Avondale V

by Toby Neighbors

  “Fulguralis,” Tiberius said calmly.

  The thicker smoke overhead churned, and then lightning flashed down. For a moment Tiberius was blinded by the brightness of the attack, but when his vision returned, what he saw took his breath away. Draggah, the demon made flesh, had somehow caught the powerful lightning, condensing it into a ball of energy, and then sent it flying straight at Tiberius.

  “Move!” he screamed.

  Tiberius dove out of the way, and Lexi twirled to the side, but Olyva couldn’t move fast enough. She tried to drop back, but the energy blazed across the side of her face, charring the flesh and burning away the long, dark tresses on the side of her head.

  “No!” screamed Rafe.

  Tiberius saw him charging forward and knew that his friend was going to die unless he did something. He placed his palms on the ground, feeling the warmth of the recently cooled lava, and chanted his spell as fast as he could.

  “Conflo Fervefacio Aestifer.” The portal opened, but Tiberius pushed it underground, letting the heat erupt from underneath Draggah.

  Rafe covered the distance between himself and the demon in record time. Tiberius could only hope his spell would help somehow. The demon drew back one long, powerful arm, his fingers straight and stiff, the bony claws at the tip of each finger creating a serrated blade of sorts. He was going to stab Rafe, killing Tiberius’ friend. Rafe raised his sword above his head, the muscles in his arms flexing as he prepared to make the killing stroke.

  Draggah’s arm shot forward, faster than the strike of a viper, but at the same time, the ground melted beneath him. His twisted legs struggled to walk, but they made a suitable base when the creature didn’t move, allowing him to stand upright and using his long arms freely. Luckily they had little feeling and didn’t notice the ground suddenly becoming hot beneath him. The blackened stone, cooled from the previous day, suddenly melted, and the demon fell into a thick pool of magma. The demon’s thrust missed Rafe, but the momentum sent him sprawling wide of his target and caused the warrior’s strike to miss, as well.

  Draggah’s body was flesh now, and for the first time since coming to Valana centuries before, he felt pain. The demon scrambled from the molten rock, but the lava clung to his flesh, burning and searing its way through the tough skin and muscle and fusing to the bone as blood poured over the liquid rock, cooling and hardening the molten stone in mere seconds while it still clung to Draggah’s flesh.

  The demon flung itself toward Tiberius, who dashed backward but tripped over his own feet. He fell hard, his back erupting in pain, but there was no time to waste. He rolled onto his knees and raised his shielding spell.

  “Scuti Incantatio!” he shouted.

  The magical spell formed around Tiberius just as the demon uttered its own curse. There was no flash of light, no blast of fire or sudden apparition, just a swirl of magic that slowly tightened around Tiberius. He felt his shield contracting, squeezing the breath from his lungs. He pushed back, trying to force his shield spell out from his body, but the demon’s strength was too great. The demon’s face was little more than shadow, its eyes soulless black orbs, but Tiberius could see the glee in them. The demon had him, and he knew there was nothing Tiberius could do to stop him.

  Tiberius screamed, the wail of pain and fear cut short as the demon’s spell contracted even harder. Ti’s vision wavered, but he saw his best friend, bloodied but looking savage, racing to his aid. Rafe bellowed a fierce war cry as he attacked, bringing his sword down in a quick chop that would have severed the demon’s head, but Draggah raised an arm defensively, and the rapier lodged in the demon’s forearm. He jerked away instinctively, ripping the sword from Rafe’s hand.

  “Tiberius,” Rafe shouted. “Get back!”

  Ti rolled to his feet and staggered back, just as Rafe planted himself firmly between the demon and Tiberius. He had no sword, no weapon to fight with, just the courage to stand between a terrifying monster and his friend. The demon’s unwounded arm came around in a savage arc, hitting Rafe on the side of the young warrior’s head and knocking him senseless. Rafe didn't move, not even flinching from the demon’s wicked blow.

  “Specula Fulsi,” Tiberius shouted.

