Page 78 of Twisted Magic

“You’ll get your opportunity to disembowel some hunters, oh bloodthirsty one,” he assured her, pocketing the scope, so he could swing down to the ground, where a considerable force of El-Adrel wizards and familiars awaited, all armed for battle. Seliah simply leapt from the tree with enviable ease, landing soundlessly beside him. Good thing he wasn’t the prey she was after. He’d feel sorry for the hunters if they weren’t soulless abominations.

“All right,” he told the assembly, still rather bemused to have their rapt and respectful attention of a small army. Not bad for the House El-Adrel whipping boy. If only his younger self could see him now. He sketched out the map on a handy screen made for the purpose, lines appearing where his finger drew. “Here is the manse proper, with the drained lake in front, and the river behind.”

It had given both him and Seliah a pang to see the silver and glass dome of the Phel arcanium exposed at the bottom of the dry crater that had once been a lovely, calm lake. Hunters formed a ring around it, facing outward in guard formation, while automatons crawled over it, using tools to attempt to penetrate the tough outer shell. The upside was they clearly hadn’t found a way in yet. Also, Phel had been smart enough to collapse the silver tunnel that led back to the manse, a precaution that must have pained them but Jadren congratulated him for the foresight.

“Lord Phel is maintaining a ward here.” Jadren drew in the perimeter. “It’s closed overhead and likely below as well, as there are indications of attempts to tunnel beneath. We have to assume everyone is inside. We know Gabriel Phel, at least, is alive and well, as the wards are definitely his and standing strong.” He added that last for Seliah, who kept gazing longingly toward the manse as if she’d love nothing better than to run for it directly. “The outer perimeter of the attackers, both hunters and automatons, forms a ring here.” He drew in that circle as well.

“I propose this. We disperse all of you with the ability to deactivate the automatons in a wide circle. At my signal, we’ll approach, tightening our noose around them, taking out all of the automatons at once. A small group will move forward to take care of the ones attempting to dismantle the dome.”

“And the hunters?” someone asked.

“I have something up my sleeve there,” he answered, hoping he sounded confident. He had an idea, sure. Whether it would work? Up for grabs.

“Lord El-Adrel?” another wizard asked, raising her hand. It still took him a moment to realize they meant him with that title. “I’m familiar with the, ah, former Lady El-Adrel’s work on creating those automatons. They’ve been animated with Elal spirits, encased in protective armor. It won’t be easy to deactivate them, particularly from any distance.”

“It would be much more effective to detach the animating spirit first,” her familiar agreed, exchanging a look with her wizard.

“I’m sure it would,” Jadren returned caustically, “but unless an Elal wizard just happens to pop up out of the shrubbery, we’re fresh out of—”

“An Elal wizard like me?”

Jadren whirled, blinking just in case his eyes deceived him, and testing with his wizard senses just in case illusion magic did, not quite believing the sight of Alise emerging from a copse of trees. A young wizard followed her, looking as bemused as Jadren felt. Seliah, with a ululation of delight, bounded toward Alise, who manifested a warrior spirit in reflexive shock between them.

“It’s Seliah!” Jadren shouted to Alise, hoping he wouldn’t have to take drastic measures to protect his familiar from a friend.

Fortunately, Alise had already realized that, her wizard-black eyes wide with surprise and pleasure. “Seliah?” She knelt to embrace the big cat with zero fear, Seliah’s tail lashing with her own happiness. “You’ve found your alternate form—and such a gorgeously fierce one! Absolutely perfect for you. And I’m so happy to see you again.” She lifted her gaze to Jadren. “I wish the circumstances were better.”

“Nice of you to pop out of the shrubbery on cue, baby Elal,” he drawled, walking over to give her a hand up.

“Sorry about the lurking. We were being circumspect as I wasn’t entirely sure why you were here with an El-Adrel army.” She raised her brows, her accusation implicit.

“Ah, yes.” He stroked his beard, giving her his best evil villain impression, then swept a bow. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m the new lord of House El-Adrel, and this is my familiar, Lady Seliah El-Adrel.” Seliah managed a graceful bow also, extending a foreleg and inclining her large head. “It’s a long story,” Jadren added with a rueful grimace, “but my minions here can confirm.”

“All hail Lord El-Adrel,” his army chorused on cue, and he rolled his eyes for Alise, who laughed.

“I suppose stranger things have happened,” she conceded. “Congratulations. This is my friend, Wizard Cillian Harahel, late of the Convocation Archives.”

Jadren gave him a friendly dip of the chin, his curiosity more than piqued by the mild-mannered, scholarly looking guy. “And you, baby Elal? We understood you’d been packed off to the academy to resume your studies.” He waved a hand at Seliah by way of explanation. “Have you run away yet again?” He clucked his tongue at her, enjoying her discomfiture. “Does daddy know?”

“Hey,” Cillian said, showing some fire, “don’t talk to her that way. Lord El-Adrel,” he added belatedly. “And she’s Alise Phel now. She deserves your respect, not your mockery.”

“That’s right,” Alise said to Jadren, giving him a superior smile Cillian wouldn’t be able to see from his position behind her. “Show me some respect, Jadren. Especially if you want me to yank the animating spirits from those automatons so your people can deactivate them.”

“Well, you have learned to be a good little spy,” he allowed, grinning back. “I don’t suppose you come bearing evidence of Hanneil’s collusion in the fall of House Phel?” He kept his gaze on the Harahel wizard to catch his reaction to the accusation. Young Cillian showed no surprise, instead seeming grimly resolved.

“Not yet,” Alise allowed. “But we’re closer than before. We were on our way to House Harahel to petition them to intervene and review the records when I got the courier that House Phel was under siege.”

“I imagine they told you to stay far away, as they did with Seliah,” Jadren observed, “and, like her, you took that as an invitation instead.”

Alise didn’t look in the least chagrined, meeting his gaze steadily. “I could not hide in safety while they suffered, any more than either of you could.”

“Noble idiots, the lot of us,” Jadren agreed cheerfully. “Fully infected with Phel idealism.”

Seliah yowled in agreement, butting her head under his hand.

“Did Houses Phel and El-Adrel just become allies?” Alise asked with a quirk of a smile.

Jadren held out a hand and she clasped it. “The beginning of a beautiful coalition.”

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