by Alex C Vick
I said, quite truthfully, that the world of Lignora had magical and non-magical inhabitants who both used spells. I knew this would make him curious.
The professor had learned by now that Terra had a lot of non-magicians. His Death Spell would never work on them. If those Terrans ever figured this out and joined together, there was a small chance he could be challenged successfully. Therefore, the chance of understanding Lignora better would appeal to him.
I said there was magic in the pages I’d found, and I was scared I might damage it if I tried to move it myself, as a non-magician.
He was very interested. He followed me all the way there. I pushed the door open a little way and stood to one side. Then, he hesitated. Even though I’d been expecting it, a moment of fear almost froze me to the spot.
I thought of Nico. I thought of all the magicians who had died. I thought of what Jax and Shannon had told me.
I will do this.
I lifted my head and pulled my shoulders back, while my hands, behind me, filled with magic. A small frown appeared on his brow. He was not accustomed to anything but subservience from me. Standing straight, as I was now, we were the same height.
“Are you?” I said, knowing that the fragment of a question would confuse him for a second. Just like it had confused me when he asked me the same thing in my first Combat lesson. The intensity of the magic in my hands grew stronger.
His mouth curled into a sneer. “Am I what?”
“Prepared,” I said, finally letting the contempt I felt for him show on my face. I didn’t push my luck any further. I used a Movement Spell to shove him inside the room, the strongest I could manage.
The element of surprise was on my side. He was utterly shocked at my sudden ability to project a spell. It was enough. He fought the magic in the room with all his might, but it was too strong.
I gave him a broad smile, holding my glowing hands up so he could see them more clearly.
“Goodbye, Professor,” I said.
He bellowed with rage, putting all his remaining strength into one last spell.
As his contorted features disappeared, swallowed up by the magic in the room, a black cloud advanced towards me, much faster than I had expected it to. It’s still so black, I thought, even as I scrambled to get out of its way. Why is it still black?
I felt it brush against my arm, and magic exploded inside my body. The power of it was staggering. I fell down.
The professor, forever to be known as Angelus, was now silent within his magical cage. He would never know that his spell had reached me, and for that I was glad.
I heard footsteps along the tunnel, and two Androvan magicians exclaimed in shock when they saw I was gasping for breath on the floor.
“H-He… The D-Death Spell,” I stuttered. This was not the way it had been planned. I was supposed to convince them of my death with a Distraction Spell, then open a portal to the island. I wasn’t supposed to actually die.
I could still feel the magic inside me. I took a deep breath, wondering if it would be my last. Then, something changed. I started to feel different. Better. In fact, better than I’d ever felt.
I gestured for the two men to come closer, and they leaned over me. I grasped their arms, and the Distraction Spell did its work. They looked down at me with solemn faces.
“Let us tell the others. Angelus is defeated, and his brother’s bravery is the reason why. Sandro might be dead, but we will never forget his sacrifice.”
They made to stand up, and I suddenly grabbed them again.
“You buried me already,” I added hastily.
“Of course. We buried you already,” the older one repeated, and I had to swallow down a nervous laugh.
As soon as they’d gone, I jumped up. I opened the portal as quickly as I could, using the most unstable combination of symbols to make sure it closed again behind me.
Claudia and Serena practically dragged me through to the other side. I could hardly believe we’d done it. Now it was up to Androva and Terra to negotiate their treaty.
When enough years had passed, and Angelus was sufficiently older and weaker, Jax and Shannon would be able to defeat him. But my part in the fate of Angelus was over. I would not interfere again.
The three of us celebrated long into the night. We laughed, and we cried, and we remembered everyone we’d lost. We ate and drank until we couldn’t move. We projected Entertainment Spells and used Solo Transference to play in the ocean waves. We dared to make plans for the future.
Serena, my brave, smart, brilliant sister, said she wanted to try living on one of the other worlds Androva had discovered. She refused our offer to remain on the island, but promised to visit us regularly.
I could not object, as long as she avoided Imbera. It was her life to do with as she wished. We’d all earned the right to choose, and she had no ties to any particular place now.
When Claudia and I were finally alone, we allowed our force fields to expand so they joined together, lighting up the darkness. I kissed her until we were both breathless.
“Galen…?”
“Mmm?”
“Your force field is… kind of different.”
“Oh. Angelus. Yes, about that…”
“What?” she asked anxiously, her hands tightening on my back until her nails were digging in.
“Ow!” I complained.
“What about your force field?” she asked again.
“When you said you’d love me forever, did you mean it?”
“Yes, of course. But what’s that got to do with your force field?”
“Well… When Angelus was trying to project his Death Spell earlier, I think he got really confused. I mean, that’s what we wanted, but…”
I swallowed, suddenly nervous to say it out loud. “I was worried at first because his magic was still black, and my entire force field vibrated. But I’m pretty sure I know what it was now.”
“What? Just tell me!”
“The spell for eternal life. He was so powerful by then, he actually got it to work. And thanks to the Communication Spell, I can share it with you. If you want me to.”
The smile on her face was dazzling.
“Yes.”
It seemed like our story might be just beginning, after all. And that was fine by me.
By the same Author
Stealing Magic
Capturing Magic
Seeking Magic
Controlling Magic
Breaking Magic
Surviving Magic
Come and visit Alex on her blog at www.alexcvick.com for lots more information about the series and the next book. Alex loves hearing from her readers and hopes to see you there soon!