Page 70 of The Sundered Realms

A scream reached them, and Liris jerked her head to the Gate.

One fewer caster than there had been, and Shry was dancing around spells from two others, ethereal in how elegantly she spun through the air and away, delivering chaos with every blow and never slowing as spells chased her.

Magic hurt demons. How long could she hold out?

“Liris, we’re working as a caster team. My knowledge of spells is greater. I’ll prepare them and tell you how to direct them, but you’ll be casting. Can you do it?”

She’d been ready her whole life.

Liris ripped the spell pages off to Damennol, who took off. “Let’s go.”

“The casters are working together, which means they’re a professional unit,” Vhannor told her.

His coolly controlled voice at her back steadied her. He’d set up a shield spell as a square wall in front of them, combined with an illusion spell that made it look like the grassland all around. They were closer, but it would still be hard for the foreign casters to spot even if they moved.

“Will we be enough, then?” Liris asked. As good as Vhannor was, there were more of them, and she wasn’t trained yet.

“Want to back out?”

Liris glared at him.

Vhannor smirked. “Then we’ll find out, won’t we?”

Liris held out her hand, heart pounding. “What’s the first spell?”

He didn’t hesitate; moments like this were what his icy façade was for. “The mercenaries are surrounding the defenders’ line. We want to make that harder, without preventing the defenders’ ability to regroup if needed. Target a caster moving around the outside. You see the gap in the spell? Fill in the value of their position relative to you, and then close the circle.”

Liris closed her eyes, took a breath. Then snapped them open, took in the mercenary’s position, calculated, updated the spell in the same breath, and cast.

The magic appeared to shoot out from the Gate, a tiny ball of fire zinging straight into the mercenary. They went down.

“Opposite side now, before they catch on.” Vhannor handed her another identical spell. “Go.”

She did. Working with Vhannor was so easy.

But the casters did catch on. Barking out orders to form up, they made as if to spear through the defenders’ line.

Shry charged in to break the formation and bounced back, drawing off. A magical shield, then.

“We need more power,” Liris said.

“No. This, as-is.” Vhannor handed her another spell.

Maybe they weren’t in perfect sync after all.

Still, Liris cast.

Another fireball launched from the Gate at the mercenaries’ backs but didn’t break through their shield.

Another of Periannolu’s defenders fell, and their formation faltered.

Vhannor swore, taking Liris’ hand to keep them both behind the moving shield as they ran. “We need a new angle, so our spells get between Periannolu and the invaders.”

“Can’t we—“

“Spell that? Yes, with time, which we don’t have. Here, go when I tell you. Wait—now!”

Liris cast, and this time the magic was like a scythe of fire, slicing through the attacks the invaders had launched in unison.

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