Page 77 of Arcane Entanglement
Viggo charged forward, taking advantage of the mages’ momentary weakness to engage them directly before the effects of the anti-magic device faded.
Chapter32
Viggo moved on instinct,his fists blurring and smacking into flesh as he ducked and weaved. Evander stood at his back, the ice and wind he’d manifested fending off dangerous spells as the mages least affected by the disruptor rod resumed their attacks.
They fell into a rhythm, moving together as if they’d fought side by side for years. When a spell slipped past Viggo’s guard, Evander was there to deflect it. When a mage got too close to Evander, Viggo was there to put them down hard.
Even in the heat of battle, that fact thrilled Viggo like little else could.
Still, he couldn’t shake a niggling sense of unease even as they fought.
This felt all too convenient. Too perfectly set up. His gaze swept the chaos, searching for the puppet master behind it all.
A mage crouched behind the altar a short distance away. He was watching the melee with calculated interest.
Unlike some of the others, his eyes didn’t glow red.
He must be the leader!
“Evander!” Viggo jerked his head towards the altar.
Evander followed his gaze. “That’s the man suspected of killing Millbrook.” His expression hardened. “Cover me!”
Viggo shifted closer to Evander and used his bulk to shield the mage as they advanced across the church. Solomon, Rufus, and the officers still conscious noticed their movement and adjusted their own positions to provide additional protection.
The dark mage’s lips curved in a cruel smile when Viggo and Evander neared the altar. He seemed undaunted by their approach.
“The Ice Mage and his pet Brute. How touching.”
Viggo ground his teeth and took a threatening step forward. Evander’s hand on his arm held him back.
“It’s over.” Evander’s voice was cold and steely as he addressed the dark mage. “Release your hold on those mages and surrender.”
The man’s laughter sent a chill down Viggo’s spine.
“Oh, I don’t think so. In fact, I think you’ll find this is only the beginning.”
He raised his hand, the ring on his finger pulsing with a surge of malevolent energy.
Viggo tensed, ready to push Evander out of the way of whatever spell was coming. But instead of attacking, the mage snapped his fingers.
Dark magic bloomed from the inky gemstone atop the ring, wrapping the man in thick billows that quickly concealed his form.
Viggo’s eyes rounded. “What the?—?!”
Startled shouts rose behind him and Evander. They spun around.
The dark mages were fading within identical black clouds, the ones they held sway over dragged passively into the sinister miasma.
Their leader’s mocking voice echoed around the church.
“Until next time, Ice Mage.”
He melted into the shadows faster than Viggo’s eye could follow.
“No!” Evander rushed forward with an outstretched hand.
His fingers closed on fading wisps.
