Page 201 of Blood Feast

Cassia gave him a quick, tight hug. Pulling from the letting site itself, she let her roses devour the wall of the library. The vines opened up the adjacent room, setting off half a dozen fire traps as they grew.

Cassia levitated out first with her Trial brothers covering her and Lio at her back. The mages’ first volley of flames collided with Mak and Lyros’s wards.

So many braziers. So little cover. They were in the main chamber of the temple, and another war circle of Aithourians was waiting for them with more than a dozen apprentices.

As fire and lightning burned through Mak and Lyros’s wards, the Black Roses shot toward the ceiling again. War magic chased them to the rafters of the vast room.

The lights of the battle reflected off the bronze sun disk at the head of the chamber. Behind it towered a painted statue of her ancestor with sword held high and magefire hovering over his open palm.

Cassia dodged another tongue of fire and found herself face-to-face with the Mage King. There was no judgment in his noble blue gaze. The war mage’s spell singed the seven-pointed crown resting on his blond hair, but missed her.

A bolt of lightning arced toward Lio, and he dropped behind the sun disk just as the war magic struck the bronze. Cassia flung out a hand, carpeting the floor below him with roses. No fire traps exploded. He landed safely on his feet, sending her his thanks in their Grace Union.

Then his eyes slid shut. As his thelemancy swept out of him, her gut clenched. But he didn’t aim for the Aithourians. His power honed in on only one target: the Gift Collector.

Skleros stood in the center of the columned chamber, grasping Cassia’s pendant. “Trying to take back your token of good faith, little witch? That’s against your agreement with the Master. He may demand your head after all.”

Lio’s magic struck. Skleros’s mouth twisted in a snarl, and he hurled a dagger at Cassia.

She whipped behind the statue to avoid the blade and tried to focus on the patterns of Lucian and Ebah’s magic. Here in the main chamber, they were strongest of all.

The core of the letting site was right beneath the statue, as if Lucian were the eternal guardian of his queen’s power. Her theory had been right. Ebah had wanted him to build this temple here.

Over the statue’s shoulder, she could see Mak and Lyros blurring through the room, evading fireballs and repelling bolts of lightning with their wards. Blood sprayed where they landed blows with their weapons. Skleros wove among them to toss blades at Mak and Lyros, but his aim was not so deadly with Lio raking through his thoughts.

Mak grabbed one lightning mage by the throat and levitated with him. Bright forks of magic snaked over Mak, but didn’t burn his warded skin. The mage struggled in his hold, then went still. Mak spun, using his dead opponent as a shield, and hurled the man’s body into another mage’s fire spell.

But there was always more fire. The Aithourians were drawing from the temple braziers. Anger filled Cassia at the sight of them exploiting the Mage King’s power.

Lio, Mak, and Lyros were buying her time, but they couldn’t hold out long when they were this outnumbered and the mages had an endless source of fire magic. And any time he wished, the Collector could decide he tired of this and end the round.

There was only one power in this room that would give the Black Roses the upper hand. The temple’s. And she had only minutes to learn to harness it.

She’d healed Paradum with her blood magic and earned the tower’s recognition. She could do this.

She had to.

Dagger in hand, she let her magic take root in the letting site. Energy rushed through her body. But the mages’ spells were like invasive weeds, sucking life out of the Lustra. She had to make them stop.

The battle played out before her eyes while her mind was deep below the earth. Lyros’s spear arced through a rush of flame and struck the caster in the chest. The apprentice beside him caught him as he fell back. While the young mage was distracted, Mak swooped down, aiming the Star of Orthros at the apprentice’s head.

Cassia shut her eyes. She focused her Will on each point where the Aithourians were draining the Lustra.

This power washers. She pulled the magic back to her with all her might.

Pain seared her veins. Dozens of fire spells scorched the arcane paths inside her.

She was screaming, falling. Then Lio’s arms were around her. A bed of roses was under her back.

What happened?her Grace said in her mind.

She forced her eyes open and tried to sit up.I have to try again. Keep fighting Skleros.

Lio pulled her to him and covered her mouth with his wrist.

She growled in frustration at her thirst, but she couldn’t deny she needed blood. She gave in and bit him hard. His hand tightened in her hair as she dragged a fast drink out of him and into her parched veins.

She lifted her head with a wet gasp. Lio hesitated an instant, as if he might not let her go, but then released her. Meeting his eyes, she gazed into a dark sky of mind magic. He had never looked farther away.

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