by Lisa Cassidy
Galien roared again. She remained still as he began drawing on an incredible amount of magic. Flame flew from his hands, controlled and shaped into an enormous wall of fire that stood at least six men high and ten across. He sent it at her, moulding it as it moved through the air, turning it from red hot to white hot flame. Alyx took a breath and summoned her shield.
The fire hit the shield and battered at it, flames licking hungrily over its surface, seeking entrance any way it could. Heat bled through and sweat slicked her skin. She steadily controlled the amount of power feeding into the shield, using more and more as Galien fed more of his own energy into the strength of the flames.
The shield was the weakest of Alyx’s talents and the one that used the most energy. For the first time, her reserves began to drain. Fortunately, Galien didn’t know that. He gave up as her shield held, the fire vanishing as if it had never been. The scent of charred wood filled her nose. The beams around her had blackened, in some places all the way through. Concern flickered in her. The roof might not hold much longer.
But the fire had taken up a considerable amount of Galien’s strength. He was still standing but his shoulders had sagged and it looked like he was working hard not to sway on his feet.
Alyx dropped from the ceiling to land in front of him. They both raised their hands at the same moment. White flame flared from the tip of Galien’s staff and silver-green concussive energy from Alyx’s palms. Magic exploded through the room, encompassing everything in its path.
Her magic leaped and twisted with life as it poured out of her, meeting and countering the threat posed by Galien’s magic. The air crackled with power too strong to be contained. The room began to disintegrate. Splinters tore from the walls and floor, spinning around in a frenzied dance. As she poured more and more power into the deadlock, another beam snapped above them and came crashing to the floor. Seats at the edge of the stadium were torn up and joined the spinning hurricane of debris filling the open space. Neither of them were holding back—they were throwing everything they had at each other.
This is the true power of a mage of the higher order. This is my power!
Dimly aware of the destruction around them, Alyx gritted her teeth and held on. They strained against each other for what seemed like hours, neither giving in, neither willing to be the first to break. Whoever broke now would die. Through the disintegration of the hall, and the flying destruction, Galien’s face was clear—the familiar sneer marring his handsome features and the hate that had always been written in his Shiven eyes.
Alyx waited. She waited until she could sense that Galien had engaged every part of himself in their battle, until he had nothing left but to hold her off.
In that moment, she moved. As Howell had forced her to learn so long ago—the use of more than one ability concurrently—she reached for the one remaining whole beam in the roof above them. She almost couldn’t do it. The strength required to rip the beam from the roof was close to impossible while holding off Galien. But she worked at it slowly, gritting her teeth and almost crying along with the effort, and then she had it.
Alyx focused her gaze on those dark eyes one last time. “Goodbye, Galien.”
With every bit of strength she had left, Alyx brought the broken beam arrowing down on Galien’s head. He didn’t see it coming, didn’t even know what was happening as it slammed into him and he dropped to the ground, his neck broken and body crushed.
Alyx let go of her magic, staggered, nearly fell. Blackness dotted her vision as she took deep, gasping breaths. Unable to stand upright, she hunched over her knees.
Above her there was a loud, wrenching sound followed by an echoing crack. Without the final beam to hold it up, part of the roof spectacularly caved inwards, raining more splinters and flying debris onto the ground around Galien’s body. Alyx dropped and curled into a ball, reaching wearily into her magic again to raise her shield. There she huddled until the crashing and tumbling stopped.
Soon there was only the faint rustling of debris that had been dragged off the floor by their battling magic settling back to the ground. After a few moments, she stood, groaning, trying to stretch her stiffened and sore body. Parts of fallen beams, stadium seating, and unrecognizable rubble were piled haphazardly all around her. A jagged hole in the roof let in bright sunlight.
“Alyx!”
The door at the far end of the hall opened and Tarrick’s lanky form came running in, followed closely by Cario, Brynn and the twins. All five slid to a halt at the carnage before them, frantic gazes surveying the rubble until they landed on Alyx in relief.
