by Iris Walker
The mutant snarled again and raced for Lucidia with everything she had. But Lucidia was quick to dart to the side, putting as much distance between herself and the bright, pulsing disks as possible.
Boom went the dynamite.
Mutant casters hit the ceiling like poorly aimed bottle rockets, thudding against the ground, entirely unconscious. They were cloaked in darkness once more, save for a growing turquoise glow creeping out from the edges of the back door. Lucidia couldn’t worry about that right now. Especially not when the other entrance slammed open, the glow of torch fire spreading out into the room.
Darian advanced, coming to stand next to Lucidia, his posture tense and ready for a fight. “Zenecai,” he said with an icy command.
Lucidia got a glimpse of the famous Legion general.
He was everything she’d suspected and then some. Gruesome silver scales marked the caster from head to toe, spiking at the back of his head and down under his tactical get-up. His eyes were coal black and looked like they’d watched the life drain out of thousands of poor souls. She’d seen pictures of him in briefings. But reading that he was seven feet tall on paper, in neat little ink marks, was nothing compared to seeing the seven-foot-tall mutant caster in real life.
He grinned, the sight of it making Lucidia’s stomach turn, and set his stance. “We’ve come for the girl,” Zenecai called, his voice vibrating and clicking like an alien-lizard-dragon. “Grand Caster Xerxes commands her presence.”
“The only Grand Caster recognized by the coalition is Felix Wyvern,” Darian returned fiercely.
A deep, thrumming laugh rumbled into the air. “Felix Wyvern is dead, you fool.”
Darian’s eyes narrowed with menace. “Then your claim to any authority is null and void.”
“So be it, old man,” Zenecai said, his voice oozing with arrogance. “We will take her from you all the same.”
Robin
Robin felt the energy coursing out of her, igniting within Harley and supercharging her healing process. The strongblood’s shoulders lifted, her back arched and tense as her entire body shook from the infusion of power. When Harley’s body could take no more, Robin cut the connection between them and fell back against the rocks, catching her breath. Harley was gasping for air like a fish out of water, her hand clutching her chest, eyes bulging.
The red symbols on her arms burned bright, almost as bright as Reykon’s, but most importantly, she’d healed. “How…” she gasped. “How did you do that?”
Robin felt her eyes closing and fought to keep them open, shaking her head to jolt herself into the present. She caught a glimpse of Reykon, sideways, fighting with Ezra. Somewhere in Robin’s muddled mind, she thought that Ezra should have bested him by now, that she needed to go help and weaken Ezra enough to give them a head-start, but she was knocked back by another forcefield of magical energy.
The giant vortex of magical fighting had surged, wind whipping out from its edges, as Noomi and Charlemagne battled within. Another deafening rumble shook the room, and the light grew once more. Robin winced, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her aching ears as the ringing got louder and louder.
And then, in an instant, the glowing white magic cut, and the tornado of power dissipated. In the center, Noomi staggered, holding a small glass bottle in one hand and the essence vial in the other. She had a ragged, sorrow-choked look on her face, her eyes numb and distant. Reykon slammed Ezra into the wall and delivered a series of brutal punches, letting him slump as he ran to Noomi.
“You did it,” he said grimly. “The genie lamp.”
She nodded. “It’s sealed with my blood. As long as it stays away from me, he’s never getting out.” Noomi swiveled her gaze back to Robin, looking on her with some measure of resignation. “You’re all that’s left of her now, Robin… I wish you the best of luck. I’ll do everything I can to give you a chance.”
“Noomi,” Reykon said with a scowl.
A series of loud thuds rattled the door to their room, and Noomi turned towards it. “The Legion is here. Zenecai has come for all of you. Take Robin and go, far, far away.” Noomi pressed the bottle into Reykon’s hand. “Put this somewhere where nobody will ever find it.”
“But…” Reykon started, searching her eyes.
She tightened her grip on the essence vial, shining less than it had been before the ceremony, but still enough for the force to be considerable. Noomi let her hand fall from Reykon’s and stepped towards the door. Ezra hauled himself up, turning to Reykon with a glare. Noomi stepped in front of him and held up the essence vial. “I’ll hold them off, long enough for you to get your master to safety, but if you go after Robin, I swear to you, I’ll end every one of us without a blink.”
