The Ritual by H. Anthe Davis, Erica Dakin Read Free Book Online Page B

than mull it over and file it away in my head as we ate the carp in silence.
    After dinner Zashter disappeare d to wash the dishes, and Mior progressed to the more difficult magics – wards, bindings and sleep spells. He warded himself, telling Shani to break it, and pursed his lips in disappointment when she failed. When he reversed their roles she predictably failed to block him and dropped like a stone when his sleep spell took hold. He dispersed it, waking her up again, and I saw her shoulders droop when he shook his head at her, biting my lip in sympathy.
    “How are you with fire?” he asked, just as I was about to get up to comfort her, and I grinned when she perked up.
    “Shall I show you my fireball?” she said eagerly, almost bouncing on the spot, and Mior nodded with an indulgent smile. For a heartbeat I considered warning him, but then decided against it. Shani knew what she was doing with fire magic, and the impact would be greater if he had no prior warning.
    That, and I rather wanted to see his face.
    We were camped near Lake Mazar, and Mior was cautious enough to beckon my sister to the shore and point out towards the middle of it. “Give it your best shot,” he encouraged her, then got distracted when I stepped close behind him. “What…?” he began, but Shani had spread her arms and now brought them together with a muttered litany, fingers moving like lightning.
    Far out on the lake a giant sphere of fire exploded with a roar like thunder, followed by the sizzling hiss of evaporating water. Even at this distance I could feel the heat as the shockwave blew past us, hot enough to singe eyebrows and rattling the leave s on the trees behind us. Mior whimpered as he got the brunt of it, but he was a good shield – I barely even frazzled the tips of my hair.
    My sister’s laugh echoed over the water, followed immediately by a bellowed curse from somewhere to the right of us. “What the fuck was that?” Zashter shouted, sprinting towards us, then he stopped in his tracks when Shani collapsed to the ground, giggling.
    “Gods, I love fireballs,” she sighed, as if in the aftermath of pleasure.
    “That was you? ” Zashter asked, mouth agape, before staring at his brother. I could see that he wanted Mior to deny it, to say that it had been him, but the sorcerer merely shrugged and pointed at Shani with a chuckle.
    “She’s good with fire,” I said smugly, before bending over and pulling at my sister’s arm. She already looked half asleep, and I knew a fireball of that size would have used her last reserves of energy. “Come, Shani, up,” I encouraged her, but she shook he r head and looked at Mior instead.
    “I showed you mine, now show me yours,” she challenged him, and I saw him swallow, look at Zashter, then shake his head.
    “I can’t beat that. I wouldn’t even come close,” he said. “But you’re exhausted now.”
    “You wanted my best shot,” she managed to say, then her head dropped and she sank into sleep. I was ready to pick her up, but Mior gently pushed me aside and lifted her instead, the look in his eyes almost tender.
    Zashter’s eyes, on the other hand, spat fire. “ Fantastic display,” he hissed, for some reason addressing himself to me. “Now every fucker around knows there’s people here. We have work to do tonight!”
    Oh, it was wonderful to have the upper hand for once, to be able to emulate his sarcasm and raised eyebrows. “Since when do thieves use fireballs?” I enquired. “All that they know is that there’s one sorcerer around somewhere. Why should that hamper us? Besides, I thought you were the best? Surely this is only a minor annoyance to someone of your breathtaking abilities?”
    I watched with something akin to admiration as he brought his anger under control and locked his mask-like expression back into place. “We move at midnight,” he said curtly, and stalked off to retrieve the dishes.
     
    *   *   *   *   *
     
    Time dragged as