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Damiel shook his head and took the book. “If you could break into Mordon’s spell, you would have done so already.”

“Give me the book, Damiel,” I growled. “I am doing this.”

Damiel looked at Nero. “How long has it been since she’s slept?”

“Not since the nightmare attacks started six days ago,” Nero told him.

Sierra groaned. Sensing her distress, Angel jumped up onto the sofa with her.

Damiel sighed, then he looked at me. “Magic stimulants can only keep you awake for so long, Leda. And they aren’t without their side effects.”

“I can handle it.” I yawned. “Now give me the damn book, Damiel.”

“It won’t help you,” he said with calm, infuriating patience. “The thread of magic connects Mordon to Sierra.Sheneeds to be the one to perform the spell.”

“Absolutely not. She’s only three years old!”

“And already more powerful than any of us,” Damiel pointed out.

“This isn’t about power,” I argued. “It’s about discipline.”

“Yes, thank you for excusing yourself from the task.” Damiel’s eyes twinkled.

I jumped up, a fiery halo lighting up my body. “What isthatsupposed to mean!”

Damiel drew his dagger, stared me down coolly, and stated, “Exactly what I said.”

Nero stepped between us. “Look, we’re all exhausted and worried about Sierra, but fighting amongst ourselves won’t help her.”

I looked at Sierra, who was blinking up at us, wide-eyed and terrified. “You’re right,” I said to Nero. I exhaled, gathering the threads of my faltering sanity. “I’m sorry I tried to set you on fire, Damiel.”

His sigh was equally epic. “And I’m sorry I tried to stab you.”

“Good, now that we’ve all made up, can we please focus on the matter at hand?” Cadence said.

She had the book again. Damiel must have dropped it when he drew his weapon. We all really needed some sleep.

“Ok,” I said to Cadence. “Let’s discuss that matter.”

She tapped the open book in her hands. “Sierra has to be the one to perform this spell, Leda. I’m sorry, but that’s the only way this will work. The only way we’ll find Mordon and make the nightmare attacks stop, once and for all.”

Cadence usually had such a calm, soothing voice. So when her voice went hard and sharp, you couldn’t help but stop and take notice.

“This spell…is it dangerous?” I asked.

“All magic is dangerous,” she replied. “You know that, Leda. But doing nothing, allowing these attacks on Sierra to continue, that is far more dangerous.”

I rubbed my hand across my face. “But she’s so young.”

“We’ll all be right here beside her, monitoring her dreams,” Cadence said.

“I still think this is an awfully big burden to put on such tiny shoulders.”

“We can’t just do nothing,” said Damiel. “We can’t let Mordon continue to attack Sierra’s mind.”

I gave the end of my messy ponytail a nervous tug. “I know.”

If Sierra didn’t fight, Mordon would take her over.