The Council (Darkness #5) by K.F. Breene Page A

down the rest of the corridor until we got to the door at the end. This was the side entrance Tim was told to use. The others would enter through the front, which was around the hall.
    Tricky.
    I wondered who knew about this. Who was in on it.
    “I’ll wait outside,” Stefan said with a tight jaw. “Call me if you need help.”
    Jonas had left a line of blood on the wall where he’d dragged himself along. And while Stefan stood straight and tall, with the strength and power he was known for, I could tell he was hurting. The pain in his eyes, and the will it took him not to fall, was etched clearly in the stress lines on his face.
    “We stick together,” I said in a firm voice.
    “They won’t let me stay in there, Sasha,” Stefan said in a soft voice. “I’ll be okay out here.”
    “We can walk you back to your room,” Tim said. “Screw this Council—we can be late. They need me more than I need them.”
    “Just—you guys, shush for a minute.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and thought back to that invisibility spell I’d unraveled. It wasn’t all that much different than a concealment spell—a bit more solid, and a bit more complex, but the principles were the same. Unfortunately, there was a great many places I could actually invert my magic and blow the spell up, but by now I had a pretty good handle on that side of things. I can do this!
    “Okay,” I put out my hands as if to steady Stefan. “Stay still. I’m going to make you disappear.”
    “Don’t blow me up, sweetie,” Stefan chuckled, completely unafraid of his crazy girlfriend trying something she’d never done before. Hell, Toa always got nervous in these situations.
    “What is she doing?” Charles peered around Jessie to hone in on me. “What are you trying, Sasha?”
    “Making him invisible,” I opened up to my magic again, immediately bombarded with the rush. Stefan was there immediately, having unmasked the link and stepped in. I staggered with the rampant pain lancing his body, so fierce I didn’t know how he was standing. Tears filled my eyes.
    “Maybe just don’t try this, Sasha.” Charles shifted so he could see.
    “She’s got this. She never fails when it really matters.” Jonas closed his eyes and let his head drop against the wall.
    I pushed away Stefan’s pain. I squeezed my eyes shut, remembering the feel of the spell I picked apart. Remembering that lazy structure. The way certain parts held hands with other parts. The way it looped under and around each other.
    One last breath to still my head. I mixed the elements, letting intuition guide me when things got sticky. I worked the spell together, needing a chant or two when things got dicey, and threw a little wrench in there for anyone trying to rip this spell off of Stefan. “Charles, link with Stefan.”
    A boost of energy flowed through the link to me, and then directly into the spell. I tied it off, settled it onto Stefan’s frame, and held my breath. I opened my eyes… to emptiness.
    “Oh good. That’s a relief.” I braced my hands on my hips. I turned to Jonas’ grim face and raised my eyebrows.
    His eyes were still shut. So I just went ahead. The spell, easier to work this time, fell around him, settling in, and locking on. “Okay. Not as easy as pie. Kind of hard, actually. But I did it!”
    Ann grinned at me, giving me an air fist-bump.
    “All right, let’s get this show on the road. These guys need a bed.” Tim stepped toward the meeting room.
    “Can people see me with magic?” Stefan asked in a low hum. Squinted eyes glanced in his direction.
    “Some will,” I answered honestly. “Toa would be able to see you, I’m sure. But the other guys hanging around with a similar spell went unnoticed most of the time, so probably only the higher level people can.”
    He probably nodded, but since I wasn’t trying to see him with my magic, and had actually kind of tucked it away for now since I’d probably need my energy later, I didn’t