“What’s wrong?” Aiden said, without preamble.
“Maybe nothing, but I think the four of you had better get out of the house.”
“Is the soucouyant coming?”
“Something is.” My gaze was drawn skyward. Other than the extraordinarily bright glimmer of the evening star, there was absolutely nothing untoward to be seen.
“Liz,” Monty said in the background, “we’ve got a network of spells surrounding the place, but they all depend on the bait—us—being inside.”
The glimmer of that star was getting stronger. Growing warmer. The cloak of wild magic stirred in agitation and my heart began beating a whole lot faster.
“The bait will be of no use to anyone if it’s crisped. Get out,” I said. “Get out now.”
Monty swore, but I could hear Ashworth telling him to shut up and just move.
“Hurry, Aiden,” I said, and hung up.
That star was brighter. Closer.
But it wasn’t a star. It was a fireball.
It looked big enough to cause an explosion that would take out not only this house but also those on either side. Worse still, it was moving so damn fast that even if we made it to the trucks, we’d very likely get caught in the backwash.
I swore and briefly closed my eyes in desperate anger—at the situation and the fact that no matter what I did or how fast I learned new spells or new ways of interacting with the magic of this place, it wasn’t ever enough. But as the anger surged at my own inadequacies, so too did the wild magic. The silvery threads shifted and flowed across my body, winding their way down my arm and forming a ball of thick, pulsing energy.
One power to contain another, I realized.
But it meant me standing in front of the house, holding steady against the heat of that fireball until it was close enough for me to throw the wild magic. I swore again, moved into position, and then looked around as Aiden came out of the house.
He studied me for a heartbeat and then looked up. “What the hell is that?”
“Retribution for salting her skin.”
“If that thing hits the house, she’ll destroy not only her skin, but everything in the near vicinity.”
“Given her skin is now inaccessible to her, I don’t think she really cares,” I said. “I need you and the others to get beyond the trucks, at least.”
“I’m not abandoning—”
Anger surged—anger that was based as much in fear for his safety as it was at his stubbornness. “Damn it, Aiden, stop arguing and just do what I ask for a change. You can’t help but you can get in the way, and that might be dangerous to us all.”
Anger flashed across his expression, and it was every bit as fierce as mine. But all he said was, “What about the neighbors? Should we at least try to evacuate them?”
I hesitated, my gaze darting back to the fireball. It was now close enough to see it was the size of a Swiss ball; close enough to feel as if we were standing under a heating vent.
And yet it was nowhere near close enough to throw the wild magic at.
“You can try, but we’ve only a few minutes, if that.”
He nodded and looked around as Ashworth and Eli came out of the house. “Can you two go right, and get the neighbors out? I’ll go left.”
Ashworth nodded. As the three of them departed, Monty finally appeared.
“Okay, now I understand the urgency in your voice.” He stopped beside me and squinted up at the fast-approaching fireball. “It’s kinda large, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and you might want to move a safe distance away, because I have no idea what will happen once I unleash the net of wild magic.”
“I’m not about to go anywhere,” he replied evenly. “I was sent here to observe the wild magic and that’s exactly what I intend to do. Especially when you’re using it in ways that shouldn’t be possible.”