Alex is coming, she kept telling herself. I just need to hold on... he’ll be here soon. Completely devoid of sleep, her head tilted downward; her eyes slowly closed. Suddenly, the image filled her mind. Alex, tumbling down the mountainside, smashing against the sharp rocks as he fell. Her eyes quickly opened again. He’s alive. He’ll be here any minute. She continued to sit in silence.
It wasn’t long before she heard the sound of a door opening somewhere at the end of the hall, followed by footsteps. They slowly walked down the cellblock, gradually approaching her cell. Finally the man came into view. Zoe’s eyes widened. She quickly turned her head to the side, desperately hoping her hair would block her face. The footsteps belonged to Lord Quinn. He proceeded down the hall without stopping. Zoe continued to hide her face until she heard him reach the doors on the opposite side of the cell block. He didn’t see me... She exhaled a sigh of relief. Come on Alex, where are you?
Chapter 18: Azure Under Fire
“Lumen orbis!” Lucas had spent hours trying with all he had to conjure a light orb.
“Are you ready for another break?” Iris inquired.
He shook his head. “Not yet. I’m going to try a few more times.” Lucas got back into position and repeated all of the necessary steps. “Lumen orbis!” Unsurprisingly, he did not manage to conjure yet again. “Hold on, I think I’m getting close.” He tried once more. “Lumen orbis!”
When nothing happened, Iris calmly asserted, “I believe a brief period of rest would be a wise decision.”
“Okay,” Lucas replied. “Just let me try one more time.” Iris nodded. Lucas outstretched his arm and faced his palm upward. I have to do this. Grandpa needs me. Taking a moment to focus, he envisioned the orb being formed as he had during all of the previous attempts. Shifting his attention to his palm, he shouted, “Lumen orbis!”
Much to the surprise of Iris and himself, a small flash of light sparked to life in the palm of his hand for a fraction of a second before quickly disappearing. A wide grin consumed Lucas’s face as he turned to Iris. “Did you see that?!”
Iris smiled. “Excellent progress!”
Lucas got back into position, “Alright, here it goes. I’m going to do it this time. I can feel it.” As Lucas focused, he was abruptly interrupted by a loud explosion in the distance. “What the hell was that?!”
“I’m uncertain,” Iris replied, bewildered. “The noise seems to have originated from the direction of downtown Azure. I hope no one was hurt.”
Lucas ran around the house to reach the road. “Let’s go check it out. Whatever it was, it sounded big.”
Iris started to follow him when they heard the noise again. She began to feel concerned. “Lucas, I’m feeling apprehensive about this. It might be best for us to remain indoors at this time.”
Lucas looked back at her as he continued to walk. “Come on, let’s just get a quick look.”
She sighed. “Very well... but we need to proceed with caution.” As the words left her mouth, Lucas had already increased his walking pace to a light run. “Lucas!” she shouted. “Slow down! Running is going to jeopardize your recovery!”
Lucas slowed himself slightly, but was still a good distance ahead of Iris. She briefly increased her pace in order to catch up to him. “We have no idea what we’re about to witness,” she warned. “I strongly advise that we keep our distance. At least until we are certain of the events occurring.”
Lucas nodded. “Alright.”
As the pair approached downtown Azure, they were shocked to see that two buildings had been totally destroyed. The townspeople were running around in a frenzy. Iris gasped. “Wh‑what happened?!”
Using his emotional sense, Lucas picked up an overwhelming mass of fear. Greatly discomforted by the feeling, he hastily deactivated his ability. Suddenly, a giant fireball zoomed from somewhere among the chaos in the streets, blowing a third building to pieces. Flames engulfed what remained of the structure.
“We need to get out of here, now!” Iris shouted. She turned to Lucas only to find that he was gone. Panicked, she franticly searched for him. “Lucas? Lucas? Lucas!!” Finally she saw him, already making his way into the frightened crowd for a closer look. She ran after him. “No!”
