The water collides with the sorceresses and throws the weapons from their hands as they’re driven back, feet skidding across the terrace to its farthest railing, their weapons’ runes troublingly shot through with blue lightning. The apprentices surrounding me retreat with cries of alarm as we’re hit with stray forks of the Mage’s stinging lightning and cyclonic side winds.

I can’t help myself. I step forward, the draw of the glorious maelstrom of power impossible to resist. My horns spiral up as I inhale deeply and draw in his energy before it can dissipate. Trystan turns and meets my gaze, an invisible spark passing between us as our power connects, just as multiple bolts of sapphire light suddenly slam into the center of his chest, punching him to the ground.

I whip my head toward the soldiers as every one of them, save Commander Ung Li, throws bolt after bolt of runic power from newly drawn weapons, their expressions turned vicious. The collective emotional energy on the air becomes volatile and murderous, my shifter senses able to pick up every last shred of the rising cloud of fury.

“Die, Crow!” one of the soldiers snarls as she draws back her arm and hurls a silver rune star at Trystan.

I move to throw lightning at the star just as Trystan flicks his wand and his own blue lightning shoots from its tip, deflecting the star into the Vo River.

“Halt!” Commander Ung Li orders as she tosses a rune stone between Trystan and the soldiers. A wall of translucent blue energy blasts from the stone. Two last bolts of runic sorcery slam into the wall and ray out in compact explosions of sparking sapphire light.

Ung Li steps in front of the wall to face the soldiers. She glares at them, her battle-hardened gaze sweeping over everyone assembled. “If you kill him,” she bites out, “we cannot learn how to subdue Level Five Mage power.”

The murderous energy of the crowd is undimmed. I can taste it in the back of my throat. Trystan Gardner remains on his knees, cradling his wand hand, head down, and I can read the intense pain he’s in from the way his power is chaotically flaring around his wand arm. There’s a large red bruise flaring on his forehead where someone threw a bolt of runic energy directly at his face that triggers a bolt of concern straight down my spine. Concern I’m unable to beat back.

“We’ll convene again tomorrow,” Ung Li says to the sorceresses with a resentful glance at the Mage on his knees.

Trystan picks up his wand with a shaking hand and rises. “No,” he says.

I stare at him, as does everyone else, surprise charging my power with crackling energy.