The Magic Sequence

by Dawn Chapman

  No, my sister was here. I had to protect her, too.

  The trelks made short work of the monsters, who were starting to surround one of the trelks. Its health dwindled. They were strong, but they weren’t that strong. It fell, and I almost fell with it. The pain was intense. Jarvin was by my side in an instant, his hand to my forehead.

  “I’ve got you,” he said. “I’ve got you.”

  Chapter 14

  When I looked up, what I saw was not just amazing, it proved that Puatera was just simply stunning. I could finally see everything I was supposed to. There were no glitch numbers now, and when I focussed, I saw exactly what the other characters and players were.

  I looked over to the elf, whose name popped up as Akillia. There was another label attached to her, ‘Princess of Earthlight’. That was interesting. How could a player, a visitor, be a princess of a world she wasn’t born in? How could the game allow that?

  I let Jarvin pull me up, and with his healing touch I soon felt better, able to focus back into the fight. My trelks were taking some heavy damage. I pushed them forward with the aid of the mages’ magical energies and turned to find the Frolbears. I didn’t have any left. That was more than likely why I’d flaked out. Their damage was a hit to myself, personally and physically.

  Notifications pinged in my ear repeatedly, but I had no time to look at those. I’d dive in and see what the hell this game entailed fully later. I tried not to be annoyed at them, but I was. The more they went off, the more irritated I became. And I think it showed. Jessica took a moment out of her own magical wards to put a hand on my shoulder. I calmed down slightly and made sure the trelks were okay.

  A group of General Hart’s men were being assaulted at the edge of the battle, and they needed help. I sent two of the smaller trelks over for support. Out of all that I had to begin with, my forces were dwindling, but more so were those of the NPCs and people around us.

  Someone shouted to the far left, and I looked over. The enemy was withdrawing, but I wanted to make sure they took as many hits as possible. I glanced at Jessica. “Can we push again?”

  She grinned and looked at her friends. They seemed exhausted, and I felt the same. The energy we were drawing from the others, as powerful as it was, was draining their life force. But it was as if nothing mattered here; it was the fight to end this monstrosity.

  Akillia called out like she knew, and I saw something swoop from the skies. I thought at first that it was a dragon and almost ducked, but the fiery trail that followed, and the sharp claws, made me realise it wasn’t. Some kind of bird perhaps? I thought of Clax and the other animals around us and felt a wave of energy wash over me. A million voices seemed to say, ‘We’re with you,” and suddenly there was an energy boost from elsewhere. Even the mages stepped back, suddenly wary of what was happening.

  Jessica watched me as I did what I thought was right. The trelks moved towards the portal. I’d several of the larger ones left, with the smaller ones tucked in behind them to make sure they weren’t getting attacked any longer. The trelks surrounded the portal.

  “Finish it,” I said, and they moved closer, so close that the portal itself was overtaken by the sheer height and volume of the trelks. They didn’t go through it. There was some kind of ward helping them. I glanced at Jessica and then looked around. All of the mages, including my own, had switched to a different form of magic. As the trelks surrounded and encompassed the portal, there were screams, deep, bellowing screams of something from inside. The greying white of the fog around us had nowhere to seep to, and the drain on our energies stopped.

  The creatures left on this side began to panic. They ran here, there, and everywhere. The rest of Akillia and General Harts’ men swiped them down. There wasn’t much blood. In fact, I hadn’t realised until now that these things didn’t bleed, like, at all. There was nothing to them. They were cut and swiped and even chopped in half, but nothing came out of them. It was like they were empty.

  The mist began to dissipate around me, and I moved to Jessica. “We need to solidify the trees. Is there something the mages can do to help? I don’t want to kill them,” I said. I didn’t. They’d helped more than enough in stopping the atrocity. For me to take their lives seemed wrong. She smiled at me, and I moved back.

  “Marok,” she called to the demon. “We need to turn the trees to brick, create wards around them so nothing can take their energy, and set it up so that it’s magically protected and nothing can get out.”

