Blood Oath (Book 2 of Alfireán age)

Flight from Glandledale

Drake grabbed his wrist and Alf looked at him. "Alf, I know I made you leader of this expedition, but do not let your sentiments get us all murdered. Use your mind. What do you think will happen if we do manage to kill three blood oaths and beat back their army?"

Alf stopped and thought about it. "Vackzilian will send more," he said after a moment.

"Or worse, Vackzilian will come himself," Drake said. "And if he does, many more will die, including all of us."

"True," Alf hung his head.

"Wait." Olivia interjected. "Drake might not be right. This is a prominent city in his Empire, and these people are now his subjects whether they know it or not. I doubt he will go around killing them for no reason. He's not stupid. He has to be sending his men here for a purpose. If we can give him what he wants, or make it impossible for him to get it, they might just leave."

"Emperor?! What do you mean Vackzilian's the Emperor?" The vice champion asked, his normally calm voice raised several decibels in alarm.

Drake waved his hand dismissively at him. "No time to explain," he said. "Olivia, if you make it impossible for him to get what he wants, then you will bring down his wrath on this city."

"Well, if it means saving a lot of people's lives, it may be worth giving him what he wants," Alf offered, hating the idea as he said it.

"I'm what he wants!" Zaphaniea said turning on him. "You going to hand me over?!"

Alf stumbled several steps back and raised his hands in an attempt to ward off her wrath. "No. no. Forget I said anything."

"Hmm," Drake muttered. "That might be a viable option. If we all attack her at once we might be able to subdue her."

"WHAT!?" Zaphaniea blurted.

As if to mimic the thunderous expression on her face, the once clear sky started to fill with dark clouds, and a strong breeze started rustling the banners flying in the arena.

"He's just teasing," Olivia said. "At least I hope he is," she continued as she gave the boy a stern look. "But if Vackzilian is after you, it would seem our only option is to run."

"That's what I've been saying from the beginning!" Zaphaniea said jerking her arms. "Let's get out of here."

"Not so fast," Olivia put up her hand. "We need to make it so they know you're running."

Zaphaniea froze. "I'm not liking the sound of this."

"You have a plan?" Drake asked.

"I do, and it might just work, but first, I need to know two things from you Zaphaniea."

The grand champion narrowed her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently as the wind continued to pick up. "What do you need to know?" she asked, her voice heavy with suspicion.

"Does Vackzilian know what you look like," Olivia asked, "and," she pushed several strands of hair behind her ear as it whipped about her face, "are you capable of casting the final level of holy magic?"

"I'm sure he does. My posters are all over the city," Zaphaniea laughed, her tone bitter as she jerked her chin in the direction of one of the giant banners advertising her matches. "And no, I can barely cast the second level, much less the final."

The dark clouds continued to climb above them, and Alf sidestepped a meat skewer zipping through the air. "What?" he asked in surprise. "But you're so strong and powerful. How come you can only cast the second level?"

"Ha," the vice champion laughed. "That's what I was saying earlier, she's not strong or powerful. She's just got one of the rarest spells in the world and the ability to see into the future. If she ever ran into someone truly powerful like Vackzilian, she'd be toast."