Alf jumped to his left and watched with relief as the four giant ice spikes flew harmlessly past Zaphaniea.
"Okay, now," Olivia gasped. Her entire body glowed and the muscles in her face twitched with concentration as she knelt beside him.
Alf's heart reached out to her as he watched her trembling from exertion; casting a low-level spell using another person's body as a conduit was insanely strenuous and difficult, yet here she was doing it with a master-level spell.
He pushed his concern for her aside, knowing his bemoaning her pain would not help, and instead, kept his eyes on the grand champion in case he'd have to dodge another attack for her.
As Zaphaniea raised her arms towards the advancing army, the air crackled around her wrists, and light erupted from her palms. In a blinding flash of white, a beam careened down in front of the leading blood oath, vaporizing two of his soldiers and narrowly missing him.
Drake tensed and clenched his fists. "Correct your aim!"
At that exact moment, over a dozen enormous fireballs appeared out of nowhere and slammed into the blood oaths and their army.
Alf's mouth dropped open as explosion after explosion sent sweltering waves of hot air blasting into him, and a sea of fire engulfed the area the blood oaths had stood mere seconds ago. "Wha..."
"The people in the arena killed the blood oaths!" the shortest of the maids exclaimed in ecstatic joy.
"Don't count on it," Drake spat then looked up towards Zaphaniea. "Keep the spell leveled on them until we're absolutely certain they are dead."
Zaphaniea gave no reply, but she continued to channel energy into the small, growing ball of light hovering in the midst of the fire.
The sky filled with black smoke, and soot slowly drifted through the atmosphere. A brief moment of silence lingered as they watched with baited breath, hoping for the best, but as the smoke cleared away, Alf glimpsed the red glow of a shield underneath the fading blaze. "Look," he said pointing.
"I knew it," Drake hissed. "Get ready to run."
Alf turned around and crouched into a running position.
Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw the outline of the shield now appeared fully visible amidst the sea of dying flames. Smoldering ruby red in the dim light, the barrier stretched from one end of the clearing all the way to the other end, covering and protecting the entire attacking army.
"How could such a hastily formed shield withstand such an attack?" the eldest sister wondered as she eyed the blood oaths' shield warily.
"We don't have time to think about it now. They're coming this way! Alf, run!" the prince barked.
Alf took off running as fast as he could. The buildings blurred around him, and the wind whistled in his ears. He had been planning on running straight for the Eastern city gate, however, the road teemed with fleeing citizens, and he had no desire to lead the blood oaths anywhere near them, so instead he dashed down a side alley.
"Are they all following us?" Olivia asked, her eyes squeezed shut, and sweat pouring from her brow.
Alf twisted his head as far as he could to his left, but against the brightness of Zaphaniea's and Olivia's holy spell, all he could make out was the blur of a channeled shield. He could, however, see that his pursuers had followed him in spite of his hasty turn and were actually gaining on him.
"Watch out!" the redheaded maid screamed.
Alf turned back around just in time to see an overturned wagon blocking his path. Bounding one step forward, he pushed off the ground with all his might. In a giant leap, he flew right over top of it and landed clumsily on the other side. His left foot slipped, and he grabbed at the loose pavement. Pulling hard, he regained his balance and launched himself forward.
The sound of shattering wood reached his ears a few seconds later, and he glanced back to see the blood oaths smashing straight through the wagon. Swallowing hard, he focused all of his energy on running.
"Alf," the head maid warned.
Ahead of them, the alley ended in a sharp, ninety degree angle.
"I see it," he said as he banked sharply back onto the main highway and ran headlong into a thronging mass of panicked city dwellers. Jumping to the left, he hugged the side of the buildings as he pushed his way forward.
"It looks like only two of the blood oaths followed us," Drake informed them.
"Oh no, that means one of them stayed behind," the redheaded maid said.
"What about the people at the arena?" her younger sister asked, her large brown eyes wide in worry.
