The Spirit of the Realm

by Rachel L Brown

  “Then I can switch tactics and have them focus on sending fireballs,” Sade said. “Does it say how many are coming?”

  “About seventy.”

  “Seventy. They must be sending everyone in the area,” Sade gasped.

  “The only good news is that most of those Vestrals have seen no combat,” Corin said tucking the scroll into his belt. “If you can get these Initiates to at least conjure a damn fireball, then my plan should work.”

  “And what is the plan?”

  “We ambush them, take them by surprise. We cannot just stand around this damn field and become sitting targets.”

  “And what about the village?” Sade asked.

  Corin waved a hand toward the town. “That is Vestral Henry’s domain.”

  “Vestral Sade!” Leida ran up to the platform. “Come quick! Someone has turned their bucket to ice!”

  Sade did her best to look cheerful and went to inspect the bucket.

  LATER THAT DAY, SHE carried a small bag of fire runes she had gotten from Jerrick’s workshop back to the field. The villagers avoided her gaze when she walked past; most of them looked guilty and others afraid.

  She made her way through the gate, she spotted Henry carving something into the wooden walls. She moved closer and saw he was carving three runes, one for protection, one for dispel, and a combination rune to instill calm and keep out fear.

  She watched the magic flow from his hands into the runes; as the magic filled them, the runes glowed a soft white. The light faded and the magic nestled into the rune, staying hidden until it was needed.

  “Henry? What are you doing?”

  “Making sure the town doesn’t burn down,” he said. His tone was colder than the ice the Initiates were trying to conjure, and his shoulders tensed. He used the edge of his knife to smooth the edge of a rune.

  “Corin said the Vestrals who are coming have no quarrel with you or the town,” Sade said, adjusting her cloak.

  “We just finished repairs on the houses and buildings that were damaged in the fire. I’m not rebuilding those homes again,” Henry said. He moved to another part of the wall and carved out a protection rune.

  “You won’t be able to sustain the amount of magic needed for every single rune,” Sade said.

  “Sure, if I was doing this alone.”

  It was then she noticed the runes had glowed a soft green. His Goddess was with him. A good sign Sade was on the right path.

  “I see.” Sade started to leave but noticed Devin was nowhere near Henry. “Where is your young Initiate?”

  “Devin?” Henry asked before he blew at the carving; sawdust filled the air around them. “The boy is playing with his brother.”

  “What do you mean playing? He is now an Initiate and needs to learn!” Sade said. Henry turned around to look at her. His jaw was tense, and his green eyes had turned dark with anger.

  “Devin is an eight-year-old child, and the Goddess of Spring does not want him to start his Initiate duties until he is older.”

  “That makes little sense! I began my training as an Initiate when I was six!” Sade shot back.

  Henry shook his head. “Sade, then you should know as well as anyone that making a child follow a God that young is dangerous. You have known nothing else in life aside from the inside of a temple, and that can lead to issues later.”

  “Issues? What are you talking about?”

  “You are naïve, Sade,” Henry said and he turned back to carving the rune. “You are being played like a lute and you don’t even know it.”

  “How dare you!” Sade snapped. “You know nothing about me or my life before I joined the temple. My entire family died, and I had nowhere else to go! What about you Henry? Where did you come from before you became a Vestral?”

  “Well, you’ve never asked me before, so I never mentioned it. I was a trader,” Henry said with a shrug.

  “If you keep doing this, Henry, I will not be able to protect you from the God of Justice’s wrath,” she said her gaze turned toward the encampment.

  “I am not saying this to attack you! I am saying this as your friend,” Henry said. “I do not trust him.”

  “Henry, I don’t have time to argue with you. I have training to complete,” Sade said.

  “May the Gods watch over you, Sade,” Henry said while she stormed away.

  When she neared the group of Initiates, she wanted to scream with frustration. Most of them were sitting around a campfire laughing about something. She reached into the bag of runes and held out a fire rune. Using it’s magic, she put out the fire.

  All eyes turned to her and she tossed runes at them, not caring if they caught them.

