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“Of course it can. Anything can be controlled with the proper restraints.”
“You do know that it was called mage’s bane, right?” Peri asked. “It was used by demons to murder magic wielders.”
Tia sniffed. “I am aware of the dangers.”
“No, you’re not.” Peri’s voice was hoarse as a tidal wave of emotions threatened to overcome her. Grief. Anger. Fear. “You didn’t see a dozen women who’d been sucked dry of their magic. They looked like zombies. As if their very essence had been stolen. It was awful.”
“Witches.” Tia waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “They were helpless to contain the magic. I won’t be so foolish.”
Peri shook her head. The woman was clearly delusional. No wonder Maya had walked away and never looked back.
“You won’t get the chance. I’m going to destroy it.”
As if she could read Peri’s mind, Tia narrowed her gaze in warning. “Don’t make the same mistake as Maya.”
“What mistake?”
“Allowing your misplaced sense of grief to overrule your opportunity for greatness.”
“What’s great about letting an evil tide of magic kill innocent people?” Peri scoffed.
“Once the magic is in my control, I can ensure that no innocents are harmed.” Tia held out her hand. “Join me in my quest.”
“I don’t think so.” Peri whirled around and continued toward the door. Did the older mage truly think that Peri was stupid? Anyone willing to try to tame a malevolent power that had destroyed hundreds of mages over the centuries would mostcertainly sacrifice her the second she no longer needed her. Reaching the door, she grabbed the knob and turned it. Or least she tried to turn it. She muttered a curse as she realized it was locked. Reluctantly, Peri glanced over her shoulder. “Do you mind?”
“I do, as a matter of fact.” Tia walked to the center of the room, the silk of her caftan clinging to her lush curves. “My vision included the magic. And you. I don’t know where the miasma is currently located, but I do know where you are.” The dark gaze bored into Peri. “I have every intention of keeping you close until my dream is fulfilled.”
“You’re holding me captive?” Peri glared at the older woman, more angered than frightened by the threat.
“You can be a guest. Or a prisoner,” Tia countered. “The choice is yours.”
Peri made a sound of disgust. “The only thing worse than having that… nightmare crawling through the world randomly killing innocent people is the thought of some egomaniac using it to fuel her delusional dreams of grandeur.”
Peri turned back to the door, her fingers wrapped tightly around the knob as she considered the quickest means to bust through the lock.
“So be it,” Tia breathed.
Chapter 15
Prickles of magic crawled over Peri. A silent warning that her companion was casting a spell. Accepting she was going to have to fight whether she wanted to or not, Peri shoved her hand into her satchel and pulled out a small vial. Then whirling around, she faced the woman who was sweeping her arm over her head to launch a spell.
There was a loud sizzle as the magic flew toward Peri, the scent of cloves thick in the air. Instinctively she tossed the vial toward the incoming magic. Even at a distance she could sense Tia’s impressive power. More power than she’d encountered in a mage before. If it hit her she would be incapacitated for several hours. If not days.
She couldn’t let that happen.
Pressing her back against the locked door, Peri braced herself as the vial crashed against the magic. The potion inside the vial wasn’t particularly dangerous. It was a simple blinding spell that she kept with her in case she needed a quick escape, but Maya’s special talent in brewing the potion along with her own innate strength gave every vial an extra oomph.
The resulting collision of magic was just as shocking as Peri had anticipated. The vial burst into a thousand shards, the tiny projectiles shooting through the room.
Peri felt one slice through the tender flesh of her cheek and another imbed in her upper thigh, but she ignored the pain. Despite the explosion, the potion had done its job, cloaking the room in an inky darkness. This was her opportunity to escape.
Or that was the plan.
She’d taken a half dozen steps when a reddish glow appeared and slowly expanded. Peri shifted her gaze toward Tia, who was standing in the center of the room, surrounded by a halo of magic. The orangish hue pulsed around her with an eerie light, giving the impression the silver-haired woman was standing at the gates of hell, preparing to drag Peri down to the fiery depths.
A melodramatic reaction to a simple spell, Peri acknowledged, but she was happy to indulge her apprehension. Tia was a merciless opponent. The second Peri underestimated her would be the second she found herself locked in the dungeons. And she had no doubt there were dungeons. No castle would be complete without them.
Maintaining the glowing spell, Tia once again lifted her arm, preparing to launch another attack.
