Book 3 Special Edition Art Poll Ch. 14 (Patreon)

It's...another poll!

Abella looking like a bad-ass

There was a loud rattling sound inside of the golem, and it tipped forward, Abella squirming out from inside it. Her body was covered in rust, and she tumbled out onto the yard, her wings stretching out on the grass.

“That was close.” Abella held up one of her hands. Scorch marks stretched along her fingertips. “The core was in the head. Whoever put it together left a hole just big enough for me to reach in and crush it.”

“Mmm.” Yuki’s head pounded, and she leaned forward and put it in her hands. “We only have a few minutes until they come back. I have no idea where that key is. Honestly…” She looked over her shoulder. “It might be best if you just ran. I appreciate the help, but this will only become more dangerous.”

Yuki Summons Death

Yuki held up a card. “Three of us.” She slashed the card through the air, cutting a hole in reality. Dark smoke leaked through it, the sky above growing darker as the figure stepped through. Astride his pale horse, Death regarded the men and women before him with casual indifference, then looked over his shoulder at Yuki.

“Avatar of Death, this I command. Your contract shall not be fulfilled until you collect the soul of that man right there.” She pointed a finger at Amir, who leaned away in shock. “Death, deal thy sting!”

The horse let out a blast of air from its nostrils, and Death dismounted, holding his scythe above Amir. The society members backed away as Death silently strode forward and swung the blade through the leader of the society, who let out a scream and crumpled onto the ground, steam hissing from his wounds.

Mike gives Yuki her eye back

“Are you sure?” Ratu asked. “With this, you could have almost anything.”

A grim smile crossed his face. “I’m not sure of a lot of things, but this is what’s right.”

Ratu nodded, then looked down at the kitsune. “Then you’d better hurry.”

“Emily,” Yuki whispered, opening her eye. Her gaze fixed itself on the emerald. “Where…where did you…”

Magic. It was about passion. Intent. It wasn’t something he could command, but it was something he could direct. The dying woman in his arms needed more than just her injuries fixed; she deserved peace, a second chance at a life that had been taken from her. His own magic whirled through his limbs in response to his will, creeping through his veins like ice.

Touching the emerald to Yuki’s forehead, he leaned forward and closed his eyes, opening his mind and heart, looking past her actions and her mistakes. She wasn’t just Emily’s former lover; she was also a friend to the house, a writer of poetry, someone who had been hurt so badly on a spiritual level that she had been forced to lash out.