A jet of Balten’s magic struck it from the far side and the beast gave a shrill cry of fury and began turning back towards him. Magic flicked along the rim of its shell and smoke gushed from the joints in its segmented legs, but otherwise it seemed unharmed.
Samuel carried on as fast as his legs would carry him, leaping over Paatin bodies and ducking under spells. I cannot fail! Faster! Faster! Or the Empress will die!he chimed over and over in his head and he felt each breath burning in his lungs. His legs carried him like the wind. All he could think of was saving the Empress and her boy. He could not bear the thought of finding their broken bodies-of losing those he cared about again.
Tiny sparks of magic shimmered along his muscles and he felt each step becoming lighter than the last. What’s happening?he thought, as the wind began to whistle past his face and he began passing wizards before they could even see him coming. His sandals padded softly on the sand, but energy saturated his body, driving him along with magic-empowered strides, faster than any Koian warrior.
Cold drops splashed against his cheeks and,a moment later,a wave of heavy rain fell like a thrown blanket, roaring and slamming itself down upon the thirsty sands. Lightning shattered the skies and thunder followed immediately with a hellish reverberating boom that petrified the wizards with fear.
Samuel did not slowhis paceand he continued past the terrified Paatin as fast as he could. In a few heartbeats, he had reached the yawning gates of Yi’sit and he continued through, by nowlittle more than a blur.
He did not quite know what was happening, but he had no time to question the fact. Whether the magic that now filled him was his ownor not, he could not tell,forthe ring seemed silent upon his finger. His body seemed to be gathering powerofits own accord, but he had no time to wonder how.
Water was already pouring off the roofs in rivers,and puddles had formed beside every wall. Common Paatin and the remaining old wizards were standing in the streets, looking upwards and around themselves agog and none of them even noticed Samuel splashing past them.
He reached the Empress’ tower and barrelled up the steps, following a trail of yellow ooze. Her doorway had already been broken in and,as Samuel hurried into her room, Om-rah turned to face him. The arch-wizard’s enormous form filled the centre of the room and Samuel had to grab hold of the door frame with all his might to stop himself from crashing into the man. Everything in the room had been broken into countless pieces but there was no sign of the Empress or young Leopold.
Om-rah raised his arm and pointed to Samuel with a jagged black claw and,as he swore at him in some Paatin tongue, his eyes blazed within the darkness of his hood. Samuel only had an instant to react as a spell burst out from the arch-wizard and shattered the doorway behind him. He dived aside, rolling beneath the wizard’s other claw as it came sweeping out to snare him. He dared not call to his ring without a moment to control it, for in the initial moments of receiving its power,he was always disoriented. Instead, he continued rolling, up and away from the enormous titan in the room. He saw his chance and vaulted out the window as another spell turned the rugs to flames behind him.
As he tumbledthrough the air, the heavy rain pounded down upon him. He called to the relic on his finger and the ground froze in place, now seeming to rise towards him like a gentle embrace. A moment later, the power of the ring had settled within him and the street flew up and hit him like a kick to the chin.
He shook his rattled head and regained his feet, turning back to look up to the Empress’ room. Om-rah was looking down at him, struggling to squeeze his massive form out the window. His gaze was locked onto Samuel with hatred and he shoved himself through the window, sending shattered stonespounding the streetbelow.
The hulking wizard leapt and splashed down beside Samuel. He made a sound of sheer malice as he raised himself to full height. His cloak had been singed and all but burnt from his body and Samuel could now see that there was very littlethat wasstill human about the man. He resembled more a burrowing grass beetle, for his skin was a jet-black carapace-little more than an armoured shell. His arms and legs were covered in bristles that looked like glistening blades and his hands were nothing more than cruel pincers. His head was that of an insect, utterly black with flat eyes that reflected the light like polished plates of ebony. His mouth was a razor-sharp set of mandibles and they clacked together as he bellowed, attempting to force the Paatin language out of his alien throat.