As Lucas snaked his way through the terrified masses, he saw a large man standing in the middle of the road. He appeared to be around 6’5”, with a muscular physique and long red hair. He was wearing a brown hooded cloak, with what appeared to be a saber sheathed on his waist. Around him were four men, quite well built, who were dressed in similar cloaks. As Lucas’s eyes scanned the area around the men, he noticed several dead bodies. Most of the casualties were Knowms.
The large man lifted both of his hands above his head and shouted, “Ignis ingentem vastator!” A massive fireball formed in the air. “Where’s the disk fragment?!” he demanded.
Lucas gasped. Disk fragment?! Oh no...
The man searched the chaos, as though he expected someone among the crowd to answer him. When no answer came, he flung his arms toward a nearby building, causing the enormous fireball to dart into the structure, totally annihilating it on impact.
Without putting any thought into what he was about to do, Lucas outstretched his arm, turned his palm upward, and focused. After a brief pause, he moved his attention to his palm. “Lumen orbis!” There was a bright flash in his open hand as a small orb of light took shape. I did it! Finally! Alright... that big guy in the middle looks like their leader. If I can hit him before he–
“Lucas!!” Iris angrily shouted. “What are you doing?!”
He glanced at her. “Saving your town. Those guys over there seem to be the ones causing this.”
“Lucas, listen to me,” Iris quickly warned. “It’s great that you’ve finally managed to conjure, but throwing that orb is going to accomplish nothing but your demise!”
“But I have a good shot at that big guy from here!” Lucas protested. “He won’t even see it coming.” Iris grabbed Lucas’s arm and pulled him back toward the direction of her neighborhood. “Iris!” he shouted, resisting her restraint while the light orb continued to glow in his free hand. “Just let me try!”
“No!” she shouted. “You’ve never even thrown an orb once in your life! You are not prepared for combat! Especially against multiple mages! On top of the fact that you have yet to fully recover from your existing injuries! Even if you manage to hit one of them, the others will surely retaliate. Throwing that orb is suicide.”
“But we have to do something!” Lucas argued as Iris continued to pull him farther from where he originally stood. He glanced back at the large man, then back to Iris. “You’re pretty good with magic, why don’t we both take them on?”
Iris’s expression was intense, unlike what he had seen in the previous days. “Lucas, you need to accept that there is nothing we can do about this situation.”
Lucas finally managed to pull his arm from her grasp and dashed as fast as he could to where he had stood before. “Lucas, no!!” Iris screamed.
He stopped and quickly turned back toward her. “It’s only a matter of time before they make their way to your house! We need to do something now!”
Lucas resumed running until he reached what he considered to be an appropriate vantage point. The crowd had mostly dispersed by now, giving him a clear shot at the men. He carefully aimed, his sight set directly on the large man, who was now lifting his arms above his head, apparently preparing to conjure yet another gigantic fireball. Now’s my chance. Here goes nothing! Lucas pulled his arm back and hurled the orb. It quickly darted through the air, completely missing all five of the men and exploding into a lamppost with a bright flash. Dang it!
The five men turned their heads toward the now bent lamppost. “What the hell?” one of them said.
Another one of them pointed to Lucas. “It was him!”
Uh‑oh! Lucas outstretched his arm and focused as the large man, clearly enraged, approached him. Dammi
t, I can’t focus right now! Iris was right, I should have just run! What was I thinking?! Lucas perspired as his hand fumbled along his waist. I don’t even have my sword!!
“Ignis orbis!” the large man barked, quickly forming a fire orb in his right hand as he approached. Lucas wanted to run, but was far too petrified to even think straight.
“Glacies stiria telum!” Iris shouted.
As the large man turned his head to her, Lucas saw a sharp icicle bury itself between the brute’s eyes. Blood poured down his face. “Ahhhh!!” he screamed, twitching as he fell to the ground. Immediately, the remaining four men conjured fire orbs.