  “I thought we were doing ice runes?” Attrius asked when she tossed his over to him.

  “There has been a change in plans,” Sade said. She raised her voice as they gathered around her. “We will spend the rest of the day learning how to control fire.”

  Magic hummed and sparks flew in the air. Sade walked over to the campfire and rolled over the logs they were using for seating. Once she had moved them all close together, she backed away, pulling a protection rune and an ice rune from her pouch. They hovered over her palm as she turned to address the Initiates behind her.

  “Direct your magic to the logs! I want to see them engulfed in your fireballs!” Sade shouted.

  With a loud snapping sound, a stream of fire arced out of one rune and hit the ground in front of the logs. Once the magic had ceased, Sade walked over and stomped out the flames that still lingered on the dead grass.

  “Imagine a ball of fire leaping out of your rune! Otherwise, the magic will turn it into a stream!” she shouted, letting her magic flow through the crowd while they concentrated on the logs.

  Small fireballs hovered in front of the runes, the air crackled and sparked around them. A sudden stream of light streaked through the air and a stream of flames landed on the logs. Sade wove her magic around the logs to keep them from exploding. A cheer erupted from the group and a few hugged the other.

  “Now line up, and I will show you how to control the direction of the fire,” Sade said, and for the first time in days she felt a glimmer of hope they might get out of this alive.

  THE DAWN WAS JUST BEGINNING to break, and the rising sun cast a red glow in the sky. Sade stood next to Corin on the main road that led to the village. She could hear the faint drum of hooves in the distance as the Vestrals drew near. In the forest around them, their Initiates were well hidden and ready to fling their fireballs at her signal.

  “Steady, Sade,” Corin said with a slight yawn.

  “How can you be so calm?” Sade asked, and Corin quirked an eyebrow.

  “I’m a God.”

  “I know that, but those Vestrals will have Gods on their sides,” Sade said. A gust of wind caused her cloak to billow out behind her.

  “Hmm, I doubt it. The Queen should be in her first day of confinement for the coronation by now.”

  “And what does that have to do with anything? The Queen will spend those three days in prayer before the Gods to ask for their...” Sade said, trailing off. Understanding hit her like a fireball. “They will be too busy listening to her.”

  “Correct, and therefore, the High Vestral is an utter fool. She should have sent her Vestrals earlier,” Corin smiled and stretched his arms over his head. “Still doesn’t mean we should drop our guard.”

  “How is your magic?” Sade asked as the wind blew the dust that was being kicked up by the horses over to them.

  “My magic? It is fine,” Corin said and shook his head when Sade offered him her divine rune. “You might need it. That magic has been in that thing for over five hundred years. It’s gone a bit... stale.”

  Sade blinked and shoved the rune back into her pouch. Only a God would even dare to suggest divine magic could go stale. She smirked as she realized she had something new to battle Henry with.

  “Here they come,” Corin stared unblinking at the bend in the
road. The pounding of hooves got louder, and soon a horse with a rider in a black cloak turned the bend. Sade’s heart fell to her knees. Most of the Vestrals had the rune of the God of War on their cloaks.

  She clenched her fists to keep herself from running. Corin raised a hand and the rider in the group’s front slowed.

  “Get out of the way! You are blocking important business of the High Vestral!” the man shouted, the runes on his cloak flaring as he sent a wave of air toward them. Corin grinned, a crackling shield rune made of pure divine magic formed in the air in front of him and sent the blast right back to the man.

  His horse let out a shrill neigh and reared onto its hind legs, throwing the Vestral off. The Vestral behind him quickly dismounted and helped the Vestral to his feet.

  “Who are you?” the man shouted and a group of Vestrals formed behind him. Sade could hear horses crashing through the dead underbrush as the other Vestrals let them loose.

  “I am Corin, but you might know me better as the God of Justice,” Corin said, using magic to amplify his voice. He gestured to Sade. “And this is-”

  “Sade!”

