The heavy oak table in the private dining hall practically groaned under the weight of the midday feast, but the true energy in the room wasn't coming from the food. It was radiating entirely from the sheer, unadulterated triumph bouncing back and forth between us.
"I still cannot comprehend the sheer mechanics of it," Eloise said, shaking her head as she poured herself a goblet of wine. For the first time since I’d met her, the ancient witch looked completely disarmed, a massive, genuine smile gracing her features. "Two separate tethers. Held simultaneously, bent in opposite directions, and neutralized without a single drop of backlash. Rachel, what you did in that pit today completely rewrites the boundaries of our magic."
I laughed, leaning back in my chair and taking a massive bite o
