Battle of Illaria: Book Three of the Illaria Series

by Dyan Chick

  The three Ravens vanished from the fight and landed in a heap next to me. Gasping for air, I fell to my knees and rubbed my forehead. I looked up just in time to see Yancey's arrow strike one of the confused Guards. It struck him in the arm and ignited on impact. Six bodies flew through the air and landed, in pieces. The aftermath took me by surprise and I heaved, unable to keep it down.

  I wiped my mouth off with the back of my hand and stood on shaky feet. The Ravens next to me stood and stared at me, wide-eyed. Two of them had mouths open in shock. The third, bowed. "Thank you, your highness."

  I nodded, then turned to Yancey. "Again."

  We repeated the process twice more, using up the enchanted arrows and removing eight more king's guard. Now that I knew what to expect, I turned away when he loosed his arrow so I didn't have to see the flying arms and legs. With each explosion, several of the king's guards ran from the battle. We were still smaller in numbers, but there was hope.

  Master Flanders' tonic must have strengthened my magic. Surprised that I felt like I had more magic in me, I began to search for places where I could inflict damage. I started removing weapons from the king's guard, launching them across the battle field and rendering them helpless. The bodies dropping to the ground all seemed to be wearing the king's crest. Good. If only we could take out the king.

  On the edge of the battle a figure in a long, flowing black cloak began to approach. It floated the same way the Reapers did and panic shot through me. Gathering my wits, I realized I didn't feel the Reapers. It couldn't be.

  As the figure drew nearer it lifted its arms and fire shot through the field, parting the battle as people cried out in pain or ran to avoid being burned. My breath caught in my chest and my whole body tensed. The newcomer was a powerful fire sorcerer.

  36

  Etta

  The fire sorcerer threw up his arms, a wall of flames rose from nothing and rolled across the ground and like a wave in the ocean. Cries filled the air as bodies were consumed by the fire. Nobody was spared, king's guards and Ravens alike were swallowed by the rising flames.

  For a moment, I was frozen in wide-eyed fear, watching the newcomer's destruction. I'd never seen anything like it before. How could you stop someone that powerful? You know what you need to do. Dark tendrils of fear rose inside me, calling out to me. The pull from the Darkness was almost soothing. You need more magic. It would be so easy to let it in.

  I took a step toward the battle and Yancey put his arm out, blocking me.

  "Let me go." I turned on him and glared. Don't let him stop you.

  "My job is to keep you alive," he said. "Not let you go out there to meet your death. You're too important to risk. How would it look if I let you die on my first day?"

  Too important to risk. I hated when I was treated like I was made of glass, but the words brought back all the warnings from Ashton and Celeste. If something happened to me, who would protect the people? Would someone else be brave enough to face the king? Or Max?

  You make the rules. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. I'd resisted so far. I needed a plan. How could I keep the Ravens from any more loss?

  The battlefield in front of me was covered with a cloud of dark smoke. The air was thick with haze that made my eyes sting. The fire sorcerer was standing in the middle of the ruined field, arms at his side, waiting. A circle of bodies surrounded him. Charred figures, blackened from sorcerer fire. Bile rose in my throat at the sight. I'd never seen so many dead at one time before. Swallowing back the fear, I turned to Yancey. "We have to call for retreat, but we can't have this sorcerer following us. I have to do something."

  Yancey pointed. "Let him handle it."

  I turned to see Master Flanders walking across the open field. No. I started to run, but an arm stretched in front of my chest blocked me. Yancey put his other arm around me and pulled me toward his chest. I twisted, trying to break his grip.

  He lifted an eyebrow. "I can hold you like this all day, highness."

  "You have to let me go, you have to do what I say!" I yelled.

  "Not if it results in your death. Don't make me take you back to camp." He wasn't budging.

  I closed my eyes for a moment and fought against the fear and anger in my head. This was too much. What was he doing out there? Master Flanders was going to get himself killed.

