“I don’t know.” Alice shook her head. “If Colossus falls to the Shadow Realm, there is nowhere to go.”
∞∞∞
Kellan and Blade sprinted back the way they’d come. As the troll chased them toward the cave-in, Kellan gritted his teeth. “Whatever you’re going to do, Blade, you better do it!”
“Cover your eyes now!” the wizard shouted.
Kellan immediately squeezed his eyes shut and threw his arm across his face for good measure. Despite that, a flash of bright light seeped underneath his eyelids. When the light was gone, he heard only the sound of Blade’s labored breathing. “Can I open my eyes?”
Blade’s voice was strained. “Yeah.”
Kellan glanced over his shoulder, where his brother was now walking back toward the troll. The creature had frozen in place, seemingly mid-stride, and appeared to be made of stone. Blade poked the troll with his forefinger and then collapsed against the catacomb wall, wracked with hysterical laughter.
Kellan gaped at the troll in amazement. “What did you do and how did you do it?”
His brother gasped for breath. “The thing you said about daylight made me think of it as a weapon. I cast a sunspot and it worked.”
Kellan chuckled. “That’s just…awesome.”
“Yeah.” Blade glanced at the troll and went into another paroxysm of laughter. “I thought we were both going to be killed for sure.”
Kellan laughed harder. “So did I.”
“It was a close call.” Blade’s amusement finally petered out. “I can’t believe it worked.”
“Neither can I.” Kellan shook his head. “Can you teach me the spell?”
“Yeah, but don’t stare at the sunspot when you cast it, or you’ll be temporarily blinded.”
“Right.”
Fortunately, the incantation was short enough for Kellan to memorize easily. After he had the words down pat, he and Blade squeezed past the newly fossilized troll and made their way back to the stairs. They emerged from the catacombs through a large open grate in a triangular park thronged by palm trees. Although the clouds overhead made it seem like nighttime, Kellan could still make out dozens of trolls and even more soldiers between them and the shimmering Briarwood City gate. The trolls were tossing a screaming Virgille around in a macabre game of keep away, but Kellan couldn’t be bothered to care much about the castle guard’s fate. The memory of his broken bones was still too fresh.
He pulled Blade down into a crouch. “All right, here’s the strategy. We’ll both cast sunspots, one on either side of the gate. That’ll take out all the trolls within view and hopefully blind the Shadow Realm troops long enough for me to shut the gate down.”
“You’re going it alone? I thought this was a team effort.” Blade gave him a sidelong glance. “Besides which, I know how to shut the gate down and you don’t.”
“I need you to watch my back. You’re better with magic than I am.”
Blade peered at him. “I never thought I’d hear you admit I’m better than you at anything.”
“Well…it’s true.” Kellan was gruff. “All right, then. After we cast the sunspots, we’ll head toward the gate together. You can shut it down while I stand guard.”
“All right.” Blade nodded. “What’s the exit strategy?”
“If we’re still alive, we’ll make a run for the castle. If it’s still dark, we might have a good shot.”
“And if not? The castle will be surrounded by enemy forces. How are we supposed to get past them?”
Kellan suspected their chances of getting that far were slim to none. “We’ll attack them from their flank until we fight our way through.”
“Sounds heroic. Maybe the Minfo can get it on video for broadcast.” Blade shook Kellan’s hand. “Let’s do it.”
∞∞∞
As Alice dabbed ointment on her feet, Sally hissed with pain. “I’m sorry I’m such a big baby.”
“You’re not being a baby.” Alice shook her head. “You tore a nail on one of your toes and the other foot is covered with blood blisters. I bet your feet sting like anything.”
“Just a little.” Sally spoke through a clenched jaw.
“It’s too bad Blade isn’t here to take your pain away. I wonder if—” Alice broke off and glanced at the vidscreen. “Aether, can you show me a basic anodyne spell?”
The screen came alive and displayed the enchantment. As she read through the words, her eyebrows rose. “If I’d known it was that simple, I would have used it before.”
