Page 20 of The Lawgiver's Firebrand
When Ari dissolved the magic barrier, Daire sprinted to the other side of the room. Rubeus lodged a succession of magical daggers at his cousin, topping off that spell by sending Daire smashing into a wall.
With ease, Ari drove Rubeus’s projectiles to the floor. Shaking her free hand as if relaxing it, she faced her cousin.
Rubeus launched another attack. A single conjured blade divided, splitting again and again, all soaring in Ari’s direction. She deflected the lot of them while Daire leaned against the wall, watching, his arms crossed but his muscles coiled to act. How long should he wait?
When Ari cast a spell, Daire shivered from the usual chill in the air. Summoning only one blade, she flung it toward Rubeus.
Her cousin raised a hand, palm out, his magic straining to force it to the ground. The knife wobbled but continued to push against his power. When it broke through, it drove deep into his thigh.
Before he could regroup, Ari summoned a swarm of bees and wasps. They surrounded her cousin, buzzing, stinging while he screamed and swatted at them.
Vanishing the attacking insects, Ari charged Rubeus, grabbing his wrist to prevent him from casting a spell while dodging his blade. She crouched, bringing her short sword under and up. Thrusting forward, she slashed her cousin’s chest, a deep though not fatal cut. “I don’t want to kill you.”
With one hand slapped to his wound, blood oozing through his fingers, Rubeus snarled, “Sad. Cause I’ll kill you.”
Daire wanted to end the guy. The warlock had invaded his space. Endangered his friends. Ari. “Did you start the fire?” he shouted.
With his gaze locked on the Firebrand witch as if she were the one to fear, Rubeus said, “Yes. In retrospect, however, it was an ill-thought-out, rash move.”
“How did you get into the gala?” asked Daire.
“The caterer hired me. I had a perfect spot in the kitchen.”
Ari held Rubeus’s attention with her sharp blade clashing against his sword.
Daire realized Ari’s heart wasn’t in terminating her cousin, who did not share her sympathies. Before Rubeus could deal a killing blow, Daire rushed him. Clasping his palm to the warlock’s neck, he fed.
Rubeus staggered. His weapon clanged to the floor, his fingers struggling to pry off Daire’s hand.
But the incubus continued to extract Rubeus’s lifeforce, wishing to see his skin shrivel as he died.
A persistent voice pierced Daire’s consciousness. Ari. “Stop. Stop. Don’t kill him.”
By the time Rubeus’s knees buckled, his body collapsing, she was shouting. Daire retracted his hand. The warlock was unconscious but alive.
Once Ari felt her cousin’s pulse, she tapped her D-chip. Disconnecting, she explained that she had called for Nace and Firebrands. They would claim Rubeus.
Upon their arrival, Daire assumed his lawgiver demeanor. While he questioned Ari’s commander, Rubeus stood frozen, locked in invisible bindings thanks to the Firebrand D-chip, which had many applications beyond a communication device. “What will happen to Ari’s cousin?”
“The Temple of Justice will try him. I see no problem with a guilty verdict. After sentencing, he’ll be transferred to Outcast Keep, the prison on Darque for convicted Aeternals.” Nace turned to Ari. “Why did Rubeus want to kill you?”
Ari ran a finger across her lower lip. “With me dead, I guess he thought he’d be summoned to the Firebrands. He believed in a one-family-member-per-generation rule.”
“The Phoenix doesn’t work that way,” said Nace.
“And why so elaborate a plot as setting fire at my gala?” added Daire.
Ari shrugged. “Maybe he hoped the blame would go to Arisen Dawn when I was found crispy in the ashes? He thought he’d fool the Phoenix? Crazy is crazy.”
Daire stroked his jaw. “It may have worked if the Arisen Dawn ylve had not jumped in to save people that night.” With a slow, building smile, he asked, “Is the rest of your family so bloodthirsty?”
“I’m not sure you’ll want to meet them, though they’d be all atwitter because you’re a high and mighty lawgiver.”
Daire moved close, looping his arms around her waist. “My brave and beautiful warrior.”
Nace’s gaze flicked from Daire to Ari and back again. Shrugging, as if dispelling his suspicions, he said his goodbyes and departed with Rubeus in tow.
With hands on her hips, Ari immediately gimlet-eyed Daire. “To clarify. I am not yours.”
