I brought down the dagger again, getting ready to move in case another, far stronger tear opened. Nothing happened. I did it again, but nothing changed. I gripped the handle tighter, not understanding why it didn’t work now when it had moments ago.
I sheathed the dagger, aching to check it again once we left this awful place. We ran away from the area, not wanting to see any more Will of the Wisps. Despite what had happened, I wasn’t sure if I could access the dagger’s magic again if there was more trouble.
Towards the end of the second day, we were finally free of the snake-infested, leech-sucking, mud-squishing, bug-biting, will-of-the-wisp-attacking swamp. And we rejoiced.
My power rushed back like an avalanche. I roared with power, barely able to contain it. I was alive, complete, and whole once more as the fire within burned as bright as the sun. My power wasn’t what made me a wizard, but it was a huge part of me.
Happy to be out of the swamp, we hurried across the plains to set up camp well away from it. We were too exhausted to look for any game, but we did scrounge for calamine. We desperately needed some because of all our bumps, welts, and rashes from the swamp.
We ate our cold food, quietly thankful to the gods to be out of the Dead Zone and one step closer to finding our friends. Would they be at Ashton, or would Malik’s information be proven false? Since I was going to Ashton, I knew I had a duty to warn them of Renak’s threat and of Premier. But after having my magic cut off and forced into a dungeon, I had to think of a better way to do so.
I took out my dagger and inspected it, using every sort of magical sense I knew of. Whatever magic I had briefly touched upon was gone. I sensed no trace of that power I had used in the swamp. There was no teeming of life, no magical glow, no buzzing of power. I even tried to tear a hole in the world again. The dagger didn’t work.
I gave it to Jastillian. I thought that with his knowledge of weapons and history, he might have understood something I missed. He too found nothing. All we saw was a well-forged dagger, but I knew it had some kind of undetectable magic to it. I needed to take it to someone more skilled than I or ask my mother what it was all about the next time I saw her. I put it away until that day came.
We traveled east towards Ashton, pushing ourselves hard. At the end of our first week out of the swamp, we stumbled onto a small town. We resupplied and bought horses for each of us. We asked around about any other travelers, but they hadn’t seen any fitting the description we gave them.
As exhausted as we were from the traveling, we only stayed in the town one day. We needed to get to Ashton as soon as possible to see if Malik’s information was true. I didn’t allow myself to get my hopes up too high, but every night I prayed to the gods that we found what we sought.
As we rode, I wondered if this was what the gods had laid out for me. Was I always meant to bring down the Great Barrier, or was that just a coincidence? And gods help me, I still believed Renak about the war between the gods. While one half of the council didn’t or couldn’t find any proof, it didn’t mean that it wasn’t happening. The gods did things beyond our understanding.
At the end of our second week, we arrived at Ashton. But before we could even ride into the city, two patrols met us on the outskirts.
Twelve riders wearing blue armor and uniforms closed in on us. My friends drew their weapons and I summoned my magic.
Ashton’s human soldiers had their swords drawn, and the elves trained their bows on us. I had worried a wizard might be among them but I sensed no magic.
A short, brunette woman rode out in front and said, “Lower your weapons.” She glowered at us from under her helm.
We hesitated, unsure of what they were going to do to us.
“We have orders to take you to Ashton, Wizard Hellsfire,” she said. “The council wishes to see you. All of you. If you please.” Her words were kind, but the tone was menacing. She placed her hand on her sheathed sword. A faint hum of magic emanated from it.
I didn’t want to see the council unprepared. Our plan had been to gather information in Ashton. We hoped our friends would be found here, but we didn’t bet on it. We were to talk to the innkeepers, the bartenders, the stableboys, and herb sellers. We wanted to know if any information could be found, since none was to be had in the west.
There was also another reason we didn’t want to see the council so soon. This side thought Renak did the right thing in the War of the Wizards. I could never get behind that, especially after visiting Masep and meeting Renak. He said he thought he was doing the right thing in protecting the land by stopping the gods’ war, but all he did was divide it and slowly destroy it. Ashton’s council might not hesitate to do things the way Renak would.