  The portal opened above the demon’s head, and he saw it. Draggah raised one bony hand to deflect the magical light, but the focused light spell simply burned through his hand and into the featureless face. The light seared into the demon’s forehead, right between where the curving horns sprouted from his skull. The scream was so intense it was hard for Tiberius to stay focused.

  Draggah rolled, trying to escape, but Tiberius wouldn’t let him. He moved the portal and kept the magic directed at the demon. It tried to cast spells, but Ti’s attack was too strong and the pain from the burning ray of light too intense for the demon to withstand. Tiberius had no idea how much of the wretched creature was flesh or if that flesh was anything like a normal person, but he poured the focused light into the demon until Draggah shuddered and lay still.

  Then Tiberius fell to his knees, panting for breath. He felt weak, and his body ached from the battle, but he was alive thanks to Rafe. Ti looked around for Lexi. She was bent over Olyva with a worried expression, but Lexi didn’t seem to be hurt at all. Tiberius got to his feet, waited a moment for his dizziness to pass, then looked around. The wide, barren plain was littered with the bodies of horrid monsters. More of the wretched creatures were fleeing the mountain, but they were of little concern to Tiberius at the moment. The fact that none seemed interested in attacking him or his friends was all that mattered.

  He staggered over to Olyva and got on his knees beside her. Her once classic features were blackened, the skin a mass of hideous blisters. The stench made Tiberius’ eyes water, but he didn’t care. Olyva had given him strength when he needed it most and she was Rafe’s beloved. He wouldn’t rest until he had helped her.

  “Acies Sano Cuticula, Acies Penetralis Resarcio Viscus,” he chanted.

  Sana Magus, healing magic, was in his opinion the first and greatest of all forms of magic. He let the mysterious healing power swirl into Olyva. He could feel the change, started by the Hosscum grove when they had first been banished from Avondale, taking place inside her. Even on the most basic level, her body was mutating, and he knew it was only a matter of time now before she completed her transformation and became a Hosscum tree. He couldn’t stop that—not that Olyva would want him to—but he could heal the burns.

  His own face suddenly flared with intense pain. He was still chanting the spell, but his voice shook, and sweat poured from his head from the agony he endured. Burns always seemed to take longer to heal than anything else in Tiberius’ opinion, but he stayed strong for Rafe and Olyva. Eventually the pain subsided, and Lexi gasped in amazement as her skin regained its color, the blisters disappeared, and even her hair grew back.

  When he was finally finished, Tiberius nearly collapsed. Lexi was signaling for the sky ship to return, but it was taking the ship a while to sail back down and pick them up. Tiberius wanted to close his eyes and sleep. He was dizzy, weak, and tired, unlike when he cast the destruction spell and felt invincible. He had sent that powerful magic into the Balestone, foiling the demon’s plans and saving Valana from a horrible fate. He hadn’t really expected to live beyond accomplishing that feat, but now he wanted nothing more than to be with his friends.

  “I need to check on Rafe,” Tiberius said.

  He got up slowly and walked over to where Rafe lay. Tiberius knew his friend had been knocked out but he hadn’t expected to find Rafe looking the way he did. There was blood from some cuts on his head and across his chest, but what scared Tiberius most was the blood coming from Rafe’s ears.

  “Lexi!” Tiberius shouted.

  “What is it?” she asked as she turned around.

  Olyva was just sitting up, feeling the side of her head in surprise and wonder, but Tiberius felt his world suddenly spinning out of control. He knelt by his friend and placed his hands on eit
her side of Rafe’s skull. One side felt soft.

  “Acies Intrinsecus Accipio Ceptum Sarcio Adiflictus Ossis,” Tiberius chanted.

  The bone healing spell wasn’t as difficult as the spell to heal burns, and almost immediately Tiberius felt a dull ache in his head. It grew worse, but it was nothing as severe as the burns he’d healed on Olyva. Yet his worry grew. Through the flow of magic and the Corporeus Adfectus, Tiberius could feel the buildup of blood in Rafe’s skull. The bones fused back together, but his friend didn’t stir.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Lexi asked.

  “Oh, Rafe,” Olyva said as she bent over the young warrior.

  “The demon struck him down,” Tiberius said. “He was protecting me.”

