Arwick (A Light Of Roria Sequel)

Chapter Twenty-One

Addisyn

With the first wave of Elijah's sword, I watched as every iron cell that had surrounded my friends twisted and bent until the bars crunched together, allowing access for prisoners to escape.

Guards moved to attack, and I turned to Aasim, who had kicked a guard out of his way. "Help me get Jake on your back!" I yelled.

Balls of blue fire burst from the blade, targeting the nearest threats, the torment they felt made evident by their cries.

When I moved to my aid, Aziel lifted Jake with ease, while Aasim knelt to make the transfer from the floor to his back simpler. Jake groaned, my heart aching at his pain.

There is a tree not far from here that can heal him, Addisyn. We need only get there.

"Addisyn!" I heard from behind, but I did not need to see John's face to recognize his voice.

He wrapped his arms around me, and I instantly returned the embrace. Releasing me, he smiled as Elijah continued to clear the path before us.

The iron doors of the cells were suddenly lifted from the ground, soaring forward; they knocked the guards out of our way like bowling pins before Elijah motioned for us to move toward him.

Aziel, John, Aasim, and I moved forward until we all were within inches of one another.

"Wind travel?" Aziel asked, but by his grin I sensed he had already suspected as much. Still, I nodded in response. "Divinity is full of miraculous feats!" he shouted with a wink.

Another wave of guards began to form arrows, but none of us moved in defense. As we were standing behind Elijah, the divinity within us all spoke plainly. We needed to only be still and have faith. The blade would do the rest.

Before their arrows could be released, the earth beneath their feet seemed to open up, swallowing them whole, and then it slammed shut. It had happened so abruptly none of the men had time to react.

Fire escaped the blade once more, but this time the marvelous blue swirled around the six of us like a safeguard. Then a sensation I instantly recognized swirled around my feet. Traveling upward, the wind moved around us all before I grabbed Elijah in sudden realization. "We can't leave without Staci! Where is she?" I yelled.

With the blue flame still around us, I felt Elijah's sudden distress. He turned to me as the wind still moved around us but did not rise above my waist. "I must get you all to safety. S-She is with the king's son, dear heart. Staci wielded dark magic!"

With a sharp breath, my mouth dropped open. Shaking my head, I could hardly believe his words, and had it not come from Elijah, no one else could have convinced me of this.

Making up my mind, I spoke firmly. "Then we get them to safety and come back for her!" I could see he was about to protest, but I quickly interrupted his chance. "She's my sister, Elijah!" I shouted.

Though I sensed his disapproval, he did not speak of it and nodded curtly. Then the wind that had stopped at my waist continued to move up around my body. And in a flash, we were out of Ahab's destructive kingdom for good. 

****

The dizziness I'd encountered with each wind travel did not last long this time, and soon I began taking in my surroundings. Long grass reached my shins as the smell of pine enveloped the air. The valley I stood in was wide and seemed to travel for miles to the east. To our north lay Ahab's kingdom, surrounded by its protective wall. It lay securely against a mountainside, which, I assumed, was where the labyrinth caves were. Just behind us was a vast and dense forest. The trees towered above our heads, reaching well beyond fifty feet. The farther my eyes looked, the darker the woods became. The trees were so thick the sun could hardly penetrate beyond the pine, casting dark shadow across the ground.