Last Dragon Standing (Heartstrikers #5)(39)
“Um, dude,” Marci said, pointing at the glowing magic that was still rising from the ground beyond Ghost’s barrier like a snowfall in reverse. “I don’t think magic is going to be a problem. As to where to put it, that would be an issue if we didn’t already have access to the biggest magical circle in the world.”
Myron looked confused for a moment. Then his eyes lit up, and Marci knew she had him. “The Heart of the World,” he said, his voice trembling with excitement. “Of course, it held all the magic in our plane for a thousand years. Assuming we could repair the seal, it would hold the magic necessary for a hammer banish, no problem.”
“So you’re saying it would work,” General Jackson confirmed.
“If we can gain access to the Heart again and fix the circle, it’s definitely possible,” Myron said. “But even if we could pull it off, I still don’t know if it would do any good. Even the hardest banishment is only temporary. You’re just sending a spirit back to the Sea of Magic, not destroying it permanently. All the Leviathan has to do is gather up enough magic to become corporeal again and he’ll pop right back in.”
“If he were a normal spirit, sure,” Marci said. “But as everyone’s gone to great lengths to point out, he’s not a spirit. He’s just hiding inside one. He doesn’t have a domain or a vessel or any of the normal stuff spirits have to catch them when they fly apart. If we banish all his magic, he’ll have no power left and nothing to hide what he really is. Best case scenario, we explode Algonquin’s magic, the Leviathan’s left naked, and the plane kicks him out like it always should. Worst case, we still disperse all the magic he’s gathered, which means he has to spend time picking it up again, maybe a lot of time. The bigger a spirit is, the longer it takes them to re-form after a banishment. I’m sure that cooldown is shortened now that we’re up to our necks in magic, but we’re still putting time back on the clock. That’s not small potatoes considering the death of everything we know might only be a few hours away.”
“Fair point,” Myron admitted grudgingly.
“Of course it is,” Marci said. “You think I didn’t think this through? Small banishments and curse breaking were how I paid my way through college. You just worry about fixing the Heart of the World. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Oh you will, will you?” Myron said suspiciously. “And how do you intend to gather that much magic before the Leviathan eats us all?”
“I’ve got a plan,” Marci said confidently. “You just make sure you’ve got your end.”
Myron looked highly skeptical, but Emily just nodded. “That’s settled, then. We’ll banish it.”
“Hold on,” Svena snapped. “You can’t just say what we’ll do. I don’t take orders from humanity’s dragon slayer.”
“Too bad,” Emily replied dryly, crossing her scrap-metal arms over her chest. “Because so long as our Merlins are the ones with the plan, humanity’s holding the cards right now.”
“Would you both knock it off?” Marci said. “We’re all in this barrel going over the waterfall together, don’t forget.”
“I forget nothing,” Svena said. “And I did not say your plan was bad, just that I would not take orders.” She glanced up at the Leviathan. “You will need time to pull this off, yes?”
Marci nodded. “Not as much as we’d need for a draining banishment, but it’ll still take a while to repair the circle and get the magic together.”
“How long?”
“To repair a catastrophic break in the greatest piece of spellwork architecture the world has ever known?” Myron blew out a long breath. “I’d have to do the math before I could—”
“More than an hour?”
When he nodded, Svena turned to stare at the Phoenix with unnervingly predatory ice-blue eyes. “Humans do not have all the cards, it seems. If you are going to do this, you will need our help.”
“I thought you’d already agreed to help.”
“They agreed,” Svena snapped, waving her hand at Julius and the Qilin. “But I alone speak for myself and my sisters.”
Emily heaved a long-suffering sigh. “What do you want?”
“Complete immunity for my clan from the UN’s dragon hunts,” Svena said without missing a beat. “And no more shipping through the Siberian Sea. That is my private territory, and the vibrations from the cargo ships disturb my magic.”
“Really?” Julius said. “You’re worried about this now?”
“I can’t make Russia give up its northern trade lanes,” Emily said at the same time. “I’m general of the UN’s Anti-Dragon task force, not queen of humanity.”
“If we help save the world, I see no reason why our demands cannot be met,” Svena said stubbornly. “I’m promising you the most magical dragons in the world. Surely that’s worth some international leverage.”
Emily ground her teeth. “Fine,” she said at last. “I just hope for everyone’s sake you’re not all talk.”
“You have not begun to see what we can do, tin soldier,” Svena replied, lifting her chin. “My sisters and I were burning spirits to ash back when your kind was still farming dirt with rocks. We will show that black slug what it means to trespass on our plane.”