ã€ŠThe Demon Akahaziel: Spirit Linkã€‹


 Prologue

    Fyodor grumbled to himself as he wandered around the old hut, preparing things so he could go to sleep. ¡®They didn¡¯t have to quarantine me this far out.¡¯ He thought to himself bitterly. Fyodor was among the sick and dying in his mountainous village, they¡¯d sent each person that had the signs, black lumps under the armpits and groin area all swollen, into some of the outlying farms and houses that had been abandoned for this fierce winter. This hut wasn¡¯t too bad he admitted to himself when he had arrived earlier this morning. But that was too many hours ago, he¡¯d had to keep his mind and body occupied so he¡¯d done some work around the hut. No use just giving up and dying, no one did that around here, otherwise winter would have been the death knell in the first year here. The speed at which the sickness would kill some was merciful at least. He¡¯d seen Vlad¡¯s widow going into her house one night and the next morning, her skin looked all waxen, she was off colour and sweating profusely. She¡¯d gone to see the priest, who was as good a doctor as they had out here, but he¡¯d told her to make herself comfortable. Throughout the day, she¡¯d started wheezing and coughing up blood, it was over before sundown. That was two days ago.

    This morning, when Fyodor had woken, he was startled and scared to find swelling under his arms and around his groin. He hadn¡¯t told anyone and had simply gone about his daily chores. He¡¯d had to stop a few times because he was short of breath and wheezing. One such time, his neighbour had come over to see if he was alright. Of course he was, Fyodor had snapped, didn¡¯t people realise that aging wasn¡¯t friendly to the health. ¡®I¡¯m just getting old,¡¯ he had lied. His head now sunk at the thought, hoping that by lying he hadn¡¯t caused anyone else to get the sickness. He felt bad enough about what had happened at the inn; he¡¯d gone inside after his chores were done and sat down in his usual spot and one of those nice girls had brought him his usual drink, without even needing to be asked mind, but halfway through the tankard, he had started coughing. At first it was a dry coughing wheeze, but as it continued, to his horror, he had started coughing up blood. Well that had certainly stirred up an ants'' nest hadn¡¯t it? A few of the boys had taken him to the priest, who inspected him and gave him the bad news. The priest didn¡¯t leave it at that though, he had told Fyodor to hold on, and to conserve his energy. When Fyodor had snorted in derision, the priest had explained about a man that he had sent for, a magicker. He was coming to heal everyone and stop the disease. He then went on to say that Fyodor was lucky, that the man should be coming from the west and that¡¯s where the old huntsman¡¯s hut was. When Fyodor had asked what that had to do with him, the priest had told him about the quarantine, anyone with signs of the sickness was being sent to the outlying farms.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    That was this morning. Fyodor had been ushered out, given a sack and told to head to the huntsman¡¯s hut as it wasn¡¯t used in winter. It had taken Fyodor quite a few hours to reach the hut, and some more after that to clear the snow from the doorway to get inside. When he had, he¡¯d burst in and scrabbled together all the things to make a fire and had sat luxuriating in the warmth for some time. For too long in fact, it was now past sunset and he¡¯d only just had his meal and the fire was guttering, trying to stay alight but in danger of going out. So here he was, an old man, grumbling and grasping in the snowy dark for some dry wood to keep the fire going overnight. After he¡¯d gathered all the wood, Fyodor went back inside and stoked the fire until it was a strong steady flame again. He collapsed down onto the pallet bed exhausted and went to sleep.

    Fyodor was awoken in the middle of the night by an enormous crash. Bitter cold wind started blowing on him and he opened his eyes. One of the hut walls was open and a tree was protruding through. The wind must have caught it and blown it over. Too tired and exhausted to get up and do anything, Fyodor gritted his teeth, pulled his threadbare blanket tight around him and hoped that the magicker would arrive soon.

 Chapter 1

    Gazing through the snow being whirled about by blustery winds, Dmitri could see a small building silhouetted against the tree line up ahead. He turned back to his young apprentice on a horse behind him and indicated towards the small structure ahead. Nudging his horse back into a slow walk, they continued towards the building. Getting closer, Dmitri could see that a great tree had fallen on the building, which appeared to be a hut of some sort. The tree had knocked down one of the walls and was exposing the interior to the elements. Taking in the hut¡¯s surroundings, they were the same as what Dmitri and his apprentice had seen in the last few days on their journey; a cart trail amongst great snowy pine trees. The enormous trees towered over them; their bare trunks letting the wind whip through and deliver a cold and snowy blast.

    Reaching the hut, Dmitri dismounted and held out the reins to his young apprentice, who had also dismounted eagerly, ¡°Wait here,¡± he said.

    ¡°But it is cold out here,¡± the boy complained, disappointed, ¡°I want to go in with you.¡±

    ¡°Make a shield,¡± said Dmitri.

    The boy shrugged, ¡°I can¡¯t. You haven¡¯t taught me.¡±

    ¡°That is my point Antonio, you are not prepared for these things,¡± replied Dmitri.

    Antonio pouted, looking crestfallen. Dmitri leant down, looking Antonio in the eyes, ¡°If you wait here, the elements will acknowledge your patience, your willingness to spend time amongst them. Besides, I had planned to teach you a shield tonight.¡±

    Antonio¡¯s eyes lit up at the prospect. ¡°But only if you wait out here,¡± finished Dmitri.

    Antonio nodded and stood with the mounts as Dmitri walked the rest of the way to the hut. ¡°Learning to be an Exarch will be hard,¡± his father had told him. He¡¯d then continued and given Antonio the choice, stay at their villa in Italy, get married and take over the family business, or leave and become an Exarch, explore the world. At sixteen, Antonio knew it was too early to settle down so he¡¯d joined the Exarch¡¯s soon after. 6 months later and here he was, already advancing up the ranks as an Exarch and now on a mission in Dmitri¡¯s homeland of Russia.

    Dmitri reached the hut and ducked inside the hole created by the tree. Inside, an old man lay shaking on a small worn pallet bed. Dmitri could see the mottled tone of his skin, and the dark lesions over his body and could see that this poor man was in the final stages of a deadly malady. He quickly strode over to the man and kneeling down, traced the glyph for water in the air above him, a circle within a circle; the glyph glowed blue for a time and then slowly sunk into the man on the bed. He gasped as it made contact with his flesh and he shuddered awake. Seeing Dmitri, he started even further and tried to shuffle away. Dmitri made a placating gesture and spoke to the old man; ¡°Rest easy my friend; I will do you no harm.¡±

    The old man visibly relaxed at this and a spark of recognition passed through his eyes, ¡°You¡¯re the magicker?¡± he asked.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°I am the Exarch, yes. My name is Dmitri. I¡¯m here to help your village,¡± replied Dmitri kindly.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you found me too late Dmitri, I think this will be my last resting place. You¡¯ll tell the villagers that I went peacefully won¡¯t you? My name is Fyodor,¡± said the man sadly.

    Bowing his head, Dmitri said ¡°Of course I will. And I will make you comfortable before you go, to make it easier. But can you tell me one thing?¡±

    ¡°Thank you my friend. I did find my peace with the world these last few hours. It¡¯s been enlightening. But what can I possibly tell you?¡±

    ¡°Where did it all start? What happened?¡±

    Fyodor shook his head weakly, ¡°We don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry; I wish I could help you more.¡± He coughed, spitting up blood as he did so, ¡°its close I think. Can you do one last thing for me after I go?¡±

    Dmitri looked up curious, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Can you burn my body? We¡¯ve been doing that in the village to prevent it spreading. I don¡¯t want the children coming out here in the coming months and catching anything.¡± He said with a pained look on his face.

    ¡°Yes, of course I can. Now if you¡¯ll think of something that makes you happy, I¡¯ll help you release.¡±

    Fyodor closed his eyes and thought of the children in the village, growing up to be strong. A smile broke across his old weathered face.

    Dmitri rose and started drawing glyphs in the air, the circles for water, a curling cloud-like shape for air, a sharp mountain peak to represent earth and the shape of a single flame for fire. The glyphs sunk into Fyodor who shuddered at their contact and his breathing slowed gradually and then stopped with a sigh. Dmitri leaned over and folded Fyodor¡¯s arms across his chest and bowed his head, saying a short prayer. He then pulled the sheet up over Fyodor¡¯s face, turned and left the hut.

    When Dmitri was outside once again, he heard Antonio call out, ¡°What was in there?¡±

    Dmitri walked to Antonio, ¡°A man died in there. He held on until the end. He was a brave man.¡±

    ¡°Who was he?¡± asked Antonio.

    ¡°A farmer by the name of Fyodor,¡± replied Dmitri.

    ¡°A farmer was brave?¡± asked Antonio sceptically.

    Dmitri sighed; he¡¯d had to deal with prejudice from the boy before. ¡°You are taught differently in your homeland. If someone isn¡¯t noble, they¡¯re a no-one. That isn¡¯t the way it works elsewhere Antonio, you need to know that if you want to become an Exarch.¡±

    ¡°But-¡± started Antonio, but Dmitri interrupted him,

    ¡°But nothing Antonio, you need to learn humility,¡± Dmitri said sharply. ¡°Now lead the horses back away so I can fulfil a promise to a dying man.¡±

    Mumbling, Antonio did as he was told and moved the horses. Dmitri moved a distance away from the hut and turned back to face it. Bowing his head once more, he traced the glyphs for all four elements, and asked of the spirits ¡®Can you please help your servant to return one of your children to your hearts. With water cleanse his body, with fire burn it, with air to spread the ashes, and earth to return it.¡¯

    A blue glow emanated from the hut which was replaced with an orange glow as the crackling of flames could be heard from within. The heat was so intense that Dmitri had to move further away. A wind rose and Dmitri huddled low to the ground, which shook slightly. When he looked up once more, the hut was gone. In its place was a mound, no snow covered its slope, instead grass greener then he had seen in some time covered it. And there in the middle was a solitary sapling.

    ¡®Please look after him.¡¯ Dmitri whispered to the spirits and turned back to Antonio, ¡°It is done. Now we continue on to the village.¡±

    Antonio continued to stare at the sapling in awe, it wasn¡¯t often an Exarch used that much power. Dmitri took his horse¡¯s reins and nudged Antonio, who mounted his horse and followed Dmitri.

 Chapter 2

    Topping a rise, Dmitri looked over the snow covered ground towards the village. There was a scattering of houses with two or three larger buildings interspersed amongst them, a larger building that had a church-like bearing and what appeared to be an inn or tavern were the only buildings formed with stone. The rest were log huts, with thatched roofs. Smoke issued from the inn and several of the smaller houses and in the middle of the village a great plume of thick black smoke rose.

    ¡°What a dismal little village,¡± observed Antonio.

    ¡°Antonio, humility!¡± said Dmitri sharply and nudged his horse in motion again and continued towards the village. As they walked their horses through the outskirts towards the centre of town where the inn was located, they noticed the people; they had a haunted look about them and Dmitri saw a woman ushering a child inside, all the while looking back in fear.

    As Antonio watched them, he ran into something, turning, he saw two men carrying a long sack between them.

    ¡°Watch where you are going man!¡± cried Antonio imperiously.

    The man he had run into raised his hand to cuff the impudent pup. Antonio; feeling threatened started to trace the glyph for water in the air.

    ¡°Antonio!¡± barked Dmitri, ¡°You are not in your Father¡¯s villa anymore, you are not better than these people.¡± He turned to the man Antonio had run into, who had lowered his hand and was watching them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about my apprentice. He¡¯s a bit impetuous at times. Humility isn¡¯t an easy thing to come by in Italian nobility.¡±

    The man shrugged and continued his task, he and the other man heaved the sack onto a fiercely burning pyre, already stacked high with sacks of a similar shape and size. As the flames took hold of the sack, it fell open and a foot slipped free, Dmitri could see that it too was covered in the black sores he had seen on poor Fyodor.

    The two men looked at Dmitri and Antonio darkly, muttering under their breaths and crossing themselves. Dmitri lowered his head sadly and they continued towards the inn. They entered the stable yard where a young boy stood shivering, ready to take the horse of any traveller. His eyes widened in fear as he saw Dmitri though, and only calmed a small amount after Dmitri had handed over his horse¡¯s reins. Antonio dismounted and started to hand the boy his reins as well, but Dmitri stopped him, ¡°Antonio, consider this your lesson for now, stay with the boy. He will show you how to look after your horse correctly. The poor beast hasn¡¯t been looked after too well since we¡¯ve been on the road.¡± He turned back to the boy, "Can you rub her down with some straw, and see she has some oats, it''s been a long trip, even for her."

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    The boy nodded numbly and took the reins. Antonio grumbled as Dmitri turned and walked towards the inn.

    From outside, Dmitri could hear a hearty hubbub coming from inside, but the minute he opened the door and a gust of wind swept in, all sound stopped. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, Dmitri looked around. It was a pretty standard establishment; scuffed and scarred wooden tables about the room. Two fire places, one at either end of the great room, straw all over the floor that helped soak up the spills. A large round faced sweaty man with an apron was clearly the innkeeper and the two women bustling about, his waitresses. As Dmitri headed towards the bar and the innkeeper, he heard mutters from people, calling him sinner, evil and worse. The innkeeper, not wanting to bring anything untoward to his inn, loudly proclaimed "Stop this nonsense, all of you. He''s here to help us. Right my lord? You are here to help us aren''t you?" and he looked at Dmitri questioningly.

    "Of course I am. It was why I was sent for," said Dmitri reassuringly, and towards the patrons, "You have nothing to fear from me. I will do what I can." The crowd settled somewhat, but not entirely, some patrons kept muttering under their breath.

    The innkeeper sighed visibly at this and gathering himself, asked of Dmitri, "Is there anything I can get you my Lord? Should I send for the priest? No, surely you''d like some food first?"

    Dmitri raised his hand to stall the Innkeeper, "Please, slow down. If you can show my apprentice and I up to our room, we''ll get settled and see the priest. If you can send someone over to let him know I''m coming?"

    ¡°You have an apprentice? I didn¡¯t know you people had apprentices, where is he?¡± the Innkeeper asked looking around.

    ¡°Outside cooling off,¡± replied Dmitri, ¡°he is the son of a nobleman, he is used to ordering people around. I¡¯ll get him.¡±

    Dmitri walked back out the door and as he was leaving, he could hear the innkeeper talking to his patrons and telling them nothing but good things would happen with the magicker here. To his surprise, Antonio was rubbing down his horse, following the instructions of the young stable boy. When he told Antonio that their room was ready, Antonio surprised him again by saying that he would come up to the room after his horse was settled down for the day. Dmitri asked for the stable boy to show Antonio up to the room when he was done and then he walked back inside.

    ¡°He¡¯s going to stay with your stable boy for a bit longer, I¡¯ll head to the room now though if you don¡¯t mind,¡± said Dmitri.

    "Yes, yes of course, right this way," said the Innkeeper and started to lead Dmitri up the stairs to his room. As they passed the door to the kitchen, the Innkeeper looked in and called to the cook, "Hey, tell Ivan to go tell the priest that his man is here. And tell him to hurry." He then nodded to himself, satisfied and continued up the stairs.

 Chapter 3

    Once they reached the top of the stairs, the Innkeeper led Dmitri down a corridor to a door at the end; he opened the door and showed Dmitri in. The room was a decent size for an inn as remote as this one. The bed was a sturdy affair and there was a wash basin and stand in the corner.

    "Here is your room. I''ve sent Ivan, the stable boy, to tell the priest you''re coming, and he should be back soon. Let me know if you need anything." said the Innkeeper and turned to leave.

    "Wait," said Dmitri. "Once Ivan returns, Antonio will more than likely be done and will need to be shown up here."

    "Oh, of course my Lord, of course," said the Innkeeper bowing and turning to leave once more.

    "Oh and one more thing," the Innkeeper turned back to Dmitri again, who threw him a coin, "For standing up for me down there. While I could have defended myself, it is better coming from someone they know. We don''t need people making a darker time of things then they already are."

    The Innkeeper caught the coin, startled. He bowed once more and exited the room, leaving Dmitri to himself.

    Removing his cloak, Dmitri began to sort out his gear and it wasn¡¯t long before Antonio arrived in the room. ¡°Welcome back,¡± said Dmitri.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Antonio said, and then continued. ¡°I found that man I ran into and apologised, he was in the tap room.¡±

    Dmitri smiled; it seemed that he was getting through to the boy after all. ¡°Well done Antonio, I¡¯m proud of you. I didn¡¯t want to have to ask you to do it; a forced apology is worth nothing. Did you learn much from Ivan?¡±

    ¡°I did actually,¡± Antonio said, surprising himself. ¡°We had horse handlers at home and they would do everything. I see what you mean about needing to be at the same level as everything else, you see more. So what I¡¯m trying to say is that I¡¯m sorry, I will try to be a better student and a better person.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Dmitri with a smile. ¡°That is all I can ask, that you try. Exarch training is difficult. It will be many years before you¡¯re at my level. You¡¯ve only learnt two of the four elements, and you¡¯ve only just learnt water correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a few months ago,¡± replied Antonio.

    ¡°Now I probably shouldn¡¯t be teaching you complexities like this so soon,¡± started Dmitri, ¡°but from what I saw on that farmer, you¡¯re going to need a purifying shield. It will stop diseases from affecting you. To do this, you need to use both air and water elements at once. You¡¯ve used more than one at a time haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Antonio shook his head, somewhat in awe of the fact that he was going to be learning to use more than one element at once. When they returned, he¡¯d be the envy of the other apprentices!

    ¡°Ok, follow me as I do it, first, draw the glyph for air and visualise a big ball of it around you.¡± Dmitri followed his own words and traced the glyph for air, a breath of wind, into the air in front of him. The air around him seemed to shimmer as a shield came into being around him, close to his skin like a second set of clothes.

    Antonio followed suit and drew the glyph for air as well. Dmitri saw the air shimmer around Antonio and he reached out to see if he could reach Antonio¡¯s cloak, his hand hit a solid patch of air.

    ¡°Good good, well done,¡± praised Dmitri. ¡°The next bit is trickier. You effectively duplicate that shield of air and put water between them. It is a two-step process, but you only need to draw the glyph for water, you use the air you already have. Watch me do it.¡± The air around Dmitri thickened and he traced the glyph for water in the air, two concentric circles. The air around him shimmered again and seemed to thicken substantially. ¡°You see how I did it?¡± Dmitri asked now that he was finished.

    Antonio nodded and concentrated; the air around him thickened like it had around Dmitri. He traced the glyph in the air and the air around him began to thicken. Suddenly, the ¡®inner wall¡¯ of his shield was no longer there! His shield began to fill with water instead; his boots began to get wet.

    ¡°Quickly,¡± instructed Dmitri, ¡°release the magic!¡±

    Antonio took no time to let go of the magic, water splashed all over the floor; he looked miserable. Dmitri clapped him on the shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Antonio, it can happen to the best of us. Just wait until you¡¯re in a group learning fire. That¡¯s an interesting day for sure. Did you want to stay here and practice or come with me to see the priest?¡±

    ¡°I might practice a bit more if I may, if Ivan is showing you to the church, I¡¯ll seek him out later to show me the way,¡± replied Antonio with a look of concentration on his face.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll let him know so he can expect you. Try not to get too much water everywhere,¡± he finished with a grin.

 Chapter 4

    Dmitri left the room and headed downstairs. The innkeeper saw him and sent Ivan over to him. Dmitri smiled at him, "Ah young Ivan is it? I heard the Innkeeper say your name before, you''re the one that helped our horses aren''t you? She''s away safely I trust?"

    Ivan nodded, "Yes my Lord, she''s away safely. I put her in the end stall and gave her some oats just like you said. Did you want to go and see Father Marcus now?"

    "Yes, thank you Ivan that would be good. We''ve got to fix the problem your village has don''t we?"

    Ivan nodded again. "Follow me, I''ll take you to him," he said.