Iris bolted in front of Lucas and spread her fingers wide, crossing her arms near her chest with her palms facing outward. The moment the men launched their fiery projectiles, she quickly exclaimed, “Glacies scuto!” waving her arms hastily to form a large circle. As the fireballs approached, they were met with a thick wall of ice which seemed to materialize almost instantly. Though each fire orb left a hole in the subzero shield, they were quickly extinguished as they met the barrier.
Iris flicked her wrist and the icy wall vanished. Outstretching both of her arms toward the enemies, she shouted, “Glacies gelidus zephyrus!” Two icy wind tunnels shot from her palms, consuming all four men. They slowly fell to the ground as ice encased their entire bodies. It only took a few seconds before they froze completely. As Iris turned to Lucas to scold him, she noticed a look of total shock on his face. The second she opened her mouth, the entire area was flooded with the sound of applause and cheering. Onlookers ran toward her, each one trying to be the first to thank their town’s heroine.
Chapter 19: Hard Times At Valdis Prison
Zoe was unable to rest despite her exhaustion. Every time her eyes closed, she was brought back to that dreadful moment. She sat in silence for hours.
Suddenly, she heard a door close at the end of the hall, followed by the sound of footsteps echoing as they walked along the stone floor. The noise ceased a good distance from her cell. Though they were not within her line of sight, she could tell that the footsteps belonged to two people. She heard the jingling of keys followed by the distinct sound of a cell door being opened.
After a moment she heard the door close. The footsteps continued toward her end of the cellblock, now accompanied by an extra pair of feet. They came into view: two Knowms. Between them, Roshan. Though she desperately wanted to speak to him, she refrained, knowing it would only cause more trouble for both of them. Though she was unable to get a very good look at him during the brief period he was in sight, she could tell that he was experiencing a lot of pain simply by the deliberate manner of his walk: as though each step were more excruciating than the last.
The doors on the opposite side of the cellblock slammed shut as the Knowms took Roshan to, what Zoe assumed, the room in which Lord Quinn awaited. They’re about to interrogate him. I can’t wait any longer; I need to find some way to get out of here. Zoe inspected the small cell. If there even is a way out of here... She slouched down against the back wall and rested her hands on her stomach as it growled. Who am I kidding? I’m too tired and hungry. I’d be surprised if I could even conjure an orb right now.
Zoe remained quiet as the thoughts swirled through her mind. For reasons which were unclear to her, she had refused to acknowledge the possibility that Alex had lost his life when falling from the cliff side the night before. Though the idea of this bleak circumstance continuously found its way into her consciousness, she had been quickly turning her focus away from it each time it emerged. However, she was now beginning to submit to the likeliness that Alex did not survive the rugged plunge down the mountain. Her heart sank. She gradually lost hope. It’s all my fault...
She quickly wiped away her tears. No. That’s not going to help anything.
Zoe’s heart jumped as a horrific, agonizing scream emanated from the confines of the room Roshan had recently been led to. She quietly gasped in horror at the sound. Then she heard it again, followed by Lord Quinn’s voice, though it was too muffled and distant to tell exactly what he was saying. Again, there was another cry of pain. As the noise hit her ears, she used her remaining strength to hoist herself off of the floor and onto her feet. Something in her snapped, and her face became stone.
She angrily gripped the bars. “Leave him alone!!” she screamed.
Two nearby prison guards hastily approached the cell, “She’s talking!”
“That guy in there must be the one she was coming to break out.”
Zoe backed away from the bars. In that moment, she realized the mistake she had just made.
The guards peered into her cell. “So are you ready to tell us your name?”
Zoe said nothing.
“Come on, if you don’t tell us anything we’re going to assume our suspicions are correct.”
“Are you part of that assassins’ guild?” the other guard asked. “Is that why you’re not telling us anything?”
Zoe’s heart rate increased. She was desperately trying to come up with a way to get out of the situation, but was simultaneously coming to the realization that she was trapped. The only way for her to survive would be to tell them. “I came here to rescue Roshan Portner,” she finally said.