Alf blinked hard as he focused on dodging and weaving through an oncoming group of soldiers headed towards the fighting. "I hate to say it, but they are going to have to fend for themselves." A moment later, he cringed as he heard one of the soldiers they'd just passed scream, followed by the meaty thud of flesh hitting stone. He didn't need to look back to know what had had happened. Dashing down another alley, he tried to draw the blood oaths off the main streets. "Drake, we have a problem. I think I can keep them at bay, but there's no way I can outrun them."
Olivia reached up and grabbed his hand. "That's fine," she said attempting to reassure him. "Just keep them out of range of Zaphaniea. We'll try to finish them off with this spell."
"That may be problematic. Their shield is holding up quite well," Drake answered.
Alf stole another quick glance back. Through the bright light of Olivia's and the grand champion's spell, he could see their pursuer's shield looked almost opaque from the sheer thickness of it.
"Then we'll have to give it our all!" Olivia snarled as she yanked on his arm to help herself stand up. Then, clenching her fists and straightening her back, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. The light radiating off of her tripled in brilliance, and Zaphaniea screamed in pain.
"Hang in there!" Olivia called out to her.
***
Dy'Ixion stood still as his army surged around him, charging for the decimated flanks of the city's defenders. Like frenzied rats, the opposing forces rushed to cobble together some type of defense against the oncoming hordes.
"Humph," Dy'Ixion sneered. "As if I'll let you."
Kneeling down with one knee against the pavement, Dy'Ixion placed his long, black, swollen fingers against the ground. His twisted energy flowed into the sun-baked earth, and like a geyser erupting from the deep, the pavement burst into the air, pushing him dozens of feet above the swelling masses.
Rising to his feet, his black cape billowed behind him and the evening stars glittered through the falling soot. It was time to get down to business. Breathing deeply, Dy'Ixion raised his hands, and as if he were a maestro orchestrating a grand symphony of death, he waved his hands up and down and to the left and to the right.
Invisible, destructive force after force slammed home, crushing the defenders and leaving deep gouges in the walls and ground as he systematically crushed all pockets of resistance.
As the fight wore on, Dy'Ixion noticed a few of the defenders demonstrating remarkable strength and aptitude, despite his onslaught. He rolled his shoulders, stretching his neck. "It looks like there might be a few of you worthy of serving my master."
Bringing his hand up to his face, he carefully flicked his fingers. Invisible walls smashed into the heads of the specific individuals, knocking them out. While they dropped to the ground unconscious, he spread his fingers. Long strands of indigo lightning infused with dark magic bound his prisoners into place, but as he focused on the task at hand, he noticed his men were dropping like flies, giant gashes mysteriously appearing across their backs. He stopped what he was doing and scoured the battlefield with his eyes. It took him almost a minute, but finally, he saw a man appear out of nowhere, slice one of his soldiers down, and move on faster than lightning. The man wore some type of mask and what looked like green armor, though now it was covered in soot and partially charred black.
Interesting, Dy'Ixion thought. Targeting the area where he had last seen the man, he moved his hands in a circular motion, then pushed a giant wave of force into a group of ten of his own men. A mighty wind blew and the air popped as his soldiers were slammed against the wall with a sickening crunch. As he moved his fingers, they slid to the ground, most of them dead.
"Humph, looks like I missed," Dy'Ixion muttered to himself. Once again, he scoured the battle field until the mysterious man reappeared. Immediately, Dy'Ixion swirled his hands and thrust his palms forward. Once again, the air popped, and a circular, slightly visible wall smashed into another group of his men, crushing them to pulp where his target had been milliseconds before.
He narrowed his eyes. "This one can move fast."
Four more times he tried, before he finally nailed the mysterious man in charred green armor against the wall. In the process, he'd seriously wounded or killed at least thirty-five of his own men, but that was of no consequence to him.
Jumping off of his raised pillar, Dy'Ixion strolled over to the warrior he'd just knocked unconscious. He focused his eyes into Ra'avah and gazed down at his victim. To his surprise, the man had no signs of magical ability; in fact, there was no energy in his core at all.
A vicious smile spread across his face. Vackzilian would be most pleased with a find of this magnitude. Most pleased indeed.
