His hands blazed. He shot white-hot columns of flame at the giant, but Clytius’s smoky aura
absorbed them on impact. Tendrils of black haze traveled back up the lines of fire, snuffing out the
light and heat and covering Leo in darkness.
Leo fell to his knees, clutching at his throat.
“No!” Hazel ran toward him, but Gale chattered urgently on her shoulder—a clear warning.
“I would not.” Clytius’s voice reverberated from Leo’s mouth. “You do not understand, Hazel
Levesque. I devour magic. I destroy the voice and the soul. You cannot oppose me.”