Despite his horror, Samuel did not hesitate and raised his arm, sending out a spray of incandescent flames that hissed in the rain. Om-rah stepped through the fire and steam unscathed and sent his own spell of lightning flashing into Samuel. It crackled and flickered around the magician’s defences, arcing and jumping between the puddles on the street, but Samuel also stood unharmed.
Enraged, the hulking juggernaut came forward, reaching at Samuel with razor-sharpclaws. Samuel instinctively leapt aside and the black talons ripped through his shields and caught his robes, tearing them and sending Samuel spinning away.
Om-rah turned after him and sprang,usinghis multi-jointed legs. Samuel also sprang away and he alighted high up on a nearby building as the wizard crashed down on the spot where he had just been. Om-rah leapt at once after him and, unable to halt the relentless creature’s approach, Samuel again vaulted away. The building he had just abandoned collapsed as the arch-wizard crashed down upon it, but it did not slow the man-beast at all. Itshook the debris fromitsshoulders and followed straight after Samuel, howling with guttural rage again and again asitpursueditsquarry from building to building along the street, summarily demolishing the town asitwent.
Samuel sent out jets of magic, trying every manner of spell he could recall, but Om-rah’s shell seemed impregnable to assault of every description. Every spell bounced off the slippery scale or caused little effect,and the Paatin arch-wizard kept after himsingle-mindedly.
He found himself wishing for some decent-sized rockswith whichto crush the bug for,every time he pulled down a wall or grasped something to throw at the wizard,the objectwould crumble into pieces on impact.
Samuel landed high atop another of the domed towers, several storeys above the street. He called to his ring and swept out towards the hulking giant with a spray of magic that sliced the buildings on either side of the street in two. As potent as the spell was, it did nothing butreboundagainst Om-rah’s shell armour. Each spell burned at Samuel’s core and he was achieving nothingexceptthe systematic destruction of the settlement. If he could not think of something to change the odds, he would wear out and Om-rah would inevitably catch him in his claws. He shivered as he imagined himself being pushed head first into the arch-wizard’s eager mouth.
Samuel looked to the dunes beyond the outskirts of the settlement, where the battle was still raging and magic was still flashing wildly. The rain was freezing on his skin, but he could barely feel it amidst the burning of his magic. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the rain stopped and the streets were left glistening, with rippling pools reflecting the pale lightning above and the yellow fires amongst the debris of the town. Om-rah’s head pivoted as he surveyed the scene around him, for he too waspuszzledby the weather, if only for a moment. He sent out another spell that cut Samuel’s dome perch from its foundations and sent it toppling down into the street,while Samuel bounded away.
Most of the remaining inhabitants had fled the town and made for the relative safety of the open desert, but the nearby wail of a child had Om-rah and Samuel both turning their heads to see. Down the next street, a woman ran for cover, cradling a boy in her arms.
There was a clack from below and Samuel turned back to see the tyrant wizard, but the beast had already gone. Samuel followed frantically, leaping after the armoured creature as he made for the defenceless pair. The Order magician crashed into Om-rah with all his might, but it was only enough to knock the arch-wizard slightly off course. They crashed into the middle of the street and Samuel rolled aside. Cruel,spiked arms lashed out toward
s him as Om-rah thrashed wildly about.
Empress Lillith was there, holding Leopold tightly,and she looked from Samuel to Om-rahinwide-eyed alarm. Her breath was a cloud of frost. She turned and fled into the doorway of the building, starting up some stairs and Om-rah climbed to his legs to be after them, ignoring Samuel altogether as he thrust himself through the narrow doorway, spraying shattered stone around him.
Samuel looked up and spied a balcony above. He jumped up, hoping to catch the woman before the insect could have them. He climbed over the side just as she came hurrying into the room, with the crashing sounds of Om-rah behind her.
‘This way!’ he called and she ran to him. ‘Hold onto me,’ he called and she didthebest she could, with the wailing boy clutching around her neck. Samuel grabbed her with both arms and jumped from the balcony. The woman was nearly pulled from his armsbythe force of the jump and they sprawled awkwardly onto the street.
