Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
“Sorry about that,” Maya said. “I have found that it’s easier to make people do something they already kind of want to do than to force someone to do something they absolutely would never do. You need a lot more magic for that.”
“In all cases,” Graves agreed.
Kierse had just thought the same thing while luring Maya’s cultists. All magic was built around the same principles.
“George, could you sit down behind my desk?” Maya asked.
Kierse watched the magic wrap around George. The scent—citrus with hints of coconut—was lighter than she had been expecting. It wasn’t even that much. Just a tiny dose. And already George was striding toward her desk and sinking into the seat.
“It’s a little easier because George and I already know each other. The first time is always more difficult. Unless they’re really mindless.” Maya leaned back on her desk. “How do you know you have this power if you can’t get it to work, anyway? I thought warlock magic was pretty standard.”
“She’s used it before on accident,” Graves answered as if he’d always had that information. “But not on purpose.”
Her gaze snapped to his. She’d never tried to use her persuasion. She’d wanted to, but it didn’t come to her, like the doors she’d created portaling. Not all Fae were good at all the magic they had, and these abilities were all new.
“You only did it under stress, and the person you did it against wasn’t susceptible.”
She was even more confused.
“On the balcony at Amberdash’s party when you told me to wait one more minute. My defenses were lowered, and I could feel you.”
Kierse’s mouth dropped. She had felt her magic rise, but she hadn’t known that’s what she was doing. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“I know. It was a rough night.”
Her expression softened at the words. “It was.”
“You were under duress, so that might be the trigger for you. Intense emotions can help you connect with it, but I found the peace of Sansara a better teacher. I think connecting with your tree will help with the on-purpose part.”
A beep sounded through the room. Maya’s face dropped as she rushed around to her desk to answer. “Maya, he’s…”
The rest was cut off as the door to Maya’s office slammed open again and in walked Jason.
Kierse raised her gun on instinct and fired two shots. Jason dodged them as if they were nothing, his magic wrapped around the room in a sickly scent of pine and lemons.
“What is going on here?” he asked, looking between the occupants. “Maya turned traitor?”
“Hardly,” she snapped. “It took you long enough.”
Kierse’s eyes widened. She hadn’t gotten any malice from Maya. Even the tree had reassured her. But she had been shown what she wanted, and Maya had stalled while Jason arrived.
“You don’t want to do this,” Graves told Jason with a devastatingly terrifying smile.
“You’re in my territory now, warlock. My tree is right there,” Jason boasted. “I overpower you.”
Graves laughed in Jason’s face, making his face turn purple with anger. Lorcan wasn’t wrong. Pissing people off was Graves’s strong suit. “Not in a million years.”
George was on his feet, inching behind them and out of the way. He grasped Kierse’s hand and tugged sideways. “We should go.”
“No one is going anywhere,” Jason said. He tipped his chin up, aiming the gun from Kierse to George and back again. “Not until I’m through with you.”
“Now,” George said, lunging for the side door.
Jason fired the weapon in his hand. Graves jumped in front of Kierse. And she screamed at the top of her lungs. But the weapon wasn’t pointed at her. It was pointed at George.
The bullet hit him square in the chest. His hand went to the spot with horror on his face.
“George!” Kierse yelled.
Maya shrieked, falling to her knees next to George. “What have you done?”
Graves blasted Jason with magic like Kierse had never seen. The lemon and pine was instantly displaced with golden founts of leather and parchment and ink.
Maya pushed down on the wound with her hand as tears leaked from her eyes. “I didn’t want this to happen.”
“Get out of the way,” Kierse said. “You’re on his side.”
“I’m on the tree’s side. But I didn’t…not George…” she gasped.
Maybe Maya hadn’t been playing with him. Maybe she actually cared. It was too late, anyway.
“You have to get him out of here,” Maya said.
“We can’t move him! We need a doctor.”
“Do you have a better idea?” Maya demanded.
She had one idea. But could she even do it?
She had to try.
Kierse drew a door in the middle of the empty hallway. She focused her intent the way she had when she believed Amberdash would catch her in his office. When she thought all was lost. Then she envisioned the entrance to Vale’s house across the market. She trembled as she reached uncertainly for the door.