Page 17 of Knight's End
I held up my hand to silence him. "I'm the only one of us right now who knows how to steadily control their power and make a little stream of light. I know what I'm doing."
His lips thinned and he grumbled, “Ryan’s gonna kill me.”
I smirked. “No. He’ll spank me.”
That just made Declan’s look go dark for another reason. “Don’t distract me.”
I rolled my eyes and went over to help Blue lower Cerena onto the ladder.
She looked up at me as she clung to the top rung. “Just in case, I left my pouch on the table. There’s a little more food magic. One disguise spell. And a love potion.”
“A love potion?”
She rolled her eyes. “The wizard insisted on it. It was an old one I had lying around. He said I might need it to strengthen my old heart.”
“I thought love potions made people fall in love.”
“Well, they do. But how do you think they do it? They make your heart stronger than your head.”
That was something the castle mage had never taught me in my lessons. I was beginning to think Wyle had been a bit of an imbecile. Of course, I thought of Donaloo’s skipping—maybe all those who sought magic were a bit mad.
I shook my head in companionable annoyance. “Donaloo is a bit of an oddity.”
She barked out a laugh. “He’s downright mad, that one. Then, most geniuses are. Now, shine your light a bit to the left so I can see the side railings,” she instructed.
I moved my hand and let the light shine as she’d requested. I tried to ignore the constant scratching feeling as the skin of my wrists slowly shredded.
Cerena climbed down at a snail’s pace.
Blue knelt on the floor and supported her for as long as he could. Once she was below his reach, he crouched next to me and put an arm around my waist, helping hold me firm as I leaned forward and tried to provide light for the woman.
Blood dripped down my sleeve and droplets splattered onto the ladder.
“Connor, I think she might need help,” Blue murmured, nodding toward me.
Connor came to my other side and sandwiched me between them. He tried hard only to push a little magic into my arms. But he had no control, and a bright pink burst of light flared from his hands.
My scars healed over instantly, and I grew dizzy and sick to my stomach, pitching forward. My knights both pulled me back from the hole in the floor, but I wasn’t focused on them. I was focused on the dungeon room, which his power lit up like a wildfire lit a forest. The room was little more than a square carved from the dirt, with a floor roughly covered in rotted planks. Somehow, despite the darkness, or maybe because of the magic, a single pink flower clung to existence between a crack in the floorboards. But the flower wasn’t what made my jaw drop. Dangling from hooks shoved into the hard-packed earthen walls were hundreds of black amulets.
Cerena’s feet reached the floor and she turned. When she caught sight of the amulets, she gasped.
“How … how is this possible?” I whispered down at her.
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
She padded closer to one of the walls and studied the black stones, threaded on leather strings. Her face was full of awe. “Whoever created them had incredible magic. The stamina. The knowledge to create all this. Look at the amazing little runes.” Her eyes started to glow, and not with the light of my green power or Connor’s new pink power. Her eyes glowed white. “Perfectly carved. I wonder—” she breathed, as her hand reached out.
“Don’t!” I cried.
But I was too late.
My castle mage exploded into a fine, black, powdery dust.
