before I could stop it.
    Vane laughed. “ How do you think we’re going to survive what’s coming if not with the power of a god? Now, go away, DuLac. You’re distracting me. ”
    He blasted another expanse of rock with the trident and simultaneously pushed me away. I opened my eyes and found myself back on the roof, Excalibur faltering in my hand. The giant wave pressed down on us. For a moment, the water pressed so close, a mere breath of wind would have brought the violent force crashing down on us.
    Then, as suddenly as it came, the giant wave pulled back. We all stumbled forward with relief as the weight eased against the shield. The shield winked out.
    I stood up, panting, my arms heavy with the weight of Excalibur. I lowered it slowly. My body would have easily dropped the burden, but after all the mental energy I invested to keep it upright, it took a while for my mind to let go.
    As the first daring rays of sun peeked through the clouds, I glanced to my left across the line of rooftops. To my relief, most of the remaining wizards were either kneeling or standing. I glanced to my right. I said to Matt, “Vane did it. He stopped it.”
    His expression was unreadable as he stood up. “Hari. Call around. Let’s find out if the tsunamis have indeed dissipated.”
    Hari sat on the other end of the roof, holding a dazed Sangeetha in his arms. On Hari’s other side, Raj took his phone out of his pocket and handed it to his brother. Hari’s worn expression cleared. He swiped a thumb across the touch screen. “Kolkotta reports the tsunami has abated. I’ll check the other disaster centers.”
    Wind fluttered and ruffled the wavy ends of his longish hair. He stared out across the rooftops at the long rainbow of faded, colored sheets still covering the wizards who sacrificed themselves in the defense of their city.
    Hari typed rapidly on the phone. “The other centers are reporting the same. The tsunami warning will remain in