Firemancer Collection (Fated Saga Box Set Book 1)

by R. H. D'aigle

  “Catrina, stay behind me,” ordered Colin, as the Scratchers appeared high overhead. “Don’t let go of me,” he told her.

  Catrina obeyed her savior at once, taking cover behind him and grasping the back of his shirt, so Colin would know where she was. He faced Ivan.

  “I learned a nifty thing today,” he said. “Don’t know if you can do it, but if you can you can use less energy.”

  “I’m all ears,” replied Ivan. “We’re going to need all we got!”

  “Think your spells rather than say them out loud,” Colin explained.

  “Really? Where’d you hear that?”

  Colin nodded toward his book.

  “I actually can do that, although I’ve never enjoyed it. Feels wrong not to say it out loud,” he admitted, readying himself for the Scratchers, now diving.

  Ivan extended his palm, looking a bit uncomfortable as he shot off spells without speaking them aloud. Colin joined him, and silently they fought off the diving beasts.

  “Oh, wait,” yelled Catrina, startling Colin. “Tell Ivan if he expects to fight well, he needs to let me hold what’s in the velvet bag.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Just do!” replied Catrina.

  “Ivan! Catrina says you need to get rid of what’s in the velvet bag, or your magic won’t work right!”

  Ivan struggled for a brief second with the idea of parting with his prize, before throwing the bag at Colin, who caught it and handed it to Catrina for safekeeping.

  Ivan and Colin stepped into battle, working their way towards home, as Scratchers attacked from above, and the valley floor quivered beneath the advancement of Eidolon’s Goblin army.

  ##

  ##

  Meghan exploded out of the fire and onto the castle floor, alongside Nona.

  “Okay, we need to work on that a few more times,” the Catawitch muttered, “but not too bad for my first try.”

  “You did fantastic,” Meghan praised, hugging her loyal pet.

  Hearing the commotion, Pantin Hollee bounded into the room.

  “Meghan! Nona! This is…”

  “Sorry Hollee, no time. Eidolon is pissed and he’s coming, with his entire army!”

  For the smallest of moments the Pantin was frozen, but as Meghan’s words sank in, she raced into action.

  “Everyone is gathered for a feast, Juliska hasn’t departed yet…” She darted out of the room, with Meghan and Nona at her heals. When Juliska saw them, she understood at once that trouble was coming. She arose from her chair and called her personal Ballaton. They appeared by her side at once.

  “Sound the warning. Plan B,” she announced, calmly. The two Ballaton disappeared without a moment’s hesitation. With the snap of a few fingers Juslika’s trunks were packed. Another snap and they had vanished.

  “Everyone hold hands, please,” ordered Juliska. “I can get us down from the castle much faster than walking.”

  Nona jumped into Meghan’s arms, Meghan in turn grabbed hold of Juliska, who grasped the Pantin. Before Meghan could inhale, the ground beneath her feet had vanished. New ground came underfoot just as instantly. She steadied herself, allowing Nona to jump out of her arms.

  “Hollee, get to the doorway and be ready to get everyone through. This is not going to be pleasant. We have no actual place to go.”

  “Limbo?” confirmed the Pantin, her eyes open wide.

  “Yes, I am afraid it’s our only choice.” Juliska paused as the Pantin scurried away. “Meghan, you will come with me.”

  Meghan followed as Juliska departed for the town center, where the Svoda were gathered. By the time they had arrived, the Balaton had announced the unscheduled retreat.

  Screams and chaos now ensued as the people panicked. Svoda scampered out of the town center to their homes, locating family members who had not yet arrived at the feast, and grabbing whatever belongings they could.

  Pantin Hollee waited next to their exit, a wooden doorway, held up between two stone pillars. The youngest children went through the doorway first, along with their mothers and those too old to fight. The line to get through was perilously long. Those at the back pushed the line forward, crowding those attempting to get through at the front. Families said hasty tear-filled goodbyes as they went through, leaving behind loved ones readying for battle.

  A few of the women, including Billie Sadorus, stayed behind to fight.

