In the arena, the Pixies were forced back into their cages as the sixteen women donned armor.
Lady Anera stood next to Lord Norian. Her brows were furrowed as she looked at him, "What do we do now?"
Lord Norian smiled as he scanned the crowd, "What an interesting development. " He patted her head, "Kill the queen if you can, it would make our plans much easier. Once my mage arrives, there will be little to do if you assume the throne."
Anera giggled. She looked at Prince Jasreth, "Then is he needed?"
"No. But I'm keeping him in case things doesn't go as planned."
Anera leaned in and whispered softly, "My Lord, is the enchantment still working? I nearly died of fright when he spoke to Estelle."
Lord Norian winked at her, brought up his hand and pinched Prince Jasreth's arm hard. Jasreth grunted but couldn't say anything.
"A whole new spell?"Estelle asked, astonished.
"I added some extra precautions. Until I need him, he will be but deaf and mute to the world." He gave her a warm smile and then handed her something, "Go. Use this when all else fails. A family heirloom."
Anera looked down at the ball of crackling white power, her eyes widening at the sight.
"Oh my lord. It's too precious! I've only seen it described in the history books of Londaros." She held the globe close to her chest.
"My great grandfather used it to conquer three kingdoms."
Anera nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from it, "I know the magic by heart but never thought that I could one day use it." She curtsied, elated. With this immeasurable power by her side, she would not lose.
They waited, in full armor and regalia, for the foreign challenger. When Cybelline entered there was an audible gasp that ran through the audience. The girl had her normal clothes on, no magical protection, no physical protection.
But beneath her was a beast of a horse that seemed to have come straight out of tales of old. It was half a head taller than its competitors and it seemed much more menacing.
"Are you insane?" Estelle asked, frowning. "Go back and wear the armor I sent you."
No, thank you. It's too heavy."
"It's to save your life. What am I going to tell your brother when you've been roasted by magic." Estelle scowled, "I'm not going to sleep with him right after your death."
Cybelline coughed and looked up towards the sky. Estelle wasn't unlikable, but she did have intentions that Cybelline wasn't quite keen to explore.
"My queen, let's not waste anymore time." Anera snapped, "If she wants to die, it's her prerogative. Scum."
Estelle was getting annoyed at this presumptuous lady. True, she had spent time as her favorite, but if this nitwit thought that favoritism allowed her to become impertinent, then Anera was going to be dead before dessert.
A gentle hand was placed on her arm, Cybelline smiled and shook her head. The smile was ice and Estelle was stunned by its beauty. She had never seen something so deadly and...so attractive.
By the time Estelle had come back around, Cybelline had rode away.
"Gods, how can the sister be even more attractive." Estelle shook the blush from her cheeks and rode onto the field. She nodded to the Master of the Hunt who sounded the horn. Magicians raised their hands and a magical barrier rose between the competitors and the crowds so that there was no harmful magic to hit the onlookers.
The game had started.
The ladies had been standing in a large circle, equidistant from one another. Their horse pawed at the ground in anticipation.
Suddenly an earthquake rumbled within the fields. The ground shook violently and cracked in several places.
Cybelline looked over and saw two sisters, dressed in blue metal armor muttering a long string of incantation, their fingers shining with magic. Sharp jags of earth rose ten feet into the air, spearing the horses that had become frightened and skittish. Two women fell off their dead horses this way. They hit the ground and disappeared in a rush of white light, instantly transported from the battleground to outside of the barrier.
It became instantly obvious the advantages of a well trained horse in that moment. Cybelline looked down at the giant beast she sat on and frowned. Why did Lord Killian help her? The only interactions she had with him were in disguise. Why did he appear so suddenly and leave her with those odd words?
The earth shook and cracked, a horse fell through, taking its screaming rider with it. A flash of white light and the rider was transported out. Cybelline focused on the scene in front of her.
In that moment giant roots shot up from the earth as two mages wielding green magic called forth massive vines that broke through the jutting spears of earth. The great vines rushed for the two women and lifted them into the air, their bodies thrashed and dragged through their own magical works as if they were rag dolls. Once they hit the ground, they too were transported.
