The Last Mage

Chapter 9: A light at the Window

The wind blew fiercely all around him trying to dislodge him from his vantage point. Sitting on the blocks of white quartz- all that was left of the Center- he watched the fields be blown away with no feeling. Of course that wasn't completely true. He was nervous. The feelings had been growing for weeks now. It was at a peek today and he couldn't even look at Brielle without shivering. Something was going to happen and soon. Nathan wanted to be with Brielle constantly but he was jumping at everything. His jaw hurt from being clenched for so long.

Blizzard snorted and shook the dust out of her fur. It was blown by the wind and Nathan closed his eyes. He willed the tension to leave his muscles. Even a moment of relaxation would be welcome but it wouldn't leave. He looked down on the fields trying to pick out the girls but in all that corn he couldn't see them. The south most corn was lying flat whilst the others were practically bowing to the north. It would be a bad harvest. He hoped it might slow the armies but, knowing Zarlo, they would only starve.

The hot southern wind gusted up the hill and Nathan lost his balance. Lying on his back on the ground he watched the clouds streaking across the sky. Finally he let it go. All the cares in the world couldn't touch him. He closed his eyes again and just breathed. A gust of hot breath on his face made him jump. Blizzard was pawing at the ground next to him, her long nose in his face. She looked to the east, the whites of her eyes showing.

Nathan pulled himself up and dusted off his pants. The air was still. He led Blizzard around the ruins making his way downhill. The dark swirled around the hill and he could see nothing beyond it. How could he not have noticed? He'd been caught here only once before during one of Zarlo's temper tantrums and he hadn't enjoyed it. Neither had the horse.

The dead air was hot and sticky and sweat poured freely down his back. They wouldn't make it out before the tempests. Just as that thought entered his mind the thunder rolled deafeningly around them and the clouds lowered oppressively. An instant later lightning struck one of the great blocks near them sending a shower of debris all around him. He caught a glimpse of Blizzard running headlong into the fog. He only hoped she didn't kill herself in all this confusion. Another deafening rumble shook the ground from beneath him. He scrambled up, throwing caution to the wind, and ran. The ground rolled beneath his feet, huge blocks thrown this way and that.

Too much commotion. All his senses were strained. There were gasses in the air making his breath come hard and his eyes burn. The noise overwhelmed him trying its best to drive him to the ground and crush him. He stumbled on working his way downhill. If he could make it to the wall of dark at the foot of the hill he could lean against it and hope it dropped him before he went insane.

His skin burned and his throat constricted. There wasn't any air and he realized with horror he wasn't able to move anymore. The ground sucked at his boots and as he dropped to the ground gasping, it pulled at the skin on his hands. The world darkened further into black in a slow terrifying few moments. Blizzard would have no luck finding grass here now.

This was the first time any of them had seen the hill darken. It happened so suddenly Brielle wasn't sure if Nathan had left or not. Earlier he had been on the hill. She had seen him sitting on one of the blocks but he hadn't been there when the blackness fell. Perhaps he had sensed it and gotten out. She could imagine from the flashes of grey what a storm was going on up there. Hopefully Nathan had gotten out. Or perhaps this experience was what they'd all been jumping about. But now she was even more worried. That couldn't be how it was supposed to work.

The horn blew long and loud its sound cheering them considerably. They ran through the field, cornstalks rustling all about them, disturbing the wasps and flies hiding amid them. Brielle glanced back at the dark western hills. She hoped Nathan had got out but she didn't see him following her and he was usually diligent in that. Well, he'd been distant these last few days so it was probably normal.

She pushed it from her mind. Tomorrow was inspection day and they were spending the whole day doing nothing. It was going to be great so she couldn't understand why her nerves suddenly tensed at the thought. Nothing was going to happen. Nothing she could prevent anyway so why worry about it? This time that worm was there burrowing through her confidence.

Next thing she saw was Sherman frowning down at her. He still had stiches across his forehead where he had run into the wall. The demon had left him be; only terrifying him. She thought he must blame her in some way. She handed him the weed bag and water buckets then hurried after the others. She paused outside the mess hall doors letting others in front of her. Still no Nathan. She wasn't hungry.

She waved for the others to continue on then went back to their apartments. She looked through the rocks as she put them in the black uniforms pockets. She didn't put the Center piece away but squeezed it in her fist as she watched the light disappear, the sun swallowed by the darkened hills. The Center stone glowed lighting the room as no candle would. She heard the girls come in behind her and quickly joined them, feeling much better. They cleaned all the rooms as thoroughly as they could and then whispered and giggled before each dozed off. Brielle was the last to sleep, a restless, dread filled night which couldn't give her rest.

Down below in the streets the demons roamed about. Only one sat contentedly beneath a window, waiting to see if it could catch another glimpse. Frustrated, it finally turned to go report to its master.