Ethan stared across the vast wasteland. He knew he should probably be afraid, but he wasn’t. If anything, he felt a sense of peace. One way or the other, the struggle would end soon now. Only a week before he had agonized over what would happen once his quest was done. But the challenges he would face in helping to build a new world should he survive now seemed far away. At this moment, all he could think about was the fact that he had arrived. His destiny was before him. At last the meaning…the very purpose for his existence... was being realized.
In the end, Kat had been surprisingly accepting that he would face Shinzan alone. She came to understand that she could do nothing to help and would only be a distraction, which in turn would allow Shinzan to use their love against them. Though it was hard, she accepted that he could not protect her and fight the Emperor at the same time. Nonetheless, he had seen the fear threatening to overcome her when they had parted.
“I believe in you,” was all she said after their lips parted from a lingering farewell kiss.
Ethan could feel Shinzan's presence standing on the far side. Not that he would advance any closer. To do so would stretch him to his limits. The dragons might be dying, but they were still fighting with every last measure of strength.
A strange urge to call out to Maytra came over him, even though he knew she was far away and busy guarding the eggs that would one day renew her species. Before long, the dragons would once again be the guardians of this world. And even if he should perish in this quest, there would be other Dragonvein’s around to know just what special creatures they really were. The son of Renald was still safely tucked away. Kat knew how to free Lynial, and with Lylinora’s help she would be able to break the wards without harming him.
Ethan blew out a quick breath. “I guess it’s time.”
The traveling spell would take a portion of his strength, but as he was only transporting himself, it would be an acceptable risk. The wastelands were narrow at the point where he intended to cross. If he wanted, he could make it to the other side in less than half an hour. Not that he planned to. A slower trip would conserve his strength. Besides, why be in a hurry to do battle with the most fearsome power in Lumnia?
As he drew near, he recalled with incredible clarity the feelings he'd had on D-Day moments before his
stick
made their jump. He had already seen half a dozen planes shot down, several of which had been carrying men he'd trained alongside and knew well. But as his eyes fixed on the red light, he could no longer hear the roar of the engines. Nor was he aware of the rattling of the fuselage, or even the flack exploding all around them. The world had taken on a surreal, foggy aspect, as if he were a spectator catching a brief glimpse of his own life.
And now, just as back then when the green light had blinked on, reality suddenly came crashing back in.
Without looking, he could feel Shinzan’s presence nearby and knew that his arrival had been noted. He wondered how long the Emperor had been waiting here for him, and if he might be aware of the other mages. If he was, there was nothing to be done about it now. Raising his hand back in the direction he had come, he sent a tiny ball of flame shooting into the sky. Just before the ball disappeared completely from view, it exploded into an intense white light. That was the signal. They would now begin the incantation.
“Calling for help, Martok?”
Ethan turned to his right. There stood Shinzan. He was clad in a crimson shirt and black trousers. His hair was oiled and pushed back, and his eyes burned a vivid red.
“I’m not Martok,” he responded firmly.
Shinzan cocked his head, smirking. “Truly? You have banished him from your body? How sad. I had hoped for a battle worthy of remembrance.” He slumped his shoulders and sighed. “Ah well, at least your mother will get to see you die.”
“My mother?”
“Oh, yes. I nearly forgot to tell you. Your mother lives. I’ve kept her entombed in a crystal all these many years. In fact, she is watching us as we speak. I would ask if you would like to meet her, but I very much doubt you would accept my invitation to the palace.”
“I can only pity a woman I have never known for having to suffer your company,” Ethan retorted. “But perhaps I should thank you, all the same. Once you’re dead I will then have the chance to know her.”
“I do love your courage. But alas, it will not save you.”
Shinzan’s arm shot forth, sending a streak of black fire spewing out in a tight stream. Fast as it was, Ethan easily deflected the attack and sent it harmlessly to the ground. Shinzan’s face went blank for a moment. Then a tiny smile crept up.
“Excellent. Perhaps this will be an enjoyable encounter after all.”
Ethan knew that his wards and protection spell would not hold for long once Shinzan began unleashing the full extent of his power upon him. With only the slightest flick of his wrist, he opened up the ground beneath his enemy’s feet. Shinzan immediately began sinking until waist deep into a hot black tar. Seeking to maximize his advantage, Ethan spread his arm to produce an orb of green light directly over the Emperor's head.
Even now, Shinzan appeared unconcerned. He merely glanced up at the orb and grinned. With a simple snap of his fingers, it blinked out of existence. Then, slowly, his body rose from the pit without so much as a small stain on his clothing.
“Did you really plan to end me the same way you ended the dragon?” he asked. “I truly hope that’s not the full extent of your powers.”
“Far from it,” Ethan replied. “
Mutirio anis mons
!” His voice boomed loud, shaking the very ground with its intensity.
A cloud of green smoke sifted up through the once again solid earth beneath Shinzan. His smile instantly vanished and his body flew skyward. But he would not escape that easily. Ethan caused the mist to give chase, following every twist and turn of the Emperor until it eventually overcame him. His flight immediately halted and he was left suspended in mid-air, thrashing wildly as the cloud grew ever thicker all around him. More spears of black fire shot from his hands, but these were absorbed after only a few feet.
Ethan felt a sudden sense of elation. Perhaps he had found a weakness. Could he now finish things off? At a snap of his fingers, he summoned multiple bolts of energy to begin shooting through the cloud from all angles into Shinzan’s body. It was a success, though only a short-lived one. In response, Shinzan wrapped his arms tightly to his chest. The attacking bolts, instead of penetrating the cloud, now bounced erratically off its edges. Ethan was very nearly struck twice by his own spell before he could bring it quickly to an end.
