The Spell Realm (The Sorcery Code #2)(51)

“Augusta?” Dara suggested. “Or maybe one of our allies—though I don’t know what any of them would be doing in the Guard barracks.”

“Well, it certainly wasn’t Vashel,” Barson said, thinking of the conversation he’d just had with his ally. “He told me what he overheard from the Council meeting, and I’m sure he would’ve mentioned it if he’d done me such a huge favor—”

“What did he say?” Dara interrupted, and Barson filled her in on Ganir’s absence and the Council’s plans regarding the creature.

“The spell Augusta came up with sounds very dangerous,” Dara said, her eyes wide with awe and reluctant admiration. “But I have to say, your lover is bright. Very, very bright.”

“Also very stubborn,” Barson said, beginning to get angry again as he remembered the fight he’d just had with Augusta. “And very arrogant when it comes to her own abilities.”

At Dara’s questioning look, he filled his sister in on what happened, explaining how their argument had spiraled out of control before he could talk to her about his plans for the Tower.

“So what are you going to do about her?” Dara asked when he was done.

“I don’t know,” Barson admitted. He hated the fact that he couldn’t make Augusta stay in the Tower, where he could ensure her safety. Like it or not, with the way things currently stood, he couldn’t force her to do anything. “I don’t like the idea of her going after this creature, but I don’t know how to prevent her,” he said in frustration. If Augusta were a regular woman, it would be easy; he could lock her in a room and keep her here. But with a sorceress, things were more complicated.

Dara gave him a sympathetic smile. “That’s what you get for falling for a sorceress,” she said, echoing his thoughts. “If she wants to go, you have to let her . . . and hope for the best. If anyone can land on her feet, it’s Augusta. Besides, there is no other choice. We’re too close to our goal for you to get distracted by this matter.”

Barson nodded, his jaw clenched tight. He knew his sister was right. He couldn’t waste his energy fighting with Augusta right now, not when they had so much at stake.

“Yes,” he agreed, forcing his thoughts away from his lover. “We don’t have any time to waste. According to Vashel, the Council is departing for the mountains tomorrow—which means we need to finalize our plans tonight.”





Chapter 35: Blaise





Slowly regaining consciousness, Blaise became aware of the fact that he felt amazingly good—a fact that surprised him, given that his last memory was that of the storm. Opening his eyes, he saw Maya, Esther, and a number of villagers crowded around him, their faces full of concern.

“What happened?” he asked, becoming aware of an unusual silence. The deafening din from the storm was gone. He could still hear an occasional rumble of thunder, but it was distant now, as though the storm had passed. His heart jumped as he realized that Gala was nowhere to be seen. “Where is she?”

“You should take a look outside, Blaise,” Maya said, a strange expression on her face.

Frowning, Blaise rose to his feet. The people stepped back, letting him pass, and he made his way to the front door. Carefully opening it, he peered outside, expecting to be slammed with rain or wind, but all was calm. Had Gala managed to put up the shield?

Stepping outside, he looked up at the sky—and what he saw there made him stop breathing for a moment.

The skies directly above were clear—but on the edges, the storm continued to rage. He could see the lightning bolts piercing the dark clouds in a never-ending assault and the twisters in the distance—but none of that touched the village or the area immediately surrounding it.

The only mark in the moonlit sky was a small dot near the edge of the black clouds.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Blaise turned to see Maya and Esther standing there, looking up at the sky. “Where is Gala?” he demanded. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t you see?” Esther said reverently, pointing up. “She’s there.”

Looking up, Blaise peered closer at the dot he’d noticed before. He couldn’t tell what it was from here—but that was an easy fix. Rushing back into the house, he grabbed one of his prepared spells and loaded it into the Stone. A second later, his vision was eagle-sharp, and his hearing was magnified.

Running out onto the street again, he looked up at the sky, his heart hammering in his chest.

The dot was indeed Gala. She was floating in the air, a calm, almost blissful expression on her face. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were curved in a small smile. She looked beautiful and strikingly peaceful—and she was the one who was controlling the storm, he realized with a chill running down his spine.

His mind reeled from the magnitude of what he was witnessing. The complexity was beyond his comprehension. She wasn’t merely creating weather patterns; she was directly counteracting the storm. It seemed . . . impossible.

For a moment, the urge to go to her and bring her down to safety was almost overwhelming, but Blaise restrained himself, knowing that breaking her concentration now could be deadly. She was in control at the moment, and she needed to stay that way for everyone’s safety, his own concern for her notwithstanding.