Paige’s soldiers and my friends halted. They didn’t put away their weapons, but they did lower them.
“What are you doing?” Premier asked. “You were ordered to—”
“I was ordered to escort you to Hellsfire. I did.”
“You know these were not the terms of our agreement. They were supposed to be bound and imprisoned, not free and armed.”
“Not
my
problem.”
Premier glared at her. “You don’t understand what you’ve done. Foolish woman.”
His eyes darkened until the two globes became pure black. His power swelled inside him. This was the Premier I had faced the first time. Paige readied her enchanted sword. Premier couldn’t possibly take us all on.
Magic exploded from Premier and a gloom smothered the room, drowning out any and all light. The light from Paige’s sword shone in response, but not even her sword could draw out that much of Premier’s magic.
“Find him!” Krystal said.
We groped around in the pitch black of the hallway. I used my power to sense whether Premier was going to attack us, but I couldn’t sense any magic besides my own. Thirty long seconds later, the darkness lifted and Premier was nowhere to be found.
“Find him,” Paige said to her soldiers. “And alert the city.” She faced me. “We’re even now, Hellsfire. Leave Ashton and do
not
return here.” She eyed Fortune. “This includes you.” She stormed away.
“Paige!” Fortune said. “Paige!” He looked back at me and grinned. “Women.”
“What about Premier?” I asked. “He has to be stopped. Paige will need our help.”
“She can handle herself,” Fortune said. “She knows how to deal with wizards.”
“He’s
my
responsibility. It’s my fault he’s here in the first place. He’s weakened now, but you have no idea what he’s capable of, and I still owe him for what he did to the princess.”
“Hellsfire,” Krystal said. “Fortune’s right. Premier is no longer our problem, at least for the moment.”
I grimaced. “All right.” I would see Premier again and we would finish what we’d started.
“I suggest we hurry,” Fortune said. “Paige won’t be lenient for long.”
We exited the castle and got our supplies and horses. We departed Ashton and rode hard and fast, moving like a flying dragon. Fortune took us on roads Ashton’s army didn’t travel, but they added distance to our ride. I wished I had more of my rejuvenation potions so that we could push the horses faster. We had to warn Northern Shala before Ashton’s army reached them, but we couldn’t ride the horses to exhaustion.
We made good time. A week after we left Ashton, we arrived near the Ennis Mountains, where we would cross back into Northern Shala.
But there was one last obstacle standing in our way.
Ashton’s council wasn’t the only one who thought sending their army into Northern Shala was a good idea. Romenia did too, and we stumbled straight into their battle.
We got off our horses and crept toward it in complete silence. We stood on the crest of a hill, overlooking the struggle on the plains. My eyes followed two dozen of Romenia’s centaurs charging into the fray from their right flank. They tried to reinforce the line, but galloped into a wall of pikemen. I winced as their bodies buckled like exhausted horses, but their human torsos cried out like a man would.
A dozen of Romenia’s ogres bullied their way through, smashing through Ashton’s weakened line. The tiny humans were crushed beneath their powerful blows. It took half a dozen men to bring down one of the ogres. With their strong armor and broad swords, the ogres were nearly unstoppable. They cut a swath through Ashton’s line. If Premier had properly armed and trained his ogres, Alexandria would have fallen in no time.
A gigantic fireball crashed into the ogres. A green-robed wizard stood firm and hurled wind at them. One ogre was lifted a hundred feet into the air, limbs flailing. From behind the wizard, three dozen elves shot arrows into Romenia’s encroaching army. The army scattered, unprepared for the elves’ assault. The elves and wizard turned the tide, and Ashton’s army counterattacked. Dwarves took the lead with elves providing them cover.
A red-robed wizard sprinted to the area to counteract the green-robed one. Those two dueled amongst the intertwined blue and red armies. They cast spells and counterspells against one another, and struck at the opposing armies when they could.
Throughout the battle, about a dozen wizards, witches, and sorcerers were interspersed on each side. They struck where they thought their side could break through, and held where their line was weakest.
