Chapter Twenty-FiveZero collapsed to the ground, sweat soaking into her clothes. Her hands trembled, and she shoved them against the grass to still them. The circle where she had been practicing was scorched, wind-blown, soaked and torn.
She pushed herself over onto her back and slowly up to sitting. The trees around the clearing gave her a small sense of privacy, but she knew the wards she'd erected were far more protective of the space than the trees would ever be.
The park was walking distance from the tower that hid their collective secrets and small enough that it only attracted people escaping their offices at lunch time. It was still hours until lunch, in fact, the sun had only been up for a short time. Still, with daylight came danger and she knew she should be headed back.
She
