Page 27 of Staff of Nightfall

Adelaide stepped backward. She flashed back to the feeling of her magic, her energy, her very life being drawn out of her. Even now the sensation of the tree’s power only emphasized the abyss inside her where her magic had once been.

“No. Not like that.”

“I’m afraid this is the only way.”

“No. That’s...that’s sorcery. It’s taking what isn’t yours. It’shurting.”

The fairy laughed again. “It’s only a tree.”

So were the trees around the sorcerer’s tower. The ones so drained of life they turned white as bones. Trees sapped of energy until they blackened as if they had been burned. The sorcerer took their energy, their magic. And it killed them.

“I’m not a sorcerer. Sorcery takes. It steals and destroys and kills to further your own power.” As she spoke, she became more certain. “That’s why it’s corrupted. It’s been twisted from something that helps others to something that helps only yourself at another’s expense. I won’t get my magic back by becoming like him. Now where’s Regulus?”

“Hm. Foolish girl.” The fairy waved and pointed. Adelaide followed the line of her finger.

Regulus stood where she had last seen him, but his eyes were wide over his gagged mouth. Rope-like vines bound his wrists together, and more vines wrapped around his arms, tying them to his sides. Several fairies hovered around him, holding the ends of the vines that bound his torso.Oh, Etiros, no!

Adelaide’s pulse quickened. She clutched her weapons tighter as her breathing became shallower. Not again. She couldn’t watch him be hurtagain.Her mouth went dry. “Regulus.” Her voice cracked.

Regulus strained against the fairies, but somehow the tiny creatures held him without any struggle. He stilled and held her gaze, the message in his eyes clear.Run.

“There’s your man.” The fairy sounded bored. “Free him, if you want him back.”

Chapter 11

Adelaide drew her daggeragain and stepped toward Regulus. A blast of white light hit the dagger out of her hand.

“Free him,” the fairy taunted.

With a growl, Adelaide drew a knife and threw it at a vine held by one of the fairies. The fairies on both sides of Regulus darted with surprising speed to the side, and Regulus stumbled sideways with them. Her knife sunk into his left shoulder and she cried out as he winced. Adelaide flinched and bit her tongue.

“Oh, dear.” The fairy tittered, and the other fairies laughed with her. Their melodic laughter grated on Adelaide’s taut nerves. “Better try something else.”

She dug her feet into the ground and found every bit of magical energy left inside. It wasn’t much, like a river reduced to mud. She pushed her energy out, sending blinding blue blasts at the fairies on either side of Regulus. The blasts hit the fairies, and they dropped backward, but held onto the vines and recovered quickly. Adelaide panted, sweat beading on her forehead as her vision swam. She didn’t have another blast in her. She recalled the warning in theCompendium.Mages who drained themselves of their magic died. She looked at the first fairy.

“Please. Let him go.”

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