Throwing back his head, Shinzan let out an ear-rending screech. Ethan felt the air grow cold, and the ground begin to shake violently. A moment later, half a dozen thirty-foot-long serpents materialized in a wide circle all around him, each one baring fangs as long as a sword and scales that looked as if they were forged from steel.
With the deadly creatures slithering rapidly toward him, Ethan surrounded himself with a sphere of protective magic. At first, whenever each serpent attempted to breach the protection, it found itself repelled. He knew this could not last, though. The spell was being weakened with each successive strike. It wouldn’t take long for them to penetrate, and he had no intention of allowing that.
“
Bulario Vulturis
!”
Six enormous birds of prey with snow white plumes, savagely hooked black beaks, and massive talons appeared above his attackers. As they swooped down to pick off a serpent each, he saw that Shinzan had completely freed himself from the green cloud and was now drifting back to earth. His face was contorted with fury. Sparks popped and spat from red eyes that glowed far brighter than any blacksmith's furnace.
Ethan loosed a series of fiery arrows, but these only drove his foe back a few paces before the assault was countered. The blast which issued from Shinzan’s hands all but blinded him. With the serpents and birds melting away, he cast another protective spell, though this time to no avail. It was shattered virtually at once, along with all of his wards. He gave a loud grunt as the sheer strength of this latest attack forced him down onto one knee.
And then the world was suddenly still and quiet. Briefly drained of all energy, Ethan could only gaze at his viciously snarling opponent.
“I think it’s time you truly understood the power you are facing,” Shinzan hissed.
Before Ethan could react, the earth beneath him exploded, sending him hurtling skyward. Pain shot through his ribs as an erupting chunk of rock hammered into his flesh. Even though he then somehow found enough presence of mind to surround himself with a shell of magic, the sheer force of the flying rocks was so great that several more were able to pierce the spell and tear into him, one of them very nearly forcing his right shoulder away from its socket. Only when he had reached the apex of his rise and was well on the way back down again did he finally manage to bring some control to his downward plunge.
He was now hovering a mere twenty feet above what was a gaping crater several hundred yards across and more than fifty feet deep. Barely had he gazed down into the void when the ruined earth within its depths began to swirl violently, rising to engulf him in its maelstrom. He was trying to strike back, but could no longer see his enemy through the dense mass of swirling soil and rocks. Another of these crashed into the back of his head, scrambling his senses and causing him to lose control again. For a second time, he began to plummet downwards.
As his body struck the bottom of the jagged pit, he could feel several of his ribs shattering, robbing him of his breath. But where was Shinzan? That was still his first thought. Glancing up to the ridge, he saw the Emperor standing there with a triumphant little smile on his face. Ethan also saw that the vast vortex of earth had ceased spinning and was poised directly overhead. Without uttering a word, Shinzan allowed it to fall.
The instant it started to descend, the entire mass transformed into molten rock. Injured as he was, Ethan knew he could not move in time. Even so, he refused to be so easily defeated.
“
Noarno fel mons
.” His voice was more of a pained huff than actual speech.
A vertical blast of wind shot straight up, splitting the lethal barrage completely in half and then pushing each section to opposite ends of the crater. But this had only delayed things slightly. The bottom of the pit was rapidly being filled in, and with more lava continuing to pour down, it would take only a few seconds for the two ends to come together in the middle.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in his shoulder and ribs, Ethan struggled to his feet and sent a violent blast of wind straight at Shinzan. Though this did him no actual damage, that was never the intention. It was a diversion, nothing more. With the Emperor momentarily distracted, this allowed Ethan the brief snatch of time he needed to use a traveling spell to quickly carry himself up to the opposite edge of the pit, facing his enemy. Once there, he continued to protect himself from the scattering of molten rock still falling with a tempest of wind capable of blowing away any that came near. The two of them glared at each other across the chasm.
Shinzan rubbed his chin and gave a smile that was almost appreciative. “You are strong, I must admit. But you surely know that these pathetic spells are nothing more than pale manifestations. The power which I possess comes from a source that is far beyond your understanding or puny ability to contest. I think the time has come for me to demonstrate this to the full and end this encounter.”
It was a chilling statement of intent. Determined not to display any of the apprehension he was feeling, Ethan made ready to reply with confident words of his own. But before any came out, Shinzan suddenly staggered back several paces, a confused look on his face. He rubbed at his temple and shook his head several times.
Waves of relief flooded through Ethan. He knew at once what was happening. It was working. The incantation was weakening his enemy; and not a moment too soon. Up until now, he’d been afraid that the plan had not worked and that the spell was having no effect. Shinzan had not been lying when he said that his power did not come directly from Lumnia. Even so, Ethan had staked his life on the fact that it was still linked to the planet's core in some way or another. Had it not been, the incantation would have been useless. It was a huge gamble. But now thankfully, it was one that seemed to have paid off.
He grinned at the struggling Emperor. “Is there something wrong?”
“You think your trickery is enough to defeat me?” Shinzan roared. “I know what you’ve done, and you have not weakened me enough. All you have accomplished is to seal the fate of your friends as well.”
“You talk too much,” Ethan told him.
Shinzan sniffed. “And you have just spoken your last.”
This was the final test, as Ethan knew it would surely come down to. Only sheer power would ultimately prevail. Would he be strong enough?
Two opposing forces, the like of which had never before been seen in Lumnia, raced across the distance separating the two combatants. The thunderous sounds produced as black fire collided directly into the most powerful beam of green magical energy ever created by man, reverberated over and over, as though the world itself was groaning in agony. Ethan had never imagined Shinzan could be so strong. Even with the others draining so much of his strength, he was still more powerful than any mage who had ever lived…except possibly himself.