Mage War

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Sterkona

I get to the Arena as soon as I finish breakfast, Xavier and Th’ul in tow. When I woke up, I tried to find Anni, but she did not want to talk to me. I don’t blame her; she deserves her moment of sadness. I need to let her mourn.

There is a long line of people waiting to get in the stadium when we arrive, but thankfully, Neena is there waiting for us.

“I can get you through the line,” She tells us. “Follow me.”

We do, and the guard lets us pass, taking one quick peek at our tickets. When we get to the foyer, Neena turns to us apologetically.

“I need to get to the training room,” She says. “I’ll see you in the stands.” We nod, and she leaves us, sparing us a glance.

“Beer, anyone?” Th’ul asks. Obviously, I need a pint.

After we order, we direct ourselves to the stands. There are about seven thousand people sitting there now, and I can’t deny the strange empty feeling I get looking at it. I can’t wait to see it completely full again.

We sit down and barely have a moment’s rest when we hear a voice behind us.

“Hey, Xavier!” Skai exclaims. “Can I sit with you for a while?”

“Of course,” Xavier responds. “These are my friends, Zade and Th’ul.”

“Hello,” She waves, sitting down. “Are you participants?”

“No,” I chuckle. “We’re with Yue.”

“The Sterkona?” Skai asks. “Xavier told me about her. If I get far enough, I may have to fight her. If I do, I only hope I get lucky.” She smiles. “Anyway, it’s great to meet you. Xavier told me a lot about you.”

“I bet he did,” Th’ul rolls his eyes. “I’m sure he had much to say.”

“He told me about Astil too,” Skai says sadly. “I’m so sorry about that. He didn’t deserve it.”

My heart hurts every time I think about him. Skai is right. He didn’t deserve to die. I can’t bring myself to agree with her loudly, though. I’m afraid I’d start crying.

The stadium is starting to really fill up now. The matches start in half an hour, and I’m still hoping to talk to Yue beforehand.

As I’m thinking about that, Yue walks over to us from the training room, looking sober. My heart sinks a little as I look at her face, but I know whatever she has to say isn’t going to be life-changing. She just doesn’t look sad enough.

“Someone was murdered yesterday,” She tells us.

“I was there too,” Skai responds. “It was horrible.”

“What happened?” I ask.

“We don’t know, obviously,” Yue responds. “All we know is that Cali died when she was talking with Eva.”

“So Eva is the murderer?” Xavier asks. Yue shakes her head.

“No. Cali was her best friend. It is possible the murderer was trying to frame her, but, if so, they did a bad job of it. Eva is clearly distraught over her best friend’s death.”

“She could just be sad because he had to kill her,” Th’ul points out.

“That is true,” Yue agrees. “But I myself think I know Eva well enough. I don’t think she did it. But, you should still keep an eye on her now.”

“Agreed,” Xavier responds.

“You are talking about this like it’s happened before. What are you talking about?” Skai asks.

“I hadn’t even noticed her,” Yue groans. “Why is she here?”

“You can trust her,” Xavier complains.

“Not yet. We don’t know her.” My voice is stern, but king. “No offense, Skai.”

Skai puts on a pouty face. “You shouldn’t leave me in the dark like that.”

Xavier glares at us. “Here, come with me.” He begins to lead Skai back to the foyer.

“Don’t tell her anything!” I shout as he leaves. Xavier ignores him.

“Wait a second,” Th’ul says. “If the Cult wants the Vanguard to win, why would they kill a Vanguard soldier?”

Yue gasps. “I hadn’t thought about that. I don’t think we’ll ever know the answer to that, though. Either the Cult doesn’t want the Vanguard to win, which I guess is possible, or Cali said or did something that angered them. I didn’t talk to Cali, so I wouldn’t know.”

“We could talk to Eva about that,” Th’ul points out.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Yue winces. “She isn’t exactly in the mood to talk right now.”

“Still better to try,” Th’ul responds.

“I’m just tired of all this murder,” I say. “We really need to catch the killer.”

“And that's exactly why I needed you yesterday,” Yue grins. “But you’re here today. You need to watch everything that happens. If anyone seems to be doing anything suspicious, tell me. Or even better, do something about it. We’re going to need to keep guard today and tomorrow. And tomorrow, we’ll need to stick together. The Cult has something planned. We can’t let them get away with it.”

“Yes, Sterkona,” I laugh. Yue rolls her eyes.