    As Dmitri followed the boy Ivan back through the Inn, he looked around and noticed that a lot of the people in the Inn seemed to have settled somewhat to his presence, the darkness there wasn''t near what it had been earlier. "Ivan," Dmitri called, "can you tell me why everyone seems to be scared of me?"

    "Oh, um, I''m not sure what Father Marcus has told everyone else, but he told us kids that a magicker is coming to fix things,¡± replied Ivan. ¡°We are all scared though, so many have gotten sick. My Da says it''s never been this bad before. Some people aren¡¯t sure you can be trusted."

    Dmitri pondered this as they travelled the rest of the trip in silence. Once they arrived at the church, the other stone structure in the village, Dmitri was lead in and taken through the nave of the church to a small door at the back. Ivan knocked on this and a voice on the inside beckoned them in. Dmitri opened the door and was greeted by a small old man in the garb of a priest.

    "Ah, you must be the Exarch the church sent?" asked the old priest, rising to his feet. "I''m so glad you''ve come, it''s been a horrible time. Well you would have seen for yourself what it is like out there. But come, come and sit with me, my name is Father Marcus."

    Dmitri walked over and sat where the old priest had beckoned. As he did so, he looked around the room, seeing if he could identify the type of man he was dealing with. A priest of course, that much could be told from his clothes and location, but the quality of his furniture, lesser then that Dmitri had seen at the inn indicated that this man took his role as a priest to God with humility and respect. Some priests that Dmitri had dealt with were quite the opposite. They would hoard wealth and they would adorn their usually spoilt fat fingers with rings and gems and wear silk robes and live in opulence. Father Marcus however was a plain man, the decorations in his small room said as much, a small statue here, a drab painting there, nothing at all gaudy.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Dmitri introduced himself to Father Marcus, "Yes, I am Dmitri Romanovic, Exarch. Tell me, how did this all start? I met one of your people, Fyodor, and he was unable to shed any light on the cause."

    "Fyodor?" the priest asked, startled, "You met Fyodor? Is he alive, did you help him?"

    Saddened by the reminder, Dmitri replied, "No, I''m afraid I was too late. I did make it easier for him; I dulled the pain and let him go comfortably."

    "Oh that''s good," said Marcus looking disappointed and saddened, "It''s probably for the best; he would have been in great pain. He was a good man, a bit irritable at times, but aren''t we all? I mean at this age, we have plenty of reason to be irritable."

    Dmitri let him ramble for a time, lost in his memories and then reached over and patted him on the arm. "The cause?" he asked gently.

    "Oh my yes, I''m sorry, I tend to do that, one of the failures of age you see. If I get too carried away, please get me back on track won''t you? Now where was I? Oh yes, the cause. It was the water. It flows from a natural cave slightly further up the mountains from here. We figure that something has gone and died in the cave and it''s washed into the river and is rotting and corrupting the water there."

    "Couldn''t some of your local men do something?" Dmitri asked, surprised that he''d been called all the way out here for such a simple task.

    "Ah yes," Marcus started hesitantly, embarrassed, "It seems that the local men are still a superstitious lot. They won''t go near the cave. In fact, I don''t think I have seen any of them pass what they call the Guardian Flame. Although there is some sort of ceremony up there once a year. Yes I do know it is probably some sort of pagan ritual but I just find it easier to let them have it. The road to God has many paths after all."

    "What is the Guardian Flame?" Dmitri asked gently interrupting him.

    "What? Oh yes, part-way up the path towards the cave there are some torches and a basin of flames. They''re all protected from the weather with little shelters and all. The villagers don''t let it go out. When I first arrived here as a missionary, how many years ago, I don''t recall, but the people worshipped the fire. A bit pagan I know, but they embraced my teachings readily enough. But even now, after years of worshipping God and all his glory, they still won''t let the flames die out. They say it keeps him away."

 Chapter 5

    They were interrupted by a knock on the door. It opened and Ivan led Antonio in. Dmitri turned to Marcus, ¡°I¡¯d like you to meet my apprentice, Antonio. Antonio, this is Father Marcus, he was the priest that sent word that we were needed. He¡¯s just been explaining the situation.¡± They quickly filled Antonio in who nodded as he listened. After the explanation, Antonio had a question, "You mentioned the flames keep Him away, who is that?" he asked. Dmitri nodded as he was thinking the same thing.

    "Yes, I''m not sure exactly. They say he is some sort of demon, Akahatal or something, I never did quite understand. It''s based on one of their legends; a great bloodthirsty demon that would ravage the countryside, flocks would be decimated, people were too fearful to leave their homes after dark and so on. But one day, a great warrior arrived, Alyosha I believe he was called, and he fought the beast. The battle raged for days, the upper hand swung back and forth and lightning crashed through the sky. But when lightning struck a tree near Alyosha, he grabbed a burning branch and thrust it at the demon. The demon''s thick fur caught on fire and it fled, but not before it had delivered what would be a fatal blow to Alyosha. Their spirits having been raised by the appearance of Alyosha were saddened at this, but while some stayed to tend the fallen warrior, the rest took up branches and brands and took off after the demon. They chased him away from the village towards a cave further up the mountain, where they stopped at the mouth of the cave and planted the torches there. Cornered, the demon turned to attack, but all the villagers threw flaming spears and more at the beast. It turned and fled deeper into the cave. So the beast was well and truly driven away by fire so the story goes and the villagers stick by it."

    Dmitri had been watching Antonio during Marcus¡¯ story and after Marcus had finished, Antonio blinked, having not realised how entrancing the story had been. Dmitri could see why Father Marcus was a natural at his role as a priest; if he could entrance Antonio with a story, he could draw anyone in by the sound of his voice.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "What happened to Alyosha? And when did they put the fire there?" asked Antonio eagerly.

    Marcus saw the excited look on Antonio¡¯s face and laughed, "I''m sorry, I didn''t realise it would be that exciting. Alyosha did die and was buried along the path to the cave. The people kept the torches there where they had planted them. The shelters were apparently built soon thereafter, but I''m not certain about any of it for sure. It is after all an old legend. They say the torches will go out when the great hero returns to deliver them from evil once more, but who''s to say?" Having finished his story, Marcus got up and poured himself a goblet of water. Passing Dmitri and Antonio one each as well, he said, "Oh, one more thing, there are some sort of runes in the stone of the pathway too. I''ve not seem them in years, so I don''t recall the exact details. You''ll see them anyway when you go to the cave."

    "What does the legend say the demon looked like?" Dmitri asked before Antonio could say anything else to side track the old priest.

    "Ah, that I don''t know, but they say it was big and furry, so I''d probably say about the size of a bear standing on its rear legs." Dmitri raised an eyebrow at the mention of a bear. "Yes, I know what you''re thinking, it was a bear? I don''t know; the story was passed down the generations; so it is possible that it was a bear. We don''t get many of them around here so the villagers could have seen it and simply feared the worst."

    "I''ve seen some odd things in my time as an Exarch, but nothing that tells me there are demons around. I''d imagine the first telling of the legend had it as a lot smaller then the version you just told me." Dmitri said reassuringly, "Besides, I have the element of fire on my side." With that, he gestured the glyph for fire with his fingers and a flame appeared dancing on his palm.

    Father Marcus gasped at this, "I see now why they say you Exarchs are powerful. It''s no wonder we of the church task you to do our work."

    Dmitri raised his hand to stop him, "Please Father Marcus, I only do what I need to do to help, don''t heap your praises on me, I do it for the people, not the acclaim. Anyway, let''s move away from that and talk about how I should go about this."

    Father Marcus nodded and they began to discuss plans.

 Chapter 6

    Dmitri rose early but let Antonio sleep for a while longer. Dmitri had spent the night tossing and turning and had awoken bleary eyed, his sleep had been a troubled one, dreams full of bears and fire and darkness and demons, no doubt brought on by the priest''s tale yesterday. He went down to the taproom to get some supplies for the day from the innkeeper. They gathered sacks of provisions and some sturdy staves to help them up the mountain. Just as they were tying the bundles, a tousle-haired Antonio appeared in the doorway.

    ¡°How did you sleep?¡± asked Dmitri, knowing that they¡¯d both need to be alert during the day.

    ¡°I practised the shielding after you went to sleep last night. I can do it every time now,¡± replied Antonio.

    ¡°Ah, excellent.¡± Said Dmitri, ¡°That is very good to hear. You¡¯re going to need that a lot today. Once we reach the section in the cave where the disease is entering the water, the disease will be present in the air and could easily infect us if we¡¯re not prepared.¡±

    Antonio¡¯s eyes widened at this and he opened his mouth to say something but Dmitri cut him off, ¡°Don¡¯t worry; we¡¯ll both shield each other as well as ourselves, just in case something happens.¡±

    They broke their fast the way they normally did on a day of much magic with simply some bread and water. The innkeeper had panicked and been horrified when Dmitri had asked for water, but once he had handed it over, Dmitri had cleansed it. As a kind gesture to keep them through the day, Dmitri also cleansed a few barrels of water for the innkeeper. After this basic meal, Dmitri and Antonio gathered their things and bade farewell to the innkeeper and all of the patrons. A chorus of well wishes and thanks were heaped upon them as they left.

    Dmitri and Antonio hiked up the snowy mountain path towards where the priest had said the cave was. The wind threatened to both crush them against the cliff-face and send them hurtling to their deaths, but after much toil, they at last reached the shelters with the flames. Peering inside, Dmitri saw that the flames were still burning strong, the caretaker for today looked up and saw him and nodded in respect. Dmitri recognised him as one of the men that had been at the Inn the day before. At Antonio¡¯s insistence, they rested for a few moments, and chatted idly with the man before Antonio was ready to continue on again. When Antonio was ready, they left the meagre shelter and continued towards the cave, which the man in the hut had assured them wasn''t far. Sure enough, they reached the cave a short time later. It was an ominous black hole in the side of the mountain. Flowing out, gently but strong was the river that gave the village its water. Instead of the pristine clear mountain water it should have been, it was a foul cloudy liquid. Dmitri could smell the taint emanating from it. Calling out to Antonio, who was peering into the cave excited and ready to go, Dmitri said, ¡°Come and smell the water.¡±

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°What?¡± asked Antonio with a bewildered expression on his face.

    ¡°You can generally smell a disease,¡± explained Dmitri. ¡°It usually smells,¡± he paused, looking for the word, ¡°wrong. Yes, I think wrong is about the best word I can think of to describe it. I¡¯ve known a soldier that hid a festering wound because he didn¡¯t want a priest to inspect it. His fellow soldiers ended up complaining about the smell. They ended up having to take his leg off.¡±

    Antonio nodded along as Dmitri explained, but was left wide eyed after Dmitri mentioned the amputation. He sniffed the air. He could instantly tell what Dmitri was talking about. He mentioned this to Dmitri.

    ¡°Yes, the mind is a tricky thing, unless it is made aware about some things, they might as well not exist because it will not let you see them as such,¡± replied Dmitri. ¡°Now wait here a moment, I want to be sure it is safe,¡± he turned towards the cave. He stepped inside and was quickly plunged into darkness. By rote, he drew the glyph for fire with one hand and over this the cloud-like shape of an air glyph. Nothing happened. Confused, Dmitri did it again; still nothing. Frowning, Dmitri exited the cave and looked around, clearly looking for something. Antonio watched him in confusion for a moment and then he realised what Dmitri was looking for; the runes that Father Marcus had spoken of. They must have been preventing Dmitri''s magic from working, so Antonio joined the hunt.  After a brief search they found them; the runes were scarred so deeply into the stone that Dmitri couldn''t help but think of generations of villagers making the journey up here each year, braving to venture past the fires to ensure the runes were still here, and carving them ever so deeper, just to be on the safe side. Dmitri, regretting that he must now undo their toil; set about doing so. He traced the area with fire glyphs until it began to glow red with the heat. He then drew a large earth glyph to encompass the entire area. The carved runes bubbled and gradually smooth out leaving no trace that they had ever been there.

    ¡°Was that a good idea?¡± asked Antonio. ¡°What about the demon?¡±

    Dmitri laughed,  ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the description that Father Marcus gave? It was a bear. We have nothing to fear from a ¡®demon¡¯¡±.

    Even though Antonio could hear the inflection on the word demon, he couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy.

    With the runes now gone, Dmitri asked Antonio to wait outside again and entered the cave once more and again drew the fire and air glyphs. This time, a small ball of flame appeared in the air, it seethed around the inside of a ball of air, creating a portable and safe lantern. Satisfied, Dmitri called out for Antonio to come in. He came in lugging their packs. Dmitri slung his pack over his shoulder and gestured in front of him and his lantern started bobbing along ahead of them. They continued through the cave, following the low gurgling of the river beside them. If the path veered away from the river for too long, it was simply a matter of stopping and listening for it and they would find it again.

 Chapter 7

    Suddenly, Dmitri¡¯s sense of smell exploded and Antonio vomited.

    ¡°What is that?¡± he exclaimed after he had finished coughing.

    ¡°I think we are getting closer to the source of the disease,¡± said Dmitri. He avoided breathing in through his nose; he could understand why Antonio had vomited, it was the stench of the tainted water magnified; the smell of dead flesh in an advanced state of decay, something that should have well and truly been buried. Swallowing back nausea, Dmitri help up his hand to halt Antonio, who gladly complied and he followed the stench. He rounded a corner and found the source. If he had have been holding a lantern, he had no doubt that he would have dropped it in shock at the sight. As it was, he did lose his control of magic enough that his orb of fire began to flicker as if going out. Antonio, back around the corner, noticed the flicker, ¡°Dmitri,¡± he called out, ¡°Is everything alright?¡±

    Dmitri shook himself, ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he called back. ¡°I just had a bit of a shock. Stay there, I¡¯m coming back to you.

    As Dmitri came back around the corner, Antonio could see by his face that he was a bit shaken by what he had seen. ¡°What was it?¡± asked Antonio, his voice fearful.

    ¡°It is the source of the disease,¡± Dmitri replied. ¡°It is absolutely nothing to worry about. I¡¯ve come back so we can shield each other.¡±

    Antonio nodded, still wary of something that could rock Dmitri like this. Together they both traced the glyphs for air and water, and shields shimmered into existence around them.

    ¡°Now,¡± said Dmitri. ¡°What we have around this corner isn¡¯t going to be pleasant; you can smell that much already. But I¡¯m going to give you the choice. You can easily help me from back here. I¡¯m going to be using fire. I simply need you to send me continuous flows of purified water. Can you do that?¡±

    Antonio nodded, still apprehensive of what lay around the corner, ¡°I¡¯ll come with you as well though,¡± he said, still slightly unsure.

    Dmitri nodded and led Antonio around the corner, his flame floating ahead of them. Once again the sight threw him somewhat and he fought to hold onto his magic. He steadied his flame as Antonio came around the corner beside him. Antonio surveyed what lay in front of him; corpses. But it wasn''t just a single or a few corpses; it was scores of bodies laying there in various states of decay. His empty stomach heaved and he retched again, spitting out bile. Dmitri patted him on the back, but not in a mean or condescending kind of way. Yet stranger still was the variety of corpses, they were from all sorts of animals; boars, wild cats, deer and Dmitri even pointed out a bear or two rotting amongst the rest. There were also, to his horror, a few human bodies there as well.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    How had this many bodies arrived at this one spot? Images of a demon stalking through the village came unbidden to his mind. Shaking his head to clear foolish thoughts of a demon causing all of this, he turned to Dmitri who started to trace the glyphs in the air to clear it all.

    Antonio did as he had been asked and drew the glyph for water and began to channel it towards Dmitri. Using his fire and Antonio¡¯s water, Dmitri burned and purified the corpses, one by one. The smell that had hung in the air previously was enhanced by the heat of the fire and steam in the air and several times they had to stop as Antonio grew ill.

    After several hours of this, it didn''t appear as though they had done anything; their efforts didn''t have any visible impact. Sighing Dmitri signalled Antonio to stop and let go of his magic. When he did however, he released all of his magic, including the shields.

    ¡°Antonio! The shields!¡± called out Dmitri, relieved that he had insisted on shields from both of them.

    Antonio cursed himself, ¡°Sorry Dmitri, I¡¯m exhausted.¡± Along with his apology, Antonio reached once more for his magic to remake his shields.

    Dmitri held up his hand to stop him, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I have them.¡±

    Stubbornly, Antonio went ahead and created the shields. Dmitri smiled, Antonio was learning, the harder path strengthened the spirit. After the shields coalesced around them, Antonio sat down and rested.

    While Dmitri was sitting there, listening to the gurgle of the stream, he saw that they were on a wide bend of the river, and then it hit him. ¡°I¡¯ve got it!¡± he cried.

    Antonio sat up, suddenly alert, ¡°what?¡± he asked, looking around in all directions.

    ¡°The water could easily rise to this height during flooding!¡± exclaimed Dmitri. ¡°In this case any people or animals that died up river could be washed in here quite easily.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± said Antonio relaxing again, and then a few moments later, ¡°Oh, so they died naturally?¡±

    Dmitri laughed, ¡°You weren¡¯t still thinking about a demon were you?¡±

    Antonio shook his head adamantly, ¡°No, of course not.¡±

    But Antonio was in much higher spirits, his confidence level at a peak, he was using his magic to help people, it was why he was here!

    ¡°Are you up for something more?¡± asked Dmitri seeing his companions spirits high once more.

    Antonio nodded emphatically.

 Chapter 8

    Having put Antonio¡¯s fears at ease about a supernatural monster stealing people and animals, Dmitri decided that they could probably use stronger magic and clear larger amounts at once. Standing up, he outlined the idea to Antonio, who nodded and drew as much power as he could. He channelled this into a great water glyph that he traced into the air. Dmitri did likewise but channelled his magic into a fire glyph. He fed both sources of magic around the cavern and let the magic do its work. There was an immense burst of heat, followed by great billows of steam, the smell was awful. After the steam had cleared, Dmitri could see that the entire area was free of bodies. They had done it! Antonio wandered over to the river to inspect the water clarity; it was still murky. ¡°Dmitri,¡± he called out. ¡°The water still isn¡¯t normal, there must be something else.¡±

    The water was indeed cleaner than it had been for sure, but it was still affected by something up river. There must be another flood point up that way, Dmitri thought. What if I seal off the entrance the river uses, he mused. So Dmitri drew the fire glyph as before, but asked Antonio to add some air and extra water to contain it and to help propel it up river. Dmitri also added earth so it would seal any instability in the mountain the other magic might cause; it would be no use purifying their water source only to bring the mountain down upon them.

