by S.J. Drew
Warlord ordered, looking frustrated.
Several projectiles and a few force bolts were aimed straight at her, but bounced off her shield spell harmlessly.
The audience started to get fidgety and whispers started flying.
"So you brought a mage with you. That, I admit, is a bit unexpected." He didn't look happy at this sudden element of surprise in his carefully controlled show.
"He's confused that you cast a spell without using the usual props," Davin said in a low voice.
"It's less than two months until the solstice. Magic is easy."
"Do you think this mage can save you?" the Warlord demanded.
"She's doing a pretty good job so far," he said wryly.
"There are a lot more of us."
"True enough, but she's not a mage."
"What kind of fool do you take me for, boy?"
"That would take much too long to explain," Davin retorted. "She's not a mage."
"Oh, I see. You've brought a cleric with you. That would explain a lot," he said thoughtfully. "Well, this is quite the surprise. A cleric of the Light One?"
"More or less."
"Interesting. Those Dark clerics may be more useful to us than I first thought."
"You still think you can control them?"
He fixed an intense stare on Eliora and started to make arcane gestures with his hands carefully out of sight. "Mind magic is a most useful discipline."
The spell bounced off the shield in her mind created by her link with the Light One, a shield she didn't even know she had. It also allowed her to recognize the spell for what it was and it made her angrier.
"It's not working very well," Davin said mildly. If he concentrated, he could feel a very slight tremble in the ground. "Now what are you going to do?"
"I'm still the ruler here. I still have my clan and my guards. You have one cleric and your weak magical talent. How long do you think you can hold out? I suspect even clerics grow tired when they use too much power. And you, outsider, what do you have to say for yourself? Why are you protecting this cowardly traitor?"
She looked at Davin for guidance, but his shook his head slightly, which meant she would have to address the Warlord directly. "He came back at great risk to save his people from the danger of Dark clerics and a murderous tyrant. I see that as both brave and loyal."
He forced a smile. "So you believe his lies?"
"He's telling the truth."
"And that's enough for you to stand beside him and risk death? Come, be honest. Why have you really decided to help him? What's he doing for you?" The way he asked this caused several of his guards to snicker loudly.
But Eliora didn't blush, which surprised Davin. "First you try to cast a spell on me and now you insult me?"
"I cast no spell."
"You're a liar."
"You shouldn't believe what traitors say," he said condescendingly.
"Even if I didn't believe anything Davin told me, I can see evidence that he's telling the truth right here. You tried to cast a mind spell on me and lied about it. You're a coward and a bully and I know that because you've been keeping him in a cage and whipping him. You've even got the whip on your belt!"
"How dare you, outsider?" he roared.
"How dare you! If you're so brave and honorable, why lock this man up in a cage and beat him and whip him like some kind of animal? If you're so confident in your leadership, why stage this political theater unless you know people were actually listening to what he said? This is nothing but grandiose political posturing designed to kill an idea, a very dangerous idea, that maybe you aren't such a good leader and maybe allying yourself with Dark clerics is the wrong move for these people."
His mouth was a very thin line. The audience fell silent again. The Warlord hopped out of the box and strode forward. "Fine, outsider, I challenge you to a fight."
She looked again at Davin.
"I didn't expect this," he said. "Do what you feel is right. And the ground is shaking, if you hadn't noticed."
She hadn't noticed, but she was aware of the slight rumble now that she thought about it.
"And don't speak that outsider language," he snapped. "Listen to him! Speaking an outsider language. Bringing in an outsider to save his pathetic life. I'll kill you and then I'll kill him and be done with this business. These are my people. I rule them and they will do as I order." He drew his short sword.
"Davin, stay back," she said in his native language. "Stay in the shield."
"You'll do fine," he said.
She walked forward, still dressed only in ordinary clothes. "Shouldn't you give me a weapon or something?"
"Shouldn't your god provide what you need?" he sneered.
"Oh. Right." The blazing longsword appeared in her hand.
He took a few hurried steps back.
