Blackheart

Awakening

It had been as amazing a sight as he had been hoping. The sight of all those citizens, finally marching through the gates, finally entering the fog, finally returning to Geralthin...

The hopeful faces. The evaporating tension. The smiles and embraces shared between those who had finally been brought out of the darkness, an into the daylight outside...

THIS is what kept him going. THIS was why he fought.

"Alexander! Hurry! Come quickly!"

The voice of Senci caused the man to flinch as he took a bite out of his rations, made up of dried meat and bread.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"It's Charles! Come here! You have to come now!"

Senci's emotions tended to flare up more than most others, and as a result, he was sometimes hasty and overdramatic.

But the knight had been around him long enough to know when his concern was well founded.

This was one of those times.

Alexander quickly put his food down and got out of his chair, moving quickly to follow Senci as the young warrior scampered back the way he came.

The camp, while mostly evacuated, still had a few souls inside. With the non-combatants safely evacuated, the guards and volunteers now settled in the underground, filling only a portion of what was once here.

Alexander liked it. It was a constant reminder of how many had made it to safely, and that there were still plenty of people behind him, ready to battle the demons above.

Hurrying into a large tent, Alexander ran in after Senci and found...everyone.

Leianna. Razorwing. Lexius and Wurie and...simply everyone that had been on the journey together.

Charles was bent over a table, a look of furious determination in his eyes. Below him was a rather familiar object. It took Alexander a moment to realize it was the stone that Leianna had taken from the dead woman.

It was hovering in the air, above the table as Charles' claws wrapped around it, but did not touch it. There were wisps of magic, a dark blue, flowing from the magician's hands and surrounding the stone.

The mood was tense, everyone watching nervously as they crowded around the dragonoid. Their faces carried suspense, confusion, and most of all, concern.

"What is this?" the knight questioned, stepping forward to join the others in watching this strange display of sorcery. Andric turned to face the knight.

"He could sense something within."

"He said there was something there," Razorwing commented, "Something powerful."

"What is it?" Alexander put a hand on his sword pommel as he leaned closer.

"Ward," the magician managed, eyes stilled locked on the stone, "Withholding power..."

"A ward?"

"A magic barrier," Lexius answered the knight, eyes turning to look at the other man. "A very common use of magic, Leianna and I can create them, as I'm certain Charles can as well."

Charles' voice was strained as he chimed in. "This ward...such unbridled power...unlike any I've ever seen...must hide...something remarkable."

Alexander frowned and looked around him, at all the others gathered here. Andric, Leianna, Lexius...

"Surely the others could help?" the knight offered.

"Nearly...have it. Just a moment..."

True to his word, the magician indeed seemed to have a breakthrough, his hands rising up as the wisps of magic gathered around the stone, before exploding outwards with such might and speed that Alexander, and a few others, actually flinched. As the magic flew harmlessly past him however, he returned to watching Charles.