“All right,” I said, letting go of my building magic and feigning a friendly smile. “We appreciate your assistance.”
She grunted and motioned to the others. The rest of her warriors fell in around us while she led the way to the city.
I tried to make conversation with the woman, but she wouldn’t answer any of my questions.
“The council will answer all your questions, Wizard Hellsfire,” she said.
I sighed and let it go.
Around the city were many more troops than I expected. There were thousands of them. Their camps were like an ocean of blue, hovering above the plain’s green. It worried me when we passed wagons full of supplies. This army was mobilizing, but to where? Was it a great attack against the west, or something else?
The woman forced us off our horses. She and her men also got off with us, and we walked into Ashton. I craned my neck at the tall lookout tower. The tower had been repaired recently—newly cut wood covered part of the bottom. Two soldiers manned it.
As we traveled the city, the groups of soldiers we passed through gave us a wide berth. Some of them stopped and saluted the woman who escorted us. Much like Romenia, the buildings in Ashton were badly in need of repair. As we passed one, a shingle fell from the roof and nearly hit a child. She saw it in time and dodged it.
The ordinary people who lived in Ashton scudded around the throngs of soldiers. They looked weary, keeping their heads down and avoiding eye contact. They had the same haggard look as those in Romenia. I wondered what it was like for these people who had been caught up in a war for generations?
The only people who didn’t avoid the soldiers were those who were selling their wares. We passed by a boisterous man who quickly cowered when the four soldiers in front of his shop wanted to pay a cheaper rate.
There was one person who was unafraid of the soldiers. He didn’t wear a scrap of blue, and he passed through the throng, laughing and patting soldiers on their shoulders or backs. He stopped every few seconds to strike up a quick conversation. He sauntered towards us, and as he smiled, the grim soldiers around us did the same. The stranger wore shades of a neutral brown that matched his rugged face and ponytail. A black eye patch covered his left eye. Two obsidian daggers hung at his sides.
He bowed to the woman in charge and said, “Hello, Paige.” He smiled. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“I haven’t time for this, Fortune,” Paige said, but she did her best not to smile.
“That’s not what you said last night,” Fortune said.
Paige stopped marching, digging her heels into the ground and clenching her fists. Fortune grinned at her.
Paige turned and punched Fortune. Fortune looked more shocked than hurt, but he dropped into a fighting stance, grinning. None of the other soldiers moved to stop it. In fact, they seemed amused, and a few of the soldiers even placed bets. No matter how relaxed they seemed, though, they still had their gazes trained on us.
Fortune grabbed Paige’s next punch. He twisted her arm behind her back and said, “You know I love it when you play rough.”
Paige flashed a quick smile before elbowing him hard in the stomach. She used her heel to trip him. One could only imagine what kind of history these two had. When she drew her sword, I felt the magical enchantment that encompassed it. She pointed it at Fortune’s neck, drawing a drop of blood.
“It’s seems you’ve lost,” Paige said.
Fortune shrugged. “I have a bit of a depth perception problem, what can I say?” He grinned. “I don‘t normally hit ladies, but then again, you’re not a lady, my dear Captain.”
Paige sheathed her sword, and her face became stern. “If you’ll excuse me.” She picked up the pace, and we started marching towards the center of the city.
“Wait!” Fortune said, getting up and rushing to her side. “I had news to deliver about the information you wanted from the South. I’m sorry it took so long, but my sources finally found something.”
She raised her head, but she didn’t stop. “That’ll have to wait. I have to go see the council.”
“Very well. You know I hardly have a chance to come into the city and see you these days.”
“Not now, Fortune. I have business to attend to.” She glanced at him. “Maybe I’ll meet with you later.”
“As you wish.” Fortune bowed to her. “A pleasure to see you, as always, my dear Captain.”
He rose and his gaze met mine. He winked with his good eye, then left.
