Page 81 of Ascendant King

“So it is done!” Sonja shouted.

A shock wave shook the room, sending books and papers flying. Attacking mages were thrown off their feet. Petrona landed on her side with a violent crack. Even inside the circle, Sonja had to take a few steps back, bracing herself with Tyson’s help.

“I am House Bartlett,” Cade said. “I amking, and my word islaw. You will stand down.”

He directed his words at the remaining mages.

One of them stood, laughing. “False king wears a false crown. We will not bow to you.”

Cade snarled. “I am king of this house. Stand down.”

His words sent another shock wave through the room, and of the remaining three mages, two went down on their knees, although they struggled to their feet a moment later.

“You are not our king. Your father’s sins must be paid for in blood. Wedemandyour blood.” The mage’s voice didn’t even tremble, although I could see when he locked his knees, forcing himself to stay standing.

“My father’s sins?” Cade’s brows twitched, but before he could ask any further questions, the three mages launched their assault.

My muscles burned as I shoved off the ground, sprinting forward, but I was too late. Their magic destroyed what was left of Petrona’s spell.

Blue lines of ink fell to the ground, shattering into a thousand pieces. Cade raised his hand, and a wall of black rose in front of him, the lines of tattoo so thick that they vined together, spreading out in front of him with fractal efficiency.

The mages’ spells bounced off, landing heavily. Then, Cade’s magic advanced, wrapping around them and lifting them off the ground.

“I amking.” Cade walked forward, his boots clicking on the ground. His shirt was pure white, his tattoos as dark as midnight. When he gazed at the three suspended mages, an inky crown formed in the air, settling on his head.

It absorbed all the light in the room, making his skin look even paler, his eyes as blue as sapphires.

“I am king of House Bartlett. IamHouse Bartlett.” He let the men fall, his magic pinning them to the ground. “Where is my cousin?”

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

The mages refused to respond.

From their clenched jaws and mulish expressions, we weren’t going to get any answers out of them without a struggle. Despite his power, despite the display of magic, they weren’t afraid of Cade.

Frustrated, Cade lifted his chin, and I saw a snap in his eyes that indicated something bad was about to happen. I turned, opening the door to the library. Nia darted through first, Gabe and Heather following behind. They immediately pounced on the mages.

“We need iron,” I said to Nia.

She quirked an eyebrow, a slow smile spreading on her face. With a snap of her fingers, one of the wolves from the hallway came in, his arms laden down with iron chains.

It took only a few moments for us to bind the mages, and by the time we finished, Cade’s expression had faded from enraged to simply angry.

I crouched low in front of one of the bound mages, Cade looming behind me, out of reach of the iron chains, if the mage wanted to lunge at him.

“So. Leon. He ran away because he knew that we were about to do some real damage. He knew that he couldn’t beat us. He knew he couldn’t beat a bunch of werewolves.” I let my hands hang between my knees, then raised one suddenly. The mage jerked back. “Instead, he left you to take the fall. He left you to die so he could run away like a pup with his tail between his legs.”

“That’s not true. We were left to defend House Bartlett from the imposter. From the thief of magic.” The mage’s eyes went sharp, glaring at Cade with a ferocity that bordered on zealotry.

“While your master ran away, to do what? Hide?” I rolled my eyes, clicking my tongue against my teeth.

“No.” But the mage frowned, glancing at his companions.

“It doesn’t matter either way.Thisis King Bartlett now. And you are running out of time before he does something drastic.” I leaned in, stage-whispering, “Trust me, you aren’t going to like it.”

I let that simmer, let them sit with it long enough that their faces began to pale, their throats working, sweat stinking the air. Still, they didn’t break.