  He nodded and darkness swirled around him. I wobbled on my feet as his energies seemed to rise from the ground and area around us. He was a dark mage, and the blackness felt good. I wanted to reach out and touch it for myself, but Jarvin gripped my arm. “You don’t need to go there,” he said.

  I was sure I did. I felt the pull, but Jessica stepped in front of me. “Dahl,” she said. “I’ve seen it. I agree. We’re not meant for that level.”

  With Jessica by my side, I pulled away. The temptation was great, but I wanted my family more than anything.

  I turned back to the portal to see what was happening. The trees were like a cocoon and turning to stone. Well, a funny kind of stone, because they glowed magically.

  When their branches and twigs finally stopped moving about, and there was nothing but a creaky gust of wind in the air, Akillia shouted, “Regroup. Healers to the front. All wounded need to be accounted for, all deaths recorded.”

  She was brutal, but she spoke the truth. This was the harsh reality of what we’d done.

  There were many deaths.

  I moved to Jessica’s side and wrapped my arms around her. She held me tight and kissed the top of my head. “I thought you were both far away,” she said. “I thought I’d lost you, but Tibex told me you were working on finding me, and that we all would be together again.”

  “Who’s Tibex?” I asked.

  She smiled down at me. “The game’s AI.”

  “So that part was real. The AI was trying to guide me?”

  Jessica nodded and I let out a sigh. “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “I have a feeling I should have gone with what he wanted. I should be in Hell’s Pass now.”

  “Oh, we’re supposed to be there,” Jessica said. “But the call from the creatures in the woods was far more urgent than meeting with Maddie. I’m sure she’ll still be there. She’s enough on her plate worrying over the event, I’m sure.”

  I had no idea what was going on or who Maddie was, bar her being an NPC. And I’d no other thoughts about it, either.

  Akillia wandered over and gave me the once-over. “Dahlia, right?”

  I nodded, and she held her hand out for me to shake. “I’m Akillia, or Emma in the real world.” She winked at me and I laughed. “This, she pointed to the man on her right, is Abel, also known as Mark.”

  “There’re so many players. How come we’re all here?”

  “That’s a long story,” she said. “Come, let’s get some fires going, and some food cooking. We can discuss what’s happening across Puatera. I just need to make sure everyone’s getting the best treatment, and then I’ll join you. Sound good?”

  Jessica nodded, and Akillia moved away.

  “Who is she?” I asked my sister. Akillia seemed to ooze energy. Not just that, but so did the people she was with, and the demon by my sister’s side didn’t seem to want to leave her, either. I looked up at him, and he down at me, and I shivered.

  “That’s Marok,” Jessica said. “He’s the son of the Dark Lord and Lady, and he’s very powerful.”

  I could see that his energy levels were intense, as was his brooding personality.

  “Is there any word on Lila?” Jessica asked.

  I looked up at her and saw the hope in her eyes.

  “No,” I said. “I’ve not heard anything. This is the first time my game system has worked. Yours?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t get much of anything from mine. Come on, let’s sit down, drink, and we’ll go through
your system. Maybe there’s something there that can help me.”

  I looked back to Taegen and Jarvin. They were talking to Abel and the general. I knew they would be safe, but I just wanted them near me.

  Jessica followed my stare. “You like him.” She giggled.

  I felt heat rising up my cheeks. “He’s computer-generated.”

  Jessica nodded. “Yes, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting friends. Take this big oaf.” She slapped the demon’s large arm, and he glared at her. “See?”

  I laughed at her, and we moved to where a fire was being prepared. It wasn’t cold, but she pulled me to her and we sat before it, much like we had in real life. Jessica undid my hair from its mad tie-up and combed it out. It reminded me of home, and I sat and listened to her as she explained what I should and shouldn’t be seeing within the game system.

  QUEST UPDATE — HELL’S PASS PORTAL WILL TAKE YOU TO LILA — YOU HAVE TWO DAYS TO FIND YOUR SISTER AND MADDIE AND RETURN HOME OR MAICREOL WILL FALL.

