by Marc Johnson
“I will follow her orders,” he said, the embers in his eyes growing into flames. “Please give me my sword.”
I walked a few paces away and picked up his scimitar. Magical power lurked within. I handed Ardimus his sword. He drew himself erect and proud, even though it hurt him to do so.
“Make him pay dearly for what he's done, Hellsfire.”
“You have my word.” I left Ardimus and called the wind to help me in my race.
I followed the magic, running through the empty hallways and down another flight of stairs. It was strange to be inside the castle with no guards or servants. The enchantment led me down familiar corridors until I realized there was only one place Premier would have taken her—his tower.
When I arrived at the northwest tower and stepped through the doorway, I had my magic at the ready. I didn't summon any mana in case Premier could sense it, but it lurked just under the surface. I prayed Premier would be alone. I didn’t want to have to worry about that damn ogre of his.
I expected they would be down in his workroom, but my spell pulled me upstairs. I crept up the stairs and hid at the top, peeking around the corner. The haze in my head disappeared when I saw them. Premier and Krystal stood in a large, spacious room. Parts of the stone walls were cracked, bits of them scattered on the floor. Black scorch marks spotted the walls. There was no furniture. The starkness and condition of the room reminded me of the training room in the White Mountain. The princess still had the dagger; I could sense the hidden weapon.
“For the last time, I will not give you what you want!” the princess said. Her hands were bound, but she stood tall and proud before Premier.
Premier turned to the side, a thoughtful look on his face. “I underestimated you. I had thought you weak. Who would have thought that the blood of Alexander would run so strong in a girl?”
In a calm but deadly voice he continued, “If you don't give me what I want, the line of Alexandria ends here. The creatures of the Wastelands will be free to wreak havoc on Northern Shala. That will be your legacy, princess. That will be what people remember. But before that happens, your people will die, your father will die, and I will turn this entire city into a barren wasteland. I will force you to watch, and then I will kill you.”
Krystal's violet eyes were full of fire and anger. If looks could kill, Premier would have dropped dead. I prayed she didn't do anything that would anger him further.
She did. She spat in his face. Premier calmly wiped his face before backhanding her. Krystal fell to the ground. She stood up again, blood trickling from her nose. I focused, suppressing my rage and my fire.
“That's unbecoming of you, Your Highness,” Premier said.
I had to figure out how I could attack Premier without hurting Krystal. I thought of a quick and easy spell, one I wouldn't need too much mana to perform. Then we could escape, or she could, while I faced Premier alone.
I waited until Premier's back was turned, then darted out of my hiding place, sprinting as fast as my long legs would carry me. The distance wasn't far, but it seemed to take forever. I gathered in wind mana, preparing to unleash it on Premier.
Without looking at me, Premier reached out and grabbed Krystal by the neck. “Tell me, boy, have you ever forced the manas upon someone? I have. It’s fascinating. Though it appears to be a very painful way to die.”
I froze in my tracks.
“They say it shreds the soul, while destroying the body. It doesn't work on those like you and me, but the princess can't perform magic, can she?” Premier squeezed her throat even tighter. I felt him gathering mana.
“Stop,” I said. “Leave her alone.”
Premier squeezed once more, then dropped Krystal. She fell, gasping for air. The magic Premier had summoned vanished.
He turned to face me and said, “You're beginning to become an annoyance, boy. First the elves, then the dwarf, and now this.” Premier closed his eyes and put his fingertips to his temple. He opened them again. “What I don't understand is why.”
I met his dark gaze. “It's the right thing to do.”
Premier studied me, his expression incredulous. “You're serious?” Premier chuckled, then gave a full-blown laugh. “Such heroic nonsense.”
I watched the princess struggle to rise. Premier's gazed followed mine. He kicked her hands out from under her. I took a step forward and narrowed my eyes at him.
“Ah, that's why you're doing this,” Premier said. “Not because of some silly moral code. Because of her.” Premier gave the princess and me an evil smile. “You may yet be of use to me, boy.”
