Page 125 of Ascendant King

The tree in front of us shook for a moment, then cracked in half, both sides falling to the ground, slamming into the trees around it. It tore branches, and I heard the yelp of wolves as they fled out of the way.

The fur around my neck rose, my lips peeling back from my teeth as I growled. A mage stood in front of us. I recognized him by his family. In House Bartlett, the Cox family had been middling. Only one member had ever been on the council, and he had retired before the attempts on Cade’s life.

None of the children had had enough magic to be more than nuisances to the more viable suspects in Cade’s assassination attempts.

There had been four brothers and only one sister. I struggled to remember which one this was, only to have Cade answer.

“Eric.” Cade looked him over, the swirling lines of Cade’s tattoos dancing in the air in front of us.

“Prince Bartlett,” Eric mocked.

“King Bartlett,” Cade said fiercely.

Eric laughed, the sound echoing off the trees. They trembled, but none tried to speak with us.

Growling, I stalked toward him, circling to the side. I could hear quiet movement, padding footsteps, as my pack approached. When I got close enough, I could smell, sickly sweet, the scent of the poison on Eric’s skin. His eyes burned bright with zealotry.

“You are not my king,” Eric said.

“I was made king by the House Bartlett council. I took control of our connection to magic. I named our compact withthe ley lines fulfilled.” Cade raised his chin, his dark crown forming on his head. “I am king. And I’m telling you that you do not need to fight me. You do not need to fightus. You are welcome back at House Bartlett.”

Eric laughed again, and I lowered my shoulders even further, creeping forward so slowly that the prey wouldn’t notice I was coming. Something was wrong.

“A crown and a ceremony doesn’t make you king. You’re nothing.” Eric leaned forward, his sneer becoming malicious. “The real king knows it.”

“No. Leon is no king. He’s conniving. He’s tricked you and anyone else that follows him.” Cade extended his hand. “Join us and stop him before he does more damage than he already has.”

Eric’s laughter grew until it was a physical thing, shaking the ground, echoing off the trees. I fought the urge to bury my head in my paws, blocking my ears. The first crack of magic felt like it split something open in my chest.

Cade gaped, staring as Eric leaned forward, gripping the crack in Cade’s shield with both of his hands and wrenching the two halves apart. Cade’s magic fell away, shattered into a thousand pieces. It moved sluggishly toward him until Eric stepped on it, crushing it beneath his heel.

The display of power was meant to frighten us. But we had just fought Phelan Morrison, the man with a rainbow of magic on his skin. This was just one man who had been given power beyond his needs.

“And I will be the one to give him what he wants.” Eric opened his hands, and charred skin fell to the ground as gray-green tattoos lanced off his palm, headed straight for Cade.

I crouched, springing into the air and catching a mouthful of ink between my teeth. As I tore it loose, I landed hard back on the ground, spitting it aside as Eric turned and gaped at me.

I leapt forward, crashing into his legs, sending him to the ground. I needed to get to his neck, but before I could reach, another wolf was there. I recognized it immediately as Heather.

Her gray fur gleamed in the dappled light, and her teeth raked over Eric’s arm where she pulled it, dragging him with her. I grabbed hold of his legs, pulling in the opposite direction.

He screamed, trying to hit at us with his free hand. Then, he stilled, even as Heather gave a vicious yank, dislocating his arm. Gray-green magic flowed off his good hand, wrapping around my muzzle and prying my jaw open so that he could slide his leg out.

The magic kept pulling, yanking my jaws apart. He was going to crack open my mouth, leave me with a dislocated jaw to match his arm. I whined, trying to paw at the magic, but in this form, I could truly only grip it with my teeth, and I didn’t have the jaw strength to close my mouth.

Something sinuous and cool crept over my vision, black scales visible for a split second before it wrapped around my muzzle, sliding between Eric’s magic and my skin.

Everyone is useless without me. What did you even do when I was dead? Smash rocks together and hope for fire?

The gray-green magic cracked under Basil’s sinuous squeeze. Suddenly, I could move my mouth again, my jaw snapping shut. This time, I didn’t hesitate, darting forward and tearing Eric’s throat. Cade slid next to me, running a hand up my back, and I felt a thousand tiny feet as his magic landed on me.

“There’s more.”

I turned, realizing what he meant. Heather had a dozen wolves with her, but that meant we had eighteen wolves and mages missing. Where were they?

A better question was who they were fighting that they couldn’t form up with us here?

I growled, and Cade’s hands tightened in my fur, the twitch of nervousness the only sign of the anxiety that had terrified him the first time I had shifted.