L

Isaac POV

Magic hummed through the air. The aftershocks of it had been haunting me for hours, now drawing me out of sleep. It was too much, more than I was capable of processing.

I reached across the bed, hoping to find Maise, but it came as no shock that she was not there. She had been restless all night. Whether it was because she was a night owl or too lost in her own head, I couldn’t tell.

Absently, my hand found Maise’s staking mark on my chest to massage a dull stinging sensation away, but I recoiled at the shock of pain it sent along my skin when I touched it.

My eyes shot open. The tang of magic lost its particular flavor of the day - one that tasted like Maise - and corroded into one so vile I wanted to retch.

I was far from experienced with managing this particular brand of supernatural energy, my own skills not extending much past scrying, but I knew enough to know a shift like this could only mean bad news. The source of the magical energy that had been swimmi