Conjuring the Flesh
Page 23
Najja snarled, his face twisting with fury. Lightning flashed and hurt Ander’s eyes. But at the same time, he felt some of the staggering weight leave his body. He managed to get onto his hands and knees and started to crawl forward.
Waves of power lashed his back as he crawled into the middle of the conflagration. Energy howled in his ears and disoriented him. The battle between Lucian and Najja heaved like a leviathan all around him, stretching and straining the fabric of the world itself. Somewhere in the whirlwind came Thane’s wrenching cries, frenzied entreaties to both Lucian and Ander.
Ander’s mind reeled, but he kept his eyes focused on the patterned marble floor and moved forward inch by inch. After what seemed an eternity of slow and aching progress, the sorcerer’s jeweled dagger lay before him.
He felt as if his body would fly apart at any moment, but he grasped the dagger. Cold metal filled his palm. He nearly collapsed with exhaustion. Then he lifted his gaze from the floor. Thane was only a foot from him. Mindlessly seeking contact with his beloved, he reached out and touched Thane’s leg.
Their bond sprang open. Torrents of confusion and pain surged through him. But Najja hadn’t broken Thane. Along with the pain came a jolt of desperate strength.
Ander gripped the dagger more tightly and staggered to his feet. His vision blurred, and his body swayed. Moving as if in a trance, he lifted the dagger to the height of his chest, then fell against Najja. The dagger tugged at his hand as if alive. Its blade plunged into Najja’s heart.
A howling shriek, unearthly and terrifying, split the air. At the same moment, Lucian’s form flared incandescent as the sun. Then silence.
Ander swayed, numb with fatigue, his eyes closed and watering. Then he remembered Thane and opened his eyes. Thane hung from his shackles, his strong body limp and motionless. A withered corpse in sorcerer’s robes lay at his feet with a dagger protruding from its chest.
Momentary panic dissolved into relief. His bond with Thane was open again. Their hearts felt one another, responded to the contact. Thane’s eyes opened, and he lifted his head.
“Ander… I don’t understand….”
Ander reached out to touch Thane’s cheek. Blood and grime streaked the mage’s face, making his young visage look older. “Later. We’re not safe yet. The other sorcerers could return soon.”
Thane licked his cracked lips. His eyes were haunted. Ander felt questions pouring through their bond but knew that the answers would have to wait.
Nicolai had recovered from Najja’s onslaught as quickly as Ander. He began to search the sorcerer’s body for keys. He found them in a pouch attached to Najja’s belt and quickly unlocked Thane’s shackles. The battered youth fell into Ander’s arms.
Taking turns supporting Thane’s weight, they made their way through the ancient passages and the gallery that was filled with the remains of Najja’s victims. The cold air in the street smelled as sweet as life itself.
Returning to the inn was painfully slow, and Nicolai had to carry Thane the last third of the distance. Dawn tinged the horizon as they carried him up to their room. Leif had returned just minutes before and watched them anxiously but held his questions. They laid Thane on the bed and covered him with thick quilts while Leif fetched a goblet of water.
Ander held the goblet to Thane’s lips and made him drink it slowly. Even without the knowledge imparted through their bond, Thane’s shaking hands would have told him all he needed to know about his lover’s exhaustion. But he also knew the mage wouldn’t rest, couldn’t rest, until his question was answered.
Ander handed the goblet to Leif and then turned back to Thane. “No, you weren’t dreaming,” he said softly. “You saw Lucian. A part of him that didn’t die with his body.”
Tears welled in Thane’s eyes, but his gaze never left Ander’s. “Why? Why didn’t I know? Why didn’t he come to me?” Anguished grief poured through their bond.
Ander took one of Thane’s hands and squeezed it. “He was just an echo of Lucian’s spirit. It was impossible to restore what you had shared, and he didn’t want you to go mad trying.” Ander felt hot tears on his own cheeks. “He still loved you, even in death. Too much to cause you more grief. I sought his help when you were captured, and he gave me all that remained of his anima. But now that’s gone. Defeating the sorcerer took all that was left of him.”
Tears streamed down Thane’s face, but his eyes showed understanding. “He’s saved us all,” Thane said, his voice thick. “Najja hadn’t shared the secret of using the kei to gain immortality. Not even with the lesser sorcerers. He was planning to betray the zamindar and keep the power for himself. The zamindar is denied his prize.”
“You defeated him too,” Ander replied. He bent down and pressed his cheek against Thane’s. He remembered Lucian’s final wish—that he might touch Thane again through Ander’s hand, and his heart ached. Fate was never kind to Lucian. But he saved Thane. Perhaps he’ll rest peacefully after all. He lay on the bed beside Thane and held him in a tender embrace. “Rest, jirí. And tomorrow we’ll remember Lucian.”
Coming Soon
Sex Rites
Pledged to Magic: Book 3—Sequel to Conjuring the Flesh
Victory carries a price. Thane and Ander snatched the promise of immortality from a tyrant’s grasp, but now the zamindar will stop at nothing to regain what he lost. Even the sex magic practiced by Thane, his lover, and his mage initiates is no match for an empire’s legions.
Exiled and pursued, the freedom fighters’ quest for ancient secrets leads them to exotic lands and to Dannel, a young warrior whose fighting prowess is matched only by his frustration. Journeying far into the deepest, most forgotten heart of their lands, Thane, Ander, and their new companions will discover lost truths and a single stunning hope for the future... the hope that may save them all.
BRANDON FOX’s first love was music, but he also started reading fantasy and science fiction at an early age. Inspired by recent novels with strong gay characters, he decided to start writing himself. He’s a romantic by nature, and nobody was surprised when M/M romance provided the heart of his character-centered stories. His writing has been ranked in the top 1,000 best-selling print books at Amazon and included on the Top 10 list in the erotica category.
Brandon met his partner in college, and they live in the Pacific Northwest where they enjoy hiking, camping, cooking, and keeping fit. They were married for a while, until a court waved its wand and made more than 3,000 marriages vanish. Their plan is to marry again when it becomes legal in their state or they win the lottery and can afford to move. Brandon is a believer in romance and thinks it will all work out in the end.
Contact Brandon at authorbrandonfox@gmail.com.
Don’t miss Book 1 of the Pledged to Magic series
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