As I watched the bright and colorful manas blaze across the battlefield, a part of me marveled at how skillfully they used their magic. Then I glimpsed a gnome screaming out in pain as a wizard’s fire devoured her alive.
Magic wasn’t supposed to be used for horrors like this. Stradus had taught me it was supposed to be used to protect the people and the land. The two armies slaughtering each other here weren’t fighting in defense of anything. It was because of a war centuries old. A war that no longer mattered, with the Great Barrier down.
They were wizards. Couldn’t they see what they were doing? The ground ran thick with blood, but it also ran with something else. Because of all the fighting, the land’s magic was twisted and weakened. It was the beginnings of what had happened in the Wastelands and in the Dead Zone.
Far too much of the land had been destroyed because of magic, and they were bringing their war into Northern Shala to continue it, not end it.
All because of me.
I ignored the ground troops, peering past them to the vital part of the battle. None of the others could see what I saw, but the magical fighting between the council was much worse and could be far more devastating.
Both councils and the majority of their wizards had linked themselves in a group. Elite guards surrounded them because of how vulnerable they were to attack. The groups hurled magical tidal waves of spells at each other, the power soaring through the air, trying to splash down onto the other group. Brilliant rainbow light shows fired back and forth. Each side vied to be the winner and push past the other.
They used their mana within and drew on the land’s mana to strengthen one another. Together, they were able to perform complex spells that would have been too difficult or time-consuming to do otherwise.
“What do we do now?” Demay asked.
“Stay back, out of harm’s way,” Behast said.
“Fortune, are you sure you don’t know of another route?” Prastian said. “Anything would be helpful.”
He shook his head. “There was never any money to be made in the Ennis Mountains, so why would I go?”
“We’ll have to risk getting lost in the mountains,” Krystal said. “Our people must be warned.”
“And we’ll have to try not to run into the winning army,” Jastillian said.
The others walked their horses away, but I stood firm. I stared at the horrors in front of me, seeing how the magic scorched and twisted the land when it was deflected away. Couldn’t the council see what they were doing? They were wizards, for the gods’ sake! They had a duty to perform.
I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. This had to stop, no matter the cost.
“Hellsfire,” Krystal said, laying a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“Yes?”
“Let’s go, hero.”
I placed my bare hand upon her gloved one. “This can’t be allowed to continue.”
She paused and stiffened. “What are you saying, Hellsfire?”
“This war isn’t going to be brought to our homes. I didn’t bring the barrier down just for this senseless slaughter to continue. It ends now.”
She didn't say anything for several long moments. “I know you have great power and I’ve seen you do some amazing things, but you’re only one wizard. How can you possibly stop all this?”
I pointed at the councils. “You can’t see or feel the incredible magic being cast, but it’s there. They’re balancing each other out. Stradus once told me about how magic could be performed like this. The combined power would be immense, but all it takes is for one wizard to catch them off guard and tip the scales. That’s why they all have guards around them.”
“I understand all that, but what can you do from
here?
You won’t be able to get that close.”
“I know that, princess, but I have a plan.” I gave her a smile. “It isn’t much of one, but I need to
try
to stop them or at least slow them down. If I have the power I’ve been led to believe, I’ll be able to do it.”
Krystal looked like she wanted to object, but she nodded. “All right.”
She departed and went back to the others. I took out my book of spells, trying to see what I could do. I couldn’t perform many of these rituals because I didn’t have the ingredients or the time. What I needed was a brutal spell—one that was quick and powerful.
I rummaged through the pages, but couldn’t find anything. The frustration got to me and I crumpled the pages, almost tearing them. I flipped through the book again, praying to the gods that they could help or give me a sign, and my fingers found two pages stuck together. I pulled them apart and discovered the dangerous ritual I needed.
“Are you sure you can do this, lad?” Jastillian asked as the others came over to me.
“I have to, but I’ll need your help. I’ll be vulnerable. I need you to guard me, standing more than a hundred feet from me. It’s dangerous. The armies will try to come after me.”
