I left Sari in the care of Luxxa and hurried after R'lissea, putting the events of the last few minutes from my mind. She led me to a distant field on the edge of the estate, with one edge sheltered beneath a grove of thick, gnarled trees. Selena stood in the middle of the field, the golden ninth-level tome floating in the air in front of her, open midway through.
"You brought her?" Selena asked, looking up at us.
"Sorry, explain to me again what you're doing here? How is R'lissea casting the spell?" I asked.
"Arboreal World, the spell you gave us, is straightforward. The biggest constraint and reason it's a ninth circle is because of the absurd power required to generate its effects over the intended area. But the spellbook also has variants of seventh and eighth circles, with significantly reduced spread," Selena explained.
R'lissea nodded. "I'm going to try and cast the eighth-level version and break through right now."
"Without a guide? That's dangerous," I said.
