Chapter 2222

The one of the left looked shocked."You find this amusing? Do I amuse you? That is the spell book of Eric Garcia, late son of Duke Wilhelm Garcia of Lanceshire. You will return it at once!”

Daniel rolled his eyes."Or what?"

"Or there will be consequences. We aremembers of Duke Garcia's family, sworn to the King, and tasked in the return of that stolen spell book. The book has belonged to the Garcia family for generations. It is priceless and powerful beyond compare. It has produced the strongest spell casters the Realm has ever known. You will return it.

"Also know that Duke Wilhelm has decreed youare responsible for the death of his son, Eric Garcia. You will return the book to us and face the consequences for the murder of Eric Garcia."

"On who's authority?"

The one on the right spluttered."On the authority of the duke, peasant!"

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Jasmine leaned in toward Daniel."I think he's right about that. I read that dukes have legal authority granted to them by the King."

Amy shook her head."Only on their own land. This is the King's land and city. They have no authority here. They're talking out their assholes."

Daniel looked at the two men."Is that correct? The duke only has legal authority on his own land? That sounds reasonable."

"How dare you question our authority!Handover the book and come quietly!"

Daniel sighed."Or what? Can you answer me this time?"

The one on the right reacted far quicker than Daniel thought possible. He spied the wan d in the man's right hand just as he lifted it from the long cuff of his robe.

Daniel and the witches had practiced for this kind of encounter for months. They had learned many new things together. For example, Daniel didn't need to control the

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pocket pussy and pussy balls any longer. Jasmine controlled them now and said she didn't even need to think about it anymore. Daniel felt his coc k getting rapidly pumped the moment he spotted the wand.

Amy had proven to be quite adept at raising shields. Jasmine said it was her private and demur nature and then fell to the ground laughing at her sarcasm. Truth was, Amy was really good at it and when she got angry, they grew really thick and powerful.

Jasmine had learned that she was a spectacular shot with ranged spells. She was bending them around trees and obstacles with ease.

Daniel was just a massive powerhouse. He could do all those things, but at a level that defied the mind.

Amber was still mostly an unknown. She had no limits they could find. She went from a wimpy witch bolt to being able to cast the most impressive spells imaginable. The only one stronger than her was Daniel.

The shield snapped into place and a surge of

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sexual magical energy flooded Daniel and rushed out through his bond to the girls. The two men continued their attack. Both had wands out and lightning burst with a loud sizzle and crackle of energy. Blue-white arcs of electricity hammered the shield and spread out across it.

Daniel suddenly remembered the fireballs thrown at him all those months ago. With Glenda's help, he had learned the spell. It hadn't been hard. What had been hard was holding it back. Daniel felt a strong affinity for fire. It roared in his veins. He could feel how to summon the heat through his mana. His sexual energy fed it like no other spell he knew and made it so simple to cast.

He cast the spell, and in the rush of fear and adrenalin, he pulled a massive amount of mana into it. He worried about it being too big and condensed it; the concept coming easily to him, and he casually tossed the small white ball in his hand toward the two men. Inside, he was seething with anger, and it too fed the spell. He was being assaulted again. Spells were being used against him in anger by pompous fools. His ladies were exposed and threatened. His

anger rose and with it, the power he put into the spell.

It flashed through the barrier and struck the man on the right. Daniel watched it instantly explode. A white burst of intense heat expanded into a sphere that engulfed both men. There was almost no noise.

The bubble was there, and then it was gone. Everything inside it was also gone. Daniel looked at the roof of the corridor and saw the sphere had carved out the stone. The ground was the same.

Daniel felt an intense weakness take him and he struggled to remain standing.

"Oh my Gods, Daniel!" cried out Amy."What thefuck was that?"

Daniel stammered, both impressed and horrified by what he had done."I-I don't know! It was supposed to be a fireball!"

Jasmine clutched at him."That wasn't a fireball! Did you teleport them, maybe? Where'd they go? There's nothing left!"

Amber shuddered."It was so silent. Just a pop sound. A little pop."

A massive pressure descended on them, and Amy cried out, and their shield shimmered and then disappeared. A weight fell on them, crushing them to the ground. Daniel growled, recognising it.

"Quinten!"he managed to gasp."Not again. Areyou stalking us?”

"Here we are again. You lot causing grief anddeath. This time, there will be no salvation. Those men were legal authorities of the Garcia family. They were protected by the rules governing the aristocracy. I saw it all. The One God declares you guilty and sentences you to immediate execution."

Daniel heard the rasp of a sword being drawn. He fought the pressure on him, but it was useless. The power was enormous. It would crush him in a heartbeat if it wanted to. But Quinten preferred the paladin justice with his sword. Daniel fought to free himself and save his girls. Nothing worked, and he felt despair.