    Releasing the magic, Dmitri sat down and watched as it sped upriver, and Antonio stared upriver intently. Soon enough, he felt a small tremor and the river coloured as dirt and debris from upriver was washed downstream. After a short time, Antonio signalled that the water was clear. Now they had completed their task, the water was as clean and pristine as it could ever be. Dmitri stood up and started to lead Antonio back the way they had come; his magical lantern once again bobbing ahead of him. Another tremor shook the cave; Dmitri turned around curious. The tremor continued and turned into a rumble, dust and debris filled the air causing Dmitri and Antonio to cough and choke. Dmitri led Antonio back to the water, knowing that they would be safer there. He drew the glyph for earth, sending tendrils of magic down into the ground to investigate the problem. Suddenly, his magic was broken by some invisible force, the backlash sending him reeling. As he stumbled, the blackened ground where the bodies had lay erupted! Something clambered out. It was a something because Dmitri could not immediately discern any recognisable features. It was taller than a man and stood on reverse articulated legs like a goat. Its arms ended in wicked claws, and its head, worse than any of the nightmares Dmitri had the night before and that would continue to haunt his dreams for the rest of his life, its head was that of a ram, great curling horns outlined its large eyes, the mouth wore a twisted expression. Its body was a mass of twisted muscle, clearly visible, like hot wax poured over the very muscle itself, covering this was patchy fur that was blackened and charred, as if burned. It was the demon! The villagers had been right, it was real! This was no bear, far from it. The demon''s eyes locked on to Dmitri, its mouth opened and he could hear its breathing, a horrible sound, like air being sucked through mud, then it spoke; next to the sound of its voice, its breathing was musical; "Free," it croaked, and then it let loose with a laugh.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    Dmitri was frozen in terror but Antonio more so. When the demon spoke, they both broke free and began to cast magic, Antonio yelled and tracing the glyphs for air and water, let loose a barrage of needles of air and ice. They shot at the demon tearing into its flesh. The demon began swiping at the air as if at gnats, then its eyes locked onto the source of its discomfit. Antonio, now the focus of the demons ire yelled again and intensified the elemental barrage. The demon charged through the rain of ice and with a savage swipe of its clawed hand, Antonio was cut down. The demon bent down and sniffed at Antonio¡¯s limp body, but stood upright once more, towering over Dmitri as he released the magic he had been building up with a yell. The ground erupted once more and another creature clambered out. It was made of pure fire, the one thing that the demon had feared. The fire elemental strode forward and tackled the demon, who roared in pain as the flaming grip seared its already burned flesh. Meanwhile, Dmitri let loose with a barrage of fireballs, knowing that they couldn¡¯t damage the elemental if they hit. The demon began to retreat, but then it stopped and held its ground, it drew into itself as if summoning the last of its energy, and then let it out with a roar. A blast of corruption exploded around the demon knocking Dmitri over and causing him to vomit. The demon grabbed the elementals arms that held its own in a firm grip and with a great heave tore them free of their sockets. Following this up with a great swipe across the chest and the elemental dissolved. Dmitri scrambled to his feet and in one swift gesture, drew the glyph for fire and thrust it at the demon. The ball of fire left his hands and lanced towards the creature, it impacted against the demons chest and washed over it. The demon let out an ear-splitting roar of triumph and charged at Dmitri, arms outstretched. Dmitri, seeing the face of hell coming towards him, turned tail and fled. He ran through the tunnels, guided by the meagre light of his lantern which was struggling to stay lit as Dmitri''s mind ran rampant, not concentrating on the magic, and instead seeing Antonio¡¯s face as he was cut down in front of him. The demon, seeing Dmitri run, laughed its foul laugh and rasped "Run little human, the taste only gets better as the fear takes hold," and started after him at a steady pace.

 Chapter 9

    Dmitri ran like the devil was after him; which was nearly the case. He rounded the last corner that would have taken him out of the cave; it was blocked! The quake before must have brought down the roof. Dmitri, in the shock that his escape was hampered lost his concentration, and his hold on the magic keeping his lantern lit slipped, it went out. Dmitri assessed the situation; he was now trapped beneath a mountain, in the dark, being pursued by a demon that had already slain his apprentice. Fear began to creep in. He knelt there in the cold dark, listening, and then wished he hadn''t. Over the soft gurgle of the river, he could hear the horrible liquid-mud breathing of the demon. Trying to remember the layout of the caves, he crawled back the way he had come on all fours, away from the sound of the breathing. As he was crawling, he accidentally brushed up to the wall of the cave and sent some debris scattering. There was a sharp intake of breath; the demon had heard. Dmitri could then hear an odd snuffling noise and heard the demon moving about. Dmitri realised to his horror that the demon was trying to get his scent. Figuring that he didn''t have much more time before he was found anyway, Dmitri groped around in the dark for a rock on the ground and threw it back towards the original, now blocked, cave entrance. Hearing it, the demon made a triumphant sound and charged towards the source of the noise. It hit the rubble blocking the entrance and burst out into the sunlight. Surprised, the demon looked around itself for Dmitri. Unable to locate him outside the cave, it turned and peered back in; there, huddled in the pool of daylight streaming in the newly created hole, was Dmitri.

    Dmitri, seeing he was now exposed, and with the cave entrance right there before him, did the only thing he could think of; he dove into the river. The water was icy cold and deep, the current strong. He could die as easily in the river as by the demon if he wasn''t careful. The current swept him out of the cave and past the demon, which roared in frustration and started down the mountain. Dmitri saw the demon heading in the direction the river was flowing so he started to swim downstream himself. The cold water was biting against his flesh, and arms leaden, Dmitri felt exhausted. The events of the day catching up to him, he closed his eyes and let himself drift.

    A bang on the head brought Dmitri back to where he was. Berating himself at having fallen asleep in the first place, he looked around and found to his surprise that he was back in the village. He''d hit a bridge support. Relieved that it had been only moments since he dived into the river, Dmitri clambered out and stumbled into the village, "Run! Everyone run!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "The demon is loose!" The people that were in the streets went into a frenzy of activity; screaming and shoving and pushing as they all rushed to safety. Dmitri stumbled onwards towards the church. As he did so however, he turned and saw the demon; its face was a mask of fury. It bore down upon him with unremitting vengeance in its eyes, stopping only to snatch up a villager and hurl it at the fleeing Dmitri, who dodged out of the way at the last moment and made it into the church. Inside, Dmitri ran down the nave, "Father Marcus!" he called, "The demon; it''s real!"

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Father Marcus, who had been preparing things for his morning sermon looked up wild-eyed and terrified, "Fire, quickly!" he demanded.

    ¡°But it didn¡¯t work!¡± blurted Dmitri picturing the demon tearing apart the fire elemental.

    ¡°Hush man, and do as I ask,¡± said Marcus sharply, not tolerating one of the churches Exarchs losing their nerve. ¡°I shall imbue your fire with a holy light.¡±

    Dmitri, feeling foolish at not having thought of this already, raised his arms and brought them around him in one massive glyph for fire. Outside the church, great gouts of flame erupted from the ground, encircling the church in one big circle of fire. Father Marcus followed suit with a chant and the flames turned golden. The demon, who had only just reached the church was thrown backward and screeched in both agony and fury. It raised its arms and let loose several bursts of some dark magic. The magic impacted against the hard wooden doors and the stone of the church. The places it hit began to darken and the wood began to grow fungal-like sores and began to rot, the stone simply crumbling. Seeing the church that was his life decaying around him and that his holy powers couldn¡¯t do much to forestall the demon, Father Marcus wailed. He grabbed Dmitri, "Do something! You must do something!" he pleaded.

    Dmitri was in a panic, nothing that he had dealt with before had prepared him for something like this, "I can''t," he said "My powers are elemental and natural, the demons are completely unnatural."

    Regaining some of this composure but still sobbing, Father Marcus responded by rushing to the altar, kneeling, bowing his head and beginning to pray.

    "What are you doing?" asked Dmitri incredulous," This is no time to pray!"

    "I think you will find that it is time to pray Dmitri, a demon walks the earth and our earthly powers are useless. Only divine power can save us now."

    Nodding numbly, Dmitri agreed and rushed to the spot that Father Marcus was kneeling and joined him. No sooner had Dmitri uttered words to the heavens, beseeching divine assistance then- then the screeching and howling outside stopped! Dmitri leapt to his feet ecstatic, they''d done it! He reached over to nudge Father Marcus, who was still kneeling, only to find that he didn''t move. Not only that, but he couldn''t be budged. Dmitri looked around, no one else was around nearby and all the candles were lit. But the candles weren''t flickering. The flames weren''t even moving! Becoming more and more alarmed, Dmitri rushed to the large doors that led outside. They too would not budge. He could see through the holes that the demon''s corruptive magic had eaten away. Looking outside through them, he could see that the corruption had stilled as well. Beyond this, he could see the massive wall of flame and past that the hideous figure of the demon, also frozen in time.

 Chapter 10

    "A foolish thing you''ve done Dmitri, even for a human. Unleashing Akahaziel like that," said a hollow voice from behind him. He spun around - no one was there. Then it moved. Seeming to materialise out of thin air was a man ¨C of sorts. He stood head and shoulders above Dmitri, his bronzed skin was garbed like a warrior in a shining breastplate adorned with runes and strapped to his back was a massive broadsword. His face bore a sardonic grimace. But of all this, the minimal attire, the sword and the dark tan in this snowy climate, none of this could prepare Dmitri for the man''s other defining feature; his wings. He had great massive feathery snow-white wings. They were folded up on his back, in no way hampered by the sword that hung there. Dmitri dropped to his knees in shock, his mouth hanging open. He opened and closed it a few times, at a loss for what to say. Finally, his mind caught onto something the man, no angel, he corrected himself, had said; "Akahaziel?" he asked.

    "Yes" replied the Angel, "the demon you unleashed is none other than the demon Akahaziel. He was sealed under that mountain hundreds of years ago."

    "Who are you?" Dmitri asked, regaining some composure.

    "I am Uriel." He said simply.

    Dmitri blanched; not just any angel, but one of the Arch-angels!

    "Have you come to punish me?" asked Dmitri fearfully, then quickly added "I didn''t release him on purpose."

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "No," said Uriel, "I''ve come to help you defeat him."

    "What? You want me to fight that thing?" asked Dmitri incredulous.

    "Yes you will fight the demon, but not just yet. You cannot do it alone. There will be a person in the land of France, you will need their help."

    "France?" exclaimed Dmitri, "It will take weeks to travel that distance. And how will I find him when I do arrive?"

    "You won''t be travelling in the conventional sense Dmitri, I will Shift you there. After all, the person you need has not even been born yet. They will be born of the bloodline Destria."

    Dmitri looked at Uriel confused, "Not born yet? So I have to find a child that hasn''t even been born yet?"

    Uriel shook his head patiently, "No Dmitri, I will Shift you through time as well as across the miles between here and France. Be wary when you arrive, this quest is of paramount importance, and if the wrong people learn of it they will try and stop you. Try not to travel too much once you are there until I have found you. If you can, find some holy ground and call upon me, I will hear it from there. But work quickly, I will trap Akahaziel in another plane for now but it won''t last forever. Now brace yourself, the time is upon us."

    With that, Uriel raised his arms and began an incantation; the words were nothing that Dmitri could recognise, but the sounds were an unearthly chorus, he was standing there in awe of the music of the incantation. Then Uriel lowered his arms and stopped his chant.

    "But what-" Dmitri started, but was suddenly interrupted when everything went black.

    Dmitri was falling, plummeting.

    Certain that his conversation with an angel had been some sort of imagining, Dmitri closed his eyes tightly, knowing that he had stumbled in the cave and was plummeting to his death in a sinkhole. But then gradually, the falling feeling stopped. Dmitri heard the whoosh of a massive amount of air being displaced and all was silent but for a ringing in his ears.

 Chapter 11

    Dmitri felt warm, but it was the warmth of the sun. He opened his eyes; he was on a small road beside an open field. Gone was the church, gone was the snowy weather. There was no fire; there was no angel, no demon. Suddenly, he heard a wet snorting sound behind him, heard the sound of hooves clopping towards him. Out of alarm and reflex Dmitri spun around, performing the glyph for fire. A pair of horses was trotting towards him. He dove out of the way, twisting around and letting loose a stream of fire. It struck without mercy against the chest of a man at the front of the carriage being pulled by the horses. He fell back, chest blackened and scorched. A woman jumped up from where she was sitting in the carriage and leapt over the dividing board into the driver¡¯s seat. She grabbed the reins and brought the horses to a standstill. Meanwhile, Dmitri, realising he had let loose magic against an innocent was aghast, he got to his feet and rushed over to the fallen man where he was grabbed by two armed men that had been travelling with the woman. The woman rounded on him, she was a middle aged, dark haired woman with a long green cloak on, her eyes were also green but they glared at Dmitri with the intensity to bore a hole through him.

    ¡°How dare you!?¡± she screamed, ¡°You¡¯ve killed one of my men! How am I going to make this up to his family? It won¡¯t be me, that¡¯s for sure. What about you men?¡± she looked towards the men holding Dmitri who shook their heads. ¡°What about you three?¡± she asked the mounted men with her. However, only two were there, ¡°Where is guardsman Mattief?¡± They also shook their heads, but pointed up the road to where a plume of dust was rising from a horse galloping the other way.

    She made a frustrated noise and rounded on Dmitri once more who was struggling against his captors.

    ¡°You¡¯ve just lost me another one. And when he gets into the city and starts spreading tales, I¡¯ll not be able to hire anymore. Now get up, let me see you.¡±

    Dmitri shook himself free and got up, amazed at the sheer intensity of the woman.

    ¡°I am Dmitri Romanovic, now get out of the way and let me help him; he doesn¡¯t need to die here.¡±

    The woman is visibly shaken at being spoken to like that. How dare anyone overstep their bounds and treat her as such!

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Now you listen here Dmitri, I am Lady Judith Mercer, First Merchant to the Lord Draycott, and I-¡°

    ¡°-are letting your man die.¡± Dmitri finished. ¡°Now we both know it was an accident, so are you going to stand there and let him die or let me pass so I can help him?¡±

    Judith was standing there, opening and closing her mouth in astonishment. Dmitri gently pushed passed her and walked over to where the man was lying coughing and rasping on the ground. The two remaining mounted guards had dismounted and were kneeling beside him; one of them had removed his saddle and was allowing the injured man to rest his head upon it. When they saw Dmitri coming towards them, they rose and started to draw their swords, but Judith waved them away, still opening and closing her mouth, trying to think of something to say but looking like a fish out of water. One of the guards nudged the other, ¡°Oh my god; look, he¡¯s rendered her speechless!¡± This finally snapped her out of it and she snapped at them angrily ¡°Leave over, out of the way while Dmitri fixes this.¡± They all stood back as Dmitri kneeled to perform his art.

    In a trance-like state, Dmitri waved his arms around in a circular motion in the air above the man. He drew the glyphs for earth and air around the wound, followed by a larger water glyph to encircle them both. The glyphs floated in the air for a time before gently sinking into the man¡¯s chest. As they seeped into his blackened and charred skin, the burns seemed to evaporate. Slowly at first, but as the worst of it disappeared, the lesser burns followed soon thereafter. Soon enough, the man¡¯s flesh was unmarked. Dmitri got up, brushing the dirt from his clothing. ¡°It is done; it is as if it never happened. He should wake soon,¡± and turning back to his patient and seeing him stirring, he continued, ¡°Yes, see, here he is now, he is awakening.¡± Dmitri kneeled back down beside the man who was just opening his eyes. They widened further after seeing Dmitri and recognising him as the cause of the trouble. He started to scrabble backwards on all fours but was stopped by Judith as she rested a hand on his should.

    ¡°It is alright.¡± She soothed, ¡°he has fixed you.¡±

    ¡°But I, I-¡° stammered the man.

    ¡°Yes, yes you were. Look at your clothes, they are all charred and burned, but you are unharmed. He hit you directly in the chest with a ball of fire, but you still live and breathe. It was an accident, but he made amends and has healed you. I think we owe our thanks to this man.¡± And turning to Dmitri she said, ¡°Dmitri, you are a strange one, I would be delighted if you would come with me into the city and tell me just how it came to be that you are here.¡±

    Dmitri nodded his head in acceptance and followed her back towards the carriage.

 Chapter 12

    Meanwhile, the guard that had ridden ahead was being led through Lord Draycott¡¯s castle. There were signs of opulence everywhere, the walls were lined with rich tapestries and the flagstones underfoot were covered with thickly woven rugs. The Lord Draycott was not one to stand for a lesser quality standard of living. The guard was led into Lord Draycott¡¯s audience chamber where the Lord himself sat in his oversized throne. Flanking this throne was a smaller one occupied by a frail old man, the Lord¡¯s advisor, Arcaedus. The man that was the Lord Draycott sat tall in his throne; his rich golden hair was swept back behind his ears, defining the style for the outlying region. His clothes too had affected the fashion of the inhabitants in the surrounding villages. Those unable to afford the rich silks that their Lord wore, instead had the same style and cut, but from lesser materials such as wool. He wore tight trousers with a long waistcoat over which he wore a burnished silver breastplate. The breastplate which, along with the studded leather kilt around his waist, showed that these were indeed times of war. Lord Draycott stopped talking to Arcaedus and looked up at the visitor. The man wisely prostrated himself before the Lord and then only rose to his knees when Draycott gestured him to do so. ¡®At least this man knows his place¡¯ Draycott thought to himself.

    ¡°My Lord,¡± the guard began, ¡°My name is Mattief, I am one of the guardsmen for the Lady Mercer, and I have some dire news.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, my loyal First Merchant,¡± Draycott replied, ¡°What has befallen her?¡±

    Mattief, rubbed his hands together and nervously continued, ¡°As we were coming towards the city, a man charged at us from the roadside and threw a fireball at Strinder, our driver. Strinder was hurled from the cart on impact; it was only by the Lady¡¯s skill that she stopped the horses, My Lord.¡± He stopped and looked up, waiting for a sign to continue.

    ¡°Yes, she is quite the skilled woman isn¡¯t she?¡± asked Draycott rhetorically, ¡°This man, with the fireballs you say, what did he look like, how old did he look?¡±

    ¡°It was strange garb My Lord, while I know we get cold seasons here, what he was wearing was much more suitable for somewhere covered in a permanent snow. He had a furred cloak and boots. Oh and his gloves were furred too. His jerkin looked like leather and he had a kilt on like yours but not studded. And he had a strange belt on,¡± described Mattief who then added a belated ¡°My Lord¡± when Draycott crooked an eyebrow at him. Arcaedus murmured something to Draycott who looked back at Mattief and said ¡°Ah yes, Arcaedus here asks what his face looked like?¡±

    ¡°His face my Lord? I couldn¡¯t say. I couldn¡¯t see it; he had his cloak pulled over it. I¡¯m sorry my Lord¡± replied Mattief bowing his head again.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°What say you Arcaedus? Do we have cause for alarm?¡±

    Arcaedus raised his head and pulled back his hood, his sightless eyes stared into the beyond and his white hair wisped in all directions. The expression on his aged face radiated a certainty, a surety that even though he was a blind and frail old man; he was not yet without his faculties. When he spoke, it was a throaty sound, a raspy whisper, ¡°The man you describe sounds like a wanderer, he is not yet used to the weather here or he would have discarded his heavy clothes some days ago.¡± He paused and gathered himself before continuing, ¡°The magic you speak of, you say he simply threw a fireball? Was there an incantation? Did he say anything?¡±

    Mattief, startled to be included in the conversation once more quickly replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear any words. He did yell as he threw it though.¡±

    Arcaedus nodded his head listening and then he said to Mattief, ¡°Thank you for letting us know. We will take it from here. You may withdraw.¡±

    Mattief gets up and started to leave, but Draycott stopped him. ¡°Wait. We could use some more loyal men like you in the guards. Go and speak to my captain and he will find a spot worthy for you within my ranks.¡±

    Mattief¡¯s eyes widened at the prospect of this and he bowed deeply and said ¡°Thank you my Lord¡± with the utmost sincerity.

    After Mattief was gone, Draycott turned to Arcaedus once more. ¡°Should we bring him in? What do you See of him?¡±

    Arcaedus chuckled, ¡°You of all people Edmund should know that Seeing doesn¡¯t work like that. But I would advise bringing him in, if he can indeed work magic like Mattief described, we can put him to work with the woman and together we might actually get somewhere with our problem. Don¡¯t worry, I will expand the dampening field so he can¡¯t use his more powerful magic, he will be limited.¡±

    Draycott nodded in agreement, ¡°But just make sure you don¡¯t disappear again. Last time you did that, I lost my captain and had to find another.¡±

    Arcaedus shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Edmund, and I cannot stay. The power I have poured into the dampening field drains me greatly. I have to take my leave so I can rest and recover some of my energy. I am not after all, going to get any younger.¡±

    ¡°Then use some of my power, you said you could.¡±

    Arcaedus chuckled again, ¡°You misunderstand me once again my friend, I can use some of your power, but not all of it, I can¡¯t even fathom the extent of the power you have, I¡¯m not even sure where it comes from.¡±

    ¡°So be it,¡± Draycott acceded, ¡°But rest quickly, our plans for the French cannot be held off forever.¡±

    ¡°No, no they cannot,¡± agreed Arcaedus and slowly got to his feet and shuffled away.

    ¡°Guard,¡± called Draycott.