Rage flickered in Ezra’s eyes, and he glared at Robin once more before his expression softened. “Lady Robin, I know that this is not the last we will see of each other. I regret that it’s come to this. You must stay safe and stay hidden.”
Robin rose to her feet, stumbling slightly before regaining her composure. “Thank you, Ezra.”
“It is not a favor. You will be less safe out there than ever, but for all our sakes, I hope you succeed.”
Robin nodded, letting Reykon wrap his arms around her, pulling her towards Chadwick. The caster had regained consciousness and now leaned against the wall, watching the scene as a trickle of blood fell down the side of his face. Noomi closed her eyes and murmured a stream of words before a giant purple wall materialized in front of her, the force of the magic making Robin’s hair stand on end. Chadwick began his own chant, and a shimmering blue haze appeared in front of them. Reykon squeezed her hand, his dark eyes catching hers and holding her there. “Run away with me, Robin?”
She gripped him with all her might and nodded. “Always.”
They stepped into the blue portal, leaving the gruesome fortress behind them.
Lucidia
It had all happened very quickly. Zenecai had raised both his hands and called his men forward, spilling towards Lucidia and Darian like a stampede. She’d taken down caster after caster, diving and dodging, using her size as an advantage, but with each blow, her muscles shook harder, sweat dusting her forehead.
Darian took on as many as he could at a time, fighting like a tempest, darting in and out and picking them off one by one. It wasn’t until Ezra joined their ranks that things started looking up. But just as Harley staggered towards them, and Lucidia cut another mutant down with a ragged war-cry, she caught a glimpse of the seven-foot giant by the door. He smiled wickedly, death and triumph swirling in his eyes as he reached an arm to the weapon holsters on his back and unsheathed a short, razor-tipped spear, the point glowing with toxic green magic. His sights were trained straight on Darian, who fought three mutants, only ten feet away. In an instant, she glimpsed everything that would happen, like watching a train wreck unfold.
“NO!” Lucidia cried, wrenching herself away from the mutant casters. Each defeaning heartbeat slammed into her body with slow clarity as she moved without thinking.
Thud.
Her steps struck featherlight against the ground, carrying her faster than she’d ever gone before as her eyes zeroed in on the weapon’s path.
Thud.
Darian turned, his face a deep grimace as his arms shook with the two mutants locked in battle with him.
Thud.
She heard the force of Zenecai’s throw behind her, as she came closer to the space in front of the fierce vampire master. His burning red eyes caught sight of her just as she leapt into the air and turned, mid-jump, timed perfectly with the hurtling projectile. It ripped through her like a hot iron, searing into her shoulder and driving her through the air just as she heard Darian’s roar of rage.
Crack.
The world went black as she felt her back crush into the stone wall, the spear cleaving through it like butter and lodging halfway into the rock.
She lost time. Minutes, seconds, hours, she wasn’t sure. But when she d
ragged her eyes open, her blurred vision saw a wall of purple magic, advancing slowly, the Legion casters trapped behind it, hurtling all the force they had to no avail. The dark-haired caster was commanding it, gripping something golden that burned bright like a sun, its beams reaching out further and further. The caster turned, looking at Darian with a solemn expression, and shouted over the roar of magical fury that she held back with her hands. “If you value your life, you’ll get as far away from this place as you can,” she growled, turning back to the Legion casters. Zenecai’s enraged snarl stood out among the sea of fighters pounding against the wall, trapped behind the shield. Lucidia’s vision blurred, her head falling forward just as she felt hands gripping her. A sickening groan escaped her lips as the spear was dislodged from her broken body.
She was going cold, faster and faster, as blood streamed out of her burning wound. The last sight she glimpsed was a trail of her dark red blood, spattered against the dust, and the bright golden vial surging in a blinding show of pure, staggering power.
Acknowledgements
This book was made possible by the love and support of my family, the encouragement of my friends, and the undying devotion of my two biggest fans. This is just the beginning of The Bloodborn Series, and one of many adventures in store for Robin, Reykon, Lucidia, and many more.