Spellcaster series #5: The Sage

Haernith

TRISTAN

The djinn eyed me mischievously when as she taunted, "You really are smarter than you look."

I clenched my jaw. She took a step forward, locking her eyes on mine.

"Look who we have here," she chided, "Daddy Embers and his daughter both in one place. You're making this way too easy for me."

I narrowed my eyes and channeled my energy.

"You humans are predictable. Always thinking that we need you. Correction—we use you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Is that supposed to hurt?"

Her eyes obscured momentarily. She eyed through her lashes as she spoke in a grave tone. "No. But this is."

A sharp ache jolted across my chest and I flinched. Ada fell from my arms and rolled to the side upon impact. I clutched my chest, its tightness seizing the air in my lungs. Haernith clenched her fist as I fell to my knees, gasping for air. My vision began to blur.

"Stop it!" Ada shrieked, "You're hurting him! Stop it!"

The pain stopped. I took in a lungful of air and coughed. Haernith tilted her head towards Ada, a look of disgust.

"You little brat. How did you do that?" The djinn moved closer as Ada stood in front of me. "You have dark energy in you too, don't you?"

I eyed the djinn. "She is her mother's daughter."

Haernith's eyes turned bright yellow as she picked Ada up. I pushed myself off the floor but she flicked her wrist and flung me into one of the classrooms. I crashed into a noticeboard, glass pieces flew and shattered around me, rendering me unconscious.

* * *

I awoke to Ada's scream.

"Ada!"

I got up off the floor, feeling some broken ribs in my chest. I flinched. I channeled my energy and healed myself before racing out of the classroom.

"Ada!"

Absolute silence. My heart was racing but I needed to remain calm. I channeled my energy from the Sage's ruby and made my way down the empty hall.

"Daddy!"

I whirled towards her voice, only to be greeted with a pair of black eyes. Haernith stretched her arms out to strangle me but I lifted a boot and kicked her in the chest.

"Daddy!"

"Ada?" I followed her voice and found her hiding in one of the classroom's cupboards.

She had squeezed herself between some worksheets. I pulled her out and held her tightly to me as Haernith began to walk towards us, slow and steady in her own pace.

"Don't be shy, Tristan," she taunted, "I'll make this easy for the both of you!"

There was no way out of the building except through the window. We were on the second storey. I channeled my energy to teleport.

"You're not going anywhere!" The djinn yelled and sprinted towards us, inhumanly fast.

She lunged herself to me and we both crashed into the wooden furniture and whiteboard. Ada crawled back inside the cupboard as the djinn strangled me. Her strength overpowered mine and I needed to be quick. With the energy from the ruby, I let the heat and current flow through my lungs and out of my fingers. Blue flames projected towards her face and she shrieked in agony. I crawled out from under her, grabbed my daughter's hand and ran out of the classroom.

Soon, shadows darkened the walls around us, emanating from the classroom Haernith was in. The djinn walked out and stood before us in its true, ghastly form. Its black mass reached the ceiling, arms long and claws at the end of them. Its liquid black eyes stared directly at us. I channeled my energy and moved Ada behind me.

"You will not win, mortal!" The djinn bellowed, its voice deep and hollow.

I readied my stance and held out my palm. "Arsonion!"

White flames shot out of my fingers and projected onto the djinn. However, instead of hurting it like it did before, the flames encircled around Haernith and eventually became embodied by the djinn.

It absorbed my spell.

The djinn let out a haunting, throaty cackle. I channeled the energy from my ruby.

"Elemento Arsonion!"

Flames shot out once more and encircled around Haernith. They spun in a vortex of fire but the djinn took my spell and made it its own. As it let out a maniacal laugh, it began to spread the flames on the walls and the ceiling. The paper crafts and wooden furniture began to burn.

I summoned a protective shield around Ada and me. Somehow, with the djinn absorbing my spells, I felt my energy being spent. Teleportation, as it required half my energy especially with someone else, seemed out the window. I scanned the hall and spotted a classroom at the end which was untouched by all the chaos. I turned back to the flaming djinn. It began to move towards us.

I whirled to grab my daughter and dashed towards the classroom. There, I put her down and shoved the teacher's desk to an emergency exit window. Smoke was thickening and heat was beginning to overwhelm us. I lifted Ada onto the table.

"Climb over the ledge," I instructed, "and hold on to me."

"Daddy!" She pointed at the door.

Haernith, in its white flames, had appeared there. I turned and shielded my daughter against that unholy being.

"Nowhere to go but death, Sage!" It growled.

The flames began to spread inside the classroom. I whirled around to Ada whose eyes remained fixated on the djinn. I tried to garner enough energy to teleport us but something was blocking my aura. Either Haernith's presence had somehow prevented me from casting spells or fatigue from smoke inhalation was the culprit.

Perhaps, my actions that followed after, was a product of desperation in saving the line of the Sages or simply being a father. Either way, it had come to this.

I removed the Sage's ruby from my cuff and put it in Ada's small hands. I closed her fist and looked her in her beautiful hazel eyes that looked exactly like her mother's.

"It's yours, my daughter," I planted a kiss on her head. The heat behind me was getting warmer. "Now, out the window!"

"Daddy?" Her voice was cracking. She was four years old but she understood.

I turned to the djinn that was beginning to make its way to us. I channelled my energy as much as I could. Haernith was controlling the flames.

"It's time to end your bloodline, Sage!"

I stood before it, arms at my side and channeling whatever energy I had left.

"My time may end here," I spoke between the smoke and ash, "but my legacy will live on."

The djinn snarled.

"Go, Ada!" I yelled over my shoulders.

Soon, the flames grew larger until they enveloped us.