Twin Mages Book 4: Convergence

Chapter 11: The Final Host

"Why did it have to be Canada?" Cirra shivers, clutching tightly to the robe Master Landry lent her. "It's so c-c-cold!"

Agana sighs as the group watches from a window in an abandoned factory. It's been two days since she set off with these Sanctuary mages on a mission, and her frustration is mounting. "Was there truly nobody else we could have taken?" She asks smugly. "Leave it to Sanctuary to send a child on a mission of this caliber."

Didn't you leave me when I got captured, Agana?" Cirra asks before sticking her tongue out. Agana rolls her deep brown eyes with a scoff.

"Like I said. A child in an adult's world."

Leo turns around and glares at the two. "Will you two please shut up?" He pleads. "We know next to nothing about the mage we came here to find. We can't afford to let our guards down."

Lily nods. "He's right. We don't know if they can sense us, or what their ability is. We don't even know if they'll be friendly. So please act like an adult, Agana."

Cirra glances down to the floor. "I'm sorry, Lily." Agana ignores the twin's commentary, crossing her arms rebelliously.

Leo continues to look out across the street at a bank. Civilians walk in and out of the nearby restaurants and shops, talking on their phones and laughing, completely unaware of the absurd amounts of magic around them. And Cirra is right. Even though it's the middle of autumn, the air outside is unusually cold, chilling Leo under his grey hoodie and khaki joggers.

Leo feels a shift in the air around him, as if the composition of the atmosphere itself changed suddenly. In front of him, waves of mana surge from inside the bank like shocks from a bomb. "You feel that, Lily?" He looks over to his sister to see her stone floating over her chest, glowing brightly.

"Something's about to happen. Let's move!" Lily shouts, shattering the window with a blast of water before manifesting her wings and flying out into the sky.

Leo jumps out, landing on the street with a crash as he runs toward the bank. "Get out of the way!" He weaves between people frantically exiting the building. "Something is definitely going on." Leo thinks to himself. The people running out of the bank look terrified.

Leo enters the bank and is immediately met by the sight of four people with black ski masks and mana emanating from their bodies. Dozens of patrons are lying on the dark carpeted floor with their hands on their heads. He ducks behind a table that's been flipped on its side, concealing his presence from the burglars.

"Everybody stay down, and this'll go easy!" A woman shouts with her hands outstretched. "If anyone tries anything funny, you will all die!"

"No way to hide my magic right now." Leo thinks with a sigh. He steps in their line of view, igniting his right hand with flames. "You know it's not very nice to cut in line, right?" He mocks, drawing the attention of the burglars. "You can wait just like everybody else."

A man steps forward, blasting a bolt of yellow lightning from his hand. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" He yells.

Leo blitzes toward the enemy, vanishing from sight and reappearing to land a flaming punch to the man's jaw that sends him flying through a check out window.

Another mage blasts water at him, which he jumps over, landing behind and knocking the enemy unconscious with a blow to the back of the head.

"You two want some of what they got?" Leo asks with his attention turned to the two remaining burglars.

The woman who had spoken before steps in front of Leo, reaching her hand out. "You talk too much," she says, "I think we should change that."

Leo's eyes open in panic as he feels an odd sensation. He feels the air being pulled out of his lungs, literally taking his breath away.