Magic Corrupts, Magic Conquers (Warrior of the Divine Sword)

Table of Contents Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Glossary Acknowledgments About the Author Discover more romance from Entangled… Under a Wicked Moon The Warrior King Bjorn Cursed Pirate’s Passion This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Copyright © 2023 by A.J. Locke. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher. Entangled Publishing, LLC 644 Shrewsbury Commons AveSTE 181Shrewsbury, PA 17361 [email protected] Amara is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC. Edited by Jen Bouvier Cover design by LJ Anderson/Mayhem Cover Creations Map by Melissa Nash ISBN 978-1-64937-274-1 Manufactured in the United States of America First Edition April 2023 At Entangled, we want our readers to be well-informed. If you would like to know if this book contains any elements that might be of concern for you, please check the book’s webpage for details. https://entangledpublishing.com/books/magic-corrupts-magic-conquers Chapter One A cloud was following me. I looked up at the tuft that bobbed about twenty feet up. As though we’d made eye contact, the cloud vibrated and swooped down, causing me to yelp and jump back. I reached for the Gladius sword strapped to my back before the cloud revealed itself to be a small magical construct—a Zaphyr. Having been born into a world full of magical creatures, the last thing that should have made me jumpy was a sentient nimbus, but I guess the eight years I’d spent living in a magic-less world had left their mark on me. How embarrassing. The Zaphyr’s nebulous body was constantly in motion like roiling clouds. It was shaped like a cassowary, with a fluffy head graced by a long beak. It blinked sky blue, octagonal-shaped eyes before flying off to a young boy several yards away. He waved at me, then used his Wind Conjurer magic to make the Zaphyr follow him. Despite being taken by surprise, it was nice to see the ease with which the boy handled his construct. I had always found the small, magical creatures Conjurer kids created to be ridiculously adorable. “Were you about to attack a baby Zaphyr?” I turned my attention to my best friend Gideon, who was fussing at the pauldron on my right shoulder. I batted his hand away and made a face at him as I resumed walking, catching Callan and Gideon’s husband, Toji, sharing an amused look. I rolled my eyes as Callan recaptured my hand, taking a moment to enjoy the pulse of his body heat against my palm before I answered Gideon. “It caught me off guard. I couldn’t tell it was a Zaphyr at first.” “Harmless Zaphyr or rabid cloud ready to rain down pain.” Callan chuckled at his bad joke, and I elbowed him in the ribs. My Familiar, Ashe, playfully swatted my back with her tails and looked away when I turned to glare at her. “Whatever,” I muttered. “The way things are now, anything is possible.” Callan squeezed my hand and I returned it. He, Gideon, and Toji had had a few more days than me to get a grip on how the world had changed since I’d jumped back three hundred years and stopped a magical monstrosity from unleashing hell on earth and removing all magic from the world. With the crisis averted, magic was back. And much of the world had developed very differently. We were currently heading to a meeting with the Council members who ruled Nova Celes, the name of the territory where New York once lay. The city we were in, Triumph, was the capital, and corresponded with where the five boroughs of New York City used to be. I was no stranger to meeting with high-ranking officials, but I was nervous because it was yet another new thing when I was still trying to wrap my head around how much the world had changed. A wind buffeted my face and I turned toward the wide river we were walking past. On the other side, metal and glass skyscrapers towered amid rustic buildings made of brick or wood. The Empire State Building had still come into existence, as well as the Met, Flatiron, and Chrysler buildings. But there was also a lot of new architecture. Like the impressive, fifty-story, sand-lime brick building entwined in thick green and yellow vines. Because of a Tamer’s plant-based craftmanship, none of the vines blocked the large circular windows that reflected the sun. Gigantic flowers grew from the vines in a multitude of colors. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. Where a child might imagine a dragon curled atop its parapet, or kings and queens sitting on majestic thrones, giving quests to their loyal knights. But…it was the headquarters for a newspaper. “How’s your hand?” I turned away from the view and looked at Callan. His free hand sported a bandage over a burn caused when he’d touched the Gladius, which was imbued with Divine magic. That was when we’d realized I was the only person who could touch it. Thanks to a burn salve and Callan’s accelerated healing as a magic user, he had narrowly avoided the hospital. “Almost no pain,” he replied, flexing his hand. “The skin feels a bit tight, but I think in a couple days I’ll be good as new.” He looked at me. “And how are you doing?” It wasn’t the first time he’d asked. The adjustment was a doozy for all of us, so I appreciated how much Callan was looking out