Vistus

Laerya could not move. Restricted by tendrils of Dark magic, she could not even twitch. Not even panic lent her body enough strength to break free. She could only watch as Lorelei walked towards her with deliberate, agonising slowness.

“I’ll kill you,” she hissed, and Lae winced as the magic tightened its grip on her. She could barely breathe. “You spurned my kindness, and now you’ll suffer for your meddling.”

I need to get out of this, fast! Laerya thought, fighting against the grip of the magic. Come on, Lae. Come on! She pressed against the tendrils, attempting to move her arms. Yet no matter how hard she tried, how much she struggled, the magic would not give way.

Lorelei clicked her tongue in irritation as she watched Laerya. She raised her hand and Lae yelped in pain as the tendrils smashed her against a tree. Before she could recover she was thrown again, slamming into the trunk with such force that she thought her spine had broken. It was all she could do not to cry out in agony.

“Lorelei! Stop!” Akorri yelled. From her steadily blurring vision Lae could see him struggling against the tendrils.

“You’re right, I should stop that. I just want to finish this quickly.” Lorelei put a finger to her chin thoughtfully. Even in her pained state Laerya thought that gesture reminded her of Fericeus. “Maybe I should smash her head against the tree instead?”

“No!” Akorri’s voice trembled.

“How would you have her die, then?” Lorelei asked casually. “Bear in mind I may not offer you the same death. Choose wisely.”

“I’m not going to die,” Laerya objected. For her trouble Lorelei smacked her against the tree again, yet the pain only strengthened her resolve. There was no room for fear now. She glared at the necromancer, her anger at this entire situation finally reaching its peak. There was no way she was going to die while her friends and Greenglade were in danger. How dare Lorelei keep her here?  How dare she use the corpse of a long dead dragon to slaughter an entire village? “Hurt me all you want. I’m gonna get out of this.”

“Are you honestly asking for a slow death?” Lorelei frowned at her. “Your bravado does not make you any more honourable.”

Even though her muscles screamed in protest, Laerya tried to move her arms. Her effort was rewarded with a death grip, the magic beginning to crush her already weakened body. Pain lanced through her so strong she thought she might black out. She held firm, but her vision began to darken and her ears started to ring.

“This will do,” she heard Lorelei say, barely able to see her anymore.

She could only feel pain shooting up every part of her body. She couldn’t breathe. No, she managed to think. No. I’m not going to die.

She heard Akorri shouting somewhere nearby.

Ugh... damn it, this really hurts...

There was the sound of something else approaching. It was still far, but it would find them soon. It was probably Vacerus. Perhaps Jinny and Shady had failed to distract him. Maybe they were dead.

I... don’t want to die...

In her haze, she noticed that the approaching figure’s footsteps were not nearly heavy enough to be Vacerus’s. No, this was someone much smaller. Some detached part of her wondered who this could possibly be, and what they hoped to accomplish by coming here. They would be killed by Lorelei too, soon enough.

Laerya could not even summon the energy to struggle anymore.Can’t die, can’t die, can’t die,her mind reeled.I can’t die, I can’t die, I can’t die!

“Enough!”

Laerya’s ears twitched at the familiar voice, but she was too lightheaded to place it. She’d heard it somewhere before, recently. Not Akorri, Jinny, Katarina, none of the Greengladers.

All of a sudden she crashed to the ground, no longer constricted by magic. Her mouth opened reflexively to inhale as much as she could, desperate to get air back into her. With her limbs free she wasted no time in pushing herself upright, ignoring the agony it caused her.

She looked around to see Fericeus pressing Lorelei against a tree, keeping her locked in place. He was stoic as always, even as he struggled against his old friend. He was wearing his own set of gauntlets, but he had no other armour.

Lorelei smirked at him. “So you managed to figure out what I was doing?”

“I should have known you would go through with it,” Fericeus growled. “You were always a threat. I just didn’t want to believe it.”

Instead of responding, Lorelei’s form turned dark as she melted into a shadow, slithering from Fericeus’s grasp. She materialised right behind him and raised her hand to strike, but he was prepared and dodged her swipe. “Should have stopped me when you had the chance, right?” she taunted. “Maybe tried to talk me out of it? Or perhaps you just didn’t care enough, you traitor.”

“I’m not the one betraying his people,” Fericeus said.

“They are not my people. They don’t deserve to be.” Lorelei sent the magic tendrils after Fericeus, but he summoned his own to block hers.

Akorri crept over to Laerya, rubbing his neck. She said nothing, but gave his shoulder a reassuring pat, and even that action caused her pain. She would not be able to intervene for now.