  The Svoda army, though small in number, prepared for the oncoming encounter, by slinging on belts, filled with potions and stored magical energy.

  From a distance, they saw two figures running toward them, shooting spells at they ran.

  The world suddenly moved in slow motion for Meghan. Her thoughts were disconcerted as she watched her brother and Ivan getting closer, at the same time, orders sounded nearby, and yet sounded as though they were miles away.

  Juliska ordered her Balaton into attack position. They lined up behind her, palms ready for battle. While other Svoda, further behind, tried to get through the door and escape to safety.

  Directly over their heads now were three Scratchers. No, there were four. Where did the fourth one come from? Meghan felt the wind against her face as their webbed wings snapped against the dusty air.

  Reality came surging back with cutting force. She covered her ears to hide the piercing cry of the Scratchers hovering over them.

  The fighting duo of Colin Jacoby and Ivan Crane edged closer, and gaining on them was the entirety of Eidolon’s Goblin army.

  They slithered across the valley, thrusting shards of rock and desert debris into the air as they advanced.

  Colin ducked, as if covering something, from the rainstorm of rock that now pummeled them. When the dust settled he felt Ivan’s hand pull him up and they ran again.

  The crowd gasped in unison as they witnessed the oncoming army. They were tremendously out numbered.

  “We will fight and retreat at the same time,” advised Juliska. “Work your way toward the doorway, and most importantly, stay together!”

  The Balaton were the first to strike, aiming their spells at the Scratchers, leaving the remaining Svoda to work their way toward safety. The hideous shrieks of the flying beasts sent shudders through the people.

  The Scratchers fanned out, encircling the Svoda and the doorway to Limbo, forcing those retreating to stop and fight. One of the flying beasts took a nosedive straight into the gathered crowd. Svoda hurled themselves out of harms way as the beast howled and hit the ground with great force. It snarled and snapped, bounding on foot through the crowd until a spell finally hit its head, by none other than the Jackal sisters.

  “Take that!” Kalila’s dainty frame jibbed. Her sister Kalida nodded in earnest approval.

  The creature stopped its attack, and after its momentary shock, lifted off the ground with agile speed.

  Colin and Ivan finally arrived, winded from running, but still fighting nonetheless.

  Colin remained Catrina’s shield, keeping her safely hidden behind him.

  “Target the Goblin’s eyes,” explained Ivan, so all could hear. “It’s there one soft spot.”

  The first violent push from Eidolon’s army came. Bursts of crushed rock rained down, hitting Svoda and Scratcher alike. Balaton sent off spells to pulverize the larger rocks, turning them into dust. This plan backfired, however, as the dust got into their eyes, blinding them.

  Billie Sadorus was the first to recover and sent spell after spell into the unaffected Scratchers. Their dives were getting bolder. Their wings were open wide, looking for a kill.

  Billie stunned one of the flying beasts, blasting it high into the air. From behind her, another of the Scratchers’ webbed wings slammed across her back, hurtling her body across the ground.

  It could not wrap its wings around her, but in trying to do so it plunged a talon into her right arm. It stabbed all the way through, pinning her to the ground. Then, in an effort to get back into the air, it dragged Billie across the rocky valley floor. It
lifted her off the ground shaking her body, hoping to free itself.

  She fell to the ground, free of the talon. Blood gushed from her arm, pooling around her. The beast took flight once again.

  “Billie, Billie!” a harsh voice shouted, drawing near to her. “How bad is it?”

  “My brother, it is not so bad. I’ll be fine,” she insisted. Garner looked at his sister’s split arm and disagreed. He lifted her and carried her to the doorway. She fought him the entire way, insisting she could still fight. After Garner sent her to safety, he returned to the battle.

  How could they fight such an enemy and expect to win? The retreat needed to happen faster. The Svoda knew this battle was not one they could win!

  Slowly, they inched their way toward safety.

  Meghan watched in awe as Juliska battled the Goblins with impeccable speed and precision. Each spell came in direct contact with an eye, temporarily blinding the Goblin behind it.