She cast the spell on Sally’s injured feet and her friend’s countenance relaxed.
“Oh my, that’s so much better.” Sally sighed with pleasure. “Now I can think about something other than my pain.”
Alice smiled. “I’m so glad. I should learn some healing spells and make myself useful.”
To her surprise, Aether responded. “Healing spells are advanced magic that require a great deal of energy. The more severe the injury to be addressed, the more energy is drawn from the wizard. Extreme caution is advised.”
Sally’s eyes widened. “If that’s the case, don’t attempt anything of the sort on me, Alice. You’ll need every bit of strength you can muster if we have to evacuate.”
“Perhaps so.” Alice finished bandaging Sally’s feet. “Let me get you something to wear.”
She found trousers, a tunic top, thick socks and a pair of boots for Sally in the closet. As she brought them out, her friend gave the items a dubious glance. “I’ll never squeeze into those.”
“I’ve enchanted them to fit the wearer.” Alice set them down. “While you put these on, I’m going to change my clothes as well.”
“While you do that, I’ll call my parents.”
Alice nodded. “They’ll be glad to know you are safe.”
She returned to the closet and donned a pair of trousers, boots, and a plain t-shirt. Although her brief notion of providing healing to fallen soldiers had been squelched, she wracked her brain trying to devise some other way to help. Her eyes fell to the charm bracelet she’d brought from home and she shook her head in disappointment. Clearly, her magical education had fallen far short of the mark if she wasn’t even capable of defending Colossus.
As she stared at the silvery charms, however, she was struck by their tiny size. If she could miniaturize textbooks, could she not do the same thing with trolls and dragons? Pompano’s magical dome might prove problematic, but she suspected the barrier was designed to prevent anything from passing inside, not out. The only way to know for sure was to try.
When she emerged from the closet, Sally had dressed but she was slumped in a chair with her head in her hands.
Alice gave her a concerned glance. “Has your pain returned?”
“No.” Her friend sat up. “A man in the hotel lobby answered my call and said all the guests had been evacuated to the basement. He took down a message to relay to my parents, but I wasn’t able to speak with them personally.” Sally smacked the arm of her chair with the palm of her hand. “I’m just so frustrated!”
“I am as well.” Alice glanced at the vidscreen. “Is the Minfo broadcasting any news?”
Sally rolled her eyes. “None. All I can find are reruns of serial dramas and documentaries. They aren’t even showing anything about the Promenade.” She shot to her feet. “I can’t sit here and do nothing. I’m going to volunteer in the kitchen. Surely soldiers and evacuees need hot coffee and something to eat.”
“You’re right, of course.” Alice smiled. “You have a very kind heart.”
“I saw several Promenade ladies among the evacuees. I’ll organize them to help pass out food.”
“I’ll try to make myself useful to the cause as well.”
Sally cocked her head. “What are you going to do?”
Alice lifted her chin. “It’s time to see if I’m worthy of being called Helene Masters’ daughter.”
∞∞∞
As Kellan cast his sunspot spell next to the Briarwood City gate, he con
centrated with every fiber of his being. Blade cast his at the same time and the burst of light was tremendous. Even though Kellan’s eyes were firmly closed, he could see the illumination through his lids and he also felt a distinct warmth. After the light had faded, he lifted his head and glanced over at his brother. “If that didn’t fossilize those trolls, nothing will.”
Panicked screams reached their ears and they got to their feet. Fossilized trolls dotted the roadway as far as they could see and Shadow Realm soldiers were stumbling around with their arms outstretched, evidently blinded by the light.
Blade nodded. “It worked. Let’s go before their sight returns.”
They sped toward the gate, darting around stone trolls and blinded soldiers alike. As Blade hastened into the guard house to shut down the gate, Kellan stood outside with his sword drawn. The darkness was not quite as profound as he would have liked because of fires dotting the city. As he scanned the area looking for threats, bit of ash began falling like snow and an acrid smell filled his nostrils.
Several yards away, Virgille was thrashing around, fruitlessly trying to free himself from the stony hands of a troll. “Help me! Somebody help me!”
