Magic corrupts magic con.., p.1
Magic Corrupts, Magic Conquers, page 1
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Glossary
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Discover more romance from Entangled… Under a Wicked Moon
The Warrior King
Bjorn Cursed
Pirate’s Passion
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2023 by A.J. Locke. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.
Entangled Publishing, LLC
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Amara is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC.
Edited by Jen Bouvier
Cover design by LJ Anderson/Mayhem Cover Creations
Map by Melissa Nash
ISBN 978-1-64937-274-1
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition April 2023
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Chapter One
A cloud was following me.
I looked up at the tuft that bobbed about twenty feet up. As though we’d made eye contact, the cloud vibrated and swooped down, causing me to yelp and jump back. I reached for the Gladius sword strapped to my back before the cloud revealed itself to be a small magical construct—a Zaphyr.
Having been born into a world full of magical creatures, the last thing that should have made me jumpy was a sentient nimbus, but I guess the eight years I’d spent living in a magic-less world had left their mark on me.
How embarrassing.
The Zaphyr’s nebulous body was constantly in motion like roiling clouds. It was shaped like a cassowary, with a fluffy head graced by a long beak. It blinked sky blue, octagonal-shaped eyes before flying off to a young boy several yards away. He waved at me, then used his Wind Conjurer magic to make the Zaphyr follow him.
Despite being taken by surprise, it was nice to see the ease with which the boy handled his construct. I had always found the small, magical creatures Conjurer kids created to be ridiculously adorable.
“Were you about to attack a baby Zaphyr?”
I turned my attention to my best friend Gideon, who was fussing at the pauldron on my right shoulder. I batted his hand away and made a face at him as I resumed walking, catching Callan and Gideon’s husband, Toji, sharing an amused look.
I rolled my eyes as Callan recaptured my hand, taking a moment to enjoy the pulse of his body heat against my palm before I answered Gideon. “It caught me off guard. I couldn’t tell it was a Zaphyr at first.”
“Harmless Zaphyr or rabid cloud ready to rain down pain.” Callan chuckled at his bad joke, and I elbowed him in the ribs. My Familiar, Ashe, playfully swatted my back with her tails and looked away when I turned to glare at her.
“Whatever,” I muttered. “The way things are now, anything is possible.”
Callan squeezed my hand and I returned it.
He, Gideon, and Toji had had a few more days than me to get a grip on how the world had changed since I’d jumped back three hundred years and stopped a magical monstrosity from unleashing hell on earth and removing all magic from the world. With the crisis averted, magic was back.
And much of the world had developed very differently.
We were currently heading to a meeting with the Council members who ruled Nova Celes, the name of the territory where New York once lay. The city we were in, Triumph, was the capital, and corresponded with where the five boroughs of New York City used to be.
I was no stranger to meeting with high-ranking officials, but I was nervous because it was yet another new thing when I was still trying to wrap my head around how much the world had changed.
A wind buffeted my face and I turned toward the wide river we were walking past.
On the other side, metal and glass skyscrapers towered amid rustic buildings made of brick or wood.
The Empire State Building had still come into existence, as well as the Met, Flatiron, and Chrysler buildings. But there was also a lot of new architecture. Like the impressive, fifty-story, sand-lime brick building entwined in thick green and yellow vines.
Because of a Tamer’s plant-based craftmanship, none of the vines blocked the large circular windows that reflected the sun. Gigantic flowers grew from the vines in a multitude of colors.
It looked like something out of a fairy tale. Where a child might imagine a dragon curled atop its parapet, or kings and queens sitting on majestic thrones, giving quests to their loyal knights.
But…it was the headquarters for a newspaper.
“How’s your hand?” I turned away from the view and looked at Callan.
His free hand sported a bandage over a burn caused when he’d touched the Gladius, which was imbued with Divine magic. That was when we’d realized I was the only person who could touch it. Thanks to a burn salve and Callan’s accelerated healing as a magic user, he had narrowly avoided the hospital.
“Almost no pain,” he replied, flexing his hand. “The skin feels a bit tight, but I think in a couple days I’ll be good as new.” He looked at me. “And how are you doing?”
It wasn’t the first time he’d asked. The adjustment was a doozy for all of us, so I appreciated how much Callan was looking out for me even though he was going through it as well.
“You know that meme where a dog is sitting in a room that’s on fire and the caption says, ‘this is fine’?”
Callan grimaced, but I flashed a smile. “Kidding. I don’t feel that unsettled. It’ll just take some time to get used to magic being around again. But the fact that everyone knows who I am is…cringe.”
