144 - Secret Enchantment

DRUSDEN’S COVEN

A sudden blast of energy ripped through the plaza, yanking Lokius, Alaunus, and Vienna into a warped fold of space before hurling them off their feet in the blink of an eye. They barely had time to flinch before they were airborne. They spun and flipped, gasping for the breath that had been knocked clean out of their lungs.

Water from the fountain exploded into splashes around them, droplets striking their skin and catching flashes of light.

Meanwhile, Stringmaster’s soldiers closed ranks tightly around her, forming a fortress by the fountain to shield her from the shockwave.

Vehicles skidded off course. Parked cars rocked, triggering alarms in a shrill, chaotic chorus. Windows in nearby shops and houses shattered outward, raining glass onto the street in a glittering cascade. Stray dogs and cats bolted in a blind panic. Civilians caught in the blast’s furious path outside the plaza crumpled where they stood—some lay still