    Outside the audience chamber, guardsman Jonathan Wayte heard the Lord Draycott¡¯s summons and entered, ¡°Yes my Lord?¡±

    ¡°Assemble a team and talk to the new man Mattief, you should find him with the captain, he will tell you of the wanderer. We need to take this man into custody. He was last attacking the First Merchant¡¯s carriage. Go to her home in the city and see what you can find. Be wary though, he is a magicker and may be holding her against her will. Bring them both here.¡±

    ¡°It will be as you say my Lord,¡± said Wayte with a bow and left.

    Lord Draycott clasped his hands together and leaned back against his throne.

 Chapter 13

    The carriage bumped and rattled its way through the gates to the city. The driver, Strinder was once again at the reins and Judith and Dmitri were in the back. The two men that had held Dmitri were sitting on the tailgate and the two remaining horsemen led the way. Dmitri was looking around at the sights that made up the city. As they had passed through the Market Gate, they were in Market District. All around them; the street was filled with stalls, hawkers and buyers. The sound could only be described as a din, men and women cried out their wares, the sound of a blacksmith hammer resounding from somewhere and the general hubbub of people talking and haggling. Some stalls had all their wares spread out in front of them; others had wicker cages full of animals, chickens, geese, sheep and more. Other stalls were butchers, they stood calmly chopping off choice meats of various animals. It was nothing like the village Dmitri had been in last. Something else he found distinctly different was the health of the people here; they were completely healthy, there was no sign of the disease that was ravaging other villages and towns. Here, people are walking tall, not afraid to get close to one another, nothing like the village.

    Judith saw Dmitri¡¯s reaction to all this, ¡°Are you alright?¡± She asked and then added smugly, ¡°Is the city too big for you?¡±

    ¡°No I, no the city is fine,¡± Dmitri replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been in cities a lot larger than this.¡± Judith¡¯s smug expression fell, ¡°It¡¯s the people, they¡¯re healthy and they¡¯re happy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is one of the things that Lord Draycott is getting right, the people are surprisingly happy,¡± she said dryly, then she looked at him, ¡°Weren¡¯t the people in the larger city healthier then?¡± she asked hopefully, after all not all cities could be bigger and better than this one.

    ¡°What? Oh, no, they were fine,¡± replied Dmitri distracted, ¡°It¡¯s just the village I came from was very diseased, the water supply was polluted. It¡¯s why I was asked to go there.¡±

    ¡°By who? Did you help them?¡± Judith asked, interested.

    ¡°The priest there asked me to come,¡± Dmitri replied, then his face fell, ¡°And I don¡¯t think I did help them in the end, I think it would have gotten worse.¡±

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°What? How?¡± Judith asked.

    Dmitri was about to reply when one of the horsemen came alongside the carriage.

    ¡°We¡¯re home my Lady,¡± he informed.

    Judith looked around as if she was startled, so intent had she been in Dmitri¡¯s tale.

    ¡°Come,¡± she said beckoning Dmitri, ¡°Let us go inside and we can continue your story over refreshments.¡±

    Judith had Dmitri shown to a small audience chamber where he was to wait while she dealt with matters pertaining to her trade. He looked around at the decorations, trying to fathom where he was. One tapestry caught his attention most of all; it depicted a battle scene. In intricate detail it showed a massive force of mounted knights leading a charge, opposing them was a significantly smaller force of pikemen and archers.

    ¡°I see you¡¯re admiring my tapestry,¡± observed Judith, walking into the room. ¡°I paid quite the sum of money to acquire that piece. You recognise the battle of course?¡±

    Dmitri shook his head, indicating otherwise. Judith raised an eyebrow in surprise, ¡°My my, you must be from far off. That was the battle fought at Agincourt. King Henry was being shepherded out of France after a string of defeats. We¡¯re the smaller force, there you see?¡± she said indicating on the tapestry. ¡°We met on a plain near Agincourt and we fought back against a force many times our number.¡±

    Dmitri nodded, listening in rapt attention.

    ¡°We won. I¡¯m not sure how, but we won. Some say luck, some say skill or fate or many other things. But King Henry decided it was the will of God that we won. A few of his officers took up the cry, but none with the zeal of Lord Draycott. He has been driven to frenzy levels of belief and in his mind; he is the recipient of a divine edict to wipe out the French.¡±

    She saw Dmitri¡¯s expression and laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Dmitri; we won¡¯t have any battles anytime soon, even though we are on their land.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in France? Do you know of the bloodline Destria?¡± asked Dmitri in a rush, remembering why Uriel had sent him here.

    ¡°Destria? Yes, they¡¯re in a village to the west, a French village actually. The man is the apothecary I believe.¡±

    ¡°Does he have a son? Born recently?¡± Dmitri asked excited.

    ¡°A son? No. He does have a daughter though, but she is an adult in her own right nowadays. But she disappeared recently, shortly after a ¡®raid¡¯ on the village by ¡®bandits¡¯. Or so they say.¡±

    ¡°And who is they?¡± Dmitri asked, ¡°And where can I find her, the Destria girl I mean?¡±

    ¡°¡¯They¡¯ is Lord Draycott and his men,¡± replied Judith dryly. ¡°Why the interest in this woman? You still haven¡¯t told me your story.¡±

 Chapter 14

    Dmitri sighed, took a deep breath and commenced his tale. He started by telling her that he was an Exarch that would work on the Churches behest. At the mention of Exarch, Judith opened her mouth to say something but Dmitri held up his hand to forestall any comments and continued, telling her of his journey back to his homeland of Russia to purify the water supply of a small village there. At this, Judith gasped, ¡°Oh my god, it is you!¡± she exclaimed.

    Dmitri frowned, ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re the Last True Exarch! No one knew what happened to you. All anyone was able to determine was that you were sent to help a village with their water supply, which you did, but what no one else expected was that you would slaughter the inhabitants. Or that¡¯s how the story goes. Is it true?¡±

    Dmitri was surprised and disturbed at this, both the accusation and that all the villagers were dead. ¡°They¡¯re dead?¡± he asked stunned, and not waiting for an answer, he explained, ¡°I did purify the water, but in the process, my elemental magic allowed a demon to escape its imprisonment. After escaping from the demon, I warned the village and the local priest and I prayed for divine assistance. It arrived in the form of the Arch-Angel Uriel. He sent me here. I¡¯d only just arrived when your horses spooked me. Now why do you say the villagers are dead? They were fine earlier.¡±

    ¡°So you fought a demon?¡± Judith asked, and Dmitri nodded in affirmative.

    ¡°This happened to you today?¡± She clarified, and Dmitri nodded again. ¡°These villagers you speak of; they were slain over twenty years ago.¡±

    Dmitri opened his mouth to respond, but then recalled that Uriel had said that he was going to be sent through time as well as over distance to France.

    ¡°What?¡± Judith asked, seeing Dmitri¡¯s expression change at his realisation.

    ¡°He actually sent me through time,¡± Dmitri said amazed, half to himself.

    ¡°What?¡± Judith asked again, sceptically this time.

    ¡°It means it was all real. All of it. It means that I really do have to find this Destria woman and soon. She would have been born in the last twenty years correct? She must have learnt whatever I need to learn from her. I was still unsure, but not anymore,¡± mused Dmitri, pacing. He stopped and held up a finger, ¡°But there is one thing I don¡¯t understand; you called me the Last True Exarch? Did the church stop using them?¡±

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Said Judith sadly, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know yet. Over the course of a few years, the Exarch¡¯s died. They were all apparently innocent and unconnected deaths. The Church requested that more Exarchs be trained, but no sooner than they had been trained, they too, fell foul to fatal accidents and mishaps. After a while, the Church simply stopped training them, they simply didn¡¯t want any more deaths laid at their feet. You were the Last True Exarch because after you disappeared, it all went downhill.¡±

    Dmitri was stunned, ¡°But you didn¡¯t recognise my name when I said who I was?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Dmitri, you must remember,¡± she began, ¡°I was only a child when all this began, we weren¡¯t at war with France and I was back at home in England. Of course, I wasn¡¯t expecting to meet someone from a children¡¯s tale either.¡±

    ¡°Children¡¯s tale?¡± exclaimed Dmitri. Then added ¡°But you trusted me when I said I was going to fix things.¡±

    ¡°Well it was that or let Strinder die.¡± Judith replied, ¡°Besides, I needed to keep faith.¡±

    ¡°Faith?¡± Dmitri repeated.

    ¡°Yes, Faith that the world hasn¡¯t completely come undone, that someone will come to save us from the evil and tyranny in this land.¡± Judith said sadly.

    Dmitri saw a contradiction in what she had said earlier, ¡°But before, as we were coming through the city, about the happiness of the people, you said-¡°

    ¡°I know what I said,¡± she snapped; then continued gently ¡°I was trying to make you feel jealous, make me feel better about this city I have to be a part of.¡±

    ¡°But if you don¡¯t want to be here,¡± started Dmitri, than shrugged, ¡°then you can leave. But you must like it here. You are the First Merchant after all. There was enough emphasis on that earlier.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± She shook her head ruefully, ¡°I can¡¯t leave because I¡¯m trying to help them. I¡¯m trying to show the people that there is hope that I can be the solution. But the people here can¡¯t see it; they¡¯re in some sort of trance. Only occasionally will anyone talk to me like they did in the old days, but now if someone starts to say something negative against Lord Draycott or his men, they¡¯ll either seal up tighter then a clam, or worse, be silenced by the same men.¡±

    Dmitri thought for a moment, ¡°If it is a trance like you say, I¡¯d imagine it¡¯s some sort of controlling magic, but it would have to be a very powerful dark being to be able to do a whole city like this. Between that and the Exarch¡¯s and villagers killed, I¡¯d say that Akahaziel broke free of whatever hold Uriel had on him. If he is here, I really need to locate this Destria woman and find out what she knows about how to defeat Akahaziel.¡±

    Judith nodded, ¡°What about Uriel? Can he help?¡±

    Dmitri shrugged, ¡°I¡¯d imagine so, but I have to contact him, I need to get to holy ground and summon him.¡±

    ¡°I doubt you will find any holy ground around here,¡± said Judith, ¡°we¡¯ll have to get you out of the city and to the French village. Their monastery will be sanctified.¡±

    Dmitri nodded, ¡°Good idea. While we do that, we need to find this Destria woman.¡±

    Judith nodded, ¡°Let me talk to my contacts, I¡¯ll-¡± she was interrupted by a servant running in.

 Chapter 15

    ¡°My Lady,¡± he started, bowing. ¡°Some guards are here, they say that they are here from the Lord Draycott. For the both of you.¡± He reported, than gave Dmitri a look as if to say ¡®How dare you involve my Mistress.¡¯

    Judith sighed, she¡¯d known this was going to happen after she had seen Mattief ride off like that; he never had been a good choice. A guard came in, followed by Mattief.

    ¡°Ah,¡± said Judith, ¡°Guardsman Wayte, how is the wife? And of course, my very own rat Mattief.¡± She finished dryly.

    The man she called Wayte spoke up, ¡°Marianna is well My Lady. But I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m here on business. The Lord Draycott has requested the presence of both yourself and your guest.  But upon reaching your home, you were not to be found.¡±

    Everyone looked at him, Judith in surprise, Dmitri with curiosity and Mattief spluttering with outrage. ¡°But she-¡± he started, but was immediately overridden by Wayte.

    ¡°Is not here. Your new position in the guards is tenuous is it not? It could be more than a little dangerous if you don¡¯t choose the correct side.¡± He turned to Dmitri, ¡°Now you, I suggest you come peacefully, I have no such thoughts about letting you walk free.¡±

    Judith spoke to Dmitri, ¡°It looks like our time is up Dmitri, but I might see you in England yes?¡± Without waiting for an answer, she walked through the door being held open for her by Wayte.

    Dmitri was led downstairs, where some more guards were waiting.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the woman?¡± one of them asked eagerly.

    ¡°She must have caught wind of our arrival. She has fled and left this one behind,¡± replied Wayte indicating Dmitri. ¡°Besides, shouldn¡¯t you be pressing your attention on a woman more willing?¡±

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    The other guards laughed at the one singled out, so he spoke up, ¡°Not all of us got married and grew to be weak and spineless you know.¡±

    The other guards laughed again. Wayte turned to stare at the guard, ¡°Birkett, I¡¯m going to have to ask you to go to the captain when we get back. When you do, you tell him of this conversation and your apparent willingness to impose yourself on unwilling women. I¡¯m sure he will find some way to discourage such an attitude,¡± he then looked around at the other guards, ¡°Does anyone else have a problem with this? Are you ready to follow orders once more?¡±

    There were murmured affirmations throughout the men and they started back towards the keep. Dmitri, who had watched all this unfold, tucked the information away, sure that it would prove useful in the future.

    Approaching the keep, Dmitri suddenly experienced a sensation which felt as though a wet cloak was draped over his head. That he was able to see and walk around was contrary to this, so he felt out with his senses, but everything felt muffled. Reaching into himself for his magic, he found that it felt muted. Concerned by this, he felt determined to put it to the test as soon as he could.

    Once Dmitri and his escorts reached the keep, the guards, having kept a careful eye on Dmitri, felt a bit more relaxed that Dmitri had made no attempt at escape and had grown complacent. Dmitri sensed this and felt that this was the time to put his magic to the test. He discreetly drew the glyph for air and used it to thump one of the guards in the back of the head. Or at least that¡¯s what the intention had been. Instead, the guard turned to the one behind him and asked him what he wanted. After receiving a puzzled look, the guard reiterated, ¡°Why did you tap me on the shoulder?¡± he asked.

    The other guard, having done no such thing said as much. Soon enough, the two men were arguing with each other. Meanwhile, Dmitri, troubled at seeing his magic severely muted like this, started to ponder the situation. The arguing of the men was reaching a crescendo and as they were about to draw daggers and sort it out Wayte came over and demanded to know what was going. When they started to explain, which quickly turned into an argument again, Wayte turned to Dmitri, ¡°It was you wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Dmitri nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ve a limited amount of patience traveller, so make sure this doesn¡¯t happen again.¡±

    With no other choice when surrounded by armed and angry men, Dmitri nodded.

 Chapter 16

    As Wayte and the other guards lead Dmitri through the castle, he felt as though he was being led through a web to the spider in the middle. The guards took him into the throne room, where perched upon his throne like the spider in the web they¡¯ve just traversed, was the Lord Draycott, his contemptuous expression looking down upon Dmitri. To his side on a smaller less ornate throne sat the wizened old man Arcaedus. Dmitri could feel something, something that resonated with his own magic. But it was darkness, very black and corrupted. Dmitri surreptitiously studied the pair, trying to determine the source of the darkness, but to no avail.

    Draycott looked at the guards, ¡°Where is the First Merchant? I told you to arrest two people yet I see only one.¡±

    ¡°My Lord, she must have caught wind of us and she fled, leaving the wanderer behind,¡± replied Wayte carefully.

    Draycott leaned forward and stared down at Dmitri, ¡°I am the Lord Draycott. You, wanderer, have trespassed on my land. By what reason have you done so?¡± he asked.

    Dmitri bowed his head slightly; Draycott¡¯s icy glare hardened at the affront of the lack of respect shown, almost as if equals.

    Dmitri knew that he was in the right place and felt that he should ignore Uriel¡¯s warning about telling people of his task, ¡°I am no wanderer; I am Dmitri Romanovic and I come here with a purpose,¡± he replied, ¡°I am here to defeat a great evil.¡± He finished and looked up at Draycott, directly into his icy blue stare. The standoff was broken by a cough from the old man. Draycott whipped around to glare at him, but Arcaedus unable to see the tension in the room, said ¡°My Lord, I know of what this man speaks. His past is written all over him.¡±

    Dmitri¡¯s eyes narrowed at this, the old man¡¯s eyes were the white of boiled eggs, how could this pupil-less gaze see anything?

    ¡°Ah,¡± said Draycott, noticing Dmitri¡¯s expression, ¡°I see our guest has only just noticed that you are blind Arcaedus. Wanderer, know that Arcaedus can see deeply into any man''s soul and know what he has hidden there. In your case, he understands what this ¡®great evil¡¯ is that you speak of.¡± He turned to Arcaedus, ¡°continue.¡±

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Arcaedus nodded and continued, ¡°It seems that our wanderer here has met Akahaziel.¡±

    Draycott turned to stare at Dmitri once more, ¡°How is it that you still live?¡± he asked sharply.

    ¡°I was lucky to get away,¡± replied Dmitri steadily.

    Draycott¡¯s mannerisms take a swift detour, the darkness that was in the air expanded, it felt even more sinister and oppressive, ¡°Lucky?¡± he barked, ¡°You fled. You ran into hiding and that infernal Uriel took you away!¡±

    Both Arcaedus and Dmitri stared at Draycott, Arcaedus with an outraged and angry expression on his face, and Dmitri incredulous and startled.

    Arcaedus called out to a guard, who enters. ¡°Guard, take this man down to the dungeon, lock him in with the woman.¡±

    The guard looked over at Draycott who nods his head numbly; his expression shows that while silent, he is seething with hatred below the surface. The guard calls for another and he comes in and together they march Dmitri out of the room.

    Arcaedus turns to Draycott, ¡°Pardon me my Lord, but have you taken leave of your senses?¡± he asked sharply.

    ¡°Careful Arcaedus,¡± Draycott said warningly, ¡°I doubt you are the only Seer in these parts.¡±

    ¡°Careful?¡± Arcaedus shouted, ¡°Like you were just now? He¡¯ll figure it out now you realise?¡±

    ¡°And what can he do about it? He is within your dampening field, your spell with my power, he can¡¯t do anything.¡±

    With Wayte leading the way, the guard Birkett jabbed Dmitri in the back, forcing him towards a corridor. Finding himself with no other choice Dmitri moved where Birkett directed him. They descended deep into the bowels of the keep, the corridors here were too deep to receive day light and were lit with torches which crackled and spat oil. Descending further, they reached some dungeons which were dark and dank. The sound of rats echoed into the darkness, accompanied by a dripping sound. As he was led along the corridor, Dmitri could sense a resonance in his magic, similar but with a subtle difference to what he had felt in the throne room. But where Dmitri had felt oppressive darkness during Draycott¡¯s outburst, here he could sense something else; a faint glimmer of hope within a forsaken place. The guardsman Wayte stopped in front of a door in the corridor, the door behind which Dmitri was sure the source of the resonance lay! Wayte unlocked the door while Birkett stood next to Dmitri, roughly jabbing him in the side with the blunt end of his pike.

    Having unlocked the door, Wayte turned back to Dmitri to indicate he should enter. Birkett jabbed him roughly again to start him moving. Wayte, seeing Birkett¡¯s behaviour, sighed and shook his head. Still sensing the resonance but unable to pinpoint the source within the dark cell, Dmitri tentatively stepped inside.

 Chapter 17

    From behind the door hurtled a blurry shape collided with Dmitri, knocking him to the ground. He managed to roll onto his back before he felt a weight upon him. The shape that had hurtled at him was a woman, quite a beautiful woman actually, despite the dirt and grime marring her features. He only had that split second to see her before she was raining blows on him. Outside the cell, Birkett was laughing; Wayte stepped in and pulled the woman off Dmitri. Birkett made a disappointed sound, deprived of his entertainment. With Wayte holding back the woman, Dmitri was able to rise again, the woman, now restrained took the time to look at Dmitri. In that same instant, the both recognised each other as the source of the resonance they could each feel. She started muttering apologetically in French.

    Wayte, seeing that that she was no longer going to be a threat to Dmitri, released her and left the cell with Birkett. Dmitri heard the door being locked behind him and heard Wayte tell Birkett to remain on guard until Mattief arrived to replace him.

    Dmitri turned back to survey the room but found the woman starting at him.