I didn’t have much time to ponder what that was about. Not long afterward, we reached our destination.
In the center of Ashton was a huge castle. The granite had multiple cracks in it, as if it were an old man. Bits of stone had fallen out, and one wall had collapsed. An open tower stood in front of the main entrance. Guards peered down from it, eyeing us as we made our way to the double doors below.
A goblin saluted and said, “Captain Paige. The council’s waiting for you. I’d be on guard if I were you. They seemed agitated.”
“Thank you, Whatu.”
I gawked at the small green goblin. I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to well-behaved, well-spoken, decently dressed, and almost nice-smelling goblins.
We ventured under the tattered blue banners hanging over the door and were escorted down the corridors. I felt a tinge of magic in the hallways and eventually saw why. We’d reached an area shielded by wards. Paige whispered the incantation to pass through them, keeping her voice low so that even the elves wouldn’t hear her.
As soon as we stepped through those wards, the council’s powerful magic was like a shining beacon. I gulped and glanced at the others. Rebekah loosened her collar, and Jastillian squinted his eyes as he stared down the hallway. Usually, I was saddened by how people couldn’t feel the way magic worked its way into everyday life. At times like this where it could be overwhelming, I envied them.
The goblin had said the council was agitated. I was going to have to face them and their magic, agitated or no.
We reached the end a quiet and gloomy hallway. A pair of guards stood near a closed door. Paige motioned for the guards to open the door.
We stepped inside the chamber. Paige and the other guards stayed behind and closed it after us. The chamber looked remarkably like the one in Romenia. It had the exact same design, from the raised dais with its stone table to the three chairs behind it, and no guards. The council was already waiting for us. Underneath their hoods, the dark colors of mana stared back at us. I rode their powerful, magical auras, trying not to be swept away again.
We bowed to them. I knew I going to have to take the lead again, but what worried me was that I had had no time to prepare. After what had happened in Romenia, seeing this council was our last resort, not our first. We needed to plan
after
seeing what information we could obtain in Ashton. Paige’s arrival had ruined any shot of that.
This was going to require a more delicate tongue than I had. The council already knew of me, but how much did they know?
“Hellsfire,” the master of black mana said. She pulled back her hood, revealing a young but thin and frail-looking woman. The dark power that radiated from her more than made up for any physical weakness, and her black hair contrasted with her pale skin. “I am Bellona,” she said, her voice like tar.
“I am Dorissa,” the water wizard said, her voice as hypnotic as the ocean. She exposed a young and pretty face. Her eyes shifted from blue to green, and she had hair that matched. I began to get lost in her eyes.
“Humph, I’m Zephyrus,” the air master said, his words as light as the air. He was the only one who had a wooden staff. When he pulled back his hood, he had a grizzled look with a long, frizzy beard.
I steeled myself against their fierce gazes and overwhelming magic. I had to tread carefully here, but I didn’t know where to begin. They knew so much about us and I knew so little about them.
“How did you know about us?” I asked.
“You’ve caused quite a ruckus,” Zephyrus said. “I heard you were quite the handful for the other council.”
How could word have gotten here so fast? Their spies must have worked quickly, or they might have had other means of gaining knowledge. I shook my head. That wasn’t important.
“No,” I said. “How do you
know
about us?”
Bellona’s dark eyes narrowed. “That is not important.”
Before I could respond, Dorissa said, “From your friends, the elves.”
Bellona glowered at Dorissa, but my spirits rose. “Where are they?”
Zephyrus said, “All in good time.” He chuckled. “You’re so bold. You remind me of a young Stradus. My old student taught you well.”
“You knew Stradus?”
“He was an excellent student, when he wasn’t worrying about the future or chasing girls.”
I grinned, thinking about that Stradus. I would have loved to find out more about him over a drink during more peaceful and less pressing times. I took a step closer and asked, “Where are my friends?”
“Don’t worry,” Bellona said. Her eyes shone with intense darkness. “They are safe.”
“We would like to see them.”