  He had to swipe the tears from his eyes so that he could look for any sign of life from Rafe.

  “The ship should be here soon,” Lexi said, her voice now strained with worry.

  Tiberius looked at her, and the fear he felt for his friend was reflected in Lexi’s anxious look. Olyva was weeping quietly, and Tiberius suddenly felt an intense grief he’d never experienced before. It was worse than any physical pain, and more than anything he wanted to deny the truth. He felt powerless and frustrated, wanting to scream but choosing to chant his spell instead. Desperately hoping there was still a chance to save his friend.

  “Acies Penetralis Deprimo Sano Crudus Viscus.”

  The spell for internal bleeding began to work immediately, and Tiberius could sense that it was the brain that was bleeding. He worked slowly, letting the magic flow and heal. His own heart was pounding, and he felt light headed, but he didn’t let up. He had to save Rafe, to heal him and bring him back.

  Eventually there was nothing left to be done. Tiberius healed the cuts on Rafe’s scalp and chest, then they waited for the sky ship. Rafe never stirred. His breathing became deep and even, but when the ship finally swooped in, they were forced to carry Rafe onboard.

  Tiberius had meant to have the ship stop and get Leonosis, but when he sat in the thickly padded chair next to the bed where Rafe was placed, he fell almost instantly to sleep.

  Chapter 47

  Ariel

  She had watched the entire scene from a distance, hidden in the smoky haze. The fleet of war ships had been sent back to Sparlan Citadel, but the king’s ship hovered in the air, miles from the summit of Mount Avondale. She used magic to view the activity, and she had seen Leonosis carried away by his brother. When the sky ship from Hamill Keep eventually sailed back down the mountain, she decided to make one final attempt to reclaim the power she had lost.

  There was a sense of relief that Draggah’s hold over her seemed broken. She knew that she could do whatever she wanted now. She had seen her master fall, watched him die, without lifting a finger to help him. Draggah had promised to give her the life she'd always wanted when her father had made it clear that she was simply a commodity to be traded away for something he wanted more. Somehow, despite her fears and resentments, she had gathered the strength to strike back at the people who had brushed her aside once her brother was born. She had summoned the demon and harnessed his power, at least until Leonosis had changed everything. And contrary to the demon’s promises, she had come to realize that he never intended to place her in power. Still, she had held on to the glimmer of hope that Draggah gave her, hoping she might somehow find a way to get what she wanted, even though she was too frightened to resist the demon. Now that Draggah’s defeat was certain, she had only one prospect left. She needed to know if her husband lived or not.

  The ship moved slowly over the ash-covered perimeter of what had once been Avondale’s walls. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but there had to be something close by, some evidence of Leonosis, either alive or dead.

  She saw the hole that Tiberius had dug out of the ash and sent her guards down to investigate. It was only moments before Leonosis’ body was hauled out of the ash. He looked dead, but when they got the body onto the ship, she found him alive. The sailors carried him back to the king’s stateroom, and Ariel sat on the bed beside him. She used a sponge to dribble water into his mouth. Soon his swollen tongue was licking the chapped lips eagerly.

  As the ship sailed back to Sparlan Citadel, Ariel nursed Leonosis back to health. He didn’t wake up for three days, and when he did, he was weak. Ariel stayed by his side, waiting to see if the demon still controlled him, but he was free and still King of Valana. Ariel could work with that, she thought. It wasn’t magic, but it was a start.

  Epilogue

  Rafe never woke up. His body was healthy, but his brain had been damaged in the fight. Tiberius was distraught, but Olyva was at peace. The day after they returned to the camp at the bottom of the mountain, Tiberius and a group of the earl’s war band, along with Earl Ageus, returned to the mountaintop. The earl was devastated, but there was nothing he could do. Tiberius returned for Leonosis, but even before the ship lowered him down, Tiberius knew his brother was gone. There were tracks all in the ash, and not just his own, yet no tracks led away from the ash cave. Someone else had returned for the king, and Tiberius had a feeling he knew who that was.

