by TP Keane
*
"WHAT WAS THAT?" Aria demanded of Edwel.
Edwel gasped, even though he did not breathe, and muttered some gibberish about swap gasses and sparking metal. She watched in horror as half her army fell to the ground, their charred remains blackening the moss around them, while another few died moments later. This was no swamp gas. Had she been aware that Aramus possessed powers like this, then she would have made her move much sooner. As it was, she had enjoyed the carnage too much.
"You remember what we discussed, Edwel?" she asked, bracing her feet in the mud.
"I do, but I have to say that I'm not comfortable with it," Edwel replied with a sullen look.
"I didn't ask you to be comfortable," Aria snapped, raising the Etherium arrow in her right hand and taking aim at Ol?rin. "I only asked you to be quick."
Aria nodded at the stone golem and he took off running toward the silvery dome. Just before he reached it, she let fly the blue tinted rod, and it took off with a zing toward her target. As Mullrode said it would be, it was immune to the wizard's magic and sailed through the shield effortlessly. But before it could hit the old wizard's heart, the powerful dwarf Luscious had referred to as the king's right arm, leapt into the air between the arrow and Ol?rin.
The dwarf crumpled to the ground, clutching at his chest and writhing in pain as the arrow refused to be deterred from its path. Aria held her breath as Aramus ran toward the dwarf. Just as the arrow left the half-man's body with a zing, Aramus dove in the direction of the wizard and grabbed it, but he wasn't quick enough. It reached the old wizard and dug into his shoulder. The wizard fell to the ground with Aramus as the young man's momentum wrenched the arrow from his shoulder. He let out a cry of pain and collapsed, so too did his shield, and Aria could almost taste the victory.
Undeterred by what was happening around him, Edwel pushed passed the remaining ogres. He lifted Aramus from off the ground and pinned him to a nearby tree with the full might of his stone arm. The young man gasped and choked as Edwel crushed his neck under his weight. But despite the kicking and flailing wings of his prey, the stone golem would not kill him. Aria had been careful to make sure he understood that she would have that pleasure.
With a deep satisfied sigh, Aria gripped her necklace and called for her army to be still once more. Without the wizard, her enemies would easily fall, and she had no intention of allowing one of the stupid ogres to take what was rightfully hers.