“Gods preserve me,” She whispers. “I need to get back to the practice room. The Wolf will be looking for me. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

Xavier finally returns, Skai in tow, who looks happy now. I narrow my eyes at Xavier, but he shrugs.

“Where’d Yue go?” He asks.

“She’ll be back,” I respond, unwilling to talk.

The next ten minutes are grueling. I feel the tension and the nervousness in the arena, both from the anticipating crowd and the anxiety of the participants. My heart beats faster the more I focus on it, but I like it.

I also begin to covertly try magic. I don’t really want anyone here to see me doing magic, but I am able to stretch my core out, and do a small Fireball subtly. After a while, Th’ul and Xavier join in. Skai gaps at us.

“That is so cool!”

“No way!” Another voice shrieks from behind us. I quickly eliminate the Fireball I was making and turn to find Sia standing behind us. “That was incredible! Y’all are so good at magic. Do it again.”

I share a glance with Xavier. He smiles, and I shake my head softly.

“Why not?” He asks. “The girls like it.”

“Let’s do it then.”

I begin to create a Fireball, and Xavier starts to add his own to the mix. As the Fireball gets brighter and bigger, Th’ul begins to help it too. I’ve totally forgotten about the rest of the crowd. Currently, I’m just focusing on how big I can make this ball.

Eventually, it’s bigger than my face, and it’s still growing. This is not a hard exercise, one I’m sure anyone could do better than me, but it’s still fun, and Skai and Sia are clearly loving it.

“Send it to the sky,” Th’ul whispers to me. “Trust me!”

The ball is now twice as big as my head. With a grunt,I fling it in the air. It flies up for about five seconds, then explodes like a firework. Th’ul grins at me.

“Wow!” Skai and Sia exclaim at the same time.

“Yes, we’re cool,” Xavier tells them.

“I really want to do magic now,” Sia says.

I smile. “Who knows? You might Awaken some day.”

“I hope so,” She sighs. “I think I’m too old for it, though.”

“Too old?” I exclaim. “I Awakened only a few months ago. I’m not even eighteen! You have plenty of time.”

“I hope so,” Sia responds.

Finally, Yue and her friends come to sit down.

“None of you are in the first match?” Th’ul asks.

“No, thank god. Hi, Sia! Where are your friends?” Yue says.

“Hi!” Sia exclaims. “They’re on their way. I still can’t believe I’m talking to you!”

“WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO THE SECOND DAY OF THE MAGEFELL TOURNAMENT!” The Wolf roars from the ring. “YESTERDAY, THERE WERE 250 PARTICIPANTS. NOW THERE ARE 150. TODAY, WE WILL ELIMINATE 100 MORE.

“BUT FIRST, SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE SAID. YESTERDAY, A VANGUARD WARRIOR WAS MURDERED.” Gasps rise from the crowd and the Wolf nods. “IT IS A HORRIBLE TRAGEDY! IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT ME OR YUE ZHANG! THANK YOU!”

“You?” Sia asks. “Why?”

“Because I’ve been investigating this murderer,” Yue responds.

“Do you think anyone will come?” I wonder.

“Definitely,” She responds. “But I doubt that they’ll have relevant or honest information. It will probably be fabricated.”

“Then why all of this?” Xavier says.

“Just in case someone does have information,” Yue replies. Xavier nods.

The Wolf calls the first two fighters to the match: an Arcadian and a Mremban. As the match starts, I try to recognize the Arcadian. He looks somewhat familiar, but I’ve probably only seen him in passing.

“He’s already lost one,” Neena tells me. “The Mremban is undefeated.”

“How many people are undefeated?” I ask.

“Only fifty or so,” She responds. “Although I doubt there will be even a dozen by the end of today.”

The Mremban swings at the Arcadian, who ducks the blow. He seems wide awake, while the Mremban acts a little sluggish.

Alyx groans in front of him.

“Are you okay?” I ask. She turns and glares at me.

“She acted stupid yesterday,” Yue laughs. “Now she has a hangover and she’ll have to fight anyway.”

“That was a dumb move, eh, Aster?” I grin. Aster turns to me, and moans.

“She was there too,” Yue tells me.

“Why were y’all drinking so much?”

“It was supposed to be a celebration,” Alyx mumbles.

“But the tournament isn’t over. Why were you celebrating now?” I’m confounded.

“My thoughts exactly,” Xander tells me. “We never did understand why they did this.”

“We don’t either,” Aster replied. “Hopefully, my next fight clears my head.

The Mremban fell to the ground and the Arcadian took his chance, slicing the other’s hand.

