by CK Dawn
“And yet we must,” Waldern, the Master of Earth, replied. His calm demeanor differed greatly from the anger of Falinor. The Master of Earth tended towards patience. Even in the midst of tribulation, he was as firm as the stony Elements he held sway over.
“We listened to your cautionary tidings once, Waldern. You counseled patience then and we listened, but look how she defies us now! She increases in boldness with each passing day. I move that she be dealt with at once—my voice on this matter remains unchanged. She has broken her mandate and must pay the price for her actions.”
“If you mean death, Falinor, speak clearly so that you cannot be misunderstood,” interjected Winara, Mistress of Water. “Such a punishment has not been carried out while this Five has held counsel.”
“I mean death,” Falinor replied unashamedly. “Who will second the motion?”
“I do,” replied Enira, the Mistress of Air. “I might have favored exile before, but now is not a time for half-measures. If we do not act soon, who might follow her course?”
“Who might not?,” Waldern said. “We cannot allow fear to cause us to work murder among our own kind. I remain as opposed as before. I will not cast a vote to kill one of the Astarii.”
“I stand with Waldern,” Winara declared. “I am yet to be convinced Elaina poses the threat you so clearly seem to perceive.” Winara's careful emphasis clearly indicated her skepticism for the proposed course of action. “Beyond that, I am concerned that your change of heart may be motivated by more of a concern for your own seat at this Council, than out of a concern for the people of Meldinar.”
“How dare you . . .?” Enira shouted angrily.
Winara cut off the Mistress of Air before she could voice her outrage further. “Do you deny it? Look at the ease with which she wields the wind. If the seat of Mistress of the Wind were to be awarded on merit, I think you would be hard pressed to retain it.”
“This is not the time nor place for such petty wrangling and accusations,” Falinor answered. “By my account we have two for and two opposed. Vintar, it falls to you to break the tie. What say you?”
Vintar, the Master of Arcana, looked from face to face as he studied his fellow Council members. He could easily see the truth in Winara's statements. Enira was jealous—that much was clear. Falinor was easily read, always quick to wield the sword of justice, untempered by mercy. Waldern's stance was in perfect opposition. Always the peacemaker, Waldern brought balance to the Five with his words, but if left unchecked his verbosity would tangle into bureaucracy and accomplish nothing.
“The girl is an issue. Of that there is no doubt, but not for the reasons you believe, Falinor. Certainly she defied her mandate, but she has also outgrown her station. Were you not watching? Guardians are potent users of the Arcane, even for an Astarii . . . but that . . . such destruction—and look at her. She didn't even break a sweat. Are you arrogant enough, Falinor, to believe you could carry out so grievous a sentence even if we were to pass it?”
“I will see it done, Vintar, even if I must do it myself,” Falinor replied confidently.
“Then I will add my vote to yours, Falinor, contingent on your being the one to carry out the sentence. I won't risk the lives of other Astarii in conflict with one of our own.”
“Three to two, the motion carries,” Falinor replied, a note of satisfaction in his voice. “I appreciate your support, Vintar. I will take two of my most promising adepts and we will see to it.”
“When?” Vintar asked.
“Now,” Falinor answered as he stood up. Lifting his staff of office, a wooden pole with a golden phoenix perched on top, Falinor traced a circle in the air. A line of fire trailed behind it. When the edges of the embers were joined, the space inside the circle flashed red and then solidified into a portal. Without further word Falinor stepped through the portal and was gone.
“I take it today's session is concluded, then?” Enira asked, her voice tinged with barely-concealed venom. At Vintar's nod, Enira also rose and departed, flashing an angry look at Winara as she passed.
When the room went still, Waldern turned to Vintar. “Care to explain yourself Vintar? When last we spoke, you were against such a course of action. What has changed in so short a time?”
“Much has changed. Elaina has changed.”
“What are you getting at, Vintar? Speak plainly—there is no need for riddles now,” Winara pressed.
