“But,” she continued, “the spell would need to be fed into the energy of the wearer to have any long-lasting benefit.”
“That sounds like we’d be stepping into blood magic territory.”
“No, we would not,” Kiandra said. “Tapping into the wearer’s aura or life force is no different from drawing strength from the elements or from the earth.”
“But,” I said, “drawing power from the elements or the earth has its cost – it saps the witch’s strength and leaves her vulnerable to attack from darker forces if the drawing isn’t done within a protection circle. You can hardly employ a protection circle in the case of a portable warding device.”
“Who’d have thought you knew so much about magic,” Ilianna murmured, a smile touching her lips.
“I have been hanging around a witch for most of my life,” I said dryly. “Some stuff rubs off, even on someone as thickheaded as me.”
Azriel’s amusement rolled through the back of my thoughts, soft and enticing. If I had said that, you would be very annoyed.
You may not have said it, reaper, but you certainly thought it.
That, he replied, amusement stronger, is undoubtedly true.
“The difference in this case,” Kiandra said, “is that the wearer would be performing no magic, so there is no need for a protection spell of any sort.”
Which didn’t mean it wouldn’t still drain the energy of the wearer. “How would it work?”
“It would be similar to the micro cells you wear. Four stones would need to be worn on four points of the body, which would then create a self-sustaining continuous circuit of energy and provide protection against any force they were set to.”
“In other words, if they were set to protect against the Raziq, the Raziq would not be able to either physically or mentally harm them?”
“In theory, yes.”
Right now, theory was all we had. “How soon could you start making half a dozen sets of these stones?”
Kiandra blew out a breath. “Mirri is our priority —”
“I know,” I cut in. “I meant once Mirri is safe.”
“A few days, at the very least. And only if Ilianna is willing to be involved in their creation.”
I frowned at the odd note in Kiandra’s voice. Ilianna didn’t immediately reply, but her expression had clouded over. She looked… wary. Scared.
“Ilianna,” I immediately said, “you don’t have to do this. We can find another way.”
I might not know what was wrong, but I didn’t want – in any way – to put her in a position that would give the Brindle some sort of hold over her. Because I suspected that was what was involved. That her staying there, creating magic, would be a step onto a road and life that Ilianna had fled when she was a teenager. A path that Zaira had said, not so long ago, would find her daughter again.
“Are these stones really necessary?” she asked eventually. Her voice was even, but her expression was still troubled.
“The Raziq snatched me again tonight.” I hesitated, but she had the right to know exactly what we were all facing. “They threatened to not only kill everyone I care about, but make them ghosts. If these stones don’t work —”
“Heaven help us,” she finished, then nodded. “Fine. Once we unravel the energy imprisoning Mirri, I’ll help the Brindle make the aural wards.”
I couldn’t help but give a silent sigh of relief. Ilianna might well be stepping onto that path, but better that than her being dead. Or worse, a ghost. “Thanks, Ilianna.”
She nodded. “Anything else?”
I hesitated. “Yes, but it doesn’t matter now given you can’t really leave Mirri —”
“Just tell me what you need,” she cut in, voice flat. “If I can help, I will.”
“We need someone to create some sort of doorway into a warding circle.”
She frowned. “I do not think I could spare —”