Adamagika: The Spirit Within - 37. Ch 37: City Under Siege

CHAPTER 37: City Under Siege

I wanted out of that infirmary. I had a few visitors, only two of which were really welcome. Brian came around again. He was fine as company though he still seemed a bit sad. I wasn’t entirely sure what he was sad about. I was hoping though that it wasn’t about me. He hasn’t spoken much about that topic. He seemed to withdraw into a shell if I so much as hinted on it. I didn’t want to push him given everything that’s happened.

I inconsiderately asked him how my gryphon Aida was before I remembered that his gryphon Anny had just died the day before, saving my life no less. He answered my question but I knew it was a particularly painful one to answer.

High Mage Lord Khael and several unfamiliar mages (under his instruction apparently) also came by on different occasions. They kept inquiring about the magic I used against the obelisk. I told him that the only thing on my mind at the time was revenge. It felt odd admitting that but it was the truth. I didn’t tell them about the connection I shared with Jacob. I didn’t think it was something they should know, especially since it was something that would likely just lead to more questions. Further interrogation was something I was not looking forward to.

No matter how many times they tried to ask me, I couldn’t explain what kind of fire I used that seemed highly resistant to the effects of the obelisk. I wasn’t even thinking about fire when I attacked them. All I was thinking about was destroying the damn thing and the fire just manifested itself without me having to think about it. I think they got exasperated when the only answers I could give them were the obvious – it was bright, orange, and hot.

Another reason I wanted out of the bed was to talk to Jacob. I knew he was angry. I knew I had screwed up with my words. I didn’t mean them in a wrong way. I knew in my heart that Jacob would never willingly give us out to the enemy. I was just worried that he was being manipulated in this entire mess.

I tried asking Brian about Jacob but he didn’t know where Jacob was. They haven’t run into each other since the day before in that room.

Phillip came by too. He was a pleasant surprise as I hadn’t seen him in awhile. It was two (or was it three?) days after our failed attack. Most of the beds were empty by then. In fact, only three were occupied – the guy with a missing arm, one guy who has been asleep since he returned (something about a coma), and another guy who was wrapped completely in linen cloth. None of them were interested in holding any conversation so I was glad to see a familiar face, perhaps one that could convince Healer Cotier to finally let me go.

He stopped at the foot of my bed, a grin threatening to break through his pink lips. “You look like...”

“…crap. I know,” I shook my head amusedly.

Phillip puckered his lips looking amused. “Bad time?”

“What? No. No, I’ve just heard that so many times I was actually expecting you to say it.”

“Hrm. Well I wasn’t going to say crap but if you insist on looking like crap, who am I stop you?”

I chuckled. “So what were you gonna say?”

“I was going to say,” he paused as he dipped his hand into a bag he was carrying. He pulled out a metal cylinder that made my eyes bulge. “You look like you could use a drink.”

I looked at the metal drink holder warily. “That’s not more of that craptastic apple cider, is it?”

Phillip laughed out loud and that beautiful, playful smile I’d first seen on him showed itself on his handsome face. “No. But, why didn’t you say you didn’t like it? I wouldn’t have gone on thinking you actually enjoyed that drink.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. Actually, I haven’t even tried it.”

“Then how do you know it tastes like crap?” Then his eyes twinkled and a mischievous grin spread on his lips. “Is it because you look like crap? You’re not into some kind of fetish are you? I heard this story about two girls and one cup.”

I took one of my pillows and whacked him with it. I had absolutely no idea what story he was talking about but I was pretty sure it wasn’t good. I glared at him playfully, “although I haven’t tried it myself, I know a few people who have. They all say it tastes like crap. I’ll take their word for it.”

“Fine, fine,” Phillip laughed, “but I’m telling you. You shouldn’t knock it until you try it. One of these days, you have to try it.”

“Maybe. No promises. Anyway, if that isn’t apple cider, then what is it?”

“Hot tea,” he said as he whipped out two wooden cups from his bag. “It’s made from some special herbs my mom grows. Some people say it can cure all kinds of skin diseases… and impotency.” He laughed as I glared at him.

“Is it infused with magic?”

“Nope. It’s all natural.” He handed me a cup full of a clear liquid slightly green in color. It was warm but easy enough to hold.

“How’s it any good then without magic?” I asked as I took a sip. It was a little bland but certainly not bad. Every known cure we had (at least as far as I knew) was infused in one way or another by magic through its preparation. If that drink wasn’t infused with magic, I doubted it would work – not that I needed a cure for impotency if that was indeed something it did.