The crowd made startled noises but none of them could take their eyes off the unfolding scene. Even the guards had abandoned the pretense of crowd-control.
"I am an outsider, so I have a different fighting style. Is that going to be a problem?"
He just stared at the blazing sword, and then smiled. "Oh, an illusion. How very hypocritical of you to accuse me of staging all this and then creating an illusion sword."
"It's a real sword and it's real fire."
"You're a liar now. No one can control the elements."
"He's right about that," Davin said in Northern. "We have records. Even clerics can't do that."
"Strike my sword with your blade and see what happens," she offered, holding it up.
"You realize this does not formally start our fight?"
She nodded. "Although you think this is a good opportunity to try to break my arm with a blow," she thought.
He raised the short sword over his head.
She brought the longsword up in defense and made sure the fire was good and hot.
His sword smashed into her blade with a definite solid, metallic ring. Then he leaped backwards, nearly dropping his sword. "That's hot!" he exclaimed. It was hard to tell if he was more surprised by the heat or by the fact she had taken the shot without even flinching.
"Are you sure you want to fight?" she asked. "I think I have a bit of an advantage with this sword."
"But you have no armor."
"Of course I do." In a flash of light, she donned the white, shining Armor.
"What sorcery is this?" he muttered.
"It's not sorcery. It's divinity." Then she sent the sword away. "But it's not really a fair fight, is it? I'm not just any cleric of the Light. I am the LightBearer, Chosen Avatar of the Light One," she said, her voice rumbling slightly. "I wield fire," she said, and an arc of flame danced between her hands. "I control the very ground beneath your feet."
Now Davin didn't even have to concentrate to feel the shaking. Everyone else clearly felt it too and started to look a little alarmed.
"I have more power than any sorcerer or any cleric. I can destroy you, I can destroy your clan, and I can do more damage to this land than one hundred Mage Wars." White light was flaring around her in a glowing aura. Her voice was echoing with power and her eyes were glowing white from edge to edge. "These Dark clerics you think you can control are working for my counterpart, the ShadowWalker, Chosen Avatar of the Dark One. You can see how well you'd fare against me in a fight, and I am fighting for Light."
The Warlord stumbled backwards a few steps. The guards in the center area had already retreated to the aisles along the curved wall.
"If you were in my position, no doubt you would simply slay your rivals where they stood. But I'm not like that. To fight you would be unfair and I won't resort to that kind of dishonorable conduct." The fire disappeared and the ground steadied. The Armor vanished although her eyes were still white. "I'm not here to pass judgment. I'm not here to convert, and I'm not here to fight. This is not my land, and I am an outsider to these people. I came here to help my
friend. Your fight is not with me, not yet anyway. Your fight is with Davin."
She took a few steps back until she was even with Davin.
He was just staring at her. The flaring light was gone but her stature had not diminished. He regained his composure and addressed the dumbstruck audience. "I believe my case has been made. Everything I have told you is the truth. You have seen magic today that should otherwise be impossible. You felt the ground shake beneath you. You saw the Light. This land has enough trouble." He shot a black look at the Warlord. "I think it's time we cast as much Darkness from the land as possible."
It was nearing midnight. The chaos of the day had finally been settled. Eliora had to send an iridescent to Jomei to let him know she would be gone for a few days and not to worry. Once the people saw there was a greater power than the Warlord, they revolted. It was nearly bloodless because all the guards on the perimeter had run for it when they saw what was happening. The Warlord and his men who couldn't run had put up a fight, but they'd lost and been imprisoned in his wagon after it had been stripped of everything valuable. Eliora had mostly stayed with Davin, and at his suggestion spent a few hours putting glyphs of warding against fire on all the wagons. She also made sure the shield spell stayed active just in case. He did a lot of talking and a lot of listening. She didn't fully understand the nuances of the politics, but she got the idea. By the end of it day, a new leader of the Warlord's clan was in place, and Davin had his honor restored although he still had no clan but no clan could accept him as part of their own.
"I still don't understand why they can't take you back," Eliora said as she