There was adefinite chill in the air. As Elise stood in the damp courtyard, facing Rose and Jenna, she could smell winter on the wind. It wasn’t far away and Elise knew they had to win back Islay before it set in or they were in serious trouble. The cold wind lifted the pink ends of her hair as she waited impatiently.
Across from her, Rose was standing with the huge book held open in her arms, peering intently at the page. Jenna stood behind her, reading over her shoulder, one hand fussing with her long braid.
“Right. Page one hundred and seventy-three,” Rose announced, tapping the page lightly. “Defensive shield casting.”
Elise fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I know what it says. I’ve read it about a hundred times. Doesn’t make any difference. It doesn’t bloody work!”
“That’s probably because you have the patience of an angry snake,” Jenna said.
“Are we going to try this or what?” Rose cut in, giving her sister and niece an annoyed look.
Elise rolled her shoulders and sighed. “Fine. One more try.”
She closed her eyes, reaching inward. Her magic always felt like a river in flood—fast, unruly, loud. If she released her control, it would blast out of her—and into everything in its path. That day when they’d gone to salvage theSea Starand she’d defeated those pirate vessels, it had been different. It had been powerful—far more powerful than anything she’d wielded before—but it had beencontrolled. Everyone around her had been unharmed, and the power had struck only those who posed a threat.
But she’d not been able to do that since.
She lifted her hands, palms outward, and pushed her breath out slowly. Her power bucked like it always did, a wild horse refusing the bridle. She gritted her teeth, forcing it lower, tighter, thinner—trying to braid the strands the way her mother had always taught her.
Slowly the air in front of her began to shimmer and thicken, looking like heat haze over a bonfire. She continued weaving, concentrating so hard that she lost awareness of everything else around her until there was only her and the power at her fingertips. The air took shape, solidified, until a solid shield stood in front of her, higher and wider than Elise herself. Beyond it, Jenna and Rose had blurred into indistinct shapes.
A thrill of triumph went through her. Yes! She’d done it! She’d woven a shield!
“Quickly!” Elise cried. “Try to attack me!”
Rose and Jenna shared a look. “Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure! How else will we know if it works if we don’t test it? Throw everything you’ve got at me.”
“All right,” Rose said. “On three. One. Two—”
A hurricane blast hit Elise square in the chest, shredding her shield as though it was wet paper. The shockwave caught her full-force, scooping her off her feet and flinging her backward. She cartwheeled through the air and landed in the grass with a wetthump, the world spinning above her.
For a heartbeat there was only silence. Then Rose’s horrified voice cried, “Oh my God! Elise!”
She heard drumming feet but Elise only stared up at the gray sky above her head—and burst out laughing. It started as a weak sputter, then grew until her belly ached, until tears leakedfrom the corners of her eyes. Because honestly—what elsecould she do? She must’ve looked like the world’s least competent spellweaver, tossed about like laundry in a gale.
Jenna appeared in her field of vision, braid falling into her face as she knelt. “Elise? Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
“Only my pride,” Elise wheezed. “That’s taken a bit of a beating. In fact, I’m not sure it will ever recover.”
Rose knelt on her other side. “It’s my fault,” she said urgently. “I shouldn’t have—”
“No,” Elise said, pushing herself up to a sitting position and rubbing at her sore ribs. “It’s me.I’mthe problem every time. I can’t…I just can’t do it.” The words tasted bitter and humiliating. “I’m useless. Maybe I’m not meant for this.”
“That’s not true and you know it,” Jenna snapped. “You’re the strongest of us in raw power. You always have been.”
Rose squeezed her shoulder. “We’ve barely even started. We’ll figure it out.”
Elise didn’t answer. She didn’t believe them.
A harsh metallic sound suddenly split the air.Clang. Clang. Clang.
For a heartbeat, the three women froze. Then Rose surged to her feet. “That’s the warning bell!” She snatched up the book and the three of them ran.
They bolted through the infirmary, past startled patients and healers, then out into the keep’s main courtyard where chaos had already erupted. Men were racing towards the outer gates. Archers hurried to the walls.
Elise spotted Jamie immediately. He stood near the armory doors, strapping on his sword while barking orders, his pale hair whipping back from his face. Even in the panic, he moved with absolute purpose, a force the world bent around.
