His own fire flared to life, rising up to protect him, and he tried to pull his magic back, to make it submit to Cass’s power. It was useless. That’s not how magic worked, not when its bearer was being directly attacked. This had to be done between their power, not their will. He barked another curse when Cassius sent more magic into his veins, and Cyrus tried to pull away on instinct alone. Cassius held his hand in a vice grip though, and at the movement, a growl came from him that had Cyrus falling still. His magic stuttered for a moment too. There was nothing of the watchful, kind-hearted
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