The fire wrapped around me, dragging me through shadow and stone until I stepped back into the penthouse apartment. The card game was over.
Kevin stood by the window, robe pulled tight, staring at the church through a slit in the curtains. Vivianne perched on the sofa arm, her borrowed spymaster's cloak pooled around her, her shoulders tighter than before.
Jayden was still on the bed, one hand resting on his sword hilt, and his eyes found mine the instant I appeared.
The second I fully materialized, everyone in the room shuddered. The air turned heavy, pressing down on us the way the archmage's presence had in the library.
Kevin went down first.
His knees gave out, hitting the floor hard enough to rattle the boards. He looked up at me, wide-eyed and disbelieving, both hands braced on the ground to keep himself from collapsing.
"M-Master...?"