“They aren’t going to die,” Fericeus said, his voice brimming with confidence. His whole arm was glowing purple. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Why are you so loyal to that pack of brutes?” Lorelei hissed, throwing a flock of Dark shards his way. Fericeus’s magic vines rushed to block them. “You saw how they treated me!”

“Killing them is not the answer.”

Lorelei smiled bitterly. “The same words as back then, I see. But at that time what I said was just a spur of the moment vent of frustration. I didn’t mean it. And yet you took me seriously.”

Fericeus narrowed his eyes.

“So seriously in fact, that you abandoned me. Left me at my most vulnerable. You weren’t a good friend, Fericeus.”

“You aren’t a good person.”

“That’s why you left me, isn’t it? You were convinced I couldn’t change?”

“I was right. You didn’t.”

Lorelei’s ears lowered a little, but that was the only indication of her displeasure. Laerya realised then that she was genuinely upset. Seeing the one friend she had who had turned against her couldn’t be easy, but Lae found it hard to feel any sympathy.

“I might have, had you been there,” Lorelei said.

“Stop trying to guilt me. I made the right decision in leaving you.” Fericeus clicked his fingers. “Stop this, now.” A shadowy wave burst forth from his arm, striking Lorelei before she could react.

She gasped in pain but retaliated just as quickly, more tendrils sprouting from the ground to trap Fericeus. He simply disappeared into the shadows, reappearing again beside Lorelei. He lunged at her, but she dodged, sending more Dark shards his way. He blocked them quickly, leaping for her again, and she sidestepped away. It was like watching some sort of twisted dance.

“Is Feri going to kill her?” Laerya murmured. Even now, she hoped he wouldn’t.

“I don’t know,” Akorri answered.

“I hate you, you know.” Lorelei was throwing punches now, magic shooting forth from every hit. Fericeus dodged them all.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I can understand, but that does not excuse any of this.”

“You deserve to die most of all,” she hissed, her whole body emanating magic energy as she threw punch after punch at Fericeus. Her movements were growing steadily more erratic.

Fericeus melted into the ground and Lorelei aimed shards at his shadow, which slithered and twisted away. His shadow slid across a tree trunk, then disappeared the moment his opponent slammed into it with her fist.

“Stop running, you coward!” she snarled, her eyes wide with anger.

Fericeus appeared in an instant behind her. “Fine,” he said, his fingers launching towards her throat. She ducked away, swiping at his legs to throw off his balance, but he vanished again. He reappeared beside her and made to grab her wrist, but one of her tendrils whipped his hand away.

“You’ve gotten good,” Fericeus murmured, his voice calm despite his aggressive movements. He formed a ghostly ball and shot it at Lorelei, who used her tendrils to disintegrate it.

“I don’ t need to hear that from you!” Lorelei’s hands were engulfed in purple flame as she threw an even larger magic sphere at Fericeus. She flung it so quickly that he did not have enough time to dodge, and hissed as he was struck. However he did not stagger, and ran towards her immediately, flinging his own shadowed punches at her. She dissolved into the ground to move away, but was quickly forced out by a well-aimed stomp from Fericeus.

She cursed and leapt at him, putting her all into her punches. She was a shadowy blur, moving so fast even Laerya figured she would have a hard time dodging.

She worried for Feri as she watched. If he got hit, he may well black out just from that. Lorelei was putting all her effort into hurting him. Lae braced herself, ready to help if need be, even though her muscles ached.

Her ear twitched as she heard someone else running through the forest towards them. She turned to see Jinny bursting forth from the bushes, panting, her robe torn. She was holding her right arm, her cheeks damp.

“Jinny!” Lae called out, rushing to help her. The Feln almost collapsed in her arms, breathing unsteadily. Akorri joined them, looking anxiously at Jinny.

“Shady forced me... to join you... it was getting too dangerous...” Jinny wheezed, wincing in pain as she accidentally moved her arm.

“It’s not any safer here,” Akorri said, glancing at the fighting Dark mages. “Where’s Shady?”

“He’s still distracting Vacerus as best he can. We need to deal with this quickly, before he gets hurt.” Jinny looked up, her eyes widening as she saw Lorelei and Fericeus fighting. “Oh my.”

Lorelei continued to strike at Fericeus, and he kept moving out of her way. He chanced a glance at the group, frowning slightly. However he could not keep his dodging up forever, and stumbled as he narrowly missed a blow. It was then Lorelei saw her chance. She raised her hand, which was enveloped in purple magic.

“Feri, watch out!” Laerya shouted.