The guards were stunned by this sudden confession. “There, see?” one of them said. “It’s easier when you just work with us. But an attempted prison break carries a hefty sentence. You’re going to be in here for a while. In the meantime, we’ll get you some food and a change of clothes. Sound good?”
Zoe didn’t reply. Her mind was focused on the distant sound of Roshan’s torment in the room down the hall.
“All we need now is your name,” the other guard told her.
Again, there was no response as she tried to hear what was being said in the interrogation room.
“Don’t clam up on us now,” the first guard said sternly. “If you don’t give us a name, we’re not getting you anything. You’ll starve long before the sentence is up.”
Zoe looked at him. Hesitating at first, she at last confessed. “My name is Zoe Quinn. Please, tell my father to stop what he’s doing. I need to talk to him.”
Chapter 20: Reflections Of The Past (Part III)
The teenage boy found friendship. In the years following that night at the ball, he spent much of his time with Vera. Eventually, they were seeing each other nearly every day. As they got older and experienced more together, they grew closer. Soon, their relationship evolved beyond that of simple friendship.
The teenage boy was finally happy again. He no longer feared going out into the city streets. In fact, he and Vera would often take long walks together. She admired his generosity as he stopped to give something to each of the beggars they encountered along the way. He simply didn’t care for the money; it brought him nothing. Vera had become more valuable to him than any amount of material wealth. The teenage boy discovered love.
Chapter 21: The Sting Of Betrayal
The guards walked beside Zoe, leading her down the cellblock, holding her by her arms to prevent her from running. They reached a pair of doors guarded by two Knowms. From the confines of the room ahead, she could clearly hear the horrific sounds of Roshan’s torment.
“Halt,” one of the Knowms ordered. “If you wish to conduct an interrogation, you will have to use the other room. This room is currently occupied.”
“I’m aware,” the guard on Zoe’s left replied, “but we’re not here to conduct an interrogation. It turns out that this girl is Lord Quinn’s adopted daughter. The one who went missing.”
“In that case,” the Knowm answered, “hand her over to us. We will take her inside.” The guards complied, briefly explaining how she had been discovered the night before.
Zoe was extremely nervous. She hadn’t spoken to her adoptive father in years; there was no telling how he would react to what she had done since she ran away. I need to stay calm
. This isn’t going to be easy, but it looks like my only chance of saving Roshan’s life. The Knowms took her inside.
As she entered the room, she saw Roshan sitting in a chair at a desk, facing away from her toward a man in a red cloak seated on the opposite side. The room was dimly lit by a single lamp resting on the desk near the mysterious cloaked figure. Standing on both sides of the door were two more Knowms. Then Zoe saw him not far to her left: Lord Javan Quinn. Everyone in the room but the highly disoriented Roshan turned and faced her as she walked through the door, the two Knowms releasing their grip on her arms. They closed the door behind her.
Lord Quinn’s eyes widened and the entire room fell silent. “Zoe,” he gasped. “What are you doing here?” Hearing this, Roshan gradually turned to see her. Blood slowly trickled from his lips down his chin, his left eye blackened from the brutal beatings he’d endured. Zoe was horrified at the sight but quickly offered him a soft smile, as if to tell him he would be alright.
The smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared when she turned to face Lord Quinn. His eyes stared into hers, paralyzing her with his cutting gaze. Unable to find the appropriate words with which to reply to his inquiry, she stood speechless.
“She was discovered last night attempting to infiltrate the prison,” one of the Knowms explained. “She initially refused to provide the guards with adequate information; however, she at last revealed her name and intention to free the prisoner, Roshan Portner, moments ago.”
“I see,” Lord Quinn muttered. He chewed his bottom lip for a few seconds before sharply commanding, “Knowms! Leave at once.”
“Yes sir!” the Knowms replied in unison, filing out of the room. Lord Quinn slowly approached Zoe, never taking his eyes off of hers for even a second. Roshan and the man in the red cloak watched in silence, both of them remaining completely motionless.