Page 66 of Three Scorched Kingdoms

Aries merely glares at him.

“How did you get here without the book?” I demand—curiosity and worry driving me.

His lips twist smugly. “My time as Head Librarian has been productive as well.”

“You can portal without the books,” I say.

It’s not a question, but Constantine’s ego won’t let him miss a chance to brag about his capabilities either. “The library’s magic,fused with my own, is a powerful doorway. Now, those doors open for me at will. But if you prefer a portal…”

He waves his hand, and a dark, swirling portal opens farther down the hillside. I spot Mag and Blossom leading a group of soldiers toward us, but they stop short at the sight of the portal cutting off their path forward.

No.

Not the portal itself.

The dark and disgusting creatures that pour out of it are a far bigger threat than the doorway between worlds. Even bigger than the orc army we’ve just defeated.

Hellhounds, basilisks, and a minotaur rush out of the portal onto the battlefield. The soldiers cry out in shock, but Blossom and Mag don’t hesitate to slash at the monsters with their swords. The minotaur manages to get inside Blossom’s defenses, but Mag shoves his body in front of hers, the blow clanging against Mag’s stony exterior. Blossom sweeps in from the side and puts her sword through the minotaur’s thigh. It jumps back to avoid another hit but looks ready to try again.

I resist the urge to offer help, knowing it will only give Constantine the meal he so desperately wants.

When I look back at him, he’s grinning, proving my suspicions.

My hands curl into fists.

“This ends today,” I say.

“Oh yes, little mage,” Constantine says, his eyes gleaming as battle cries and clashing swords ring out around us. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Aries reaches him first, his sword slashing through the air, but Constantine deflects the blow with a wave of his hand, the force of it sending Aries stumbling back. Aries straightens, and we share a look. I nod, and he attacks again. This time, I conjurea shield to take the brunt of Constantine’s counter-blow, and Aries manages a swipe that slices into Constantine’s arm.

Blood appears in the wound, and I watch, satisfied, as it stains his coat.

With a hiss, Constantine waves his other hand, and an invisible force knocks Aries back again. Then he focuses on me, sucking up my magic as if through a straw. I cut it off as he pauses, his eyes narrowing.

“So, the little mage thinks she can play with the big boys,” Constantine sneers, his voice dripping with contempt.

“Let’s see if you can keep up,” I snap back, raising my hands to go again.

Aries and I move as one, with me on defense and him on offense, each strike designed to push Constantine back, to wear him down. After each defensive maneuver, I yank my magic back to me, turning it off before he can siphon it away. But he’s strong—stronger than I anticipated—and he’s not just deflecting our blows; he’s absorbing them.

A process that only makes him more dangerous, more powerful.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Blossom and Mag and the other soldiers battling the creatures that pour from the portal. For every monster they take out, more appear.

Shutting down the portal would take more concentration than I can spare, so I focus on Constantine—and Aries’ attempts to get past the asshole’s shields.

Again and again, we strike and block.

The ground trembles beneath us as our powers clash, the very air crackling with energy. The world narrows to the three of us, the battle fading into the background as we fight for control, for survival.

Aries brings his sword down hard toward Constantine’s outstretched arm. The sight of the blade sends Constantinestepping back, and I act fast, creating a large hole in the hillside behind him. His boot hits the ledge, and he tips backward, his balance shifting with his momentum.

My breath catches, but I don’t stop there, conjuring a portal at the bottom of the hole. Unlike the one I made to bring us here, this one is remade from all the worst parts of the dark prison worlds Hoc and the other Keepers trained me to avoid at all costs. It’s a risk to create it here, now, but we have to do something before his creatures overrun our army.

Or worse, he drains all my magic away.

Even from here, the portal’s force whips my hair as it attempts to suck Constantine into its swirling depths.

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