It was the biggest waste of Majekah I’d ever seen, and Quinn was in awe, her hands clutched to her chest in rapt attention. My jaw clicked. I looked pointedly at Seth’s hovering arm before letting my power spark behind my eyes.
For a moment, I swore he’d challenge me, and I relished the idea of kicking the snot out of him in front of Quinn. But he didn’t. Instead, he stepped out of her personal space. My rage eased.
“Parlor tricks,” I snapped. “The task was simple, and you wasted power and time.”
“You can waste magic er power?” Quinn asked.
“Yes,” I answered. “It’s energy, and Seth’s body can only channel so much in a day.”
“You’re limited as well, Lawson.” Seth widened his stance.
I rolled up my sleeves, not because I wanted Quinn to notice my white tattoos and fit arms, definitely not that, but more than ready to beat the snot out of the Silver. Powerful family or not.
“So, like, you run out of power?” Quinn asked. “Like a battery?”
Her stupidity stopped the fight, and we both turned to study her.
“What is wrong with you?” I jerked my hand. “You must have experienced the strain.”
Quinn put her hands up. “Ah, sorry, yeah. Totally. I meant to say: like a battery! It was an error of inflection.” She gave me another stupid grin and twirled her hair.
I shook my head incredulously, and she giggled.
“I’ll finish this up real quick.” I took the board from Seth, avoiding looking at Quinn. When I couldn’t see her, my thoughts were clearer.
My family’s runic language flowed out of me. I didn’t want to give Seth a free pass, but I doubted he’d struggle with the placement. The sooner we were done, the sooner I could get away from Quinn and the odd response I had to her presence.
“How are you doing that?” Quinn’s voice came from my side.
I almost jumped in surprise and looked over to find her standing close to me, her face inches away from my arm. My skin prickled.
“He creates a quill out of his Majekah and channels energy through it into his runes, most likely,” Seth explained incorrectly.
I snorted, but wasn’t willing to give up my control of the board.
“But you touched yourself when you did yours,” Quinn pointed out.
I blinked repeatedly, trying to figure out if she understood what she had said, while Seth’s cheeks turned pink. The urge to punch him again filled my fists, and I messed up my rune.
“Ah, I did. My Majekah only manifests if I trace something with curves, hence the tattoos,” Seth said, keeping the conversation clean. “How does your Majekah work?”
Quinn’s shoulders fell. “Honestly, I’ve spent most of my life trying not to make it work.” She clasped her hands together. “If I try, I might black out and wake up in a new scenario. So far, this one’s been frustrating, but not so bad.”
Black out. The words echoed in my head, along with her jumble of crazy. My body moved before my brain could stop it. I shoved the Wundarboard into Seth’s hands and scooted Quinn over, so I stood between her and Seth.
A sudden urge to hold her rushed through me, but I kept my hands to myself. “Blackouts happen when there’s too much buildup.”
I glanced at Seth, glaring daggers at me, then at Winston watching us. I itched to draw runes that would make my words audible only to Quinn, but the moment I cast, I had no doubt my time in the Architect’s ranks would be over. I didn’t know if I wanted to be here, but I wasn’t willing to go back to my compound and face my past.
“I had blackouts as a kid, too,” I said softly. “Magic needs to flow and move. When was the last time you used magic? Specifically, your Majekah?”
Quinn bit the side of her cheek. “A few days ago, I think.”
“A few days ago?” My eyes flew wide. “Is that just your Majekah?”
She shook her head.
My jaw dropped. “You should be using magic constantly. Everything’s powered by magic, by us. You power the lock to your room. Surely, you opened and closed your door.”
