Clashing Tempest by Brandon Witt

Author:Brandon Witt [Witt, Brandon]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi

Chapter 22

“FOR THE thousandth time, it’s fine. Really.”

I stretched out my hand and lightly traced the costal veins of Schwint’s injured wing. He really did seem okay. I couldn’t see any fractures. The stained-glass-like segments were crystalline and whole. If I hadn’t seen the wing in its crumpled form, I never would have believed it had been damaged. “I just wish your leg was better.”

Schwint shrugged. “If I had to choose, this is what I’d pick. Wings over legs. Always. Between Newton and Caitlin, I came off a lot better than I might have. A little pain and limp aren’t too big a deal. It’s not like I’m crippled or anything.”

“I know. I’m not saying that, but I just hate I wasn’t able to stop Omar. Even with how much we’ve been working and how much my magic’s grown, it didn’t do any good.”

“We’ve been practicing like crazy, and you’ve increased your magic quicker than I would have thought possible. Besides, it’s not as if I wasn’t there and don’t have my own magic as well.” He leaned back on the bed, supporting his weight on his arms as he stretched out his right leg, his face scrunching slightly at the effort. “He caught us unaware. Even though I was nervous about him in the beginning, he’d become nothing more than a pain-in-the-ass old man. We won’t make that mistake with Gwala or any of the vampires.”

“I still can’t believe that Gwala actually had you taken to Caitlin and Newton.”

“No joke. What’s even more surprising is that he let them stay where they are. I mean, we knew that he was aware they were there, he had to be. It’s another thing to think he’s just going to let them stay there without taking action. I can’t fathom his motives.”

“I don’t think we can trust that Gwala won’t do something.”

A short laugh burst from him. “You think! As soon as we can figure something else out, we need to try. Not that I think we can get anything past Gwala in his country, let alone here on the peninsula.”

“Considering we weren’t able to get anything by him when we were in San Diego, I’d say that’s a safe bet.”

The ironic humor faded. “And maybe that’s the whole point. Why bother with them until he needs to? He’s got plenty to hold you to him the way it is. No reason to use all his leverage at once.”

“He didn’t seem to know Omar wasn’t helping me strengthen my power. So he’s not omniscient or anything. I just don’t know how to determine when we’re safe and when we’re not.”

“I think we have to assume we’re not. Always.”

We sat on our bed in silence, fingers intertwined as our hands pressed down into the soft bedspread. Schwint kept extending and flexing his leg, the entire time keeping a slow and steady beat of his wings, as if fearing that stopping might reverse the healing process.

I stared out the window, not that I could see much from the angle of where we were positioned on the bed.

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