Page 139 of First Ritual

Designed to freeze. Disable.

My mind was frenzied at the magical invasion from the proven behind me. I struggled to gather my thoughts against it.

Heat. Anger. That was the antidote, and the mother knew I had both of those in ample measure.

I fanned the flames of my deep-rooted anger to warm my magic and slow the frenzy of my mind. Enough to cast my memory to the Vero charm stores and summon one forth. I activated the charm and rolled the tube toward the proven standing without defense. Without a care. The proven had been totally sure of his freezing charm.

Had he banked on lava?

The molten red poured toward the exit in a ruthless river.

“Walk on that,” I yelled.

The proven scrambled away. His retreat wasn’t enough. Sven and I couldn’t have this guy lurking while we fought Huxley.

Corentin flew through the entrance of the library, flung by a magical fist. He slammed into a shelf and slumped to the ground. Was he out cold?

Wild entered behind him, entirely focused on his target.

Bedwyr, who’d been Corentin’s fighting partner, was nowhere in sight. He was either fighting Wild’s partner or Wild had dealt with him already.

As though he’d heard my thoughts, Wild’s focus snapped to me. I wasn’t concerned. He couldn’t attack our group. Even though the fights didn’t occur in the actual places we were battling for, only the magus from the right area could fight each other. My proven room was northwest. Wild’s was southwest.

My proven pain-in-the-ass circled the lava, using some of the ice he’d speared me with to cool a black, bubbled path.

“Bronte,” Sven wheezed at my back. “You coming?”

A growl reached me. Wild’s. The noise reached the proven attacking me too, who paused. Wild was focused on his own player. The threat had been aimed at the proven.

My lips curved.

There was a simple solution to all this.

I lifted up my training top and bra, but I didn’t flash my boobs to Wild.

Nope.

I bared my breasts to my opponent. The growling surged, and Wild blurred forward so fucking quick, my breath was stolen wondering what I’d unleashed.

The proven crumpled at Wild’s feet, out in one savage blow to the jaw.

Ouch.

But he’d made himself useful. Thanks, Wild.

Spinning, I took over from Sven. Huxley wasn’t in much of a better state than him. As I’d practiced with Ruby last night, I circled behind Huxley and waited to strike. There! I kicked him forward—not without earning an elbow to the gut. That creeping charm he’d planted in me had slowed me big time.

I took a quick stock. I had enough magic to use in this fight, but if another proven showed up to battle, things could get tricky.

A book to my left flipped open, and a dragon leaked out above Sven’s head. He batted a hand to banish it.

Must learn that trick.

Sven got his arms around Huxley, and I blinked as the outer inch of Huxley’s body wavered and danced like smoke caught in a jar.

“Bronte,” Sven said tightly.

I launched forward and gripped Sven’s forearms around Huxley’s frame, then locked my legs around Sven’s knees too. We both put up barriers. Sven a barrier around the three of us to prevent a shower of book people attacking us. And I placed one on Huxley to attempt to contain any magical attacks.