Magic Born: The Uprising (Wattys2016)

Chapter Twenty-Six Part Two: The Battle for Magur

After the smoke cleared all Egon saw was Rayner with a face full of shock.

"Egon look out!" Rayner cried.

But before Egon could move Duzna rammed his flaming hand through Egon's back. Egon dropped to his knees as Rayner rushed Duzna. The sorcerer dodged Rayner's attacks, because the young warrior was blinded in hate and sorrow.

Duzna's body began to shimmer and his clothes caught fire soon his whole body was engulfed in flames. His skin melted and his blood boiled. Rayner stood inches in front of him controlling the volcanic heat storm. Tears clouded his vision, but he caught a glimpse of a pendant hanging around Duzna's neck, half of a sun, but the thought was flooded by his hate for the man and his drive to avenge Egon.

"I am like a Phoenix I may fade, but I will always rise from the ashes..." With those words Duzna's body disintegrated into flaming dust. Rayner rushed to Egon and dropped on the ground.

Rayner stared at him in disbelieve, there was no faint sign of life, no voice of a struggling soul trying to hold on, everything was silence and Egon was dead. Rayner roared a sorrowful cry as molten tears cascaded from his eyes and boiled into the ground.

"I will not let your death be in vein, there will be vengeance for your life!" Rayner slowly rose form the ground and walked to where Rolland was fighting. With only a scowl covering his face and dried tears on his cheeks Rayner killed the guards with a single cry as fire exploded outward disintegrating everything in its path.

***

As Ceridwen laid over Theresa wailing in outrage and sorrow Adisa metalized in front of them.

"Theresa?" Adisa raced to her side and threw herself on the ground. "No, no, no..."

Ceridwen looked up at Adisa and asked. "Why are you here?"

Adisa broke her gaze on Theresa and stared blankly back at Ceridwen.

"Mace has called a retreat...I'm here to get everyone to safety." Adisa said.

"Take Theresa leave me!"

"N...no..." Theresa voice was frail and weak. Ceridwen leapt to her feet.

"I'm not letting you die!"

"I'm not letting you stay here and die with me" Theresa coughed.

Adisa and Ceridwen stood with their backs to the castle door. Theresa wasn't letting her friends suffer the same fate she had. With all the energy she could find, in every crevasse and hole in her body she clawed for power.

"Go..." With those words Theresa jolted her hands towards Adisa and Ceridwen. The doors of the castle exploded open and Ceridwen and Adisa flew out, then the door rapidly slammed shut.

***

Rolland peered at Rayner with a sympathetic glance, but it was quickly broken as the castle doors erupted open and Adisa and Ceridwen rolled out.

Ceridwen quickly jumped to her feet and raced to the door as it closed.

"NO.NO.NO. Adisa Shadow Seep us back in!" Ceridwen cried.

"I...can't...I don't have the strength..." Adisa said.

Ceridwen banged the door one last time and turned around. As her eyes fell upon Egon's body and her heart sank like a crashing ship in the ocean.

"NO!" Ceridwen's tears began to stream once more as she threw herself onto Egon's lifeless body. Rayner raced to her side to comfort her. "He can't be dead; he can't be..."

Rayner wrapped her in his arms and sobbed with her.

"I never told him I loved him, I never told him I wanted another kiss, I never let him in, I only pushed him away!" Ceridwen rocked back-and-forth in Rayner's arms. Rayner wiped her tears and helped her stand. "We were supposed to keep them safe, Mali told us to keep them safe, and we failed..." Ceridwen dropped her head into Rayner's shoulder and cried.

"Rolland we have to go, now!" Adisa informed Rolland as his gaze fell over Magur, below he saw nothing but the fallen bodies of his army.

"Children we can mourn later, but we do not want to join them..." Rolland words were stern yet comforting.

"No!" Ceridwen threw herself back onto Egon clawing around the dirt.

"Ceridwen now!" Rayner tucked on Ceridwen garments.

"Wait...I need it!" Ceridwen franticly pulled herself towards Egon's staff and wrapped her hands around it in an iron grip.

With one last glace at the castle doors Ceridwen and Rayner turned and followed Adisa and Rolland down the hill.

***

Theresa laid on the ground, clutching onto the potion, bleeding out.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Duzna made the sounds as his footsteps echoed through the throne room. "You shouldn't have come...But I won't let you die, death is far too good for you my dear...I will give you a much worse fate." Duzna bent down ripped the potion from Theresa's grasp and laced his fingers through her hair.

Her blood painted the ground as he dragged her across the throne room. "Yes, death is too good, your fate with be much, much worse..."

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