“It ends here,” I said, finding my words surprisingly steady. And if I failed, there would always be Master Stradus.
“Boy, I have centuries on you. You couldn't comprehend the things I've learned and the sort of power I have.” He focused on Krystal. “One last chance, Princess. Give me what I want or he dies.”
Krystal’s eyes met mine. Hard and full of fury against Premier, they softened when she looked at me. Sadness and guilt lurked in them. She shook her head, strands of her sun-streaked hair flying.
She said quietly, “I can’t. Forgive me, Hellsfire.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” I said.
“Ah, youth,” Premier said. “How sweet.”
Without warning, Premier summoned a torrent of black mana, casting it with lightning speed.
The last thing I saw was Krystal, still on the ground, shouting, “Hellsfire!”
Then the darkness engulfed me. Premier and Krystal disappeared, and there was nothing but the pure blackness. I had used black mana before, but never felt its touch like this. It was as icy and cold as death. I collapsed under its oppressive weight.
I tried to summon white mana to counteract it, but I couldn't grasp it. It flickered and sparked but wouldn't come. I sank lower to the floor, gasping for air. The magic was crushing me. I reached out, trying to break free. I couldn't do it without the proper magic. I was enclosed by invisible darkness, pressing against me until it suffocated me.
The darkness lifted. The princess had thrown herself at Premier, breaking his concentration. Premier snapped his fingers, summoning a wind that pushed her away. She flew into the wall, her head hitting the stone hard. She collapsed on the floor.
“Krystal!”
I tried to get up. Premier's attention re-focused on me. The black mana hit me like the touch of a feather, but with the force of an avalanche, sending me back into the darkness.
I couldn't get the princess out of my mind. That head wound might have killed her. I pushed aside my fears, letting the darkness and my rage fuel my magic.
My greatest strength—fire—came out to battle the blackness, though. I knew it would be useless against Premier’s black mana. I needed the mana of life. I thought the fire would be devoured as it pushed out against the shadows. It wasn’t.
Instead of trying to overcome the darkness with its own light, the fire absorbed it. It swayed and roared with power, sucking the black mana within itself. The room spun into view again. I slowly got up, calming the fire and forcing it back within myself.
Krystal lay on the floor, very still. I ached to go to her, but it would be suicide. I thought I saw her take a shallow breath before I turned my attention to Premier.
“How did you do that?” Premier asked, taking a few steps closer. He seemed to have forgotten all about the princess. “That spell is far too advanced for a whelp like you.”
I had no idea how I’d done it, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. “I told you. I'm going to stop you.”
The curiosity left Premier's face. Good. I wanted to anger him, so his complete attention would be focused on me instead of the princess. I circled around him. Premier countered my move. When he was safely away from Krystal and before he realized what I was doing, I attacked.
I summoned a small portion of my fire and tossed it at Premier in the form of a fireball. He deflected it easily, and it bounced off the wall and dispers
ed. The next time, I used both hands. Premier knocked aside the fireballs as if he were swatting flies.
“You showed promise with your counterspell earlier,” Premier said. “Don't disappoint me now with these simple spells.”
I performed the same spell again. Right before Premier deflected it, I split each ball into two. He blocked the first two as I had expected, but the other ones broke through, heading straight for his head. I thought they were going to hit him, but he dissipated them without even blinking.
I sped up my attack, trying to take him off guard. I let out a shout, creating a scattershot of fireballs. They sped out of my hands, swooping towards Premier. He stood calm, blocking them or absorbing them. He wrapped himself with air mana, using it as a shield. The air diffused my spells. Then he extended his shield and blasted my fireballs and me. I stumbled backwards, breaking my concentration.
“Is that all, boy?” Premier asked, with a bored expression on his face.
I punched the air and used the force of my punch to guide the air towards him, as if I was close enough to hit him. Premier tilted his head to the side, dodging it. The force of the air caused pieces of the stone to break off the wall behind him. I swung my left arm. He dodged again. However, those stones gave me an idea—something to work with in this stark environment.
