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There would always be centuries of hatred between them, but this Aithourian believed Hesperines were, at least, a little human.
“The Summit worked,” Lio breathed. “Even on him.”
Cassia took his hand. “Yes, it did. And letting him take over the Aithourian Circle one day may truly be our best course of action. But not until Solia is ready.”
“Yes. We can hope his time in the Empire may encourage him to continue on this path toward his better self.”
Lio lowered his veils, and he and Cassia went to stand before Chrysanthos.
“Do not fear,” Lio said. “You will find your new host more amenable than Flavian to your hopes for the future. We guarantee you will be treated with dignity and reunited with your nephew as soon as politics allow.”
A hint of despair flashed in the man’s gaze, and Lio felt its echo in the Blood Union. No, he did not enjoy this part of his plan in the least.
“When will politics allow?” Chrysanthos asked.
“I don’t know,” Lio said, “but all of us want this to be over as much as you do.”
Heat flared behind Lio. He reached for the Dexion’s mind even as Mak and Lyros tossed more shadow wards around the mage. But it was too late.
Flames had erupted at the base of the door, where a heptagram was now visible, glowing orange. The Dexion must have had a hidden flame trap in reserve. The Tenebran mages’ wards shuddered with the impact of the magefire.
“Even Master Gorgos will sense that!” Cassia cried.
Lio cursed. “We have to get the Dexion out of here before they come to investigate.”
Chrysanthos smirked, but the smug expression slipped from his face when Lio grasped his mind and drove him into unconsciousness. Mak and Lyros met Lio in the Union, and they all tried to step with the Dexion. But taking hold of the war mage was like trying to hold fire. Lio’s veils wavered as he divided his focus.
Feet pounded up the stairs beyond the door. Magefire ate away at the wooden panel, warping the iron.
Cassia grasped Lio’s hand. The channeling surged to life, and he felt her awareness join with his and their Trial brothers’. Chrysanthos’s magic flowed toward her aura.
“Cassia, are you sure—” Lio began.
But the Dexion’s magic bowed to her Will, subdued by the channeling. The world released him, and Lio, Mak, and Lyros’s magic grasped him. They stepped, the crash of the door and Master Gorgos’s shouts echoing in their ears.
They landed hard at the sparring grounds in the Summit Sanctuary, Knight still snarling. The smell of magefire tainted the air. The Charge, Solia, and the Ashes gathered around, spells of every affinity at the ready.
Cassia staggered into Lio, and he caught her close. “Are you all right?”
She made a face and turned her head away to spit in the grass. “Ugh. I am never channeling Aithourian fire magic again.”
“Did his magic hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No side effects except this foul taste in my mouth.”
He cast a cleaning spell on her tongue and kissed her. All he tasted was blood magic, the Lustra, and Cassia.
Her fingers curled against his chest. When he pulled back, she sighed. “Much better.”
He glanced around. They had made it with the Dexion and all of his possessions. Rudhira had rolled the man onto his back and stood over him, Thorn in his hands.
“I believe this one is worth sparing,” Lio said.
Rudhira sheathed his sword and stepped back. “Whether he is worthy or not, we will spare him. It is for Hespera to judge his soul, not me. She will have to forgive me for how unwilling I am to let this one take Sanctuary here.”
“It won’t be for long,” Kella said.
Solia extended her hand to Lio. “Well done, adviser. You managed to teach me something. Your fourth labor is complete.”
