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“So it’s not just about making you look bad?”

There was a rumble overhead. The heavy wooden roof beams were shifting. Bits of plaster showered down. “It’s about giving him an advantage over Merlin,” Owen said.Advertisement

A chunk of plaster fell not too far from us, and I turned at a loud popping sound to see a crack appear in one wall. “And I think it’s about bringing the building down around us.”

“Well, he is desperate,” Owen said.

“We should get Rudolph to drop the wards. Maybe that will stop it, or at least let people escape.”

“Do we want to give either Ramsay or Idris a chance to escape?”

I looked at him in horror. “So, it’s a magical cage match—only the victor leaves alive? But Ramsay is cheating, and he’s going to kill us all.”

We both turned to check on the battle. Merlin was still holding his own, deflecting every burst of power Ramsay sent his way while shooting plenty of sparks and lightning bolts at Ramsay. He was tiring, but he was more clever than Ramsay, and he was still clear-headed, while Ramsay was desperate and panicky. “If only I could get out of here and help,” Owen said wistfully.

“Let me guess, only Rudolph can let you out.”

“I’m not sure even he could while this spell is tied into the wards.”

One of the beams came loose and crashed to the ground. A split second before it fell, Owen grabbed me and threw me down, shielding me with his body. We came up, coughing from the plaster dust, to see the beam not far above our heads, resting across the benches on either side of the aisle. Chunks of rubble were all over the floor. Owen gasped, and I turned to see James kneeling next to a fallen figure that I assumed was Gloria.

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On the other side of us, at the front of the room, Ramsay cackled madly. “Are you willing to let all these people die, just to defeat me, Merlin?” he spat.

“I am trying to prevent the many more deaths that will occur should I let you win,” Merlin said, a little out of breath, but still calm. “I am merely serving my purpose—preventing evil wizards from seizing power.”

Owen’s jaw took on a stubborn set that I recognized all too well. “That does it, we have to stop this, now,” he said. He glanced around. “Get me one of those amulets.”

I crawled out of the circle, passing where Gloria was sitting up shakily. The ceiling swayed overhead, which I figured wasn’t a good sign. I found an amulet and crawled back to Owen. “Gloria’s okay,” I reported as I handed him the amulet.

“Good.” Then he caught my chin in his hand and kissed me. “Now, go.”

“Go?”

“The wards won’t stop you. You can get out of here before the building falls around us all. Go get help.”

“What help? What would anyone from the outside be able to do?”

“Just go, Katie.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m not leaving you trapped here. You may need my help. You can barely touch that case without passing out.”

He clearly didn’t like it, but he accepted it with a curt nod. “Okay, then, see if you can open it.”

Although I hadn’t been able to move the case away from the circle, I could lay it flat where it stood. Ramsay hadn’t used blood magic to seal the case or even locked it, so it opened easily for me. He probably assumed that anyone not using whatever protective device he had wouldn’t be able to touch it. Inside the case, resting in a velvet lining like a giant, evil jewel was a softly glowing crystal. “Maybe I can move the crystal if I can’t move the case,” I said.

“It’s worth a shot.”

I tried, but I couldn’t lift it. The thing seemed to weigh a ton. I glanced back at Owen. “Sorry, no go. It’s either bonded to the circle or it’s incredibly dense.”

Owen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay, Plan B,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. He handed me the amulet and said, “Drape this across it.”

I did as he said. “What’ll that do?”

“I hope it’ll make what I do next feed back to Ramsay. He’s drawing power from the building, but I can give him more than he can handle, all at once.”

“Won’t it be dangerous for you?”

“A bit, I’m sure. No magic is entirely safe. There’s always risk.” He gave me a shaky smile. “But I’ll be careful.”

Ramsay got in a wild bolt of something that sent Merlin a few steps backward. “Get away from the circle, Katie,” Owen said. “Get under a bench. Get everyone under benches. I don’t know what will happen.” pqdm.com