by CK Dawn
“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, e
ager 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 involuntarily 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.
“It's you or him, Elaina,” the flaming figure hissed as he began walking toward the plateau where the horses had been left. From her place in the sky Elaina searched the plateau and saw Marcus still there, hiding in the dune grass at the edge, watching.
Clearly Falinor had seen him, and now the Master of Fire was making his way up to the plateau, burning the dune grass to cinders as he plodded purposefully toward his foe. The wounded Acolyte was on his feet as well, falling into step behind his master. The Acolyte’s only hope for life was to make it back to Altiran as soon as possible. Until then he would focus his remaining strength on defending his Master rather than seeking out the elusive Elaina.
Seeing their murderous intent, Elaina soared to Marcus’s aid. Still one with the wind, she floated between them and channeled her will against the advancing figure of fire.
The winds struck the Master of Fire and slowed his progress, but still he came onward, marching inexorably toward her and beyond, to Marcus. The sky darkened once more as Elaina brought the full weight of her fury to bear on the beach.
Elaina struck the advancing Falinor with winds that would have torn a home to shreds. The flames blew about wildly, but, fueled by the Master's energy, they continued to burn brightly. Changing tactics, Elaina turned the winds on themselves, and they whirled around the two figures. Master and Acolyte fought desperately not to be lifted off their feet by the growing surging winds.
Elaina wasn't finished—she patiently channeled the gentle breeze running off the ocean into a force that drove the two figures toward her while her own winds drove them back and toward each other.
Falinor weathered the assault, unwilling to yield an inch, but his Acolyte was not so fortunate. Wounded, weary and struggling for survival, the battered Acolyte was hurled into the flaming Master of Fire. This time the pain was too much, and his scream carried over the beach for the few brief moments it took to be consumed in the blaze.
The faithful servant had been slain by his own teacher. After a moment nothing remained but ash, and soon that too was dispersed by the racing wind.
Then without warning the winds dispersed—the sudden stillness shocked Elaina. The flames before her flickered once and then solidified until Falinor stood before her in his human form. “Do you truly think a few paltry parlor tricks will be enough to prevail over me, Elaina?” he challenged. “You are a student—I am the Master. I was communing with the elements before you were born. Even the wind, your Element, obeys my will. Yield now. Your death need not be slow nor painful. If you continue to resist I will ensure that it is both.”
Elaina studied the Master, sweat beaded on his forehead. In spite of his calm demeanor he was clearly beginning to feel his exertions. Dispersing the winds had taken a greater toll than he was letting on. Both his Acolytes were dead. Beneath his calm exterior Falinor was furious and fatigued. Taking heart, she replied, “I gave you a chance to walk away, Falinor, and now your Acolytes are dead and you will join them. Who do you think will take your place with the Five? Do you think they will offer me your chair on the Council?”
“They would never!” Falinor spat back, his voice and temper rising with the growing color in his cheeks.
“Well, they seem content to watch you burn, Falinor so I guess we'll just have to wait and see . . .” As her voice trailed off Elaina unleashed another assault. Arcane energy flew from her outstretched palm toward the Master.
Unsurprised, Falinor re-summoned his defense and the rainbow of energy cascaded off the blazing shield as it hovered in the air between them.
This time Elaina continued the assault, the lance of azure energy playing across the surface of the shield. As the two magics met there was a cackle of energies as they strove against each other—brilliant multi-hued trails of the arcane flying outward from the point of impact
.
“Do you learn nothing, Elaina? If it failed last time, why bother trying this foolish assault again?”
Elaina's lips curved into a smile as she replied: “It doesn't have to breach your shield, Falinor. Every second you maintain that spell it drains you. I merely need to continue until your strength fails and the arcane energies tear you asunder as they did your Acolyte.”
“You think you can outlast me?” Falinor sneered. “You are foolish indeed.”
“Perhaps, Falinor, but I am not blind. I can see you struggling even now. Do you not find it strange that after all I have been through today I haven't even perspired? I knew something had changed within me, but I hadn't realized how much until now. I thought it was a change in the degree of my power—not in my very nature itself.”
“What are you blabbering about?” Falinor asked, clearly frustrated in his exertion.
“The energy an Astarii exerts comes from within. You store it within yourself and release it when occasion requires, to carry out your will. It is the way of our people. I remember what that was like, but it is not so for me anymore. This power of mine does not all come from within as it once did. Instead I draw it from the world around me and do not tire. Something has changed me, Falinor. I may not understand it but I know you will tire long before I ever do. When you falter you will fall.
“You were so gracious before,” she added, “in offering me a chance to express any last words. Let me return the favor now. Is there anything you wish to get off your chest before you die?”
Falinor was practically frothing at the mouth with rage. “Elaina . . .”
His words never made it out—as soon as he opened his mouth Elaina raised her left arm and swept it down before her. Lightning split the sky above before hurtling earthward. The flaming shield couldn't move to defend him, as Elaina had not relented in her frontal arcane assault. The lightning strike slammed into the Master of Fire and the damage was done. As the energy surged through his being, Falinor lost control of his incantation and his shield failed, allowing Elaina's azure lance to tear straight through his heart.