  Jessica stopped playing with my hair. “We need to move, now.” She pushed herself up and I saw Akillia making her way over to us.

  “Did you get it?” Jessica asked the elf.

  On Akillia’s nod, I saw Jessica’s eyes dim. She looked to Akillia and then to me in a panic. “We’re more than two days from Hell’s Pass. How are we going to get there in time?”

  Watching my sister panic brought tears to my eyes, and Jarvin put his arm around me. “We’ll sort this. There’s always a way.”

  “A way?” I wanted to scream. There was no way, barring a miracle, that would get us to Hell’s Pass quicker than the ebolos, right?

  Akillia calmed my sister down with words and advice I never heard, but I watched her relax. Akillia looked at me and beckoned me forwards.

  “Dahlia, I believe you’re capable of summoning. You brought forth the trelks with your mages. I, Jessica and Abel must accompany you to Hell’s Pass. But it seems we need more than just each other for help. Marok will come, and I believe your friends won’t leave you, so we need transport for seven. We can’t do this without you.”

  I struggled to comprehend what she was asking. “I don’t know what creatures can aid us that are quicker than what we travelled here on.”

  Akillia looked to the skies. “There’s only one that might listen. I believe Maddie is akin to the Tromoal. Maybe if you focus hard, they’ll listen to you.”

  It was as if all my childhood fantasies came together at once, and all the nightmares, too. She wanted me to call forth the beasts who had decimated and wrecked Hanson’s farm, who had eaten so many ebolos and horses that there wouldn’t be any in that area for some time.

  I swallowed and looked to my friends. I didn’t want their home or their lives to mean nothing. I didn’t want the ‘war’ to be won by someone or something that was far beyond my understanding.

  I sucked in a breath. “I’ll need a safe area in which to try. These creatures aren’t to be messed with. I’ve seen what they can do.”

  Akillia motioned to Abel, and he looked like he was pulling up a map. Within minutes he pointed in a direction I thought we’d not go, back towards the cliff tops and the sun-kissed rocks.

  I felt exhausted, and more so, Taegen had heard all of this and frowned. “You think you can reach them?”

  “I don’t know,” I said as we all started to walk off, towards the edge of the tree line. It might take us an hour or more, but the sounds and senses from the forest were returning to normal, and that comforted me.

  It wasn’t like I hadn’t thought about doing this... I had. In many other games where there were dragons, they were always my ultimate goal. Now though, watching the faces of those around me, I knew this was more than just seeking out a thrill ride. They were our last hope.

  There was no way to reach Hell’s Pass without taking to the skies, and the Tromoal were the largest of the airborne creatures. They were also the deadliest.

  I shivered, and it sure as hell wasn’t from the cold. My small frame had leathers on, and the sun was beating down on me. There was no way I was cold, and I was sweating buckets.

  The area that spread out before us was a plateau. There was no way in, except from the road or the air. Akillia urged me forwards, and I sat down, her mages surrounding me. A semi-circle of energy formed as they imbued me with it.

  I had no idea how to do this, other than to do as I had with all the others I’d summoned. I basically just asked, calling out to the inner gods that might or might not answer me.

  I crossed my legs over and looked into the sky. There was nothing but blue and greenish clouds, and the sun. Boy, that sun was brutal.

  So, I concentrated, letting my mind wander into the ether.

  “I don’t know if you can hear me. I don’t know if you’ll care. But we need you. We need the wonders of the sky to help us.” Tears pooled in my eyes and ran down my face. I couldn’t help it. “Without you, my hope for seeing my twin sister is gone, of finding Maddie... of helping the people of Puatera.”

  I listened, hoping that something would answer me, that there was a hope the Tromoal were listening.

  Nothing.

  I sat there for what seemed like an eternity. Jarvin brought over a skin of water, and I drank from it. He placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Friends, huh?” I said. He blushed as he walked away.

