Chapter 21: Panicked

The invisibility spell and the glamour spell both dropped as they exited the portal in the courtyard in Edinburgh. They heard shouts at once on their appearance, and the girls looked panicked as magicians from the academy closed in on them.

Aidan cast a ward to deflect the binding spells intended to restrain them, but all the exits were blocked by military guards.

“Aidan, what do we do?” Beca cried.

“Explosions, girls,” Aidan said. “In the air to knock them down, then take down a wall. Please try not to kill anyone!”

Bryn cast a rapid-fire series of explosions in the air above the portal station that drove their would-be captors to the ground, while Beca turned the stone wall to their right into dust with an explosion that drove the residue upward so it fell like snow upon the courtyard.

They ran through the gap in the wall while Aidan grabbed the girls’ hands and spoke another invisibility spell. He led them quickly through the streets but did not run, as he knew their footfalls could be detected by the other magicians if they did.

“I think we’re safe for now,” he said, dropping the spell so he could see the girls. “Where is the castle?”

Both girls pointed to the stone edifice at the top of the hill in the center of the city.

“If they were waiting for us here, they’ll have guards around every entrance,” Aidan said. “We’ll need more than invisibility to get inside.”