"Good idea." Janius stood up as well and gave Kaleeth a look. "Come, you can ask him about communing before he starts."

[hr]
When Ahnasha finished, Rossarm's predatory gaze was not the only thing she sensed in the silence. Her ear twitched involuntarily at a distant thudding. A second of acuity made her realise that the rapid thudding was closer than she thought. It was Fendros' heart.

And then Rossarm waved, almost lazily in its natural flick. Ahnasha saw the flash of magic before she heard it. A bright red light, somehow blindingly hot but without any apparent effect. Llarasa shrieked and shielded her face with her arms. The initial flinch to the cleared to reveal the shimmer of Fendros' ward wavering in front of them both.

It was too fast and bright to tell clearly, but anything with that kind of power pointed at someone would have surely killed them in a precise and instant manner.

Rossarm kept his arm oustretched, but without any apparent magic swirling around in his hands. "So it takes protecting your bed pet to finally learn to project a ward? She was right about one thing." He tilted his head and sneered. "How proud I am of you." His fingers flicked again.

Another instant surge of bright red light arced against Fendros' ward. Fendros bared his teeth and grunted at the impact. The hairline fractures on his ward quickly closed.

"The sword, boy," Rossarm said. "Return it."