My personal visibility was infinitely more unnerving than anything else.
“Our little celebrity,” Gideon said. “Out here with three handsome men and no one is staring at us.”
“You poor, long-suffering, handsome men,” I said drily.
“You do look pretty badass,” Callan said, giving me an appreciative look.
“Can’t argue with facts, I suppose.” I winked.
I was wearing my new dark-purple armor, which was accented with silver stitching. The corset and pants were detailed with a half skirt at my hips.
The weapons bag Ma had given me had had other goodies in it too, like the waist pouch with potions and elixirs attached to my belt, and chest and leg harnesses for smaller weapons and supplies.
My hair was styled in a bun-hawk with slim braids at the side leading up to four buns down the center. Along with the Divine sword, I was eye-catching.
But the boys looked good too.
Callan’s icy blue button-down and black jeans complemented his dark brown skin and gray eyes wonderfully. His haircut was short on the sides with the tight curls on top well moisturized, and he had a couple days of stubble along his jawline.
If we hadn’t been running a bit late, I would have gotten him out of that freshly pressed outfit for a quickie. Or two. Or three.
Toji was dressed in a forest green shirt over gray slacks. His hair had grown out long enough to tie back in a short ponytail, and Gideon was gunning for it to get long enough for a man-bun. Gideon wore a burgundy polo and slacks, and I’d braided his hair yesterday.
They looked like they were going to a nice dinner while I looked like I was about to joust to defend my king’s honor, but we’d agreed wearing my armor would be a good idea for today’s outing.
“What do you think this meeting will be like?” Gideon asked.
“I dunno, but part of me is wishing I’d taken a few shots before we left.” A thread of nervousness wound through me, but I tried not to let it show.
“You’re a messy drunk. That would not have been a good look, my dear,” Gideon said.
“I’m not the one who got drunk and spent twenty minutes jumping up and down on my balcony trying to grab stars,” I fired at him.
“You promised never to mention that again,” Gi hissed. Callan and Toji l
I looked ahead and felt that twinge of anxiety again. “Anyway, we’ll find out what it’s gonna be like soon enough. We’re almost there.”
We were walking down a cobblestone road lined with small businesses. I felt both nostalgic and brand new as I saw places that reminded me of the time period I was born into existing alongside facets of modernity I never could have fathomed back then.
Outside a Tamer’s veterinary, a Bichon Frise puppy was inquisitively sniffing a standoffish Paunpa, a docile Wild creature that resembled a bear cub. Paunpa had insatiable appetites and could eat about anything. They needed extensive Taming to be comfortably domesticated. Else you might go to sleep on your bed and wake up on the floor.
Next to it, the sugary scents wafting from a pastel-colored bakery were making my mouth water. Across from the bakery was a bar where I felt a Water Conjurer’s magic ebbing against me like a gentle splash of water.
The shops petered out, and the cobblestones continued down a tree-lined path that provided shade from the mid-afternoon sun.
The Council of Nova Celes was located in a sprawling building in front of a spacious promenade of paved areas around well-manicured grass.
The large building was shades of gray and navy blue, its architecture graced by marbled columns, steepled roofs, and huge windows. Ivy twisted artfully across the facade. The building was impressive, but what made my jaw drop and stopped me in my tracks as we approached the wrought-iron gate was the statue in between the gate and the building.
My eyes widened. “I know you’re fucking lying.”
Gideon took a dramatic intake of breath as he slowly raised his hands to cover his mouth. Ashe whuffed curiously while Callan and Toji gasped.
“I’ve never seen anything more magnificent in my entire life,” Gideon whispered around his fingers. “Oh. My. God. Penn.”
I was staring at a fifteen-foot-tall, masterfully carved white stone statue of me and Ashe. I was astride Ashe, who was reared up on her hind legs, her thick double tails swooping around her. My face was frozen in a battle cry while I held the Gladius up high.
They’d even carved my hair beautifully; braids whipped across my shoulder or were suspended in the air.
“That’s me,” I said. “Me and Ashe. Ashe and I…”
Immortalized in stone. For all the world to see.
My brain felt like it was shutting down.
“Wow.” Callan cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. “It’s stunning, that’s for sure. Extremely impressive. Do you think there are miniature ones we can…”
“Finish that sentence at your own peril,” I growled.
“Stand in front of it. Let me take a picture or twenty.” Gideon pulled out his phone and nudged me.
“Absolutely not!” I resisted his push.
