The Magics of Rei-Een Box Set

by Georgina Makalani

  Yang shivered beside Lis, and she wondered if the cold rain would affect the fire bearers. But the flames continued to burn in the hands of the man before her. He hadn’t lost his footing enough to fall, and he was focused on her.

  She made the earth move again, but instead of just moving the stones, she pushed them into the earth until his feet disappeared beneath the surface with them. He growled, and the flame grew higher in his hand. Lis hoped she could maintain the barrier if he threw it, but his face screwed in concentration as the flame flickered in his hand.

  He opened his other hand, revealing another bright fire. That too started to splutter, and Lis allowed her hand to drop as she watched it.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Wei-Song cried, and Lis looked across at the woman with her hand outstretched towards the fire bearer. ‘He is not the only threat.’

  As his flames died down to nearly nothing, Lis willed the ground to open and pull him deeper. He forgot the fire and struggled to release himself as he sank deeper into the road. Another man near him faltered, and Lis caught him in the same way.

  Lightning struck the ground just before her. She jumped, losing her focus on the ground, but the two men appeared to be stuck fast. Another lightning bolt struck behind her, and she turned just as the young soldier went down.

  ‘Yang,’ she cried, but he was already at the soldier’s side. He shook his head.

  This time, the lightning wasn’t just taking them out of the fight, as with the emperor when they were attacked in the throne room. This time, they were taking them out of the fight for good. Lis tried not to cry. This was far more than she’d expected—this wasn’t playing games with the prince in the courtyard of the hidden princesses.

  ‘You knew this would be the risk,’ the general said, too close to her, and she startled. ‘Find a way to be what you need to be.’

  She nodded slowly, then took a deep breath and pulled the barrier close around her. She held in everything she had. ‘When I say the word, you must drop to the ground.’

  She closed her eyes, hoping that this would work as it had before and not kill those with her. She blew out a soft breath, pushing her barrier out a little, and it maintained its integrity. ‘Now,’ she shouted as she pushed with everything she had.

  The men around her dropped, pulling others with them, and she heard the fizzle of dying magic and the crack of breaking bones. She wanted to close her eyes again at the idea of what she had done and what her actions made her. But she didn’t. She held out her hand to the general and he took it, his grip strong and his grin broad as he climbed to his feet.

  ‘I am impressed, Your Highness.’

  ‘I’m not sure that I am,’ she said.

  ‘Battle is bloody,’ he said, clapping her on the shoulder. ‘And we have not seen the beginning of it yet.’

  Lis swallowed down the rising bile as she looked over the remains of the magics spread across the street around them. They had only lost one soldier, but the sky above them was still dark and, in the distance, rain fell in the main square. The usually bright spire of the temple was dull and grey, reflecting the sky.

  Chapter 31

  Their travel to the main square of the Palace Isle was hampered by other magics, and Lis wondered where they could have all come from. When five men appeared, blocking the street, she pushed her barrier forward without pausing, knocking them to the ground. One had thrown a fireball, but it died as it hit her barrier.

  The general cocked his head to the side and then turned to her seriously. ‘Are you getting stronger?’ he asked.

  ‘Why?’ she returned, coming to a stop.

  ‘The fire wouldn’t have died like that. He was still strong behind it.’

  She shrugged.

  ‘Do you feel different?’

  ‘I have just killed men. Magic or not, I feel different for it,’ she snapped, stepping forward. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. ‘I have allowed myself to let my magic be what it needs to be,’ she admitted. ‘I have spent my whole life in hiding. Whether my father thought me safe on the island or not, I never tested what I could truly become. There is no need to hold back now,’ she said, turning again, and he released his hold. She still wore the flowing silk she would have worn in her palace. Now, with only a thought, she changed into something far more suitable for battle.

  ‘Can you add armour to that?’ the general asked behind her. She turned to find the group standing still, watching her closely, some of the soldiers with a hint of awe.

  ‘I have my shield,’ she said. ‘This small group is not going to be able to defeat whatever we might find in the centre of the island. Can I suggest we try to meet with more of our allies before we get there?’

  Hui Te-Sze smiled and bowed low. He nodded once as he straightened and took the lead of the group. Around the next corner, two magics stood across the narrow street. Lis was waiting for the fire to start in their hands when she dropped to her knees, coughing up water.

  She was drowning. She could feel the water filling her lungs, and there was nothing she could do. She tried pushing out her shield, but it faltered, and although it gave her a moment to suck in a deep breath, the water soon returned.

  The rain had returned and fell heavier around them. She tried to focus on those around her, but the world appeared blurry, as though she were underwater.

  She shivered as the rain pushed into her clothes, and she wondered absently if armour would have prevented it. She could feel the world slipping around her as she knelt on her hands and knees in the street. She pushed into the earth, trying to push the water filling her away from her. A crack appeared, and the street opened up directly in front of her before running towards the two men standing before her. They tried to move out of the way, but as one slipped into the fissure, it started to fill with water. Lis wasn’t sure if she had pulled the water from her drowning lungs or if she pulled it from beneath the street.

