Page 44 of Arcane Entanglement
“Will this do?”
“Yes!” Mrs. Scarborough panted.
“We’re running out of time!” Viggo snarled, his breath misting in front of his face.
“And I’m—” Mrs. Scarborough gasped, “running…out…of magic!”
The curse-breaker shuddered. Evander knew she wasn’t lying.
He could feel her power being drained by the gemstone. Her amulet trembled violently where it hung around her neck, its powers clashing with that contained within the cursed object as it tried to protect its owner.
Evander’s mouth flattened to a thin line.
Dammit!Isthatthe only option left?
A guttural rasp left Magnus.
Evander knew the Brute would draw his last breath within the next minute if he didn’t act now. He clenched his jaw and pressed a hand to Mrs. Scarborough’s back, aware that what he was about to do would expose the secret he had kept all of his life.
“Brace yourself!” he warned the curse-breaker.
“Evander!” Rufus took a step forward, his face full of alarm. “You can’t!”
Mrs. Scarborough looked between the two of them, confused.
“I must,” Evander ground out. “Or Magnus will die!”
His fingers grew hot as he focused his powers into them. He gritted his teeth and poured a controlled wave of magic into the curse-breaker’s body.
Mrs. Scarborough gasped and stiffened. Searing purple brightened her pupils and hands, the light so bright Evander had to squint.
The gemstone cracked under her revived magic.
Magnus went limp.
Viggo paled. “Is he—is he?—?!”
“No.” Evander held a hand out towards Solomon. “Mr. Barden, if you would be so kind as to lend me the knife strapped to your left calf please!” he said urgently.
Solomon flinched. “How did you?—?!”
“Solomon, the knife!” Viggo barked.
Solomon removed the weapon from the sheath on his leg and tossed it to Evander.
Evander cooled Magnus’s flesh with a layer of ice magic and cut out the cracked gemstone. The wound oozed a little. He pressed his cravat to it.
“Get a healer,” he told Shaw grimly.
The forensic mage hesitated before nodding jerkily and running out of the room, her face ashen.
Viggo climbed off Magnus and fell on his backside, his chest shuddering with his breaths. He gave Evander a grateful look.
Evander’s nails dug into his palms. He knew Viggo’s gratitude would be short-lived once he realised what had just happened.
Tremors racked Mrs. Scarborough’s frame. She stared at Evander, her eyes dark with dread. The same dread he’d glimpsed on Shaw’s face before she’d left the cell.
“That power.” The curse-breaker gulped. “Your Grace, are you—anArchmage?!”
