My atern ticked down and down as I hovered my hands over the locked front door while chanting every spell in the online version of the Witch's Grimoire. My breaths came ragged, and I couldn't stop shaking.

Two sonic booms in one night were possible only if the Diamond Dogs had enough magic credits on their aterns. Plus, a spell of that magnitude required energy. I imagined whoever had performed that spell, maybe Claudia, had drained her physically, which could be why I'd ...