  Nona was using her abilities to heal, assisting the injured.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Meghan saw Irving Mochrie. Was he searching for something? He called out, as if looking for someone. She hoped someone from the Mochrie family wasn’t missing.

  Meghan decided it was time to do her part. Her energy felt renewed. Before she could get a fire started, Juliska came to her side.

  “Meghan, I want you to go now. I realize you might be able to help, but you’re visions are still uncontrolled. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Meghan’s heart raced at hearing Juliska’s motherly words. She agreed and called for Nona.

  “I will not leave your side,” Nona told her when Meghan explained. “We will go, and I will help those injured on the other side.”

  Meghan sensed out for Colin before stepping through. He was still battling and relatively uninjured. He had a scrape on his arm from falling against a rock while trying to avoid the crushing blow of a Goblin.

  As she stepped through the doorway, to safety, she sent him a proud thought. He returned it with a laugh.

  “He’s changed so much,” she whispered, as the valley of Eidolon disappeared from view. Upon entering Limbo, white fog draped over them. It cleared up after a moment, revealing the rest of the Svoda, already through.

  Every few seconds another Svoda slipped through. If injured, they were carried away and treated by the doctor or Nona, and if uninjured, they got out of the way, allowing those hurt to be treated.

  Inside Limbo, you could not hear the battle raging just inches away.

  Back in the valley, the number of remaining Svoda grew smaller, as more and more were able to sneak through the doorway.

  Inside, Meghan watched Garner Sadorus’ body fly in and slump to the ground. There was a gash along his back. He was out cold. So was Billie. She had lost a tremendous amount of blood.

  “Too bad he hadn’t been wearing his over-sized coat,” muttered Meghan, before instantly feeling sorry for him; his injuries did look bad. He was whisked away to be taken care of.

  Meghan watched tensely for the rest to come through, again feeling useless and unable to help.

  In the valley, the Svoda numbers continued to dwindle, and those remaining were surrounded on all sides by Goblins, and overhead by the Scratchers. The Scratchers attacked both the Svoda and the Goblins, though the Goblins without success. Even their sharp talons were no match for the Goblins’ rock hard skin. The Scratchers, on the other hand, were taking quite the beating by the Goblins.

  Juliska had ceased fighting and used her remaining energy to set up a barrier to protect her people. She knew it would not last much longer, seeing as the Goblin’s formidable bodies were almost breaking through.

  The remaining Svoda carefully continued the retreat. It was getting harder and harder to keep the Goblins and Scratchers at bay. No one standing behind Juliska’s failing barrier was sure how they would all get through, safely.

  Eidolon, seeing that his army was failing, now entered the fight. Thus far, he had allowed his minions to battle for him. He charged toward the Svoda like a freight train, littering the valley floor with any Goblins fated to fall across his path.

  Ivan made his way to Juliska.

  “Ivan, did you…”

  “Yes! We got it!” Juliska nodded her approval. With her next breath the energy field she had created to protect those not yet through, failed.

  Goblins fell forward, nearly crushing those that remained.

  “Everyone, together,” Juliska ordered. “Barrios,” she shouted, reforming the barrier. The rest, except for Colin, used their remaining strength to add to her waning power. Colin continued to shoot spells through the barrier, blinding Goblins and attacking Scratchers.

  The barrier spell failed within minutes.

  The Svoda now resorted to their magical belt reserves. Colin, however, felt better than ever, invigorated even, with each new spell he threw.

  Catrina gasped and applauded at all the right moments to build his confidence. Those remaining watched Colin in awe as he never tired, and seemed to almost be (dare they say), having fun!

  In that moment, Catrina let go of Colin’s shirt and screamed. He spun around and came face to face with a Scratcher; its wings nearly enclosed around Catrina as it aimed for Colin, without even knowing she was there.

  Then, the remaining Svoda watched as Colin Jacoby did something that was not possible.

  Colin grabbed Catrina with one hand, returning her to safety by his side. She held his left hand as he raised the palm of his right, aimed at the advancing Scratcher.

