Twisted Legends: Twisted Magic Book 4
Page 23
“Wait!” I snapped out my arm.
His magic cinched together and shot off course. It hit the ocean, sending a geyser of water into the air.
“Sasmita,” I said, breathless, incredulous. “What the actual hell?”
“I need—” she began, vial raised, but Yuto cut her off.
“Blood?” He seemed doubtful and took one measured step toward her. “Why would you need my blood?”
He was not the least bit confused. Suspicious, however…
“Someone took my son, and the bounty hunter will only return him for mage blood,” she said. She stood dripping wet, breathing hard, but she did not wilt under Yuto’s stare. “I am his mother. How can I not succeed?”
My chest ached for so many reasons, not the least of which that Sasmita had no intentions of just trying—she was determined to win.
Yuto tipped his head ever so slightly, but he had not become one of the world’s most powerful mages by being an idiot. He didn’t need further explanation.
“I am afraid your bounty hunter may not be prepared for the likes of my blood,” he said, but even as he spoke, he extended his arm.
I tensed, but at the same moment, realized he was not attacking. He was offering his assistance.
Sasmita darted forward and pricked the needle end of the vial into his forearm. The vial collected just enough droplets of his blood to raise the level a notch.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
She clenched the vial tighter as she scurried away, back into the darkness of the storm.
Yuto lowered his arm, glancing around the scene: Randall and me by the portrait, Fiona in the distance, Bhaskar looking on as if contemplating the turn of events, Sasmita with her vial, and Otilia sobbing in the wet sand. Around us, a magical storm frenzied and rattled the world.
“It’s not done,” Yuto said. “I know my story has one more act.”
Then, with all the dignity of a man who understood and accepted his fate, Yuto stepped through the portrait.
Otilia let out a long, pained howl, and Sasmita hurried to her. She crouched next to Otilia and held her tight as she sobbed.
The painting shifted and morphed between the portrait Yuto and the real Yuto until it settled on the painting.
The red border vanished.
I ripped off the medallion and stared at the portrait. We had succeeded in putting away another dark mage, but it was impossible to say if we had truly won the battle.
My stance on Yuto remained gray and fuzzy, but I couldn’t spend a lot of time on it, not now.
I turned to the ocean and watched as the waves receded, and the magical glow faded away. The storm dissipated with the clouds, leaving behind a cool, clean scent.
We had found one of the keys to the vault, but we still needed the other to put away the portraits. Not to mention, I had questions, and it was time to get some answers.
Everything I needed was in one place.
Our next stop would be the consortium.
* * *
Ready to meet the consortium and the rest of the quorum? Grab your copy of Twisted Shadows.
About the Author
Rainy Kaye is the author of Summoned and the Twisted Magic series. She loves hearing from readers and can be reached on Facebook and Instagram.
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