“Well, I guess the Mremban isn’t defeated anymore,” I tell Neena, who shrugs.

“THE NEXT MATCH COMMENCES IN JUST A FEW SECONDS,” The Wolf says. “WHO DO YOU WANT TO SEE FIGHT?”

“The Sterkona!” The crowd yells. “We want the Sterkona!”

The Wolf laughs. “I CALL TO THE RING YUE ZHANG AND ASTER YARROW!”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” Aster shrieks. “Not now!”

Yue grins wickedly. “Let’s go, Aster.”

They walk to the ring, and I can see Aster walking a little sideways. It’s pretty clear she has no chance. The crowd chanting Yue’s name seems to unnerve her too.

“THE MATCH COMMENCES IN THREE…TWO…ONE…BEGIN!”

Aster steps as far back as she can immediately, understanding the risk of attacking. As strong as Yue is, Aster knows that her hungover self can’t compete.

Yue, seeing this as well, takes advantage, attacking immediately. Aster desperately dodges the hail of swings Yue throws her way. Strangely, it seems to work. Aster looks more concentrated now, and the hangover seems to be taking a break.

Of course, Yue is still a better swordswoman. And Aster let her have the advantage early on. Unless she can turn it around somehow, Yue will have a clear win.

And both of the fighters know it. Yue attacks mercilessly while Aster triest to trick her in a feint.

“Poor Aster,” Sia says. “Yue is just too good.”

Yue makes a mistake, then. She leaves her left flank open as she lunges for Aster. I can see Aster trying to keep her cool as she advances on Yue’s side, lunging.

Then Yue smiles. And I know it’s over. It wasn’t a mistake at all. Yue knew Aster was desperate, so she faked it. And Aster fell right in.

When Yue scrapes Aster’s shoulder, Aster falls to the ground, and the crowd screams its approval.

“ONCE AGAIN,” The Wolf announces, “I DECLARE THE WINNER TO BE YUE ZHANG, THE STERKONA!” I watch as Yue shakes her head softly, and I smile.

Aster walks dejectedly back to the stands. She can now only lose one more time, or she’s out of the tournament.

— — —

“I need to talk to you,” High Mage Aegon tells me in the foyer. I’m surprised he’s here; I didn’t think he would like the tournament. To me, he seemed more scholarly, less inclined to sport. Although I guess he’s watching out for the Cult, so maybe that’s why he’s here.

“What about?” I ask.

“Not here,” He replies. Looking around nervously, he waves to outside of the stadium. Clearly, something is stressing him out, and that scares me a little. If he needs to talk to me about something stressful, then I must be in danger.

I already don’t like this.

As I follow him out of the arena, I notice a couple of mages watching me. Their stares are hard, almost…judgy? Shuddering, I walk a little faster.

Once out of the Arena, the High Mage pulls me into a corner.

“Listen to me,” He hisses. “You are in big danger. You must stay with your friends at all times. Do not lose sight of them.”

“What happened?” I wonder, eyes wide. “What are you talking about?”

“I had a meeting with the other High Mages,” He whispers. “And of course, the incident at the Dragon Head was mentioned. Many Cultists want you to be brought to trial. By all accounts, though, they are the ones who started the fight and you acted in self-defense.”

“Yeah, that’s the truth,” I tell him. “What’s so bad about all this?”

“The Cultists want retribution, you idiot,” He tells me. “Sorry, I’m…worried for you. You did the right thing in going after Astil when the Cult kidnapped him, but they want payback. Just because they can’t try you doesn’t mean they won’t go after you.”

I gape. “You think they’re going to attack me.”

“Yes,” He nods. “That is why you must stay with friends at all times.. Any minute they could come after you. Be careful, Zade.”

“I will,” I tell him. “Thank you.”

High Mage Aegon smiles. “I can’t guarantee I’ll have an eye on you at all times, but I’ll be watching you too.. We’re reaching the climax, Zade. This is where it gets real.”

— — —

I feel a little embarrassed when High Mage Aegon escorts me back to the stands, but I understand it. Honestly, the shock of what I just learned overrides any sort of shame.

I should have expected that they would not be happy with me killing some of their number, but I was just worried about other things. Now, I need to warn my friends. They deserve to know this, as they’re in danger too. I just need to find a way to tell them without telling Skai or Sia. They can’t be trusted yet.

Of course, getting both Skai and Sia away will be easier said than done. I can’t just get my Zenyth friends and tell them; Yue needs to know too. If I try to do anything subtly, chances are one of the girls will get suspicious.