  These creatures were responsible for his uncle’s possible torture, or death, never mind the death he had witnessed only days before of Catrina’s grandfather, Balloch, along with nameless others Colin had never even met, whose loved ones deserved vengeance.

  “You will never - take anything - from me - again!” Colin swore venomously.

  Anger released from his body in streams of blackness, shrouding the flying beast, smothering it.

  It was at this very moment that Colin realized he was killing the un-killable creature. Then again, why did it matter? This filthy beast deserves to die! The thought repeated in his mind.

  The other Scratcher’s fled, as their counterpart suffocated in the churning blackness. Juliska and the few remaining Svoda stopped fighting and stared in stunned disbelief. Even Eidolon and his minions watched in jealous contempt.

  Catrina leaned into Colin’s ear. “Kill it,” she encouraged. “It cannot live.”

  These words sealed the creature’s fate.

  The seething blackness tightened its grip on the howling beast and with one final, fleeting cry, the Scratcher’s body evaporated into the blackness.

  Gone.

  Dead.

  Colin took a deep breath, stunned by what he had done. Catrina patted him gently.

  “You did the right thing, Colin. It cannot hurt anyone else, now.”

  Guilt quickly surmounted the pleasure he had just felt.

  “You did the right thing,” she repeated.

  He nodded, knowing she was right. The creature needed to die.

  Doubts filled his mind, however. What if the Scratchers that got away reported what he had done? What if they did have his Uncle Arnon held prisoner? What if he had just signed his uncle’s death warrant? His body shook and he fell to the ground.

  “What did I do?” he whispered, looking at his hands. “I was so angry,” he said, glancing at the girl only he could see.

  She grasped his hands, holding them tight.

  Eidolon, seizing the opportunity of the Svoda’s best fighter being out of the picture, ordered his minions to back away from the surrounded group. The remaining Svoda put Colin Jacoby’s kill aside, facing their current threat.

  If they could stall long enough, they could recoup some of their lost energy. They would need it all to get out of the E Valley alive.

  Juliska wiped sweat and dirt from her face, as Eidolon glared down at the weary group.

&nbs
p; “Now, as I see it, you have but one option,” started the assuming King. “You give me what I want, and I will allow you to live.”

  “Not much of a bargain,” said Juliska courageously, adding, “What exactly is it that you want, Goblin King?” She faced him confidently, but also poised for the battle to begin again.

  “You know what I want, Gypsy Queen,” retorted Eidolon. “Don’t play dumb. It’s not your style.”

  “Then you know I will never allow you to possess what you desire.”

  This did not please Eidolon. His temper flared and his body heaved as his fist pounded onto the ground, crushing another of his minions. “You leave me no choice then! Now, I will kill you all, and claim what is rightfully mine!” He edged closer, raising his great fist into the air, ready to smash anything in his way.

  “Attack,” he commanded in a roar.

  The battle commenced again.

  “Retreat and get through the doorway!” ordered Juliska.

  Three raced through to safety. Colin jumped up forcing his fears aside, shooting a spell directly into Eidolon’s right eye temporarily blinding him, but not stopping him. His body turned anything he touched into a crumbled mush.

  As Colin aimed another blow, someone shot a spell past him and into the eye of a nearby Goblin.

  “Jae! Your dad was searching for you,” said Colin, relieved to see him. He had been so preoccupied he hadn’t even noticed both Jae and his father were part of the few Svoda remaining to fight.

  “Yeah, we got separated.”

  “Looks like you got injured, too!” noticed Colin.

  “Hah! Who didn’t today?”

  “Touche!” remarked Colin.

  There were now just a group of nine remaining: Juliska and her two Balaton, Jae and Irving Mochrie, Colin and Ivan (with Catrina of course), and one other Balaton. The Balaton, along with Irving, Jae and Ivan were all exhausted. They could not last much longer. The small amount of energy they had collected during their break was not enough.

  Juliska scowled (at least that is how Colin saw it) when she asked him to assist her, seeing as he was the only one not tiring. She ordered the rest through.