While Sebastian did that, I conferred with the coven. “Anyone come up with any ideas to get past that barrier?”
Tess and Rayna exchanged a look. Rayna cleared her throat nervously. “Like Tess said earlier, we think we might be able to break it like we did with the ring.”
Again, I wondered how the heck she thought we could do the same for a large ship? Cautiously, I said, “I’m listening.”
When Rayna didn’t speak up right away, Tess said, “Remember when you threw your shield in the lobby of the firm when that guy brought the bomb in?” It hadn’t exactly been a bomb, but I nodded. “Didn’t you do the same thing when you fought those blood magick witches?” She hadn’t been present for most of that, we’d left her back in the Jeep, healing Danai, but she’d heard about all of it. Again, I nodded. “Well, what if Rayna’s magick could be attached to one of your shields? If we got close enough and you threw it at that thing out there, it might disrupt the spell enough to do something.”
My mind spun with the implications. Could something like that really work? Rayna had strained to break the much smaller spell on the ring, even with the coven’s magick, with my magick, backing her up.
Ruthann spoke. “What if we made our own bomb?” Everyone turned to her. “Selma and I have our potion kits. It wouldn’t take long to mix something up. If we could somehow bottle several vials of Rayna’s spell breaking magick, we’d have a better chance of disrupting a larger area. Large enough to let the water fae past that barrier, at least. There has to either be several witches combining their magick to keep a spell that strong going or some sort of magickal Item on board powering the spell. If it’s witches, we might be able to break their concentration long enough to get past ourselves. If it’s an Item, the king and his people might be able to get to it and try one of the vials on it. Either way, we get in.”
“You’re right. Get to it. Let me know if you need anything from me.” The women headed for the galley kitchen below. I hoped this worked, because we didn’t have time to come up with anything else.
Sebastian?
I’ve already informed the king of your plan. His people are circling the vessel, testing the barrier to make sure the ship isn’t going anywhere. He will let me know if anything changes.
Thank you. I debated on reaching out to Zara. I was used to having her by my side for any kind of fight and I felt naked without her, even with all those around me now.
I am here. Trixie’s voice was subdued.
I know. And I’m grateful, believe me, it’s just . . .
Your familiar is a part of you. That bond is different than the one between you and I. There is no comparison for what you and she have, for it exists on your soul level.
I felt the truth of that. Zara was just as much a part of me as my very soul. But, I was curious . . . How do you know all of this?
I sense it.
When she didn’t elaborate, I asked, So what is our bond like, the one between you and I?
It is similar, but I will not die if you do. At least, I don’t think I will. I prefer not to find out, so I will do my best to keep you alive. That is the best answer I can give you at this time.
It was enough. Not to change the subject, but can you tell what kind of barrier that is? Or sense anything past it?
I wondered when you were going to ask. I don’t think it’s being generated by witches. It feels old.
Maybe Ruthann was right and it was an Object or Item of some kind. Trixie, can you tell the difference between regular witch magick and blood magick? Does the barrier feel different than the magick we did earlier at the firm?
There was silence. It stretched to the point I thought she wasn’t going to answer, then, I’m not sure.
Well, that was more information than I had five minutes ago. I went below deck to tell the others what I’d learned.
Selma and Ruthann worked quickly, getting a potion base together, while Tess and Rayna were still trying to figure out the best way to infuse Rayna’s spell into that base. Danai was the one to finally figure it out, though I didn’t understand the mechanics behind how she’d managed it. She’d simply said healers often had to know what kinds of magicks worked together, what didn’t, and how best to combine them. That was good enough for me, so long as it worked.
In the end we had seven untested vials. Olen would take two vials, Shay and Jeremy could each shift and take one apiece, and Cappy would maneuver close enough that one could be launched from the Sea Witch. We’d keep two in reserve in case everything went south. Rand had one of the emergency flare guns to fire as a distraction for the other vessel. Cappy made Rand’s day when he opened a locker in the cockpit and began pulling out firearms.
“Pirates are still a thing in today’s world, lass,” was the response he’d given at my surprised reaction to the guns. “Best we be well-prepared, then not, eh?” With a twinkle in his eye, he added, “Or very lucky.”
None of this floored me more than seeing Sam retrieve a gun from her bag. “Is that a revolver? When did you start carrying?”
“I’ve had a concealed carry permit for over