“Not everything can be solved with magic, you know,” he said with a stern look that I knew was difficult for him to keep. I had the distinct impression that it was a look that his parents, probably his mom, often gave him on this particular topic. It made sense that those words also came from her. “Before magic was discovered, people used to rely heavily on medicines and chemistry. We still do to some extent although mostly as to how magic can manipulate those fields.”

“Are you interested in becoming a healer?”

“Maybe,” he said. “I’m not sure I have the proficiency for it to be honest. Marcus showed me some of the stuff he can do. He told you I was his partner in the Mage Army, right? He’s been really cool. You wouldn’t think we came from entirely different worlds. It didn’t matter to him that I don’t have any money. He treats me just like he does everyone else and to be honest that makes me feel good. If you’re a mage without money, you’re quite at the bottom of the hierarchy in Arantiva.”

I never really thought about money. I mean it was never really an issue for me (not because I had plenty of it but I never really needed it). In all likelihood I was way, waaaay poorer than Phillip as I just had to live off whatever support Magister Aenhol gave me. Well, I will get a little more from being an Aerophalanx soon, probably after the imminent threat is over. I knew we were paid for our services. But the thing is even without that, I more or less had everything I needed. I didn’t need extravagant clothes. The equipment I needed was provided for me. All I needed was to make sure I had enough money for food.

“Anyway,” he continued, “the Life spells he can do are amazing. He can make bruises disappear and even make minor wounds close up within a few minutes. I’d like to be able to do that some day if not in the Army then as a healer in the city. I kinda like the idea of helping people you know. And maybe even settling down after all this.”

“Settling down? Aren’t you a little young for that?” I asked in surprise. Then in a pretend rage, I said, “you been cheating on me with some girl, boy?”

He chuckled. “No. I have no girl at the moment. But I’m not sure all this training and fighting is for me after all. I think I’d like to look for a good girl after this war and figure out what I want to do after that.”

“Well good luck with that. You deserve to find a good girl or guy to settle down.”

He chuckled, “let it be a girl please.”

“Fine, fine,” I laughed. “You’re gonna invite me for your commitment ceremony right?”

“Of course,” he said with a genuine smile. “All my good friends will be invited.”

That made me feel all warm inside, of course it could have been the tea I was drinking.

“Anyway, I should get going,” he said. “I really just wanted to say hello and to make sure that you knew I still existed.” His eyes got all big at this. “I mean you haven’t passed by the Taverna the last few weekends. And I make sure I’m there for every one of them unless we’re called into training and that only happened once.”

“I know,” I chuckled. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. Been busy.”

“So I heard, being the big hero and all. When you become famous and everything, can I have an autograph?”

I swatted him with my pillow.

“Okay, okay, I get it,” he smiled. “Anyway, I really should go. I still need to prepare my gear for the coming battle.”

“Battle?” I frowned.

“They’re almost here,” he said seriously, perhaps more seriously than I had ever seen him before. “We’ve been training our asses off the last few days and they finally gave us today to rest. The only reason they’d do that is if we needed all the rest we can get. That means whoever is attacking us will be here at the earliest within a day’s time. I need to prepare my armor and weapon so I’ll see you later, okay? Take care of yourself and drink up all of that tea.”

“Okay,” I said frowning. A day? They’ll be here in a day? I needed to get out of that bed. I called for Healer Cotier as soon as Phillip left.

“You still have wounds on your body,” she said. “I’ll release you in a day or two.” As far as I could tell, the scars on my face were mostly healed and there were just a few spots on my exposed skin that were damaged. My chest and legs though still had ugly red scars which would be hidden by clothes anyway. “If you stress yourself out, it will slow the healing process. It could leave permanent scars.”

“I’m getting stressed just lying down here and doing nothing. And the city might not be here in two days. Don’t you understand? They’re going to attack… very soon… as in it could be any moment now soon.”

“A day,” she said and before I could protest she plugged my mouth with the contents of an elixir which I could either swallow or choke on.

“What do you think… you’re… uhh…,” and I fell asleep.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Adam, wake up.”

“Huh…?”

“Wake up, Adam, you have to get up now?” I hand was gently but urgently swatting my face.

“Stanley?”

“Yeah, it’s me. You have to get up. Lady Helena wants to see you. Right NOW.” I forcibly shook the drowsiness from me. Stan handed me some clothes and before I could say anything, he waved his hands towards the wall and the curtains retracted from the wall. “Tell me when you’re done.”

I looked at the clothes he gave me and it was my Aerophalanx gear. It looked clean and brand new. I wondered if it was in fact brand new every time I got a set. There was also a pair of underwear there that looked like it did belong to me. I blushed at that. As I got dressed I heard Healer Cotier’s voice behind the curtains. “What do you think you’re doing?” Healer Cotier asked. “He still needs to rest.”