‘Run!’ he shouted to her, for Om-rah was on the balcony and surveying them hungrily.
Empress Lillith did as she was told.Shescooped up Leopold andscurriedaway along the drenched street. Om-rah leapt directly for them and Samuel sent a wall flying into the beast, striking him mid-leap, but Om-rah carried on, unfolding the segments of his back and sweeping past the woman with a clatter of wings.
She fell just as Om-rah scooped past them and Samuel was racing to be beside her as the arch-wizard alighted on the next building. He thought the woman had been lucky but,as he helped her to her feet, she wailed and clutched at Samuel, for young Leopold was missing from her arms.
‘No!’ sheshrieked,as the terrible arch-wizard raised the screaming child to his excited mouth.
Samuel’s heart skipped, then a flash of magic and a spray of yellow fluid jetted up from between Om-rah’s shoulder plates. His beetle-like head plopped onto the rooftop and rolled down to where it fell on the street, chomping at nothing. Balten stepped out from behind the beast and pulled the crying child from its claws. Carefully, he scaled down to the street and came beside them. Lillith took the child from his arms and hugged the boy tightly, sobbing with joy. All four of them were sopping wet and the Empress was shivering. For the first time Samuel noticed how utterly freezing it had become.
‘Well,’ Balten said. ‘I’ve been waiting to do that for a long time.’
‘Is he dead?’ Samuel asked, for Om-rah’s body was still clambering around on the roof, feeling about with its claws.
‘I’m afraid I don’t have much magic left in me. I wouldn’t put it past him to grow a new head, so can you do the honours? I’d be much happier knowing there was no chance he could slip away and crawl under some rock to rejuvenate. Aim between the joints. It’s the only place he is vulnerable.’
Samuel nodded and called to his power one last time. It felt like someone was dragging a razor up his arm, but he managed to send out a tight beam of fire that screeched off Om-rah’s chitinous armour before finding the narrow articulation on the side of his body.
He intensified the potency and the result was spectacular, as the spell pushed between his plates of armour and slipped inside. There was immediately a hissing noise from within and yellow custard came boiling out the top of the arch-wizard’s shell. When the creature finally fell forward, his steaming hulk began to smoulder and his shell peeled back to reveal a set of vile, smoking organs. Samuel let his spell subside and,finally, Om-rah was still.
‘That will take care of him,’ Balten said, brushing his hands together and Samuel noticed that the tall magician looked unsteady on his feet. Samuel took him under the cover of one of the nearby buildings and let the man rest his legs.
‘You’re injured,’ Samuel said.
‘Just a tad. Eric seems to be mopping up the last of those wizards, so I’m hoping I can have a bit of a rest. I’m afraid I haven’t quite recovered from my time in captivity.’
They heard a clattering sound and Samuel looked back out on the street. He thought it had begun to rain, but,as the downfall increased,he saw there were pieces bouncing onto the street, and he realisedthey weretiny balls of ice.
‘Hail?’ Balten said, raising his head. ‘This is interesting.’
The ice continued to fall in varying-sized balls, bouncing about and gathering in clumps until the street was glazed white. The sound grew louder; under it was almost deafening and chunks the size of fists fell, crashing onto the rooftops.
‘What is happening?’ Samuel asked.
‘This battle will become something of a legend, Samuel-that is, if any of the Paatin live to tell of it. We’ve managed to upset things quite a bit, but they should settle back to normal soon. The weather can sometimes be affected by great magic, and defeating a thousand Paatin wizards is no small task.’
‘Empress Lillith,’ Samuel said, talking to the woman as she rocked the sobbing boy in her arms. ‘Are you injured?’
‘No, Samuel, I am well,’ she said, still sniffing and snivelling. ‘Thank you so much for saving us. I thought that thing was going to eat him.’
‘You are safe now. We will get you away from here.’
‘Where is my husband?’ she asked him.
‘He should be safely with Cang about now.’
‘Your husband?’ Balten said and it surprised Samuel that the man did not know everything.
‘Sir Ferse is the Emperor. Surely you knew?’ Samuel asked him.
