by C E Johnson
There’s no way they can keep this up for long, Emily thought as she watched the two men fight. Oliver’s staff was revolving like a tornado reflecting his fear. Still, there was a budding grace in his panic. He had seen his friend die and he now fought like a berserker. He was somehow stopping the flood that was dying to burst through the increased space between his position and Luke. Crack, Crack, his staff sang out as it slammed into one of the goblins who had killed McAdams forcing the creature back. Moving like a man possessed, Oliver ducked and weaved. His wood collided with armor time and again. Luke and Oliver were moving in the deadliest of dances, steel clanging, blades hissing, bones splintering in a withering fight of fury.
“Retreat!” Luke suddenly called out while sweeping his greatsword in a savage arc to allow time for their flight. Their position was about to be overrun. “Now, Isabelle!” he thundered as he performed a whirling spin movement. Emily struggled to see if Isabelle’s spell was going to work as a flash of indigo magic burst from her friend. All at once she could see turmoil in Wuldur’s rear-guard. His magicians and archers begin to scramble forward in a panic. Wuldur whirled around to survey the new assault. He began pointing in a rage, attempting to reorganize against the attack from the swampy forest coming from the rear of his position.
“They’re coming!” Isabelle yelled. Dashing out of the river, alligators had appeared in a large congregation. The reptiles were moving incredibly rapidly in a short burst of speed to attack the enemy flanks. At the same time, packs of dog-like creatures were pouring out of the woods. They had light gray fur along with black and white markings.
Coyotes, Emily realized. Although only medium-sized, they were throwing themselves at necks with snapping jaws in a simultaneous assault. Pulling the enemy auras into her mind, Emily could see their magician-shield spells falter. Their concentration was broken as sharp teeth rended through their leather armor. The hostile magicians were switching to new offensive incantations to fight on the new front, dropping components of their shield. Isabelle’s spell was wreaking such havoc that even all of the half-deads on the bridge had paused in their advance to glance back at the conflict.
“Now, Emily!” Luke bellowed to her.
Emily gave a determined nod. She realized Luke had waited for this moment, when the enemy shield was at its lowest level. Xena come back! Bring Rune! Get to safety! Emily screamed through their link. She jumped back up upon the overturned trailer and went into her favorite spell-casting position. Pulling her remaining magestones into her hand, she felt an upsurge of potential begin to sing and hum.
We’re clear, Xena shouted as she jumped past Emily side-by-side with Rune.
Although not a complete magestone set, as Emily placed the stones next to her redstone ring on her finger, they began to pulse and whir with a life of their own. Emily eagerly sucked whatever vitality they granted her, and it was incredibly formidable. Summoning her augmented magus to do her bidding, she felt infused with a rush of power and energy. “Flamae,” she intoned. A spark formed at her fingertip. Rolling the tiny flame back and forth in her hands, she willed it to gain in size and intensity. The smokeless fire seemed to come alive in a ball of energy. Incandescent coils leaping ever higher and higher, it burned restlessly against the confines of her hands. All at once, it surged against her limits, boiling until she could no longer contain its fury. With that, she launched it towards those who had killed her parents and the parents of her friends. The searing force seemed to scream in ecstasy at being set free. With every foot that it flared, the fireball drew hungrily not only from her magus and the power of her stones, but also from her inner fury. Rapidly, it gained in size and intensity. Goblin men-at-arms screeched and flailed helplessly at the air as the inferno enveloped them, but the shield generated by their magicians was down to almost nothing and they were defenseless against her magic. Stallions screamed as they burned and half-deads that were able leaped off the bridge, but the majority of the enemy couldn’t escape. The sound of splintering bones and boiling blood nauseated Emily, but her inner rage didn’t recede. The flames charged the very air with its singing sting, and the burning blast slammed relentlessly into the hostile forces. Dying wolves lifted their great heads and howled as the savage flames continued to increase in its destructive power enveloping whole packs at once. The terrified shades were also largely destroyed in a deafening hiss of pain and desperate anger. The world had turned to fire and Emily wondered if the river below her was boiling as her magic liquefied the world.
