Wyrdrune nodded, looking around. “There’s a lot of power here, ”

he said. He pointed. “Where does that door lead?”

Fugisawa walked up to it and started to reach for the doorknob.

Billy grabbed his arm.

“Careful, ” Merlin said. He gestured at the door and mumbled

something under his breath. The door slowly swung open.

Fugisawa played his beam through the door, revealing a flight of

stairs leading down. “Basement, ” he said.

“That’s where it’s coming from, ” said Wyrdrune.

“There’s something down there, ” Modred agreed.

“What?” asked Fugisawa.

“I don’t know yet. But we’re about to find out.”

“We could use a bit more light, ” said Wyrdrune.

“Warlock, wait… ” said Kira.

But he had already spoken a spell under his breath, holding his

hands up a foot apart, at about chest level, palms slightly cupped.

Green thaumaturgic energy crackled from his finger-tips, then shot

forth and swirled around in midair in the space between his hands,

forming a spinning ball of bright green fire about the size of a

cantaloupe. It bathed Wyrdrune’s face in an eerie glow, then grew

brighter as it spun around, illuminating the area around them.

“There, ” he said. “That ought to do it.”

Suddenly the glowing orb of fire flared brightly and took off, as if

of its own accord. It streaked past a startled Fugisawa and

narrowly avoided hitting Kira. She cried out and ducked just in the

nick of time. It described an arc around the room, then came back

at them once again.

“Duck!” said Kira.

Billy held his hand up like a traffic cop as the glowing ball

streaked toward him. It stopped suddenly, hovering in midair and

pulsating, inches from his palm. Gradually its strobing pulsations

stopped and it settled down to give off a warm and steady glow.

“Sorry about that, ” said Wyrdrune sheepishly. “I guess it sorta