“Falinor is becoming increasingly difficult to accommodate—his motions grow more emphatic, more dangerous to us and to our people. There is little we can do to temper him directly and our laws do not give us any recourse to remove him from his office. His seat may only be filled . . .” Vintar's voice faded off suggestively.
“—in the event of his death,” Waldern concluded. “Age will never claim one of us, you know. So you set him against Elaina and hope she will take care of him for you.”
“Perhaps,” Vintar nodded.
“Is she capable of doing so?” Winara asked.
“Her power has grown beyond anything I've ever seen in a Guardian. It will certainly be interesting to watch if you care for such macabre displays. Either way, today we have two problems: Elaina and Falinor. Tomorrow we will have only one.”
“You tread a dangerous path, Vintar,” Waldern warned.
“I didn't force his hand, Waldern. He set his own feet upon this path. I merely allowed him to walk it.” Vintar rose from his seat. “If you'll excuse me I must eat. Send word when it begins.” Vintar excused himself from the Council chambers.
Eleven
Elaina descended gradually and landed gracefully on the beach. Marcus ran down the dunes and snatched her in his arms, lifting her off her feet.
“Your voice . . . I thought you were leaving.” After an excited embrace he set her down on the sand.
“Not at all. I want to be here with you, Marcus. I don't want to exist in a world where you are gone, and if I left you to your own devices you would have died at Listarii with many of your people. You would have fought bravely but been buried under a mountain of slavers until you inevitably faltered. There was no victory in the face of such overwhelming numbers. You said yourself it was too late to withdraw. I did what I had to do. Those who survive will spread the word—I doubt you will ever see such an attack again.”
“But what of you, Elaina? What of Tanith's warning? If that was their response to you disposing of a few thugs, how do you think they will respond to this?”
“Poorly. But there was no other choice. All I can hope is that they choose exile over death. I do not wish to be apart from my people, but I will not live without you Elaina answered on the verge of tears.
“What if they choose death?” Marcus asked.
“Then they will face the same fate as these,” Elaina answered, pointing to the slavers scattered about the beach.
“What's that?” Marcus asked.
Elaina turned her eyes to follow where Marcus pointed. A blazing fire had appeared in the air over the beach. The flames moved gradually, tracing a line through the sky. Elaina's heart skipped a beat.
“Run, Marcus! Now!” Elaina demanded.
“I'm not leaving you.”
“You must—there is only one Astarii who uses such portals. You must not be here when he arrives.”
“I don't understand.”
“Go now! If we are to survive I cannot be distracted. They will use you against me. Now run, or we both die.”
Marcus looked from Elaina to the blazing fire and back. It galled him to back away from a fight, particularly one that had struck Elaina with such terror.
“Go now, Marcus. Your sword will be no use in this battle—run and hide. I will find you when it is done.” Elaina grabbed him and pressed a lingering kiss to his lips. “Now go!”
Marcus ran, the soft sand underfoot making it difficult, but as quickly as he could, he made his way up the dunes. He reached the plateau and risked a look over his shoulder. Elaina was standing facing the
flames. The fire had come almost full circle in the air before her. Marcus couldn't bear to leave—instead he dove to the ground and lay prone on the plateau, where he had a perfect view of the beach below. He would remain unseen if he hunkered close to the ground.
Elaina faced her fate with grim resolve, steeling her heart as the flames completed their circuit and the portal materialized.
Three figures stepped through the breach. Elaina was unsurprised to see Falinor the Master of Fire at the head of the delegation. The other two Astarii were not known to her but from their appearance and manner of dress Elaina supposed they were Falinor's Acolytes, accompanying him on this errand. Elaina had wondered if the Masters would attend to her in person or if they would delegate the matter to their Acolytes. The presence of the Master of Fire spoke volumes for their decision—the Master of Fire was not a diplomat but an executioner. On the other hand Elaina was relieved that he was accompanied by Acolytes and not any other members of the Council. Alone the Master of Fire was a formidable foe, in concert with the remainder of the Five, her death would be certain.
