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“With my help?” Holly was confused. She wasn’t a weak witch, but she was also far from as powerful as Desmond was.
“Yes, with your help,” Desmond said absently, still looking at Luca with a furrow in his brow.
Holly left Luca’s head to stand next to Desmond. “What is it?” she asked him quietly.
“I don’t know,” Desmond said. “It’s at the tip of my tongue. Let’s unravel this spell and see if you can sense it too.”
“I’m not sure how much help I’ll be,” Holly said.
Desmond finally stopped looking at Luca to stare down at her, his expressions serious. “You’re a very powerful earth witch and one of the only Empaths in the Realm. Don’t sell yourself short.”
Holly blinked at Desmond, her eyes wide at the ferocity in his words. He had always been her biggest cheerleader but had never been that emphatic before. He held her gaze for a few moments longer before giving her a wink and letting his mouth tilt into a half grin. “Now, let’s release your dragon.”
“Natural magic is very similar to earth magic,” Desmond said, turning back to Luca. “Use your earth magic and scan him.”
Holly nodded and opened up her center, drawing her earth magic out and casting it over Luca. She could feel the natural magic Desmond was talking about, but there was something else there. Something unnatural. It wove through Luca’s magic and tied him to the grounds of the hoard. She blinked open her eyes as her magic receded.
“It’s earth magic.” She looked at Desmond. “Earth magic is tying him to these grounds.”
Desmond nodded. “Very good. Look deeper, though. There’s something else there.”
Holly refocused her magic and cast it over Luca again. Before she closed her eyes, she swore she saw Luca shiver. She focused on the earth magic tying Luca’s natural magic to the grounds. It was powerful magic and resisted her probes at first, but Holly pressed further. It felt… unnatural. Which was strange for earth magic.
“It’s enhanced somehow,” she murmured, eyes still closed as she tried to figure it out.
“Yes. With Fortis, I suspect. But it’s also very powerful magic. Whoever cast this knew what they were doing and were very strong. That’s a short list.”
“Could it be Vanya?” Holly opened her eyes and looked up at Desmond. “Or Professor Storm?”
Desmond tilted his head. “It doesn’t feel like either of their magic, but it’s definitely a powerful magic user. Like I said, it’s a short list.”
“Can you give us some names?” Kallan asked. “Might help us narrow down the search.”
Desmond nodded. “I’ll do that before I leave. But for now, let’s break this spell so Luca can be free.”
The dragon shifted and crooned a lonely sound that made Holly’s heart ache. Be free. Did Luca even know what that meant?
“What do you need me to do?” Holly asked.
“I’m going to work on unweaving the magics, and as I do so, I need you to pull the earth magic away and direct it elsewhere.”
“Where should I send it?”
Desmond shrugged. “Grow a tree? Earth magic isn’t really my forte, remember?” He wiggled his fingers at her as flames sparked on them, and Holly rolled her eyes.
“So helpful.” She shook her head with a smile. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Awesome. Let’s get started.”
Desmond held his hand out, and Holly placed one of hers in it as they closed their eyes. Their magic greeted each other like old friends. Desmond had often taught her little tips and tricks on his summers home from the Academy.
Together, their magic danced over Luca, starting at his head and peeling the magic back from him. They worked together, Desmond untangling the natural magic from the earth magic and then Holly was there to steal it away, funneling it into the forest surrounding the hoard, offering it to whichever plant needed it.
When they reached Luca’s wings, Holly grunted as the earth magic offered more resistance. It did not want to come away, and Holly wondered if the magic user who had cast the spell had focused more on the wings than anywhere else to permanently ground the dragon. Sweat broke out on her brow as the magic tried to wrest away from her. She reached for it again, determined to not let it slip out of her grasp. She needed to free Luca from this spell.
Her Empath magic flared in her center, and Desmond squeezed her hand as her focus was split between tamping down her Empath magic and helping him. Her Empath magic persisted, though, and Holly’s stomach rolled as it escaped its walls and tangled with her earth magic. She was ready to yank it back when she noticed it was helping her earth magic overpower the foreign earth magic and peel it away. That was new.
Taking a chance, she let out more of her Empath magic to help, even as her stomach rolled and her muscles burned. She locked her knees as the foreign earth magic gave way, rushing into her. She fed it into the forest around them and kept moving along down Luca’s spine until finally, with a pop, the spell broke. Her knees buckled underneath her, and only Desmond’s grip on her hand stopped her from meeting the ground.