Plus, I can’t hide the fact that now it feels like someone is watching me. In truth, I knew the Cult probably had eyes on me at all times, but now that High Mage Aegon basically guaranteed it, I get goosebumps. Is the person over there to the right a Cultist? I don’t know. Maybe she’s staring at me because I’m with Yue. Maybe it’s because she’s watching me. Maybe she isn’t staring at all.

I feel absolutely overwhelmed.

Plus, thoughts of Astil are flooding my mind again. I keep playing back all the sweet memories I had with him, of how he trusted me and confided in me. I imagine what he’d say if he was here with Anni. They’d be laughing, and they’d bring the laughter out in us all.

Then there’s Anni. Her depression pangs me. I feel a little of the same, but Anni got hit harder than even I did. I need to help her, but at the same time, I understand that she needs to be alone. Her depression is not something I will be able to fix, but I really want to do something about it. I can’t stand seeing her so sad.

I’m conflicted about Xavier, though. Sadly, he’s keeping his emotions mostly internal, and refuses to show me his struggle. While I don’t mind that,—I understand that’s who he is—I don’t know whether he’s actually okay or not.

And then there’s Yue and her friends. They’re clearly having fun with the tournament, but there’s an underlying nervousness to them, too. They know something is coming, and the murderers aren’t stopping. They may have been waiting for the tournament to come, but now they’re dreading it as well. It is something that is stressing Yue out more than the others, but I can see that to some degree they are all paranoid. And why shouldn’t they be? Someone in their army is targeting them. They have every right to fear and paranoia.

And there’s also another added emotion to Artemis. He is obviously beating himself up over Astil’s death. While I have forgiven him, at the same time, I do understand what Xavier feels. The truth is, Artemis was not a good brother to Astil, and, even though he regrets it, he cannot change it now. That will not stop me from being friends with Artemis, but it’s still something to think about.

There’s just too much on my mind. I don’t know what I should be doing anymore. Every decision I make could end up being the worst one. Obviously, I need to tell my friends what the High Mage told me. But it will be almost impossible to do so without Skai and Sia listening. So I have two choices: Tell them or don’t. Both decisions seem horrible now. I need help, but I can’t exactly ask my friends. Once again, the other two girls could hear it.

And I’m back to where I started. My thoughts are running in circles. I need to get a hold of myself.

“I need to check on my friends,” Sia tells us. “They should be here by now. I’ll be right back.” She leaves the stands, and I smile.

Now I just need to find a way to get Skai out of here.

Thankfully, the Captain of the Vanguard saves me from having to come up with a plan.

“I CALL TO THE RING SKAI PELT AND KRELL MAIA!” The Wolf—that’s what Yue calls him—says, and, kissing Xavier, Skai leaves to fight the Magefell Guard.

This was a big coincidence, but I need to take advantage of this.

“Hey, everyone!” I call them. In unison, they turn to me. “I’ve got some bad news.” I tell them what High Mage Aegon told me. Neena gasps. The others control themselves well enough, although their faces darken.

“I knew there was something wrong,” Th’ul says. “Of course they would be after us.”

“This is not good,” Yue agrees. “Aegon is right. We need to stick together. Especially you three.”

“I was thinking we never go anywhere without a partner,” I tell them. “That way they’ll never attack us without having to deal with someone else.”

“The ideal is to take more than just one partner,” Th’ul responds. “But that’s a good idea. We also need to make sure we aren’t leaving the stands too much.”

Xavier and I nod our agreement.

“It’ll be okay,” Aster pats my knee, seeing the look on my face. “We won’t let them take you.”

“I just don’t want them taking anyone else,” I mumble.

“Now, let me watch my girlfriend fight,” Xavier leans back.

“Girlfriend?” I ask. “Y’all are moving quickly.” Xavier refuses to respond, instead watching as Skai spars with Krell.

“Who of y’all will fight next?” I ask.

“It’s me,” Neena responds. “I have to fight another undefeated bastard.”

“Nervous?”

“Who, me?” Neena spits, then smiles. “Of course. When am I ever not nervous? I’m just glad to be in the tournament. Surviving the first day was pretty good. If I survive the second day, I’ll be surprised.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Alyx tells her. “But I am one step closer to winning. Poli, Artemis, and Xander aren’t fighting, and both you and Aster have lost one. That leaves only me and Yue undefeated.”

“Of course, you didn’t have to fight Yue or Gunnar,” Aster points out.