    ¡°I can feel your magic,¡± she said in English, looking at him with amazement. ¡°Even muted it sings to me.¡±

    Embarrassed by the attention, Dmitri tried to focus his thoughts away from the woman in front of him. But then his mind latched onto something she had said; ¡°Muted?¡± he asked, ¡°Do you know something about it?¡±

    ¡°I only know what I have found out in my captivity, from visits from the ¡®Lord¡¯ Draycott and his advisor.¡±

    Dmitri could clearly hear the inflection on the word Lord and asked of it.

    ¡°The man you call Draycott rose to power through death and destruction. He and his men raped and pillaged their way across my land. Even now as their captive, I am unable to prevent them from taking what they want.¡± She nodded towards the closed door, indicating where Birkett would be standing outside on guard.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°You mean Birkett?¡± Dmitri asked.

    The woman nodded.

    ¡°I would help you if you could,¡± he continued, ¡°My magic is normally quite powerful when it comes to healing. But the muted sensation that you speak of has all but cut me off. What do you know of it?¡±

    ¡°When I was first captured, I was aware I had magic, but not how to use it. It was the two guards that brought you in actually, Wayte and Birkett; they were the ones that captured me. Wayte is a good man; he simply chose the wrong side. But it is easier said than done to escape the clutches of Draycott. Birkett on the other hand is far from a pleasant man. Where Wayte is a happily married man, Birkett is a lustful hate-filled little man. He will hurt anyone at the slightest provocation or to attain his desires and he seems to enjoy causing pain.¡± She sighed, clearly remembering her own pain caused by him. ¡°But Wayte seems to be able to rein him in somehow. If he hadn¡¯t, Birkett would have risen to captain of the guards by now. And in that position, he would have had Draycott¡¯s direct attention and the two men would wallow in their perverted pleasures together and there would be no accounting for the pain they would cause.¡±

    ¡°But how is it you know so much about these men?¡± Dmitri asked.

    ¡°It is because I¡¯ve been at their mercy for so long. You can learn quite a lot about a man in that situation.¡± She replied sadly, than changed the subject, ¡°So who are you and what landed you in the clutches of Draycott?¡±

    Dmitri started to regale her with his tale as he had Judith, but when he mentioned the runes outside the cave that he had removed, she interrupted him.

    ¡°What did the runes look like?¡±

    Dmitri described them and she exploded, ¡°And you erased them? They¡¯re an ancient form of magic!¡± Calming, she explained, ¡°Usually carved on a planar prison to keep the being trapped inside in a deep sleep. The loose translation is Darkness Sleep. But erasing them would have allowed whatever was contained in the prison to awaken and potentially escape.¡±

    Dmitri nodded, ¡°Which would explain what happened next. When I purified the waters and sealed the cave, I did awake something, a demon. The Arch-Angel Uriel called it Akahaziel. He sent me here to find a person by the name of Destria. That person is meant to teach me how to imprison Akahaziel again.¡± He sighed, ¡°But now I¡¯m trapped in here, and if your imprisonment is any indication, I will be for some time.¡±

    ¡°Well my friend,¡± then she paused, ¡°What was your name?¡± she asked, and Dmitri told her. ¡°Well Dmitri, it may not be as bad as all that.¡± Dmitri looked at her questioningly. ¡°My name is Claudia Destria; I believe it could be me you were sent to find.¡±

 Chapter 18

    Dmitri was stunned. Of all the people that he could have been locked up with, it was the one person that he was sent to find!

    ¡°What do I have to learn from you?¡± Dmitri asked.

    Claudia shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t even know that I could teach anything with our magic muted anyhow. Unless...¡± she trailed off, thinking.

    ¡°Unless what?¡± Dmitri asked, excited at the prospect.

    ¡°There is a way that I know of that a magicker can link with another being. It is called Spirit Linking. The person initiating it links their spirit with the other person and gains some of their aspects. When they cooperate together, if they¡¯re both magical, their powers merge and together they are even more powerful than before. So if we link together, we could overcome the barrier that¡¯s muting us!¡±

    ¡°The people linking don¡¯t have to be magical?¡± Dmitri asked.

    ¡°No,¡± replied Claudia, ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too, but the man that taught me would frequently link with animals to gain aspects of speed or strength. It was incredible.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Dmitri held up his hand, ¡°Animals? You can even link with animals?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ve never done that myself,¡± continued Claudia. ¡°My teacher said that you do lose a bit of yourself when linking with an animal; you have to fight to unlink because the animal aspect can become too powerful. I¡¯ve only ever linked with non-magical people. I¡¯ve only ever known a few magical people so I haven¡¯t had much of a chance; my teacher of course, yourself, and Draycott and his advisor. But there is something not quite right with those last two. I¡¯m not sure what the balance of power is up there, from time to time Draycott seems to be in control, others it will be the advisor.¡± she looked up at the ceiling, indicating where Draycott would be perched on his throne. ¡°The resonance that we felt from each other can be felt from them, but it¡¯s a dark murky sensation, it just doesn¡¯t feel right.¡±

    ¡°I noticed that myself,¡± replied Dmitri, ¡°Before I was brought in, I was with a woman called Judith Mercer, she is the First Merchant to Draycott, but she seems to be working from within to bring Draycott down. Although now that she¡¯s wanted for collusion with me, her chances of success will have dropped greatly. One of the things she told me was of the deaths of all the Exarch¡¯s and that all the people within town are in a trance-like state. Between those two points, I believe that Akahaziel has not only escaped what hold Uriel had on him, but he¡¯s here and has some influence on the people here. Much more then Judith or I anticipated.¡±

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The door opened and guardsman Wayte entered carrying some food. Dmitri decided to take this opportunity and probe him with questions. ¡°Why did you let Judith go?¡± he asked tentatively.

    ¡°What?¡± asked Wayte sharply, not wanting a part of the conversation.

    Claudia answered for Dmitri, ¡°Why did you let Judith go, but still allow me to be captured.¡±

    A pained expression flitted across Wayte¡¯s face. He sighed and answered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Claudia, I truly am. I¡¯m trying to keep Birkett away; he just seems to be unnaturally aggressive.¡±

    Dmitri and Claudia both nod, and Dmitri commented, ¡°We noticed that. It seems that only a few guards have independent thought. The rest are all overly aggressive and single-minded.¡± As Dmitri was talking however, a change was overcoming Wayte, his eyes seemed to lose focus and he seemed to be in another place entirely.

    ¡°Guards do as they are told and follow orders,¡± he replied sharply, ¡°People could be endangered otherwise.¡± Then he turned and left the room.

    Claudia looked at Dmitri, startled, ¡°I see what you mean about a trance-like state. It was like he became a different person.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realised his behaviour could change so suddenly,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°We really need to start work on this linking. No use just rotting here, we need to be productive.¡±

    ¡°Ok,¡± Claudia said, ¡°First, you will need to clear your mind. Reach out and sense you magic, but also reach out to me.¡±

    Her voice droned on as Dmitri cleared his consciousness of thought. In a serene state of mind, he started to reach out towards the magic, the magic that had failed against Akahaziel. The demon¡¯s face flashed in his mind, he once again saw Antonio torn down before him, a great gouge across his chest. Pain seared thought his brain and he was sent reeling. Everything went black.

    Dmitri awoke to find Claudia kneeling over him, concern in her eyes. Relief flooded through her once she saw that Dmitri was alright. Dmitri sat up groggily, ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.

    ¡°While I¡¯m not certain,¡± she replied, ¡°I think I know what happened. When you opened your mind, a memory interrupted your thoughts, a memory that was very unpleasant for you,¡± she explained. ¡°When this happens, all the emotion that you felt when you had the memory bombarded your mind and it shutdown to prevent further damage. I¡¯m sorry; I should have stressed the importance of an empty mind before bounding in like that. In the meantime, you should rest and not think on the magic.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Ok,¡± said Dmitri, disappointed at failing so soon. ¡°Tell me of how you came to be here,¡± he asked.

 Chapter 19

    Claudia took a deep breath and started her tale.

    ¡°My father is the apothecary in the village to the west and after discovering that I had some magic in me, he waited until I was old enough and sent me to learn how to use it.¡±

    Dmitri interrupted, ¡°Who did he send you to?¡±

    ¡°There are enclaves of druids throughout France. I studied amongst the towering monoliths that had been erected millennia ago. The druids taught me the rudimentary skills required to use my magic, but so small was my ability that I was unable to do much of what they taught. As my training was coming to an end, the man who had been my mentor showed me spirit linking and for a time we were together.¡± She stopped, blushing as a memory of that time came to her. She cleared her throat and continued, ¡°Eventually, it was time for me to leave. It was with sorrow that I left them, but the rest of my life called. I couldn¡¯t stay there with them when I had such a small fraction of that magic that they wielded from day to day. I returned home and went to work with my father. I learnt of herbs and potions and he taught me of his passion of alchemy which was not something that neither he nor I had the ability to do; he nevertheless had high hopes that someday I could perform transmutations. While he taught me, some of the men my age had begun to start visiting the shop quite regularly; I soon found out that they were coming specifically to see me. For the last time I¡¯d seen them, I wasn¡¯t the woman I had become while I was away. Another thing that had happened during my absence was the arrival of an English Lord. The man we know as Draycott had arrived and taken control of a nearby bastion town and was causing trouble. One day a raiding party came and attacked the village. I was among the women taken. It was guardsman Wayte himself that pulled me from the frail arms of my father. My struggles were brief as he threatened my father, who was too old to survive any ill treatment at the hands of these English raiders.¡± Claudia closed her eyes, choking back on emotion. Dmitri put his arms around her and soothed her.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said and straightened herself up and continued, ¡°I¡¯d seen the frenzy in Wayte¡¯s eyes and known what he could have done, but when we reached this very castle, I saw him again. Gone was the madness in his eyes, he now wore a haunted look. Several times he tried to free some of the women, but circumstances and other guards made the task too difficult for him. So he did what he could to make the situation comfortable for all the women. We were all locked in cells and from time to time one of us was dragged out to entertain Draycott. I dreaded the day that it would be my turn.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    The women that did return would often huddle in corners muttering to themselves. When it got too much, a guard would come, usually Birkett as he enjoyed it the most, and escort the women away. We had no doubt that what happened then was just as unpleasant as spending time with Draycott. No women came back after Birkett took them. And that was only the women that managed to return from Draycott. What evils were in store for those that didn¡¯t come back at all we don¡¯t know. We could only imagine. Towards the end of my time there, some of the women were awaiting their turn eagerly, if only to put it all behind them, to be put out of their misery. When my time did come, I put on a brave face and went where the guards directed. I ascended high into the castle where the rooms were more and more opulent. I was pushed into a room where a gown lay on the bed. I was told to change into it and present myself to Draycott in the adjoining room. After they closed the door behind me, I looked around the room for a means of escape. But the windows were barred and when I peeked out of the door, a guard stuck his head in front of me and asked what I needed. I backed into the room and started to put the gown on, resolving to find a way out of there.¡± She stopped talking.

    Dmitri took her the clay pitcher of water that was left from the earlier meal and she drank deeply. She choked in fright as the door opened and Wayte entered once more carrying a tray. Dmitri frowned and looked at the window. The light streaming through was no longer the golden light of daylight, but more the orange of dusk; they¡¯d spent all afternoon talking! He turned back to Wayte and saw that the food that they were being brought was actually quality food, not something that would normally be served to prisoners. He spoke up, ¡°Trying to absolve your guilt?¡±

    A pained expression passed over Wayte¡¯s face and he turned to Dmitri stonily, ¡°I was ordered to bring you food of this quality, the Lord believes you to be important.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Dmitri said abashed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry; I didn¡¯t mean to upset you. Can you stay for a moment? Maybe you could tell us about yourself?¡± he asked by way of apology.

 Chapter 20

    Wayte, in a surprisingly forthcoming mood told them, ¡°My wife and I came to France, to get away from family troubles. Then Agincourt happened as King Henry was leading the soldiers back to England. I wasn¡¯t sure how safe we¡¯d be here, but the Lord Draycott took control of the town. In order to keep my wife from harm and to provide some income, I joined the guards. My wife didn¡¯t like it at first, but then she relented,¡± he finished.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t your wife want you to join?¡± asked Dmitri curiously.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t-¡° started Wayte, but then his face changed, his eyes lost focus and he was distant again. ¡°Who asked you to question my life?¡± he snarled and backhanded Dmitri across the face, sending him sprawling across the room. ¡°Next time,¡± continued Wayte, ¡°you can keep your damned mouth shut!¡± He stormed out and slammed the door closed behind him.

    Claudia went over to Dmitri and helped him up, ¡°I think you hit a sensitive spot.¡± She said.

    ¡°You know,¡± replied Dmitri shaking himself off, ¡°I think you could be right. It almost seems as though certain phrases or thoughts trigger him off. We¡¯ll have to try it out next time he drops by.¡±

    Claudia raised an eyebrow, ¡°And take another hit like that? Are you sure you¡¯re ready to do that?¡±

    Dmitri gingerly touched his jaw and worked his mouth open and closed, ¡°Well maybe not tonight.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I¡¯m going to eat this now,¡± he finished, indicating the tray that Wayte had brought in.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Claudia sighed, ¡°If I had my supplies, I could make up a poultice that would sooth it and help the healing. How is your head? We could try some more linking if you like? If you can focus that is.¡±

    Dmitri nodded, ¡°My head is fine, it is just my jaw that¡¯s the problem at the moment. It is extraordinary how much I could use my magic when I can¡¯t reach it. I could heal this in an instant.¡±

    ¡°That is just another reason we should get spirit linking working. Once we combine our power, we should be strong enough to work around the barrier.¡±

    Dmitri agreed and they pushed aside the food, sat crossed legged on the ground across from each other and closed their eyes. Dmitri imagined himself in a world of white, extending into nothingness. Into this, he reached out and took hold of his magic and brought it into this world. The world of white sparked with the rainbow of colours that represented his magic here, so much light and life! Once he had reached this situation, with no appearances from rogue demons, Dmitri reached out once more, but this time to Claudia. In the real world, their hands touched and a spark seemed to pass between them. Into Dmitri¡¯s white universe stepped Claudia, her spirit form radiated beauty, but surrounding her was a pulsating purple aura that Dmitri was able to recognise as pain and suffering. He reached out to her in this world to try and take the pain away, but she jerked away in both worlds, as if feeling the pain anew. The contact broken, she faded from his world. The shock of her actions startled Dmitri and his white world shattered and fell to pieces around him and he was once more in the dank dungeon with torches crackling overhead. Dmitri blinked a few times, clearing the white spots from his vision. Claudia was huddled in front of him, sobbing. He reached out and arm and put it around her to comfort her. ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± he soothed, ¡°I don¡¯t need to know what is wrong, I just want to help you.¡±

    Shuddering back another sob, she looked at him, ¡°It is alright. I will tell you so you can understand it all. It is the end of my tale anyway.¡±

 Chapter 21

    ¡°As you are aware,¡± started Claudia, drying her eyes, ¡°I was in an adjoining room next to Draycott, I¡¯d put the gown on and was trying to prepare myself both mentally and physically for what was to come. I nervously opened the door and stepped inside. The room beyond was very large and the centrepiece was a table heaped with food. Draycott was there, resplendent in his finery, his hands clasped behind his back. Hearing the door, he turned and saw me, his face breaking into a smile. When I saw the smile, I felt more nervous than I had yet. He waved me over and pulled out a chair, offering me a seat. ¡®Come my dear, let¡¯s eat and converse¡¯ he¡¯d said in a congenial manner. As I walked towards him, I could sense an overpowering darkness emanating from him, but it was held in check. For now. He took my hand and kissed it before allowing me to take my seat. My hand seared where his lips had touched and I looked at it as if expecting it to start melting at any moment. Draycott walked to the other end of the table and gestured for me to eat. Having had such poor fare while locked up in the dungeon, I ate greedily and only stopped when I remember the other women that were currently languishing in the dungeon downstairs. Draycott noticed that I had stopped and asked if everything was to my liking. I said that yes it was delightful, but that I could not help thinking of my companions downstairs. He raised an eyebrow and told me that I was the first to care about the welfare of the other women and he answered me that any leftovers would be taken down to the women. He then began small talk, speaking of France, the weather, the state of war and so on. I was becoming increasingly agitated and when he mentioned ¡®the glorious success at Agincourt as ordained by God Himself¡¯, I couldn¡¯t restrain myself any longer and I snapped, ¡®It wasn¡¯t God you foolish man! You know as well as I that heavily armoured knights are useless in the mud!¡¯ As I continued my tirade, his face darkened as he got angrier. Seeing this, I stopped mid-sentence and was about to apologise when he heaved the entire table over on its side, the platters of food scattering everywhere. He strode directly over to me and backhanded me across the face. Down I went. Not finished, he dragged me into the adjoining room and threw me onto the bed. He then started to rip at my gown. I was clawing at him, scratching with my nails and somehow, in the back of my mind, I went back to the training I had with the druids. Draycott was blasted back off me and I could sense my magic in a way I¡¯d not felt before. I launched two balls of fire and they landed near Draycott, encircling him in a ring of fire. He called out to the guards and two of them came running in, and saw me, my clothes in tatters, with my arms upraised, ready to strike again. I called upon them to lay down their weapons to which the nervously complied. I readied a spell to rid us of the scourge of Draycott when I heard a sound behind me. I whipped around to look but I was too late. The last thing I saw was the blunt end of a pike coming towards my face.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    I awoke in this very cell. I¡¯ve been here since. I can only feel the faintest trickle of my magic now. Draycott got his advisor to erect the dampening field that is producing that muted sensation. They came in a few times and Draycott would gloat at my capture and humiliate me. A few times Arcaedus came in by himself and we could talk without fear of the rabid Draycott. He seemed to be a nice old man, if a bit confused with his allegiance. I told him of my alchemical background and how I had learnt magic but not yet mastered it. He replied that if I could perform something that would impress Draycott, a transmutation or something similar, then he might be able to arrange for a more comfortable situation for me to be in. After that, Draycott somehow found out that Arcaedus had been visiting. Without any questions to me regards the visits, Draycott brought in some guards and told them they could do whatever they want and enjoy themselves. As you can probably guess, Birkett was one of the guards and he took no time in taking advantage of Draycott¡¯s offer. He enjoyed my struggles and my pain. I eventually found that if I didn¡¯t struggle, he got bored with me and he stopped bothering. I would also get the regular visits from Wayte, but he would bring food and I could see that he was suffering with guilt at having brought me into here in the first place. Sometimes he would talk lucidly as we¡¯ve seen, other times he was distant. But otherwise, it was all pain and suffering for me. The worst part is that just before I was knocked unconscious, I had full access to my magic. It is like being shown a beautiful sunrise or seeing the moon, before being locked in perpetual darkness, knowing that it is just beyond reach but being unable to get to it. But then you arrived,¡± she reached up and stroked Dmitri¡¯s face. ¡°You arrived, a light in the darkness. Together we will escape; we will win back our freedom.¡±

    Dmitri was still holding her and having finished her story, she lay back against him. ¡°Sleep now,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°we will be linking tomorrow, and we will need our rest.¡±

 Chapter 22

    Dmitri awoke to Claudia shaking him awake. Blearily opening his eyes, he asked her what was wrong. She answered by pointing to the doorway. He turned and looked; standing there; arms crossed and with a smug expression on his face was Birkett. He sauntered in, ¡°Well well,¡± he leered at Claudia, ¡°It didn¡¯t take you long did it wench?¡±

    Claudia answered by spitting on him. He raised his hand to hit her, but Dmitri stepped in and caught Birkett¡¯s arm. Birkett shook his arm free and was about to hit Dmitri when he saw the swollen eye where he¡¯d be hit by Wayte the night before. Birkett barked a laugh, ¡°Ah yes, that¡¯s right; I heard that you angered Wayte a little. I would have liked to have seen that. But I was leading the personal body guard of the Lord¡¯s advisor Arcaedus.¡± He looked at Claudia again, ¡°If I am permanently reassigned there, I certainly shall miss the times we had,¡± he reached out to stroke her cheek but she batted his hand away. He laughed again, ¡°Well, enjoy your meal. I know you are meant to get a higher quality food then this, but I got hungry.¡± He brought in a tray with two bowls of an unappetising sludge and then left.

