Egon Wood ( E Gon )

Pet: Lion Mercury ( Mer Cur Re)

Theresa Ashdown ( Tha Ris A )

Pet: Panther Nyx ( Nics )

Rayner Moonfall ( Ray Ner )

Pet: Bear Ares ( Ar Es )

Ceridwen Vix ( Care A Dwhen )

Pet: Owl Snow ( Snow )

Mali ( Mal E )

Mace Kane ( Mace )

Pet: Horse Nilas ( Neil Ass )

Duzna ( Duz Na )

Vestomer ( Ves Tom Ear )

Adisa Rathmore ( A Dis A )

Salina Mortem ( Sa LI Na )

Lilith Calarook ( Lie Lith Cal A Rook )

Rolland ( Roll Land )

Nassar Thornton ( Nas Sar )

Cecelia Clayhem ( Ce Cil Lie A)

Synth Clayhem ( Sin Th )

Chapter Twenty-Six Part One: The Battle for Magur

          Egon stood, shaking, as the army advanced towards the castle. About one-hundred soldiers, men and women, from the out post, were lined up like pawns on a chessboard.

Every troop had one sword, because supplies was limited. Egon watched as every troop, along with Mace, Lilith, Synth, and Cecelia, filtered off towards the town of Magur. Everyone had told their spirit animals to stay with the army, because Egon could only conceal so many things before fainting with exhaustion.

"Ok Egon, now is the time..." Rolland informed. Egon raised his hands and light erupted from his palms incasing Rayner, Adisa, Ceridwen, Theresa, Rolland, and himself, in a luminous glow.

"Did it work?" Rayner asked.

"I believe so..." Rolland said, half sure of his answer.

"Trust me it worked." Egon replied, beaming at Ceridwen. "I had a little persuasion..." 

"Ok, we'll head through the castle doors, then make our way to Vestomer's chambers." Rolland looked over to see the soldiers lining up ready to attack. "Our troops will be a distraction, but we still need to hurry." Rolland placed his hand on Adisa. "Use your powers to tell the others, attack once we've made it to the castle. They won't be able to see use, so you'll come with us, then Shadow Seep and let them know..."

***

In no time the group had made it to the castle, thanks to Adisa's powers. Egon glanced back at the troops lined around the perimeter of Magur, ready to strike. Adisa's body swarmed in a fury of blackness and then she was gone. After she had disappeared, seconds later, the army began to advance on Magur.

"Where are all the village people?" Egon asked.

"We had them evacuate of course...I mean we aren't going to let innocent people die...No, no, no that's just cruel..." Egon would know that voice anywhere. He whirled around and Duzna stood before him, along with ten of Vestomer's soldiers. They were the only thing separating them from the castle door. 

Egon dropped his light shield of invisibility. "How did you know...?"

"That you were planning on attacking? Well that's all thanks to your good friend Mace..." Duzna released a crazed cackle

"I don't care how you know, but I'm not listening to another one of your monologs." Ceridwen notched an arrow and rapidly fired it at Duzna's forehead, but it was only one of his heat illusions, and he vanished into a spiral of flames.

"You'll have to do better than that..." He reappeared in a fiery explosion behind them.

"Ceridwen take Theresa and get inside, releasing those Magic Born is all that matters!" Rolland roared as he unsheathed a sword and sliced at Duzna.

Theresa extended her hands forcing the guards, in front of the door, through the air and out of the way. Ceridwen snatched the potion from Rolland and raced through the castle doors.

The guards stood, brushed themselves off and asked Duzna. "Should we go after them?"

"Leave them! They won't make it very far..."  Duzna replied.

Rayner, Egon, and Rolland stood back to back to back. Rayner's hands erupted in flames, Egon held shining balls of light, and Rolland raised his sword.

"Ready boys?" Rolland asked.

***

Mace watched as the troops were being slaughtered. The Magic Born stood in the mist of all chaos. The town of Magur was empty of all citizens, but was littered with Vestomer's guards.

Somehow the king had known they were coming, it was an ambush, and Mace couldn't stop thinking all this was his fault. From the start they were outnumbered and he watched as the guards cut through the army.  

"We have to do something!" Mace roared to Lilith. Lilith was tearing through Vestomer's guard like there were chew toys. 

"I can't keep this up, it's draining all my energy..." Lilith cried through the moans of fallen soldiers.

"We can't give up!" Mace roared, he looked over and saw Ares, Mercury and Nyx foaming from the mouth with blood from the men they had killed. "If we can just hold them off a little longer, while Rolland releases the others..." Mace's words were drowned out by the battle cry of a guard racing towards him, sword raised.

Rapidly, without thinking, as if by instinct, Mace's hands glowed and he caught the steel blade as it sliced through the air towards his face. The sword shattered at contact with Mace's icy hands, sending glacier bits of steel snowing to the ground.