***
A solar flare slammed into Alf's back.
He stumbled as the warm fire shot through him, exited the other side, and impacted harmlessly at his feet. A wave of energy surged to Alf's aching legs and strengthened his burning lungs. Sucking in a full breath, he grinned as he noticed years of dust and grime on the street had burned away in a flash, leaving the stone in front of him shining in the growing light. It was just like the time Olivia had cast the spell back in Brokovich, he thought as he regained his balance.
His aches relieved, he dodged a hissing alley cat and sped up his pace. As he continued to weave through the ever-changing maze of backyards and narrow passageways, more solar flares shot past him, causing flowers to burst into bloom and grimy walkways to shine like polished silver.
Still, in spite of his best attempts, the sound of pounding feet reached his ears, and from the growing proximity, Alf could tell the blood oaths were slowly gaining on him.
They're monsters, he thought to himself as he looked around, trying to find some way to put more range between him and them.
There was none.
Another solar flare shot past him, and a thought popped into his mind. "Hey, do you think you can focus the rays and flares on their shield?"
"I..," Olivia took a deep, shaky breath as a bead of perspiration evaporated from her forehead. "I don't know, but I'll try." She closed her eyes and stopped breathing.
Taking a quick glance over his shoulder, Alf watched the giant rings and flares pouring out from the ever-expanding sun gradually converge onto the blood oath's shield.
Olivia gasped, fell to her knees, and frantically gulped for air.
"Help me feed her oxygen!" Drake shouted to the maids as he rushed to her side and placed his hands on her back. "Alf, keep your eyes on the road!"
Alf spun back around to see the road came to an abrupt end several hundred feet ahead as it met what was left of the city wall. Taking a sharp turn into someone's yard, he leapt over a small shed, and came face to face with a whole host of soldiers, all of them wearing black armor and guarding the city gate.
The soldiers stopped.
Half of them lifted their faces skyward, watching the grand champion fly far overhead, while the others stared at him and lifted their hands threateningly, as if daring him to try to get through.
Alf didn't dare stop. Instead, he raised both of his hands, and charged straight at them.
The world exploded in blue light and thunder as streams of lightning as thick as Alf's arms burst from his fingertips. The strands of light raced forward, slammed into the group of men, and sent them flying in all directions like chaff in the wind. Seconds later, the dome house next to the shed he'd jumped over exploded as the two blood oaths plowed straight through it.
Alf's heart jumped in his chest, and summoning all the strength he could muster, he continued his mad dash straight past the downed and dazed men, through the gate, and out into the countryside.
"Their shield!" Drake shouted from behind him. "It's starting to crack!"
***
The sound of battle faded away and Dy'Ixion stood up, letting his eyes fall back into their normal state as he looked around. The melted rock had flowed down the side of the arena and formed into large pools, where now plumes of steam rose from their blackened surfaces as they started to cool. Ash and soot swirled around the few defenders still left standing—all the citizens and travelers had already fled for their lives—while the moans of the defeated filled the air.
Dy'Ixion smirked. He and his men had utterly crushed all resistance. Now, all that was left was to find the old man, get his revenge, and then scry Vackzilian to inform him everything was secure, that is, if the old codger hadn't gotten himself erased already.
He stretched and casually crossed his arms. Not likely, he thought to himself. That snoop was a coward at heart. He'd be held up somewhere deep in the coliseum like a rat hidden in his tunnels. Yes, Dy'Ixion would have fun ferreting him out and crushing him just like the man had done to him so many years ago. "This will be a day to remem..."
He trailed off midsentence. "Day?" He could've sworn it was dark out.
He spun to his right to see a giant sun swelling on the edge of the city.
"What in Eldrin's name!" he uttered, transfixed in awe.
***
"Alf, wait," Drake called. "They're stopping!"
Alf skidded to a halt and spun around. Using his hand to shield his face against the wind and rain, which whipped about them furiously now that they were out from underneath the city's shield, he looked between the city gates.
The blood oaths had stopped and were kneeling down and charging a new shield as their channeled one slowly thinned and cracked.
