“That will work,” he said.
“I don’t know how many times you can use it,” she said. “Unfortunately, my enchantments have a limit.”
“If it gives us the ability to use that even a little, that’s more than what we had before,” Gavin said.
She picked up another bracelet and squeezed it. As before, there was a flash of light. When it faded, she held it out. Wrenlow reached for it, but Gaspar stretched across the table and batted his hand away. He grabbed the bracelet and slipped it onto his wrist.
“I think we both know it’ll be more useful for me,” he said to Wrenlow.
Wrenlow frowned. “What about me?”
“I can try to make a third,” Olivia said.
She grabbed the third bracelet and cupped it in her hands.
“It might be better for Imogen,” Gavin said.
“Imogen won’t take it,” Gaspar said.
Gavin ran his finger along the surface of the bracelet. “Is that because she doesn’t need it? Or because she has some other way of accessing power?”
Gaspar stared at him. “I don’t need to answer that.”
One of these days, he was going to have to find out Imogen’s secret. There was a secret, regardless of what Gaspar wanted him to believe. For all Gavin knew, maybe Gaspar wanted him to believe that there was a secret.
What if she was simply highly trained, the same way I am?
There had to be more to it. He’d seen her fight the sorcerer, and she had handled herself quite well. She’d managed to withstand a sorcerer’s attack without struggling nearly as much as somebody without any sort of natural defense would. He still suspected that there was something more to her that gave her those advantages.
“Here,” Olivia said. “I don’t know if it’s complete, so don’t rely on it too many times, but maybe it will protect you.”
Wrenlow took the bracelet from her, his hand lingering near hers for just a moment before he slipped the bracelet on his wrist. “Now I can be like you,” he said to Gavin.
“I’m not so sure that’s what you should aspire to,” Gaspar grunted.
“Would you leave him alone?” Gavin said.
“Fine. How about we get going?” Gaspar asked.
“Just like that? No plan?”
“What’s there to plan? You and I are going in. Wrenlow will spot for us,” he said, nodding to Wrenlow, “and Imogen will clean up anybody who’s outside and coming toward us. Does that sound like a reasonable plan?”
“Reasonable enough,” Gavin said.
“Good. I’m glad you’re not going to argue with me about that as well.”
“When have I ever argued with you about your plans?” Gavin asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. How about every single time the two of us are forced to work together.”
Gavin chuckled. “We aren’t forced to work together. We can stop at any time.” He looked at the others with him—his team. They were risking themselves with him. Wrenlow was right. He didn’t have to do things alone. “Let’s go get the egg and stop the Mistress of Vines.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gavin stalked along the street outside of the Captain’s fortress. He’d been here not that long ago and for a very different reason. Now he was coming here to somehow protect the Captain and to defend the fortress.
Lights glowed in windows, which illuminated the entirety of the building. It looked imposing in the darkness. If he didn’t know any better, he would think that there wasn’t anything that the Mistress of Vines would even be able to do against the Captain. But given her power and the support she would likely have from the other enchanters, she would be an effective opponent.
Gavin had seen fighting similar to what would likely happen here. When magical attacks occurred in places with similar views of magic as Yoran, things became dangerous.
He had to help. He didn’t know if he had enough understanding of his own power to do so, but he had to try. Rather than the El’aras dagger, he held onto the sword. It had a bit better reach, and he’d seen how intense its effect was when it came to cutting through magic. That was what he needed now.
Gavin didn’t know what else he could do, but he had to believe the sword might carve through anything that would come toward him. He lingered in the darkness near the wall around the building.
“Are you ready?” Gaspar whispered through the enchantment.
He didn’t know where the other man was. He was somewhere distant, far enough along the wall that Gavin would have to search for him, but in the darkness it was difficult to see anything.
“As ready as I’m going to be. You do know what happened the last time we came in here.”
“You came out with the girl.”
“I got beat up with magic. I’m not that excited about the prospect of the same thing happening again.”
“Then don’t get beat up,” Gaspar said.
Wrenlow laughed in the enchantment.
Gavin looked behind him. Wrenlow sat atop the wall, the knife he clutched in hand catching a little of the moonlight. “You aren’t a lot of help.”
“Sorry,” Wrenlow muttered.
“Don’t mind him. He’s just irritated he’s not quite as skilled as he’d like us to believe. I guess that means we’re equal.”
Gavin grunted. There were times when he wished that he could reach through the enchantment and throttle Gaspar.
“I’ll keep watching,” Wrenlow said.
“Let me know if you see anything coming along the street.”
“As I said, I’m watching.”
It was just the three of them.
Gavin glanced at the bracelet. It fit his wrist almost as if it had been made for him—another effect of the enchantment, he suspected. Gaspar wore a similar one, and together they were enhanced with speed.
Would this give us enough of an advantage over the Mistress of Vines?
There was only one way to find out.
The wall loomed