    After he had left, Claudia shuddered, ¡°I hate that man.¡±

    Dmitri put a hand on her shoulder, ¡°You can relax now, he is gone. We can eat the food from last night; we didn¡¯t even start on it.¡±

    Claudia visibly relaxed and looked around at last night¡¯s tray, ¡°Now that you mention it, I¡¯m famished.¡±

    While they ate, Dmitri thought of something and asked Claudia, ¡°You remember that you spoke of the runes that were keeping Akahaziel in a slumber?¡± she nodded, unable to speak with a mouth full of food, ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering why only put him to sleep? I mean he is a demon, there is no good in him, why keep him somewhere that he could escape or be let out of?¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Swallowing her food, Claudia replied, ¡°Well, first of all, I doubt that people were expecting the runes to be erased. True an earthquake could break them, but on top of that, you said you used earth and fire magic in the mountain?¡±

    This time it was Dmitri that nodded around a mouth full of food. Claudia continued, ¡°Well, as you know, fire is a chaotic magic. It would have been that which woke him, especially since it was fear of that very thing that drove him into the cave in the first place.¡±

    ¡°But,¡± said Dmitri reaching for some more food, ¡°I threw a ball of fire at him and it washed over him, it didn¡¯t affect him at all.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I thought of that too,¡± replied Claudia, ¡°you said that he wouldn¡¯t enter the church because of the fire surrounding it. But wait, in the cave, the fire ball was conjured out of thin air correct?¡±

    Dmitri nodded, unsure where she was headed with this line of thought.

    ¡°And the fire outside the church was on the ground instead of in the air?¡±

    Dmitri nodded again and realised where she was going and finished it, ¡°The villagers would have had natural fire too. So my magic in the cave didn¡¯t work on him, but natural fire does, even if it¡¯s started from a magical source!¡± he finished in a rush.

    ¡°We can defeat him with fire arrows!¡± exclaimed Claudia.

    ¡°But then,¡± he said slowly, ¡°The remains of his fur, all the patches on him, some of those caught alight and would have done back in Alyosha¡¯s time as well. Surely being consumed by fire like that would kill him.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± said Claudia disappointed, ¡°So fire arrows wouldn¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± replied Dmitri, ¡°he¡¯s just too powerful against magic, but that¡¯s all we have.¡±

    Someone cleared their throat from behind them in the doorway. They turned to see Wayte there, arms crossed. ¡°If you¡¯re done, Arcaedus is outside; he would like a word with you both.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Dmitri, ¡°Send him in.¡±

 Chapter 23

    Wayte raised an eyebrow at Dmitri¡¯s order. Dmitri, realising that he¡¯d just given his captor an order looked away in embarrassment. Wayte just shook his head and went out to Arcaedus who shuffled into the cell shortly after.

    ¡°Claudia my dear,¡± he started, ¡°Am I to assume that you have not yet done any transmutations for us? You know I will make life easier for you if you do.¡±

    Claudia shook her head, ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry, I haven¡¯t. I can¡¯t even reach the magic with the dampening field you put up.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is quite a strong one,¡± replied Arcaedus, ¡°The Lord insisted I use his inner spirit to strengthen it, and it seems that he is a lot stronger than any of us knew. We have to be careful around him.¡±

    He turned to face Dmitri, his blind eyes seeming to look straight through him, ¡°And you Dmitri, how are you finding it here? Oh don¡¯t bother answering; I can smell the stench in this cell. But help Claudia with her problem and I am certain that we can help you find what you are looking for. Now, I must go, young Birkett worries so and I¡¯m afraid that he may do something rash in an attempt to impress me.¡±

    He shuffled out and Wayte came back in and tossed a pouch to Claudia. He looked at Dmitri, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Dmitri, and I shouldn¡¯t have lost my temper last night. It is something about this place, sometimes I can¡¯t even remember what I¡¯ve done all day. Claudia, you can use the contents of that pouch to help Dmitri¡¯s face to heal.¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°I know it is hard for you in this place, but you have to fight it. We can win against Draycott, I swear.¡±

    Wayte nodded in agreement, ¡°I know. I fight with every fibre of my being.¡±

    ¡°But be careful, we can¡¯t survive this without you,¡± said Claudia, watching Wayte turning to leave. ¡°One more thing Wayte,¡± she added and he turned to face her, ¡°I forgive you,¡± she finished.

    A sad smile appeared on Wayte¡¯s face and he left.

    Claudia lost no time in rummaging through the pouch and finding the materials she needed. Using one of the bowls that held their meal, which she unceremoniously dumped in a corner, she ground the leaves into a powder and after adding some water, made a paste. She added a few sprigs of various other ingredients and told Dmitri to hold still. She liberally applied a dollop of the paste around his swollen eye and rubbed it in. She then asked Dmitri to apply the rest to the various swollen and injured areas she had due to the ministrations of Guardsman Birkett.

    As Dmitri was doing so, he spoke up, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Claudia, one way or another, Birkett will pay for what he has done.¡± He finished administering the ointment in silence and they sat like that together for a time until she reached out and took hold of Dmitri¡¯s hand. He could feel a pressure on his mind and he closed his eyes and went to his empty white universe. Waiting for him was Claudia. She was radiant, gone was the purple aura, in its place was a shining golden glow. He reached out and took her hand. His magic flared within his mind and he heard Claudia gasp as she too felt her magic once more.

    Opening his eyes, Dmitri reached out and drew the glyph for fire in the air and felt his magic stir. A small flame appeared and started dancing in his palm. He shook the flame away and picked up one of the metal spoons from the discarded breakfast; ¡°Here,¡± he said, handing it to Claudia, ¡°See if you can do something with this.¡±

 Chapter 24

    Claudia opened her eyes and taking the spoon, placed it into one of the empty bowls. ¡°Feed fire and earth into the spoon,¡± she directed Dmitri. Dmitri reached out and touched the spoon, channelling the essence of fire and earth into the spoon. Claudia touched her fingers to the spoon as well and closed her eyes and focused her magic. At first, nothing happened, the spoon just sat there. But then suddenly, the spoon was no more. Within a split second, it had melted. The bowl was now full of an oily metallic liquid. They both gasped at this and carefully released their magic. The wondrous feeling that had filled Dmitri was gone, but the memory of her presence in his mind remained. As did the bowl with the remains of the spoon, ¡°What happened to it?¡± asked Dmitri, swirling the liquid around in the bowl.

    ¡°We melted it down into liquid form,¡± replied Claudia. ¡°I believe that if we can purify the molten liquid and separated the actual metal from slag, we can work on it some more. And then we will finally have what Arcaedus needs to start helping us. You¡¯ll need to use air and water this time. You try starting the link.¡±

    Dmitri closed his eyes, emptying his thoughts once more. He entered his universe and sought out the radiance that would signify Claudia¡¯s presence here. He saw her glow and willed himself towards and it reached out, taking her hand. His magic flared within him and his white universe turned golden as the link was made. He fed a mixture of water and air to the molten metal and let Claudia manipulate it. Painstakingly slowly, they progressed. Using a thin barrier of air created by Dmitri to divide the bowl into compartments, Claudia gradually separate the pure metal form the oily slag.

    Several hours later, Dmitri blinked as Claudia shook him out of a daze. ¡°It is done.¡± She said, sounding exhausted. ¡°That is all I can do for now, I need to let my mind rest.¡±

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Dmitri rose to his feet and brought a pitcher of water to Claudia, from which she drank deeply. ¡°I thought I was going to fall asleep a few times,¡± said Dmitri.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t,¡± replied Claudia, ¡°I have no idea what would happen to a link if one of the party fell asleep.¡±

    ¡°I believe my magic would still work while I was asleep,¡± mused Dmitri, ¡°I¡¯ve kept a campfire burning all night after I created it. But this linking is different; when I draw glyphs and have them do something, I reach out for the magic and I focus it into the glyphs. But with linking, I don¡¯t actually focus it on anything as such; I reach out to you instead.¡±

    ¡°That is where it differs,¡± Claudia explained, ¡°linking doesn¡¯t actually need magic. When I tell you to reach out for your magic, it is simply putting you into a receptive state, which is why you can link with anyone.¡± She got to her feet and started wandering around to stretch her legs. She stopped in front of the door, looking down. ¡°Where did this come from?¡± she asked, indicating a tray heaped with fresh food.

    Dmitri looked over, frowning, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Someone must have brought it in while we were busy.¡±

    ¡°And they didn¡¯t disturb us?¡± asked Claudia sceptically. She knelt down and started to eat. Seeing how fast she was eating, Dmitri went over to eat as well. After a while, Dmitri¡¯s appetite sated, he turned to Claudia.

    ¡°So can someone link to another against their will?¡± asked Dmitri curiously.

    Claudia sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Possibly; if the subject was forced into a receptive state by consuming a plant or potion that could put them in that way, I would say so. But if they did link like that, I¡¯d imagine that if they used the other person¡¯s power against them and killed them, the backlash from the death would do considerable harm. But as I said, I¡¯m not sure. It might not even be possible.¡±

    Dmitri thought this over as Claudia lay down for a rest with instructions to wake her after a few hours.

 Chapter 25

    Several hours later, Dmitri gently shook Claudia awake. She rose groggily but freshened up after splashing water on her face. ¡°Do you want to continue?¡± she asked, indicating the bowl with the purified metal in it.

    ¡°Only if you are sure you¡¯re up to it.¡± Dmitri replied.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine,¡± replied Claudia reassuringly. ¡°I know my limits.¡± She gathered up the bowl and sat cross-legged in front of Dmitri and said, ¡°You initiate the link again. You need the practice. This time, try it without entering that place in your mind first, clear your mind and reach for your magic, and then me immediately after.¡±

    Nodding, Dmitri closed his eyes and reached out to his magic. The muted sensation was still there, but ignoring it, Dmitri reached out once again to Claudia with his mind. Her mind was open and waiting for him and they linked; the magic flaring up inside them both. Dmitri heard Claudia¡¯s voice within his mind; ¡°Feed fire and air into the metal.¡±

    He did as she asked and the metallic liquid started to bubble and boil. Claudia poured in more and more of her own magic, but tinted with a part of the golden aura surrounding her, the aura that had previously been purple and wounded. The golden glow surrounded the bowl and permeated the liquid metal, causing it to glow as well. It bloomed with the brightness of the sun and then dissipated. The bowl was now filled with a bubbling golden liquid. Once again, Claudia¡¯s voice rang out within Dmitri¡¯s mind, ¡°Feed more air into the mixture and use the fire to extract the heat.¡±

    Dmitri fed more air into the mix and it started to steam. He used his fire elements to try and extract the heat but it flared up and liquid caught fire. ¡°Extract it!¡± Claudia¡¯s voice rang out sharply, then calmer, ¡°Tell the element to take itself away.¡±

    Confused, Dmitri tried to take the fire away from the mix. Almost instantly, the mixture began to solidify as Dmitri extracted the heat. Soon, there was little heat left in the mix and the content of the bowl was solid.

    ¡°You can release the magic now.¡± Claudia said aloud.

    Letting go of the magic and the link that went with it, Dmitri inspected the bowl. The contents shimmered in the meagre light, it was solid gold!

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°We did it.¡± Dmitri said in awe.

    Claudia leapt up and jumped on Dmitri in an exultant embrace. Surprised, Dmitri pulled back, but she pulled him closer and kissed him. At first he resisted but soon he stopped fighting it.

    The sound of a throat clearing brought them back to reality and they quickly separated and turned to the source of the noise. Wayte was standing there, a wry grin on his face, ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡±

    Claudia¡¯s face went beet red, ¡°We, uh, had reason to celebrate.¡± She mumbled.

    ¡°Oh?¡± asked Wayte curiously.

    Dmitri continued, ¡°We performed a transmutation; one of the spoons into this bowl of gold. Look!¡± and he held the bowl out to Wayte.

    Unprepared to actually see the result of such powerful magic, Wayte was stunned to be handed a bowl of solid gold. He took it and went out into the corridor to inspect it in better light.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± asked Birkett who was standing guard.

    ¡°They did it,¡± replied Wayte in astonishment, ¡°they actually did it!¡±

    ¡°Did what?¡± asked Birkett impatiently.

    ¡°Your patron, Arcaedus, asked her to transmute something. Look at this bowl, it¡¯s full of gold,¡± replied Wayte, holding the bowl out for Birkett to see.

    Birkett¡¯s eyes lit up at the prospect and took the bowl. Thoughts of greed flitted behind his eyes, calculating.

    ¡°Go and tell Arcaedus,¡± ordered Wayte. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t mention that she managed to do it only after you stopped abusing her,¡± he finished.

    Birkett scowled at the implication but left anyway.

    After he had gone out of sight, Wayte rushed back inside the cell.

    ¡°Arcaedus¡¯ creature Birkett has gone to tell him what you¡¯ve done,¡± informed Wayte. ¡°Now quickly, is there anything I should know about that enabled you do it?¡±

    ¡°We cannot be separated,¡± Claudia said quickly, latching onto Dmitri¡¯s arm.

    When Wayte gave her a questioning look, she snapped at him, ¡°Not because of that. The magic needed both of us. We will also need a long period of time with no interruptions.¡±

    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s what you were doing earlier? When I brought in the midday meal?¡± Wayte asked astounded. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see you doing anything! You were both sitting across from each other, legs crossed. I thought you must have been meditating or something.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± interrupted Dmitri. ¡°Just make sure we¡¯re together. Now you had best get out of here before they come down and find you talking to us.¡±

    Wayte nodded and brought in the tray of food that had brought him into the cell this evening, ¡°You had better eat, with Arcaedus and Draycott on you; you might not have a chance later.¡±

    They thanked him and started towards the food. ¡°Now I guess we¡¯ll find out how Arcaedus can help us,¡± mused Dmitri.

 Chapter 26

    The door was thrown open and the Lord Draycott, resplendent in his jewelled breastplate swept in, flanked by Wayte, Mattief and a wave of darkness. Behind them came Arcaedus, shuffling slowly though the doorway and followed by Birkett. The guards took up positions around the room, Mattief expectant, Birkett¡¯s face held its normal sneer and Wayte¡¯s face was an expressionless mask, wooden and unfeeling, his eyes, unseeing.

    Draycott strode into the centre of the room.

    ¡°Well?¡± he demanded, ¡°Where is it?¡± he sneered at Claudia, who shied away. Dmitri, ever her guardian stepped in front of her, protecting her from Draycott¡¯s gaze. Draycott transferred his now baleful glare to Dmitri who responded by tossing the gold filled bowl at him.

    ¡°Your gold,¡± he said simply and stepped back and offered Claudia his hand which she took gratefully.

    Draycott caught the bowl and delivered another glare at Dmitri and then lowered his eyes to inspect the bowl. He turned it over in his hands, applied pressure to it and inspected it in the light. ¡°It seems about right.¡± He declared, in such a way that it was as if to say that these two fools stumbled into creating the gold. He tossed the bowl to Birkett who handed it to Arcaedus.

    Where Draycott had handled the bowl roughly and almost carelessly, Arcaedus felt it gently and held his hands to the gold. He murmured to himself and nodded his head, continuously turning the bowl in his hands.

    ¡°Well?¡± snapped Draycott, anxious to be elsewhere.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I would say that they have been successful my Lord. I would say by the resonance that I can feel that it was Claudia that performed the actual change.¡± He looked towards Claudia questioningly, his unseeing eyes, boring deeply into her. She nodded in affirmation. Arcaedus continued, ¡°We are now ready to have them perform the next step.¡±

    Draycott stepped forward once more, ¡°The task we will have you perform now is of the utmost importance. The enemy has grown in numbers to the extent that they endanger our very homes. We must stem the tide and prevent them from gaining the strength to invade our homeland. If we do this, we will not only gain respect in the eyes of our King Henry, but in the eyes of God Almighty.¡± He finished with a broad sweep of his hands as if expecting applause. When none was forthcoming, his face darkened with a scowl. Similarly, the room also darkened and a chill seemed to descend upon them. ¡°Birkett,¡± he barked, ¡°You will go with Arcaedus once more, but this time you are to outfit a new chamber for our guests. Arcaedus will fill you in. And you,¡± he span towards Dmitri and Claudia with hate-filled eyes, ¡°You will do as I command or you will find yourself begging for death.¡± With that, he turned away from them and marched out of the room, the chill and darkness receding with him.

    ¡°You can see that there is something not quite right with that man can¡¯t you?¡± said Arcaedus with a chuckle. ¡°Pay him no mind. As long as we all do as he asks, he will pose no problem. I will continue to keep young Birkett here away as I can. I know of the trouble you had with him.¡±

    It was now Birkett¡¯s turn to scowl at them and he smacked a fist into his palm in a gesture as if to show them what was coming when Arcaedus was next absent.

    ¡°Birkett!¡± snapped Arcaedus. ¡°Enough! I may be blind but I can still See the souls of man. Leave your pettiness out of this.¡±

    Scowling some more, Birkett followed Arcaedus as he shuffled out of the room, followed by Wayte and Mattief, Wayte¡¯s expression still blank and unseeing.

 Chapter 27

    After they were gone, Claudia turned to Dmitri, ¡°Tell me you felt that?¡± she asked.

    ¡°What felt like the wrath of doom hovering in here with Draycott? Did you notice that the angrier he got the harder it was for him to control it?¡± Dmitri mused.

    ¡°Do you think,¡± started Claudia, and then dropped her voice to a whisper, ¡°Do you think he is Akahaziel? I mean, you told me about his reaction when you first met him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± replied Dmitri, ¡°He could be. What do you know of him? His history and where he came from.¡±

    ¡°Well he arrived when I was training with the druids, so I missed his arrival,¡± she began, ¡°As it is, my village and the town around this castle aren¡¯t the best of friends, so even anything I heard wouldn¡¯t be first hand information. Everything seemed stable enough though when I returned, but then it would not surprise me if it was fear that was keeping everything in line. I wasn¡¯t back long before I was first taken, so all I have seen of him has been unpleasant,¡± she finished but then added ¡°We should ask Wayte.¡±

    ¡°Good thinking. But did you see him just now?¡± asked Dmitri, ¡°He wasn¡¯t there. I¡¯m guessing that Draycott had control over him.¡±

    ¡°But he had control of all three of the guards that he brought in with him,¡± countered Claudia.

    ¡°When I was brought in,¡± started Dmitri, ¡°When I was to be arrested with Judith, there were about 5 or 6 guards. They all showed varying signs of control. But now that I think about it, Wayte did berate Birkett while I was there. Not to mention letting Judith go free.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Claudia replied, ¡°So was Wayte being controlled then?¡± she asked.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°No,¡± a voice said from behind them, ¡°I don¡¯t believe I was.¡± Wayte was in the open doorway, ¡°You may have noticed that Birkett displays barely restrained madness. From what I can figure, the more anger and hate that is in you, the more likely it is that you will be able to be controlled. Birkett, being a naturally mean and spite filled little man, is rich for the pickings.¡±

    ¡°Am I just?¡± asked a voice from behind Wayte. ¡°I¡¯m glad you feel that way Brother.¡± Birkett circled around Wayte. ¡°You were sent down here to collect them. You were not sent to badmouth your fellow guards. You know, I don¡¯t know what my fool sister sees in you. But then women are weak willed creatures so there is no telling what you said to the silly woman.¡± He looked towards Claudia and quickly raised his arm as if to strike.

    Claudia immediately flinched and shied away and Dmitri moved forward to intercept, but Birkett just laughed. ¡°You two are just too easy; come on Arcaedus has your new quarters arranged,¡± he ordered and walked out the door. Dmitri followed after him, leading Claudia by the hand. Wayte followed behind them, his face a mask of anger directed at Birkett.

