I sent the last manifestation I summoned directly to Whitlock Estate, where I knew Amara would soon find herself. She wanted to take Tara, and that wasn’t going to happen.
I boltedthrough the psychic plane, zipping across the city instantaneously to reach the Whitlock Estate. Their steel gates were flung open, their stone walls left bare without a single active ward. Floating onto the grounds, I found bloody grass leading to corpses scattered across the lawn.
Every elite bodyguard Tobias Whitlock had hired lay dead. From the deep slashes and bloody mess, it was clear Lazarus had made quick work of them. There wasn’t much casting debris, meaning they barely had a chance to defend themselves before Lazarus hacked them down. More than thirty well-trained ex-military enchanter-level witches, and not one of them managed to derail this pillar of the Celestial Coven.
Sending the information to my core self through the link we shared, I pressed forward and made my way inside the mansion.
Much to my surprise, Tobias stood at the railing of the stairs, practically greeting Lazarus’ arrival.
Tobias had aged a lot since the last time I saw him. Wrinkles deepened his stern expression. What little blond hair he had before had finally turned white or fallen out. His cheeks were sunken in, and his eyes were heavy with sleep deprivation.Whether the many legal cases against him had added to this fatigue or Theodore’s escape, coupled with The True Witch’s arrival, I couldn’t discern.
The golden shield of Tobias’ arcane branch already cloaked his thoughts and guarded against Lazarus’ impending attack.
“The audacity of stepping into my home.” Tobias grimaced. “Amara overreaches. When I send you back to her, she’ll realize I have no time for her fanatical obsession.”
“You speak of audacity yet utter a goddess’s name as if your tongue has earned such a thing.”
“My tongue has experienced far more than Amara’s name, peasant.” Tobias chuckled. “Oh, yes, she told me all about you,Lazarus. Your myth is far more entertaining than your true origins.”
“You know nothing of me.”
Tobias’ piercing blue eyes held utter contempt, judgment, and so much superiority. I didn’t even need to read his thoughts to feel the disgust in his expression.
“I know you were blessed with a brilliant branch.” Tobias took a step down, closing the distance between himself and Lazarus in the foyer. “I know you used it to claw your way out of the gutters of your city, a city made of stone and mud and kings who didn’t know the first thing about ruling.”
Lazarus glared.
“I know after several thousand years of living, you’ve finally reached the pinnacle of your skills. You think yourself grand.” Tobias shook his head disapprovingly. “You honed your magic for a millennium, and it is nothing compared to what I was born with. Brilliance isn’t trained; it’s inherited.”
“I was only sent to retrieve the girl, but taking your head will be an added boon.”
Tobias laughed. “Come then, peasant. Show me what you’re made of.”
The term cut deep, reminding Lazarus of the life he escaped, the years of servitude, the centuries of burying the inferiority complex that plagued him. Tobias shook Lazarus so deeply that his thoughts floated freely from frustration.
But flustered or not, Lazarus fixated on Tobias’ branches.
Name: Tobias Whitlock
Branch: Arcane (Abjuration)
Branch: Cosmic (Shadows)
Branch: Bestial (Familiar)
Whoa. I had no idea Tobias possessed multiple branches or the fact that he, too, had a familiar. Was it another insect like Tara’s?
Lazarus held his hands out flat, channeling his telekinesis so the swipes would cut deep like a blade. Without hesitation, Lazarus leapt at Tobias, attempting to slash the man’s throat. A futile effort, met with a sharp clink as his hand struck a golden shield glowing at Tobias’ neck.
“I thought Amara would prepare you for me,” Tobias said, casting telekinesis to throw Lazarus back. “She swore the pillars were in a league of their own. I find the pillars of the Celestial Coven a bit overrated.”
If only he realized Grim had joined The Sisters Three in death, he’d definitely gloat. More. He’d gloat more. Geez, it was difficult to root for Tobias’ victory, knowing he achieved it by assuming everyone born poor was insignificant, and theirachievements meant nothing. Still, I hoped he’d hold out against Lazarus until the Global Guild sent their reinforcements.
“Shall we end this, peasant?”
“Your shield will break long before my stamina wanes.”
“We’ll see about that.” Tobias extended his arms, unleashing shadows across the mansion.