Toji was doing a terrible job trying not to laugh, and Callan did not seem inclined to back me up. Ashe went to sniff around the statue, and damn her, she obliged when Gideon urged her to sit next to it while he took pictures.
“Changer of Worlds,” Gideon said, reading the plaque at the base of the statue. “I love it. We must have T-shirts made.”
“Don’t you dare,” I snapped. “How long has this even been here?”
“Since eighteen fifty-three,” Toji said, also reading the plaque.
“Ain’t no way. No way.” Suddenly my legs wanted to take me not forward but backward. I actually turned, then stopped abruptly as a sudden, thunderous sound rang out. The boys made startled sounds and Ashe started growling as the ground briefly quaked. Seconds later, a strike of lightning came from the ground, bursting up with enough force to send clods of dirt flying and raise a cloud of dust.
When it cleared, I had another unintelligible, open-mouthed moment as I found myself staring at a creature I had never seen before.
The being was shaped like a human, but human felt like too small a word to encompass it.
It was about seven feet tall with broad shoulders that led to a wide chest and slightly narrower waist, and thick, long arms.
It wore stunning armor that looked like it was carved out of tree bark with shimmering veins of gold running through it. Its head was fully covered by a wood carved helmet, with eye slashes that shone gold. A crest of branches and vines arched up and over the top of its head like a crown. Twists of branch and vine curled around its entire form, blooming with small golden leaves and colorful flowers.
The word that fit wasn’t human but god. Was this some kind of deity?
Then I felt its magic.
Ancient and heavy, it flowed against me like a sheet of ice, yet under my skin felt like it was burning. The aura of its magic was intensely strong.
“Penn…” Callan sounded as shocked as I felt.
“Oh my God, what the hell is that?” Gideon’s voice was laced with fear as he stood close to Toji, who was looking at the thing as though he couldn’t believe his eyes.
I was right there with him.
We backed up, inching away slowly. Ashe was growling louder.
The being extended its arm, and I watched with eyes I didn’t think could go wider as vines and branches flowed down its forearm, across its palm, and extended into the air, twisting into the hilt of a sword from which a golden blade rose, starting as bands of magic that solidified into a curved, sharp blade that glittered under the sunlight.
I tuned out the chaos of people screaming and scrambling away as I drew my Divine sword, steadying myself against the pulse of celestial magic that circuited through me, sliding along my Shaper magic.
A beat of Temporal magic rose, thickening the air as Callan readied himself.
The creature moved.
It slashed out with that botanical sword, releasing shoots of vines aimed directly at me.
Okay, that was new when it came to swordplay.
Ashe jumped. I pushed Toji and Gideon to the side. Callan ran to the right, and I dove to the left.
I caught a thorn across the cheek and my eyes briefly watered at the stinging pain as the vines slammed into the statue, shattering it with a thunderous sound. I was hit with projectiles as rocks rained down and was thankful for my armor.
I ran toward the entity and slashed out with the Divine sword.
The attack was all blade, no magic. As I’d practiced with the weapon recently, I had become attuned to the fact that it released peals of Divine magic at my will. A surprising but not unwelcome discovery.
It met my blade with its own, and the force of our swords clashing was stronger than I could handle. I flew back like a ricocheted bullet and rolled across the ground. By the time I got my bearings and snatched up the sword from where I’d dropped it, my opponent was bearing down on me, and the son of a bitch was too fast for me to move out of the way in time.
Temporal magic made the air vibrate as it slammed into the creature.
Leaves in its path went from spiraling through the air to slowly turning as Callan slowed time down. The being didn’t slow down much, but it was enough for me to run out of the way.
It only took a few seconds for it to push through Callan’s magic and set its sights on me again. Its sword was raised, but one clash of blades was enough for me to know I couldn’t go head-to-head with this thing in a sword fight and come out the winner.
So it was time to see what Divine magic could do.
Ashe blasted the entity with her Divine magic, causing it to stagger to the side.
Divine magic had an effect. Good.
The being straightened up and a burst of magic released from it like a thunderclap. I was suddenly lost in a swirling haze of golden green magic, leaves and twigs spinning around me like a small tornado. The magic felt like thousands of tiny, sharp teeth were biting into my flesh. I cried out, trying to see through the haze.
A wind blew past me and the bite of magic dissipated.
I felt Ashe’s presence close by and felt another burst of wind from her tails that helped blow the magic off me.
I felt Callan’s magic and saw the creature slow down.
“Let’s give it everything we have,” I said to Ashe. She blew her Divine fire, and I lashed out with the Gladius.
When our Divine magic struck, it flared around its body, causing it to stumble.