“Elaina Stormborn,” Falinor announced, “you have defied the edicts of the Council, violated your mandate as Guardian and neglected your duties. You have been warned previously that such actions would not be tolerated, and not only have you paid no heed to the warnings, you have grown even bolder in your violation of them. I have come to carry out the Council's sentence.”
“Falinor, I take it from your presence here that the verdict was death and not exile?”
“You will use my title when you speak to me!” Falinor snarled angrily.
“You are clearly here to kill me—why bother with thinly veiled pleasantries Falinor? We all know what is to come. I don't wish to fight with you—I just want to be left in peace. You can take your mandate and give it to someone else for all I care. I am sure there are dozens of students clamoring for a Guardianship. Give it to one of them. I'm done.”
“You are done, Elaina, and you will pay for your actions here today. This defiance of the Allfather’s mandate has put all our people in jeopardy.” Falinor stated..
“What of these people Falinor? Why are their lives worth any less than our own. They would have suffered and died if I had not intervened.”
“We were chosen by a God. . .” Falinor began,
“A fortunate birthright does not determine the worth of a soul Falinor.”
“And yet you seem to think it entitles you to judge between them Elaina. Why does it fall to you to choose who is worthy to save and who can be cast aside Elaina?” Falinor gestured at the bodies scattered about the beach. “How were these souls so fit for the slaughter you inflicted upon them?”
“They were slavers Falinor, they traffic in the misery of others to turn a profit, while those who live on this land are good and honorable people with lives and families worth fighting for.” Elaina stated firmly.
“So if you judge them worthy they live, and if not they die?” Falinor stated. “How convenient it must be to be you, or the one you care about.”
“Don’t take that condescending tone with me Falinor, did you not pass the exact same judgment on me? What gives the Five the right to pass judgment on my life?”
“The Council of Five were organized to govern Creation, the Allfather gave us that right. Your isolation has clouded your judgment Elaina. The power you possess pales in comparison to that of the Five. Unlike these poor people you slaughtered I possess the means to fight back. You have already expended so much of your energy today, you don’t stand a chance. Do you have any last words before your sentence is carried out?” The Master of Fire asked.
“Only an offer, Falinor. Leave and never return. Leave me in peace and you will never hear from me again. I do not wish to spill Astarii blood today but if you continue on your present course I will not be held responsible for the consequences.”
“Save your breath, Elaina. You have precious little strength remaining. You will die here and that foolish human you care for will be next.”
“Why would you harm him? He's done nothing wrong.”
“On the contrary—he knows far too much of our kind, and you have only yourself to blame for that.”
At the threat to Marcus, Elaina's anger resurfaced. Raising her right hand, she unleashed a lance of arcane energy directly at Falinor. Unlike the storm she had conjured and controlled earlier, this lance was formed from the very essence of the arcane energy that coursed through her being. Seeing the motion, Falinor responded instantly. With a flick of his wrist a flaming shield appeared in the air before him. The azure bolt struck the blazing shield and glanced off it, saving the Master's life. The Acolyte to his right was not nearly as quick.
The lance of energy struck the Acolyte in the chest. There was a brief moment as his body seemed to absorb the arcane assault—his eyes went wide with shock, then the lance burst through the back of his robes as if it had struck nothing at all. The Acolyte collapsed, dead before he hit the sand.
The second Acolyte was quicker. Leaping behind the Master of Fire, he took refuge behind the flaming shield that Falinor had summoned to aid against the magical barrage.
If Falinor noticed his Acolyte's death he didn't show it. Instead, he calmly advanced on the Astarii before him, his blazing shield advancing as he did, offering him cover against his foe. With his right hand he conjured a Fireball that hovered over his palm for a moment, before he hurled it at Elaina.
