Page 116 of Dream Weaver

Yes, the plasma torch. I missed my hammer and anvil already.

And Cooper. Boy, did I miss Cooper. And not just because a big, burly bear would come in handy at a time like this.

I missed rubbing shoulders with him while we took turns delivering blows. I missed glancing up and losing myself in those warm brown eyes. I missed his smile and his soft touch.

I swallowed hard, wishing for a second chance.

Liselle stirred the air with her hands and moved her lips. Was she uttering a spell?

Everyone looked on, rapt. I fantasized about this turning into an Indiana Jones-style scene, where the bad guys melted alive while the good guys survived.

But Liselle and her magic weren’t exactly Arc of the Covenant level, so I doubted it.

The fire crackled, and smoke wafted out the open top of the brazier as well as the slots in the sides. Liselle leaned over, grasping at the streams of smoke.

Good luck,I nearly snorted.

But, yikes. The smoke thickened and followed her movements. She drew on the strands, hand over hand, like a magician pulling out an endless handkerchief.

The glow at the heart of the fire intensified, and sparks crackled into the night. And, whoa. Was the space around Liselle beginning to glow too?

I shuffled from foot to foot, sensing the earth groan.

“Is there a vortex here she can draw from?” one of Liselle’s men whispered to another.

No, but magic flowed deep in the ground throughout Sedona. Vortexes were simply where that gushing, subterranean river pushed closest to the surface. But you could mine just about anywhere and eventually strike a vein of magic.

I sensed a restless force stir, like a chained tiger.

Liselle wouldn’t be able to siphon much energy from Walt’s back lot, but this was just a test run. If she summoned all her power and positioned the brazier directly over a vortex, energy would gush like oil from an unchecked well.

At least, it should. But I’d woven a little of my own magic into the brazier, and if it worked…

You need to be real careful using magic if you don’t know exactly what it’s capable of,Cooper had said.

I puffed out my cheeks. Didfairly certaincount?

Liselle kept pulling, and the earth kept groaning.

Then an engine sounded, and headlights illuminated the driveway.

“Dammit…” Liselle dropped her hands, and the fire dropped too, leaving only a few crackling embers.

Her men fanned out, raising their hands to shield their eyes from the headlights.

I turned toward the car, praying the driver had the good sense to make a quick U-turn and disappear.

But he — or she — didn’t. They drove all the way into the back lot and stopped with their lights trained on Liselle. The door creaked open, and a man stepped out.

“What’s going on here?” he asked — and not in a nice way.

My heart leaped. Cooper?

“Private function,” one of the men grunted. “Move along, please.”

Cooper considered the man, then Liselle. He took in the brazier, then looked at me.

My lips quivered. I’d assumed he would have left town by now. Had he seen the flare of the fire and stopped to investigate? To come to my rescue, even?

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