Kellan couldn’t be bothered.
When dozens of trolls began pouring through the shimmering surface of the gate, Kellan crouched down to cast another sunspot. Newly arriving trolls tripped over their stone brethren, knocked them to the ground before turning to stone themselves.
Kellan turned toward the guard house. “Hurry, Blade!”
His brother’s response was clipped. “I’m trying!”
In the next moment, Virgille’s plaintive cries for help stopped so abruptly that Kellan glanced over to see why. Theissen stepped into view with a bloody sword and time seemed to stand still. Kellan struck him with lightning, but the wizard merely laughed.
“You’re not the only one who can get his hands on a wizard shield.” Theissen held up his wrist which was now encased in a familiar watch-like device. How had he managed to get his hands on Helene’s prototype? “Let’s finish what we started in the arena.”
Kellan’s eyes narrowed. He had no physical shield, very little light, and no magic to assist him—yet he had a woman and a country to defend. Nothing would stop him from killing his evil opponent and putting an end to the invasion. He leaped onto one of the fallen trolls and descended on Theissen like an avenging angel. The wizard was forced to retreat again and again. Like a coward, he shoved one of the blinded soldiers toward Kellan to slow his advance. Kellan darted to the side and slashed at Theissen, cutting his wrist deeply. When the wizard dropped to his knee with a scream, Kellan thrust again. Although the tip of his blade failed to penetrate the man’s armor directly, he managed to slide it in between the plates. Theissen cried out in pain but Kellan drove the sword into the wizard’s body more deeply. Blood trickled from Theissen’s mouth and ran down his chin.
“Stop.” The prince coughed and curled toward the ground. “I concede.”
Kellan withdrew his blade. As he tried to catch his breath, he could feel tremors through the soles of his feet. It sounded as if a herd of bull elephants were stampeding from every direction. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the gate had finally shut down. Unfortunately, the trolls already in the city had ringed the area and were drawing closer.
The next thing he knew, a bright sunspot appeared overhead. Too late, he shut his eyes. When the warmth faded, he discovered his vision was gone.
Kellan stayed rooted to the spot, hoping his brother was nearby. “Blade?”
“You want a blade?” Theissen’s gurgling voice sent a chill down Kellan’s spine. “Take mine.”
Cold steel tore Kellan’s midsection open. He fell back against one of the stone trolls and slid downward until he was sitting on the ground.
“Kellan?” Blade voice rang out and he felt his brother grab him by the shoulders. “Kellan?”
“Is Theissen dead?” Kellan managed.
“Yes.”
Kellan bit back a wave of nausea. “Tell Alice…tell her I’m sorry I can’t be with her. Tell her I love her.”
“Tell her yourself. You’re not going to die.”
Blade’s fierce tone brought a smile to Kellan’s lips. “Promise…to take care of her.”
His brother made a strange sound…halfway between panic and frustration. “Bloody hell!”
“Promise me…” Kellan drifted away.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Nature of Sacrifice
Flanked by her bodyguards, Alice made her way to the Tower Balcony. The spacious terrace wrapped completely around the circular stairwell, allowing her a view of the castle grounds and Briarwood City in all directions. In the darkness, she noticed the shimmering Briarwood City gate in the near distance. The city was also dotted with fires which were burning unchecked. No firefighters in their right minds would venture out to extinguish a blaze while trolls were marauding in the streets.
Pompano’s protective dome extended several yards from the castle grounds, but the apex touched the top of the Tower. In the roadway outside the castle gates, hundreds of trolls were banging against the magical barrier with their fists and whatever other objects they could find—including bicycles, post boxes, and broken trees. Rangers on horseback and castle guards were massed just inside the gates and walls, prepared to defend the castle if the barrier was breached. She spotted her father, in full body armor, at the forefront.
Alice focused her attention on the largest concentration of trolls within view and cast her reduction spell. In the blink of an eye, the trolls were reduced to such a small size that they resembled dogs. Buoyed by her success, she set to work on the trolls that pushed in to take their place. Her bodyguards gripped the railing, watching in amazement.
