been in question for me. And neither was my ability to take risks regardless of personal damage.
“No killing anyone even accidentally, ” I added.
He gave another swift nod, all business now. I removed my hand from Olivia's still resistant grip and put it in his, letting the cold metal of the button rest between our palms. Upon permission, my magic immediately pulled into the metal, into Constantine, then out, spreading to the five figures in front of us. A whisper of sound blew on the breeze, and crackling resonated through the air. The dome drew slowly downward, draping each of us and changing from a deathly greenish black to a clear, colorless barrier, like Saran wrap pulled tightly over each nook and cranny of our being.
I could see ribbon after ribbon of magic layering and adhering. The original strand slowly shifted color over the first body.
I frowned. The engineering, design, and magic of the procedure pushed my curiosity ahead of my still horrified emotions for a moment. That didn't...seem ideal. If I were doing the repair, I would ripple the change across the section there on the right—
A thread of magic sifted back into my control and the view zoomed closer.
Yes, there . If the ribbons were shifted , then I would—
The thread of magic was once more taken from me, though this time with a far gentler hand, and my thought process also suddenly sucked down the magic stream, through the button and into Constantine. The magic over the bodies moved into the thought pattern I had designated, except once again, the actuation was outside my control.
My very thoughts were being stolen.
Panic struck me, overriding everything else. Constantine shifted, his fingertips stroking mine, unnaturally soothing my tension, forcing a layer of reassuring calm over the panicked feelings swirling beneath.
Everything knit together in less than a minute and the magic sunk into the men. It sunk in quickly, as if their bodies, brains, and magic were perfectly awaiting change. The magic dissipated outward a few short seconds later. The dome followed, but in a less natural way, thundering and creaking as it went.
A slight breeze blew over us, then everything was still.
Laughter—incongruous and wrong—from the club around the corner registered once more.
An echo of the disfiguring purple markings stood out on Constantine's skin for a moment, as if they hadn't fully healed, then gold seeped into each divot and scar, filling them and strengthening his skin back to normal.
Strengthened all of his magical reserves, as well...because he wasn't using container magic. He was using live magic, just like he would in the magical world. Numb thoughts slogged through my brain.
Using live magic in the non-magical First Layer was an impossible feat for a normal mage because the connection to the magical veins of the Earth that was available in the other Layers was not present in the First Layer. The First Layer had been deliberately freed of magic, designed to protect the non-magical people of the world by giving them a magic-free safe haven. The only way to access magic here was by bringing it in via a container or device, or by breaking through the Layer system and making a connection to the Earth's magic by bypassing the system.
Bypassing the system compromised everyone's safety. Everyone's. There was a reason mages who could do such things were feared.
Even if the most upstanding member of society possessed such powers, if used as a conduit for someone else, world-ending disaster could result.
Constantine drew in a deep breath, then let out a sated smile. “Done.”
His fingers slid from mine, leaving the button in my palm. My fingers closed over it in a tight fist. My eyes were unable to focus properly and my breath returned harshly, as if it too had been stolen, then suddenly returned.
“Look at you glow.” I heard him say. “Exactly as you should.”
I forced myself to look up, but it was hard to think beyond numb,