The IRE of Winter

[ 34.3 ]

Inside, Gandalf failed to conceal his presence, orcs were almost at his heels, snarling, shrieking and making horrible sounds everything a dark creature would make. And the wizard battled his way up to the top of the Spire, holding his staff up he casted magic spells and sent orcs flying off his path.

Falling Orcs screamed and bellowed, soon the great pit was swallowing hundreds. Gandalf tripped cauldrons with burning coals along his way burning those who dared follow him. Fire jumped from one orc to another, soon orcs were rolling and stomping and hammering each other to put off the fire, half-witted it was later that they realized they were killing each other.

Gandalf mastered fire spells even when he was just Gandalf the Grey, though before he could only lit fire by the tips of his forefinger, now he could send fiery fireballs or lift a huge stone by the flip of his wand. Indeed, he murmured a spell and the hanging stone cracked and crumbled down crushing dozens more and blocking the way behind at the same time.

He never stopped climbing up the zigzagging stairs, up and up to the top and to the spire with smoke and bright flames burning and whizzing behind him, mixing with screams and growls and yells of furious orcs. He had a glimpse of a dark shadow falling fast but it did not cause a bother, Gandalf had to get to the half-elf before it's too late.

Chanting a spell to crack the sealed door, Gandalf crushed the solid wall altogether and there he saw the girl standing over the edge of the pit alongside a black serpent.

'Safirah!' he cried. Safirah looked over her shoulders with cheeks moisten by tears, her lavender eyes gleamed in the bright red flames of the big cauldron near her. Gandalf was worried, he quickly guessed what the half-elf was thinking. 'Don't do it!' he added shaking his head.

'I saw her...I saw her...' Safirah said panting.

'Saw who?' Gandalf trotted to her.

'I saw her! I saw me!' The half-elf hobbled by guilt, Gandalf caught her just before she dropped to the floor. 'I have to end this, Gandalf. I have to stop her.'

'Goodness, say it! Who did you see?'

'M-my mother!' a pang of truth stung her even more.

The wizard lifted her chin, tears cornered her eyes. Gandalf did not expect the worst, now it all made sense, how the serpents ended up here, why the great worms of the waste have come , a vengeful vaurg who could bend and summon evil creatures to take back what she has lost.

And there was another one now crying in his arms, a vaurg who's heart had turned dark, she who has all the reasons to hate the world just said she would save it; and she was brave and selfless, just like Auvir the Great, the first of her kind.

'If you want to take this path, there will be no turning back,' Gandalf said now pulling her to stand.

'I am a vaurg, if I don't do this, what I am?'

'You are not being a vaurg, Safirah. You are being Safirah Barrens, a Meerish girl who would protect everyone and everything, a girl so young yet so bold, someone who could see the slightest light in vast darkness.' It was the truth that fluttered Safirah's heart, her eyes glistened in tears.

'I guess this is goodbye,' she finally smiled. Before long, she mounted her dragon with a sword in her hand, and off the dragon dove to the pit with a roar.