  That night, they returned to the camp, which had continued to swell as citizens who had escaped the city before the volcano’s eruption slowly made their way down the mountain and found the new settlement. Earl Ageus pulled Tiberius aside and Ti couldn't help but notice the pain his father's features. The earl was healthy, but the loss of Avondale and the devastation of the mountaintop weighed heavily on him. Still, it was clear that the earl wanted something from his son, and Tiberius felt conflicting emotions as they talked.

  “We can't rebuild,” the earl said. “There's no water on the mountain anymore.”

  “You don't need to build up there,” Tiberius said. “The camp is in an ideal place. Olyva picked the perfect spot.”

  “She did well, but our work has just begun, Tiberius. Avondale needs you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You should take the earldom. Lead our people to rebuild and regain what we have lost.”

  “That is your job,” Tiberius said. “Not mine.”

  “It is your birthright,” Ageus said, anger tinting his voice. “Why do you resist it?”

  “I’m not resisting anything,” Tiberius said. “But you are well with many years left to serve. Let one of my sisters rule when the time comes. I can't stay.”

  “Why? Because Grentz’s son was struck down? Surely that is even more reason to stay. As earl you honor his sacrifice.”

  “I can only honor his friendship by being true to who I am. Look around you—the world is wide open to us now. Don’t you feel the urge to explore it? To discover all the wondrous things we thought were lost?”

  “No,” Ageus said. “My place is here, with our people. As is yours.”

  “I’m not staying, Father. After Lexi and I have rested and done all we can for Rafe, we are leaving.”

  “What if we need you?” the earl asked.

  “If a time comes when you need me, I will return.”

  “I can’t say I approve.”

  “I didn't think you would, but this is your chance to shape Avondale’s future, perhaps even the entire kingdom. I would only get in your way.”

  Tiberius knew that wasn't entirely true. If he stayed, his father would use Tiberius’ power to elevate his own position among the other cities. He wouldn’t set out to abuse his son’s magical abilities, but in time he would insist on more and more from Ti. If Tiberius stayed, he would wither under his father’s demanding rule. And Tiberius harbored no illusions about Ageus stepping down from his place as earl. Now that his father was healthy again, the earl would never willingly give up his power.

  “Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?” the earl said, his irritation with Tiberius all too clear.

  “No, Father,” Ti said.

  “I could order my men to keep you here,” he insisted, the shadows of his former abusive authority sudd
enly taking shape around him.

  “Yes, you could,” Tiberius said. “But this is a new world, and I am no longer your meek third child. I’m a wizard of the Fourth Order, and I will not be held against my will.”

  “You would turn on your own people?” Earl Ageus demanded.

  "Isn't that what you are doing to me?" Ti asked in a voice he hoped was calming. "Don't make my decision out to be an insult to your honor. I have a destiny that is greater than Avondale or any of the nine cities. I must find what we have lost and return the magic of the Four Orders to Valana, ensuring that magic is practiced for the good of all mankind, not just Avondale."

  "You wound me with your criticism," Ageus said, but the fight had gone out of him.

  "That was not my intention," Tiberius said. "You're my father, and I love you."

  The earl frowned as he nodded. "And I love you, too, son."

  That was the last time Tiberius spoke with his father. After that night the earl threw himself into the work of rebuilding the city he had lost. And he was always too busy to see Tiberius in the days that followed. Lexi did her best to comfort and encourage Tiberius, but grief at the realization that he wouldn't have a better relationship with his father was agonizing. As was watching Rafe's failure to recover.

  A few days later, Tiberius and Lexi found Olyva at the edge of the camp. She had spent most of her days there, much the same as she had been shortly after being touched by the Hosscum trees. She would stand unmoving for hours at a time, her face turned toward the sky, her arms outstretched to soak up the sunlight. The light above the mountain was still weak and more of a dingy white than the golden amber that filtered down on most of the blighted lands. Still, Olyva seemed to draw strength from it, and on the fourth day after their battle with the demon, Tiberius discovered why.

  He saw the grove of trees as they approached Olyva. She wasn’t moving, and the trees didn’t appear to be moving, but they hadn’t been there the day before. Tiberius felt a lump of fear in his chest. His eyes stung with tears, and he gripped Lexi’s hand.