There was only a second to act. Luckily, Jarrah hadn’t seen me pull my phone from my pocket when he flipped me over. And he didn’t see my thumb hovering over the ‘play’ icon until it was too late.

A burst of golden magic ignited on the air as mine and Sy’s recorded voices burned together in the stillness. I felt the rush of magic through my veins, against my skin, and I took hold of the energy at once, pushing all of it I could gather in that second against ...