  I looked at the people surrounding me, surrounding the circle. They had hope plastered all over their faces, and at this I felt nothing but devastation. I was going to not only fail myself, but them, and that hurt the most.

  Then I heard something. It was almost a tiny squeak across the skies.

  “My name is Riezella, and I am queen of my clan. You speak of your sister and Maddie, and I hear you. My clan is leaving the plains, but I will send one of my trusted to you. Do not fear her. She is loud, she is obnoxious, but she is mine.”

  I almost shouted with glee, but a shadow crossed my view of the rocky floor. I looked up as the largest Tromoal I’d ever seen screeched into life, plopping down right in front of me, bellowing ice fire.

  I did the only thing a thirteen-year-old would do in that situation — I screamed. But, as the Tromoal lowered its head to my height, I saw something in its eyes, something magical and trusting, and I reached out to place a hand on its large scaled nose. Its breath could have blown me off the side of the cliffs, but it breathed out slowly, watching my every move. It tickled, and I smiled at it. No, at her.

  “My name is Fie,” she said. “I am at your service under the instructions of my queen.”

  This was it, we had our ride, and I would find Lila and Maddie.

  Lila’s Revenge

  Puatera Online Book 7

  Chapter 1

  Lila - No idea where.

  It should have been fun; it should have been everything it wasn’t.

  When I stepped onto that pad, felt the sting of the IV needles, I knew we’d made a mistake. My world turned black, and everything was taken away from me in a nanosecond.

  GLITCH RECORDED

  REBOOTING

  TUTORIAL MISSED

  GLITCH RECORDED

  REBOOTING

  VISITOR DEPOSITED

  Deposited? What the hell? The game was glitching already? Mum would go bonkers. Especially if it was something we’d done. I shivered. We’re in deep shit now, sisters.

  My eyes opened, and I saw what, no, who was in front of me. I choked back a laugh, trying not to slide backwards.

  “You have got to be kidding me.”

  This was just a dungeon, like any other dungeon I’d played in every other game. Dingy, and filthy. Puatera was supposed to be different. Awe-inspiring. Beautiful even.

  This was nothing I expected. Nothing that should have happened did. No tutorial or any character choices—I’d been dumped.

  Dumped inside the game at a time and place I couldn’t begin to guess.

  “We got another one, Denny!” A twisted, sque
aky voice called out.

  I didn’t even have the energy to open my eyes again, but someone grabbed at me.

  My self-defence training kicked in.

  No one would ever put a hand on me without permission and not expect to land on their ass. With a quick tug and throw, even with my eyes shut, I felt the weight of my attacker lift and then heard a grunt as their body hit the floor.

  I looked around. I was in a dungeon of some kind; my spawn place was inside a crypt? Or something like it. There were cobwebs—and worse, spiders—sitting in the corner of the room. It was their beady eyes which annoyed me already. Staring straight at me. I did not want to start fighting spiders as soon as this. They weren’t scary, just the bane of most gamers’ lives. The grind…ugh.

  The voices belonged to what I could only call goblins. I was thirteen, and they were smaller than me, so not big. Their green skin and funky-looking sunken eyes gave me a lot to think about and laugh at. They were ridiculous for NPCs, and dressed just as funny in little rags. How could anyone be scared of these things?

  The one I’d floored scrambled to his feet and glared at me. “Get her, Keld.”

  But the creature named Keld didn’t move.

  “No one is getting anything,” I said. “Where the hell am I?”

  Denny squinted. “You’re in the bowels of hell, girlie.”

  I stayed taut, in case he tried to run at me again, but he could see I wasn’t messing about and returned to Keld’s side. “Why didn’t you hit her over the head?”

  “She could have killed you,” he replied. “Why would I hurt her and risk you?”

  They were obviously good friends, and I listened to their back and forth while I waited for the spiders to make a move. They didn’t.

  “Why don’t the spiders attack?”

  They both glanced to the spiders, and their eyes went wide.

  “They’re not predators, they’re life spiders.” Keld said, turning to his friend with a questioning frown. “They tend to the spawning point.”