  "Please," I said. "He needs help."

  A cloud of gray smoke rose up a few feet away from Master Flanders. No. It was probably more sorcerers to help him. I twisted again, trying to break free, and again, Yancey held me tight.

  The smoke rose, and as it began to fade, two people emerged. My knees wobbled and I let out a long breath. Ashton and Celeste are back. The moment of relief was short lived as the realization struck me that they had arrived right in the middle of a battle. My heart pounded in my ears and I fought against Yancey's grip. "Run!"

  My words didn't seem to reach them. Instead of turning toward me, the cloaked figure and Master Flanders both turned their heads toward Ashton and Celeste. They were frozen in place.

  The stranger approached them and Celeste took a few backwards steps. He lowered his hood. The hair on my arms rose and my whole body tensed. Yancey tightened his grip on me but I was frozen in place. The fire sorcerer facing down my friends was the king.

  Even if I could get out there, what could I do against the king? My body went limp for a moment in Yancey's arms and he kept me standing. I shook my head, not believing what I was seeing in front of me. Clenching my fists, I stood tall, maybe with all of our help, we could destroy him. "You have to let me go out there. The king can't touch me. I can help."

  Yancey's face reflected sympathy but he didn't release his grasp on me. "Your Master met with us before we left Gallia. He made me promise not to let you fight the king."

  "What?" Why would he say something like that? How would he have known? Master Flanders musings about the end of his life seemed to strike me all at once. Was he trying to get himself killed?

  "Why would he do that?" Tears stung the back of my eyes.

  Yancey swallowed and pressed his mouth tight. It looked like he was forcing himself to hold something back.

  "Tell me what you know!" My face felt hot despite the fact that I was soaked through from the snow.

  He sighed. "I'm not supposed to tell you."

  "Yancey, do you work for me or Master Flanders?"

  He loosened his grip on me a bit but didn't release me. "Some sorcerers know things. They can see the future. He gets premonitions. He saw two versions of this battle. In one of them, you die."

  My vision blurred for a moment and I swayed, before the full weight of the words hit me. Two versions. I turned so I was facing Yancey. "And in the other version?"

  He frowned. "He does."

  "No! That can't be." I slammed my fists against Yancey's chest and heat rose inside me.

  Yancey pulled me in tighter, rendering my hands useless. "I'm sorry, your highness, but my job is to keep you alive."

  Suddenly, Master Flanders' cryptic messages over the last few months started to make sense. Like his daughter, he must have some of the sight. How long had he known about this? Tears blurred my vision and streamed down my face. They left a trail of warmth against my frozen skin. "I'm just supposed to stand here and watch?" How could I do that? Why would they make me do that?

  "Just wait," Yancey said.

  Master Flanders positioned himself between the king and the others. I wanted to turn my eyes away but I couldn't.

  The king lifted his arms and opened them wide. An arc of fire formed between his hands and he continued his progress toward Master Flanders.

  Master Flanders dipped down, then stood, lifting his hands in one fluid motion. The earth between him and the king rose, forming a wall between them. The king dropped his hands, fire extinguished. He turned to walk around the wall.

  Master Flanders rushed to Ashton and Celeste and spoke to them. They nodded and readied themselves in their sor
cerer stance. My stomach tightened and my breathing grew rapid. Watching this take place without being able to do anything was like torture. I felt like part of me was out there with them. If anything happened to any of those people, I don't know what I would do.

  The king came around the wall and spread his arms again. Bringing the arch of fire back to him. It was intimidating, but he wasn't doing anything with it. What was he waiting for? I furrowed my brow and tried to make sense of his show of power. He wasn't causing any damage or attacking.

  A loud popping noise sounded and four figures in black robes appeared behind the king, trails of smoke blowing away at their feet. I moved forward, wanting to rush in to help my friends, but Yancey's arms held me tight. "Please, I won't go to the king."