Once the surrounding trolls realized what was happening, they backed away from the dome in confusion before stampeding away from the castle. At that point, her father gave the command to ride. Rangers poured through the barrier, trampling the miniature trolls under their horses’ hooves, and firing on the retreating masses.
Alice turned her attention skyward, searching through the black clouds for dragons. Although the flying creatures were trickier to spot, once they spewed a plume of fire against the dome, she was able to cast her spell. Alice managed to miniaturize three before the remaining dragons and their riders soared up through the cloud banks and out of view.
When she glanced over at the Briarwood City gate again, it was dark. The gate is down. Kellan and Blade did it! Her thoughts whirled. Now that the Node Network was shut down completely, would she be able to put Kellan’s theory to the test? She would never have a better opportunity than now.
Alice darted into the Tower, soared down the circular stairs to the ground floor, and sped from the building. Under the cover of darkness, she made her way into the Ministry of Magic and bolted up the stairs. The atrium, with its spectacular fountain, seemed oddly serene given the chaos and conflict taking place in Briarwood City at that very moment. If Alice could bring her mother back, undoubtedly the former Head Wizard would be able to root out the traitor, put an end to the invasion, and make everything right at last.
Her stomach knotted with excitement as she uttered the password to enter her mother’s office through the secret entrance. Breathless with anticipation, she hastened into the laboratory and flicked the switch to send power coursing through the Node prototype. Once the doorway began to shimmer, Alice edged back to allow her mother space to step into the room. Helene would undoubtedly be surprised to see her there. As Alice waited, she tried to decide what to say first.
“Er…There’s no time to explain, Mother, but the Shadow Realm is invading—” Alice broke off. “No, that sounds too abrupt.” She sighed. “Oh, Mother, I’m so happy to see you. How are you feeling?”
Minister Seer strode into the lab from the outer office, still clad in his ringmaster costume. “She’s not feeling anything.”
Alice was so startled
, she stumbled backward into a table. “What are you doing here?”
“I suspected you’d try to bring Helene back, so I came to find you.” He gave her a look of pity. “Princess, your mother is gone and it’s time to evacuate the castle. An airship has been prepared for you and His Majesty and you need to come with me now.”
He beckoned to her, but Alice shook her head. “I don’t understand why we would be evacuated, Minister. The trolls have been routed, the Briarwood City gate has been shut down, and the dragons have flown off.”
“The invasion has been stymied for now, yes, but it’s too risky for you and His Majesty to stay here. The kingdom of Merrapenya has agreed to give you refuge until Colossus is secure.” He beckoned again, more firmly this time. “Hurry.”
As Alice glanced at the shimmering doorway, her heart sank. If her mother could materialize through the gate, wouldn’t she have done it by now? Her shoulders drooped and she bowed her head.
“I can see you are beginning to accept reality.” Seer’s voice was kind. “There’s nothing to keep you in Colossus any longer.”
She gave him a sharp glance. “What are you talking about?”
The minister gestured toward the vidscreen. “Aether, show us what just happened to Ranger Stratford.”
The screen came to life and focused on a sword fight taking place within view of the Briarwood City gate. As the camera zoomed in to show Kellan’s battle with Prince Thiessen, she felt the blood drain from her face. Kellan struck Prince Theissen with his sword and the grip of terror around her throat eased. After a horrendous flash of light, Theissen rallied enough to run Kellan through. Alice gave a strangled cry and reached toward the vidscreen as if she could save him.
“We’ve seen enough, Aether.” As the vidscreen went black, Seer made a tsking sound with his tongue. “The poor Ranger is dead, I’m afraid. It’s a horrible tragedy.”
“No.” Alice stared at Seer, stunned. “It can’t be true.”
“The camera doesn’t lie.” He sighed. “It’s a pity about Ranger Stratford but he shouldn’t have interfered. It’s because Thiessen was losing that the invasion became necessary.”
Royal Promenade Page 29