“You’re doing it!” Luke called out. “Don’t stop!”
While the fireball continued forward, intent on continuing its destruction, its speed was slowing. Emily gasped at the energy expenditure. She was becoming light-headed. Feeling off-balance, she gripped her magestones. All at once, she began to crumple to the ground. Falling backwards off the trailer, she was in a daze. Her hatred for those who had killed her family was fading away along with the waning bonfire, but her fireball was still burning. Luckily, Elizabeth had been watching Emily protectively. She leapt forward at just the right time. Barely catching Emily, she prevented her head from hitting the ground. “I’m almost out of magus,” Emily managed to choke out to Elizabeth. Emily’s pyramis bluestones returned to her hand, and Emily weakly put her magestones away.
“It’s almost over,” Elizabeth whispered. Pushing Emily’s sweat-soaked hair out of her eyes, Elizabeth kissed Emily on her forehead. A fuzzy darkness began to close around Emily’s peripheral vision. Although she wanted to see what would happen, she closed her eyes tightly focused only on allowing her fire spell to burn as long as possible. Her reservoir was emptying. Valiantly, she fought against losing consciousness allowing her fire to continue its onslaught all the way to the base of the bridge.
“Watch for the arrows!” Isabelle screamed from nearby.
“What’s happening?” Emily gasped to Elizabeth, struggling to open her fading lids. Her lungs ached. Her bones were chilled.
“Their archers are firing one last time before the flames reach them!” Elizabeth warned Emily. “Don’t let your fire falter yet,” she pleaded as she conveyed the effect of Emily’s spell. Abruptly, Elizabeth pulled Emily up against the trailer for protection. Just then, another stream of arrows fell on their squad. “Your fireball is hitting them now,” Elizabeth whispered as she peaked over the edge once it was safe. “The flames are wiping out the majority of the enemy bowmen.” After a time, Elizabeth brushed her palm along Emily’s cheek, “Rest now, Em, your fire has reached the swamp. Let it go. We’ll finish this,” she promised tenderly.
With that, Emily ended her incantation allowing the flames to evaporate into vapors. Feeling beyond weak, she wasn’t sure how much longer she would remain conscious. Everything was becoming a blur. Men were screaming in pain through the air laden with smoke. Unfortunately, Emily realized Palin was one of them. He hadn’t made it to safety during the last arrow attack by the half-deads. Emily hadn’t been able to maintain a shield along with her fire. Through half closed eyes, she watched him drop his rifle and stagger with an arrow through his chest. All at once it was over, and he collapsed to the ground next to Emily. His lifeblood ebbed out of his body. More dying because of me, Emily thought in despair. She attempted to reach out a hand to heal him, but there was no magic left in her reserve.
“Keep away, monsters!” Poult shouted at the enemy. His shrill voice forestalled Emily’s loss of consciousness. He was a short distance away from her, firing time and again from his bow. Eventually his quiver was empty. A surviving were-creature leapt over the trailer in his direction.
“No!” Emily screamed. She tried to rise to kill the beast, but she found she couldn’t move. Everything was blurred and bleary.
“Stop!” Elizabeth wailed in horror. Emily could tell Elizabeth was loathe to leave her side, wanting to protect her from other approaching half-deads.
Poult slashed at the creature, using his bow as a sword. The were-wolf caught the impact on his sho
ulder, but the monster didn’t reel away. Emily strove to go to him, but her legs wouldn’t respond to her commands. Faster than a snake it struck, burying its jaws into Poult’s neck. The wolf began shaking him as if he were a doll while Poult made muffled cries of agony. Blood was spurting everywhere from him, and Emily was certain he wasn’t going to survive. Her senses were becoming tattered and torn. Struggling to even form a word, she raged against the tumult around her, but she was much too weak to give any assistance. Frantic pain and desperation swirled through her exhausted frame, but her magus was silent, listless.
