His control of them differed from Tara’s. Whereas she usually summoned them as tendrils, he conjured his shadows in a massive wave of darkness. Only, they didn’t cover much. They spread across the rooms, hiding the floor and reaching Lazarus’ waist.
“I assume Amara has warned you what comes next.”
“If you think I fear your beast, you’re a—”
A giant fucking crocodile sprang up out of the shadows and snatched Lazarus by the torso before dragging him beneath the shadows.
Holy fucking hell. I trembled, floating higher up toward the ceiling. Yes, I was incorporeal, but the idea of being this close to a crocodile was fucking terrifying. How the hell did Tobias have a crocodile? A goddamn giant crocodile. That was his familiar? It was a monstrosity. An apex predator of pure destruction.
The crocodile’s tail rose above the shadows, thrashing about a bit, but then lowered again. Lazarus screamed and fought against the beast, but the shadows barely moved in response. It was like a silent black lake of death.
“Titus, behave,” Tobias warned. “I told you to immobilize the witch, not kill him.”
The crocodile’s snout lifted above the shadows, and his jaw opened, revealing a bloody and worn Lazarus. He immediately flew away, landing on the ceiling with his back pressed to it. Hisbloody chest heaved as he took frightened, panting breaths. His eyes darted between the shadows where Titus now floated above in full view and to Tobias, who merely smiled at the alarmed enemy.
Hell. The crocodile’s snout to the tip of its tail was easily twenty feet. Maybe more. The width was massive, unlike anything I’d seen in pictures or on television. I didn’t know much about crocodiles other than that their bite was deadly; they kept growing with age, and they evolved over millions of years to be the perfect predator. Oh, and they were very fucking patient.
The way Titus’ eyes locked onto Lazarus, I believed the crocodile was a second away from lunging into the air and snatching him up. After all, Titus was a familiar, so he was a goddamn crocodile with root magics.
“Usually, Titus gets to feast upon those foolish enough to cross me,” Tobias explained. “But with your particular branch, I wouldn’t want my old friend to get an upset stomach.”
Name: Lazarus
Branch: Rejuvenation (Resurrection)
“No, no, no.” Tobias waved his finger back and forth to emphasize his words. “I have something far grander in store for you.”
Titus growled, a truly unsettling sight.
“Yes, retrieve him,” Tobias said, dispelling his shadows.
Titus dropped down to the floor and thwacked his tail a few times. It created a pulse of telekinesis that dragged Lazarus back down. He thrashed against the pull, but the crocodile snarled and hissed, snapping his teeth. It seemed to create a strongerhold over Lazarus, even in a telekinetic form. Did the crocodile add his jaw strength to his telekinesis?
“Amara has had lots of dalliances with this one,” Tobias spoke to his familiar as if they didn’t hold Lazarus hostage. “It speaks volumes that after centuries of courtship, she never did commit to him.”
Titus hissed in response.
“Yes, truly.” Tobias chuckled, then turned to the frazzled and frightened Lazarus. “He was speaking on her promiscuity and your peasantry.”
Lazarus glared, pretending to overcome his fear, but in reality, his mind swam in it.
“Although I find it truly hilarious that despite all Lazarus’ achievements in his simple little eternity, Amara didn’t seek him out for her ritual.” Tobias turned his attention back to his crocodile. “No, he wasn’t what she required. When Amara sought to bring a goddess into this world, she came for Whitlock stock.”
Titus hissed in response.
“True. Our lineage does date back to before the fall of magic,” Tobias replied. “Did you know that, peasant? You may’ve served one of my ancestors.”
Lazarus resisted his telekinetic bindings, only for the crocodile to clamp his jaw and force Lazarus to become still.
“Okay, let us end this.” Tobias retrieved a small metal case from his pocket, then cast his golden shield around Lazarus’ body. “We’ll see how much affection Amara holds for you when she comes for Tara.”
Tobias opened the case and pulled out a piece of paper with an enchantment on it. Slapping the page onto Lazarus’ chest,it unleashed hundreds of metallic threads that sprang around Lazarus’ glowing body and bound the man in a cocoon of sorts.
“Remember, Titus, if Amara makes a true move for Tara beyond musings or hollow threats, slaughter her.”
The crocodile growled in response.
With that, Tobias waved his hand and conjured his black lake of shadows for Titus to lurk beneath. He then made his way back upstairs, leaving the entire mansion set into a dreadful trap.