    They ascended through the keep, leaving behind the dark and dank dungeons. They continued up through the lower levels and Birkett led them through an open courtyard. The sun that shone down upon them was faint and obscured by clouds, but Claudia revelled in the feeling of sunlight upon her face.

    Dmitri, having been free for longer and not yet suffering like Claudia had been, didn¡¯t focus on the sun, but the fresh scent of the air. Where the dungeon was filled with the stench of waste and countless things decaying; the air in the courtyard was a fresh breeze, it brought with it the smells of the village, feed for the horses, the smell of food cooking and much more. Dmitri relished it all, even the tangy smell of manure. It was too soon that they reached the other side of the courtyard and re-entered the keep. The walls once again felt as though they were closing in around Claudia and Dmitri. Claudia sighed in dejection at once again being denied much time outside. Birkett, having been watching her the entire time outside wore a malicious grin, clearly showing that he¡¯d chosen the path that would affect his prisoners the most. The corridor he then led them towards was located far away from the centre of the keep and up a flight of stairs. He opened the massive reinforced door and gestured for them to enter.

 Chapter 28

    Dmitri entered the room, followed closely by Claudia, keeping close in an effort to stay away from Birkett. So closely was she focusing on Birkett that she didn¡¯t notice Dmitri stop and she ran into him. The room around them was clearly at the foot of one of the towers; it was large and circular and had several arrow slits and murder holes that could be used in defence. But it wasn¡¯t the size, or the windows that had made Dmitri pause; it was what was in the room. On one side were two rough pallet beds with threadbare sheets. A large copper tub filled with water was sitting next to the beds and a rickety table with two stools stood nearby. On the other side of the room, separated by scaffolding was a laboratory area. Shelves stacked with jars of reagents lined the walls. A workbench of sorts held tomes and scrolls and manuscripts. Another section of the walls held host to a list of cages, several with animals, some more that were empty but one with a human corpse inside.

    Claudia, looking around Dmitri, saw all of this and was stunned. It was a fully equipped laboratory, with living quarters! Back in her element, she stepped out from behind Dmitri and went over to the workbench. She ran her slender fingers over some of the tomes, pausing now and then as a particular title caught her eye. Her next stop was the reagents where she inspected several labels and uncorked several jars to smell their contents. Birkett, still watching her was scowling at the child-like delight she was exhibiting as she went around the room and discovered more of what it held. However, when she reached the cage with the corpse in it, she was taken aback. Screwing up her face, she turned to Birkett and Wayte, who was standing by the doorway, fuming quietly to himself and not uttering a word, ¡°Does that have to be here? Can¡¯t you get rid of it?¡± she asked.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Birkett laughed, ¡°What Arcaedus says goes, and he said to have it there. He said that you will need it.¡±

    ¡°But what-¡° started Claudia.

    But Wayte interrupted her, ¡°I¡¯m sure Arcaedus will explain when he comes to inspect the room.¡± He turned to Birkett, ¡°Let¡¯s leave them to get settled. I have a few things to say to you. Can you come with me please?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± said Birkett, ¡°You don¡¯t want to tell me in front of your friends?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Now!¡± barked Wayte.

    Birkett shrugged and walked out. Wayte followed behind and closed the door behind him. There was the distinct sound of a bolt being drawn indicating that even though Dmitri and Claudia had better chambers, they were still prisoners.

    Inside the room, Claudia turned to Dmitri, ¡°What are we going to do about that?¡± she asked indicating the corpse.

    Dmitri thought for a moment, ¡°Link with me,¡± he said, ¡°If I wrap it in a pocket of air and water it will stay preserved until I¡¯m ready to work on it. We¡¯ll be safe from the disease and the smell.¡±

    Claudia nodded in agreement and linked with Dmitri. He traced the glyphs for air and water in mid air and the corpse appeared to shimmer slightly as it was enveloped by the magic. Dropping the link, Dmitri walked over and began to inspect it. Claudia went over to the workbench with the reagents and manuscripts around it.

    ¡°Can you believe this?¡± she asked excited, ¡°With the ingredients we have here, I could do so much! And the knowledge! There is a copy of ¡®Origins¡¯!¡± Noting Dmitri¡¯s blank expression, she explained, ¡°It is <u>the</u> alchemy book. I have seen manuscripts that reference it, but to actually see it, let alone get the chance to read it. My father would be thrilled! It¡¯s just such an opportunity.¡± But then she eyed the copper tub, and looked at Dmitri, a sly expression on her face, ¡°and speaking of opportunities.¡± She stepped towards the tub, untying her dress and letting it fall to the floor.

 Chapter 29

    It was the next morning that Arcaedus paid them a visit. He shuffled in alone and turned his head, as if looking around the room. Claudia sat at the table, scrubbed clean, her dress also clean. Surrounding her was a pile of books and manuscripts. She was poring over it all, taking it all in. Dmitri, likewise scrubbed clean, had the cadaver on a workbench and was carefully inspecting it.

    ¡°Ah,¡± said Arcaedus, ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯ve already started. That¡¯s an interesting form of magic you have around it. It¡¯s keeping it preserved I see. But I trust you recognise the malady?¡±

    ¡°Glad to see?¡± asked Claudia, looking up from her books.

    ¡°A figure of speech my girl. Besides, one can see with more than one¡¯s eyes yes? You should remember that from your training with the druids.¡± Replied Arcaedus evenly.

    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± said Claudia blushing, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°No harm done.¡± He replied gently. ¡°Now Dmitri, what have you found?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± started Dmitri, in a tone for lecturing, ¡°When I was in Russia, I encountered the same disease. You can tell immediately by the lesions on the body. I helped a man there die by removing his pain, but I can see from this man¡¯s muscles and the way his body was contorted that he was in agony. The disease seems to concentrate in arrears of high blood flow.¡±

    Arcaedus was nodding, following every word. ¡°How would you cure it?¡± he asked.

    Dmitri thought for a moment, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. With Fyodor, that was the man in Russia, I couldn¡¯t save him. He was too far gone. But I would prevent it by purifying the water. That¡¯s what I did in the town.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, of course,¡± said Arcaedus, remembering, ¡°The town that you say you met a demon called Akahaziel. He sounds like a formidable foe. What about him, how would you defeat him if you encountered him again?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to figure that out actually, but we¡¯ve had nothing so far,¡± replied Dmitri soberly.

    ¡°You¡¯ve actively been trying to find a way to defeat him? But that was twenty odd years ago. He wouldn¡¯t still be around would he?¡± asked Arcaedus curiously.

    ¡°But he was the root cause of this very same disease, you just said that yourself! This is even more reason to find a way to stop him. And you can¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t seen the way that Draycott behaves?¡± said Dmitri, incensed.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    This surprised Arcaedus, ¡°Draycott? What does he have to do with Akahaziel? You think he¡¯s the cause of Draycott¡¯s behaviour?¡±

    Claudia got up, ¡°No, we think it¡¯s more, we think that Draycott <u>is</u>-¡°

    ¡°Enough!¡± Arcaedus snapped, raising his hand to stop Claudia continuing. ¡°It is bad enough that you have made me side track onto the topic of something that isn¡¯t even real. A demon, in this age?¡± he snorted in derision. ¡°Lord Draycott is my patron and I¡¯ll not hear a word against him.¡±

    ¡°But you-¡° started Claudia, but was overridden immediately by Arcaedus once more.

    ¡°I know him. I have been in his service for many years. He is like a son to me, maybe an irrational son, but a son nonetheless. Now, you have a job to do; this disease kills too fast. The Lord Draycott needs you to extend the life of the disease so that it spreads more effectively and affects more people.¡±

    Claudia¡¯s jaw dropped open, ¡°What?!¡± she exploded

    Arcaedus continued as if no one had said anything, ¡°So you must do what you can to extend its lifecycle without killing its host. It only lasts a day or two at the most. It¡¯s hardly an effective weapon if anyone that contracts it dies before they can pass it on is it?¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s monstrous!¡± Claudia shouted, ¡°Who could possibly deserve a fate like that?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± asked Arcaedus surprised, ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Why the French of course. As ordained by God himself. He started the scourge at Agincourt; it is Draycott¡¯s honour to continue the Lord¡¯s work.¡±

    The look of horror on Claudia¡¯s face said it all, ¡°You can¡¯t possibly believe that nonsense. Surely you¡¯ve lived long enough to have seen the type of madman that Draycott is?¡± She reached out and grabbed him, pleading with him, ¡°You can¡¯t do this! You have to break free from his control!¡±

    Arcaedus raised his hands and with a simple gesture sent Claudia flying across the room where she hit the scaffolding and fell to the floor.

    ¡°I am not without my own defences Claudia, do not try my patience,¡± said Arcaedus and then turned to Dmitri, ¡°If you have not made the choice by sundown, I will kill you both and find another willing to do His work.¡±

    He left then; shuffling out the door which was then closed and bolted behind him.

    Dmitri went over to where Claudia had gotten up and was brushing herself off, ¡°Thanks for helping me reason with him just now,¡± she said sarcastically.

    ¡°What could I have said?¡± Dmitri asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said angrily, ¡°anything! You could have supported me.¡±

    ¡°I do support you,¡± he said.

    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± she replied quietly, looking down.

    ¡°Claudia,¡± said Dmitri, but she didn¡¯t respond.

    He took her gently by the shoulders, ¡°Claudia, listen to me,¡± he said gently, and she looked up, ¡°I do support you. His mind had been made up. Nothing I could have said or done would have changed his mind. However, now that he is gone, we can decide how to act.¡±

    Claudia took a deep breath and nodded, ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry. What do we do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°we can¡¯t say no though, I know that much.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to condemn the lives of hundreds to the whims of a pair of madmen are you?¡± asked Claudia in disbelief, her voice close to breaking.

    ¡°Not as such, what we need to do is appear to be working on it, but what we actually are doing is finding a cure. And more, we can also find a way to defeat the demon. This way we¡¯ll be ready.¡±

    Claudia put her arms around Dmitri, ¡°I¡¯d hoped you¡¯d think of something.¡± And she rested her head on his chest as he held her close.

 Chapter 30

    Arcaedus, having made the journey back to Draycott¡¯s main hall was weary as he mounted the dais and took his seat beside Draycott, who watching him approach had summoned a servant with a goblet of water which he handed to Arcaedus after he was seated.

    ¡°So they have their new task?¡± Draycott asked.

    ¡°Yes my Lord,¡± replied Arcaedus, taking a deep drink from the goblet.

    ¡°And I¡¯m going to assume that they were both up in arms about the matter?¡±

    ¡°That is what I expected as well,¡± began Arcaedus, ¡°But Dmitri simply stood by and listened. He was already inspecting the corpse when I arrived.¡±

    ¡°He is a sly one, that foreigner,¡± said Draycott, and then thinking of something, summoned a guard, ¡°I need you to put some guards on the door to the chamber that the foreigner and that infernal woman are in. But just watch and report. Do not under any circumstances interrupt them. The work they will be performing could be dangerous to anyone that interrupts them.¡±

    The guard nodded and left. Draycott turned to Arcaedus, ¡°We need to lull them into a false sense of security. They were fairly restrained before and now that they have their freedom, they will be more suspicious than ever.¡±

    Arcaedus nodded, ¡°A wise move my Lord. They are very uneasy at the moment. They believe that either Akahaziel is controlling you or that you actually are Akahaziel.¡±

    Draycott barked a laugh, ¡°Do they now? That¡¯s an interesting conclusion to reach isn¡¯t it? Did they have help reaching it do you think?¡±

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Arcaedus narrowed his eyes, as if focusing on something, ¡°It seems that my bodyguard Birkett is in a bit of a situation, with guardsman Wayte no less. I can¡¯t think of many people more likely be a contributing cause to our prisoner¡¯s thinking. Should we bring them in and see what they have to say for themselves?¡±

    ¡°Or, we could go to them,¡± said Draycott and rose to his feet, ¡°Where are they?¡±

    ¡°I would say that they are in the courtyard my Lord,¡± replied Arcaedus.

    In the courtyard, Birkett and Wayte circled each other, bundled wooden lathes held out at the ready. Birkett stepped in, swinging his practice sword around and down towards Wayte¡¯s legs. Wayte stepped back and swung his sword at Birkett¡¯s back as he spun. The lathes made a loud cracking sound upon impact and sent Birkett to his knees.

    ¡°Do you yield?¡± demanded Wayte.

    ¡°Never!¡± yelled Birkett and swung his sword at Wayte¡¯s legs, the impact sending him to the ground as well.

    Birkett leapt to his feet and lunged towards Wayte on the ground, who rolled away and regained his feet.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be amongst the guards!¡± Birkett yelled at Wayte as they began to circle again.

    ¡°I do it to protect the innocent from people like you,¡± retorted Wayte as he pressed his attack with a flurry of blows, which Birkett deflected and retreated from.

    ¡°You¡¯ve sided with the prisoners!¡± he yelled as he steadied himself.

    ¡°They are prisoners that were wrongly imprisoned; Dmitri, a foreigner here to stop a great evil. And next is Claudia, a poor alchemist that you abused.¡± Wayte said heavily, still panting from his attack.

    ¡°Abuse that I enjoyed and would do again,¡± sneered Birkett and began a series of blows that Wayte was having trouble deflecting. Blow after blow struck Wayte¡¯s practice sword until one hit Wayte¡¯s wrist, numbing it and causing him to drop his sword. Birkett stepped forward and delivered a kick to Wayte¡¯s chest, sending him sprawling. Birkett walked slowly over to the winded Wayte, chuckling. ¡°So you lose then Wayte?¡±

    Wayte, on the ground, was on his back. He reached out with his hand to collect some of the dirt in the courtyard, ready to throw it in Birkett¡¯s face, to blind him. ¡°I will never yield to a monster like you,¡± said Wayte through gritted teeth.

    ¡°So be it,¡± said Birkett, raising his sword above his head.

 Chapter 31

    ¡°Enough!¡± Draycott¡¯s voice rang out over all other noise in the courtyard. All faces turned to see Draycott descending some stairs from an upper wall, Birkett and Wayte included. Birkett, taking advantage of Wayte¡¯s diverted attention, took the opportunity and brought his practise sword swinging down. Arcaedus, sensing the malevolent intent shot out his arm and with a blast of magic diverted the path of Birkett¡¯s descending sword. The impact of the wooden lathes against Wayte¡¯s head was like a crack of lightning. Wayte crumpled to the ground and Birkett was sent flying by Arcaedus¡¯ blast.

    ¡°I said enough Birkett. I will not tolerate disobedience amongst my ranks,¡± snarled Draycott warningly.

    Birkett having regained his feet replied, ¡°My Lord, this was the result of an arguement between Wayte and me.¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± said Draycott, ¡°Fill us in.¡±

    Birkett bowed and began to explain, ¡°Guardsman Wayte has been in close quarters with the prisoners. I believe he is in collusion with them.¡±

    ¡°You believe?¡± asked Draycott, ¡°It seems convenient that you have rendered him unconscious and unable to refute your claims. Fortunately, we heard what he was yelling. Now, how did this argument end in swordplay?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± began Birkett, ¡°When I went to collect the prisoners last night, to take them to their new chambers, there was talk of me being controlled, and Wayte was an active participant. He demanded I follow him afterwards. He told me that I had to leave the guards and stop the way I had been behaving. I countered that he was working with the prisoners, a traitorous way to behave. He got angry and challenged me to a duel. The loser would have to leave the guards.¡±

    ¡°So you think you won then?¡± asked Arcaedus, joining the conversation.

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Birkett without hesitation.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°The sand he was about to blind you with wouldn¡¯t have changed the outcome?¡±

    ¡°No, I-¡° he started and then the words registered and he looked down at Wayte¡¯s hand which indeed held some sand, ¡°I don¡¯t know my Lord,¡± he finished.

    ¡°What would you do in my position guardsman?¡± asked Draycott, with emphasis on the word guardsman.

    Birkett thought for a moment, ¡°I would not want to lose either of my guards,¡± he replied.

    ¡°You think you are so valuable?¡± asked Draycott amused, ¡°Fortunately, you are correct in this matter. I do require all of my guards to be in active service. Do you think you can put aside your differences and work beside each other for the greater good?¡±

    ¡°Of course my Lord,¡± Birkett replied, ¡°But what about-¡°

    ¡°-Wayte¡¯s transgressions?¡± Finished Draycott, ¡°He will face a punishment, you can be sure of that. He is a married man is he not? His wife could easily become leverage.¡±

    ¡°He is, My Lord; to my sister.¡± Replied Birkett cautiously.

    Draycott barked a laugh, ¡°What a tangled web you live in guardsmen. Have no fear; nothing will happen to your sister.¡±

    ¡°I do not fear for her my Lord; she has been nothing but trouble for my family. I could even see to it myself if required.¡± Birkett offered.

    ¡°A man after my own heart,¡± said Draycott dryly, ¡°Very well young Birkett, I may very well take you up on your offer. In the meantime, I suggest you busy yourself lest I find something unpleasant for you to do.¡± He turned to leave and then turned back to Birkett, ¡°Oh, and it might be an idea to get someone to take care of guardsman Wayte.¡± He turned again and walked back into the keep, Arcaedus trailing behind.

    As they walked through the keep, Arcaedus voiced the question that had been on his mind since he heard Birkett¡¯s explanation for their fighting, ¡°What are we going to do with the guardsman Wayte my Lord?¡±

    ¡°What indeed?¡± asked Draycott, ¡°If he believes we are out to control people, why don¡¯t we do just that? I am currently radiating an aura that changes people to look at me for the better, a great political tool. Could we do something about that so that it heavily affects Guardsman Wayte in a different way?¡±

    ¡°A clever idea my Lord,¡± replied Arcaedus, ¡°I¡¯ll set it up immediately. Gather the other guards; I may have a way to use Wayte as an example to the others. But then I must leave and rest for a time. My body needs its rest, my time is nearly up, I must conserve what I have left.¡±

    ¡°Of course you can rest,¡± said Draycott, ¡°But come back well rested, the situation here will only need you more and more as time passes.¡±

 Chapter 32

    Wayte awoke in his own bed on the outskirts of town. Upon waking, he looked around for his wife, she wasn¡¯t to be seen. Rising, he moved to a basin of water and began to wash himself as he looked out the window, the early afternoon light streaming through it, ¡®I must have overslept,¡¯ he thought. Finishing the task of washing himself, he took hold of the basin to empty it and then noticed that the water was stained red with blood. Frowning, he tipped the water out the window as per normal and walked out the room, in search of some answers. His wife was at the stove preparing a meal, her back to him.

    ¡°Marianna, the basin, it was-¡° he stopped short as his wife turned around and he saw his wife¡¯s face and the dagger in her hand. Her face was bruised and several cuts were visible. It was then that he noticed that her dress too had tears freshly sewn up.

    ¡°Marianna!¡± cried Wayte, ¡°What happened to you?¡± He reached out a hand to comfort her, but she pulled away quickly as if stung.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked, ¡°Who did this to you?¡±

    Marianna turned on him, venom in her eyes, ¡°You wretch! How can you have possibly forgotten? You did this to me you monster!¡± she screamed.

    Wayte took a step back, confused. How could he have done this? The last thing he could remember was an argument with Birkett and a duel, but that was all. But in the dark recesses of his mind, he could dimly recall throwing the door open and seeing his wife smiling at him. But then he remembered tearing at her dress like an animal, lust roaring through his body, Marianna¡¯s smiling expression turning to one of horror, her struggles; he was telling her to stop, that it was ok. But then he remembered raising his arm, ready to strike and ¨C Wayte gasped. It was him. He had come in here and he had been a monster. He slumped to the floor. Marianna, seeing nothing of the monster in the man on the floor dropped her dagger and went over to Wayte and knelt beside him. She took his hand and stroked his face as sobs wracked his body, his mind tortured with the screams of his wife and images of him breaking one of the most sacred vows of marriage.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Sometime later, Wayte arrived at the guards¡¯ barracks, his expression tight and determined. Marianna had understood when he had explained what Draycott was capable of. It was her demand that he continue to follow this path and continue to support Dmitri and Claudia. They were the only hope for this damned city. If he gave up now, she would have suffered for nothing. In return, he demanded that she leave the city, go to the French and seek sanctuary. She agreed and their parting kiss was strong and lingering.

