Page 47

Chapter 47

My mouth was still open with shock so I clacked it shut. ‘How is that possible?’ Wards aren’t sentient.

No wonder he was the pre-eminent assassin in the world; not even our best wards could hope to keep him out. All those times when I’d strengthened my wards against him, they’d been as ineffectual as a chocolate fireguard.

Bastion cleared his throat. ‘A witch uses her magic to draw runes. Each rune could have dozens of uses but it is the witch’s intent that dictates how it is used.’

‘I know that,’ I said impatiently. ‘I’m a rune master!’ He was teaching me to suck eggs.

He gave me a chastening look that I ignored. ‘If you’d let me continue…’

I gestured grandly to indicate that the floor was his, then folded my arms and tapped my toes. I managed to restrain the audible huff that wanted to slide out, but only just.

‘In giving their intent, the witch gives her magic to the runes and temporarily gives them a purpose. It’s not enough to call them sentient but enough that I can disrupt them.’

‘Surely the runes don’t have the intention to do anything other than what they are wrought to do? You can’t coax them to fail.’

‘All wards fail – it is a constant cycle. That’s why you witches are always having to repaint them. My magic disrupts the link between the rune and their maker, so they fail sooner than they would do otherwise.’

Something connected in my brain. ‘Hold on! You once kicked down a door hidden and warded with black runes. You triggered a black-witch’s curse and you nearly got killed. Why didn’t you just coax them down?’

Embarrassment flooded me – Bastion’s mortification, not my own. He mumbled something I didn’t catch. ‘What? Speak up,’ I ordered impatiently.

His cheeks were red. ‘I was trying to impress you.’

I stared. ‘By kicking down a door?’

‘Women like that sort of thing,’ he muttered.

I struggled not to laugh. ‘For future reference, I am far more impressed with your pancake-making skills than your ability to grate cheese with your abs.’

‘Good to know.’ His face was still red.

‘You really pulled a curse down on yourself because you were trying to impress me?’

‘Can we leave it now?’ he asked plaintively.

I smirked. ‘For now, but we’re revisiting it later. That really is adorable.’

The deadliest man on seven continents narrowed his eyes. ‘I am not adorable.’

‘You are, but we’ll discuss that later. Time is marching on.’ I waved my hand impatiently. ‘Break the wards, Bastion. Let’s rescue our Frogmatch.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’ He shifted his right hand into talons and raised the pad of his thumb to swipe across the claw. When blood welled and he touched it to the door, the wards lit up so brightly I had to look away. Layer upon layer of them blazed across my retina then, just as suddenly, they melted away and almost dribbled down the walls.

‘I didn’t do it with finesse,’ Bastion apologised. ‘I’ve just ripped away the ones from the entrance, so we still need to be careful. Tristan may be alerted to some of his wards being destroyed.’

‘Let him come,’ I said grimly. ‘We’ll be waiting.’