  "I'm sorry," he said. "We can't afford to lose you. Do you want your brother to rule Illaria?"

  I wanted to argue, to tell him that I could defend myself down there but I knew I was putting myself into grave danger if I left this spot. Ashton and Celeste would never forgive me if I died trying to save them. Feeling defeated, I watched my friends take on the newcomers.

  Without hesitation, Ashton threw a fireball at one of the sorcerers standing behind the king. Caught off guard, the man screamed and dropped to the ground, rolling around to eliminate the flames. While he was down, Celeste sent a gust of wind toward him, blowing his robe around him. Ashton sent another round of fire on the current and the man was engulfed in flames. He swung his arms around for a moment, then stopped moving.

  The three remaining sorcerers pushed past the king and launched spells at Ashton and Celeste. She must have put up a shield because everything bounced off of them. While they were engaged in fighting the sorcerers, the king began to attack Master Flanders.

  Master Flanders blocked the king's fire and sent a rain of small stones down on him. The king spread his arms wide and the stones blew away from him as if made of feathers. Master Flanders shook the ground, causing it to split as the king walked across it. The king lifted himself off the ground and floated toward Master Flanders.

  I grabbed on to Yancey's arm, squeezing as the heavy weight of dread fell over me. How was I supposed to stand here while my teacher died for me?

  Yancey turned me away from the battle. "You don't have to watch."

  For a moment, I buried my head in his chest and took a few deep breaths. Regaining composure, I looked up at Yancey. "Is it possible that Master Flanders is wrong?"

  Yancey shook his head. "He's descended from Oracles. Predictions can change, but visions usually do not."

  "What about my friends?" I asked, glancing behind me.

  "He didn't say."

  "Isn't there anything we can do?" I asked.

  "Just wait."

  "Why do you keep saying that?" I pushed away from him.

  "You have to trust me." He dropped his arms, freeing me from his grasp. "And you have to trust Master Flanders. If you go down there, you undo everything he has done for you and your kingdom."

  My arms fell to my side and I looked out at the battle again. I was being asked to trust a stranger. But this stranger had saved my life and given me no reason to doubt him so far. As much as I didn't want to believe it, making a guard promise to keep me away from a battle seemed like something Master Flanders would do.

  I covered my ears with my hands and watched at the king and Master Flanders continued to throw magic at each other. Turning away from them, I saw Ashton and Celeste taking on two black robed figures. While I was looking away, they'd managed to take one of them down.

  Celeste lifted her hands. They were shaking so hard I could see the trembling from where I stood. Though I couldn't see the magic she was using, it looked like she had created some sort of funnel like Master Flanders had done, but on a smaller scale. The two remaining sorcerers were both suspended, just a few feet from the ground, spinning in a circle. Ashton approached and pulled a sword from his back. Where had that come from?

  He thrust the sword into the first sorcerer, pulled it out and then sliced across the neck of the second. Celeste dropped her hands and collapsed to the ground. The two sorcerers fell to the ground in a heap of black robes. Ashton produced a fireball and threw it at them, setting them ablaze, then ran to Celeste's side.

  He helped her up and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. They started walking toward the camp, ignoring Master Flanders' battle with the king. I sunk to the ground, I didn't even feel the wetness of the ground through my soaked clothes. If Ashton and Celeste were not going to help Master Flanders, he'd said something to convince them to leave.

  Yancey extended a hand to me. "Get up. It's time."

  Feeling numb from both cold and the scene in front of me, I reached up and let him pull me to my feet.

  "Watch," Yancey said. He raised his hands, palms pressed together, then spread them apart making a wide "V" above his head. He closed his eyes, then slowly moved his arms further apart until they were resting on either side of him against his body.

  "What are you doing?" I stared at him, forgetting about the battle going on.

  He pressed his hands out in front of him and an arc of blue light appeared, then traveled toward the battle like a ripple in a pond, expanding as it moved away.