“I’ve got to help him!” Elizabeth yelled in a panic. Setting Emily’s head down gently on the hard surface of the bridge while gritting her teeth, Elizabeth moved into her spell-casting position. Emily faintly heard Elizabeth whisper her incantation, “Glacies.” Daggers of ice shot from her fingers into the beast. It recoiled back against the force of her attack before crumpling to the ground, finally releasing Poulton’s listless body from its jaws.
You did it, Emily tried to call out to her friend, but the words were too hard for her tongue to form. Her cheeks felt wet and she realized she was crying. Emily could sense Xena had come to her. Her bondsmate was now standing guard over her with Elizabeth. Even with Xena close by, she felt lost. She tried to shrug off the searing heat forming around her heart, but nothing could stop the pain. This bridge is a burning slaughter, she thought.
This is war, Xena growled at the enemy. Standing sentinel, Xena was a black shield over Emily’s chest. Elizabeth kneeled next to Emily with a tear-streaked face. She mouthed a healing spell, but Emily felt nothing change. The carnage enveloping her friends was burning apart Emily’s soul and she felt a deep sadness at the senseless devastation. Although the air was so hot it seared her lungs, she couldn’t seem to warm herself.
Suddenly Anna appeared in Emily’s field of vision, also kneeling next to her. Anna’s golden highlights had lost their luster and were now appearing somehow dark and gray. “I’m giving you some of my magus,” Anna yelled, but her words came out as quiet as a mouse. Emily knew she was seconds from fainting. The dusky cloud in her mind was drawing closed like a curtain, and she was certain she only had another minute to watch the events before she completely blacked out. All at once, the wind breathed a new chill through the steaming world.
Why is the temperature changing? Emily wondered absently in her frazzled mind.
Everything’s gone cold, Xena whispered in a tone mixed with both horror and dread.
Emily looked to the sky where Anna’s bondsmate, Soane, whirled through the currents. The eagle was attempting to out-fly a pursuing wyvern. Feebly, she pointed upwards.
“Call for me if you need me,” Anna said in a rush with worried eyes as she followed the direction of Emily’s finger. Before standing, she gently kissed Emily on her forehead. Roaring the words of her spell, “Mutato draco,” Anna changed into dragon form. She spread her leathery wings to their full extent and leapt into the growing currents of the bitter frozen wind. Screaming a challenge and flapping madly while clawing at the air, she gained altitude. She was flying faster than Emily had ever seen her fly. Soaring just behind the wyvern on strong wings, she was scales and talons, teeth and determination as she closed in on the wyvern who was oblivious to the impending danger. All at once, Anna paused. Cocking her head back, she released her own fire, her own fury. Instantly, the wyvern’s wings erupted into smoke, preventing it from closing its teeth on Anna’s bondsmate. As the wounded wyvern fell toward the Earth, Anna and Soane let out victory cries. They circled together among the clouds.
Look at the incoming birds, Xena gasped. Likely ready to gorge themselves in a disgusting display of greed, a massive flock of ravens descended toward the battlefield.
As the birds flew in, the world continued to change. The light breeze coming from the north turned into a gale, and without warning, the very sky darkened. Everything turned to ash. Emily blinked several times, but she wasn’t dreaming. She was still awake. The world was being swallowed up by darkness and she wondered if she was descending into Ater.
What’s going on? Emily screamed to Xena in confusion.
A shadow has descended upon the land, Xena answered her. Then everything went dark.
CHAPTER 11
Ice Age
“Were all the targets hit?” Iscar asked Brytam.
“We have success,” she crowed. “Project Wormwood worked.” Brytam wore a loose white dress that was much too short with sleeves that were barely there. She arose from her chair and ran from the monitor to give Iscar a soft kiss on his cheek. Her silky top swirled and shifted against his body as if swaying in the wind. She wore a thin belt of gold that wrapped around her small waist accentuating the curve of her hips. There was a faint silver net in her hair sparkling with vines so fine he blinked in awe at the craftsmanship. As always, she could tell the effect she had on him, and she laughed at his discomfort.
Tengu flew down from a perch near the ceiling to land on a stand next to Iscar. The megabat licked his lips. Ask her what changes will now occur on Earth, Tengu whispered to Iscar curiously.