“Lady Helena asked for Adam specifically, ma’am,” Stan’s voice was respectful but he asserted himself quite well much like he did with Jacob. “I was told to bring him to her immediately.”

Healer Cotier forced open the curtains which surprisingly seemed to be fighting against her. Fortunately I had managed to put most of my clothes on by then. She gave me an appraising look as she finally managed to swat the curtains away. “If you end up having ugly scars after this, don’t you come back crying to me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep that in mind.” The Armory ward wasn’t exactly my favorite place to visit no matter how many times I’ve been there. I grabbed my robes and started walking out of the infirmary. The three heavily injured folks were still in their beds. The guy with a missing arm was watching me curiously.

Before I left the infirmary, I looked back at Healer Cotier. She was already attending to the patient who was still wrapped in linen cloth. I called out to her and she looked at my direction. “Thank you,” I said out loud. She nodded to me and looked back at the patient quickly as though she really couldn’t care about what I said. I could have sworn she was smiling though.

“Are you going to Lady Helena now?” Stanley asked as he followed me around.

“Yeah. I was going to see what I can do to help anyway.” By then, the hallways of the Armory were familiar to me and I had no trouble finding my way to the double doors of Lady Helena’s quarters.

“I’ll wait for you out here,” Stanley said as I stood before the door.

I nodded to him and knocked on the door. I heard “come in” from the other side.

I walked into the office and allowed the doors to close behind me on their own. Lady Helena spared me a glance before she looked back down on her table. Like my last time there, there were holographic images on her table. The shelves around in her room still had many holographic displays on them. The only notable change was the map that showed the mage cities. There were many small red dots just north of Arantiva. I presumed that was the human army.

“Adam,” Lady Helena said. “It’s good to see you up and about.” She was standing beside several mages. I recognized Magister Corvius and the commander among them. The other two mages in the room were unfamiliar though. “Join us please.”

“So, you are Adam,” said one of the unfamiliar mages as I approached. He was a very muscular fellow that looked like he was in his mid-forties. He also had several overlapping gold circles on either side of his uniform, one I began associating with the army. “General William Harding,” he said with an outstretched arm. “And this is my Apprentice and Second-in-Command, General Douglas Linney.”

I shook both men’s hands. “Adam Lowry, sir. May I ask, do you not lead the Mage Army?”

“I am in charge of the Mage Army, yes,” General Harding nodded as though satisfied to be recognized. “We are all under Lady Helena’s guidance though.”

“No time to discuss organization structure now, William,” said Lady Helena in a serious tone. “We have pressing matters to attend to.” For a moment, her eyes lingered on an exposed bit of my neck where I knew a scar was still visible. She averted them quickly enough. “Adam, what do you see?”

I found it odd that she would ask me such a question if there were indeed pressing matters to attend to. I looked down at her table where the holographic images were. “Those are the tanks. And from the looks of the landscape I’d say that’s the edge of the Brallic forest.”

Lady Helena nodded. “Which means they will be here in less than two hours time.”

“Two hours?” I asked in surprise. “What are we going to do?”

“We’ve evacuated much of the civilian population,” Magister Corvius said gravely. “Although their presence may help fuel the magic in the city, we’re not going to risk their lives for that. We’re preparing both the Mage Army and the Aerophalanx Guard for a combined assault against the two obelisks.”

“Shouldn’t we strike before they reach the other side of the Brallic forest?” the man named Douglas Linney asked.

“That would likely be disastrous,” the commander said. It was only then that I realized that I still didn’t know his first name. I figured it wasn’t a good time to ask though.

“They’re keeping the two remaining obelisks powered up,” Magister Corvius interrupted. “It’s now apparent that the energy fields generated by those things have no effect on their machines. However, keeping those things activated bought us more time. Those things are slower now than they would have been if they weren’t powered up like that. Regardless though, if we can’t hit it with something strong and fast, then it will merely absorb our attacks and make its energy field stronger. We intend to use the central crystal at the top of the Administrative Tower as a massive energy source for one massive spell. Horus and Edward are now overseeing that as we speak.”

For a moment I wondered who Horus was then I remembered that the High Mage Lord’s first name wasn’t Khael. “That kind of attack could potentially destroy an obelisk,” he continued. “It would take the combined efforts of hundreds of mages channeling magic to direct all that energy into one sudden burst. We’re not sure if hitting those things with something stronger would necessarily pierce through its protective aura but right now it’s our best bet.”

“Mages can channel magic from the shields around the city?” I asked.