Seeing her azure assault was doing little to halt Falinor's advance, Elaina abandoned the conjuration and leapt out of the way of the Fireball. The blazing sphere passed through the space she had been standing only moments before. As she hit the sand Elaina rolled quickly, eager to be back on her feet. She was surprised to see the second Acolyte break cover before her.
Stepping out from behind the Master of Fire, the Acolyte was charging straight for the Astarii sorceress as she regained her feet. The Acolyte lurched forward and for a moment Elaina felt hope—it appeared he had lost his footing and tripped.
But then she realized the motion was deliberate. In a flash of flames the Acolyte shape-shifted into his Astarii form.
Elaina hesitated as she came face to face with a bull charging headlong at her, his head lowered, horns bobbing menacingly as the bull quickly closed the distance between them. Falinor supported his Acolyte’s efforts. With a sweeping gesture a wall of fire coalesced behind Elaina, cutting off her retreat and leaving her to face the horns of the rampaging bull before her.
The Master of Fire and his remaining Acolyte were dictating the terms of the duel and Elaina knew it. If she continued to play their deadly game she would soon be ensnared or slain. After all, while Elaina had extensive training in using her arts to benefit others, she had never dueled another magic user with them, not since her time in the Academy on Altiran, and those days were decades behind her. Falinor, on the other hand, had honed his arts carrying out errands for the Five all his life. I must level the field, Elaina thought.
As the Acolyte in bull form reached her, Elaina became one with the wind and shape-shifted herself, her body fading into an incorporeal nothingness as the confused bull charged through thin air. Slipping around Falinor's shield, Elaina rematerialized so close to the Master of Fire that he stepped back in surprise. Before Falinor could react, Elaina conjured a fist of air that slammed into the stunned Archmage's chest.
The Master of Fire was thrown off his feet and landed heavily on the beach in a spray of sand. Elaina spun to face the confused bull that was still trying to locate the vanished Astarii. As the bull got its bearings it charged again.
Clearly not the brightest, Elaina thought as she lashed out with a bolt of arcane energy. Unfortunately, the spell fell short of its mark, striking the rampant beast in its foreleg. The attack cleaved through meat and bone, leaving the hoof behind as the Acolyte collapsed, plowing headlong into the sand. The intensity of the pain crippled the Acolyte, who lost control of his arts and shifted involuntar
ily to his human form, rolling in agony across the sand.
When he came to a halt Elaina could see he was missing his right arm—it lay where the severed hoof had been. Blood poured from the wound and Elaina pitied the man. Even a gifted Astarii healer could do little for such a wound. But he raised his left arm and placed it over the stump of his right. The help was in vain, and he would bleed out in minutes.
But Elaina watched in amazement as the Acolyte's remaining hand glowed red and the blood ceased. Using his arts the Acolyte had cauterized his own wound and had done so with little more than a grimace. The pain must be staggering, Elaina thought as she watched, unable to tear her eyes away from the grisly scene before her.
“Where do you find these fanatics, Falinor?” she asked, turning to where the Master of Fire had fallen to find a Fireball hurtling toward her. Elaina leapt out of the way once more.
This time the Fireball followed her as she dove toward the sand. It's Falinor himself, Elaina realized. The Master of Fire had taken the form of his Element and was guiding the blazing ball of death as it adjusted its course and hurtled toward Elaina.
As she lay face first on the beach she spat out a mouthful of sand and knew she couldn't outrun the flames. Elaina took the only option available and merged with the wind, leaving the Fireball to strike the sand she had just vacated.
The flames pooled and coalesced, swirling on the sand in spite of having nothing to consume. The flames were fed by the Master's energy and Elaina had no notion how long it might take him to tire. Safe for the moment, she opted to wait and watch, hoping Falinor might retreat to lick his wounds. After all, he'd already lost one Acolyte, the other was badly maimed and the Master of Fire was struggling to land a strike on his incorporeal foe.
The flames grew and took the shape of a man, and Elaina could almost make out the flickering sneer as the Master of Fire looked around.
