Ana was unable to register Austin's stunned gaze boring into her. She blinked vacantly at the girl, as if she had turned deaf. It was only when Khai shook her gently that she snapped out of her stupor. He held an inscrutable expression, swaying somewhere between concern, awe and confusion.
Austin spoke first. "Ana put up this barrier."
No one was sure if that was a question or a statement, but the young boy nodded and redirected his gaze back to Ana. "Try to disable it milady."
Wriggling and stretching her fingers, Ana tried to sense the mana that was powering the barrier. She felt it, an energy so faint that she could barely place it.
She wanted to pull back on it when Khai stopped her. "They could be dangerous. Keep the barrier up."
The girl rolled her eyes and snorted at his warning. "We can break the barrier if we want to. You think us.." she cut herself off when she saw the murderous look on Khai's face.
