The stairwell filled with blue-white light.
Teclos moved before the spell was released.
Darkness spread from his feet and climbed the cellar walls, forming a curved barrier between the stairs and the prisoners. Serenna seized the woman she had knocked unconscious and threw her behind it.
Lightning struck.
The blast hit the barrier with enough force to drive Teclos back half a step. White cracks raced across the darkness, widening as the spell continued to pour down the stairs.
The prisoners cried out and pressed themselves against the far wall.
Teclos raised his other hand.
More shadow gathered.
The barrier thickened, but the lightning did not weaken. It burned through the outer layers, filling the cellar with the smell of hot stone and scorched air.
Serenna stood beside the opening in the wall.
"Can you hold that?"
"For a while."
"How long is a while?"