  A woman’s voice floated over the group of Vestrals. A cloaked figure shoved their way forward. They flung off their hood to reveal Dirna, whose gray eyes were wide with shock. The runes on her cloak shone with her magic, but there was no sign of the God of Death around her.

  “Hello, Dirna,” Sade said, folding her arms across her chest. The gesture was meant to hide her trembling hands. If Dirna sensed she was worried, the battle was already over.

  “Stop this now, Sade, and the High Vestral will be more lenient towards you. This man is a blasphemer, and he dares to masquerade around as the God of Justice and Mercy. You are a former Vestral to the God of Justice and Mercy! You should know better!”

  Sade used her magic to pull her divine rune out of her pouch and let it hover over her outstretched palm. The two triangles glowed with an orange fire; small swirls of silver swirled around inside of it.

  “You are in the presence of the God of Justice and Mercy!” Sade shouted and bowed towards Corin. “If you turn back now, I will beg for his Mercy on your behalf. Otherwise, you will face the might of his Justice!”

  “Sade! Please stop! This is madness! You will tear this kingdom in half for a madman!” Dirna pleaded. The War Vestrals around her sneered at her.

  “Enough!” A large, bearded man shoved Dirna aside, and underneath his cloak Sade saw a glint of plate armor that had a soft glow about it. Gods, she hadn’t even thought about enchanted armor.

  “The God of War demands you cease this heresy or you and those who harbor you will perish!” His voice boomed without the help of magic. No sign of the God of War hovered around him.

  Harbor them? Sade frowned. She counted the Vestrals in front of them. There were only twenty. Where were the other fifty?

  “Those who would harbor us?” Corin echoed, concern flickered across his features.

  “Yes, the High Vestral has ordered the village of Oddlehill be destroyed as a warning to anyone who would dare harbor such miscreants ever again,” the man said.

  Sade let out a gasp; there was no way Henry could fight off fifty Vestrals alone, even if the Goddess of Spring was with him.

  “Sade, do you trust me?” Corin asked as the group of Vestrals moved toward them.

  “Yes.”

  “I will go save the village, I will need you to hold them off,” he said.

  Sade gulped. “Of course.”

  Corin gave the Vestrals in front of him a withering look before he turned and ran back towards Oddlehill. Sade glanced into the forest, tugging a small mirror from her pouch. The mirror caught a bit of light—the designated signal to those waiting in the forest.

  The hair on Sade’s neck stood up and she turned to see a large spear made from pure magic hurtling towards her. She called forth a rune of breaking and let it fly towards the spear. The rune absorbed the magic and shattered. Sade yanked out her protection rune and used to shield herself from the debris.

  The sound of crackling magic filled the air and fireballs flew out of the dying forest. One of the War Vestrals screamed with fright and batted at the flames spreading across their cloak. Magic danced around them as they ripped off the smoking garment and stomped on it. The other Vestrals quickly pulled out protection runes, and the fire bounced off the invisible shield they had created and flew back into the forest.

  Sade’s group of Initiates ran out of the forest and gathered around her while the trees around them burned. Attrius moved beside her while the group of Vestrals stepped back, letting Dirna to the front. Sade’s eyes narrowed as a fog of gray and white swirled around her.

  “What do we do?” Attrius asked.

  Sade snatched her protection rune from the air and began pouring her magic into it. “Stay behind me and do not under any circumstances engage with her.”

  Dirna closed her eyes and pulled her hands close to her chest as a combination rune that surrounded a skeleton’s head floated in front of her. Sade clutched the protection rune, keeping her senses open to everything around her. Small cracks were forming in the stone.

  “I’m sorry, Sade,” Dirna said. A bloodcurdling scream filled the air as the swirls of gray and black magic spewed out of her death rune. Dark shadow figures and skeletons formed in the fog.

  If any part of the fog touched her or any of the Initiates. Their souls would be pulled into the God of Death’s halls.

  Sade shifted her weight and dug her heels in, letting the protection magic surge around her. Her magic collided with Dirna’s, sending blue sparks into the air. The force of the magic was so strong it shoved her backwards, but she felt a few hands press onto her back and shoulders, keeping her upright.

