“That didn't look difficult,” Layla noted, smiling at the sparkly grass.
“It wasn't,” Serafin confirmed, “but the bigger the spell, the harder it is to control, and sometimes you must battle the original caster for possession. Also, you have to catch the spell first, so if something comes at you and you're not expecting it, or you don't know where it's coming from, it can be difficult to grab. Once you do get control of it, you have to send it somewhere, so it keeps your focus for as long as it's active. The shield can be activated then ignored.”
“I see,” Layla mumbled, wondering which method she’d prefer. “Let's practice. I'll try the shield first.”
“It's not that simple,” Quin objected.
Layla looked over and found his concerned aura. “What do you mean?”
“I'm not letting anyone on this lawn throw spells at you.”
“Oh.” She hadn't considered that. “Well how did you learn?”
“Through a long process that took years. We don't have time for that.”
“So how will I practice?”
He grimaced and looked at her grandfathers. “Got any suggestions?”
“Yes,” Caitrin answered, “if you’ll go for it.”
“Let's hear it.”
“You could cast your shield around her. Then she can cast hers outside of yours.”
“That works,” Layla agreed, but Quin wasn't so sure and watched her for several seconds before yielding.
“Fine, but nothing gets thrown at her without my approval.”
Caitrin and Serafin agreed, and Quin swept Layla off her feet, carrying her several yards away from everyone. He gave her a long kiss before lowering her feet to the ground. Then he took a step back and waved a hand.
Layla smiled as a pearlescent bubble surrounded her, and Quin grinned as he reached over her head and dumped a wave of water from his palm. She cringed. Then she laughed as the water hit the shield and splashed down the sides.
“Ha, ha, you can't get me.”
Quin laughed and took a step back, casting a second shield around the first, and this time he tested it with a small surge of electricity aimed at her feet. The spark hit the barrier and fizzled, and Layla smirked. “Satisfied?”
He shook his head no as he stepped back. Then he set a third shield around her, testing it with a tiny puff of fire that dropped from his forefinger. The flame dissipated when it hit the barrier, and Layla laughed as she shook her head.
“Am I going to be able to send a shield through all that?”
“Yes,” he answered. “I didn't block defensive magic.” He glanced at the others then back. “Are you sure you're okay with this?”
“Don't I look okay?”
“Yes, I guess you do, but it can be overwhelming – having spells thrown at you.”
“I trust your shields,” she assured, putting emphasis on the plurality.
“Okay,” he conceded, “but if gets too stressful, don't be afraid to say stop.”
“I promise, Quin.”
He watched her for a few more seconds then sighed. “I love you, Layla.”
“I love you, too, Quin. Now get over there and try to shoot me.”
He smiled then walked to Caitrin and Serafin, speaking as all three of them faced her. “We don’t need to make them big or throw them hard. Just give them enough power to get there. Mentally tell me what you're going to send before casting it, and if I don't respond, consider it a green light.”
They nodded their agreement, and Quin took a deep breath. “Okay, love, make your shield.”
“Well that's not fair,” she protested.
Quin’s lungs deflated. “What's not fair?”
“You can't give me all the time in the world to come up with it. I'll be able to guard against more than if my time was limited. It's not realistic.”
“This is your first attempt, Layla. You're just getting a feel for how it works.”
“Fine, but I think it's silly.”
“Just cast your shield, my ambitious angel.”
Layla obeyed, allowing herself ten seconds of planning, and when the idea left her head, a large, silver dome stretched over Quin's opalescent spells, spreading about ten feet in every direction. “Why does it look different than yours?”
“Because that's the way you imagined it, my love.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Are you ready?”
“I guess. I don't have to do anything but stand here.”
Quin smirked and raised a palm. “Here they come.”
Water flew from Caitrin's hand, ice flew from Serafin's, and fire flew from Quin's.
Layla braced, tempted to squeeze her eyes shut, but she forced herself to watch as the spells hit the silver barrier. The fire fizzled, the ice shattered, and the water splashed to the ground. She smiled, but had no time to celebrate as three more spells headed her way. Bolts of lightning stretched from Caitrin's palm, a gust of wind carrying a pile of leaves blew in from behind Serafin, and Quin motioned to the earth at the base of the shield, making the short grass grow and curl toward the silver dome. The lightning hit and exploded into sparks, the leaves flowed over the top of the shield, and the grass engulfed it in greenery.