  As he fell into the widening river, he sank quickly into the water and Lis sucked in a ragged breath. The other man turned his focus on her, but she raised her hand and the ground beneath his feet gave way. He too disappeared into the water. Lis stood slowly. Her chest burned as the air tried to fill her lungs, and she coughed. She waved her hand over the rough river that had grown through the street. It disappeared, the road returning to what it was.

  She sighed and stumbled forward as the general put his arm around her. ‘Your armour might not be enough,’ he said softly.

  She nodded and continued with him supporting her as her breathing returned to normal and the burning sensation in her chest died down. As they rounded the next corner, they discovered more soldiers, and Lis realised that Yang walked beside her, his hand on her shoulder.

  ‘Thank you,’ she murmured, pushing him off. ‘You need to keep some of that strength.’

  He smiled and bowed. ‘I am sure you will put yourself in far more danger before this day is out.’

  A soldier she didn’t recognise moved forward and bowed to the general. Then he focused on her and stammered, ‘Why would you bring the princess into this?’

  ‘She can help us,’ the general admitted. ‘Without her, we might not have made it from her palace to here.’

  ‘The prince…’ he started, but he clearly didn’t know how to explain any of what he had seen.

  ‘We know,’ she said kindly. ‘Where is he?’

  He indicated over his shoulder. ‘They surround the temple and have tried to destroy several buildings, but as yet they haven’t been able to breach the throne room.’

  ‘You think they would try to reach the emperor?’

  ‘He has called for his father repeatedly, but he will not come. Several others have tried to reach the emperor, but so far we have managed to push them back.’

  Lis walked past him to the end of the street, which looked out over the main square. So many men and soldiers filled the space. Where could they have all come from? The soldiers outnumbered the magics, but given their vario
us skills she feared the soldiers were more likely outmatched.

  The prince sat idly on the steps. He looked towards the throne room from time to time, but otherwise he was focused on his hand. Lis stepped forward, and the soldier pulled her back.

  ‘He has called for you as well,’ he said softly. ‘I don’t know what he thinks he can get from you, but the flames dance over his skin when he speaks of you, and they seem to glow brighter.’

  Lis chewed on her lip. What did he hope would come of their meeting in such a way? Did he simply hope he could force her out of hiding and end this?

  More soldiers moved into the end of the street, blocking her access to the prince and his to her. A soldier amongst the group growled, and she turned to find Mu-Phi looking out into the square. She hadn’t known what he was then, but Lis wondered if the girl now blamed the prince for her lover’s death.

  She turned and met Lis’s eyes, then lunged forward only to be blocked by another strong arm.

  ‘She is on our side,’ Hui Te-Sze said.

  ‘How can she be? She has magic,’ she spat.

  Silence descended on the square behind her, and Lis stepped forward to look through the gaps in the soldiers to see what had happened.

  ‘No matter what happens,’ Te-Sze said, ‘you are our last line. You must wait.’

  She nodded, but she was focused on the prince. He stood on the steps, the fire burning bright in his hand. ‘Will you not come out to see what you have created?’ he shouted into the silence, and Lis looked towards the steps to the throne room. There was no sign of his father. The fire flared in his hand and then he held out the other, which also contained a flame. When his hands came together, she tried not to call out as the fire grew into a fireball between them. With seemingly little effort, he lobbed it towards the throne room. It burst apart on the stone steps, doing little damage. Lis wondered what he could destroy if he was determined enough.

  ‘He wants the throne,’ someone whispered nearby, and she sighed.

  ‘What does he think his father can give him?’ Lis asked no one in particular.

  ‘He sees nothing as he did,’ Mu-Phi spat.

  The dark cloud above them started to rain again, and Lis shivered as the sharp, needle-like droplets hit her skin. Then, almost as quickly, they stopped. Lis looked up at the dark cloud and then around the square as snow drifted down around them. She turned and found Wei-Song with her arms stretched above her, her eyes closed and a look of concentration etched into her features.

  It was beautiful. Lis turned back to the prince as he stepped forward, formed another fireball and threw it up into the cloud. It petered out before reaching it. The prince scowled, and Lis could feel his anger flow across the square, hot and hard. Lightning flashed through the cloud before the deep rumble of thunder made her shiver.

  Mu-Phi was suddenly running across the square, and Lis wondered how she had made it between the soldiers. Several others ran out to join her from other streets and alleys that edged the square, and some of the soldiers who had stood silently watching them moved forward.

  The world descended into chaos, and Lis could do nothing but watch as the men blocked her path.

  ‘Last resort,’ the general murmured.

  Despite the maid’s hatred for her, Lis couldn’t let Mu-Phi run to her death. The prince remained on the steps, but the other men around him rushed forward to meet the small force racing towards them. The snow continued to fall, and it melted as it reached the stones, making them shiny and, Lis guessed, slippery. Then it turned to steam as the fire moved around the square, the world almost warming around her. Mu-Phi was still making a straight line for the prince. Lis couldn’t look away, too scared of what the woman might do when she reached him.

