Spirits & Sunflowers (Maligned Magic Book 1) by A.D. Armistead & Austin Daniel

Author:A.D. Armistead & Austin Daniel [Armistead, A.D. & Daniel, Austin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-03-20T00:00:00+00:00

After they returned to their world, Tula exhaled a surprisingly loud snuffling snore that echoed around them in the mausoleum as Lucas gathered her up into his arms.

It had felt like hours but was in reality only a matter of moments. The little girl was fast asleep despite the movement as Lucas tucked her to his shoulder. “Thank you,” he murmured, meeting Adrian’s gaze in the relative shadows. “That was… Well. I wouldn’t have thought of it.”

“Thank you for trusting me with her.” Adrian felt pinned in place, hypnotized by the glint of candlelight reflected in Lucas’ eyes: living flames inside of emeralds.

“You receive the trust that you’ve earned,” Lucas told him quietly. “You don’t need to prove yourself, Adrian. Just don’t prove me wrong,” he added with a quirk of his lips. “Alright?”

“I think I can manage that,” Adrian agreed, cheeks warming. “Do you need help getting her back to your car?”

He shook his head. “Can I help you cleanse the space?”

“I wouldn’t want you to disturb her.” Adrian smiled slightly. “Go have your celebratory pancakes. I’ll be fine finishing up here.”

“That isn’t what we agreed to.” Lucas tilted his head curiously. “What’s the matter? I’ve never known you to pass on pancakes.”

“You’re sure I won’t be interrupting?”

“What on earth are you talking about?” Lucas wondered, stepping closer. “It was your idea.”

“I—Right.” Adrian nodded, glancing away from those eyes that saw too much. “Yes. I’d… Yes. I can have chocolate and sprinkles if I’d like, can’t I?”

Lucas uttered a peculiar little snort, shifting the girl more firmly to one arm. “I doubt that I could stop you. Now that I’ve seen your throwing arm, especially.”

“Pancakes, then.” Adrian snapped his fingers, making the candles wink out as one. He captured the magical resonance like smoke in the palm of his hand, turning it into a silver marble. He laced his fingers with Lucas’, gathering his keys. “Lead the way.”

“That’s a tidy little trick. What do you do with the marble?” Lucas asked as they climbed the few stairs to the gate.

“Shoot it into the harbor with a catapult.” Adrian lifted his brows, chuckling to himself. “I’ll show you sometime if you ever find yourself at my apartment.”

“Have you noticed any boats clustering there?” Lucas frowned as they stepped outside. “Divers? There’s still enough of a magical signal it could be picked up by the Seekers at close range—”

“Can you still feel the resonance?” Adrian blinked. Lucas must be even more sensitive to the arcane than he realized. “Most of the energy is consumed through the transmutation.”

Lucas shook his head. “There’s enough to trace—” He grimaced, glancing at him. “Probably not enough for the sensors, though; you may be right.”

“Hm.” Adrian squeezed his hand again, pausing at the gate. “I’ll run some more tests. I don’t want you to worry about it.”

“Thank you. I know…” Lucas winced. “Her mother never agreed with me. Called me a worry-wart and less favorable names. But then Teresa was sent to a tower, so…” He shrugged helplessly.

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