Violet light was wrapping around my skin as if it were alive, and my hands continued to tremble from the blaze I had ignited. Each tree and leaf seemed to quiver, as if the forest were pausing in anticipation, and the clearing carried the scent of moist earth and burned timber. I sensed the tension tightening in Silas's muscles as he stood by my side, his body getting ready for a fight he had rehearsed countless times. I could perceive the storm beneath his calmness and how he was anticipating blood to spill without showing any signs of fear, so I didn’t require him to speak.

The noise of enchantment...