She raised a hand in greeting, still too breathless to be able to muster speech. It took a few moments for them to clamber their way over to her. Tarrick was the first to get there, his eyebrows shooting skyward at the sight of Galien’s crushed body.
“I told you she was doing fine,” Dawn said, almost crossly.
“Yes, but…” He trailed to a halt.
“What the hell happened?” Finn asked, jaw slack as he took in the destruction around them.
“Magic,” Cario said simply.
“You and Galien did all this?” Tarrick was staring, as wide-eyed as Finn.
“Yes,” Alyx managed. “Was hoping…you might be here faster.”
“I don’t know why she just didn’t sort him out like this seven years ago,” Brynn offered.
“She could have,” Cario remarked. “Galien was never the threat to her that he thought he was. The exhibition games showed that very clearly.”
“Seems like if she had, she would have destroyed DarkSkull Hall along with him,” Tarrick said in awe.
“Are you…” Alyx panted. “Everyone…okay?”
“We’re all fine, but we can’t say the same for Carhall,” Cario said. “The Shiven had just broken through the south wall before we got here.”
“I’ve been monitoring the thoughts of the militia commanders,” Dawn said in response to Alyx’s questioning look.
“How did you…find me?”
“That’s a long story, and we’ll tell you later.” Tarrick looked at the others meaningfully. Alyx didn’t miss the mutinous look that flashed across Brynn’s face, but didn’t have the breath or energy to demand he explain what he meant.
“Here, let me help.” Finn stepped over to Alyx and laid a hand on her shoulder. Almost immediately she felt sweet energy flow through her body.
“Are you all right?” Dawn asked softly. “Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine, just a little banged up,” Alyx said. “I think I used most of my reserve of magic to kill him. Thanks, Finn, that’s enough.”
“We need to get up to the great hall,” Tarrick said. “The Shiven army was heading straight for Centre Square—”
“—and is probably here by now…” Cario interjected.
“…and we agreed to meet the others in the Hall,” Tarrick continued over him. “Ladan will bring them and meet us there.”
“Ladan’s here? What others?” Alyx was beginning to get her breath back and Finn’s healing had helped with her energy and restoring some of her power. Clarity returned to her thoughts and she stood straighter, stretching weary muscles.
Dawn opened her mouth, then shut it again. “He’ll meet us there,” she repeated.
“What is going on?” Alyx demanded, before realisation flooded her. Galien’s revelation, his attempt to distract her. It all fell into place in her head, like dominos in a perfect line. It was Dawn she looked to, voice pleading. “He’s alive, isn’t he? Dashan?”
“Yes,” she said simply, reaching out to take her hand.
Alyx clung to Dawn’s hand, swallowing, trying not to let the storm of emotion that was threatening to drown her come out. “He’s here. He’s the commander who’s been running the defence of the city.”
“Yes,” Dawn said again.
“How did you…” Brynn ventured.
“Galien dropped that little gem in the middle of our fight. He did it to
distract me, to try and save himself.” Abruptly she was winded again, and it had nothing to do with physical exhaustion. Reeling, she wasn’t even close to processing the news, what it meant. It was like there was some sort of block in her head, keeping her numb. She wondered if it was overuse of magic.
“Alyx.” Tarrick said soberly, with the tone of voice he used when what he was saying was of utmost seriousness and gravity. “We will tell you everything, I promise, but not now. We need to move fast. While we came to get you, Ladan was fetching the council members and the remainder of the militia guard still here. We’re going to get out together.”
“All right,” she said, accepting that. “Lead the way.”
Cario was intimately familiar with the layout of the inter-connecting buildings of Town Hall and led them up from the destroyed exhibition hall into the main corridors. They were eerily empty, and Dawn explained that everyone who could fight was out trying to hold the Shiven back while non-fighters had already fled.
“Why are we meeting them in the hall?” Alyx asked.
