Page 24 of The Princesses of Ruin
We all know what’s at stake, and how little time is left. The raid is tomorrow night. If we can’t get this eksteinvas crystal working the way Kazimir has designed it, we’ll have to use our fallback plan, which is loaded with unknowns.
Can a goddess be bound with magic-blocking restraints? I’d never seen her in cuffs before, but I know that what the palace uses to detain dangerous criminals couldn’t be broken by even some of the strongest magi.
But that’s like comparing the power of an ant to that of a dragon.
Perhaps something even smaller than an ant.
Scarlett takes a wide stance, her shoulders pulled back and elbows tucked into her sides. Little gaps in the back of her shirt reveal ancient scars that are but white wisps on her skin—something she earned frommotherlong ago, I’m sure.
“Load it up,” she says.
Kazimir puts another crystal in the containment clamps. He takes a moment to align the activation device, then steps back.
“Fire when ready,” Lily says.
Scarlett takes a deep breath. Power flows down her arms like water and pools in her palms. She thrusts her hands forward andthrowsthe magic at the crystal. A zigzag lattice like a spider’s web threadsbetween her hands and the crystal, each line of power connecting to a different facet of the gem.
Power flickers inside the vessel, and Lily begins her runic incantations. A twisting feeling tightens around my stomach as Lily hits the second rune without issue.
“I’m not able to cover the entire surface. Reina…” Scarlett grunts, sweat glistening through the open slits of the back of her shirt. “Do you have anything left? Can you get to the other side?”
I push the feeling in my gut away and seek out my power. It’s low, but not empty.
I move to the opposite side of Scarlett and step up to the containment ring. Alastair’s magic parts for me and I slip through into the arena. It’s hotter than I’d remembered when I was the one blasting this stupid rock.
With a steadying breath, I raise my arm and let loose my power. The crystal whines under the strain of my fiery magic, and I can almost feel the fracture.
“Spread it out!” Scarlett yells.
“Hearths and chutes, my love,” Jasper calls from outside the circle.
I envision each of my fingers as little chimneys for the heat to flow through. Slowly, I open my hands and point them toward the crystal. Each new beam of light decreases the strength of the one from my index finger until my power is sputtering.
My head is already woozy, but I keep breathing, determined to see this through. Lily hits the fourth containment rune, then the fifth. She initiates the connection with Kazimir’s device, and my knees buckle.
An arm bands around my waist, and I smell the sea. Jasper presses a kiss to my temple as his other hand slides under my arms, holding them up.
“Let me help.”
I lean into him, letting him hold my weight, trusting he would never drop me. His pearly magic flows through my chest and reignites my fire. Strength warms me through, and love fills my heart.
The blue light pours from my fingers and into the crystal. The aurora of green, blue, purple, and silver white shimmers around the gem. The rune etchings glow brighter, blindingly so. I close my eyes and pray that Zephrom is watching over us—or maybe she should be watching over Eyzanth, ensuring he’s not getting in the way.
A sudden rush of air sucks the breath from my lungs. There’s a noise unlike anything I’ve ever heard, like the low ring of a bell that vibrates in my soul. And then it’s done. The light behind my eyelids fades, and I open them.
There stands the intact crystal, all six runes glowing with an ever-changing spectrum of our colorful magics, all contained inside.
Scarlett grins at me, and I can’t help but return it. My body is weightless, floating on the high of our success.
“We did it!” Lily screams, throwing her arms around Alastair’s neck.
I stare at the skull-sized gemstone, hope soaring.
Soon, the dark goddess will meet her end.
Chapter ten
Lily
