Page 104 of Heat of the Everflame

Iwalked to his side and pressed forward until I felt my palms hit a solid wall. Rings of pale blue light radiated out from my palm.

“Itisa shield,” I said, recognizing the telltale shimmer. “I think there’s an illusion over it to hide it, like one of Alixe’s.”

“Clever. They didn’t want us knowing they’d trapped us inside.” He looked at me. “Can you get through it?”

“My magic is still weak. I’m not sure I have enough to destroy a shield.”

“Not destroy it—push through it. Every time a Descended has used their magic against you, it hasn’t hurt you. In fact, I think it made youstronger. That’s why you had me attack you in Ignios, isn’t it—to give you more strength to heal your wound?”

I nodded. “Is that normal?”

He cocked his head. “Nothingabout your magic is normal.”

I frowned at the invisible wall. I pressed down as hard as I could, feeling only a slight give beneath my hand. I reared back and pushed off my heels, launching my shoulder forward, then bounced off with a cry as pain shot from the half-healed wound on my chest.

Luther caught me as I stumbled back. “You’re trying too hard. Those other times, you weren’t fighting the magic, you just absorbed it. Almost like it was a reflex.”

I rubbed at my sore arm and stared forward for a moment, then closed my eyes. I lured my magic out until I felt my aura brush against the shield. It was as strong as iron and delicately woven to blend seamlessly into the room. It thrummed with a slightly older energy than what I’d felt from the little girl, but not the kind of ancient power I’d felt in older Descended, either. Whoever built this had been strong, well-trained, and likely in their prime—the Jaguar himself, if I had to guess.

I gave myself over to my godhood. My magic sprang to life, curling over my skin and coating it in that tingling, contradictory frozen heat. I took one step, then another. The sensation increased, coursing through my veins and injecting me with a boost of raw energy.

A gasp broke from my lips.

“Diem? Are you alright?”

I couldn’t answer. My magic had control now, and it was too busy savoring the power, gulping it down like a fine wine. My wound itched as the healing quickened and mended my skin. As my magic surged, voices rose to a murmur in my head—not thevoiceof my godhood but a melee of words, thoughts, and feelings I couldn’t parse, all of them unfamiliar except one.

“Diem, talk to me.”

My limbs were frozen, my body captive to my godhood and its ravenous demands to soak up every last drop of the shield’s magic, then follow its trail back to the owner and bleed them dry, too.

Panic warred against curiosity. Could I do that? Could I steal magic right from within its bearer—and what would happen to them if I did?

“Diem,please—come back to me.”

I latched on to the sound of Luther’s voice. I let it anchor me, guide me, remind me who I was and what I could do. I thrashed against my own magic, and it exploded in a sudden burst, shattering the shield into a fine, iridescent dust.

Instantly, Luther’s arms were on me, turning me, searching me, holding me close. He clutched my face and tilted it up, and my eyes fluttered open. The room was awash in a silvery glow. It took a moment to realize the light was coming from me—from my illuminated, moonlike skin.

“Are you hurt?” he demanded.

I shook my head, a bit dazed. The magic I’d absorbed left me feeling intoxicated with power—part euphoric, part spinning wildly out of control.

“That shield,” I breathed. “He’s even stronger than I thought.”

“You think it was the Jaguar?”

“It wasn’t the little girl. How many powerful Lumnos Descended can there be in one inn?”

Luther kept me nestled against him as he reached for the door, but the latch wouldn’t give. He swore. “I’ll have to break it open.”

I laid a hand on his arm. “Wait—what if there’s a good reason he put us here? Maybe he plans to come to us.”

His dark eyebrows knit inward. “Or maybe he plans to turn us in to the Umbros Queen.”

“You worked with him before. You trusted him then. Why would he turn on you now?”

“The Jaguar didn’t help me out of kindness. There was always a fee—a large one. If he believes he can sell us out to the Queen for a reward, I wouldn’t put it past him.”

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