While I loosed more fireballs at Premier, I channeled earth mana into the stones. They trembled in response. I prayed my fireballs were enough to distract Premier. He continued to block them. I summoned air to hurl the stones at the back of Premier's head. I thought I had him, but he sidestepped at the last moment. I barely had enough time to dodge them. They whizzed by my head and struck the opposite wall.
Premier's constant smirk infuriated me. He toyed with me, making no move to attack me. At most, he countered my spells. His eyes reminded me of Master Stradus's, the way he studied me and my spells. They focused on every move I made, unwavering. Unlike Master Stradus, though, Premier wasn't going to give me any feedback. I expected him to attack me any minute. My spells just weren’t powerful enough. I needed more time. The question was, would he give it to me?
Judging from the smug look on his face, he just might.
I gathered in water mana. As I hoped, Premier didn't attack me. He stood, waiting to see what spell I had in mind. I wiped the sweat from my brow, flinging it to the ground. I gathered as much water mana as I could, until I became dehydrated and my dry mouth pleaded for water. I fed the mana into my drops of sweat. My skin shriveled and caved in. My spell ballooned and multiplied.
Water sprang up beneath my feet and swelled, rising until it nearly touched the ceiling. The salty water formed into a tidal wave, and I brought it down at Premier with as much force as I could. Premier didn't make any move to stop it. He just looked at the wave and smiled.
It crashed into him with tremendous speed. The backwash covered me to my neck in the warm water. With horror, I realized I had forgotten Krystal. She floated face down. I swam over to her and turned her over, trying to get her to breathe again. She sputtered and coughed up water, but she was still unconscious. I held onto her, making sure she wouldn't drown.
I didn't see Premier break the surface for air. The water level went down as he worked his magic. I held onto the princess but still concentrated on my magic. If I didn't stop Premier here, we were dead.
I grasped water and air mana and said in Caleea, “From the water comes the clouds and may the clouds fill the top of the room.” Wisps of water floated into the air, becoming dark clouds that filled the ceiling, rolling and flashing with magic. Within moments, the water from the room was gone.
And there stood Premier with that smug, ugly smile I hated. I laid the princess down and walked away from her. Premier's eyes went to the princess. He didn’t notice or care about the clouds. I worried that he would attack her, but he didn't. He smiled as if he could kill her at any time. Puddles still dotted the room. Premier stood in quite a large one. That gave me an idea.
“I tire of your beginner’s magic,” Premier said. “I thought you might make things interesting. You started off so promisingly. Now I find you wanting.”
“How about this!”
I released the magic from the clouds, summoning a flash of lightning. It streaked toward Premier.
Premier shook his head like he was disappointed. He did what I expected him to: he raised his hand to the lightning, summoning a spell to deflect it. He succeeded, and the sizzling bolt crashed into the large puddle underneath him.
Aided by the water, the bolt of lightning coursed through him. Anger and pain surged across his face. The lightning seared his muscles and bones, making him look transparent. Premier's steaming body crumpled to the floor.
My muscles relaxed, and I breathed again. It was over. I stared at Premier's corpse. The emotions of battle had drained me. I was glad I lived and that Krystal and I were safe, but part of me was sad I’d had to kill Premier, even after all he’d done. From what Master Stradus had told me, Premier was once a good man, who became corrupted by power. Yet Premier had to die. Too many people had been hurt and killed because of him. I glanced at the one who he’d hurt most of all.
The princess was finally safe. Premier's own arrogance and cockiness had aided me. I wasn't sure how I would have dealt with his spells had he decided to attack me. He was right about one thing. I had done all this because of her. I would do it again.
I walked over to the princess. She was drenched in water, but when I leaned close to her pale face I heard her breathing normally. I lifted her head, feeling to see if any blood came from her head wound. There was none, but she did have a great, swollen lump. I took off the bandage she had made me and used it as a pillow for her. It wasn't much, but it was all I had. I needed to get her to a healer, and soon.
