The Magician Of Vennat

Chapter 21

The magician realized the problem instantly and yelled the word fire. A sheet of flame erupted in front of Alabaster's face, the heat so intense that the tips of his bangs began to sizzle. But just as quickly as the fire appeared, it was gone, taking the heat with it. The magician had misjudged. Alabaster hadn't been that close.

But Alabaster had a problem. He couldn't stay here for much longer. Already the wind was waning in strength. His power was fading, and he wobbled precariously over the hard wooden steps.

He was aware of Amanda engaging the magician in combat, but his attention was elsewhere.

"Wind," he said quietly and a gust came from behind and pushed him past the magician. He cut the magic off and stumbled to the floor, grunting from the impact.

The magician whirled around, feeling the motion, but could not find him. He rained down sheets of fire. Alabaster ducked and dodged. The red infernos left scorch marks across the wood. A few of them got dangerously close, but he managed to evade them.

Amanda was having a hard time though. The magician threw back two of her enchanted balls right back at her and a burning wall of fire slammed her back into the stairway. Amanda panted and barked back an Afcan word, but the magician deflected her water jet almost into Alabaster.

Alabaster turned away just in the nick of time and the water slammed into the decorative table behind him, obliterating the vase of flowers.

His limbs shook from the effort of his spells. He didn't know how much more he could take. Quickly, he pulled the ink water from his belt and downed a long sip.

Amanda let out a yell as she hit the magician with a fireball. He answered by sweeping her up in a tornado. The winds ceased when she was half off the ground and she plummeted like a stone.

She called out the word wind and threw her last remaining balls at him. He blew up the first one and deflected the other.

Alabaster whispered the word wind and slowed it to a speed that he could catch. Then, using his own strength he chucked it at the magicians back.

Amanda saw it, knew it was coming. She yelled another word a lance of ice shot towards the magician. He used wind to deflect it and set it right back at her. And just as he was about to cast a spell that would hold her in place to be impaled, the ball hit.

It struck his back with a loud crack and darkness billowed out, covering him a bubble of darkness.

Amanda dodged the ice lance, which smashed into the wall, piercing it like a ugly nail. Shards of frozen water striking the surroundings.

Amanda landed on the floor heavily. She approached the bubble, placing her hand on its surface. A few words, barely audible, left her throat. And the murky coating shrunk until it was only a tight film binding the man beneath. She spoke a few more words and the film peeled off the sword. With a grunt she grabbed and and pulled. The magician held on tightly.

Alabaster joined her and pulled with all his strength. The sword leapt back, and he lost his grip, fingers sliding down the long blade, sharp edge slicing his skin with a thin red line.

The blade erupted into flames, but Alabaster had his knife against it a moment later and they died instantly.

Amanda pulled a stone out of her pocket, meaning to place it on the magician, but just then two more people in magician's robes entered the foyer.

"Crap!" Amanda yelled before quickly launching into Afcan. A wall of fire rushed towards the men, and she ran towards the nearest window.

"Hurry!" she said.