Blood Oath (Book 2 of Alfireán age)

Supernova

Dy'Ixion collapsed to his knees and his shield crumbled as the last of the light faded away, leaving the world in darkness. Flopping to his back, he gazed up into the cloudless sky as his eyes slowly readjusted to the night.

Cloudless? That wasn't right. What happened to the Emperor's storm? he thought.

The sound of multiple voices drew him out of his dazed state. Surprised, he glanced around. Apparently, he was not the only one who'd survived; hundreds of people stood around, staring at each other and whispering in hushed voices.

As he tried to wrap his mind around how anyone else could have survived such an attack, the whispers rose in volume till someone yelled, "Look! my arm's back."

"My burns, they're gone!" another shouted.

"I, I'm alive! We're all alive!"

Stark realization hit him. The survivors were the arena's defenders—all those he and his men had utterly destroyed. The spell had healed them!

He rose from the ashes, dust and debris falling off him as his tattered cape fell away.

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream rang out and everyone turned to see a panicking older woman backing into an overturned stand. She pointed at him with her bony fingers, her wrinkled hands shaking in fear, and shrieked, "The monster! He's still alive!"

Thousands of angry eyes turned on him, and a shiver of fear ran down Dy'Ixion's spine. Faster than any of them could react, he threw out his hand and wind swirled as a wall of force slammed into a group of the survivors, plowing the defenders over and clearing a path.

Channeling a new shield around himself, he took off at a dead run as ice spikes and lighting spells impacted harmlessly against his new barrier. The ashes of his fallen army clung to his boots as he made his way through the plaza and towards escape. Then more cockroaches swarmed into his path, attempting to cut him off, but Dy'Ixion once again threw out his arms. The moon glowed and the air screamed as two, slightly visible walls smashed into the interlopers and sent them flying.

Breaking through their midst at last, he darted for the closest alleyway and disappeared into its dark recesses, leaving his pursuers in the dust. Reaching a safe distance, he slowed to a walk. This was ridiculous—he, Lord Dy'Ixion, powerful sworn blood oath, leader of all Vackzilian's forces, forced into fleeing from a bunch of maggots.

He clenched his fist. He would utterly-

A hologram of Vackzilian formed in front of him, cutting off his thoughts.

***

Alf gently laid Olivia and the grand champion in the grass.

"How are they?"Drake asked as he strolled up from behind.

Alf took a deep breath and sighed, "Olivia," he said, "I think is just unconscious from over exertion, but Zaphaniea... I don't know. The muscles in her arms and legs don't look too good."

The prince kneeled beside the champion and removed his eye patch, revealing his dragon eye. After several moments, he said, "She tore them."

"Is that bad?" Alf asked.

The boy shook his head. "The healers at Brockovich should have no issue mending them."

That was good to know, Alf thought as an invisible weight lifted off him. His eyes drifted over to Olivia, and he smiled as he watched her sleep. Her long dark eyelashes rested against her cheeks, and her sleeping lips curled into a soft smile.

"She is certainly a stunning creature," the prince whispered in awe.

"She sure is," Alf muttered dreamily.