Page 79 of Arcane Entanglement

The closest conflagrations resisted his power, still tainted with dark magic.

“Dammit!” Evander cursed.

He retracted his powers and shuddered as he pressed his hands to his knees.

The water drenching the air dissipated.

Viggo’s stomach churned. They were going to need the Salamander Corps after all.

Evander wiped rivulets of sweat from his face with the back of his hand, brow furrowed and gaze dark with resolve.

“Viggo?”

“Yes?”

“Brace yourself.”

Viggo blinked at the warning, confused.

The mage straightened, his jaw clenched tight. He spread his arms a little and closed his eyes.

A different kind of magic imbued the air, strong and thick with the rich smell of fresh earth. The ground started shaking beneath Viggo. He stumbled and widened his stance, startled.

Movement drew his eyes. His breath froze.

Soil was lifting off the ground, tiny particles that moved against gravity as they rose in the air. Viggo looked around jerkily as the tombstones in the graveyard began trembling.

Evander’s eyes snapped open.

“If you can’t douse a fire with water, you can choke it with earth!” he growled.

The muscles in his neck bunched. He grunted, his face red.

Viggo stepped closer without thinking and placed a hand on his back. A tremor ran through the mage’s body at his touch. But Evander’s concentration never wavered.

Then the topsoil on the entire hill heaved, causing grave markers to tilt precariously and smash into one another, and the church building to creak.

Viggo and Evander were left standing on a narrow hump of intact dirt.

Chapter33

Viggo could only watchin heart-pounding awe as Evander’s magic blanketed the sky above the entire neighbourhood with a mantle of earth. Frightened screams rent the air as it swallowed the sun.

Wind magic swelled protectively around them a moment before Evander released the blanket of soil. It crashed down with the thunderous sound, smothering the magical fires and putting out the errant flames springing back to life here and there.

Viggo stared, his pulse racing so fast he felt fairly dizzy at the overwhelming power the mage was displaying.

Evander swayed.

Viggo caught him before he collapsed. “I’ve got you!”

Evander managed a weak smile and clutched his arm.

“Thanks.” He straightened on trembling legs. “I think I might have overdone it a bit.”

Viggo swallowed, his mouth dry. “Just a bit.”

His gaze roamed the shocking scene around them. Though smoke still clouded the air, the fire that had threatened to engulf the slums had died out.