Page 112 of Arcane Entanglement

He swayed, the taste of blood on his tongue as he felt himself nearing the limits of his powers. A crimson trickle flowed out of his left nostril.

Evander closed his eyes, his shoulders slumping and his last thought directed towards the man who had come to mean the world to him in the past few days.

I’m sorry, Viggo!

The shadow of the approaching train engulfed Evander. Just as he prepared for the crushing impact, something large and solid slammed into him from the side. He went flying out of the path of the train, landed hard on the ground, and tumbled across the divide between the tracks in a tangle of limbs.

Evander rolled to a stop onto his front, dazed and ears ringing.

The sight that met his eyes when he looked up made him freeze, just as it did everyone in the train station.

Viggo had braced his hands against the front of the train and was slowly, impossibly, bringing the massive engine to a halt.

The Brute bellowed, his face a rictus of effort. Tendons stood out on his neck. Muscles strained and veins bulged in his arms. His boots dug furrows in the ground as he relentlessly shoved against a machine that should have crushed him.

The train ground to a stop mere feet from the bend in a final, tortured screech of metal. For a moment, silence reigned.

Loud cheers erupted, the sound deafening as people cried and embraced each other in relief and disbelief.

Viggo stumbled back from the train, his chest heaving. His eyes found Evander’s, his expression a mix of relief and fury.

“You damn fool!” He stormed over to Evander and yanked him to his feet, his gaze wild and his voice trembling with lingering fear at what almost came to past. “What were you thinking?!” He shook Evander’s shoulders before hugging him tightly to his chest, his body fairly vibrating with the after rush of adrenaline.

Evander shuddered and clung to him, heedless of who might be looking their way.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled in the crook of Viggo’s neck. “I was thinking I couldn’t let those people die.” He pulled back slightly and squinted at Viggo. “The rumours were true. You stopped a train with your bare hands before.”

Viggo cupped his face. “This was worse than Strasbourg. Seeing you standing in the path of that damn thing almost made my heart stop.” He pressed his brow to Evander’s, his hands shaking where he clasped his cheeks.

Evander opened his mouth to speak when he was cut off by Rufus’s shout.

“Evander! Viggo!Renwick’s getting away!”

Chapter45

Evander and Viggotwisted on their heels.

Shadows danced around Renwick as he fled towards the other end of the station. The dark mage had unleashed his wind magic to aid his escape.

“Shit!” Viggo cursed.

He moved, his long strides eating up the distance to the opposite platform.

Evander willed his battered body to life and bolted after the Brute, wind magic lightening his steps. Behind them, Rufus started shouting orders at the Met officers who’d just turned up.

Evander caught up with Viggo seconds later.

“Don’t fight this!” he barked.

The Brute shot a puzzled glance at him when he drew level.

“What do you—?!Bloody hellfire!”

Viggo’s eyes rounded as the power of the wind buffeted his body and propelled him forward. They burst out of the station onto Villiers Street and looked around wildly.

Viggo pointed. “There!”

Renwick was on the footpath of the railway bridge, heading for the south side of the river. They sprinted after him, Evander’s lungs burning with each gasping breath despite the elemental wind carrying him.