Just when I thought I couldn’t take another minute of it, Abbie’s voice cut through the quiet, making all of us look up.
“Wait a second. I think I found something.”
She held up a worn, leather-bound book, her eyes scanning the yellowed pages. “There’s a reference here to a magical crystal that can be bound to a specific type of magic. It doesn’t go into much detail, but what if it’s enough to secure Ariella’s magic while allowing the demon to absorb the rest?”
A spark of hope flared in my chest, but it was quickly dampened by doubt. “Where is this crystal?”
Abbie’s expression faltered, and she flipped through a few more pages before letting out a frustrated sigh. “No location. Just mentions of its existence.”
“So, we’re back to square one?” Lacey asked, her shoulders slumping.
“Not entirely,” I said, forcing myself to sound more optimistic than I felt. “If this crystal is real, we just have to find it. It’s got to be here in one of these books somewhere.”
Before anyone could respond, the door to the warehouse creaked open, and I turned to see Erin and Rey stepping inside, a third figure trailing behind them. The newcomer was tall, with a lean, muscular build and an air of quiet authority. He carried himself like he was used to being in charge, but there was a wariness in his eyes that caught my attention.
“This is Max,” Erin introduced, gesturing to the stranger. “He’s one of our best. He specializes in special missions.”
“Special as in secret,” Rey said in a low voice.
Max nodded, offering me a tight-lipped smile. “Ariella, Levi. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Naughty things, I hope,” Levi said dryly, but his gaze was sharp, assessing.
Max ignored the attempt at humor, focusing instead on the circle that held me. “I hear you’ve got a demon problem. Or rather, you need a demon that can solve your problem.”
“Yeah, but so far all we’ve got is rumors and old stories,” I replied, folding my arms. “You know something we don’t?”
Max glanced at Erin and Rey, who both nodded in encouragement, before turning back to me. “There’s a reason they called me in. A few years back, we came across a higher demon that did exactly what you’re looking for. It could steal magic from supernaturals—sometimes all of it, sometimes just a part. We don’t know why it worked that way, but it did.”
My heart thudded in my chest. “You’re saying this demon could take the foreign magic from me?” Max nodded. “So, where is this demon now?”
“We couldn’t kill it,” Max said bluntly. “So we trapped it. Sealed it inside a cave deep in a canyon, where no one goes. Every so often, one of us checks to make sure it’s still there. And so far, it hasn’t gotten out.”
Levi frowned. “Can you bring this demon to us?”
Max shook his head. “That would be like playing with a lit match in a room full of gasoline. If the demon escapes or decides it wants more than just Ariella’s excess magic, we’d have a disaster on our hands. It’s safer if we bring Ariella to the demon.”
“But that means moving her,” Lacey said, “which is a problem with her unstable magic.”
I clenched my fists, my frustration rising again. “And you still don’t have a way to make sure the demon won’t take all of my magic, right?”
Max shook his head again. “That’s the risk. We need a way to protect your core magic before we can even think about bringing you near the demon.”
Maggie, who had been listening quietly up until now, flipped another page in the thick tome she’d been studying. She had a serious expression that made her seem older than her nineteen years. Her sister, Gwen, hovered nearby, fidgeting with a pen. Just as Max finished speaking, Maggie stiffened, her hand going slack against the page.
Her eyes glazed over, turning blank and distant. I recognized the look immediately—Maggie was having a vision. Abbie moved to her side, resting a hand on her shoulder, guiding her through the trance.
“Maggie?” Abbie asked gently. “What do you see?”
Maggie’s voice was monotone, distant. “A cave. In the northern U.S. A dragon shifter guards it, hoarding treasures… among them, a crystal. The one we need.”
My breath caught, hope flaring anew. “You’re sure, Maggie?”
Maggie nodded slowly, the vision still holding her in its grip. “And I see you… speaking with the dragon. He givesyouthe crystal.”
Her words faded, and she blinked rapidly, coming back to herself. Abbie patted her shoulder gently and Maggie let out a shaky breath.
Lacey pressed her lips in a thin line. “But that means you’ll have to leave the circle for that too, Ariella. You’ll have to go to him.”