Magical Midlife Invasion (Leveling Up 3)

He had a potion around him, and a bubble around us both. How was he doing that bubble?

It had been draped across one side of the cave, noticeably glittery. But maybe that had been because of the painful layer built into it.

I chanced a glance around us, ending at his feet. He’d barely moved since I’d shown up. He hadn’t wanted me to walk toward him.

Mind racing, I remembered the spell at the bottom entrance to the cave where I’d been held captive, see-through one way, not the other. There were all types of draping spells. One could easily be around me right now, hanging from these trees, and I wouldn’t be able see it because of the darkness.

Elliot clearly knew I liked to veil the place in darkness. How freaking annoying. He did his homework.

I ripped the darkness away, the last rays of the sun painting the sky a burnished orange. The light trickled in around us as the guy shot a jet of magic at me, blistering in its intensity. I threw up my hands, expecting the worst, but it was too late.

Surprisingly, it hit the defensive shield I’d erected before wandering in here, fizzing and searing as it spread across the surface and lost its power.

I’d forgotten about that little ditty. Good Lord had I been smart in erecting it.

Shimmering sheets of magic stretched across the canopy of trees and draped between branches, only noticeable because of the way the light shone across them when I moved my head just so.

“How incredibly tricky,” I muttered.

He shot another blast of magic, walking toward me now, his curled mustache wiggling as he did so, his brow furrowed in anger.

“You really shouldn’t keep doing that,” I said lazily, power building across and within my defensive ring as the new spell relinquished its power to me. The defensive spell was working. Sweet hallelujah, the spell was working! “I’m stronger than you. This will come back and bite you on the ass. You should also know…” I sent a large wave of swirling magic through the trees, the spell I’d devised for possibly ripping away the glow potion. It would work for the spell draped within the trees. “I don’t need the house to do magic. I’m better with her, but I’m plenty on my own.”

"I have no idea what you are grunting, gargoyle,” he shouted, and it occurred to me that what I’d meant to say had clearly come out a garbled mess because of my teeth. I hadn’t been paying attention.

I released the pent-up ring of power around me, slashing out with it. It cut down the guy’s side, opening up a red line across his chest and stomach and down his left leg. He cried out, bending, throwing out his hand to deliver a spell that went wide. The weird silence lifted, and I heard the chittering I’d been missing as Niamh emerged from between two trees and charged toward the mage at full speed. His protective spell, hiding him from Ivy House and me, fizzled away even as she reached him, chomping into his shoulder with her many rows of razor-sharp teeth.

That burst of energy turned into a slash had done the trick—it had punctured the spell and his body. I’d need to devise a more foolproof way to get the same result, but it would work for now.

The mage let out an agonized, high-pitched scream, certainly his last, as Niamh crawled onto his chest and went after his jugular.

I ran toward Austin, whose choking fear I’d felt as soon as the magical connections were restored. It had immediately faded into relief. Clearly he’d felt me get cut off and hadn’t known why. I could feel him working his way toward me now.

Glowing shapes appeared in between the trees—some pushing against an invisible barrier that did not yield, others running my way in terror. Austin ran behind them, trying to catch those fleeing before him. They were not battle-hardened heroes, and it was obvious the mage hadn’t planned on letting them escape alive.

I didn’t know how I felt about that. They’d clearly been brought here as a sacrifice, a distraction for my forces, like that awful mustached mage had said. They didn’t deserve death by polar bear. Maybe they just needed a refuge away from a tyrant.

“Noo, Aah-ston.” I threw up a spell to block him from chomping down on a hare bounding away.

I stopped for a moment, summoning all of my power and energy, and pulling from Ivy House as well. Instead of an explosive, I fashioned little needles for my attack, sharp enough to pierce spells and skin, but hopefully not deadly enough to kill a fast-healing shifter. This had to work on that blasted potion.

Running now, I covered Austin in a defensive layer, just in case my aim was terrible, and blasted the spell out, pelting all of the glowing blue creatures. Continuing on, I blasted it out again, and again, followed by Austin and Niamh and the gargoyles (overhead), reaching anyone with the potion and punching it away. At the other side of the wood I found the basajaun, hugging three glowing creatures in his great hairy arms. The creatures squeaked, probably the only air they could get out, before succumbing to the pressure. Lights out.