Trent tossed his hair from his eyes, not letting go of my arm. Eyes looking haggard, he ran his gaze over the gold smeared bubble over us to the people beyond. His expression went empty. Swallowing hard, he shifted his grip tighter. Clearly it wasn’t burning him any longer, but the pressure would steadily build to its previous levels. “It’s really big,” he said, looking at the shimmer. “You can hold an undrawn circle this big?”

“I can hold it,” I said, avoiding his eyes. His skin pressing against mine was warm and there were tingles coming from it. I didn’t like the intimacy. “And I wanted it large so we have some leeway when the shock hits us. As soon as you let go or I touch it—”

“It falls,” Trent finished for me. “I know. You’re babbling, Morgan.”

“Shut up!” I exclaimed, nervous as a pixy in a room full of frogs. “You may be used to having bombs blow up around you, but this is my first time!”

“If you’re lucky, it won’t be the last,” he said.

“Just shut up!” I snapped. I hoped my eyes weren’t as scared looking as his. If we survived the blast, there was still the aftermath to get through. Falling chunks of boat and icy water. Great. “Um, how long?” I asked, hearing my voice shake. My phone was ringing again.

He glanced down. “Ten seconds. Maybe we should sit down before we fall.”

“Sure,” I said. “That’s probably a good ide—”

I gasped as a boom shook the floor. I reached for Trent, desperate that our grip on each other not break. The floor pushed up at us, and we fell. He clutched at my shoulder, pulling me into him to keep me from rolling away. Pressed against him, I could smell silk and aftershave.

My stomach dropped, and a flash of fire burst around us. I screamed as my ears went numb. In an unreal, soundless motion, the boat broke apart as we rose. The night became smears of black sky and red fire. The tingle of the circle breaking washed over me. Then we fell.

Trent’s grip was torn away, and I cried out when fire raced over me. My explosion-numbed ears filled with water and I couldn’t breathe. I wasn’t burning, I was drowning. It was cold, not hot. Panicking, I fought against the heavy water pushing at me.

I couldn’t move. I didn’t know which way was up. The dark was full of bubbles and chunks of boat. A faint glow to my left caught my attention. I gathered myself and aimed for it, telling my brain it was the surface even though it seemed to be sideways, not up.

God, I hoped it was the surface.

I burst from the water, my ears still not working. The cold struck me, freezing. I gasped, the air like knives in my lungs. I took another thankful breath. I was so cold it hurt.

Pieces of boat were still falling, and I tread water, thankful that I wore a dress I could move in. The water tasted like oil, and the swallow I had taken in hung heavy in me.