“That would only have made it easier for me to win,” Alyx responds. “Gunnar isn’t as strong as he looks.”

“Oh, really?” Yue raised her eyebrows. “I can go call Gunnar for you. I’m sure he would be—”

“No, I’m good!” Alyx shrieks. “I don’t need to talk to him.”

Skai buries her sword deep in Krell’s arm, and the man falls, screaming.

“YES!” Xavier screams. “YOU DID IT! YES!”

“Don’t you think she went a bit too far?” I ask.

“Skai?” He asks. “Of course not. She did what she had to to win.”

Skai walks back up to the stands and passionately kisses Xavier.

“Did you see what I did, baby?” She asks.

“I did!” He exclaims. “You were incredible. I think you’ll win the entire tournament.”

They continue to sweet talk each other and I make a gagging noise as Neena, who giggles. Baby? I mouth, and Neena shrugs.

“A day ago, they didn’t know each other,” She tells me. “What the hell happened?”

“I wish I knew,” I respond.

Xavier and Skai keep up their kissing as the Wolf announces the next game.

“When’s your game, Neena?”

“After this one,” She says. “I hope it never comes.”

“Hey, you’ve got this,” I say. “You’ll do good, because the other person will underestimate you!”

“What’s that supposed to mea?” She asks.

“Well, um…” I stutter. “You know, you look fragile, and…”

“And what?” She stands up, eyes blazing. “Ah, just kidding. I know exactly what you mean. I love to trick people into thinking I’m smaller than I actually am.”

“Yes, but you are scary,” I tell her. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

“Are you a Cultist?” She asks.

“Of course not!” I retort. “Why would you say that?”

“You should be fine then,” She shrugs. “They’re the only people I have a bad side for.”

“I hope so,” I shiver. “I hope so.”

— — —

Neena’s match. She is visibly shivering as she heads down the stands to meet the Aleumdaun Seom woman. Her opponent is strong, with bulging muscles, towering over Neena. Neena cringes under the woman’s gaze.

“Come on, Neena,” I whisper. “You can do this.”

“THE MATCH COMMENCES IN THREE, TWO, ONE, BEGIN!”

The big Seoman barrels into Neena, knocking her to the ground. Neena groans, letting go of her sword. The Seoman grins and jumps on Neena. I wince as I hear a crunch.

“HEY!” I hear Yue yell. “That’s illegal. She can’t jump her like that!”

Evidently, the crowd feels the same thing as they roar their outrage. The Wolf, seeing what’s happening, steps in and separates them. He begins to speak angrily with the woman, who nods softly. Neena stands up slowly, her left hand hanging slightly limp.

“This is horribly unfair,” Yue whispers. “She should be eliminated.”

The Wolf recommences the match, and this time, the Seoman advances more slowly. And now neena is done playing. Screeching, she runs at the Seoman, catching her off guard. The Seoman begins to flounder as Neena runs around her, striking on the left rather than right. Neena’s speed throws the Seoman off-balance.

“Good job,” I say. “Take advantage of your size.”

The Seoman roars in anger and swats at Neena with her massive hand. Neena flies backwards, but stands up quickly. She’s clearly in pain, but she isn’t going to stop.

The Seoman prepares to charge, but just as she gets ready, Neena jumps, wielding her sword. With a final roar of defiance, Neena swipes down, striking the Seoman in the shoulder, cutting through muscle. The woman cries out, falling to the ground.

Neena pumps her fists in the air, determination and happiness warring on her face.

“I DECLARE THE WINNER TO BE NEENA SPANGLER!”

“Well, the Seoman isn’t going to get better anytime soon,” Alyx remarks, grinning. “And she sure as hell won’t win the tournament.”

— — —

“I’m getting thirsty,” I say. “And a little bored, too. Anyone want to head to the foyer with me?”

Xavier shakes his head. “No. I need to stay with Skai here.”

“I’ll go,” Th’ul volunteers, rolling his eyes. “Anyone else? Three is always better!” He winks at me.

“I can go with you,” Aster tells us. “I need a break too.”

We head out of the stands down to the foyer. The sounds of both the match and the steel from the practice room ring in my ears as I head out.

“It’s very tiring being a spectator,” I say.

“Imagine participating,” Aster responds. “Honestly, I almost just want to lose and get this over with. But I need to prove Alyx wrong.”

I laugh. “Shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

Aster cocked her eyebrow at me. “From what I remember, you fought her and lost.”

“Well, I’m not part of the Vanguard and I still put up a fair fight,” I respond. “So, you shouldn’t have too hard a time.”

