Page 116 of Arcane Entanglement

The vile power crackling around Renwick intensified.

Evander’s stomach dropped.

How the devil is he doing that?! It’s almost like he’s tapping into an endless well of dark magic!

The warehouse began trembling from the force of the battle, sending dust spiralling down on them.

Evander felt his strength begin to flag when they got within a few feet of the barrier. Sweat poured down his face. His breaths started coming in ragged gasps. Behind him, Viggo’s movements were also slowing, the countless impacts he’d endured finally taking their toll.

Dread chilled Evander to the bone as he cut his eyes to the tiring Brute.

We're running out of time!

Renwick took advantage of his momentary distraction to strike.

Shadow creatures surged from the dark wall, faster than Evander could react. They wrapped around Viggo, pinning his arms to his sides and lifting him off his feet as they snatched him away. The Brute roared in fury, face reddening and muscles bulging as he struggled against their insubstantial yet unbreakable grip.

“Viggo!” Evander shouted, his throat thick with fear.

Renwick blocked his path as he floated down to the floor. He approached Evander, a vile energy swirling around him.

“Stand still if you don’t want my shadow creatures to choke your dog, Ice Mage,” the dark mage sneered.

Evander ground his teeth so hard his jaw ached.

Corrupt bands were coiling around Viggo’s throat.

Their eyes met, their frantic gazes reflecting their dread and desperation.

Evander forced himself to remain motionless when Renwick stopped in front of him. The stench of corruption coming off the dark mage was so dense it almost made him gag.

“I must thank you, your Grace.” Renwick reached inside Evander’s coat. “I would never have found this had it not been for your presence in that alley.”

He pulled out the crystal vial Evander had recovered from the scene of Millbrook’s murder.

Evander cursed.

Renwick ignored him. He held the object between two fingers and examined it with an evil smile, his grey eyes gleaming with triumph.

“The final piece of the puzzle,” he murmured. “With this, my master’s device will be complete.”

Evander’s pulse stuttered.His master?!

The suspicion he’d harboured solidified into certainty. Renwick wasn’t working alone. There was someone else, someone even more powerful pulling the strings from the shadows.

Renwick slipped the vial inside his coat and twisted on his heels. He paused on his way to the machine rumbling menacingly a short distance away.

“Oh. I almost forgot.” He turned and closed the distance to Viggo, an evil expression distorting his features. “Here’s a parting gift.”

Evander’s chest tightened, his body fairly vibrating as he vacillated between the urge to rush to Viggo’s side and not moving for fear Renwick would order his monsters to hurt the Brute.

“What are you doing?!” he demanded harshly.

His breath froze in the next instant.

Viggo’s eyes widened at the sight of the dark gemstone Renwick had just extracted from his coat. The Brute cursed and began struggling even more fiercely against the monsters restraining him.

“Don’t,” Renwick warned coldly when Evander finally gave in to his instincts and moved.