Radiance - The Alight Archives Book #1

80. The Arcanum's Successor

Channeling the magical energy inside of him, Allan stomped his boot hard on the stone terrain beneath him as venomous shadows enveloped him like the pitch dark of a cave swallowing a discarded, dying torch. With his dominant arm raised overhead, he swiftly thrust his wand. At the same time, numerous tendrils of shadow lashed ahead of him, at first as formless as fog but eventually solidifying into jagged streaks as impervious as steel.

One by one, they collided with the barrier, waves rippling away from their point of impact, traveling across the translucent surface that occasionally reflected slivers of the sun's rays. Grimacing, bending his knees partially, Allan imbued the shadows with more of his Essence, reinforcing their strength, their durability, but much like his last attempt and the numerous attempts preceding it, the barrier spat his efforts back in his face.

Allan watched with disappointment as each of his shadow tendrils crumbled mid-air with a sharp crack, snapping like brittle twigs, dissipating into a fine cloud of black dust. The remnants of solidified shards, still lodged within the barrier, surrendered as well, splintering into ever-smaller fragments before crumbling to nothing. A sudden gust of wind sprang forth, sweeping the debris away, erasing every trace of their existence. The barrier itself gleamed under fading light, polished and pristine, glossing like a fancy jeep after being thoroughly washed by its owner's servant, unchained and unyielding. 

The thunderous clap! of cannon fire sounded off behind him, rattling Allan's eardrums, and vibrating his innards. Shooting over his head like fiery comets, Allan counted a total of five cannonballs, each larger than a man's head, blitzing across the sky, emitting a high-pitched whistle until it was that they made contact with the barrier, thick clouds of smoke jutting out as plumes whenever on of the projectiles collided into it. But as the smoke cleared, not so much as a scratch had been left on the barrier.

"Dammit!" he heard Jared curse behind him. Allan's glare fell upon the tall figure standing amidst a circle of mounted cannons rising to his chest and crafted from a darkish material resembling cast iron but—according to Jared—wasn't. Affixed in place, Allan had observed earlier when the iron mage summoned them with his magic, the cannons sprouting out of the ground in pillars of silverish light like peculiar flowers that spit fire and metal. However, in spite of being recognized as one of the most formidable sorcerers on campus, not even Jared's power proved sufficient. "Damn thing!" Jared said frustratedly as light began to gather in the mouths of his cannons. "I'll blow it all to pieces!"

Since the two of them detected the barrier, several others had emerged on the plateau to lend their assistance. The majority of them were Gray Cloaks—twenty-three in total—and Allan's gaze fell upon a small cluster of these cloaked individuals gathered near the edge of the plateau. They stood in a tight circle, their expressions determined. Each of them clasped their hands together in front of them, their heads lowered and eyes shut as magical energy spiraled around them. Allan could sense the air around him vibrate with magic. A Counter Enchantment, most likely, Allan thought. Let's see how much good that'll do.

Since the two of them noticed the barrier, several others had joined them on the plateau if only to assist in the effort of dispelling them. Most were Gray Cloaks—twenty-three of them in total—not that it was making that much of a difference. But Allan observed a small group of them near the lip of the plateau chanting something in unison with one another, hands clasped before them, head bowed, and eyes closed as magical energy spiraled around them. A Counter Enchantment, most likely, Allan thought. He wouldn't knock their efforts if indeed that was what they were planning.

Discounting them, most of the other Gray Cloaks present unleashed relentless barrages of attack magic in the feeble hopes they might somehow weaken it, but if his and Jared's spells hadn't made a dent, he seriously questioned the effectiveness of the others' far inferior efforts. The sky crackled with energy as bolts of magic flew wildly, but their bright flashes seemed to fade immediately after impact.