The Storm Tower | Vol.4, The Eldenarian Artifacts ✓

14.

Autumn drove a matte black all-terrain vehicle with tinted windows, heavy-duty tires, and a diverse assortment of military-related stickers on the back bumper. A spare tire was mounted to the back door. Through the rear windshield, he could see duffel bags and what looked like the outline of a rifle in the trunk.

Gulping, he cautiously approached the vehicle.

Just looking at it reminded him of the Arkangels. It even had their logo painted on one of the side doors. He rolled his eyes. Had the truck been fitted with a mounted turret gun on the roof, he wouldn't have batted an eye.

He didn't have a choice, though. Sneering, he climbed into the backseat and sulked out the window. Dorian got in beside him while Imogen took shotgun. Once they were all buckled in, Autumn turned the radio to a classic rock station and drove them out of Halifax.

Sebastian watched as the setting around them blurred. It gradually shifted from decrepit brownstone buildings intermixed with tall office buildings to colorful townhouses that reminded him of the structures in Amsterdam.

They passed through by a wharf that looked like it still belonged in the 1700s. Seafoam sprayed from where the tide hit the grey bricks serving as a barrier between them and the coast. As they drove across a bridge, he noticed all the boats crossing the water around them. He couldn't help but be impressed.

Even without magic, the Ordinaires were capable of creating incredible things. Unfortunately, that was where his praise for them ended. Too much of what they had done to his people over history overshadowed the good they did—which wasn't much in comparison.

They were the reason why his father and the Order were so hellbent on returning the world to how it used to be. The only difference was Thorian wanted to replace Ordinaire supremacy with magician supremacy. He didn't want peace. He didn't want to coexist.

He wanted to eradicate them. Entirely and completely.

It was a sentiment too many magicians could be swayed into getting on board with. That was why he was so dangerous. Not because of his magic or his magical enhancements. Not because of the Obscurio, which gifted him with more dark magic than anyone could have hoped for.

His unbridled influence is what made him the most powerful man on the planet.

"Where's your headquarters at?" Dorian asked. He had his head sticking out the window like a dog. Sebastian even swore he saw his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"You are such a dog."

Dorian retracted his head to glare at him. "Ruff."

"They're cute," Autumn said from the front seat. She peered at Imogen with a smile on her face. "Where'd you find them at?"

"Well, Sebastian kind of found me."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't exactly remember it happening that way."

"You still haven't told me who you are, you know," Autumn pointed out.

"And it'll stay that way."

The hunter scoffed. "Look, if I'm going to vouch for you when we get to headquarters, you're going to have to help me out. I can't just walk two outsiders and a—" She stopped.

Imogen pursed her lips. "And a what?"

"Nevermind." Autumn turned off the road and onto a dirt path diverting into the trees lining the lonely road in the outskirts of the Canadian province. "We're almost here. Get ready."

Sebastian glanced at Imogen. She looked like she wanted to continue questioning her cousin about what she was going to say. He was a bit curious himself. Whatever she almost let slip was something she didn't want them hearing.