Chapter 41
Chapter
Forty-One
Percival watched as Ebony flew into the room, her eyes fixed on Sorceress Elayna.
There are too many sorcerers! Ebony can’t take them all on.
But then Uzoth flew in, roaring as he went straight for another of the sorcerers. The sorcerer turned on him. He fired a bolt of ice at Uzoth. The bolt struck Uzoth’s shoulder and shattered.
Uzoth didn’t even flinch. He grabbed the sorcerer and threw him across the room.
Wulfric, in werewolf form, sprinted in, running straight towards the other sorcerer. Wulfric knocked him to the ground.
Meanwhile Ebony flew straight at Sorceress Elayna. The sorceress threw up her arms to protect her face, but it was too late. Ebony dived and stabbed her beak straight into the sorceress’s right eye. Sorceress Elayna screamed.
“Percy!” Leo shouted as he ran towards him. He knelt by the chair, looking over the ropes.
“You came!” Percival cried out.
Leo looked up at him. “Of course I fucking came!”
Warmth lit up Percival’s chest. And despite everything, he smiled at the witch he loved. “Leo!”
Leo’s mouth fell open. “Do you…remember me?”
“I do.” Percival nodded. “I’m so s—”
A beam of light flew an arm’s-length from Percival’s body. It hit the wall behind them. A blast of freezing air washed over them.
Half a second later, another beam brushed past Leo’s body. Leo dived to the floor, covering his head with his hands. “Shit!”
Sorceress Elayna, now blinded, lay on the floor. Ebony dived at her, striking at her with claws and beak. But Sorceress Elayna waved her arms wildly, shooting beams of snow and light in every direction.
Another blast shot over Percival’s and Leo’s heads, hitting the ceiling above them.
The sigil encircling Percival was no longer activated. The sorcerers had been attacked and their focus drawn.
Percival closed his eyes. Although the sigils didn’t keep his powers at bay, he had still been drugged.
He tried to find that spark inside him. He clenched his jaw, trying to force it.
It felt like he was trying to hold on to a cloud.
His brows furrowed as he struggled to find the power of his flames.
A spark ignited within him. He focused on it and felt it grow. Heat spread through his limbs. With a cry, his eyes snapped open. A ring of fire exploded around him and Leo.
Leo sat up. His mouth fell open as he looked at the fire ring surrounding them.
Another of Sorceress Elayna’s random shots came straight towards them. It hit the flames surrounding them. It sizzled and steamed. Percival’s ring of fire protected them.
“Good work!” Leo began to untie the binding around Percival’s wrist.
Percival swayed as he kept the fire burning. Keeping it up took energy.
Uzoth flew straight at the windows, shattering through the glass and carrying one of the sorcerers outside into the air.
Wulfric faced off against the third sorcerer. His shoulder hung limp at his side as if injured. The sorcerer shot at him. But Wulfric dodged and lunged.
Leo finished untying Percival’s wrists. He moved on to the rope around Percival’s chest. Percival tried to help, now that his hands were free. But he barely had the strength to keep the fire protecting them. Once Leo had finished untying the rope around Percival’s chest, he moved on to his ankles.
Orange and gold flames burst, engulfing Cyprian, who lay on the floor. Sorceress Elayna must have killed him before Ebony attacked. Now it seemed Cyprian was in the process of being reborn.
Percival grunted as maintaining the ring of fire sapped his strength.
Uzoth flew back into the room. He strode towards Sorceress Elayna, who lay on the ground, still shooting in all directions as Ebony continued to swoop at her.
Leo undid the bindings around Percival’s ankles, tugging the rope free completely.
“There! Got it!” Leo said.
On shaky legs, Percival stood. Leo wrapped an arm around his waist. Percival looked around. He let out a breath. “It’s over.”
Uzoth dropped Sorceress Elayna’s lifeless body on the ground before Uzoth and Ebony. Breathing heavily, Wulfric stood over the other dead sorcerer. Percival assumed the third sorcerer was dead outside the factory. Uzoth had no doubt dropped him.
Percival relinquished his hold on the ring of fire. He also dampened any stray flames in the room.
Then Percival met Leo’s gaze. “You came.” Even after all the horrible things Percival said, Leo had still come to rescue him. “Thank you for coming.” He reached for Leo.
Leo wrapped his arms around Percival’s waist. “Of course I came. I wasn’t going to abandon you.”
“I’m so sorry, Leo. I’m so sorry for everything!” He touched Leo’s face.
“You remember me?” Leo gazed at him, brown eyes so hopeful.
“I remember you.” Percival cupped Leo’s cheek. “And I remember how much I love you.”
“Percy.” Leo’s face crumpled. “I love you too!” He buried his face in Percival’s neck. “I thought I’d lost you,” he choked.
“I’m so sorry, Leo.” Percival clutched at Leo. “But you didn’t lose me. I’m here. I’m right here, and I love you.”
Leo squeezed him. “My firebird. My phoenix. My Percy,” he said, voice muffled.
There was so much Percival wanted to say to Leo. But for a few moments, they just held each other.
Ebony landed on Leo’s shoulder.
Percival lifted his head. “Thank you, Ebony. Once again you saved my life.”
She cawed.
Leo patted her. “You’re my hero, Ebony. Thank you.”
Footsteps pounded down the corridor. Grady and Briar ran into the room. Surprisingly, they were covered in dirt and gravel.
“Fuck.” Grady looked around. He let out a breath as he looked around. “Is everyone all right?”
Percival and Leo nodded.
“I am fine.” Uzoth walked up beside Grady, wrapping his arm around Grady’s shoulder.
“What about this?” Grady pointed at the patch of dark-grey skin, darker than the rest of him. It was where the sorcerer had hit him with the bolt of ice.
“You do not need to worry, Grady. It does not hurt and will heal in no time,” Uzoth said.
Still, Grady frowned.
Briar ran to Wulfric, who had shifted into his human form. “Are you all right, Wulfric?”
“I think I’ve got a few injuries.” Wulfric clutched at his own arm. “But otherwise, I’m fine.”
“Where are the guards?” Uzoth looked towards the door.
“We managed to lose them,” Grady said.
“What guards?” Percival asked.
“The guards protecting the factory. We realised that although Uzoth could fly past them, Wulfric and Leo couldn’t.” Grady gave a half-smile. “So Briar and I led them on a merry chase.”
“Hey!” Uncle Ignatius gasped. “I am not fine! I was hit!”
Percival looked to his uncle. One of Sorceress Elayna’s stray shots must have struck him. But his uncle didn’t look to be on the verge of death.
“Untie me this instant!” his uncle yelled.
Uzoth walked towards Uncle Ignatius. Letting out a breath, Grady went with him.
Cyprian, now reborn into a phoenix chick, hopped across the floor.