Zev growled his agreement, baring his teeth. If the mage were alive, Zev would have made sure he died next.
The sun mage scowled. His face shone with sweat as he studied them. “You have no business in our affairs. Go before we kill you.”
“Believe me when I say the odds are not in your favor,” Rawn said. “Stand down.”
“It’s you who should stand down!” said the other with dark hair and eyes—an earth mage, by the view of his bare feet buried in the grass.
Both bore the triad symbol of the Magos Empire on their robes, and another unfamiliar sigil on their shoulders.
“We serve the will of the Archmage, and therefore she is under our authority. She belongs to us.”
Zev snapped his teeth, making them flinch a step back. Magic, hierarchy, guilds—he knew nothing about that. But injustice, misogyny, and the vile darkness of men—that’s something he’d always fight against.
Noble beastie,the Madness whispered from the dark depths of his mind.
“She will not be going with you,” Rawn said. “Leave her be, or you will force my hand.”
The sun mage sneered. “This is a matter of the Magos Empire. Unless the Vale wishes for war, you will step aside.”
Zev knew of the oppression sorceresses suffered in Magos, but who was she to merit an empire going to war? If the Archmage was truly involved, then this was far more serious than they thought.
“You know naught of what you’re interfering with,” the sun mage continued. “She is a princess of the Magos Empire.”
Princess?Zev’s growls faltered.
He met Dyna’s beseeching eyes across the field, her hands clasped together. It didn’t matter who these mages were and why they wanted the sorceress. They came for her power and her freedom. It wasn’t their right to take.
“Our lady is extending her favor over this young woman,” Rawn said. “Therefore, she will remain in our care.”
The mages glanced right at Dyna. They cared nothing for Cassiel, or perhaps hadn’t noticed him. At the sight of her, the initial surprise on their faces switched to satisfied sneers.
“Another sorceress is wandering free in Azure? What a turn of events this is,” said the earth mage to his companion. “The Archmage will be pleased.”
Cassiel drew out his sword and white flames burst along the blade. Zev snarled, crouching low. If they so much as moved a step toward his cousin, they were dead.
“Take any further action towards her, and it will not end well for you,” Rawn said. “Retreat.Now.”
The sun mage’s eyes blazed orange, and he smiled as the world rumbled. The earth mage jerked his fists into the air, and chunks of rock shot out of the ground. One smashed into Zev, knocking him down. The sun mage released a barrage of fire. He and Rawn dove out of the way, searing heat blazing past them. Vines weaved through the grass like serpents hunting for prey. They ensnared Zev, and he whined sharply under their thorny grasp, rapidly trapping him in a net. A thick tree root sprouted from the earth and slammed on Rawn before he could get back to his feet.
The earth mage cackled as he approached him. “It’s you who will die here, elf.”
Zev tore at the thorns, but they only tightened further. The vines tethered around his neck, squeezing so tight his vision swam.
Rawn wrenched an arm free, and a small, teal bulb of light formed in his hand. It was faint, barely a spark.
“Erb’mul,”he muttered, and a petal of flame danced in his palm.
The sun mage laughed. “I thought the Elves were skilled in magic. Is that all you can muster?”
Rawn smiled.“Eria.”
He blew into his hand, and a cyclone of fire hurtled through the screaming mages. It wrenched their bodies high into the air, and they landed as burning heaps on the other side of the field. The vines slackened, and Zev sucked in a breath. He shook off the loosened vines, and Rawn shoved the limp root away. They flopped back on the grass, staring blankly at the smoky sky as they got their bearings.
Cassiel landed beside them with Dyna in his arms.
“Are you all right?” She rushed to Zev and checked him over. “Are you hurt?”
He nuzzled her cheek. She worried too much.