He was on his side, looking up. He watched Quinten walk toward him; a grin splashed across his face.

He's enjoying this. A paladin enjoying the miscarriage of justice.

Daniel wasn't guilty of anything. He had nothing to do with Eric's death. He had found the book, and according to Grace, it was his. Salvaged with honour. The Garcia family had to merely pay a ransom if they wanted it back. You don't send goons to kill the man who found it. He had

This wasn't justice. This was a mockery. Quinten stopped two feet from him, glaring down. He raised his sword and Daniel saw the glint of an evil smile.

Yup, evil fucker. Knew it.

Suddenly Grace was there. As the sword descended, Grace, unarmed, deflected the blade away with a palm strike. Quinten, a trained professional, kept the momentum of the sword and swung it around, aiming for Grace.

The force pressing down on them disappeared, and they all gasped for air. They watched in awe as Grace fought the paladin. Her limbs were a blur and Quinten struggled to find an opening.

Pure light streamed from Quinten and flooded the air. It was almost too bright to look at. Within the light, Grace danced. With her bare hands, she parried Quinten's powerful sword. Each strike made the metal ring with a beautiful tone that Daniel would later remember with fondness.

The sound somehow reminded him of Grace. That pure power that drove through everything for truth. He knew he was witnessing good versus evil. Grace was the good. Quinten the evil. Just like in the stories his mother used to read to him at night.

His hands found the girls, and they clutched at each other, watching their friend and lover defend them. Daniel felt Grace then, hovering at the edge of their circle. Not part of it, but not not part of it, either. It was something in between and Daniel grabbed the power of the circle and thought about feeding it to Grace.

Not that she needed it. She was winning hands down. Her open hand swatted the sword away with impudence. Grace was playing with Quinten. Daniel could see her small smile. She was enjoying this. Wanting this.

Daniel grinned and fed her power, anyway. He saw the moment it hit her. Her next swat at the sword sent it flying. The blade embedded in the stone wall of the corridor, vibrating with a loud ringing sound.

Quinten stared in shock at his missing blade. It was unheard of to disarm a paladin. Their weapon was an extension of who they were. Quinten backed down immediately. When Grace made no further moves, he pointed a finger at Daniel.

"You have used black magic!You murdered twoauthorities of Duke Wilhelm!If I cannot execute you as the One God demands, I will see you in court. As headmaster of the Adventurers Academy and with you having committed your crime on Academy grounds, I have jurisdiction, as you are all students.

"You will report to the hearing hall tomorrow at

eight bells. You will stand trial for the heinous crimes you have committed. There all will hear and see the evil you do!A failure to appear will be an admittance of your guilt!"

Grace growled."That is preposterous even for you, Quinten!They were attacked and defended themselves. The Adventurer Laws permit this. You know this. What game are you playing? This is beyond stupid, even for you."

"I know that these students have caused enoughdisruption. Witch circles are an abomination! Your lies about their worth does not reflect well on you, Grace de Moroingi. Careful, or I will seek justice on your involvement with these witches and their pet spell caster. Tomorrow. At eight bells."

Quinten strode over to his sword and, with difficulty, pried it free of the stone. He examined it quickly, sheathed it, and stormed away.

******

THE WHITEHAVEN BELL tower pealed in the distance. The trial was being held inside the

Testing Hall. It had been rearranged to give it the appearance of a court. Daniel and his ladies, along with Grace and Jennifer, sat at a small table up front looking up toward the stage, where a large ornate desk now loomed over the audience of the large hall. Behind him sat the students and faculty of the Adventurer Academy.

Behind them stood a row of guards, separating Daniel from the audience. In the front row, right behind Daniel, sat Jason, Brian, and Bitty. Row upon row of students and others sat in seats, watching Daniel and the girls. Expressions ranged from curiosity to open hatred. A small contingent of gnomes stood on their seats in the back corner of the room and regarded Daniel with sympathetic eyes. The audience spoke in hushed tones, but overall, the noise was loud.

In front of the guards, and to their right, stood another table. Behind it sat the same man Daniel had seen in the audience during his testing. He was sure he was looking at Duke Wilhelm Garcia, father to the late Eric Garcia. With the grey-haired duke sat two other men, wearing what looked like legal robes. The men were pouring over thick tomes and scratching

notes with quills. The duke kept glaring at Daniel.

Daniel looked up at the stained-glass windows surrounding the hall and counted the bells and when the eighth bell rang and seemed to hang in the air, a side door to the stage opened and Quinten strode through. His armour and visage burned bright with the power of his One God. Daniel could barely look at him, and when he did, spots formed. He looked at his ladies and could see their concern. They were clearly innocent, but that didn't seem to bother Quinten.