Death Bringer

“Says who?” Adam loosed the arrow.

“Me.” Vadim flicked his finger and set the arrow alight, scattering the charcoal ashes and then blowing them back in his opponent’s face. Adam disappeared, coughing in a cloud of black ash. Vadim turned back to the rock face only to see it vanish again into the floor. The bald sect member sent a blast of magic across the divide, and Vadim retaliated.

Could he create his own obstacles for the sect? He tried a quick spell, but nothing happened. Things were definitely weighted against him. Dammit, he hated being so out in the open. He ran for cover. Another blast followed the first, and he dodged that one too.

“He’s not as confident as the other three, Morosov. He fears you. Get in his face.”

Ella was obviously intent on giving him an in-depth analysis of his enemy’s thoughts. Not that he was complaining. From her position at the other end of the hall, sometimes she could see his opponents even more clearly than he could. And he was man enough to realize that in this situation, he needed all the help he could get. Instead of backing off, he ran straight toward the male, leaping the crater where the rock had stood and blasting magic from both hands. The bald one started to retreat, his terrified gaze on Vadim, his thoughts shouting out to his comrades for help.

He’d forgotten he had Ella’s empath talents. They might come in handy for tracking when his opponents intended to attack. Vadim kept going, then brought the man down beneath him. He kicked out wildly, screaming like a stuck pig. Vadim forced his head back, baring his throat.

“Tell me how to get my mate’s face back.”

“No!”

“Tell me.”

“Morosov, Red’s almost on you.”

Vadim sent a surge of power through his captive and the man went limp. He wasn’t dead yet, but he was definitely out of the fight for a while. He dropped the body to the ground and went to stand, only to be sent crashing to his knees again by the force of a magical blow. His left shoulder hurt like fuck, and his feathers were smoldering, never a good smell at the best of times.

And now he was pissed.

He gathered himself and ran for the next-largest obstacle, a three-foot-high wall, and threw himself over the top of it. Unfortunately, Adam wasn’t on the other side, which would’ve made things nice and easy. Vadim took a second to check out the condition of his shoulder, where a tunnel of flesh had been gouged out. There was very little bleeding. For some reason, his thumb was far worse. He sucked it into his mouth and healed it. Because of his opponent’s power, his shoulder would have to wait for some more serious magical healing. It was a nuisance, but any major wounds he inflicted on the sect would have the same longevity.

“Dude, where are you?”

Behind the laconic question, Ella’s voice was tinged with a hint of anxiety.

“I’m fine. The bald one is out cold.” He hesitated. “Why do you care?”

“Of course I care!”

“After that performance yesterday?”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Morosov, lighten up! I’m trying to save your ass here!”

“And why is that?”

The silence seemed to go on forever.

“Because after that comment, I want to be the one to kill you myself?”

“I’m up for that.”

“Awesome. By the way, Red’s devious, Blondie is worse, and impatient with it, and you already know Adam will do anything to win. I don’t think they’re strong enough to take you individually, although I’m not sure what will happen if they work in pairs.”

“Thanks.”

She sounded pissed but remarkably professional. At this point, he’d take it. He took a peep around the edge of the wall. There was no sign of anyone among the ruins, only the acrid scent of burning. Where had the bald guy’s body gone? He should’ve tried to secure it in some way.

“You should’ve killed him outright.” Her voice was hard. “None of them will give you a break, remember that.”

“You said he was the weakest. I thought to keep him alive and make him talk.”

“If you insist on having a confession, it’ll have to come from Adam. No one else will be believed.”

“At this point, I’ll take whatever I can get.”

He opened all his senses and caught a hint of movement and heat to his right. A flame flicked out from among the rubble, followed by an unearthly growl. As the elongated form of a black dragon slithered around the corner, Vadim’s hand closed around a large chunk of fallen stone. Glistening red eyes fastened on his, and the dragon took off, heading straight for his face. Bringing back his arm, Vadim launched his missile, imbuing it with deathly magic that made it glow like burning sulphur.

With a horrific screech the dragon fell backward, his wing and chest caved in by the force of the blow. Vadim didn’t stop to watch the creature come to ground. It was still capable of damaging him with its sharp teeth. He doubted anyone was going to bind up his hurts as they’d done for Ella. He sized up a half-fallen tower about forty feet away and ran toward that, aware of Ella in his mind, sharing his ordeal and lending her aid.

As magic crackled around him, setting the air on fire, he leaped the last few feet into the tower and hurriedly climbed the stairs to the top. It didn’t give him much advantage, but at least he’d have a wider view of the field.

“Why do they keep saving me?”

Ella’s voice was in his head. He leaned against the curved wall, breathing hard, and surveyed his surroundings. Down below, the dragon lay unmoving, a blackened shape draped over a low marble base.

“Does it really matter right now?”

“If I’m dead, you’d stop fighting.”

“Like hell I would.” He registered the glint of a sword tip behind the pillar directly in front of the tower. “Can we talk about this afterward? I’m rather busy.”

“But I have a feeling it’s important.”

“Well, let me know how that goes for you. Can you see anyone near the half-ruined leaning tower?”

“Only you at the top. Wait. Red’s opposite you at ground level.”

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Baldy’s still out cold, and Blondie is advancing toward the opposite side of the tower.”

Vadim shifted his stance and looked backward. There was no sign of the blond male, but he didn’t doubt Ella’s words. “And Adam?”

“Just hanging back, waiting to see if the others can kill you, I guess.”

“Reassuring as ever.”

“Hey, I’m doing my best!”

He didn’t reply, as Red had broken cover and was moving steadily in a zigzag pattern toward the bottom of the tower. Vadim waited for as long as he dared and then sent off a bolt of magic, bringing a teetering column down, hopefully on the male’s head. Unfortunately, when the dust cleared, Red was still advancing. A flash of