Darkness Splintered

“Risa, Azriel,” she said softly, as I approached. “Please follow me.”

We obeyed, our footsteps echoing softly on the marble tiles. The energy of this place was so strong that every step was accompanied by a spray of golden sparks. The Brindle’s interior tended to be somewhat austere, though the foyer’s brickwork had been painted a rich gold that added a warmth that the entrance otherwise lacked. We were led to the end of the hall and down some stairs, then into a wide hall that was lined with darkly stained timber and filled with shadows, despite the morning light. Sconces flickered on as we approached, then went dark once we’d passed, fueled by magic rather than electricity.

We turned right at the end of this hall, and went down a second set of stairs. After traversing another hallway, we reached the end and two large, intricately carved wooden doors. The slender witch opened one of these, ushered us through, then closed it. The room beyond reminded me somewhat of a medieval hall, with its gabled wooden roof and walls lined with tapestries. But it was the large protection circle that caught my eye – that, and the four women standing within it. Ilianna, Mirri, Kiandra, and Ilianna’s mom, Zaira.

I stopped immediately. Magic eddied around us – tides of power that itched at my skin – and I didn’t want to risk getting any closer in case my presence disturbed it in some way. For several minutes, no one moved; then Ilianna sighed and glanced my way.

“Are you having any luck unravelling the cord?” I said.

“Not yet.” Ilianna stepped carefully from the circle, then walked toward me. Her face was pale, strained. “Neither Mom nor Kiandra have come across anything like this before now, but I guess that’s natural, given the source. They’re relying on my limited knowledge in their attempts to unpick the various layers.”

“Well, you did reroute the magic in the warding stones my father left at Mom’s.”

And I had to wonder if that had been deliberate. After it, those stones were all that was stopping the Raziq from entering our home – the thought stalled, and I blinked as excitement surged. Maybe the damn answer to the Raziq problem had been sitting right in front of my nose all the time!

“Rerouting the magic of the stones was easy compared to this,” Ilianna said. “This collar is interlaced and complicated. I just don’t know if we’re going to have the time to dismantle it.”

Tears briefly shone in her eyes, but were rapidly blinked away. No time for tears. Not yet.

I looked at Mirri. Her expression was stoic, but fear lurked in the depth of her eyes. “You will. Have faith.”

“Faith is something I’m rapidly losing.” Ilianna paused, and glanced at Azriel. “Sorry, but it’s hard to keep believing when your bosses are doing squat to help the situation as far as I can see.”

“They tend not to interfere unless absolutely necessary.”

“Seems to me the opening of hell and the possible destruction of both Earth and the gray fields would make interference a necessity.”

“Hence the reason I am here,” he replied. “More Mijai are not practical in this situation.”

“Meaning if it was warranted, more would come?”

“If necessary, then yes.”

“I guess that’s something.” She returned her gaze to me. “I’m gathering you’re not just here for a progress report.”

“No.” I hesitated. “But I have a question about the warding stones before I get into that. Are you able to replicate the spell on the stones? And if so, would it be possible to make some sort of personal protection circle using it?”

She frowned. “I could repeat the spell, no problem, but I don’t know —”

“It’s possible,” Kiandra cut in.

I glanced past Ilianna. Kiandra’s attention was still on the cord wrapped around Mirri’s neck, but she’d obviously been keeping tabs on our conversation, despite the fact we’d been speaking softly.

“But,” she continued, “the spell would need to be fed into the energy of the wearer to have any long-lasting benefit.”

“That sounds like we’d be stepping into blood magic territory.”

“No, we would not,” Kiandra said. “Tapping into the wearer’s aura or life force is no different from drawing strength from the elements or from the earth.”

“But,” I said, “drawing power from the elements or the earth has its cost – it saps the witch’s strength and leaves her vulnerable to attack from darker forces if the drawing isn’t done within a protection circle. You can hardly employ a protection circle in the case of a portable warding device.”

“Who’d have thought you knew so much about magic,” Ilianna murmured, a smile touching her lips.

“I have been hanging around a witch for most of my life,” I said dryly. “Some stuff rubs off, even on someone as thickheaded as me.”

Azriel’s amusement rolled through the back of my thoughts, soft and enticing. If I had said that, you would be very annoyed.

You may not have said it, reaper, but you certainly thought it.

That, he replied, amusement stronger, is undoubtedly true.

“The difference in this case,” Kiandra said, “is that the wearer would be performing no magic, so there is no need for a protection spell of any sort.”

Which didn’t mean it wouldn’t still drain the energy of the wearer. “How would it work?”

“It would be similar to the micro cells you wear. Four stones would need to be worn on four points of the body, which would then create a self-sustaining continuous circuit of energy and provide protection against any force they were set to.”

“In other words, if they were set to protect against the Raziq, the Raziq would not be able to either physically or mentally harm them?”

“In theory, yes.”

Right now, theory was all we had. “How soon could you start making half a dozen sets of these stones?”

Kiandra blew out a breath. “Mirri is our priority —”

“I know,” I cut in. “I meant once Mirri is safe.”

“A few days, at the very least. And only if Ilianna is willing to be involved in their creation.”

I frowned at the odd note in Kiandra’s voice. Ilianna didn’t immediately reply, but her expression had clouded over. She looked… wary. Scared.

“Ilianna,” I immediately said, “you don’t have to do this. We can find another way.”

I might not know what was wrong, but I didn’t want – in any way – to put her in a position that would give the Brindle some sort of hold over her. Because I suspected that was what was involved. That her staying there, creating magic, would be a step onto a road and life that Ilianna had fled when she was a teenager. A path that Zaira had said, not so long ago, would find her daughter again.

“Are these stones really necessary?” she asked eventually. Her voice was even, but her expression was still troubled.

“The Raziq snatched me again tonight.” I hesitated, but she had the right to know exactly what we were all facing. “They threatened to not only kill everyone I care about, but make them ghosts. If these stones don’t work —”

“Heaven help us,” she finished, then nodded. “Fine. Once we unravel the energy imprisoning Mirri, I’ll help the Brindle make the aural wards.”

I couldn’t help but give a silent sigh of relief. Ilianna might well be stepping onto that path, but better that than her being dead. Or worse, a ghost. “Thanks, Ilianna.”

She nodded. “Anything else?”

I hesitated. “Yes, but it doesn’t matter now given you can’t really leave Mirri —”

“Just tell me what you need,” she cut in, voice flat. “If I can help, I will.”

“We need someone to create some sort of doorway into a warding circle.”

She frowned. “I do not think I could spare —”

“You do not need to,” Kiandra cut in. “I’ll send one of the fifth-year trainees. They will be more than capable of handling such a task.”

Being a trainee at the Brindle didn’t mean you were new to magic. It was quite the opposite, in fact. Witches