Duplicitous: The Leordian Chronicles Page 6

  "Astiel told me you would be a force to be reckoned with, even without Ether," Frede said, removing the blade from his leg. "I gotta say, I'm impressed you were able to penetrate my barrier," He said, tossing the spell blade far away as he held my leg in his other hand.

  Frede pulled me close, transferring his grip from my leg to my neck. I immediately felt my airway become blocked, and I knew it was just a matter of time before I would lose consciousness if I wasn't able to break free.

  "It's over now, little girl," Frede whispered, pulling me close. "You are nothing more than the powerless dogs of this world," he said as he licked my face.

  I cringed as I kicked his barrier and tried to pry his hand from my throat but to no avail. I felt myself losing consciousness, and I realized that without any caster manifesting Ether, Frede was right, and I was powerless.

  As I slipped into darkness, my mind was transported to a summer day when Astiel and I were just children. We had come across a dragon's nest on a cliff side, and Astiel decided we should steal a dragon egg to bring home to our father. We carefully scaled down the cliff face and placed an egg into Astiel's satchel. After which, we climbed back to the top of the mountain, and we walked into the forest, taking the path to Leordia City. Once we reached the fields surrounding Leordia City, we stepped out of the forest and were greeted with a thunderous roar. In the air above us, a dragon circled, clearly aware of the package we carried. Before we had time to run, the dragon crashed down before us, bearing its teeth, preparing to attack. Astiel placed the satchel down and began to chant, opening his hand to the sky.

  "Pervalida Et Potens Et Fulminis," Astiel chanted, invoking a powerful blast of lightning which struck the dragon's head.

  The dragon collapsed to the ground but quickly raised up, shaking its head. The dragon lunged its head forward, fire building in its mouth, waiting to be directed at Astiel. I watched as he raised a barrier to defend against the flames which the dragon spewed toward him, and I could tell he was struggling to maintain this barrier against the river of flames which seemed never ending. Dragons were one of the only beasts born with innate Ether that rivaled or exceeded that of a caster. Stories were told of dragons which could invoke varying elements, but in our region, most dragons were attuned to fire. When I was young, my ability to absorb Ether was much more limited than as an adult. I knew that since their elemental attacks drew from Ether, I would be able to stop the flames if I could draw its fire. I waved my arms in the air, shouting in an attempt to draw the dragon's attention. Despite my best effort, however, the dragon would not waiver from its assault on Astiel. I picked up Astiel's satchel and removed the egg as a last resort. The dragon immediately stopped breathing fire and turned its attention to me. I held the egg in my hands, knowing the dragon wouldn't attack as long as I held its offspring, and I walked to Astiel and handed him the egg.

  "What are you doing?" Astiel asked in disbelief, taking the egg.

  "Trust me, brother. I can feel the Ether flowing from the beast," I said, walking away from Astiel.

  As I walked, the beast turned to follow me, clearly waiting for a chance to attack once I was far enough away from its egg. A few steps later, I saw the dragon’s fire spark in its mouth and instantly felt its Ether begin to flow into me. There was so much Ether, more power than I had yet to experience at that time, even greater than my father's. The dragon shook its head, clearly unsure what was happening as I absorbed its Ether. It resorted to charging me physically, lifting itself onto its wings. I knew that, in order to survive, I was going to have to plot my attacks carefully. Dragons could lunge the full length of their necks as quickly as a serpent strike, and if I were to be able to dodge at that speed, I would need to utilize the speed enhancement invocation that I had learned from my father. Drawing from the reservoir of Ether I had accumulated from the beast, I raised a barrier and invoked the enhancement to increase my speed. The dragon lunged at me, mouth open wide, ready to tear into my flesh with its teeth. Because of the speed enhancing invocation, the dragon's movements appeared much slower, and I easily dodged its attack. The speed enhancement was a common invocation used by scouts within the Royal Leordian Army; however, when applied to someone who was able to pour a great amount of Ether into the invocation, the person using the enhancement appeared as a flash of light, even though they may not have moved much at all. As the dragon’s head passed by me, I struck it with my fist, hoping to knock it down and deal a killing blow. My strike, however, was met by the dragon’s hardened scales, and I stood for a moment, almost fearful, realizing there was no way I would be able to topple this beast without enhancing my physical attacks in some way. As I dodged the dragon's attacks, I began to wonder if I could utilize the same technique I used to enhance my speed to enhance myself in other ways.

  "Amplificationem Corporalis," I said, visualizing myself with dragon scales.

  I felt my skin harden, and my muscle fiber tense. I dodged the dragons next attack and struck once again. This time, my fist connected deep, and I could feel the dragon's scales cave as it fell to the ground with a wail such as I had never heard. It began to convulse on the ground, and it was clear that it had been defeated. As I stood near its body, I felt ashamed, it was simply a beast trying to protect its offspring after all. Rather than destroying the beast, I looked to Astiel, motioning for him to follow me to the castle.

  "Pervalida Et Potens Et Fulminis!" I heard Astiel chant, as he invoked another strike from the sky.