“To a certain degree, yes,” Magister Corvius said. “If they attempt to channel too much it could have dangerous effects on their bodies. It could potentially lead to magical feedback.”

“The Healers think that’s what happened to you,” Lady Helena said. “Although where you got the extra energy source and so much of it, we haven’t quite figured out yet. Unless you already know?”

I already knew actually but I shook my head no.

“How did you destroy an obelisk?” General Harding asked me.

They all looked expectantly at me. “Like I’ve told the others, I don’t know what kind of magic it was that I used or even how I summoned it. It just happened. I didn’t know it would work but I just knew that I had to do something.”

“Do you think you would be able to do it again?” Magister Corvius asked.

“It almost cost him his life when he last did it,” the commander said. It almost sounded like he was concerned. It appeared that I had earned some respect with him after what I did in the last battle.

“It could cost us all of our lives if he doesn’t do it again,” Magister Corvius pointed out. All of the sudden, I felt like the whole fate of the city was once again on my shoulders. That was just great.

“What should I do?” I asked.

“The best thing for you to do is to try and figure out how you did that bit of magic so others can do it as well,” Magister Corvius said. “So far, it is our second best hope. If our plan with the crystals fail, then it’s up to you to repeat that spectacular spell of yours. If that fails as well, then things are looking grim.”

“Have you tried summoning it again, Adam?” Lady Helena asked.

“I have actually but all I’ve managed to conjure seems to be just ordinary fire. Whatever I did, I did in the spur of the moment and under... certain circumstances.”

“Great,” the commander said, “now we just have to pretend that Brian’s dead so that he can do it again.” Lady Helena looked disapprovingly towards her husband.

“So once they are within striking range of the city walls, we will bombard them with as much magic as we can and hope for the best?” General Harding asked. “That doesn’t sound like a very good plan, David.”

“It’s the best we have at the moment,” Magister Corvius said. He looked at me as though expecting me to say something. When I didn’t, he sighed deeply. “If we can destroy the obelisk’s power source before its energy field gets too strong, then we should be able to prevent it from draining magic within the area. From what Edward says, the stones have no effect on magic unless electricity was coursing through them. Our studies on the sample he brought back say that that is true only up to a certain degree. If the stones reach a certain level of power, they will become self sustaining. If either of the remaining obelisks reach that point, it would be useless to destroy its power source because it would use the active magic in the area as its sustaining energy source.”

“So we have to destroy the fortresses they are on before they reach that energy level. How is that any different from our attack plan yesterday?” the commander asked.

“It’s different because this city is a thriving energy source” Magister Corvius said. If that machine gets close enough to drain the city’s magical energies, it could sustain itself for who knows how long. It could potential wipe out all magic within hundreds of miles.

“Then we need to make sure that that doesn’t happen,” Lady Helena said. “David, you said the obelisks get stronger when they absorb magic. What if we throw one powerful spells at it and all it does it get stronger?”

“Then we run,” Magister Corvius said humorlessly. “We do know one more thing though,” he continued as though only remembering it. “From what we learned from the sample, we believe that the crystals drain larger sources of energy more rapidly than weaker ones. And it has limits as to how much energy it can drain at a time. That means that if they ever come within reach of draining the magic from the crystals in the city, then there should in theory be a limited effect on mages around the area. We should be able to use our magic, at least to some degree, so long as there are still massive sources of energy coming from crystals around us that are feeding the obelisks. This means we might be able to get up close with the Army so long as the spells we use do not surpass the magic from the crystals.”

“So if they drain the crystals from the city, mages can move in closer and destroy those things?” General Harding asked with some hope in his voice.

“Yes and no,” Magister Corvius replied. “We can come closer using magic, yes. But I very much doubt that using magic against the obelisk will have any effect at that point.”

“So you’re telling me, we can use magic to come in and then what? Beat it with sticks?”

“I didn’t say it was a plan, general,” Magister Corvius said. “It was merely an observation.”

“A useless one at this point,” General Harding replied. Magister Corvius looked highly offended and it seemed like he was about to lecture the general when there was suddenly an odd flat sound like wood being hammered coming from the shelves in one corner. It was coming from the map of the different mage cities. Some of the red dots we’re now glowing.

“Those are our outer perimeter spells being undone. That means they will be within striking distance soon,” Lady Helena said. “Gentlemen, get to your stations. If the plan works then the Aeros and the Army will do a combined attack on their army after the obelisks go down. If the obelisks remain functional then you will receive command from me and only me for a full retreat. We all know what a full retreat involves. Is that clear?” Everyone around the table nodded. I realized I was one of them although I didn’t really know what a full retreat involved. I suppose it involved running for our lives in an orderly fashion. “Then, get going.” Everyone started moving towards the exit when she once again spoke up. “Adam, may I have a word with you?”