Lorelei yelled and swung her fist at Fericeus. He had no time to move. He caught her hand, but by then it was too late. Magic exploded from her fist, spreading out through the grass and engulfing him. It crackled like fire as it struck him, his entire body a smouldering silhouette.

“No!” Laerya gasped.

Fericeus grunted in pain, his shadowed body shaking. His legs threatened to give way, but he still held on to Lorelei. She tried to jerk her hand away, but he would not let go. Even with Dark magic eating at his body, he stood firm.

“Woah,” Akorri breathed.

Then, with a shout from Fericeus, the magic swept away from his body. With his free hand he dispersed it, revealing his black cloak ripped to shreds and his fur torn. He breathed slowly, deeply, staggering.

“No!” Lorelei shrieked, her face a mask of rage and fear. “How did you survive that?”

Fericeus didn’t answer. He wrenched Lorelei’s hand towards him and forcibly twisted her so he could grab her other hand, her fingers locked in his. The jewels in her gauntlets, one in each palm, were clearly visible. “Laerya, Akorri, Jinny!” he called out, his voice hoarse. “Lorelei’s power is amplified by these gems. Break them so she’ll lose control of Vacerus!”

“No!” screeched Lorelei, struggling to dislodge her hands from Fericeus’ iron grip. With her fingers trapped she was unable to summon her magic.

Laerya glanced at Akorri, who nodded. Once she did this, it would all be over. She drew her blaster and Akorri raised his dagger. She took aim–

Lorelei snarled and smacked her head against Fericeus’s. He flinched in pain and in that split second of distraction she jerked her hands free, sending a wave of magic to strike Laerya, Akorri and Jinny. They had no time to dodge. Laerya’s head swam in pain as she heard her friends cry out. Lorelei struck them again, but through the haze of pain Lae noticed that Lorelei’s hands were spread open every time she attacked. They could still hit the gemstones.

As Lorelei summoned forth another Dark magic wave, Laerya ignored her sore arm and lifted her blaster. In the corner of her eye she saw Akorri had the same idea, as he brandished his dagger again, with Jinny behind him. Lae’s eyes locked on the gem.

“Now!” she ordered, and pulled the trigger.

The bullet struck the gemstone as Akorri’s dagger, propelled by a gust of wind from Jinny, met its mark.

In that instant, the forest exploded.

The energy stored in the gems flew out as they shattered into pieces and magic rippled through the forest, tainting everything violet. Curiously, Lae felt no pain. The waves washed over her, blinding her, deafening her, but they did not hurt.

As quickly as they had come they disappeared into the air, and Laerya blinked open her eyes. She heard groans and something like a strangled sob. The distressed cries from the village had ceased.

She saw Akorri and Jinny stumbling as they regained their senses, and Fericeus kneeling down beside Lorelei, whose face was pressed to the ground. She was shaking, her fingers clawing at the dirt.

“No,” she rasped, shuddering violently. “No...”

Fericeus stared at her, trying to keep a neutral expression. This time however Laerya saw right through him; the anger and sadness on his face, the tiredness in his eyes. This was no one’s victory.

“Is it over?” Akorri asked, rubbing his head. He was bruised everywhere, as was everyone else. As the adrenaline quickly left Laerya’s body, the soreness in her limbs intensified.

“Yes,” she said. “It’s over.”

“Lorelei.” Fericeus narrowed his eyes at the trembling necromancer. “I will not let this slide. You are to come with me to Greenglade, and the villagers will decide what to do with you.”

“No, they won’t,” she hissed. “Goodbye, traitor.” Before Fericeus could stop her, she melted into the ground and her shadow swam away, past the foliage, past the trees, out of the forest. Laerya knew she would not be returning.

Fericeus stared at the trees, unmoving. What could he do now? What could anyone do?

Laerya sighed. She knew this was meant to be a triumph, but she felt hollow. “We need to go back to Greenglade,” she said.

Fericeus stood up, then stumbled. He coughed, blood spattering the grass. Lae watched in alarm as he struggled to walk, his breathing ragged.

“Feri!” she gasped. Of course he was hurt. Not even he was invincible. That blast from Lorelei must have hurt him more than he let on. It was meant to be a killing blow, one that he managed to endure, and now he was paying for it.

“Don’t worry,” he muttered. “They have good healers here. I won’t die.”

“Are you sure?” Laerya asked, seeing the blood trickle down his jaw.

“I’ll be okay,” he said with a calm nod. “What’s important is the state of the village.” He looked ahead. Laerya took his arm to support him as he walked, and Akorri and Jinny joined them.

“Come on,” Fericeus said. “Let’s go.”