  This bolt, far stronger due to the amount of time Astiel had to pour Ether into his invocation, struck the dragon. The dragon let out a pitiful whelp as its insides were violently erupted by the jolt, and it died a terrible death.

  The memory was interrupted by pain throughout my body, and I hit the ground. Though a bit disoriented, I awakened to see Frede kneeling above me, clearly in pain.

  "You insignificant, little worm," Frede said with his head turned away from me. "I will deal with you once your Queen has fallen," he said, reaching his hand to his side, and pulling a dagger from it.

  "Seles?" I called aloud.

  "Oh my, it seems the Queen has come back to us," Frede taunted, lifting me by my arm as he stood back to his feet.

  "Queen Velareedra!" I heard Seles shout, as she flashed in beside Frede.

  Frede tried to grab her with his free arm, but her speed was far beyond his ability to follow. I saw her flash to his side, where she had apparently stabbed him before I came to, and swiftly jab her second dagger into the same chunk of flesh she had already punctured. Frede roared, dropping me to my knees, and placing all of his focus on Seles. He invoked a new barrier, so sturdy it became visible to the naked eye.

  "Come at me again mouse!" Frede declared, taunting Seles to attack.

  Seles flashed in and struck his barrier with her dagger, but her strike was deflected, unable to pierce his barrier. The shock left her open, and Frede grasped her arm. I could hear the bones in her arm instantly break under the pressure of his grip, and as she shrieked in pain, Frede smashed her into the ground, knocking her unconscious. Then he placed his foot on her head grinding his heel on her face. Even unconscious, she grunted, as Frede pressed down in an attempt to crush her skull. I felt Ether begin to flow into me, and I looked around to see who was preparing to manifest an invocation. To my surprise, it was Regali. He had lowered his barrier and was preparing to manifest an invocation in order to feed me his power. As I stood, I felt his Ether flow into me in droves, and I prepared to end things with Frede as I looked to Regali.

  "Save Seles, my Queen," I saw his mouth move, and though I could not hear his words, I knew that was what he said.

  I looked to Frede, and I considered how I might penetrate his barrier, which drew from so much Ether it was still visible. As Sele's life began to fade out, I remembered the dragon and acted.

  "Amplificationem Corporalis," I shouted, directing the Ether inside of me to enhance myself.

  Much had changed since I was a child, and my ab
ility to enhance myself had grown as well. I felt my skin harden and muscle fibers tense as the invocation took effect. Though I wasn't able to enhance my speed while using this invocation, it wouldn't be necessary. I walked to Frede, who stood smugly over Seles.

  "I could crush her now if I wanted. However, before I do, it seems you have absorbed some Ether from your lapdog over there," he stated, smiling. "I'm betting you probably want to manifest something powerful to take me out, don't you?"

  "I already have," I said, reaching through his barrier as if it were made of paper, grabbing the leg he was using to stomp on Seles's head.

  I could feel my muscles tighten as my anger came to the forefront, and before I realized it, I had shattered his femur. Frede fell back as his other leg gave way to the pain. I stood before him, the same as I had the dragon; unlike the dragon, however, this man deserved no mercy.

  "Damn you, girl,." Frede murmured, grasping at his shattered leg. "You are the only reason those fools on the Dark Council became spooked enough to appeal to Astiel to send me here," he said, still not able to face me.

  Frede seemed to know of the Dark Council, which made him valuable.

  "Tell me about the Dark Council, Frede. Is Astiel at the head of this council?" I asked, grabbing Frede by the throat, lifting him with my right arm so we were eye to eye.

  "Astiel, part of the Dark Council?" Frede laughed loudly, his saliva spewing in my face. "Your brother is a great leader, and the most powerful caster I've ever seen, but the Dark Council answers to no one."

  I felt Frede's body shift and realized he was attempting to land a direct punch to my face, so I let him. I stood firm as his fist struck my face, and I took special pleasure in the screams that followed, as his knuckles and fingers broke upon impact. I dropped Frede, opting to question him from a distance so he wouldn't continue to harm himself. I looked to Regali, intending to ask him to assist Grimaldi while I finished questioning Frede, but before I could speak, everything changed. I stared in shock for but a moment as Regali was imprisoned in a sphere of water.

  "Regali!" I shouted in panic, turning to find Frede had manifested the invocation imprisoning him.

  "Just because I chose to fight you physically, don't underestimate me, girl, I can also invoke without chanting," Frede said, holding his unbroken hand before him as if he were holding the sphere in his hand. "I was just waiting for that fool to drop his barrier, now, I'll complete the Dark Councils will, and make sure that you are left here all alone!" He said with a maniacal laugh.

  Astiel had used this same attack to kill an entire squad of my men during a patrol once, so I knew Astiel had taught it to Frede. On that occasion, I was forced to watch as my men slowly drown within the sphere, and I would not allow Regali to suffer the same fate. Frede's Ether flowed into me as a mighty stream, but he was placing his very life force into his invocation, and I could not absorb it fast enough to cancel it out.

  "Frede, I will let you live if you release him," I begged, walking toward him, knowing that if I could reach him before Regali drowned, I might yet save him.

