The Spell Realm (The Sorcery Code #2)(58)

He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but whatever it was, he would need his own Interpreter Stone.

Turning, he rushed upstairs, remembering that he’d left the Stone in his study. The spell didn’t prevent him from going up. However, once he grabbed the Stone and the spell cards he’d prepared for their trip and tried to leave his study, Gala’s cursed spell kicked in again.

Now, however, Blaise was better equipped to deal with it. A quick written spell, and he teleported himself out of the room in one piece. He was taking risks today, doing the teleportation spell with so little deliberation; normally, he would’ve triple-checked his calculations, but there was no time for such meticulousness.

Running back to the front door, Blaise saw Moriner again. To his surprise, the Councilor was in a completely different part of the canyon at this point. Blaise frowned. The only way to cover such distance so quickly was by teleporting. It looked like Blaise wasn’t the only one working with this dangerous spell today. It was strange that Moriner was taking such risks, however, given his advantageous position.

Just then Blaise saw Moriner finish a spell, and slowly a giant rockslide began to move toward Gala. The weathered rocks of the canyon broke apart from the mountain and rolled down, gathering greater mass and momentum on the way. Moriner seemed to be directing and magnifying the slide, causing it to move faster and faster.

Blaise felt a wave of fear, but before he could do anything, Gala glanced up toward the rocks. A moment later, the rockslide stopped and then started moving in the opposite direction—up the mountain. Blaise was astonished. There were reflective spells that could repel attacks, but he’d never witnessed anything of this scale and potency. As the rocks slid upward, they gathered speed until they were rushing at Moriner with the same force as they had been falling at Gala. It was an eerie sight.

Right before Moriner would have gotten hit with the mass of stones, he disappeared.

Surprised, Blaise surveyed the entire canyon. Where did Moriner go? He could see the others, and then he spotted Moriner again—on the opposite end of the canyon. The mystery of the Councilor’s quick relocation deepened. Blaise did not see Moriner do anything with his stone, and the Councilor hadn’t had time to speak any spells. How had he teleported?

Another Interpreter Stone flashed darkly in the sunlight, and Blaise focused on its owner, Kelvin. The man’s face was a mask of fury; he hated Gala, Blaise realized. True to his specialization, Kelvin was trying to manipulate the weather—an attack that didn’t particularly worry Blaise, given Gala’s recent encounters with the storm.

Still, he watched anxiously as a few clouds slowly gathered above Gala. Predictably, two small thunderbolts hurled toward Gala from the clouds. The thunder reverberated through the canyon, deafening Blaise for a moment.

To his surprise, Gala didn’t react—and then he realized that she didn’t need to. Whatever spell she used to hurl the rocks back at Moriner was still in place, and the lightning sharply reversed direction, shooting for Kelvin instead.

Kelvin also disappeared just in time.

The sky was again bright. Blaise frowned. He didn’t see this Council member say or write anything either.

Continuing to observe the events in the canyon, Blaise began making his own preparations. He liked the concept behind Gala’s reflective barrier, and he had an idea how to write a spell that would work similarly. It might not be as potent, but it could be quite helpful.

As he wrote the code, he continued keeping an eye on the battlefield. By mere chance, his gaze came upon Jandison. The old man was clearly trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible, hiding behind a rock.

Sharp fury rose within Blaise, nearly choking him from within. This was the man responsible for Louie’s death—and for the Council moving about with such ease, Blaise realized with sudden clarity. Jandison was the foremost expert at teleportation, and he had to be the one using his skills to transport the other Council members. He was moving them around like game pieces after their attacks on Gala.

Before anger could cloud his thinking, Blaise suppressed any thoughts of Louie. As sweet as revenge would be, he needed to focus on helping Gala first.

Taking a deep breath, Blaise surveyed the field again.

No sign of Ganir. Why hadn’t the old man warned him that the Council was on the way? Had he sided with them after all? It didn’t seem like that was the case; Ganir’s absence from the fight spoke volumes. Of course, Blaise also couldn’t locate Augusta, whose loyalties were not in doubt. Though he couldn’t see her, he felt her hand in this. His former fiancée had always been good at strategy, and he was certain that she had something to do with planning these teleportation moves. Where was she? What was she plotting?

Turning his attention back to the reflection spell, Blaise finished it and loaded it into his Stone. Then, deciding to use the Council’s own strategy against them, he immediately began working on a teleportation spell. This could be a way to help Gala and get his own revenge, Blaise thought with grim satisfaction.

The spell worked without a hitch, teleporting a confused Jandison into Blaise’s house. Now the enemy was within reach, although most likely protected by a shield.

Not giving his opponent a chance to catch his bearings, Blaise hit Jandison with a heat spell. The spell did not go through—nor did Blaise expect it to—but it did seem to weaken the old man’s shield.

Finally realizing what was happening, Jandison scrambled for his own Stone. Seeing that, Blaise tried to distract him with questions while reaching for a partially completed attack spell of his own. “How did you do it?” he demanded harshly. “How did you change the vote?”