My magic wouldn’t allow that. Not now. Not when it was settled.
(Because it said ryanryanryanryanryan and I thought nothing of it.)
And in the blink of an eye, I raised my other hand toward the sky and my heart expelled Randall’s lightning and it roared above me, his magic mixed with my own, like we were in the middle of an electric storm unlike anything we’d ever seen. The sky flashed, and I thought maybe my eyes were glowing because it was here and it was everywhere and it was—
It was over.
The sun was shining.
The wind was warm.
I took a breath. Held it. Lowered my hand. Let it out slowly.
Found my center. How easy it seemed.
Opened my eyes.
The two wizards stood stock-still, Morgan’s jaw dropped and Randall’s gaze calculating.
“Well,” I said with a cocky grin. “That was enlightening. Get it. Get it. En-lightning. It’s funny. It’s funny! Come on. Bah.”
Gary groaned. “You don’t deserve to have your clothes billow if that’s what you come up with.”
“Why?” I asked. “Would you say it was… shocking?”
“The fact that you can do what you just did is diluted when you open your mouth.”
“Puns,” Tiggy said solemnly. “Poor Sam and his puns.”
I laughed because I felt light. I had done this on my own. I had done this without—
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” an angry voice demanded from behind me.
I whirled around.
Behind me stood almost an entire contingent of knights. Dozens of them.
The Eighth Battalion, from the crest on their armor and shields. Even Pete stood with them.
They all watched me with wide eyes.
They weren’t afraid, but it was close.
There isn’t much distance between curiosity and fear.
Except for Pete. Pete just looked fondly exasperated, like he usually did.
But Ryan, though.
He stood in front of his knights. He still looked tired, and I wondered what was stopping him from sleep. I wondered what dreams he was having. I wondered why I should even care.
He also looked scared and angry and filled with such resentment, like he’d seen something that was an affront to him, that he’d been personally attacked.
Except it wasn’t directed toward me.
No. Ryan Foxheart was glaring directly at Randall.
“Knight Commander,” Randall said. “How lovely to see you.”