  The sword Mu-Phi carried stretched out towards the prince. Lis was too far away to see if she had struck him or not, but he glided away from her, and Lis could feel his anger swell. Mu-Phi turned to follow the prince, but she dropped suddenly to her knees as a magic reached out and put a hand to her shoulder.

  Lis closed her eyes. She turned back to the square quickly at the sound of the fizzle of magic, but there appeared to be more of the soldiers down than those with magic. She shook her head. This would be a slow slaughter if she allowed it to continue. Even if they sent every man they had out to meet them, the magics were too strong. They needed more; they needed a decoy.

  Lis looked back at Wei-Song, who was still trying hard to pull the heat from the air. Lis reached out between the soldiers and blew out a slow breath. The ground creaked and split as plants pushed their way through the rocky surface. They formed quickly into thick vines, taking the shape of men and reaching forward. The magics turned their attention on them, while the soldiers still standing didn’t know whether to get out of the way or attack. The ground bubbled and moved as her plant soldiers pushed forward. A fireball hit one, and it burst into flames. Lis was tempted to pull her hand away, feeling the heat of the prince’s anger in the flames. She blew out another soft, long breath, and the plant soldiers grew taller, thicker, broader. The five of them closed in on the temple before one was struck with lightning.

  Another suddenly reached out with thick tendrils and grabbed a magic close to it. It pulled him close and wound tightly around him, keeping him locked against the chest of the plant-man that continued to move forward. Lis could hear the fizzle of his dying magic. Although she felt sick, she pushed on.

  ‘Do you want to destroy me?’ the prince’s voice called out amongst the noise. ‘I thought you wanted to work together?’

  The plant men stopped, but the noise of the square continued.

  Lis pushed her way out between the soldiers to stand within the square. The prince continued to look around for a sign of her. He stepped slowly down the steps of the temple.

  ‘Where is my hidden princess?’ he called.

  Lis flicked her hand and pushed a wave across the surface of the island. The movement unsettled many of the magics and some of the soldiers. She had tried to slow it around them, but she wasn’t quite sure she knew what she was doing. She pushed a plant up to steady a soldier as a magic rushed him, and the fizzle echoed through the now-silent square.

  ‘You can end this,’ she called to the prince, now staring her down across the distance.

  ‘You will have to end this, by destroying me or dying.’

  ‘I don’t want to hurt you,’ she returned. ‘I know what you can be.’

  ‘I know what I am. And when I am Emperor, this world will be a very different place.’ The flames danced over his skin, along his sleeves. They danced in the dim light of the storm clouds, where the lightning still flashed and the thunder rumbled a little less loudly. At another time, in another place, Lis thought it would have looked beautiful. As though a fire beast lived within him and if he asked, it would help him rather than burn with his fury as it did now.

  Lis sent a small wave through the ground to meet him, but he quickly directed his fire into the ground at his feet and the wave stopped. He grinned at Lis across the expanse, and she could see the fire dancing in his eyes. They would never be able to work together. He was determined now, no matter the secrets, that there was nothing for them.

  Lis pushed the barrier forward, wondering what would happen to her when she was no longer a hidden princess. Would there be a world left where she could return to her father and the island home she had loved so much?

  The prince met her with more fire than she realised he could muster. It licked over the barrier, and she felt the heat of it push against her skin despite the distance between them. Then it started to cool, and Lis glanced at Wei-Song standing beside her, her hand outstretched.

  The world erupted into chaos around them. Magics raced forward to meet soldiers with nothing more than sharp swords and shields. Flames danced around Lis while rain and snow continued to fall. The wind picked up, blowing debris around them, and Lis could do nothing but push back against the prince.

  She tried to creat
e another plant soldier to distract him, but he burnt the shoots before they could grow to anything of use. If only she could contain him.

  She tried again, willing a small shoot from between the stones behind him. His fire seemed to intensify as her barrier thinned a little while she tried to use her magic for something else. She stepped forward slowly. He did the same. The push became more intense, the flames hotter, and again she thought she could see something else around him. Something separate from him and part of him at the same time. She closed her eyes and could see the whole world burning as it had in her dreams not so long ago, although it felt like another lifetime. When she too had burned along with the prince. Every building burned, as did those in the square around them. And she faltered, unsure if it was real or her dream.

  She pushed forward suddenly, knocking him from his feet, and she used the distraction to pull the plant from the ground and create a solid cage around him. His eyes flashed with anger again. As Lis took another step forward, the cage burst into flames and disintegrated to nothing. She didn’t have the skills to create anything that would contain him. And then she wondered about her barrier.

  If they could be inside it together, he wouldn’t be able to burn anything around him. But she was sure he would destroy her at the same time, and then the shield would fail and he would go back to destroying the world. She wondered, as she stepped closer and flicked the shield at him to deflect the fireball he threw, if she could wrap it around him.

  Chapter 32

  Yang was focused on Lis’s back, worried she was getting far too close. He knew she still felt there was a chance, that something was there for the prince that would allow him to want to connect and save them all from another war.

  But Yang knew there was nothing now. The crown prince almost glowed with the fire. Then Lis did something different with her hands—he wasn’t sure what, but the following explosion was enough to knock everyone in the square to the ground.