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“Be quiet, brat.” He lifted his gaze and glared at me. “Your grandfather used to think very highly of you before I convinced him you were a pathetic replacement for his beloved cousin. If I hadn’t stopped him, he’d have sacrificed himself to save you.”

Bart had been right. Creating a new ward would thwart Blackstone’s carefully laid plans. “What makes you think I’ll be easier to corrupt than my grandfather?” I tracked his movements, searching for any chance to break free.

“Because you still care,” he said as he continued to examine the area around my prison. “I turned your grandfather’s heart to stone centuries ago. But you are still attached to your family and especially your mate—those are vulnerabilities I can exploit.”

Spoken like someone who had no idea of the power of love. He was also distracted, and I could use that for my benefit. “If you’re waiting for the crystal to form, you’re going to be disappointed, James.”

The way his jaw clenched, I’d struck a nerve. He clearly didn’t like me using his name in such a condescending way.

“You know nothing about what I’m about.” He directed energy toward my cell. “And whatever countermeasure you came with won’t save you.”

The crystal started to grow and his expression regained its confidence. Calling up my fire, I mixed it with the magic Bart and Leo had given me. I wrapped myself in a fiery ball of magic. Most beings couldn’t look at our fire without shielding their eyes. James was no exception.

Through the flames, I watched him shrink back, and when he put his hand up to his eyes, I released the spell and increased the intensity of my aura. After a few seconds, I let the light die away. The new crystals were gone.

“You were saying, James ?”

“Arrogant phoenix.” He stepped back and surveyed the space. “Clearly, I underestimated you. My fault for relying on your weak-minded grandfather for information. I rarely make the same mistake twice.”

I laughed, hoping to provoke him into revealing more. “If you believe that, you’re more deluded than I thought. I wish I could be there when a demon eats your overconfident ass.”

“That will never happen.” His face darkened. “I’ve planned for this longer than you’ve been alive. Believe that it won’t be me who gets eaten.”

This version of him, cold and focused, scared me. Perhaps I had been too arrogant. I’d used up two of the three spells I’d been given and still hadn’t broken free. Sometimes, the best strategy was to double down on what worked. “Forgive me if I don’t drink your Kool-Aid.”

“Enough conversation.” Dark energy coalesced around Blackstone’s black gem and formed into an intricate pattern that hovered in the air between us. “I have no more time to waste.”

Behind him, several mages appeared, their stones glowing in their hands.

Blackstone’s spell swirled toward me, covering my prison.

I held back my fear and considered my next move.

Freeing myself meant fighting off at least five mages, but if I let him finish his new spell, I might be unable to escape.

The light around me dimmed, and I reached for my last charm.

Adding a drop of my flames to the smooth stone, I tossed it at the barrier. A burst of purple and orange light filled my magical cage. I heard at least two shouts of surprise in the room, and the barrier shattered with a sound like breaking glass.

My efforts broke Blackstone’s concentration, and his spell dissolved around me. I used the disruption to shift and immediately took flight before he could reform his cage.

“Block the exits!” Blackstone shouted. “Don’t let him get away!”

Making for an opening, I swerved and dove at a pair of mages. They’d been focused on barring my escape, and my move caught them off guard. I flew around their legs, and flared my energy when I was inches away.

The pair caught fire and began to scream. Blackstone still stood between me and the exit, but he was paying more attention to me than the opening. The pair of mages on fire struggled to put out my phoenix fire, and the others came to their aid.

That left me and Blackstone. I turned, intending to fly circles around him, when I was struck by a burst of black magic. It hurled me backward against the wall and transformed itself into a thick net that pressed me tight against the rock.

“Impressive attempt, princeling,” Blackstone said, advancing on me. He waved his hand at the burning mages, and my fire went out. “But as you can see, it was futile.”

“I assume Bartholomew gave you those charms, but he couldn’t give you enough to fight a mage of my skill and power.” Blackstone raised his stone again, dark energy gathering around it like a storm cloud. “This time, you won’t escape.”

The spell began to take shape, and the tendrils of corruption holding me tight began to grow. Hoping to withstand his spell, I reached for all my inner fire. I braced myself for the clash of competing magic, but a flash of bright purple light cut through the darkness.

My bonds dissolved as the spell collapsed. Blackstone’s expression shifted from confidence to rage in an instant, and I used his confusion to fly out of his field of vision.

“Hello, James,” Bart said as he entered the cave, his purple tourmaline blazing with power. Behind him, Otto, Leo, Cael, Anso, and Percy filed into the room, their mage stones out and ready. “You look like someone walked over your grave.”