Radiance - The Alight Archives Book #1

70. Ambush

Against herself, Elaine kept her wand aimed right at him, the gleaming instrument trembling in her grasp as she struggled to retain the Essence spiraling within her Core. She was uncertain if Cael had another trick up his sleeve after all. However, watching him cower beneath her, the confidence and assurance stripped from his lodged glance, something else began to wash over her.

Magic. A wondrous force, capable of reshaping reality to the desires and whims of a mage. Elaine understood its potential as well as its peril. She had always strived to use her magic for good, never to harm. Some might call her idealistic, especially in their era. But it was her belief, her code.

However, where had that girl vanished when she permitted her body to take hold of her destiny and cast a spell with the capacity to erase someone's Essence from this world? Where had she been when blades of light severed an endless mist and nearly pierced one of her classmates—a mage like her, aspiring to be a Professional Sorcerer—in the heart?

Quivering, Elaine felt a crushing pressure pour down on her, as if gravity had suddenly gotten a lot heavier, or invisible chains were tugging at her soul and attempting to drag her through the earth into the pits of the Shadow. The golden-colored flickers of her wand perished with a final flash, and the tightness in her throat prevented her from saying anything, nor had she reacted as she saw Cael quickly pick himself from where he'd fallen, snatch his wand out of the grass and dart down the forest path with all the haste of a pegasus, not looking bad at them once.

Now, there was an amusing sight, and under differing circumstances, she might have found it funny enough to laugh out loud. There was the mage, the very same who had acted superior to all four of them, running away in sheer terror. Where had that confidence gone now? Had Elaine evolved to be a threat in his eyes? One that couldn't be defeated alone?

Swallowing, Elaine slowly looked down at the wand clenched in her dominant fist. That was a new spell, Elaine thought absently. My body retook control...and I thought I'd nearly black out from the intensity. Why...why now?

"That's right! Keep running!" Kara shouted, and Elaine flinched when she realized that she and Rolland were now standing next to her. Although Kara still relied on Rolland for support, keeping one of her arms wrapped around his shoulder, and hopefully, neither of them had gotten injured by her attack spell. "What are the odds that'll be the last time we come across him during this exam?"

"I wouldn't get my hopes up," Rolland sighed. "We've drawn him back for now, but we didn't deactivate his weak point. Technically, he hasn't been eliminated from the exam yet."

Kara pouted disappointedly. "Fritz..."

"Well, at least we managed to wound him," Rolland said, cautious yet happy. "That's something, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah. Big whoopie," Laurence said dryly behind them. Crouched to one knee, Laurence collected the wand he'd dropped amidst the chaos of Cael's attack with a disgruntled scowl as he whipped his ponytail over his shoulder. "He's probably on his way to report what happened to Adeline and the others. There goes our element of surprise. I doubt any of them will be underestimating us from now on, but that isn't necessarily a good thing."

Kara stuck her tongue out at him. "So pessimistic!"

As the crisp autumn winds swept down from the skies, they enveloped the forest, causing the branches to sway and the twigs and leaves to dance in their wake. At the same time, the dense fog slowly began to disperse, pulling away from the clearing and seeking refuge among the towering galbora trees, resembling a giant creature fleeing from a predator. Within just two minutes, the once-veiled surroundings were utterly devoid of lingering mist.