I toppled like a statue, hitting the stairs hard. Pain screamed through me, jolting me out of the spell, and my arms flew out to brace myself before I hit the concrete floor headfirst. I staggered up and wheeled. Tiffany stood at the top of the stairs, casting aloud now, trying to lock me in another binding spell.

I leaped aside and cast an energy bolt. It went off course and hit the wall beside her head with barely a pop.

I raced into the dark basement. I’m sure my battered body complained, but I didn’t feel it. All I could think was: Two failed spells in a row? No way. No fucking way.

I squelched a bubble of panic. The second had screwed up, not failed. My fault for jumping aside when I should have been concentrating.

I raced into a dark corner, cast a cover spell, and felt the mental click of a successful cast. As for whether I was hidden, that remained to be seen. Hence the really dark corner.

Tiffany’s cautious steps sounded on the stairs. I forced myself to relax and focus. Stick to simple spells for now. Defensive magic.

At the bottom of the steps, Tiffany created a light ball, sending it into every corner, including the one I was in. The cover spell worked fine.

When she turned her back on me, I hit her with a knockback that slammed her into the wall. That was more like it.

As I advanced on her, she flipped over and started her binding spell again. I smacked her down with another knockback.

“Your choice of spells leaves a lot to be desired,” I said. “In a pinch, skip the binding and go for the knockback. Efficient, effective, fast launching ... But I’m going to guess you don’t know sorcerer magic.”

She sat up and her hands shot down. An energy bolt sizzled past me as I stepped aside. It hit the wall with a faint pop, leaving a charred circle the size of a dime.

“Huh, I stand corrected. But that’s really more of a party trick. What you need is one of these.” I slammed a high-voltage energy bolt into the wall inches from her head. It left a hole the size of my fist.

Still sitting, she started to cast a binding spell. I smacked her with a smaller energy bolt, making her jump.

“You really are a one-trick pony, aren’t you?” I said. “Well, two, I guess, if you include that pathetic energy bolt.” I leaned down and whispered. “It’s really kind of embarrassing.”

She lunged. I grabbed her by the front of her shirt and threw her into an ancient printing press.

“Not expecting that?” I said. “Lesson two. Learn some self-defense tricks as well as spellcasting.”

Tiffany rose and touched the back of her shoulder. Her fingers came away bloody.

“You bitch,” she whispered.