A Battle of Blood and Stone (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 4)

It really wasn’t a choice at all.

He’d stay and watch. He wouldn’t interfere if Lucien wanted to kill Micah with his bare hands. But he would be ready to lend his magic if Micah decided to pull on his twisted powers.

The punches were so fast that the sounds of fists connecting to flesh sounded like the rat-a-tat-tat of a machine gun firing.

Then their punches slowed abruptly, not because of exhaustion but because Lucien was going with power versus speed. He caught Micah in an uppercut so forceful that Carrick heard his jaw break.

Another punch, this one to Micah’s abdomen, was so powerful that black blood sprayed from Micah’s mouth, ensuring there was some major internal damage just done.

Micah bent at the waist in pain. Lucien brought his knee up viciously, connecting with Micah’s chin. The already broken lower jaw swung grotesquely to the side, and the creature’s roar of pain hurt Carrick’s ears.

Lucien spared a moment to look at his brother, shock on his face to see him standing there. It was clear he had thought Carrick should have taken the opportunity to escape with the Blood Stone.

It was that moment spared, only long enough for the brothers’ eyes to connect, that gave Micah an opportunity. Carrick barely saw it coming, but he saw enough to know magic was being used. Micah’s right arm lit up, a blinding white light from shoulder to fist. He charged at Lucien, broken jaw swinging but not seeming to affect Micah’s determination.

Just as Lucien looked his way, Micah swung a powerful uppercut and caught Lucien under the chin. Carrick would forever remember the moment as it seemed to happen in slow motion.

Lucien was lifted off his feet, propelled upward into the air by not only the punch but also the magic that powered it. Ten, fifteen, twenty feet upward, and then he was sailing away from Micah.

Toward the Crimson River.

Carrick was horrified as Lucien’s head turned, looked down below him, and he started flailing his arms and legs as if it could stop his trajectory. Carrick raised his hand, powered his magic, and prepared to pluck his brother out of the air.

Something slammed into him, an invisible freight train, and he went hurtling several feet, knowing Micah had hit him with magic. When he slammed into the ground, the chalice came free and tumbled several feet away. He ignored it, instead jumping to his feet to save his brother.

But when he turned that way, Lucien was splashing into the river.

For a moment, Carrick thought it would be okay. Lucien didn’t sink but rather seemed to bob on the surface, his chest and head above the molten fire. He didn’t catch fire or burn, just bobbed there.

His gaze went to Carrick, and their eyes locked.

Carrick saw it clearly on his brother’s face.

He was relieved.

It was then that he sank below the surface of the Crimson River and disappeared.

Micah turned Carrick’s way, and Carrick wasted no time. His brother was gone, but the chalice was within reach.

Lunging for the magical cup and gemstone attached to it, Carrick saw from the corner of his eye that Micah was rushing him. Carrick pushed from the ground hard, dove for the cup, and nabbed it from the blackened sand. As he did, he envisioned the rip in the veil, saw it open, and saw everyone on the Earth realm side looking back at the dark island expectantly.

Yanking hard, he pulled it toward him with a swiftness he’d never accomplished before. He rolled to his feet right as the rip came to a stop right before his face, and he once again made a dive to get through as quickly as he could.

And it was as he was diving through the rip, eyes locked on Finley, whose own flared with surprise as he tumbled through to the forest floor, that he became aware something was holding onto his leg.

Micah had come along for the ride.

“The chalice,” Micah roared as he jumped to his feet. He stomped over to a pine tree near the edge of the clearing. “Give me the chalice.”

Without hesitation, Titus and Pyke rushed to Carrick’s side to lend their strength and magic. Carrick was relieved to see Boral and Zaid herding Finley to the opposite side of the clearing.

It was startling to see Micah uproot a thirty-foot pine tree with absolutely no effort and swing it hard toward Carrick, but it was Titus who rushed forth to meet the onslaught with his battle-ax held low to the ground. Although human, Titus had a tattoo that was imbued with magic from Semper Terra that he pulled on to fortify his body and the ax. As the middle of the pine tree barreled at him, he swung his ax in an upward arc, cleaving the thick trunk in two.

The top half went hurtling, and Carrick turned to watch in horror as it started to come down on Finley. He prepared to flash to her, but instead was amazed to see Boral and Zaid push her down to her knees and wrap their bodies over her for protection.