Page 115 of Death Warden
Logan moves past me, sniffing the air, scanning the room.
I drop into gray sight and do the same. The world is dull, but the arcane circle glows like a beacon. This is what they used to call him. To center him and get him to connect with Finley’s body. He must have used one of the fractures to push out a spectral influence and latch onto the construct that contained his power.
In gray sight I can see more residue of magic. Droplets of it shimmering across the floor leading to a symbol on the wall.
Logan is already there, sniffing like mad.
He shifts. “He’s here. I can smell it.”
“Then we need to get him out.” I scan the room and spot some tools leaning up against a wall. A spade, a rake, and a huge mallet, along with a canister of petrol and a tarp. Fate.
We set to work demolishing the wall, knocking out bricks. The stench of magic and death hits me in the face.
I stagger back, coughing and waving away rubble dust.
Logan reaches into the huge hole, grabs something, and hauls it out.
The body, wrapped in thick beige fabric, hits the ground. There are symbols painted on the fabric. Probably in blood.
We set to work and unwrap that fucker.
“Fucking hell.” Logan steps back. “How the hell has it stayed fresh?”
“Doesn’t matter, we need to get rid of it. Grab the petrol.”
Logan does one better and splashes it all over the body. “This place will probably burn, you know.”
“Good riddance.” I pull a lighter from my pocket. “Time to torch this motherfu—"
“Step away from the body!”
We look up to see Hubert at the bottom of the stairs, arms up, cuffs glowing blue. “I will kill you both if you harm that body.”
“I thought you wanted him to be free.”
His eye twitches.
Oh, fuck, I get it now. “You want him free but in your control. You want to give him Adi but keep his body as collateral.”
“It wasn’t meant to be this way. But things have unraveled. The lock is fractured. This is the only way.”
No, the only way is to save the woman I love, even if it results in my death. I flick the flame on as blue power races out of Hubert’s fingers and jettisons toward me.
CHAPTERFORTY
SPECTRE
The Mageri have lost all decorum. They aren’t holding back on their fire. We batter their defense shield with our collective hellhound energy. The cracks are growing.
“Wendall, Ruby, south side. Hit it!”
The enforcers slam into the weakened side of the shield, and with an almighty shudder, the shield drops. Power hits me in the face, sinking into my skin. The hellhounds throw back their heads and let out a victory howl.
The Mageri slump, exhausted and temporarily tapped out. It’ll take a moment for them to recharge.
I turn to see Dax jogging toward me in human form, a huge grin on his face. “We did it!” His gaze flicks to my left, his eyes round, and then he rushes me, smashing into me with the full force of his body and throwing me clear of a blaze of blue fire.
I roll and come to my feet in a crouch in time to see the jet of blue flame hit Dax. I hear his bellow and smell burning flesh and coppery blood. I’m frozen in shock and horror.
