Chapter 17 #2
A sharp crack split the air, followed by a wave of heat that washed over my skin.
I spun just in time to see a tree to my right erupt into flame.
Not a spark, not an accident, but an inferno.
Fire climbed the trunk in a heartbeat, roaring skyward, its colors shifting unnaturally from red to blue to sickly green.
Magic.
Beside me, Caelan swore under his breath.
And that’s when I saw her. From the trunk of the burning tree a figure emerged.
“Well, well, well, who do we have here?” she purred, and as she came closer I could feel the sentinels shifting closer to me and my mother, their swords still drawn.
“Ignara, always a displeasure to see you,” Caelan said with a fake smile on his face.
“Ever so charming, Caelan. Tell me, how is celibacy going? I heard it can get quite lonely at the temple. But I am sure there is plenty of fun to be had with your boyfriends from the order, right? I heard the wildest stories about those who pretend to be so pure.” She rolled the “r” and the sound of it vibrated all through my body.
I didn’t know it was possible to hate someone with such an intensity without actually knowing them, but I guessed there was a first time for everything.
“I am touched that you care so much about what I do with my private parts, but I am afraid we are going to have to leave you now. Please tell these men to stand down and let us walk away. We won’t be getting in your way.”
Caelan sounded unimpressed by her taunting and walked casually towards the field we had come from.
“Not so quickly,” Ignara called out. “I’m afraid I can’t let you leave, at least not with her.”
As if answering a silent command, the Heralds moved. A pressure slammed into the air, heavy and suffocating, pinning us in place. Magic. Cold and absolute. The sentinels tried to move, muscles straining, weapons half-raised, but their bodies betrayed them.
Steel flashed.
One by one, the Heralds stepped forward and drove their swords home with brutal efficiency.
There was no fight, no chance to defend themselves.
Only the sickening sound of blades finding flesh.
A scream lodged in my throat as I watched them crumple to the ground, their bodies folding as if cut loose from the world.
My heart hammered so hard it drowned out everything else. Two of the sentinels and the guard lay still. The third sentinel twitched, a low, broken sound slipping from his lips as he struggled for breath.
Ignara walked over to him and rammed her sword into his chest without even flinching.
I was paralyzed by shock and fear. I knew I should do something, help in any way or at least fucking try, but I couldn’t move or speak.
I looked down at the ground, where a puddle of blood was forming around the sentinel’s body, slowly inching towards my boots.
I took a few small steps back, until I felt my mother’s hand grip me hard. That brought me back to reality.
Ignara spoke again, less snarky this time. “See, you can’t stop what’s coming, and it would be so much easier if you simply started working with us.”
Caelan stared in disbelief at his fellow sentinels, apparently having completely underestimated how far Ignara would go.
In a fluid motion, he unsheathed his sword and attacked the the Heralds, taking a few of them down before Ignara put an end to his advances.
She pulled a sword made of fire and flame out of its sheath and held it against my throat.
“You’d be wise to put down your sword, Cae, or I will impale your little friend here in this very spot, consequences be damned.”
Caelan’s breath came ragged as he looked at me. His grip faltered, and with his eyes still on mine, he slowly lowered his sword.
“Good boy, Cae,” Ignara purred and stepped towards him. “Put these shackles on and no harm will come to any of you.”
Before I could stop myself, I blurted out. “Please let my mother go with Caelan. I will come with you, if that’s why you are here. But please let them both go.”
Ignara’s eyebrows rose up in surprise.
“I was expecting a little more fight from you, wordsmith,” she said with a sneer, but she signaled her men to seize me. Facing Caelan once more, she waved her hand and the shackles on his wrist disappeared.
“Go back to Auretheos and tell him to meet me at the holy mountain. We will talk about him joining our fight.”
Caelan laughed haughtily. “You are insane if you truly think Theo is going to help you. He has spent his entire life trying to avoid war, he won’t give that up for a stupid human girl who can’t even use her heka.”
The words stung, but he was right. Ignara overestimated my importance in all of this, but I could use that advantage to help my mother and Caelan escape.
“Don’t listen to him,” I said. “Theo knows how important I am, without me, he can’t fulfill the prophecy. I will help you, if only you let go of Cae and my mother.”