  Frede simply laughed and slammed his hand shut. The pressure of his grip translated to the sphere, and as I reached into Frede's chest and ripped out his heart, I heard what was left of Regali's body fall to the ground, totally crushed under the pressure of the sphere.

  Rage filled me, as Frede's corpse fell to the ground, and in that instant, I made a choice. Rather than release the last of Regali's Ether, I would use it to ensure that no one else on my team died today.

  "Columna Ignis," I chanted, turning to the casters who had accompanied Frede on his mission of destruction.

  I could see the fear in their eyes as they realized they weren't leaving here alive, but at that moment, I cherished the look and visualized my invocation. Fire manifested around my body, and as I took note of each of them, columns of flame erupted toward them, easily piercing their barriers. I watched them burn alive, one by one, consumed by the fire. I reached down to see if Seles had survived Frede's assault, and I was relieved to find she was alive, though still unconscious.

  "Take her to Leaha," I commanded one of Regali's surviving men.

  The man carefully picked up her body and quickly carried her to the building with the telepad. I walked to Regali's remains, stopping for a moment to say a prayer to the gods that they might accept his sacrifice. Regali deserved a proper burial, according to our customs, but Grimaldi was still in danger as far as I knew, and I had to save him.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Righteous Fury

  I entered the building where Grimaldi was locked down by Astiel's men, searching the grand entryway filled with furniture and merchant stands, for signs of enemy casters. In the room stood a large desk with many monitors and stairways on either side. I opted to release the physical enhancement which I had placed on myself while battling Frede, in favor of enhanced speed and a barrier. The exact number of casters assailing Grimaldi was unclear, but from what I had seen while viewing Leaha's monitor, there were at least twenty.

  The building had three levels, and with my speed enhanced, I quickly ascended to the third. Regali had given his life to provide me with the Ether to defeat these monsters, and alongside the additional Ether that I had absorbed from Frede before I killed him, I had plenty to spare.

  When I reached the room, I noticed that there was a camera on the wall, and I knew Leaha was watching. I faced the camera and raised my fist, as was custom after a great victory in our world. I could feel Ether flow into me from inside the room. The flow was steady, but not very strong. I flashed into the room, taking note of each of the casters as I passed, and when I found Grimaldi, I flashed beside him, invoking a secondary barrier to cover us. Though the casters present were weaker than Grimaldi, maintaining a barrier against their invocations in large numbers had drained him.

  "Release your barrier and leave these to me, Grimaldi," I stated, reaching out my hand to lift him up.

  "Queen Velareedra!" He muttered, taking my hand, as he stood to his feet.

  "I'm so sorry, my queen, we didn't want to involve you in this against your will," he said, lowering his head.

  "Take heart, Grimaldi. I will finish this and we will dine in honor of those who were lost today," I said, comforting him.

  I had counted twenty-two casters as I flashed in, and I could see each of their faces in my mind. War is never pretty, and there were always losses on both sides, but today, I suffered a great loss, one which Astiel's men would now pay the price for.

  "Tactus Lucis." I chanted, visualizing the invocation striking all but one of the casters present.

  A small light manifested just above their heads, descending downward like a snowflake. All twenty-two casters were barraging the barrier I had placed around Grimaldi and me with all of their might and didn't even notice their impending deaths.

  The flake of light touched each of the twenty-one casters I had envisioned, and as they screamed in unison, the flake became a pillar of light which purged their presence from this world, instantly reducing them to the dust from which they had been formed by the gods. The remaining caster, seeing his comrades destroyed, dropped to his knees and began to beg for mercy. I stepped out of the barrier and walked toward him.

  "Stand, wretch," I commanded.

  I recognized the man as a citizen of Leordia City.

  'I'm sorry my Queen," he said, as his eyes filled with tears. "Your brother, Astiel, captured me three years ago when I arrived in this world, he held me captive and tortured me until I agreed to join his fight."

  "I have heard the tales of what occurs in those camps, but what you have done here today amounts to treason," I said, holding back my fury as my mind drifted to Regali's broken body. "Lumina Venenum." I chanted, manifesting an invocation, as I placed my hand on the man’s chest.

  "What have you done to me?" The man asked, falling to his knees, and grabbing his stomach in pain.

  "I have shown you mercy, though you betrayed me, and
all of our people this day. I've blocked the flow of Ether within your body by returning that which I absorbed to you. The invocation is a strong poison, and will kill you within one hour if you fail to find Astiel, as he is the only other who knows the invocation to cure you," I said, holding back my desire to destroy him. "Tell my brother that he was defeated here today, and so it shall be from here on until he is man enough to face me himself," I declared, turning from the man, and walking to Grimaldi.

  The man picked himself up and began to make his way to the door. Once there, he pulled a device out of his smock, and after pressing a button disappeared. It was as if he had used a telepad, yet no platform was present.

  "My Queen, I am sorry that we let you down here today," Grimaldi said, once again.

  "You need not be sorry, my friend, this is a day of great sadness despite our victory," I said releasing the barrier, as well as the excess Ether within me.

  I had to remain strong, as I was their leader, but inside my grief was consuming me.