‘I did not, but I see that some of this now makes sense. As I have said, Cang only tells me what he thinks I need to know.’
‘So it seems,’ said Samuel, ‘but we are not finishedhereyet. I still need to return and kill the sand witch and take her ring.’
‘Samuel,’ Balten said. ‘You can’t. She will surely be expecting you.’
‘I know now I can do it. I feel my own magic is returning and with the ring I am more powerful than ever.’
‘You’re in no condition to do much of anything, Samuel. You need to rest or you will just be throwing your life away.’
‘I cannot wait. She could do anything. I need to get her before she has time to prepare her defences.’
‘I can warn you, but I cannot stop you,’ Balten said solemnly. ‘We will be waiting in the Temple of Shadows. I will keep them safe with me there until you return.’
Samuelbeganto leave, butthe merest movement madehis muscles feelemptied of strength. The thought of even using his ring again made him feel sick. Balten was right; he had no idea how he would even make it back to the palace, yet alone defeat Alahativa, but there was no way he was going to give up now.
‘Samuel,’ Lillith said and she turned to him. ‘Thank you. Thank you both. You have saved us from that hideous thing. We will be forever in your debt. Words fail me.’
‘There is nothing to thank me for, Your Highness. I am no hero for saving you, but I would be a coward if I had not. Go with Balten. He will take you to your husband.’
She seemed pleased by the news and hugged her boy closer to her. ‘Please, be careful, Samuel. I hope I will also see you soon.’
Hurried steps sounded from the street and Eric came scampering in, wet and frozen from the rain and hail. His hair was full of ice and his cheeks looked pink and frozen. He scurried in under the cover to join them.
‘Finished already?’ Balten said.
‘Almost,’ Eric replied. ‘A few were left, but they gave up the moment the sky started pouring ice onto them and they fled. I think they thought enough was enough. I don’t blame them. A few of those pieces almost cracked my skull in. I take it everyone’s fine then?’ he said, looking to the Empress and her child.
‘They are. Eric, I’m going back,’ Samuel told him.
‘Where? To Hol?’
‘Yes. I want you to help Balten. Take them back to Cang and take care of them. I will join you there soon.’
‘I will come with you,’ Eric stated, but Samuel shook his head gravely.
‘No. While I would appreciateit ifyouwerewith me, I can act more freely alone. I can control th
e power of the ring better now, but I cannot unleash its full power if I have to worry about others. If I have to, I will destroy the whole palace.’
‘Very well, but if you get into trouble I will bring the others to save you. I don’t want to go back to Cintar alone.’
‘Agreed,’ Samuel said.
Thankfully, the hail had eased to a soft drizzle that was almost like snowflakes and he started out into the street, striding away with as much vigour as he could summon-at least, until he was out of view of the others. Out of the town he went, with his toes kicking the ice away before him. The hard part was done; now all he had to do now was defeat that infernal woman.
The surreal hills and fields of ice ended not far from Yi’sit and Samuel was glad to have his feet out of the cold and back onto the warm desert sand. It still contained some residual heat from the day and some feelingreturned tohis toes.
It was a long walk back to the city of Hol and Samuel drove himself on for as long as he could. Eventually, he realised the foolishness of what he was doing and allowed himself to sleep. Still, he woke before an hour had passed and set off again in the direction of the city. That small rest seemed enough, and he could scarcely believe that he had just fought to his last skerrick of energy. Regaining the ring seemed to have granted him more power than ever. His senses were now finely tuned and could detect the masses of people in Hol, even from so far away.
A glow to the east told him that dawn was approaching and he had just entered the pasture lands as the sun peeked over the distant horizon, bright and blazing already in its first moments of the day. Paatin patrols were surging around on foot and horse and camel, and a group of themflashedtheir swords at Samuel and shouted commands at him in their tongue. He ignored them, for the ring on his finger protected him from their steel. They jabbed at him with their swords, but he was too tired to play such games. He dropped them all to the floor unconscious and climbed up onto one of the camels himself.
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