Ignara looked confused, as if she didn’t quite know what to make of this situation.
“If you think for one second that I would believe anything you two told me, then you are even dafter than you look.” She seethed, her otherwise beautiful face transforming into a grimace. “Take her and her mother now, Caelan will return with my message for Auretheos.”
I had seconds to decide what to do next.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Red for the roses, whi—
Before I could finish my chant, I saw Ignara moving towards me from the corner of my eye. It was now or never.
I imagined that water of the mountain in my veins, let it pool in my belly, let it flow into my palms and focused on the burnt tree that Ignara had stepped out of.
And with all my might, I pulled it towards us.
The second I released my magic, I grabbed my mother and pulled her to the ground with me, laying on top of her to shield her.
And not a second too late, because the tree flew across the road towards us, hitting Ignara from behind and taking out most of the Heralds that surrounded us. I jumped up, pulling my mother towards me and started running.
“We need to get to the Pathways. Now,” Caelan shouted.
But luck wasn’t on our side because while we were running, I could already hear a very angry Ignara scream out in pain.
“You won’t escape, you filthy mortal. I am the Goddess of Fire and I will make sure you burn for your insolence.”
A ball of fire whizzed past us, but we kept running, Caelan carrying my mother in his arms. I looked back, only for a moment.
Ignara had stepped onto the field and had kneeled down in the grass.
Fire erupted from her hands and as she touched her palms to the ground, the grass immediately caught fire.
The flames were spreading like wildfire, racing towards us at an unnatural speed.
“We won’t make it!” I shouted at Caelan and he nodded.
“I can buy us some time,” he called out, panting. “Grab inside my jacket. There is a bottle. You have to throw it to the ground as hard as you can to shatter it. Quickly!”
My hand reached inside his jacket, feeling the cool glass bottle. We had almost reached the temple when I grabbed the bottle. I felt something else glide out of his pocket, but had no time to check what it was.
“Throw the bottle, now!” he screamed.
I did as he said and watched in horror as Ignara was almost upon us.
The bottle smashed to the ground and a gray mist escaped, forming a protective barrier around us.
“Where is the key, Maelis?” Cae was screaming next to me. “Did you take the key?”
I shook my head, the magical high rushing through my veins, coaxing a ridiculous laugh out of me.
“I think it fell out of your pocket. Can’t you open the Pathways without the key?” I asked, panic and ecstasy mixing in a dangerous cocktail inside my head.
Caelan blanched, raking his hands through his hair.
“Fuck fuck fuck. I have to go back out and find the key. The shield will last longer with only the two of you in here anyway.” He smiled at me.
I grabbed Caelan’s arm. “You can’t go out there. She will barbecue you the second you step outside the shield.”
He shrugged. “We don’t have any other choice, the protective spell won’t last long and then we will all be dead. I am a sentinel and I promised to protect you with my life, so that’s what I am going to do.”
I stepped toward him and hugged him. He pulled away and put a hand on my shoulder. “Whatever you do, don’t go with her. I will find the key, you will take it and go back to safety, do you understand? Are you in control?”
I nodded, but I could hardly see anything with my tears being in the way. Caelan squared his shoulders, and just as he was about to step out of the shield, my mother caught his arm. “Look up there!” she said and pointed to the sky.
Lightning erupted over us and Auretheos appeared, dressed in nothing but a pair of white trousers and a tunic.
The thin fabric hid very little, his tattoos being visible through the thin material.
He looked like the God of Revenge with anger and hatred written all over his face.
He moved with unbelievable speed, rushing towards the ground and making the earth shake when he landed.
“How nice of you to join us.” I heard Ignara shout, though I couldn’t see her well through the shield. A key appeared in Caelan’s hand, and he quickly took my mother’s arm.
“Go,” I said, “I will stay with Theo.”
Caelan looked as if he was about to argue with me, but the shield was already beginning to crack.
“Please make sure she is safe. I will follow you as soon as I can,” I added.
Caelan nodded and before stepping onto the Pathway with my mother in his arms, he said “I’ll bring reinforcements. Try not to die.” And with that, he was gone.
The shield disappeared with him, and I spotted Theo standing a few stretches away from me, shooting waves of energy towards Ignara. She actually laughed, looking like she was enjoying herself.