Everyone else kept walking towards the door as though they didn’t hear her speak or what she said did not interest them. Soon, I was alone with her in the room.

“Adam,” she began, “I don’t know what you did out there but I really hope you can do it again. If our plan fails then all that stands between the destruction of this city and its survival is you. Magister Aenhol has a lot of faith in your ability and frankly I do too.”

“I will do the best I can, my Lady,” I replied. Although what I would do, I had no idea.

She nodded. “He also asked me to tell you that you should trust your friends. Would you have any idea why he would say those words specifically?”

I thought about it for a moment. “Sorry, I don’t have any idea.”

She sighed. “More of his puzzles then. You should get going.”

I nodded and made my way out of her quarters. As I went through the door, I looked back at her. She was still standing at the same spot over her table as the holographic images moved in front of her. She was watching me intently as though waiting for me to do something. Once again, I nodded to her and offered a small smile before I left her in her room.

“I need to get ready for battle,” I told Stanley who was waiting outside.

He nodded. “Your helmet is in the aviary. Your mace hasn’t been powered up. Actually, I’m not sure it’s ever been powered up,” he looked uncertainly at me but I kept my eyes forward. “I’ve procured another mace which is slightly bigger so it might be a little awkward in your hand. It’s not at full power but it could help. It was powered up by another Aero who won’t be able to fight in the coming battle. I’m not sure how compatible you will be with his magic. There are known to be issues with sharing a mace but considering you have no other option, I got it anyway.”

“Thank you, Stanley,” I said as I wondered if the Aero he was talking about was gravely injured or already dead. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to use that mace. Probably not but I was grateful for his efforts. “I want you to know I appreciate everything you’ve done so far.”

“It’s my duty,” he said as we finally reached the aviary. This was the same aviary the Struthius Squad used so when I entered, I saw a lot of familiar faces.

All of them nodded and greeted me as I came in. I could see the worry and anxiety in each of their faces. Even Rick who appeared to have an upbeat attitude gave away his worry through his eyes.

“Everyone’s suiting up,” Bruce said. “I’m taking over while Brian is out of commission. He won’t be able to fly with that broken leg he has and he hasn’t bonded with a new gryphon yet.”

“I understand. What would you like me to do?” I asked.

Bruce gave me an unusual look. “Although I am your superior officer in this situation, only you can answer that question, Adam. A lot of people’s hopes are now with you so I would say do what you do best and surprise us.” Bruce offered me a smile.

I released a huge sigh. “I’ll try.” He didn’t seem satisfied with that. I made my way to the compartment where Aida normally was. “Have you seen Jacob?” I asked Stanley.

“I’m sorry, Adam,” he said. “I haven’t. Would you like me to look for him?”

I looked over at the young apprentice wondering what he was up to. I always had the impression that he didn’t like Jacob and I made it a point to tell him that then.

Stanley looked guilty. “I’m sorry sir, I mean Adam. There were rumors going around before that he was a spy for the enemy. I guess I sort of believed them. But then Brian told me that Magister Aenhol insisted that it wasn’t Jacob. And Magister Aenhol always got things right. So now I’m feeling bad for suspecting him.”

“I think we’re in the same boat,” I told him. He suddenly looked surprised. I thought he was startled by my statement but then I soon realized what he was surprised about.

Aida’s compartment was empty.

“She was here,” Stanley said. “I prepared her just before I had to pick you up. She was armored and everything.”

I looked around and found the missing gryphon. “She’s over there,” I said. Stanley looked towards the distant hallway I was looking at.

Aida was nudging her head against another gryphon, one I recognized and knew.

“Saphiron,” Stanley said nervously.

I smiled suspecting the cause of the sudden nervousness in his voice. “It’s okay, I’ll go get her. Stay behind me.”

Stanley nodded appreciatively as I walked towards her. Saphiron looked over at me warily. Aida on the other hand seemed glad to see me.

“Saying goodbye, girl?” I asked.

“Raaawk,” Aida croaked sadly. She nudged her head against Saphiron again.

“We’re going to come back alive girl,” I said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Aida looked over at me and I had the impression that there was something I didn’t understand. I wasn’t sure if it was due to us being bonded or if I was merely guessing. With another nudge of Saphiron’s head, she turned to me and bent down gesturing for me to mount her.

“Your helmet and mace,” Stanley said. At some point he had approached us but seemed to be keeping as much distance as possible between him and Saphiron.

