I clasped my hands together to create an air shield, but it seemed to be in vain. The three men who had been involved in the assassination attempt were lying on the ground.

“Phew,” Mirk exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I think it's time to retire.”

“Don't say such things,” Lias coolly cleaned the daggers he had picked up. “It wasn't your fault that we were attacked. It was Homeland Security and Intelligence that failed.”

Two more bodyguards appeared in the shattered living room, and I never found out what the secretary was going to say.

“We locked six of them in the cellar,” they told us.

The ground beneath us shook and there was a loud explosion.

“Not anymore,” Lias grinned. “The guests still don't seem to have realised that they're not welcome.”

I sighed and strengthened the shield. It saved the president's and my heads, for the ceiling came crashing down and the old man landed on a sort of air cushion after the pieces of plaster and the ceiling beams.

“Grandpa!” Grant cried as he ran up and helped his relative to his feet.

“I was sleeping peacefully and these...” Asanor glanced at me and changed his expression, “…rascals have disturbed my holy morning sleep!” Rizor's father shook off the whitewash. Blood was dripping from the sleeves of his dressing gown, but he hastened to assure us that it was not his.

“We'd better leave the manor through the...” Lias didn't have time to finish as the guests from the cellar hurried to thank us for our welcome.

“We have to get the president out of here,” Mirk shouted at me through the noise of the battle. “Siri, can you lift him up and carry him through the opening in the wall?”

“I'll help you!” Grant rushed over to me.

While the others fought, we picked the head of the country up by his arms and legs and dragged him towards the corridor. Spells came at us a few times, but the shield held, and I grinned – not for nothing had Circul and I trained so hard in the Labyrinths of Oblivion.

Grandfather paved the way for us, beating everyone left and right with his stick. He hit them all, even the ‘ours’.

We couldn't be so lucky all the time, and almost at the exit, the black-cloaked mage sprinted and slashed his dagger at my shield, which shattered on contact with the steel.

I lowered the president to the ground and spat out the first spell that came to mind, the assassin was knocked down by a gust of wind and a sheaf of thin air spikes completed the job, the man's body was shredded, no living flesh left.

It was only after the horrible thought that I had killed for the second time that I felt a sharp pain. The sleeve of my blouse was cut precisely, and on my shoulder was a thin scarlet stripe with a drop of blood gathering at the edge.

With a hiss I pressed my shoulder, trying to get a feel for the depth of the wound.

“Did it hit you?” Circul stared in disbelief at the dark red trickle of my blood dripping to the floor. The guy froze for a moment, and as a flash of silence cut through the air around him, sparks of fire flickered in his hair. He exhaled, already out of control: “I'm going to kill them.”

I remembered the last time I'd seen him like that. Before Rizor sent us to Oblivion after we escaped from the Hole. So the fire element had taken over again. Things were bad. And there was no one to stop him now.

“Come, girl,” Gisborne pulled me by my healthy shoulder towards the exit. Asanor was calm, no fear for his grandson or worry for the future in his black eyes.

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Grant screamed, unleashing his fury. The magic was tangible now, the fire turning into a white swirl of flame that didn't scorch his skin, hair or clothes. But everything else he touched was covered in magical flames.

The guy turned towards the fighters, blue petals of fire immediately engulfed the black-robed men, it was the first time I had heard such heart-rending cries of agony.

Everything in me shuddered with horror. I envied Rizor. He was unconscious and could not see the inferno. His son had become the punisher of the underworld.

Gisborne and I dragged the president out onto the green grass, panting and groaning. The bodyguards ran after us, carrying off their wounded comrades. But not all could be saved. Flames had already covered the first floor.

Grant was the last to come out, no emotion on his face, but a wild fire in his eyes, blazing with such power that everyone backed away, trying to get out of range.

I hurried to get him away from the collapsing building, the chain a little charred but still faithful to its task. We couldn't have been more than fifteen paces apart.