“It was the one place all of us knew in case we got separated, and it’s defensible,” Cario said tersely.
They rounded a corner into a much narrower hallway, and Cario slid to a halt by a decorative copper statue. A narrow door was set into the stone beside the statue, and he reached out to yank it open.
“Back entrance,” he said. “Go up, quickly!”
Alyx followed the others up a narrow staircase to emerge into the back of the hall. She stopped to catch her breath. On the opposite side of the hall, the great arched doors that marked the entrance were closed, but shaking on their hinges. The cavernous space was empty. Memories flooded back—long boring sessions of watching the council members talk, hiding up in the gallery above while they spoke of murdering Taliath potentials.
“Now what?” Alyx looked at Tarrick.
“We wait for Ladan,” he said grimly.
“We didn’t exactly expect the city to fall right in the middle of us rescuing you,” Finn said.
“And then what?” she asked.
“There’s an escape route to get the rest of the fighters out of the city. Dashan had it set up—once we’re all together, he’ll take us there.” Cario said, then glowered at the look Tarrick shot him. “What? You think she’s so fragile we can’t even mention his name.”
“I just—”
“Enough.” She glared at them. “All our focus needs to be on this situation. Me included. All right?”
Terse nods followed, then Dawn spoke. “Shiven fighters are approaching the main doors. Their thoughts…they’re using a marble statue to slam against the doors. I count maybe twenty. They think the council members are hiding in here.”
“That’s the way Ladan will be coming,” Finn said tightly. “He won’t know Cario’s back entrance.”
Dawn spoke again. “Centre Square is breached. It’s hard to tell what is happening, so many chaotic thoughts.”
“Dawn, withdraw!” Alyx said firmly, remembering what had happened to her earlier. “Restrict your magic to our immediate vicinity. Are there any mages out there?”
“No, I don’t think so.” The telepath’s frown of concentration deepened.
Her words were punctuated by the sound of something heavy thudding into the hall doors. They shook violently, but held. Without needing to be told, Cario reached out a hand, using his telekinetic power to bolster the doors as they were hit again, harder this time.
“I’ve managed to distract those carrying the statue,” Dawn said. “They’ve dropped it, but more are coming to help, and I can’t hold off so many minds at once.”
“What if we let them in?” Finn suggested. “Together we can take twenty or so.”
“I can help,” Alyx said instantly. “Maybe I could throw a shield over us.”
Tarrick gave her a look. “You just fought and killed Galien, and your shielding is your weakest talent. Are you telling me you could do that and cover all of us?”
Alyx conceded with a shrug. “I still have some power left. If Finn helped me—”
“They’re about to break through anyway.” Brynn pointed at the ever-widening crack in the left door.
“What if we let them in, then I bring down the wall over the door?” Alyx asked Tarrick. “Then the way in will be blocked entirely and we can pick them off.”
“Then how does Ladan get in?” Finn asked.
Alyx swore. “Dawn, where is that brother of mine?”
“He’s coming.” Her eyes snapped open. “The council members are with him, and whatever militia they could muster. Ladan thinks they were seen, and there are more Shiven soldiers on their trail. He and Dash are leading them straight here.”
“Ok, let’s do it. Cario, lift the bars from the doors. Let them in,” Tarrick ordered, but his words were dim. All Alyx could hear was the echoes of what Dawn had said. Dashan. His name echoed over and over in the back of her mind.
“Alyx,” Brynn said, his voice soft and gentle. Something in her face must have worried him. She shook her head, waving off his concern. Concentrate, Alyx.
“Heads up!” Tarrick bellowed.
Shiven soldiers came flooding into the room as one door slammed open. Cario stepped forward, using his power to divest the Shiven of their weapons one by one, sending swords and bows flying across the room and out of reach. Alyx raised her hands in preparation to launch a concussive burst.
“Alyx, wait!” Dawn shouted. “They’re coming through behind.”