I wasn't sure if I could carry her. I was exhausted and thirsty. Using all that magic had taken its toll on me. I took off my purse and was reaching inside for my last revitalization potion when a great gust of wind hit me.
I screamed in pain and surprise as I flew into the wall. The wind had edges to it. It tore at me, scratching my face and hands. Premier stood in the middle of the room. His wind ripped my purse from my hands, sending it tumbling across the room and down the stairs. He pinned me up against the wall, my feet hovering not far from the ground.
“Impossible,” I said. “You should be dead.”
I channeled the air around me, trying to wrest myself from his invisible grip. I couldn’t move. It wasn't that Premier's magic kept countering mine. It was so strong, it simply crushed whatever spell I tried to perform. Underneath the air, black mana lurked. It gave the air an unholy, yet powerful feel to it. The strange spell weakened me.
“You don't have the power to kill me, boy,” Premier said. The amusement in his face was gone, and his lip curled in anger. I might not have killed him, but I had hurt him.
I squirmed, but his spell drained me. I tried incantations, but all my spells failed. Nothing would weaken his hold.
“Don't waste your energy. There's no escaping my grasp.” Premier lifted his hand and squeezed. The invisible force bruised and battered my body. His pure black eyes moved and swirled. “The time for your annoyance is at an end. Perhaps in the next life you'll learn to use magic properly.
“The God of Death I beseech you. You have allowed me to live for centuries and now I give to you a wizard in return. Sort of.” Premier raised his hand. Black mana engulfed it. Death was on his hand, and he was about to give it to me. “Goodbye, Hellsfire.”
“No!” I said as the cold overtook me.
I summoned all my strength to break free of his grasp, drawing mana from myself and the environment, pushing past the weariness brought on by his spell. This wasn't the time to hold back and worry about the damage I was going to do to myself.
My own magic was a storm, shredding me from the inside. I wasn't trying to do any sort of spell, just break free from Premier's grasp. That much energy and power needed a release. P
remier stopped me from finding one, so it raged against my body. Premier couldn’t lock down my magic completely. It wormed its way through a small opening. I focused it against Premier's spell, widening the gap until it struck against him.
The two powerful magics clashed. Premier's had the upper hand, but my sheer, uncontrollable magic lashed against his, turning the tide. Premier struggled to maintain the spell that bound me and the one in his hand. His face twisted in concentration. He needed to choose one spell to strengthen; he could lose his grip on both. The burden on his mind, spirit, and body were great. He was a few steps away from me. He had only to touch me to kill me, yet each step he took looked like his feet were mired in mud.
I struggled to lift my arms. I needed them to channel my spell. I clenched my fists, and my forearms bulged. I yelled, using both magic and my physical strength to break free. My right arm was loose from Premier’s binding spell. My clenched fist almost smacked me in the face when I pulled it free.
I stretched my arm at Premier. Instead of fighting his spell and trying to break it, I let loose the pent-up magic that was eating me from the inside. The elemental magic blitzed Premier. Rainbow colors sparked and sizzled through the air. Because I shifted the magic and ignored his spell, his binding spell on me renewed. My body twisted in agony. I pushed aside the pain and weariness, using my emotions to fuel my magic. I had to end it here. For Krystal's sake, for Alexandria, and for my friends.
Premier's mastery of magic was incredible. He maintained the binding spell, the death spell, and put up a defense against my onslaught of magic. My elemental magic clashed against his invisible shield. The bright colors swirled around him, yet they never did him any harm. His spell had weakened, but he continued to move closer.
My feet hovered above the ground. I was still pinned, but I was able to bring my left arm up. I let loose even more magic at him. Blood trickled out of my nose. The noise and pain in my head grew louder as my life force left me. It slipped away along with the magic I cast. The neverending abyss called out to me. Although I didn’t want them to, pieces of my soul went towards it.