Cybelline studied the magic carefully, it looked as if the women's skin had to touch the ground before they were transported. Interesting.
Cybelline patted her horse, who had lightly leapt through a maze of jagged earth spears as if it was flat ground. No one noticed them, it was as if they were only an afterthought.
Fireballs flew in towards the nature mages, burning away their creations. A gust of wind engulfed the flames and created a large, fire tornado, it slammed into the nature mages who screamed. They jumped from their horse, the magic too powerful to handle. The fire and tornado merged and swept across the field, three more mages were thrown off their horses. More white lights flashed as they too disappeared.
A bolt of lighting hit the field, it's electricity attracted to the metal the women were wearing. The streaky white light burned the eyes of anyone who saw it.
BOOM. Two women were destroyed instantly by lightning. The crowd went silent as everyone watched in horror at the first two deaths.
Lightning. Held by a woman who was known for her water magic. She was holding lighting.
"Isn't that the treasure of Londaros, the Holy Light?" A noble gasped recognizing the relic, "Said to be one of the most powerful relics in history. Created from the blood of thousands of light elves!"
BOOM. The lightning was aimed at a woman who had cast the fire in the tornado.
Estelle saw the lighting and rode forward. She pushed the woman off her horse and barely escaped herself.
"Your majesty!" The girl screamed and fell to the earth. She and Estelle had worked together to create fire tornado. And now Estelle had saved her life. Estelle smiled at the girl who was now outside the barrier, "No matter, Kelani, go rest."
Anera smiled as she raised a globe in her hand, in it contained crackling lightening. Her eyes, her hair was lit with light. " She raised her hand, "This is one of the most powerful relics of magic. Do you really think you could beat me with your worthless power?"
Estelle sat on her horse, her face extremely pale. There was a gash across cheek and her armor was now torn to pieces. Blood ran from her delicate mouth. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the lightning ball. She knew where it came from. If Anera had this kind of power, then she was a traitor to her own country.
Only one person could save them now. She looked for Phillip, praying that he had gone to look for the Augur.
Anera looked at the remaining women on the field.
Facing Estelle were three women. Anera smiled triumphantly, these were all her loyal followers. Today Estelle would die.
"Queen Estelle, You're injured."
Anera said as she rode to her posse. They bowed respectfully to Anera, "You Majesty."
Anera's face showed concern but her eyes were colder than dead fish as she looked at Estelle. She tutted, "If you get off your horse now, we won't harm you."
"Excrement smells better than the words you're spewing." Estelle said coolly, "And we both know that you're going to kill me before I could lift my royal skirts out of the stirrups."
Anera relished the moment. Her cold gaze turned to Estelle, "You don't deserve the throne. Tonight, I will show everyone just how weak you really are. "
"Tell me how you really feel."
"You're injured. You have no one." Anera ignored her queen, "You will die alone before the eyes of your loyal nobility."
"Umm...."
Anera looked around and her mouth fell open. Cybelline scratched her nose and raised her hand, "Still here." She looked down at her half finished bag of nuts and sighed a little regretfully before putting it away. She hadn't eaten much for dinner.
Anera laughed, "How fortunate that you haven't died! I will enjoy this so, very, very much." She motioned to her three lackeys, "Get the bitch. Kill her slowly, don't let her fall to the ground."
"Lady Estelle, let's watch the girl die before I kill you. It'll make this much more fun." Anera said as she leaned on her horse, playing with the ball of lightening.
The three mages smiled at each other and raised their hands in unison. The crowd gasped.
Anera sighed and looked at Estelle meaningfully, "I was saving those three for you for you, but no matter, once they are done with the scum, I'll make them freeze your blood."
High in the sky, a large block of ice shaped like a dagger hung above the girl, the size of a tower. Cybelline rode her horse one way, and it followed, hovering in the sky. She rode it another and it followed still.
Cybelline rolled her eyes, "Waste of time."
