Page 133 of Magical Melee

I wrapped my fingers around the doorknob and pulled it open where Stella was furiously tracing symbols in the air, her hands glowing brighter than I’d ever seen.

Keegan stood near the shattered remains of the back porch. His sword gleamed with a faint green light as he deflected blasts of dark energy from the shadowy figures outside.

Nova, her staff crackling with power, was reinforcing the protection around the windows. Her expression was calm but fierce.

“Nice of you to join us,” Stella called over her shoulder, her tone sharp but laced with relief.

“Couldn’t let you have all the fun,” Ember replied, her eyes flicking to the broken roof. “He unleashed the next wave?”

“Looks like it,” Keegan said, his voice tight as he struck down another dark figure that had managed to slip through the forest.

I took a deep breath, the weight of the moment settling over me. “What do we do?”

“Fight.” Keegan’s eyes darted to mine, and a flash of heat covered my body.

The hazel in his eyes was replaced by the darkness of the situation. The strength of his powers coated me with a comfort that I needed.

“Hold the line,” Nova said simply. “We don’t let them take the cottage.”

The wand in my hand pulsed again, and I glanced at Ember, who gave me a quick nod.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, Maeve,” she said, her tone both encouraging and serious.

I raised the wand, feeling the power flow through me as I entered the fray.

It was time to fight.

Chapter Thirty-Four

The cottage behind me shook again as another blast of energy slammed through the trees. Pines clacked together as several fell to the forest floor with a thud.

Dust and bits of debris floated through the air.

The sky filled with the deafening cacophony of screeching gryphons, roaring gargoyles, and the crackling of defensive powers straining under pressure.

Keegan swung his glowing sword with deadly precision, deflecting a blast of dark energy back toward one of the shadowy creatures it came from. A piercing shriek screamed from its lips and dissolved into a cloud of smoke. A gryphon flapped its soaring wings and flew toward the clouds.

Nova moved with serene focus as her staff glowed. She reinforced the cottage while Stella hurled bolts of energy from her fingertips, shouting instructions as if this were just another busy tea shop day.

I gripped my wand tightly and aimed at a spiraling black shadow diving toward Keegan.

My mind quickly tried to grasp at anything I might have read over the last while that would tell me what to do.

“Go away,” I screamed as I kept my wand pointed at the creature.

Nothing happened.

Of course, nothing happened.

But then the creature stopped charging toward Keegan, let out a screech, and turned its attention to me.

“Uh, guys?” I said, my voice rising as panic set in. “A little help here?”

Keegan sliced through another creature and glanced at me. He didn’t seem too worried. Rather, his expression was both amused and exasperated. “You have to channel the energy, Maeve. It’s not a toy.”

“Thanks for the tip, Captain Obvious,” I snapped, stepping back as the creature landed only feet away.

And then I remembered what Stella had taught me.