Page 26 of The Misfit Mage and His Darling Demon

“Not here, Walter. Though, I’m flattered.” I winked, which he missed, of course, due to desperately dodging Novus’ flailing swipes intent on slashing my little mage to ribbons based on the augmented golden rings which now coated his fingers like an eagle’s talons.

Claws slashed at Wally, tearing his shirt and nearly drawing blood. Crimson glimmered beneath his tattered shirt. Thankfully, our longstanding bond had increased the lengths my Diabolic essence extended in protective measures. It now guarded him from more than mere mortal wounds, reacting to his subconscious instinct.

The Fae snatched Wally by his curls and flung him into a shelf. I winced from our shared back pain.

No matter. Wally was in no immediate danger, having the evasive upper hand from the infuriated fairy. Thus, I waited. If things got risky, I’d kill the bastard. In the meantime, I was more than satisfied observing and making a point.

Dropping to the floor, I sat crisscrossed with my elbows on my knees.

Antoninus hissed, pinching my ear from his perched spot on my shoulder. Fucking bug got his claw caught on my earring.

“Begone, pest.” I flicked a finger and sent the familiar hurling into a far-off bookshelf. Good riddance. His poor tutelage was the reason it took me so long to decode the damn card, making me nearly miss this delightful conflict.

His hiss sizzled out in the distance, and the angry clack of his claws grew faint. I stifled a snicker.

Wally traced incantations in the air. Their luminescence held the faintest orange hue, displaying how far his control over the Pentacles of Power had grown since most incantations cast only glowed a standard white. Thrown into the midst of conflict, Wally always flourished. He waved the incantations at Novus, caging the Fae, but not fast enough. Novus shattered into specks of glitter.

I shook my head. “Lazy technique, Walter.”

“Shut up.”

“Fine. You’ve obviously got this under control.” I pretended to zip my lips.

The glitter formation of the Fae flickered erratically as it funneled through the air, looping about and discreetly gathering behind Wally. Novus reappeared, startling poor oblivious Wally, whose elevated blood pressure suggested the teleportation was instantaneous.

The movement was hardly instantaneous, in my opinion. Despite the shock on Wally’s face. Nope. In fact, much slower and easier to track than at the theater. Perhaps with my emotions more in check, I was able to note his dimensional movements easier, or his fury prevented a proper stealthy shift between the atmospheres. Either way, killing him would be succinct as soon as Walter learned his lesson.

“Had I known I was in for such a show, I’d have brought a snack.”

Wally ignored me as his desperation grew. Channeling currents of wind, he sent stacks of precious books flying at the angry fairy.

I sighed, perhaps feeling a pinch of guilt for my adorably misguided mage. “I can offer assistance, but I need you to say those magical little words.”

“Help?”

“That’soneword, Walter.”

“Please!” Wally backed into a corner, whimpering and confused like an adorable puppy.

I crossed my arms, unyielding until he’d said the words. He knew them.

“I love you?”

“Bah.” I flicked my tails, sending a small spark of black lightning coursing between them but offering Wally nothing. “As if I’d be swayed so easily by declarations of affection.”

“Just kill him already!” Wally shouted.

“That seems rather dramatic.” I stood tall and stretched my arms, playfully grinning. “But I suppose if you insist.”

I ran at Novus, who’d finally acknowledged my presence and transformed into a glittering form, which he used to quickly conceal the presence of his Fae light beneath various layers of reality. Fascinating. He’d tucked himself behind the veil to hide his movements, whereas with Wally, he didn’t bother with such things. It was only through deep examination and unblinking eyes I could seemingly slow reality and study these actions that happened in fractions of seconds.

He burst into a glittering discombobulated form. He unzipped the walls dividing planes of existence. He jumped into this world of light. Now, he moved around like a rat under a carpet, the subtle alterations in the air revealing him.

Unveiling my wings, I slowed my pace, making it easier to pivot my direction.

He froze, still hidden behind a veil. Fool thought he was safe so long as he remained incorporeal, but I ripped my way through his villa, studying the hidden plane he kept us on so nothing about the frequencies of teleportation would catch me off guard a second time.

Coating my hands in essence, I tore through the barrier dividing us and snatched a clump of glitter. Tendrils whipped from my wrist, lapping up the stray magic of the Fae’s current form. He might’ve believed himself untouchable in this form, but with his Mythic residue divided a million times over as specks of twinkling dust, it was rather easy to eat.

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