The Nightshade Guild: Mage You Look by Abigail Kade (if you liked this book TXT) 📗

when she took that first step, everything started to happen at once. Somehow, Finn took the harness off and handed Ameria to me all in one sweeping movement, shouting, “Hold her and get behind the tree. Close your eyes and keep her safe. I’ll take care of you.” Then with a quick kiss on the lips, he pushed me around the side of the tree to safety.

That was very sweet of him, but there was no way I was letting him go up against these two alone. I created a playpen for the baby and placed her inside right by some bushes and the tree. The branches bent down to her, and she giggled as they tickled her cheeks. Seeing she was content, I placed an unbreakable shield around her and stepped to the side to see what was happening. I was much more a lover than a fighter by nature.That didn’t mean I couldn’t kick ass when it needed to be kicked. And these two? They needed to be kicked hard back to where they came from.

Maud and Claude had split up, trying to get on either side of Finn and divide his attention. He had backed up until his back was to the enormous tree, and I could feel him siphoning energy from the ancient oak for strength. When the two had gotten on either side of him, he raised a hand and sent out a pulse into the forest around us. Moments later, rustling from the surrounding underbrush got louder and louder as animals from all around answered Finn’s call for help.

A large twenty-point buck charged through the underbrush and barreled toward Maud. She raised her hands, stopped him in midair, and then threw him back into the bushes right before another deer charged her. She stopped that one too. But there were more and more running at her, and she was having trouble keeping up. At last, she was too slow, and one was able to charge in and push her down.

While this was going on, Claude was battling all the birds of the forest. A great horned owl was sweeping in on his head while a group of huge wild turkeys was gobbling and attacking from the ground. It was too much for him to handle. He threw something down on the floor at his feet, and a boom like thunder sounded before he disappeared from that spot, only to reappear right next to Finn by the tree. He was holding an arrow with the point straight up against Finn’s jugular in a blink.

Claude laughed a sickening, gurgling sound. His broken, rotten smile displayed the rotting core of his soul.

“Now that you’ve had your fun, let’s get down to business, Mage. Call off the animals, and let’s discuss you giving over the princess.”

Finn held up his hand, and the animals all stopped their attacks but still stayed at the ready. I could feel the respect they had for Finn in the air around us. They weren’t going anywhere while he was in danger.

“Good job. Now, tell your boy toy to bring the baby to us. We have a schedule to keep.”

Finn shook his head, pushing the arrow into his skin. He doesn’t know that’s what caused him to almost die yesterday. He doesn’t know that thing could kill him! I had to do something.

Walking around the tree, I acted scared and shocked at everything going on. I tried to act frightened of the animals while telling them all to wait for my signal. The large buck had come out of the underbrush once again, giving me a slight nod to acknowledge he’d take care of the situation when the time came.

“Finn. What’s going on? What’s happening?”

I hoped he would buy it. I knew after this, I’d have to explain it all to him, but right now, I needed them all to believe I was a silly human and no possible threat.

“Henry, whatever happens, don’t let these two have the baby. It’s very important.”

Claude gurgled his sick cackle again and pushed the arrow further against his skin, so very close to cutting him with the poisonous edge.

“Like a stupid human can keep us from getting her. You’ve got to be the dumbest Mage in the Nightshade Guild, fucking fag. They should have known better than to trust someone like you to an important job like this.”

I was done with this asshole. This needed to end. Finn must have thought the same because we both acted at once.

I swept my hand, giving the signal, and a rope of energy wrapped around Claude, holding him in place and letting him drop back from Finn. At the same time, Finn let loose a burst of energy that pushed Claude back into the group of animals standing at the ready. I watched as the animals descended on him, his screams died quickly, and the woodland creatures turned and went back to the forest, leaving the evil creature merely a lump of withered flesh and cloth on the ground. I turned to where Maud had been, but she was nowhere to be found. I had a thought and rushed around the tree to find the baby; worried Maud had snuck around to find her. I was right. She’d come back here to try to steal her while we were busy, but she couldn’t get through the field I’d placed around her.

“You think I’m a worthless human, huh, Maud? Well, think again.”

With a thought, she was tied up with a rope of energy, binding all the evil and blackness of her aura to her so she couldn’t move. She didn’t even have time to scream before the blackness of her own soul consumed her and left her in a pile of ash on the ground.

“What the hell are you, Henry?”

Finn’s voice coming from behind me startled me enough to spin around,