Storms of Lazarus (Shadows of Asphodel, Book 2) Read Online Free

“Damn.”
    Ardis lifted her head to look around. Her neck throbbed with sickening pain. Konstantin hovered nearby with obvious worry. Behind him, the windows of the brick building stared at them like the empty eyes of skulls.
    Wendel nodded at Konstantin. “Archmage.”
    He said it the same way he did every time, his flippant disdain at odds with the begrudging respect in his eyes.
    “You’re welcome?” Konstantin said.
    “Now is when we say goodbye,” Wendel said.
    Without waiting for a reply, Wendel started to walk across the cobblestones. Ardis held on and tried to breathe evenly.
    “I was looking for you,” Konstantin said.
    Wendel stopped with his back to the archmage. He waited for a moment.
    “Why?” he said.
    “They said you were dead, but they never found a body.”
    Slowly, Wendel turned around. He kept his tone perfectly bland when he spoke.
    “You contacted the Order of the Asphodel?” he said.
    “I had to,” Konstantin said. “I need you.”
    A hint of desperation sharpened Konstantin’s voice. He dragged his fingers through his windblown tangle of blond hair.
    “For nostalgia’s sake?” Wendel bared his teeth. “You had us arrested, archmage.”
    Konstantin bit his lip and averted his gaze. “I’m afraid things went terribly wrong. I’m lucky that I came when I did.”
    “Very lucky,” Wendel said sardonically. “We almost escaped without you.”
    “How did you find us?” Ardis said.
    A little smile curled Konstantin’s mouth.
    “Vampires,” he said. “The best bloodhounds to hunt down a necromancer. They crave the taste of a man who can control the dead.”
    Wendel stiffened. Ardis flinched at his fingernails digging into her back.
    “Put me down,” she said.
    Wendel let Ardis slide to her feet. Her knees wobbled, but she managed to hide it. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms.
    “What do you want from us?” Ardis said.
    Konstantin’s jaw hardened. “You owe a debt to the archmages.”
    They did—Ardis couldn’t deny it. Not only had Wendel sabotaged Konstantin’s automatons, but Konstantin had let Ardis run away to Constantinople to save the necromancer. She knew they should repay Konstantin.
    And in all fairness, Wendel deserved some sort of punishment.
    “Follow me,” Konstantin said, “and I will answer all of your questions on the way.”
    Wendel stared at him. No doubt calculating the odds of the situation.
    “This is our best option,” Ardis said.
    Mostly because they didn’t have another one.
    “Let’s go,” she said.
    Ardis took a step toward Konstantin, which was a mistake. The world tipped around her like a chessboard losing all its pieces. She stumbled onto one knee and caught herself with her hand splayed on the cobblestones.
    Wendel clutched her shoulder. “You shouldn’t be walking.”
    “Can I lie down?” Ardis said.
    He squinted. “Of course not.”
    Ardis staggered to her feet and sucked in a long breath. Stars danced in the corners of her eyes. Her neck ached almost as sharply as the instant the vampire’s fangs had pierced her skin. Wind chilled her sweaty face.
    “Wendel,” Konstantin said. “For once, don’t be an idiot. You can’t keep running, carrying Ardis through the snow, praying the assassins don’t realize you’re alive. Come with me and you can have a real shot at survival.”
    Dizziness rippled over Ardis, and she blinked fast.
    “Very well,” Wendel said. “You win.”
    Judging by the ice in his voice, he hated saying every word.
    “This way,” Konstantin said.
    Wendel helped Ardis stagger across the town square. They reached a sleigh hitched to a matched pair of black draft horses. The great beasts snorted and pawed at the snow, heat from their nostrils fogging the air. Konstantin hopped into the sleigh and held out his hand. Ardis shied away from the steel of his gauntlets. She remembered the fire he had summoned from his fingertips to incinerate the vampire.
    “Let me help you,” Wendel said.
    With his