Free Soul of Sorcery (Book 5) by Jonathan Moeller

he won't be able to recover from his wounds!" 
    Mazael nodded and looked at Romaria. The black wolf's blue eyes met his, and he understood what she intended. 
    "Perish!" roared Ardasan, charging with sword raised. 
    Mazael blocked, backing away. Toraine joined him, and the revenant's fury increased, the creature driving them back step after step. Lion shuddered in Mazael's hands as he parried attack after attack. Ardasan simply moved too fast for him to land any blows...
    Then Romaria crashed into the revenant's legs. 
    Ardasan fell with a clang of black armor, Romaria's jaws clamped around his throat. The revenant roared and began to stand, grabbing at Romaria’s head. 
    Mazael's right boot slammed into the wrist of Ardasan's sword hand, pinning it to the ground. His left kicked the crosspiece of the black sword, ripping it from the undead knight's hand.
    "No!" screamed Ardasan, throwing Romaria off with a single powerful punch.
    Too late.
    Lion plunged deep into Ardasan's helm. Mazael caught a brief glimpse of the revenant's face, gaunt and bloodless, and Lion erupted with blue flame. Ardasan shrieked, every limb going rigid. Azure fire snarled around the joints of his armor, seeped from the fingers of his black gauntlets. 
    A flash of blue light, and Ardasan crumpled against the ground, dissolving into a pile of smoking ash, charred bones, and black armor. 
    Mazael let out a long breath and yanked Lion free. 

Chapter 6 - What We Are

    Lucan closed his eyes as the undead knight fell.
    The Demonsouled power he had stolen from Mazael raged in his mind, demanding that he unleash it, that he kill everyone in sight. He had used the power to augment his spells, permitting him to hammer past Ardasan Mouraen's wards. But now the Demonsouled power filled his mind, cajoling and tempting.
    He didn't care. 
    Before his ordeal in Arylkrad, he might have succumbed. The temptation now seemed like a distant, tepid thing. It still bothered him that he could remember nothing of what had happened in Arylkrad. But that was in the past. 
    He forced the Demonsouled power back into its well.
    It wasn't even particularly hard.
    "Lucan?" said Timothy. "Is something amiss?"
    Lucan laughed. "Other than that a horde of undead warriors emerging from beneath the castle? No, fear not, I am uninjured." Timothy was a good man and a loyal friend, though he would never wield the power Lucan commanded.
    Of course, that meant he would never make mistakes on the scale Lucan had. 
    "Lady Molly is injured," said Timothy as Mazael wrenched Lion from the destroyed revenant's head. "I should see to her."
    "I'm sure," said Lucan, "that Lady Molly will be fine." He felt his lip curl in disdain. 'Lady' Molly, indeed. The woman was unstable and dangerous. Mazael should have simply killed her.
    His gaze shifted to Mazael. Romaria blurred back into her human form and joined her, her gown torn and stained from the battle. Both began talking to Toraine.
    Lucan flexed his hands, considering the killing spells that he knew.
    Why not kill Toraine then and there? 
    He had caused Lucan so much pain. He deserved to die, and Lucan would enjoy killing him. 
    Why not do it now?
    "Lucan?" said Timothy.
    "Later," said Lucan.
    "What?"
    "Nothing." Lucan shook his head, made himself smile. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Molly sit up, rubbing her side with a scowl. "Perhaps you should see to Lady Molly." 
    Killing Toraine now would be counterproductive. It would almost certainly start a war between Mazael and Lucan's father. And such a war would make it difficult to defend the Grim Marches.
    And Lucan would do whatever was necessary to defend the Grim Marches from dark magic.
    As Ardasan Mouraen had just found out.

    ###

    "Perhaps I should reconsider," said Toraine.
    "Reconsider what?" said Mazael.
    He glanced in Molly's direction and felt a wave of relief as she sat up. He had been afraid that Ardasan had hit her hard enough to kill her. But if she was still alive,