"I have an idea!" Lilith roared. "Gather Synth and Cecelia!"

Mace's hand grew white and as spear of ice coated over his palm, he skewered the guard in front of him. He then whirled in a circle until his gaze dropped on the brother sister duo. Synth was blasting walls of dirt and clay in front of the guard's path as his sister, Cecelia, flew through air conjuring wind under Vestomer's troops, sending them high in the sky and then slamming them back onto the ground.

Synth!!" Mace hollered across the battle field. Synth didn't acknowledge Mace's comment, the sounds of battle cries and blood curdling screams filled the air, and Mace's words were lost somewhere in between.

***

          Rayner lunged at three of the guards and blasted a scorching blaze in their direction. Egon smashed his hands together and the glowing balls in his palms turned into a golden stream of light evaporating two guards in its wake. Rolland was in a sword battle with two guards, and the clacking of iron was the only sound that filled the air.

The other five guards and Duzna advanced towards the three Magic Born. Egon summoned two more globes of blinding light and hurled them toward the guards who were making ground. One of the balls zoomed by harmlessly fading away, but one caught a guard in the gut and he tumbled to the ground in pain.

Rayner ripped both swords from his belt and they caught fire. He sliced flaming gashes in the side of the guards and they dropped to the ground, with blood spilling out of their body like melted candle wax.

"Ignorant boy! Believing you can stop this." Duzna's hands were in the sky showing the mass chaos they were surrounded by. "It's unpreventable..." A fiery blade glowed to life in his hand and he leaped towards Rayner.

Egon was face to face with four of Vestomer's slaves. He removed his staff from his back and the emerald inside began to glow. Egon slammed the hilt of his staff to the ground and the light glowing on the emerald spilled onto the ground and stung the guards when it reached their legs.

They dropped to the ground in agony and Egon slowly walked to them. Light growing brighter in his hand and he blasted them. Their lifeless bodies dropped to the ground.

***

          As Theresa and Ceridwen raced through the castle doors, death sewed an icing spoil up their spines as the sight before them sunk in. Vestomer sat on his thrown, thirty yards in front of the girls, gawking at them.

"You!" Ceridwen ripped an iron tipped arrow from her quiver and fired it. Vestomer quickly stood, pulled his sword to the air, and deflected the projectile to the side. 

"Ceridwen remember the plan! Leave him!" Theresa warned.

Ceridwen's ears were coated in steel and Theresa's words bounced off and filtered into the air. Theresa willed the potion from Ceridwen and placed it into her pocket. Ceridwen notched another arrow and fired it, but just like before, Vestomer blocked it.

The king suddenly hurled himself from the throne and raced towards the girls.

Theresa brought her hands to her side and flung them forward, Vestomer dropped to the ground at Theresa's powers. She then swiped her hand through the air and Vestomer's sword flew out of reach.

Ceridwen notched an arrow, but before she could shoot it Theresa jumped in the line of fire.

"Ceridwen don't! Killing is not the answer!"  Theresa said.

"Are you insane? He deserves to die, all those Magic Born, the blood is on his hands!" Ceridwen roared back.

"I know, but if you kill him his blood will be on your hands. And that's something that NEVER goes away..." Theresa said holding her hand out in front of her body.

"I think I can live with myself if I kill a MASS MURDERER!" Ceridwen barked.

"Then you'll be just as cruel as him..." Theresa calmly replied.

"He needs to die!"

"Killing him won't bring back your family, or any other Magic Born he's slain...It will only bring hurt and bitterness."

Ceridwen gritted her teeth in a fury. "Theresa move!"

"I'm sorry Ceridwen I can't do that, killing I not the─" Theresa's words stopped and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Ceridwen looked to Theresa's stomach a small dagger protruded from the closed Fulgur wound, and holding the handle behind her was Vestomer.

"NOOOO!!!" Ceridwen roared as Theresa dropped to the ground. Ceridwen rapidly fire arrow after arrow until her quiver was empty. Vestomer laid beside Theresa, dead.

Ceridwen rushed over to Theresa and dropped to the ground. Her hands shook as she desperately tried to remove the dagger.

"No, no, no, no...Theresa stay with me!" Ceridwen cried. Blood flowed from the reopened wound, covering Theresa garments in a wet, sticky crimson coat. Blood drooled from Theresa mouth as she coughed.

"Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!" Ceridwen cried as tears glazed her face. Theresa reached up and grabbed Ceridwen hand.

"It's not safe...leave..." Theresa's words were barely recognizable, through the cough up of blood.

"Remember the day we were training and I told you we were friends...I was wrong we are more than friends we are sisters, and you can't leave me!" Ceridwen's grip on Theresa's hand was so violently strong her knuckles were turning white. "Don't leave, don't let go, I need you!"