The flames devoured the stone, which turned to coal before our eyes.

“I have no idea how to stop the fire,” Circul Jr. frowned, biting his lip.

“This fire is magical, it can only be extinguished by water magic,” said Mirk.

Lias immediately sent for the mages.

“By the time they get there, the whole place will be burnt down,” one of the bodyguards stated the obvious.

“Yes, but if the fire is not extinguished, it will consume soil, rocks, plants and even air and water.”

I glanced at my neighbour warily. Maybe the bomb wasn't the worst thing about us. Grant's powers left me speechless.

Grandfather Asanor, however, did not seem frightened; on the contrary, he looked at the flames with delight, leaning on his stick.

“It's a pity, I liked this little house,” he said. “But if it's meant to burn, it's meant to burn, isn't it?” And he winked at us.

The guy smirked, and I grinned bitterly at the fire. It was becoming a tradition. Every time there was an assassination attempt, we'd change where we lived. At this rate we'll soon visit all the country's safest places. A sort of pilgrimage to the president's estates.

“You have a strong gift of the wind, Siri,” Grant complimented me.

Suddenly. It had been a long time since I'd heard such sincere praise from Circul.

“Yes, but I was too lazy to develop it,” I told the truth, magic had never been my favourite pastime. If it didn't exist at all, I don't think I'd be upset. A world without magic is twice as ugly, but it's twice as safe.

“Thank heavens they didn't use guns, just daggers,” Lias looked at the trophies Mirk had brought.

“Just daggers? No magic can save you from this magical cold weapon. If a bullet can be deflected with a shield, the blade of the artefact will cut through your very being,” the white lenses of the secretary's glasses glinted in the light. “Would you let me heal you?”

I flinched. The question was addressed to me with respect. Anaris Mirk had expertly healed my wound, not even a scar.

It was funny, magic was almost incapable of curing colds or other minor ailments, but perfectly capable of dealing with serious cases like a broken bone or a gunshot wound.

The surviving bodyguards drove the cars out of the garage. I took one last look at Rizor, who still hadn't come to his senses. ‘I've given you more time, president. Use it to your son's advantage, let the collar and chain that bound us be gone forever...’

I wanted to believe that Circul would honour its part of our contract. And I just tried not to think about the fact that the bomb might never be removed.

“Mr Cluster will be here soon, he'll sort things out with the manor,” Lias said, repeating the gist of their brief conversation on the phone. “He's late, news of the attack has already spread.”

I was glad that Grant's uncle was late. I didn't want to see him. Every time I'd crossed his path, he'd have a sour face, as if he'd eaten all the lemons at the local orchard. What had I ever done to him? Well, apart from wearing a last generation bomb around my neck.

“We'll take care of the president, you'd better go.”

Grant nodded and opened the car door, letting me in. I climbed in, kicked off my trainers, and hunched over in the seat, closing my eyes and trying to forget... everything.

Gisborne sat in the front seat, holding Barg, who had missed all the fun and only came running at the end. The driver asked for the address and started the engine.

Circul moved towards me and without a word, he embraced me and pulled me close. We both needed that hug.

Outside the window, the roofs of the houses in the suburbs and the green crowns of the trees, where the sun played with light and shadow, rushed by. Asanor lowered the window and the divine scent of the lime trees in blossom came on the breeze.

It was a late summer morning, the weather was pleasant, and on a day like this you couldn't help but give in to the general mood of nature and smile, breathe deeply and feel the sense of renewal and hope itself.

But I was shaking, sobbing, unable to resist the hysteria. The wounded in the manor, the girl with no eyes, they were all burning alive in the fires of hell. I had no doubt that even with Kai's hypnotic help I'd still have nightmares.

A painful experience broke into my carefree existence. Before, I had only seen a peaceful death, calm and perfect in its beauty.

But today Death played on the darkest strings of my soul and turned the world upside down before my eyes. I became a killer, I killed a man... ironically protecting what I most wanted to lose – my life.