Curse Of The Aswangs (The Vasquez Brothers #1)[COMPLETED]

43: JASPER

"Do you have any brilliant plans yet?" Zade shot at me, a hint of sarcasm in his tone despite the dire situation.

"Not exactly," I replied, my voice tight. "But I'm working on it."

Just then, I heard a commotion near the entrance of the shrine. A flash of light flickered, and I turned my head to see Dylan, glowing with an ethereal aura, charging at Enrique. The Aswang lord barely had time to react before Dylan unleashed a burst of light magic, blindingly bright, sending a wave of energy crashing into Enrique and knocking him off his feet.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" I yelled, my heart racing as the ropes slackened slightly from my movement.

"Let's go!" Frankie shouted from beside me, his eyes wide with excitement and determination. "Get us out of here!"

Dylan pressed the advantage, his voice ringing out with confidence. "You're not getting away this time, Enrique! Your reign of terror ends now!"

As the chaos unfolded, I spotted Ash and Trevor at the entrance, both moving with a fierce determination that ignited a spark of hope in my chest. They quickly scanned the scene before locking eyes with me.

"Jasper!" Ash shouted, urgency lacing his voice.

"Over here!" I responded, desperation fueling my words.

In a matter of moments, they were at my side, quickly assessing the ropes. I felt Trevor's presence next to me as he knelt, deftly working at the knots binding my wrists. The warmth of his body so close made my heart race, but I pushed the feeling aside.

"Just hold still," he murmured, his fingers steady as he finally loosened the last knot. The ropes fell away, and I could feel the blood rushing back into my wrists.

"Thanks," I said, flexing my fingers to get the blood circulating again.

Zade was still struggling against his bonds, and I turned to see Ash moving swiftly to his side, untangling him from the ropes while keeping an eye on Dylan and Enrique, who were now engaged in a magical duel.

"Ash!" Zade exclaimed, his face lighting up as the last of the ropes fell away. "About time you showed up!"

"Yeah, yeah, save the reunion for later," Ash shot back, glancing nervously at the ongoing battle. "We need to help Dylan."

I moved to Frankie, helping him free himself, and we quickly got to our feet, adrenaline coursing through our veins. The shrine echoed with the crackle of magic, and I could see the panic in Enrique's eyes as he dodged another of Dylan's light blasts.

"You think you can stop me?" Enrique roared, gathering darkness around him like a storm. "You're just a bunch of children playing hero!"

"Speak for yourself!" I yelled back, feeling emboldened by the adrenaline. "We're not going to let you destroy everything we care about!"

Trevor stepped in beside me, sword drawn, his expression fierce. "And you're about to find out how serious we are."

Together, we moved toward the fray, ready to join the fight. The tension in the air crackled with magic and uncertainty, but I felt a strange sense of calm wash over me. We were stronger together, and we had a chance to put an end to this madness.

As Dylan continued to push Enrique back, I could see the Aswangs surrounding us start to shift nervously. They were used to overwhelming their prey, but with us working together, it seemed like their confidence was waning.

"You think you're some kind of heroes?" Jose sneered, his eyes flashing with malevolent pride. "You have no idea what you're up against, what real power feels like."