Armageddon's Ward Armageddon's Ward, Book 1, (Paperback)

It's not the end of the world. Yet.

Lia Rector spent her childhood devoid of magic - no easy life for the sole heir to the largest magical corporation in the world. Then Armageddon comes for her on her seventeenth birthday. Her new guardian hides her from the dark magicians determined to take what is hers. Now Lia is racing against the clock to discover the key to her magic before she loses everything in an arena full of her greatest enemies. She knows it wouldn't really be the end of the world if she fails. Just her life.

It was too late, though. The three men saw us. They were just far enough away that I couldn't make out their features. One of them let out a shout, and a spell exploded right in front of us, showering us with dirt and rocks. I raised my hands to block my face and felt something sharp dig into my left arm. Chas let out a burst of sound, and the three men were blown backward. We ran north then west, trying to get far enough uphill to go around them. Peter shouted my name, and I turned towards him.
I should have known better. I should have ducked instead of turning.