Then it began to fall. The crowd watched, fascinated. There was no way the girl could escape certain death.
Cybelline stretched and patted the horse on the head, "Let's go, Star. I need some height and momentum." On the brown steed there was white star on its forehead.
The horse snorted, it's name was was not star, it was Stormbane. Stormbane would rather die than be named star. But his master had told him to follow this insane woman, and he dared not disobey. The horse pawed the ground angrily and with power that awed the crowd, ran up a large broken piece of rock that stood, nearly vertical in the air.
The people were puzzled, why was she not trying to run away from the giant ice dagger, but towards it?
Cybelline stood up in the saddle and did a final stretch, "Make sure you catch me."
The crowd watched, spellbound as the girl stood on the thundering warhorse, her clothes waving in the wind. Suddenly, she leapt high into the air, towards the falling Ice Dagger.
And kicked it.
WHOOOSH. The Giant Ice Dagger that was larger than a house changed direction and flew towards the three sisters.
They weren't prepared, they had been maintaining their spell. It was a dangerous piece of magic, calling so much ice from air.
By the time they heard the air whistle, when they looked up and saw their deaths hurtling towards them, it was too late.
The earth shook when the giant piece of ice crashed, the sound reverberating in everyone's hearts. A hole that was twenty feet deep appeared.
Cybelline landed lightly back onto her horse and took out her nuts again. She threw a few into her mouth and looked at the hole. It would probably take a while to dig those women out.
The crowd was stunned. Anera was stunned. No one knew what to say. This woman who had shown no outwards sign of magic had singlehandedly taken out some of the most powerful mages in the realm.
What had just happened? Could someone explain it to them? Were they all collectively dreaming the same dream?
Anera looked at Cybelline and found that they couldn't stop staring into those eyes. She felt breathless from fear. But then the white ball of lightening crackled in her palm and she looked down.
What did she have to fear? Her magic was ten times more powerful than those worthless ice sisters. She would teach the girl a lesson.
She raised the globe, a flash of lightning rushed at the girl. This was true lighting, no one could dodge a blow.
But the next moment, her worldview was flipped on its head. Nothing could dodge this kind of magic.
Except the horse that was carrying the girl. It dodged the magic easily. Cybelline looked into Anera's face and sighed, "You couldn't have waited until I finished these?" She put away her snacks again.
What had just happened? Could someone explain it to her? Was she dreaming?
Anera tried three more times and each time, more easily than the last, Cybelline's horse flew past the powerful magic without even singeing its' tail.
They stood now, facing each other, with half of the field between them.
Anera took out the globe, "I'm done playing." She threw the globe a Cybelline, and uttered a spell. She grinned, "Today, I'll teach you why it's not advisable to fool with mages." She raised her hand into the air and the roar of lightning boomed in the sky. The globe exploded, its magic unleashed towards a singular form.
Lightning rushed at Cybelline. Flying through the air like a white hot streak, it seemed to cover half of the field with its power.
Cybelline's eyes narrowed, she patted her horse. And without another word, jumped towards the oncoming storm.
Phillip had rushed back with the Augur in tow when he saw what had happened. The girl, a mere flutter of a shape, diving into the crackling lighting. She seemed to be a small dot in the sky, a feather in a snowstorm. This was magic that only a few of the highest caliber could handle. How could a girl who showed no signs of magic bear this? She was strong, stronger than anyone he'd met, but this was the relic of the ancients. He left the Augur and ran for the barrier.
Killian stared at the strange woman who jumped headfirst into danger. His fist clenched and in a flash he was before the magical barrier. He had just found her, he would not lose her once more. He raised his sword, about to strike. If any harm came to her, he promised himself, he would burn this city to ash.
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Author's note: Phew! This is a long chapter and again, I want to thank everyone who has been following this story. I can't say how beyond grateful I am to have such a wonderful audience. As thanks, I wanted to do an extra update this week. To all the people who comment and like this story, you have no idea how much you make my day better. It puts a smile on my face to see the group of people enjoying this journey. Thank you!