“Thank you Stanley,” I said as I put the helmet on. I took the mace and let it expand in my hand. It didn’t look extraordinary. I supposed most maces were standard issue in design and just varied in size. After compacting it, I fit it into the slot on Aida’s side. The one I got before looked much like this new one.

“Good luck, Adam,” Stan said.

Before I could respond, Aida stretched her wings and with a few flaps, we were airborne. Saphiron stared up at us, looking bored before turning his eyes towards Stan like he was some kind of large and juicy gryphon treat.

My apprentice scampered away.

My flight was like a signal for us to leave. Several other gryphons from our squad were flapping their wings. We flew out of the aviary, one after another and I once again found myself in the sky. Hundreds of gryphons were already flying about all facing the northern side of the city. Some landed on the city walls or on top of tall buildings. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of mages were lining the walls of the city. Even more were standing in formations in front of the walls.

All of Arantiva seemed to be nervously waiting for its enemies and we didn’t have to wait long.

The first tank came into view out of the city as it made its way out of the less dense part of the Brallic forest. Soon, more metal machines emerged from the trees like a horrible wave of hungry and loud insects. Most passed through the roads that slithered through the forest. Several though seemed to just decide that it could plow through the forest itself so some were covered in leaves and branches as though they were camouflaged on purpose to blend in with the forest. I wondered how the trees could not stop those machines, but I didn’t have much time to think about it.

Two massive black obelisks loomed in the distance as it slowly approached the city.

There was a sudden sparkling noise from above us and I watched as little sparks of electricity shot out from the top of the Administrative Tower. I’ve seen the massive crystal there once before and I knew that somewhere up there, hundreds of mages including Magister Aenhol were putting their lives at risk by attempting to manipulate its energies to be used as a weapon.

“I’ve just received word from command that the signal for retreat is three red orbs over the city,” Bruce said. “Our job is to defend what lives we can. It will not be our job to leave the city walls. Rather we make sure that none of their attacks hit the city.” I looked around and watched as the dozens of us clad in maroon nodded. “Spread out to your defensive positions. Everyone here has been briefed about what we’re up against. Keep those shells out of the city especially the civilian population. Is that clear?”

Several dozen “yes, sirs” responded to him.

“Good luck,” he said. “If you make it out this alive. I’m treating you all to an apple cider in the Ice Queen’s Taverna.”

Several moans reverberated through my helmet.

“You just had to say that, didn’t you,” Rick whined.

Bruce looked over at everyone with a smile then said more seriously, “just make it out of this alive and I’ll treat you to whatever you want.”

Everyone started nodding soberly at him except perhaps Rick. “I’ll hold you to that!” he yelled gleefully.

Bruce nodded and let us disperse to our assigned parts of the city wall. Bruce assigned me near him along with Noel.

Everyone around us watched in nervous anticipation as the two massive fortresses finally came into view. The obelisks moved along slowly like it was taking its time. I could feel the stinging sensation on my skin even from that distance and I was worried that it would already start absorbing energy. I figured the mages up there at the tallest tower knew when the right time to strike was.

“In case I don’t get another chance to apologize, I’d like to say I’m sorry about the way I behaved,” said a voice that came through my helmet. I looked around and saw the speaker hovering overhead on her gryphon. “You didn’t deserve the way I treated you.”

“It’s okay, Rye,” I said. “You were just being protective of Brian. I can’t blame you for that.”

“Still…” she said.

“It’s okay, really,” I replied. “We have more things to worry about now than that.”

“You’re a good man, Adam,” she said. I noticed that it was the first time she had referred to me as a man. “I just want you to know that whatever happens, I appreciate all the good you’ve brought into our lives.”

“Only the good?” I asked with a laugh.

She didn’t get to respond though as we heard an explosion in the distance. We looked towards the army approaching us and watched as the ground a substantial distance away from the city suddenly exploded. Dust and dirt were thrown everywhere.

“They’re testing the range,” Rye said. “I should get back with my squad. Our assignment is different from yours.”

“Good luck, Rye,” I said. I saw her nod before her gryphon moved away from us. The tanks kept moving in the distance as they got into formation. There were now several long lines of tanks that faced Arantiva. I knew it wouldn’t be too long before they started attacking.

“Why us?” I heard Noel ask. “What did we ever do to them?”

“Nothing,” Bruce replied. “They hate us on principle because we are different.”

“Or perhaps because they know we’re more powerful,” I offered. “They’re afraid of what we’re able to do.”

“I’m not feeling very powerful right now,” Noel commented weakly.

“We’re going to make it out of this, recruit,” I heard a new voice say.