  “Get back you idiots!’ She shouted, she didn’t dare look at the Initiates behind her.

  Dirna’s magic formed spear-like points, it was now trying to weaken Sade’s shield.

  “They’re coming!” she heard someone scream then saw the War Vestrals’ runes glow red as they advanced through the foggy mists of Dirna’s magic. Air and fire runes danced around them, they were planning on burning them all alive.

  “Get down!” Sade yelled to the Initiates.

  An orange glow filled the air, and Sade glanced down at her pouch. Her divine rune was glowing like a small sun. She grunted and used her free hand to grab it. The magic flared and sent a shock wave toward the War Vestrals. The sweep of magic was so strong it even knocked Dirna back, her magic recoiled and the surrounding fog dissipated.

  “Thank you,” Sade whispered to the rune, tucking it back into her pouch. A glint of steel caught her eye; Leida and a few others were drawing their swords.

  “What are you doing!” Sade shouted. She cast a quick glance at the Vestrals. They appeared to be regrouping.

  “Well, we can’t use magic like you can,” Leida said and she held out her sword. “But most of us know how to use steel!”

  “The War Vestrals are using enchanted armor!” Sade shouted.

  “Their heads look pretty unprotected,” Leida said.

  “And some of us can use fire,” Attrius said. A couple fireballs hovered around him. With a flash of light, he sent them towards the War Vestrals and Dirna.

  Dirna scowled, and Sade saw the bright flash of a dispel rune. The fire ball disappeared into thin air.

  Sade glanced at the small fire that was currently ravaging the forest around them. The group of Initiates rushed forward, some stopped a few paces away from the Vestrals and flung fireballs while the others ran forward with their swords.

  Taking a breath, she pulled out a fire rune and a dispel rune. She wove her magic into the forest, pulling the fire into a tight circle around her.

  Sade peered through the fire at one of the War Vestrals before sending out a stream of magic. The fire magic bounced off the Vestral’s armor, then glowed a bright white when the dispel magic hit it. It didn’t take long before the metal was enchanted no
more and the Vestrals hair caught on fire.

  Cheers went up from the group of Initiates, which quickly turned into screams of terror when one of them was flung into the air and impaled on their own sword.

  Gritting her teeth, Sade targeted each one of the War Vestrals and drained them of their enchantments. Her dispel rune shattered as the magic overwhelmed the stone, leaving only two of the War Vestrals with enchanted armor.

  She ran forward, the fire rune crackling with energy. The rune glowed a fiery orange as she screamed at the Initiates to drop to the ground. Once they were out of the way, she let the magic loose. She filled the rune with every drop of magic she had, turning the flames white.

  The Vestrals hastily pulled out more protection runes. She directed the fire to flow around the group, forcing them to huddle closer together. Their protection runes began to break at the force of Sade’s magic. The flames turned blue.

  A wave of heat swept over her, causing sweat to drip off her like raindrops. Her fire rune trembled; it wouldn’t last much longer.

  “Let’s cook the bastards!” she heard Leida scream. The Initiates poured their own fire magic into the flames.

  Sade smiled and pulled back her magic a bit; the rage of the Initiates around her hummed in their magic.

  “Enough!” Sade shouted and held up a hand once she felt their magic waver. They had all reached their limits.

  Leida and a few of those who still had swords held them at the ready. She heard a grunt and saw Attrius grab a sword from one of the dead Initiates. She took a breath and pulled back the fire magic. The War Vestrals whose armor she had disenchanted had been burnt to a crisp. A wall of clear ice surrounded Dirna and the two War Vestrals with enchanted armor.

  Sade ran over and grabbed a dispel rune from the rune pouch of a dead War Vestral. She pulled out her divine rune and intertwined its magic with a sleep rune. She let the magic wrap around the ice. Dirna and the Vestral’s didn’t try to stop her, their magic had been completely drained. The sleep magic overtook them and they crumbled to the ground.

  “The rune will keep them from using magic to free themselves from the ice if they wake up,” Sade said and handed the runes to Attrius.