Aster smiled. “If you’re trying to get me to say you would’ve done well in the tournament, it won’t work. You would’ve gotten destroyed.”

“I was doing no such thing,” I say indignantly, flushing. “But I m«wouldn’t mind if you said I would’ve done well.”

Aster rolls her eyes. “What’s it like at Zenyth?” She asks, not-so-subtly changing the subject. “Is it hard?”

Th’ul shrugs. “Not really. It’s very casual. They test you every once in a while, but the tests are easy. The only hard part of Zenyth is learning magic, and even that isn’t too hard, because you’re allowed to move really slowly. I have an acquaintance who has been in Zenyth for three years and is only level 5.”

“What level are you?” I ask.

“I have a better level than most,” He responds. “Been here a year and I’m on Level 10. It’s very rare, but I’ve been practicing a lot.”

“I’m on Level 4 now,” I say. “Is that normal?”

“It’s not abnormal,” Th’ul responds. “Most will be on level 2 or 3 but you will find several on Level 4 after a few weeks here. You’re progressing rapidly. At this rate, you’ll be on Level 7 or by the time you’ve been here as long as I have.”

I frown. “That doesn’t seem like a lot.”

“Still higher than normal.”

“I’m going to keep acting like I know what you’re talking about,” Aster smiles.

“Levels basically tell other mages how much they know of magic,” Th’ul explains. “The better the level, the better and more powerful the mage.”

“So is Level 10 good?” She asks.

“For how long I’ve been learning? Yes,” Th’ul nods. “For a mage who’s been learning for years, no. I’m still just a mage-in-training. I’m not an expert mage.”

“Wow, that sounds complicated,” Aster tells us.

“It’s less complicated than it sounds,” I respond. “Just imagine that you had a level for how good a swordswoman you were. People who’d been practicing for a little would be on Level 1 or 2. Members of the Vanguard would be 60 or 70.”

“Yes, except you can’t lose Levels in magic, and if it worked that way, you’d lose levels with swordsmanship,” Th’ul said.

“Don’t make it more complicated,” I hiss. Aster looks at us, confusion plain on her face.

“Well, all this just makes me glad I’m not a mage,” She tells us. “I’m going to the practice room. I’ll see you in a minute.”

As she leaves, I turn to Th’ul.

“Now look what you’ve done,” I say.

“No, look at what you have done,” A voice booms from behind me. An all-too familiar voice I never wanted to hear again.

“Elrod!” I spit.

“That’s High Mage Elrod to you,” The Cultist replies. “You killed some of my friends, my fellow worshippers. What do you have to say to that?”

“I…” I pause. “You killed Astil!”

“That does not change what you did,” He responds. “Think wisely. Do you recant? Do you choose to fight for Dautha?”

I look at him defiantly. “What, are you crazy? Why would I worship that old bastard?” I smile, and High Mage Elrod’s face darkens.

“You brought this upon yourself, Zade!” He says. “I tried to warn you. I tried to convince you to join us. Instead, you have attempted to stop us at every turn. Unfortunately, Zade, I am done playing nice. The Cult of Dautha is done playing nice. I’m sorry, Zade, but your time is up.”

“Ahem!” Th’ul coughed from behind High Mage Eldor. The Mage jumped in shock.

“What the hell?” He frowned. “Oh, it’s you, Th’ul. What have you come to defend Zade?”

“No, he can defend himself on his own;” Th’ul responds. “I’m just here to help him.”

High Mage Eldor smirks. “Funny that you think that will do anything. Did that help when Raakhshas slit Astil’s throat?” I bristle. “Yes, I can see how that wounds you. That little scumbag deserved it, you know. You know where he is now?”

“DO NOT SPEAK OF ASTIL!” I roar at him.

He laughs. “Predictable. You rise to anger with a tiny mention of your dumbass friend. I can’t wait to do to you what Raakhshas did to him. I bet you remember it clearly, don’t you? The blood running down his neck. You probably grabbed him, tried to stop the blood, but it wouldn’t go back. How he looked at you as he died—”

My anger rises until it’s too much. So I do the only thing I can. I punch Eldor then focus on him. I want to use my skill on him. I need him to die.

But it doesn’t work. He stands up, wipes his nose, and snarls.

“You hit me, boy,” He smirks. “And I can see you tried to use your magic on me. Pathetic!” He begins to rise in the air, conjuring magic. “Prepare to meet your doom, boy.”

I do the only thing I can.

I run.