Prastian nodded. “We’ll do it.”
“You’re all insane,” Fortune said. “You can’t take on two armies, kid, no matter how powerful you are.”
“You can always go,” Behast said, glowering at him.
Fortune threw up his hands in frustration, then smiled. “If I go, I’ll never see the rest of my money. Although I do expect double the payment.”
“You’ll get your money,” Krystal said.
He bowed and drew his obsidian daggers. “That’s all I ask, Princess.”
“Good luck,” Demay said.
The others walked away, except for Krystal.
She took the book from my hand and read the ritual. “Are you sure you want to do this? We could find another way.”
“We’ll never get this opportunity again, Krystal. A large portion of their armies are here. We can catch them unawares and possibly cripple them.”
She nodded, but her voice was quiet. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I know.”
She gave me a sad smile and crept forward until her body was snuggled against mine. “I could order you not to do it.”
“I’m not a part of your kingdom, Princess. In fact, I’m banished from it, if you’ve forgotten.” I gave her a playful smile.
She whispered into my ear, “You’ll always be a part of Alexandria, Hellsfire.” She pulled my hood down and kissed me on my cheek, using the cloth as a shield. “We’ll keep you safe. Do what you have to do and come back to me alive, hero.”
“I promise I’ll do everything in my power to.”
She smiled. “Good.”
Krystal reached into my robes, and I squirmed as her fingers tickled me.
“What are you doing?” I asked while stifling a giggle.
“Reaching for your dagger. I read the ritual. You need help.”
I did need help with one important part of the ritual. I was going to try to do it on my own or have one of the others help me. I didn’t want her to do it or even see it. However, part of me was glad she was here with me.
I nodded. “If this doesn’t work or you all are in trouble, I want you to leave. Make it back to Northern Shala...and tell my mother what happened.”
Krystal’s purple eyes became like steel, then softened. “All right.”
“Thank you.”
I pulled off my wizard’s robes and placed them on the ground. I rolled up my sleeves, exposing my bare arms.
“Are you ready?” the princess asked, grasping my arm.
“Yes, but please don’t overdo it.” I grinned, and she returned it.
I winced as Krystal cut a small incision in my arm until the blood flowed. Afterwards, I drew a large triangle on the grass with my own blood. I began to feel light-headed, but I had to make sure the imperfect triangle was big enough for me to sit in. I used my torn sleeve to patch up the gash in my arm. I tightened it hard with my teeth until the blood stopped.
She performed another precise and sharp cut on my other forearm. I painted the grass with another triangle until a hexagram formed. My vision began to swirl from the loss of blood.
“Be careful,” the princess said, catching me before I fell.
“Thank you.” I smiled, my head leaning on her shoulder. “But I think you cut a little too deep.”
Krystal returned the smile before tying up the gash in my arm.
“Be careful, hero, and good luck.”
She turned and went back to Ardimus. We shared one last look, and I watched them leave until they were well away.
I sat cross-legged in the bloody hexagram and took a deep breath. This ritual was going to be dangerous, yet I chose it because it should also be powerful enough to cripple the two opposing armies. If I had as much power as Stradus always believed, it would rush out, reaching even the council. If I didn’t, my plan would fail.
I closed my eyes and reminded myself that I was a wizard—an individual who brought magic together. I had a responsibility to the princess, to the people of Northern Shala, to the land, and to the gods themselves to use that magic wisely. The council and the others might have forgotten that over their centuries of warfare and bloodshed, but I never would.
I slid into a trance, blocking out all outside noise. The shouting, the fighting, the screams vanished until it was only me and my magic. My strongest magic roared deeply, taking over my very being.
The fire flickers into a spark. The sparks ignites into a flame. The flame shifts and burns into a shimmering fire. That great bonfire reaches into the sky, filling the entire area.
It sinks back down, moving with liquid grace, transforming into lava. The lava smothers and burns everything, darkening the sky with ash. It finally settles into a hole, becoming a lake of pure fire.