"They're placing a permanent shield. They're going to try to ride it out," the red haired maid exclaimed in alarm.
"Not if I can help it," Alf declared as he raised both of his hands against the wind and channeled more energy into Olivia's spell.
The grand champion let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain that sent shivers down his spine and caused his heart to catch in his throat.
"Stop!" Olivia shouted. "You'll kill her."
Alf paled and immediately dropped his hands as Drake looked up at the flying champion and said, "She's already casting a spell she shouldn't be able to. It's a miracle she's able to contain what Olivia's giving her." He dropped to one knee and placed his hand on the pavement as he tried to see the blood oaths through the overpowering light of the holy spell. "I don't think it's going to be enough. The spell is more than halfway over already, and everything it has is pounding against them, but..."
Alf stood there feeling like a wet, trapped dog. If he started to run now, the spell would get out of range of its target and they would start chasing them again. On the other hand, if they waited till the end of the spell, the blood oaths would simply wait it out and come right at them when it was finished. "What are we going to do if they survive this?" he asked Drake. "From what I've seen, I don't think I can outrun them."
"I know," the prince answered and closed his eyes. For some time, the wind tore at them, moaning in their ears as if it sang a dirge of defeat. Then Drake opened his eyes and his countenance fell as he looked Alf in the eye, the wind and rain whipping his short hair around. "I'm sorry," the boy said then flickered out of existence. Seconds later, Alf's sword detached itself from his belt and disappeared.
Realization struck Alf like a hammer. The prince had just cut his losses.
He felt his heart breaking as his eyes dropped to Olivia. She was barely conscious now, lying on her back as the maids fed her oxygen. He looked up at the eldest of the sisters. "Take her, I'll try to hold them off as long as I can."
"No," Olivia moaned.
"Olivia I.."
"No," she said again opening her eyes. "That's not what my Alfonso would do. Your str... strength," she swallowed. "is... not where your help comes from," she told him touching his ankle.
He blinked back his tears. She was right. He had become too reliant on his own strength. In the olden days, he'd prayed through his hardships and through the good times and bad times, and God had gotten him through each and every one, not himself. He looked skywards, letting the rain pelt his face. "Father, we need your help!" he called out with all his might.
"Get your head out of the clouds and help me!" a voice snapped.
He looked down to see the prince standing at his side, forming a spell.
"Don't just stand there. Help me," Drake snapped again.
"I... ah. What are you-"
"We are going to pierce their shield just like I did in my first class with you. Now help me, I can't form a fireball in this storm by myself."
Alf didn't need to be told a fourth time. He positioned his back to the wind and charged his energy into the forming spell.
A little fire blossomed to life between them, and Alf nourished it with his energy as the boy poked and prodded at it. Over top of them, the giant sun's hue shifted and its shape started to fold in on itself.
"If you're going to do something...," Olivia gasped. "Do it now," she said as the glow around her faded.
Drake muttered, "Almost got it."
"Almost there," Alf replied.
"Hold it steady."
"Fire!"
The fireball blasted away from Alf and Drake' hands. Burning a hole through the wind and rain, it slammed home into the blood oath's shield, pierced straight through the barrier, and exploded right between the blood oaths. The two figures flew apart from each other and smashed into their own shield as they were both bathed in flames, and at last a hairline crack appeared in the shield.
"Just in time. She's going supernova," Olivia whispered with a smile on her face.
As the golden ball of sun-fire consumed the last of the energy stabilizing it, it folded in an epic display of beauty and light as it went supernova. Exploding through the atmosphere, an intense wave of radiant white blotted out the world, completely eclipsing the blood oaths from view.
Drake plopped down on the pavement and breathed heavily. "If this doesn't kill them, then we have no chance of ever beating Vackzilian."
The shortest of the maids slipped from her knees where she had been praying, and pulled her wet hair back. "Ever the pessimist, huh Drake?"
Alf laughed wearily and sat down beside the prince as wave after wave of majestic light washed over them, each time increasing in radiance.