Shuddering under the force of a mighty kick, the second door flew inwards. Then Alyx’s brother, sword raised, came through the gap. Behind him huddled three men in mage robes surrounded by a handful of militia. One of the mages had telekinetic ability and was using it to help keep the Shiven away. The militia were bloodied, and all of them had wounds. But Alyx didn’t register any of it.
Because running a step behind, bringing up the rear, was Dashan Caverlock.
Her numbness evaporated in a heartbeat and emotion flooded in to take its place. For a moment there was only pure, blinding joy. Then she took a step backwards, stumbling into Dawn and sending the telepath’s staff dropping to the floor with a clatter she barely heard. Ladan laid into a Shiven warrior from behind, killing him before engaging two or three more warriors at once. Dashan matched him thrust for thrust. The mages ran for the relative safety of where Alyx and the others stood.
Her quick gaze recognised Duneskal, Walden, and Yirith—white faced from the effort of expending his magic—before snapping back to Dashan. He killed his last opponent and came to a stop. He turned and said something to Ladan, then his head came up as he scanned the room for any more threats. When his gaze fell on Alyx, his entire body stilled. His eyes widened, both in stunned recognition and a strange surprise, like she wasn’t what he’d expected.
Then Ladan grabbed his shoulder, shouting, “There are more behind us, we have to go!”
As their eye contact broke, Alyx shuddered and turned towards Dawn, who was staring at her as if she didn’t know what Alyx would do. Strangely, that gave her the ability to behave calmly.
She took a deep breath, not exactly sure what she was thinking or feeling, and right at that moment there was no time for either. “Can you sense a way out of here? If there are more Shiven behind those we just killed, we’ll have to go back the way we came. Find us a path not filled with Shiven.”
“I’ll work it out.” She nodded and closed her eyes.
“Tarrick, we need to go out the way you came in,” Dashan yelled as he arrived with Ladan. The remains of the militia milled behind him.
Tarrick nodded. “Take them on ahead. Alyx and I will bring up the rear.”
“Hold on and wait for Dawn to find a path!” Alyx ordered, stopping their forward progress. “There’s no point rushing straight down and into an army of Shiven.”
“Got it!” Dawn’s eyes snapped open. “I’ll lead the way.”
“And once we’re out of Centr
e Square? Then what?” Alyx asked.
“I had an escape route prepared,” Dashan responded. “Whatever militia are left in Carhall will be gathering at a spot along the western wall. If we can get there, we’ll break out of the city.”
“What about those who couldn’t make it to your rendezvous point?” Brynn asked. “Are we just going to leave them behind?”
“I’ve given the retreat order, most of them should be clear.” Dashan spoke as if he hadn’t been dead for three years, jaw clenched in familiar frustration as he snapped at Brynn. It was both maddening and perfect at the same time. There was no space for any distractions. “The council refused to budge from Centre Square because they believed it would hold. I can’t save everyone. We have to go, now!”
“You’re the Magor-lier. We need to get you out,” Cario said, gaze firm on Alyx.
A bitter twist of nausea and guilt clenched her stomach at those words, but she accepted the truth of them with a nod. “All right, let’s go.”
Finn shook his head. “What about the army laying siege outside the walls?”
Dashan snapped, “we’ll be relying on you mages to clear a path for us.”
She refused to let her eyes linger on his face, instead turning to move as they finally headed for the stairs.
Duneskal’s words brought them all to a halt. “We should stay here.”
“Grandfather, this is not the time to—”
“We are mages.” Duneskal cut across Cario as if his grandson hadn’t spoken. “We can hold out here. We can’t just let the city fall.”
“There is an army of hundreds outside. You can’t prevail against that,” Ladan said.
Alyx stepped forward, channelling her frustration and anxiety into sharpness. “You should consider yourselves lucky I’m even bothering with you three after what you’ve done to me, so don’t waste my time. Get moving, now.”
“The Mage Council does not take orders from you,” Master Walden said contemptuously.