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“There’s also some sort of fire burning,” Tao commented, his hands on his hips as he stopped beside us. “I can feel its heat.”
I swore softly. “The fire elementals must be still present.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Fire elementals? As in, World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings fire elementals?”
I blinked. “What?”
“You know, that creature Gandalf battled when he was in the pits of Moria?”
“Wasn’t that a Balrog? They’re demons, not elementals.”
“But it was associated with fire—”
“Enough,” Azriel cut in, as he appeared in front of us. His expression was impatient. “The elementals remain near the fire that gave them life. If Ilianna creates the void just inside the gates, we should be able to retrieve and read the book before they become a problem.”
“Should being the operative word.” I’d learned the hard way not to rely on shoulds.
His gaze met mine. “We have l
ittle other choice.”
That was certainly true enough. I sighed. “Go get the book. I’ll meet you on the gray fields.”
He nodded and winked out of existence. I glanced at Ilianna. “Time to go see if the ancient power will accept your magic.”
I strode forward, Ilianna and Tao a step behind me. The gates were still locked, but as we approached, the lock fell away and the gates slid silently open.
“I think that’s your answer,” Ilianna said softly. She walked past me, her expression awed. “I can feel it. Around me. In me.”
I shivered and rubbed my arms. I knew all about feeling magic inside of you—Amaya was a dark heat that stirred restlessly on the outer edges of my consciousness. Something about this place seemed to be making her uneasy—or was I transferring my own unease and trepidation onto her?
“The fire elementals are on the move,” Tao murmured as we followed Ilianna off the path and into the trees. “They must have sensed our presence.”
Or the magic of this place was hedging its bets—welcoming us, but at the same time opposing. I met Tao’s gaze grimly. “Will you be able to cope with them?”
He shrugged. “Do we have any other choice?”
“No, but—”
“Ris,” he said, gently squeezing my arm, “I’ll keep Ilianna safe. I’ll keep me safe. Just do what you have to as fast as you can.”
I nodded. There was nothing else I could do. Nothing else I could say. I knew what the elementals were capable of, but Tao was a fire-starter. If anyone had a hope of containing those things, it was him.
We hit a clearing. Ilianna stopped in the middle of it and said, “We can do it here.”
“What do you need us to do?”
She glanced at me, her gaze still glowing with an almost otherworldly luminescence. “You need to stand here. I will create the protection circle and containment void, then invite you in.”
I frowned. “But you can’t be in the circle. It’s too dangerous, Ilianna.” We didn’t know if there were other spells woven into the fabric of the book, and had no idea what would happen once I opened it. The containment spell was aimed at protecting them as much as the void was meant to stop the Aedh from sensing what I was up to.
“I won’t be,” she said. “Once the circle and void are in place, I’ll create a doorway. As long as we use only that doorway to enter and exit, then the circle will remain active.”
“If there’s a door, then other things might be able to get in.” Or out.
“They won’t. It’s a modified spell that will be attuned to our resonance alone. Nothing else will be able to get in or out.” The odd glow in her eyes died suddenly and she smiled. “It’ll be fine. Stop worrying.”
How? They were risking their lives for me, in a place filled with magic, not to mention walking bonfires. I took a deep breath that did nothing to alleviate the fear twisting my guts, then glanced at Tao, who gave me a brief thumbs-up as I walked across to Ilianna. But his gaze had already moved on, scanning the trees, his expression touched with concern. I bit my lip and wondered just how close the elementals actually were.
