Page 85 of Magic's Rise

Partygoers scramble to clear the table, and Levi helps Tris lift Aspen onto it. Tris rips open our mentor’s shirt, revealing a canvas of tattoos across his torso.

“Uh, Mel? There are about a million tattoos here.” Dismay fills me as I try to separate one from the other. “How am I supposed to find the right one?”

“Look for something that resembles a boob with a ring piercing surrounded by three circles, all within a larger circle filled with runes,” Mel explains, her voice far too calm for this situation.

“Okay, a magical boob. Got it.” I scan Aspen’s torso, my eyes darting from one symbol to another, but they all blur together. “I can’t find it! This is like a magical Where’s Waldo!”

“Here.” Aris leans over to point at a tattoo on Aspen’s sternum. “This one’s for poison. I recognize it because I used a variant of it for the charm you have.”

“We found the boob.” I poke the inked lines of the nipple, but nothing happens. “How do I activate this stupid thing?”

“Rowe, you’re an ethereal witch.” Strain tightens Mel’s voice, but she remains steady. “You need to concentrate and feel the magic within the spell. You can do this.”

“Right. Concentrating.” I thrust the phone at Tris and hastily peel off one shoe and sock.

When I attempt to remove the other, the knotted laces refuse to come undone, and I give up, not willing to waste time. With my bare foot planted on the ground, I stand on one leg.

“Relax and take deep breaths,” I murmur to myself. “Just like Aspen taught you.”

Inhaling deeply, I reach for my inner Zen, or whatever Aspen is when he’s not being a pain in my ass. My racing pulse steadies, and I close my eyes as I envision opening the door of a toaster, letting in all the magic.

Tingles rush up from the ground and spread throughout my body as I connect to the barrier above. My hair lifts in a breeze of its own, and I open my eyes as the silver lines flare to life.

Murmurs of awe come from the werewolves surrounding us, but I ignore them as I realize I don’t need what Silver Hollow can offer.

I need Aspen.

When I turn my attention to my unconscious mentor, his tattoos shimmer with life. Beneath them, I see Aspen’s energy fading as his heartbeat slows. I have to act fast, and there’s no time to figure out how to let go of the barrier without losing the connection to Aspen.

“Okay, you magical boob, do your job,” I mutter under my breath, narrowing in on the glowing green symbol Aris had identified.

As I reach out my finger to press against the tattoo, I imagine plugging in my toaster to give it power.

Magic floods the tattoo, making it blaze like a beacon, and Aspen’s back arches, his body lifting off the table as his eyes fly wide open.

Startled, I jerk back my hand, breaking the connection.

He crashes back onto the table with a thud, then rolls to his side and throws up the contents of his stomach.

“Yeah, he’s alive and puking,” Tris tells Mel. “I’d say that’s a step in the right direction. Thanks, Mel.”

Aris peers over my shoulder. “Is he going to be okay?”

“You don’t have to use the whole power plant to jump-start a body,” Aspen groans as he falls to his back once more. “What happened?”

“Someone tried to poison you and Rowe. She caught it. You didn’t.” Tris helps him sit up and passes him the phone. “Mel wants a word with you.”

Aspen cradles his head as he presses the speaker to his ear. “Yes, I’m fine… No, you don’t need to join us here… Yes, I was stupid and let my guard down… No, the barrier is still standing.”

His gaze flicks to me. “Put your shoe back on, Rowe.”

Belatedly, I realize that the connection to the barrier still tingles through me, and I lift my bare foot off the dirt. When that doesn’t make the barrier or Aspen’s glowing tattoos vanish, I slam the door on my toaster.

The magic cuts off with a snap that leaves me lightheaded, and I sway. Haut’s strong hands catch me, offering his solid body to ground myself against.

As I regain my balance, I flash Haut a grateful smile before turning my attention back to Aspen.

He ends the call and groans in pain as he swings his feet off the table to rest on the bench, his shirt gaping open. “Thank you, Rowe, for saving my sorry hide.”

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