‘Others in the spirit plane here,’ muttered Grimra.
The Sprite’s gaze came to rest on the ferns. She raised a hand and violet bands began to twine through her fingers.
‘Who’s there?’ she called. ‘Show yourselves.’
Jaya stiffened, unsure what to do. Was this woman an enemy? She had her answer quickly, for without saying anything else, the woman shot her hand forth and a vortex rushed towards them. Jaya seized Lalenda by the wrist and propelled them out of the ferns to land in a tangle. Grimra roared and there was a flash of white as he surged towards the Sprite. A howling wind rose out of nowhere and slammed against him, and together they whirled away, engaged in some ephemeral battle.
As the ferns crackled with strange magic that seemed to do them no harm, Lalenda stared up at Jaya. ‘Thank you,’ she wheezed.
‘Save your breath,’ said Jaya. ‘We must flee!’
She rose to her feet, hauling Lalenda up with her, but they had no chance to do anything more. Vines burst from the forest floor beneath them, tightly winding up their legs, rooting them in place. Jaya tried to draw her sword, but sprouts leaped from her waist to encircle her wrist and draw it in, pinning it to her side.
As they grunted and struggled, the Sprite woman walked around in front of them. ‘Well, well,’ she said cheerfully. ‘Look what strange manner of beasts my hunting brings today.’
Fate’s Echoes
Vyasinth whirled up to the treetops, beyond which the sky was a tapestry of shadow and light. In the belly of clouds lightning flashed, while sunbeams so hot they were almost white wilted the leaves of her branches.
Have you no shame ? she raged. This place is mine, given as sanctuary for my people!
You have interfered in events that do not concern you , came Arkus’s reply. Return what you have stolen.
Hypocrisy still comes to you easily, I see , she said. It was the both of you who stole the child from me!
There is no ownership , said Assedrynn. Only what we are strong enough to keep. And you have done well, Lady Vyasinth, to keep your people alive all this time since the breaking. Why place them in peril now? What use is this resistance?
You imperious marauders , said Vyasinth. Meant to watch over this world, we were, and instead you tore it apart. No wonder fate has delivered me a champion!
Arkus laughed, booming harshly from the heavens, a gratingly ugly sound. Your champion? You really think your little briar patch can stand against our might? I have the endless sun to draw on.
And I the seas , said Assedrynn, and the underneath of every rock.
Your power is so finite , said Arkus, I almost pity you.
Now it was Vyasinth’s turn to laugh. Pity? she said. Maybe I have naught but a few trees on my side, yet I do not have to outlast you long. Soon the blue-haired man will return, then all that’s left is to wake his blood, and he will be mine, cold forever to your plans.
She felt their ire build at her words, and the pressure they exerted on her barriers increased. She channelled more of the wood’s power to maintain them, yet feared there would be none left for her people to fight with. They would not need to fight, however, if she could but keep the minions of Arkus and Assedrynn at bay.
Leaving her age-old adversaries to continue battering her defences, she went down into the clearing, into Corlas’s hut. Still the Stone lay pulsing, and still nothing had emerged.
•
‘Try again,’ said Tyrellan, and Fazel obliged. It did not matter to him that he made no headway. As long as he stood here plying this Old Magic barrier with spell upon useless spell, the shadow’s will was not being served. Once more he sent tendrils pushing against it, trying to worm their way in. The barrier wobbled as usual …and then, just for a second, the tip of a shadow seemed to curl through. Fazel paused uncertainly, then regretted having done so, for Tyrellan picked up on it immediately.
‘What is it?’
‘Made some progress,’ muttered Fazel.
‘Again,’ said Tyrellan fiercely.
Fazel obeyed, and this time the barrier did not seem as strong; it seemed as if it was failing somehow. He searched for weak points and found a place that gave a little. Shaping his power to a sharp point, he forced it through to the other side, then expanded it. Wedging the hole wider, it was soon big enough for them to step through.
‘Try there,’ he said dully, pointing.
Tyrellan reached a hand into the wood unimpeded. Giving a grunt of approval he stepped through bodily, and Fazel followed. Once they were both inside, Fazel released his spell, but the barrier did not close behind them.
Somebody’s magic wasn’t holding.
‘Well,’ said Fazel. ‘We’re back.’
‘No time to reminisce,’ snarled Tyrellan, heading into the trees.
•
‘It’s breaking,’ said Elessa.
Fahren, who was sitting with his chin on his fist trying to think of another solution, looked up. His pose reminded her of herself, when she had once sat at his feet.
‘Pardon?’ he said.
‘The ward,’ she said. ‘It’s giving way.’ To demonstrate, she sent a beam of light through the pinhole she’d created. Fahren rose, vitality returning to his movements.
‘All together!’ he said.
Elessa took aim again at the pinhole, joined by the other two – and inexplicably, moments after seeming strong enough to hold back a thousand mages, it tore open.
‘Quickly, get through!’ said Fahren, and through they went, coming to stand beyond the barrier inside the wood.
‘Wonder what’s happened?’ said Battu, glancing at the sky.
He didn’t have long to wonder, for almost straightaway up in the trees, three Sprites swung into view. ‘Attack!’ shouted one, and they released their holds, casting violet vortexes even as they fell to the forest floor. Old Magic slammed against Elessa’s ward, but not as strongly as she would have expected, unfortunately. Why had she not been obliterated completely? Earlier the Sprites had been strong enough to hold back an entire battle’s worth of lightfists and shadow mages!
By her side Fahren moved so that his own ward overlapped hers, while Battu stood all by himself. Vines wound out of the ground at his feet and he sent power at them. They flopped away limply, but he was already sweating profusely, as further spells shook his defence.
They are not as powerful as before , she sent Fahren.
Interesting , said Fahren. He issued forth a glowing orb that dodged erratically through the air and planted itself right on target, bludgeoning a Sprite’s ward and interrupting her casting.
Now is not the time for ‘interesting’ , said Battu. They are still more than our match.
Elessa , said Fahren, we may not survive this.
Good.
You are the hardiest of us all! He was angry again, and it made her even angrier that he dared to be. You must leave us here. Do your best to find the Stone and retrieve it for our people! We will join you if we can.
Elessa felt the command take hold and knew she must obey. Once upon a time she had looked up to this man, had sat at his feet with her chin on her fist while he read to her from books, or showed her how to conjure creatures from the air. She had been hand-picked by him, and had been both excited and nervous to take her place as a student with promise, though quickly comfortable in his kindly presence. How delighted she had been to surprise him by casting her first dodge spell, an infamously difficult trick that many great mages would never master – she had been only fourteen at the time.