Nico's Quest

Chapter 10

Aziza had grown stronger, as much as Zia hated to admit it. Or maybe she was just out of practice. Magic induced sleep did not do a magician good, much to her chagrin. There had been a time when Zia could have schooled Aziza in five minutes flat, then mopped up the rest of the invaders without breaking a sweat. But it seemed that times had changed.

She had to admit, her allies were no slouches. Walt was a very good magician, and though the other two magicians had the air of those who hadn't been using magic very long, they made good use of their natural talent. Zia could easily see why the House of Life felt so threatened by the inhabitants of Brooklyn House.

Then there was Nico, who she was actually trying hard not to think about. Her strange protective instincts toward him made it hard to concentrate. She still could not fathom why his mere presence produced such a strong reaction, but there it was, and it didn't seem to want to go away.

Or maybe she was just using that as an excuse for her own lethargy and shortcomings. Zia didn't think that was the case, but there was no denying that her powers were lacking compared to what they normally were. If things kept up at the rate they were going, she wasn't going to last until dawn.

"What's the matter, Zia?" taunted Aziza. "You're looking tired."

"I'm tired of looking at you!" shot back Zia. "Why don't you run home before you embarrass yourself further!"

The other invading magicians had been driven back by Walt's Alyssa's, and Julian's onslaught. The uraei were being kept at bay by some strange shadow magic that Nico was using. And while all that was impressive, Zia's fight with Aziza was clearly the main event on the rooftop that night. Both fire magicians kept summoning burst after burst of fire. Had Brooklyn House not been shielded, it probably would have looked like a lighthouse to mortal eyes.

But try as she might, Zia couldn't manage to outmaneuver Aziza. The best thing that could be said of her performance so far was that Aziza hadn't managed to outmaneuver her either, and it was definitely not for lack of trying.

Her clothes were soaked with sweat from the fire's scorching heat, but Zia wasn't singed yet. Unlike Aziza whose robes were charred around the edges, and whose skin was an angry, irritated red.

The two girls got locked in another clash of strength as they each summoned a stream of fire and tried to force all the flames back on the other. They remained deadlocked for nearly a full minute, then Zia began gaining ground. Slowly her stream pushed the clashing point back toward Aziza, who began backing up, trying to keep it further from her. Confidence gave Zia another surge of strength, and she pushed even harder, determined to win this showdown.

Aziza screamed from the effort, or maybe from frustration. Her flames seemed to increase in brightness, but not in strength, and Zia's edged ever closer.

"You can't win this, Zia!" screamed Aziza.

"I can!" shouted Zia right back at her. "I will!"

"You are just one magician! All your allies are either rookies or demigods! Do you know how easily we defeated them in the past?" called Aziza.

"I know how you nearly brought down the Greek gods' wrath on the entire House of Life!"

"Do you know how I tortured your little friend there too?" asked Aziza.

That was the wrong thing for her to say. Zia's rage flared up, and with it, her flames. Aziza was blasted backwards as the clashing point reached her and exploded right as it reached her. Zia felt a surge of satisfaction as she watched as Aziza was blown clear off the roof.

"Sadistic witch!" shouted Zia after her. "I will make sure you get what you deserve!"

"Go Zia!" cheered Alyssa.