Her magick was about exhausted. Gaelyn looked around at the plethora of green plants that made up Elm Court. The “Power of Green” she had teased her uncle when he had talked of bigger magicks. He had smiled and said, of all the Fae Courts, Elm’s green was indeed its power. Dr’gon Magick might have been why her uncle sent her to Wiz-Tech, but here in the Elm Court she was sure it was the Elm Magick she needed. It was taught in Elm that Elm’s Magick was born before the first Fae. Somewhere in the forest stood the Ancient Elm, the oldest tree, the earth mother of Elm Magick. This ancient magick Gaelyn had used so long ago to stop a unicorn was the weapon she needed against this attacker.

Gaelyn plunged her hands into the soft soil in front of her, digging down into the layer of moss. She clenched her hands in the wet green. “Force and power, from the living to the living.” Repeating it three times, she pulled up her hands and walked the circle pressing a dirt and moss-dot on the forehead of each Elm soldier. As she did, they stood straighter, and she saw their eyes brighten.

Ian followed her. “Strange magick you’ve learned at the fancy school. It looks a lot like the Elm Earth Magick we learned as young ones.”

Laughing, Gaelyn said, “It is. But here’s the good part: the organic power of living earth will only aid our army.”

“I don’t understand.” Ian stood still while she finished the circle and pressed a dot on his forehead and then on her own.

“The Jinn. The only attacker we’ve seen was a Jinn. They are not true living creatures. So no matter why they are attacking us, or how successful they’ve been so far, they cannot steal this power.”

“Not living?” Ian shook his head. “They’re not dead. So they must be living. I think you’re more tired than you know.”

“Let me explain again. Jinn are made wholly of magick. That’s why they can exist in crystal balls, and all sorts of objects, without food or air. Since they are composed of magick, they are attracted to most but not all kinds. I don’t want to give them a chance to steal ours. So, I used an organic magick they can’t use. Just a precaution.”

Ian snapped his fingers and growled. “Is that why they’re here? They are planning something big, and they’re trying to steal our magicks? Because we are a peaceful Fae kingdom, they assumed we’d be easier to steal from. They wouldn’t dare do this in the Summer or Winter Courts!”

Gaelyn felt a tickle of alarm at Ian’s anger. She wanted him to be that peaceful Fae Uncle Firth believed in. She also suspected that Ian was wrong. “Wanting more magick could be the motive, except there’s no history of them thinking other creatures’ powers are better than theirs. There are no stories of them trying to steal Fae magicks before. I don’t think that’s why they’re here.”

She thought for a minute. It didn’t make sense. None of it. Silkkie seemed alarmed to see the Jinn, almost fearful. But even weirder was that the Jinn didn’t sense Silkkie. It was said that all Jinn were like a huge extended family and so deeply connected to one another that no other creature could match them. Why hadn’t they known Silkkie was there? Why hadn’t she told Gaelyn about them?

“Whatever their reasons, we need a plan to defeat them and imprison them. We can’t let them continue to attack us. They killed so many of us, didn’t they?” She stopped when she heard a soft sound from beyond the circle. Gaelyn’s heart drummed. “Did you hear that?”

Ian clutched his dagger and whistled to the guards. If they had seemed to stand straight and alert before, they now snapped up like they were made of hard crystals.

Gaelyn stilled herself the same way she would to cast a spell. For a second Gaelyn saw and heard nothing more. So focused was she on listening, she wasn’t even aware of her own breath or heartbeat. She found the lightest of disturbances surrounding them. It felt as if the wind carried butterfly wings and brushed them against her senses.

As a precaution, since Ian believed the Jinn tracked them through sound, Gaelyn tapped Ian’s arm instead of talking and pointed all around the circle. Then she held up a hand to keep him from ordering an attack. The Dr’gon Fire Hazel had laid down should keep the attackers at bay, but for how long? She hoped she’d have enough time. In theory Dr’gon Fire could last from minutes to days, according to the strength of the Dr’gon. Hazel was one of the strongest Gaelyn had ever met, but they were in Elm not the Dr’gon Realms. She was not sure how long the barrier would last here. So much was different in a Fae Court. Time stretched out here as it flew by on the Dr’gon plane. Eating here could bind you to the Court so that you could never leave. But Magicks practiced by non-Fae? Dr’gon Magick worked, but it might not last as long as it would in Albion.

Checking her inner resources, Gaelyn decided she had recovered enough to try an enhancing spell that would reinforce the Dr’gon Fire. The trick would be to cast it around the circle, not in just one spot. But the whole circle could take more energy than she had. She might run out of force and leave a gap. She would have to defend any gap.

When she felt the ripple in the air again, this time stronger, she went to work. “Intensify, focus out, guard.” She repeated it three times picturing the Dr’gon Fire growing stronger and standing like a wall. As she did so, she turned, passing her out-stretched hand around the circle. She had started to the right of Ian and was almost around the ring back to him when the air outside tore and something bigger than any creature other than the tallest Dr’gon, charged through the circle running into two of the Fae. They disappeared as the creature passed through them.

“To the breach,” Ian yelled.

“No!” Gaelyn screamed. She held out her hands and dug out the last of her energy sending a blast of what she hoped was a good copy of Dr’gon Fire.