Iscar coughed to clear his throat. “What will happen now?” He was dying to hear Brytam’s excited voice once again. He reached out a hand to touch her softness, but dancing back to watch the world split apart on her screen, she was gone. Iscar’s eyes were drawn to her necklace of infinitesimal titanium links that somehow stayed connected even with her rapid movements. Tiny white magestones were set into the metal, and they glistened with their inner magus successfully lighting up the beauty in her face.
“Now we watch Earth descend into a new Ice Age,” Marcus announced. Wearing components of his armor, he was standing in front of a table. With joy he slammed a gauntleted hand down into the wood which splintered upon impact. His eyes twinkled with pleasure at the effect his fist had, and his lion bondsmate roared in approval. Marcus tilted back his head and laughed with exhilarated exuberance. “They will all come to us for food and warmth, and we will rule this world with an iron fist.”
“This world will not end with this cataclysm, but the skies will become fire,” Ullr rasped. The strong shade general was standing at attention in the room staring at the monitors in awe. “Such destruction,” he mumbled.
Brytam spoke proudly, “Tremors will crack the Earth apart.”
The end of time, Tengu said in a hushed tone.
“And so it begins,” Iscar whispered. He stood and moved to a map displaying the location of his forming armies and the location of the residual military forces of the countries of Earth. “A war will break out between our two forces so powerful it will consume the land.”
“Earth is shattered,” Marcus roared in triumph. “They will never be able to form a challenge to us.” His strong face was glowing with elation. “Their best hope is choosing Emily as their leader, and either she calls her allies from Acacia and we fight here, or she flees back to Acacia and Earth collapses. Either way we win.”
“Tell me, Brytam, do you think Marcus is right?” Iscar asked. He only trusted her words. “Will the great dragons come to us and will we hurl them to the ground with the Alitis, like Drogor predicts?” He knew what Drogor had told him, but Drogor made so many prophecies it was hard to keep them all straight.
“Drogor is knowledgeable,” Brytam said slowly, knowing well of Drogor’s prophecy. Her delicate features that moments before had been full of joy and pride now turned to something else at the mention of Drogor.
“Will Emily give us the keys to her portal? Because, if she doesn’t, she will be tormented day and night until the end of time,” Iscar boasted. “I will find her and make her life a living hell.”
With fire burning in her brown eyes, Brytam turned from the map to Iscar. “You have the potential to be the king of all the nations of the Earth and Acacia, but you have a decision to make.” She moved to his side. “You must decide if you will grant your power to Drogor by allowing him the gift of life. If you b
reak the last seal keeping him in his dark world and he returns, he will reign without end, and all the kingdoms will be his.”
“I understand the problems with Drogor,” Iscar huffed as the joy of the moment was leaving the room. He wished the merriment could remain forever, but everything came down to Drogor. What would happen if Drogor was brought back?
I can’t answer that question, Tengu whispered.
Brytam backed hesitantly away from Iscar. He could easily read her own internal indecision regarding Drogor. She went back to her computer screen and focused on the business at hand. “The first round of our missiles that we just detonated initiated a massive EMP blast that will destroy any remaining electronic devices on this planet.” She pointed to an image showing the location of residual electronics on Earth. “My last satellites are about to fail so this is the last we will see from above. All backup generators and machines will be silenced forever. Only the batteries and solar panels manufactured in your plants in China will survive. They were protected with the massive metal cages we constructed. The devices are currently being shipped on our fleets to our in-processing centers.”
“What do you think of the cold that is coming now?” Iscar asked curiously. Empty like the sound of water rushing over a waterfall, his voice sounded so naïve in his own ears. His thoughts were so centered on Drogor that he didn’t always focus on the details as Brytam did. “Will the Earth be completely harvested before the snow comes?”
“The crops have been harvested. The population numbers are going to dive, so we will have plenty of food for all of our warriors.” She pulled up a model on her computer that showed how the solar panels his factories had manufactured could resupply his batteries even with the decreased amount of the sun’s rays hitting the Earth.
