Wizard's Price

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The blast of energy that exploded a dozen or more of the pretas was dark red and still somehow vibrant in the bright morning sun. The soldiers that were suddenly faced with an empty hole where their foes used to be turned back in surprise.

Rune was already turning his hand and blasting the next group away. Saving Jovanni and those men beside him. More pretas from the back rushed forward to take their place. Rune began carving his way through them.

He stepped forward, hand in hand with Lucia. She walked beside him, grateful now that she didn't have to rely on her weak magick. She need only focus on being a conduit for him.

Behind them both, the citizens cheered as Rune began walking past the soldiers forming a perimeter around the city. There were still men fighting, but the cheers of those that could see him quickly caught the attention of the others.

As did Rune's flagrant displays of power. He was cutting his way into the heart of the army without once looking back. Lucia steadfastly at his side. The spell he cast made the pretas explode into hundreds of pieces. The sight of which was hardly subtle.

"Tamsyn!" One of the nomads cried, pointing it out to him.

The hedge wizard looked over and his eyes widened in surprise.

"By the river," he gasped, a slow smile forming. "The Great Wizard has returned."

Further down the line, Cinna grinned at the display.

"Don't lose heart now, men!" He yelled over his and the king's people. "See there? Great Wizard Rune has come to protect us all. There's hope! Keep fighting!"

Standing behind the Great Wizard, watching with crossed arms. Jovanni almost grinned to see the destruction the one man caused. Destroying pretas by the dozen as though doing so were the easiest thing in the world.

"Quite showy, isn't he?" Boreas grinned, crossing his arms over his large chest.

"My king, I don't believe this fight is over," Jovanni said, lifting his sword. "Plenty more of these things to kill."

"I should beg your forgiveness, general," Boreas said, drawing his blade in turn. "I seem to have married your promised bride to another."

Jovanni grinned. "She was hardly ever mine. Besides, that's fine with me. I had my eyes on another girl anyway."

"Oh? Why didn't you say something?"

"Well, I can hardly turn down my king, can I?" Jovanni laughed.

There was still an army left to destroy. It didn't seem so daunting a task now. Not with the way that Rune was blasting his way through them.

In the process creating a perfect circle of destruction around himself and Lucia. They were walking over the scattered and shattered remains of the pretas he exploded. His hand and eye moved quickly as he continued disposing of them by the group.

They eventually walked so far that the pretas enclosed themselves around them. Creating a bubble of sorts as Rune and Lucia put their backs together. She could warn him and he could turn quickly to continue throwing his spells at them.

She reached backwards and into his pockets. The beads of magick were still there. He couldn't use them when his powers had been stripped away, but he hadn't gotten rid of them either. They were very easy to use, even for a hedge wizard because the magick stored within wasn't even hers.

She broke the first one she picked up between her fingers and threw it away from her. It was a gas bomb, useless on these unfeeling things. However, the second one exploded in a flurry of icicles that cut through the face of the preta nearest to her. It didn't kill it, but the spikes did make it flail around and knock the pretas near it off course.