  Master Flanders stopped fighting. He turned his head in my direction, then lifted his hands to his chest. The king's outstretched hands sent a burst of red and gold flames. They swallowed Master Flanders in an instant, leaving nothing behind.

  "No!" I knew it was coming, but I couldn't believe it actually happened. "No!" Before I could realize what I was doing, I ran toward him. The king turned toward my cries and cradled a fireball in his hands.

  Then, the blue arc of light went through the king, and he vanished.

  I slid to a stop, chest rising and falling rapidly as I struggled to catch my breath. Where'd he go?

  Yancey rested a hand on my shoulder and I pulled away. "What did you do? What was that?" I took several steps back. "What are you?"

  "It's okay, you're safe, for now. I'm a sorcerer, just like you," he said.

  I shook my head. "No, not like me. I can't make people disappear."

  He lifted an eyebrow. "No? I saw you do it today. You teleported people out of danger's way. What I did wasn't much different. I sent him away. He's not gone for good, though. So right now, I have to get you, and the rest of your people to safety."

  "Wait." I shoved him with both hands. "Why did you wait so long? If you could send him away, why wait?"

  He grabbed my wrists to stop me from pushing him again. "I had to wait. Master Flanders made me promise. Where I come from, we take promises very seriously. I’m so sorry.”

  Tears rolled down my cheeks. I looked behind me to where Master Flanders had been. Was he really gone? How was it possible? My teeth chattered as the cold started to sink it. In the midst of the battle, I hadn't noticed how cold I was. Shivering, I wrapped my arms around my chest.

  "Come on," Yancey draped his arm around my shoulder and guided me forward. "I have to get you warm."

  37

  Etta

  "Thank the gods, Etta." Saffron ran to me as soon as we reached the edge of camp. She put her hand on my face. "You're freezing. We need to get you warm."

  It was getting difficult to get words out through the shivering. "We have to get out of here." It was all I could manage. Would the king send in more guards? Or would he return for wherever Yancey had sent him?

  Saffron replaced Yancey next to me and put her arms around me. "We will. As soon as you are in dry clothes."

  She led me to my quarters. It wasn't much warmer in my tent, but at least there wasn't any new snow falling on me. Saffron peeled off my wet clothes and pulled off my slippers while I continued to shiver. She wrapped a blanket around me. "Can you move your fingers and toes?"

  My fingers were throbbing. Slowly, I bent them in a fist, then straightened them, repeating the process until the pain dulled. My toes tingled, which I hoped was a good sign. I
wiggled them. They seemed to be responding.

  "Good," Saffron said, looking between my hands and feet. She led me to a chair and sat me down. Then she began to walk around the mess that was my quarters, searching for something for me to wear. She returned with a pair of trousers and a heavy dress. "Wear both. It'll be warmer."

  I nodded and stood so she could help me step into the clothes. As I began to warm up, my thoughts drifted back to the battle and what needed to be done next. If I focused on what we had to do, maybe I could keep myself from thinking about what had happened and who we had lost. There had to be something good to come from all of this. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as it seemed in the midst of the fighting. "Saffron, how many survived?"

  She was bent down, lacing up a dry boot. She frowned. "I don't know the numbers yet, but it doesn't look good."

  I rubbed my forehead. "Has everybody been evacuated?"

  She nodded. "Most people have been. Madame Lyndsey's friends came through and were able to teleport the non-fighters out. A few people stayed behind to wait for you."

  "My guards?"

  She paused before she answered, as if she was deciding how to word her response. "And a few others. If you feel up for their company."

  My stomach flipped. "Ashton?"

  "I can send him away, if that's what you want," she said without looking up.

  Did I want to see him? I'd spent the last two weeks missing him, but was still so angry at him. Now he was back and he was safe. I was relieved that he was safe but I didn't know how I was supposed to act around him anymore. If we weren't together, what were we? Were we even friends?