Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
She lifted her hand high, and it had to be for Sebastian’s sake. The dome winked out of existence.
“We’re sparing your life,” she said. “We’ll expect to be compensated down the road. Go.”
The mage took off running like his arse was on fire. He didn’t look back.
Niamh wasn’t actually sure this was the best course of action. Momar should be able to come to those conclusions on his own. He certainly wouldn’t want to get advice from a nothing mage who’d failed in his duty. She’d need to think about the possible repercussions of this decision.
For now, though, they had a battle to win.
Edgar smiled at Nessa. “Ready, shadow?”
Oh, great, Edgar had made a new friend. Now he’d never stop talking about it.
Only a slice of the enemy still stood, trying to hold their ground. Trying, and failing.
The magical blasts from the weapons hit impenetrable defenses thrown up by Jessie. Magical spells rained down on their group. The shifters didn’t flag, just as ferocious now as when they’d started. The gargoyles dipped, ending those who’d survived the onslaught from Hollace and Cyra. The Ivy House crew and Austin’s scant pack had been grossly outnumbered, but it hadn’t mattered. Not after Jessie had gotten a hold of her magic and helped each faction shine individually so they could help the team as a whole.
The enemy now clearly realized they were fighting a battle they couldn’t win. Momar’s ground troops were used to being the strongest and best, to having a team of mages at their backs and effective magical weapons in their hands. They weren’t used to what the Ivy House crew had going on, especially with Austin Steele and his shifter pack in the mix. They’d been gobsmacked. One of them should be the one to tell their friends. Their experience of the battle would carry the most weight.
Niamh made a snap decision.
She ran and jumped onto a guy, marking that enemy as hers. Broken Sue let her have him, and peeled off to club someone else with his big arms. Into the trees Niamh rode the man, avoiding his flailing attempts to sweep her off.
A basajaun stepped out of nowhere, blocking the enemy’s way. The enemy ran into him at full speed, bounced off, staggered into a tree, and then fell. The basajaun snarled and reached down to finish the job.
“No!” Niamh said as soon as she’d shifted back. She worked to catch her breath. She’d had no idea the other basajaunak were hanging around. They hadn’t joined the battle, but they’d apparently taken it upon themselves to pick off the runaways. Better yet, they’d seen Jessie and Austin Steele’s crew at work. That was good news. “Not this one. Maybe beat him up a bit, that’s fine, but let him go.”
“You already let one go,” Dave’s mom said, stepping out from a tree down the way. “Why two?”
“I’m not sure letting that mage go was the right decision, honestly. I’ll have a think on it. But this one is a highly trained and supposedly effective foot soldier. He’s seen a lot of action, so he has. Unlike that mage, your man is at the top of his game. He’s had a’lotta experience, and I’ll bet he’s not used to runnin’. He’ll surely be punished for that. Regardless, his account will carry a lot more weight than the mage’s. The story will grow, and the next time we have’ta deal with these lads, they’ll be nervous. Jumpy. It’ll make them easier to kill. It’ll make the mages who depend on them as a shield slower to commit. That is what will stall the big boss in coming after us.”
The basandere watched Niamh for a moment before nodding. The basajaun stepped out of the way.
“Besides,” Niamh said before she turned back to the others, “they invaded your territory. You need someone to witness what happens to those who do. The magical world has clearly forgotten how basajaunak work. The enemy had zero regard for you. They didn’t think you were a threat in your own lands.”
Niamh wasn’t giving the whole story, of course. The mages had certainly forgotten, but she didn’t mention that the basajaunak were still very much regarded as a threat in much of the magical world, and their rules were known by all. Mages were proving to be a different breed. They either didn’t know the rules or didn’t care.
The basandere turned and melted back into the trees. Before she was completely out of sight, she said, “That had occurred to me, yes.” And then she was gone.
They weren’t ready to be part of Dave’s new family, but they’d stuck around. They had even helped. They’d crossed the line between spectator and sport, just as Dave had last year. The younger generation would probably be jealous or sad they missed out and ask for all the details. They’d want to see for themselves.