“Brian!” Noel shouted. There was a sudden commotion among maroon clad Aeros turning their heads looking for the source of the voice.

“Down here,” Brian said. We looked down and there near the castle walls was a maroon-clad Aero on his feet (well, one foot since the other was suspended slightly and still wrapped in bandages). He was leaning heavily on his crutch. “I’m not going to spend this war lying down while my recruits get to have all the fun.” I could hear the mischief in his voice. I could just imagine him winking at that moment. “I may not be able to fly but I can still help down here. You all remain under Bruce’s charge though so do as he tells you.”

“We’re glad you’re with us Brian,” I heard Clarisse say. I could have sworn there was some longing in her voice.

“Are you going to promise us something too for after the war?” Rick asked. “Bruce promised me steak!”

Several other people expressed their joy on his arrival. It seemed to increase people’s confidence somewhat, as though Brian’s presence alone had some kind of effect on everyone around hm. I wondered if that was natural leadership or perhaps he had some kind of magical gift we didn’t know about. I knew I felt better knowing he was there although I was worried that something might happen to him. Once again though, we were returned to our current predicament when there was another explosion in the distance. This time, a closer patch of ground exploded.

“They’re almost here,” Bruce muttered. “Why isn’t anyone doing anything?”

I looked up into the tallest tower. There were indeed little bits of lightning sparkling up there. I had no idea what kind of distance they needed but I figured they would have fired by then. I had a terrible feeling that something was wrong. “I’ll be right back,” I told Bruce. I imagined the place where I wanted to go and with split-second precision, Aida knew exactly what I wanted. She beat her wings rapidly and soon we ascended into the sky.

“Where are you going?” Bruce yelled after me as he shrank below.

Aida and I flew higher and higher over Arantiva. As I normally did, I cast a little bubble around us to keep the wind from throwing us off course. I also created a shield because it felt like something had gone wrong. It took us several minutes but finally we reached our destination.

As I approached the tallest of the Silver Towers, I knew my suspicions were correct. There were indeed hundreds of mages up there except they were all dead. On the massive platforms around the crystal, hundreds of bodies were lying down on the ground. Some of them looked like they had been charred. I could see little bits of electricity shooting through the air and hitting against the massive platform where the mages were. It looks like it might have electrocuted everyone there.

I was worried for Magister Aenhol. He was up there with High Mage Lord Khael and I wondered if he was one of the bodies that was lining the roof of our city.

“What are you doing up there, Adam?” I heard Brian speak through my helmet. I was just about to reply to him when a lightning bolt streaked away from the crystal and straight towards me. I watched as the massive line of energy smashed through the shield I made and went straight for my face. I heard humming ripple through the air as the unseen magical defenses of my armor acted. The lightning streak must have hit my helmet. With a loud ringing in my ear, it flew off my head and plummeted to the ground below. It was smoking as it plunged through the air. My robes were also smoking though they weren’t on fire. Aida made a mad dash to get us as far away from the crystal as possible.

“Damn it,” I said. I needed to tell someone about what I had seen on top of the Admin building and now my only means of communication just fell away from me. Suddenly, I felt the air shimmer around me and I looked towards the crystal worried another blast of energy was on its way. There was nothing though so I knew it must have been something else.

I realized what it was when I saw the massive blue shield around Arantiva manifest itself. A thick blue dome appeared around the city and it seemed to strain under some invisible force. I could hear the odd sound of water trickling out of a jar.

The air shimmered around me again and Aida moved warily in the sky. I looked up and saw what was causing the disturbances in the air. The shield was slowly being torn apart. The sky was bleeding blue with little bits of energy leaking out of the massive dome. They were slowly making their way towards the army in the north no doubt being pulled into the massive obelisks.

It would only be a matter of time before the city’s shields were completely drained. The city would be vulnerable to attack then.

The crystal over the tower sparkled and screeched as though also straining against the effects of the obelisks.

And then it hit me like a massive pile of rocks. I remembered what this was all about – what was hidden underneath this city.

The crystals. The weapon. The prison.

“That’s what they wanted to accomplish all along,” I said out loud to no one in particular since no one could hear me anyway. I watched the blue dots leaking out of the city. Soon there would no longer be any shields. And soon, there would no longer be any prison.

Adam, what’s going on? Jacob asked in my head. I could hear uncertainty in his voice.

Jacob, I said with both relief and worry. I wanted to apologize to him for so many things and yet I knew it wasn’t the time. I know what’s going on. I know what they’re after. We have to get to it before they do. I urged Aida and soon we were both flying down from the sky making our way as fast as possible to the ground.

