At the sound of combat behind him, the mage turns and sees his men beginning to be cut down. From the other side, Miko and Fifer join the battle as they begin taking out the remaining crossbowmen before they have a chance to unleash their bolts.
James sees the mage turn toward his friends and raises the Star.
Crumph!
He unleashes the magic and the building beside which the mage is standing suddenly explodes outward. A shimmering field immediately encircles the mage as the building sags and then finally collapses on top of him.
The mage taken out of the battle, James turns his attention to the remaining soldiers. Despite the increase in pain, he bends over and picks up stones and begins throwing them, taking out soldier after soldier.
He’s takes out his third when the rubble covering the mage suddenly explodes upward and the mage comes to his feet, again unscathed. A large section of stone wall comes flying toward him from the blast and he dodges out of the way to avoid being crushed. The stone smashes into the building right where he had been leaning and creates a large gaping hole.
Fifer is fending off the attack of one soldier when the eruption takes place. He’s hit by one of the flying stones in the side of the head. Stunned, he’s unable to counter the sideways slice which strikes him just above the knee, severing his leg. Crying out, he topples to the side.
Jiron, momentarily free of attackers, sees him fall. Kicking his horse, he lurches toward the soldier moving to finish off Fifer.
James struggles against the pain the bolt in his leg is inducing as he tries to remain on his feet. Turning to face the mage, he again feels the tingles just before a fireball roars to life over the mage and comes hurtling toward him.
Unable to move fast enough to avoid the impact, his shield flares once again into being. With a roar the fireball impacts with the shield and he’s immediately engulfed in intense heat. Every breath is agony as the heat from the fire coating his shield burns his throat with each inhalation. Changing the aspect of the shield, the interior begins to cool as the shield counters the effects of the fire. With a sudden pulse, the shield emits a blast of frigid cold and dispels the fire coating it.
As the flames recede, he sees the mage with the Star ablaze in his hand. A frown crosses his face as his eyes narrow and the tingling once again spikes.
“Fifer!” Jiron exclaims as he rides to his rescue. The soldier stands ready to meet his charge and at the last minute, Jiron throws one of his knives. The soldier dances back to avoid being struck by the knife only to be bowled over by the horse.
As the soldier falls to the ground, Jiron takes his remaining knife and cuts the rope securing his broken leg to the saddle. Swinging off his horse, he lands on his good leg just as the soldier regains his feet.
Smiling, the soldier advances on this man with only one good leg who’s only wielding a solitary knife.
Nearby, Fifer groans as the blood is pouring from his severed leg rapidly.
Jiron makes ready to meet the attack, realizing he’ll not likely survive it. From behind him, he hears the roar of a Parvati war cry as Qyrll races from where he’s just finished off his opponent and is coming to his aid.
The soldier’s eyes widen when he sees the Parvati bearing down on him. He slices out at Jiron who manages to deflect the blade and then Qyrll is there.
Lashing out with his small sword, he draws the soldier’s sword to the side then follows through with his longsword and the battle is joined.
Leaving Qyrll to finish off the soldier, he hobbles over to Fifer. From the looks of it, he’s already lost a lot of blood, a pool has formed on the ground at the base of the stump of his left leg. His face looks ashen as he glances at Jiron’s approach.
Kaboom!
A massive explosion erupts from over where James and the mage are battling, the concussion knocking him to the ground. Glancing back, he sees several buildings in the vicinity beginning to collapse. Whatever is going on over there, he hopes James is able to deal with it or they’re all dead.
He crawls over the rest of the way to where Fifer lays and removes the belt from around his waist. Securing it around the severed stump, he cinches it as tight as possible to reduce any further blood loss.
“I think it’s too late,” Fifer says.
“Nonsense,” Jiron says. “You’ll be fine.
“Liar,” he replies with a weak grin.
Jiron glances around the battlefield and as far as the mage’s soldiers are concerned, the battle is over but for the one Qyrll is fighting. Miko is nowhere to be seen, he hopes he isn’t lying dead among the others in the street.
“Just hang in there,” he says to his friend. He and Fifer have known each other many years, both grew up in the fight pits of The City of Light. Reunited shortly after the fall of the City, they’ve been together ever since. A stalwart companion and one Jiron would hate to lose.
From the battle between the mage and James, a crackle and sizzle can be heard. Then another explosion followed by the collapse of yet another building. Smoke begins issuing from the area as the buildings start to be consumed by flame. He longs to go to James’ aid but he knows there’s little he can do with his leg the way it is.
A cry rips through the air and Qyrll’s opponent falls to the ground. Pulling his longsword from the dead man, Qyrll surveys the battlefield. Seeing Jiron with Fifer he moves toward them.
“Go help James!” yells Jiron as he points to the swathe of destruction the magical duel has produced.
Nodding, he wipes his swords on a dead man’s shirt and then puts them in their scabbard. He then races toward the budding inferno to see what he can do to aid against the Empire’s mage.
Jiron glances to Fifer and fears he may be dead when he sees his eyes are closed. But the rise and fall of his chest reveals he still lives.
Since this duel with the mage began, James has done little more than be on the defensive. The power of the Star gives the mage incredible power and endurance, by rights he should be all used up. Instead he acts as if throwing all that magic around has had little effect upon him.
Around him several buildings are aflame and the heat is beginning to become unbearable. Through the heat’s haze, he sees the mage approaching, the Star raised up before him. So intent on James is he that he fails to notice a figure emerge from a nearby building being consumed by fire.
The figure runs directly toward the mage and strikes out with his sword, only to encounter the shield surrounding him. His sword strikes the shield and rebounds sharply. The unexpected resistance causes the sword to fly backward out of Miko’s hand.
Turning to greet this new threat, the mage sends a wave of energy toward his attacker and tosses him backward into the burning inferno. He then turns back to James, the Star in his hand.
The Star’s light sparks a memory, one from an earlier time when he met the shade of the long dead priest of Morcyth:
The ghost nods its head and replies in a far off sounding voice, “Greetings, fellow priest of Morcyth.”
James glances at the medallion he’s holding and replies, “I’m not a priest.”
The apparition reaches out, almost touching the medallion he’s wearing. “The glow only comes from his priests, it manifests for no others,” the ghostly voice says.
And then another:
“ That should hold for now,” Fifer says. “A priest could do a better job, but we’re lacking one just now.”
“ You could do it,” Jiron says.
James turns his attention back to Jiron and sees him staring at him. “I’m no priest,” he protests.
“ Didn’t you say that the spirit of the long dead priest of Morcyth called you one?” he asks.
“ Well, yes he did,” he replies. “But he was mistaken.”
“ I don’t think so,” he says. “You’re in good with Morcyth, after all you bear the