What are you talking about? He asked.

I’ll explain when I see you, I said. Can you meet me in front of the Administrative Tower?

Yes, of course, he said without hesitation. I’m on my way.

As I flew down, I saw movement below. The Mage Army and the Aerophalanx Guard were now advancing forward. Some of the mages on the ground were on horses. These were probably the higher ranked officers. No doubt this attack was an attempt to get closer to the obelisks. I had no idea how they planned to destroy those things since it wasn’t possible to destroy them with the magic individual mages could put out.

I flew down past the Armory. I saw Jacob waving as he ran towards the entrance of the tower. He was flanked by two other familiar faces.

I jumped off Aida as soon as soon as I landed. “What are you two doing here?”

“Jacob said you had something important to do and you needed help,” Marcus said. “We ran into him as we were getting supplies from the Armory.”

“If it’s for the defense of the city then I’m all for it,” Phillip piped up cheerfully. Unlike his normal clothes yesterday, he was clad in a full white and brown Mage Army armor, which matched Marcus. The designs on his robes rippled like mine, though his seemed a lot tighter on his body. He looked both cute and hot – two things I should not have been thinking at that moment. “This is our home and I’ll be damned if I let them get away with destroying it.” It looked sort of amusing when he said that because he was smiling the whole time.

Jacob stood uncertainly between the two boys. He was looking at me as though unsure of him being there. His eyes were full of remorse and regret, or perhaps simply confusion. “Adam, I’m sorry, I dunno what came over me again,” he said. “I didn’t mean to get angry. It was like…”

I walked quickly to him and kissed him on the lips. From the corner of my eye I could see Marcus scratching his head as though in annoyance. Phillip was smiling his gorgeous smile as though he found the whole situation amusing. “Apologize later,” I told him as I broke our kiss.

“Good idea,” Marcus said.

I turned to Marcus and Phillip. “Look guys, I can’t ask you two to come. They might need you out there. Jacob and I can handle this on our own.”

“What you’re doing is important, right?” Marcus asked as though he was starting to doubt it.

“Yes,” I said. “But I don’t think it needs all four of us.”

“Then I’m in,” he said. “If you think it’s important then it must really be important and with all the crap you get yourself into, it’s probably dangerous. You’ll need all the help you can get.”

“I go where he goes,” Phillip said cheerfully.

“Look. I don’t have time to argue over this.”

“Then don’t,” Marcus interrupted. “You can trust us to take care of ourselves. We have been training in combat magic too you know. Lead on.”

I looked at both of them carefully then shook my head realizing I had no choice but to trust them. “Ok, fine. Just be careful, okay?”

“So now it’s dangerous?” Marcus said as though he knew all along.

The four of us made our way to the Administrative Tower. I tried recalling the way that lead to the crystal prison below Arantiva as Brian had shown me. I wished I could ask him but I lost the helmet so I had no way of quickly speaking to him. I hoped that I still remembered it accurately. We didn’t get to enter the building yet before a familiar voice called out to us.

“What are you doing here?” the voice said sounding annoyed. “The battle is that way.”

“Javier,” I said acknowledging the boy as he approached. “There’s something we need to do.”

“What could be so important?” Javier asked in a somewhat disbelieving tone. He looked like he just suited up for battle. In fact, he seemed to have a mace similar to what Aerophalanxes used on his belt, although I knew he was not an Aero or a soldier in the Army. It occurred to me then that I forgot the mace Stan gave me on Aida’s back. There was no time to go back and get it.

“It’s for the safety of the city,” Phillip replied as though it answered everything.

“Look,” I said. “There’s something we need to do, something important. We’ll be back in the battle as soon as possible.”

“Something that could make a difference…” Javier whispered to the wind. He looked like he was remembering something.

“What?” I asked with a frown.

“I’m going with you,” he said.

“No, you’re not,” I replied. “It could be dangerous.”

“Aha! I knew it,” Marcus said with a satisfied smirk. I gave him a scowl.

“I’m going with you whether you like it or not,” Javier said with some finality, his toned chest puffing out like he was getting ready to fight me physically if he had to. “I’m meant to be here. I know it.”

There were then several muffled explosions in the distance. We turned and watched as several black objects collided with the shield and exploded. The shields held in place.

“They’re within range of the city,” Marcus said with a frown. He then turned to me. “Whatever we need to do, we better do it quickly. That is if we’re not already too late.”

I nodded at him and looked around at the faces that were now looking expectantly at me. Whether I liked it or not, I knew each of them would be accompanying me down there.

“Okay,” I said as I once again continued walking towards the entrance of the Administrative Tower. “Let’s go.”