    Upon arriving at the barracks, Wayte sought out Mattief. Having only been with the guards a limited time, he shouldn¡¯t be as affected by Draycott as Birkett was. Wayte found him playing dice with two other guards who quickly excused themselves after seeing the thunderhead that was Wayte.

    ¡°I need to know what they did to me.¡± Wayte said without preamble.

    ¡°Look,¡± replied Mattief, ¡°Don¡¯t involve me, you got yourself into this mess.¡±

    Wayte slammed his fist on the table, ¡°Tell me!¡± he demanded.

    ¡°Alright, alright, calm down,¡± started Mattief. ¡°Draycott assembled us and told us that you had become a traitor. But since we need every man that we¡¯ve got, he didn¡¯t want you killed. So he attacked you in the way it would affect you most; morally. I don¡¯t know how they did it, but together Draycott and Arcaedus took control of you. They made it so we could see through your eyes in the reflection of a basin of water.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone put a stop to it?¡± Wayte demanded.

    ¡°Well, some of the guards were muttering but Draycott and Arcaedus looked up, their eyes had changed, Arcaedus¡¯ was a pure white instead of that odd smoky white it normally is. Draycott¡¯s were black as pitch. Everyone went silent; the threat was clear. Obey or be punished.¡±

    Wayte stood there, clenching and unclenching his fists, then turned and left. Mattief leapt up and ran towards the keep. Racing through corridors, he reached Draycott¡¯s room where he told Draycott of his conversation with Wayte.

    Draycott mused this for a moment, ¡°It seems he hasn¡¯t learnt from his lesson. Very well, thank you for letting me know. We may have room for a promotion sooner than expected.¡±

    Mattief bowed and left the room, leaving Draycott to plan.

 Chapter 33

    The door opened and Wayte entered. Dmitri looked up from his work with the cadaver, ¡°Ah Wayte, good afternoon, what can we do for you?¡± he asked congenially.

    Wayte walked over to Dmitri and beckoned Claudia over as well, when she reached them; Wayte recounted the morning¡¯s events. Throughout the telling, Claudia gasped and her anger was building. After Wayte was finished, Claudia stormed, ¡°That monster! How can he do such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that this is the man that wants total destruction of the French. Pardon me for saying so Wayte, but this is a small thing beside what that man is capable of if that¡¯s his plan.¡± Dmitri reminded her.

    ¡°He what?¡± asked Wayte shocked.

    Dmitri looked at Wayte, ¡°You didn¡¯t know? That¡¯s what they have us doing in here.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re doing it?¡± Wayte asked incredulously.

    ¡°Not as such,¡± explained Claudia, ¡°They¡¯ve provided us with an abundance of resources. Tomes and manuscripts, shelves of reagents, have a look around. So what we¡¯re doing is buying time. We¡¯re researching.¡±

    ¡°Researching?¡± asked Wayte.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to find a weakness in this disease,¡± explained Dmitri, ¡°It originated from Akahaziel, so if we find a weakness in this we could be a step closer in finding a weakness in the demon himself. Claudia is trying to find a way to actually expose the demon and defeat him.¡±

    ¡°Can I interrupt your research for a special project?¡± asked Wayte.

    ¡°Of course,¡± said Claudia, ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°My wife, Marianna, has gone into hiding. She wants me to help the both of you to escape and defeat the evil in the city. But while I can be controlled, I¡¯m putting all of us in jeopardy.¡±

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Dmitri and Claudia turned to each other and discussed it. There were wild gestures and Wayte overheard words like ¡®link¡¯ and ¡®receptive state¡¯. Claudia finally turned to an expectant Wayte; ¡°We can perform a special type of magic called Spirit Linking. This means that we can share magic and skills. But without extensive training on your behalf, we can¡¯t link with you immediately. Now obviously, time is critical so we don¡¯t have time for training so I am making you a potion.¡± She went over to the reagents and started taking down jars and vials, ¡°If you drink from it regularly, we will be able to link with you from afar. But in the same respect, Draycott may be able to control you easier. If we link with you before he does, your mind will be locked and he won¡¯t be able to get in. So we will rotate linking with you for periods at a time. And because our link is spirit magic, it should break any control that Draycott has over you.¡±

    ¡°What should I do?¡± asked Wayte.

    ¡°When around other guards, act like they do, try and blend in,¡± suggested Dmitri.

    Wayte nodded, taking it all in, ¡°anything else?¡± he asked.

    Dmitri looked towards Claudia, who nodded, ¡°Do you think you could free us?¡± he asked.

    Wayte shook his head, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. To get out of the castle from here is too long a route; you would be seen and stopped.¡±

    ¡°What about if you had a distraction?¡± asked Claudia, coming back to the pair, carrying a vial which she handed to Wayte.

    He took it with gratitude, ¡°What type of distraction?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Like fire, but more volatile,¡± replied Claudia.

    Wayte raised his eyebrows in surprise, ¡°How would you do that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Leave that to us,¡± she said. ¡°Now, I would recommend you leave now. Don¡¯t forget, take two drops every hour. If you are running low, come and see me for more.¡±

    Wayte nodded and started to leave.

    ¡°Wait,¡± said Dmitri and grabbed his sleeve, ¡°wear an angry expression. We¡¯ll find something to make it appear as though you have beaten us.¡±

    Wayte nodded again and left the room.

    ¡°Clever thinking,¡± said Claudia after Wayte was gone, ¡°about the beating I mean.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°What did you mean about the fire though?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll show you in the morning, my mind is too exhausted to think about it at the moment, I think I might go to bed.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I continue working do you?¡± asked Dmitri.

    ¡°Actually,¡± she said, her smile getting bigger, ¡°I was hoping you would join me.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± said Dmitri blushing and he started towards Claudia.

 Chapter 34

    The next morning, Dmitri rose late. Claudia was already up, immersed deep in her reading. Dmitri tore off a chunk of bread from a loaf they¡¯d been provided and sat across from Claudia watching her while he ate. They sat in silence, interrupted every now and then by the sound of Claudia turning a page. Suddenly, Claudia made a frustrated noise and slammed her book shut; ¡°I just don¡¯t understand!¡± she stormed.

    Dmitri looked at her questioningly.

    ¡°If Akahaziel made this disease, how come he can¡¯t change it to make it last longer?¡± asked Claudia.

    ¡°I¡¯d not thought of that,¡± said Dmitri and took another bite of his bread.

    ¡°The only thing I can think of is that he isn¡¯t around. But then look at what happened to Wayte, so he has to be around,¡± she said.

    ¡°Maybe he was weakened by Uriel after he sent me here?¡± suggested Dmitri.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Physically yes, but a demon¡¯s magic wouldn¡¯t be weakened if the demon itself was injured. It¡¯s an innate corruptive power,¡± explained Claudia.

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± asked Dmitri around his bread.

    She held up the book she was reading, ¡°Though I do find it odd that we have a book about demons in here. Why provide us with something that might contain the key to defeating him?¡± she mused.

    ¡°I¡¯m just grateful that we have the knowledge available,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°But I¡¯ve only been trying to find a cure so far. I¡¯ve barely inspected the corpse yet, good thing it is sealed in magic otherwise it would have begun to smell by now.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± said Claudia excited, her eyes shining, ¡°say that again!¡±

    ¡°What? It¡¯s not going to smell, we¡¯ve got it sealed in magic.¡±

    ¡°No, before that, the cure,¡± she said.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°All I said was I was trying to find one.¡± Said Dmitri confused.

    ¡°But don¡¯t you see? To make the disease last longer, you have to partially cure it! And that is why Akahaziel can¡¯t do it. He¡¯s a demon; he can only perform corruptive magic!¡± Claudia finished with a flourish.

    Dmitri¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°I¡¯ve just thought of something even better!¡± he exclaimed.

    Claudia raised her eyebrows, ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°You say he can¡¯t do any healing right?¡± confirmed Dmitri, and Claudia nodded. ¡°What if he was hit with corruptive magic? He couldn¡¯t heal himself could he? It would eat into him and damage him.¡±

    Claudia broke into a massive grin, ¡°I think you¡¯ve got it! We know how to defeat him!¡± But then her smile dropped and she furrowed her eyebrows, thinking. ¡°How do we hit him with corruptive magic? We can¡¯t do that type.¡±

    ¡°Dammit!¡± said Dmitri, slamming his fist down on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t know. See if you can find a way to do that while I get some samples from the corpse so I can make the partial cure.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to see what I was talking to Wayte about last night? The fire?¡± asked Claudia with a grin.

    The conversation from the night before had completely left Dmitri¡¯s mind in the events that had followed, but now they came rushing back. Including the memory of a promise to Wayte that they would link with him to keep him safe from being controlled.

    ¡°Have you linked with Wayte yet?¡± blurted Dmitri when he realised.

    Claudia laughed, a bright cheerful laugh that belied their surroundings, ¡°Did it slip your mind?¡± She asked with a cheeky grin.

    Dmitri blushed at this, women weren¡¯t meant to behave like this!

    ¡°Well I was distracted. You may remember, you were there after all. I do recall a few things that you said last night? Would you like me to repeat them?¡± asked Dmitri with a grin of his own.

    It was Claudia¡¯s turn to go red and she cleared her throat. ¡°Yes, I have linked with Wayte this morning. It is a very unusual experience. I¡¯ll let you determine that for yourself later though, I¡¯ve only just released the link so we won¡¯t need to do it for a while yet.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°Now this fire thing. You said you could make a distraction more volatile then fire? How do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± she replied, getting up and going over to her workbench, ¡°the first thing I did this morning was begin preparations. Over here I have a sample.¡± She held up a small vial filled with an orange liquid. ¡°When this liquid is heated, whether by fire or magic, the liquid itself will catch fire and if the container it is in is a tight fit, the liquid will expand at such a rate that it will explode.¡±

    Dmitri raised his eyebrows, ¡°Explode?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the more liquid and the more heat the bigger the explosion will be. So we¡¯ll put it over here in the corner under this bucket,¡± said Claudia picking up a bucket. ¡°You can channel heat into it if you can¡¯t see it correct?¡±

 Chapter 35

    Dmitri nodded and watched as Claudia placed the vial on the ground and put the bucket face down on top of it. She then came back towards Dmitri and led him to the far side of the room away from the bucket. Once they reached the other side, Claudia turned him to face it, ¡°Fill the vial with heat please.¡±

    Linking was becoming second nature to Dmitri now, so he reached out for his magic, then Claudia, and his magic flared once more. Drawing the glyph for fire, he focused on what the vial looked like inside the bucket. At first nothing happened, but then a roar of noise occurred and not only the vial but the bucket exploded as well! Shards of glass and splinters of wood flew in all directions. Dmitri quickly drew the glyph for air and erected a shield around them both as the debris rained upon them. As the dust began to settle, they heard a pounding on the door. ¡°What¡¯s going on in there?¡± demanded one of the guardsmen from outside.

    Claudia started to reply but choked on some dust that sent her into a coughing fit. ¡°Nothing to worry about,¡± Dmitri called out, ¡°just some incorrect measurements with our reagents.¡±

    ¡°Well make sure it doesn¡¯t happen again,¡± came the gruff reply from outside.

    Claudia, having recovered from her coughing fit by having some water turned back to Dmitri who shared his thoughts on the experiment, ¡°I was not expecting it to be quite like that.¡±

    The expression on Claudia¡¯s face said that she hadn¡¯t expected it either.

    Dmitri was taken aback by this, ¡°What?¡± he exclaimed, ¡°You weren¡¯t expecting it to be quite like that?¡±

    ¡°No actually,¡± she replied, ¡°I expected the bucket to be affected, but not to actually explode. I¡¯ve only ever done this sort of thing over a natural flame. Your magical flame must be magnitudes hotter to be able to produce the reaction so fast.¡±

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°I would expect so,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°the fire created by elemental magic doesn¡¯t need fuel. If it does use it, the flame can become a natural flame. But otherwise it is a pure elemental fire.¡± Then an idea struck him, ¡°Can we have this in portable form?¡±

    ¡°Well the vial is portable so yes, what exactly do you mean?¡± asked Claudia.

    ¡°Is there a way that if we threw it, it would explode upon impact?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Oh,¡± said Claudia catching on, ¡°if we had some way for fire to be sealed in a container with the liquid then have the impact rupture the fire container, then it would explode. But I know of no way to store fire like that.¡±

    ¡°Well magic of course,¡± said Dmitri with a smile on his face, ¡°I could create a ball of fire first,¡± he held up one fist representing the fire, and then he enclosed it with his other hand, ¡°surround that with a layer of air, and then a water and earthen shield.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll make an alchemist of you yet Dmitri!¡± exclaimed Claudia with a smile. ¡°You should probably link with Wayte to let him know all is well. I¡¯ll start brewing some of the liquid.¡±

    Dmitri nodded and walked over to where they ate their meals. Sitting down, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Reaching out for his magic, he sought out any receptive spirits. He could sense Claudia nearby, but he pushed himself beyond the boundaries of the room. From the centre of the keep he could feel absolute darkness emanating. Daring not venture too closely, he sent his spirit out towards the town surrounding the castle. There! Patrolling through the market district was the spirit that Dmitri could recognise as Wayte. Dmitri reached out to the spirit and completed the link. To say that the sensation was unusual was an understatement. His body felt lighter and more spry, but stronger and more muscular. But his mind had a pressure on it, as if he was stuffed into a barrel. Wayte himself started as he too felt the connection. But having linked with Claudia earlier, he grew accustomed to the link a lot faster than Dmitri. What Dmitri found particularly odd was that he could still see out his own eyes, but by closing them and concentrating a little, he could see out Wayte¡¯s eyes. After a while, having experienced life through Wayte¡¯s eyes, as well as moving around their own room with a speed and agility he¡¯d not experienced before, Dmitri had felt no attempts at control or any external forces at all. So he sent a feeling of farewell and broke off the link.

 Chapter 36

    Dmitri looked over at Claudia, ¡°Now that was an odd sensation wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Claudia broke into a grin, ¡°Seeing through his eyes or using his abilities in your body?¡±

    ¡°Is that what it was?¡± asked Dmitri surprised, ¡°I thought it was just his speed and strength.¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s exactly what it was,¡± Claudia responded. Upon receiving a confused look from Dmitri, she explained, ¡°When you link with me, your magic flares up. That is because you and I are both magic users, we¡¯ve been trained in magic. Wayte hasn¡¯t been, he is a trained warrior. His life revolves around his speed and strength so those are the attributes that you gained.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± said Dmitri catching on, ¡°and that¡¯s why your teacher would link with animals, to gain an aspect of theirs.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± said Claudia excited, ¡°so you would choose a bull for strength or an eagle for enhanced vision. The choices are limitless.¡±

    ¡°But if Draycott has blocked our access to magic, how can we even link?¡± asked Dmitri.

    ¡°My teacher explained it to me,¡± said Claudia, ¡°He said that linking is done entirely by the spirit and doesn¡¯t actually involve magic. And that is why animals and non-magic users can be a part of a link.¡±

    Dmitri nodded in understanding, ¡°But when we link, we¡¯re tapping into our own magic instead of an external source and thus it is usable.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Correct,¡± said Claudia, confirming Dmitri¡¯s musings. ¡°But you¡¯d best get back to work on the cure for this, I¡¯ve got a lot to do if I am to supply us with a few of those jars of liquid. Link with me so we can still access our magic,¡± she suggested.

    Dmitri nodded and reached for his magic and then Claudia, the bloom of magic once again put a radiant smile on Claudia¡¯s face. Dmitri went over to the workbench where the cadaver rested and performed the air and water glyphs in the air about the cadaver, releasing it from its protective shielding. The odour of decay that assailed his nose was enough to make his eyes water so he wrapped his face with a scrap of cloth to block the smell. Carefully using the tools at hand, Dmitri extracted some of the lesions and sores so that he would have samples on hand to work with. Placing them into some stoppered glass jars, he sealed them with the same air and water shield that had been preserving the cadaver itself. He took them over to the workbench where Claudia was busily weighing ingredients and dividing them into separate piles and didn¡¯t even notice him. Turning back to the cadaver, Dmitri drew the glyphs for air and fire above the cadaver. A bubble of air came into being around the corpse and flames erupted from the already open chest cavity and spread over the corpse. The pocket of air soon filled with an evil black smoke. Using more air magic, Dmitri funnelled the smoke out of one of the windows in the room. Dmitri looked over at Claudia to see how she doing to find that her expression, directed at him, was not amused. Then she too used some cloth scraps to cover her mouth and nose to fend off the smell of roasting and rotting flesh. Dmitri shrugged apologetically but continued his grim task.

    The guards again banged on the door, making demands to stop whatever they were doing that was causing that smell.

    Eventually all that was left on the table was an oily black stain burnt into the wood. Using some more air, Dmitri sent the last of the foul air out the window, but not before sending a small pocket of it out to the guards. Claudia grinned at this and further burst out laughing when they started banging on the door again.

 Chapter 37

    ¡°I am so glad that is gone,¡± she said, relief evident in her voice. ¡°Just having it here was creeping me out.¡±

    ¡°You know it is only just the beginning though?¡± asked Dmitri, then continued without waiting for an answer, ¡°I¡¯m going to have to expose some of the rats to this disease before we can convince Draycott that we¡¯ve done it.¡±

    Claudia nodded, her mirth gone.

    ¡°But there is good news,¡± added Dmitri. Claudia looked at him, intrigued. ¡°It¡¯s only going to be today,¡± he declared with conviction.

    ¡°I have some good news too; I have set up several mixtures here. All they need is time. Then we can dilute the mixture a little and start filling jars with it. So I¡¯ll work on a way to feed Akahaziel his own corruption. But first,¡± she walked over to Dmitri and stood close to him, ¡°I,¡± she kissed him quickly on the lips, her voice breathy, ¡°am,¡± another kiss, Dmitri¡¯s expression became expectant, ¡°going to,¡± another kiss.

    ¡°Yes?¡± asked Dmitri.

    ¡°Link with Wayte again!¡± Exclaimed Claudia and burst into laughter. She twirled on the spot and danced away, leaving a bewildered Dmitri shaking his head.

    Retrieving the jars he had left with Claudia, Dmitri opened the seal on one and took a small section of the sample out. He reached for his magic before realising that Claudia had broken their link so she could link with Wayte. Sighing, he started to leaf through Claudia¡¯s books.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Finding nothing of interest to him, he took his sample over to one of the caged rats and put the sample inside with the rat. The rat nibbled on some of the uncorrupted parts of the sample. Dmitri sat and observed this for a while; the rat was perfectly healthy. Pressing his experiment a little further, Dmitri ruptured one of the lesions on the sample; a black liquid oozed out. The rat, previously unaffected, began to wheeze. It ran around its cage in a frenzy. Then it stopped and rolled over, it¡¯s breathing became even more laboured and it began to cough up blood. Small black boils began to erupt over its body, behind its front paws and in the groin area. The sores began to swell and the rat began to shriek in pain. The noise alerted Claudia and brought her running over, ¡°What in the world-¡° she began, but then she turned ashen-faced upon seeing the rat. Dmitri could see it on her face the moment she lost concentration and she dropped the link with Wayte. Her eyes widened and her knees buckled. If Dmitri hadn¡¯t turned to her at that moment, she would have hit the floor. Instead, he caught her and carried her over to one of the beds where he lay her down.

    As he passed the rats cage on the way to get Claudia some water, the rats shrieking had hit a crescendo. Then one of the boils ruptured, aside from the oozing black liquid, the rat was still; it was dead.

    Dmitri returned to Claudia with water to find her sitting up, well enough for her to tell him she was fine and not to fuss over her. Dmitri shrugged and raised the water to his lips, but Claudia snatched it off him and took a big gulp from it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to see that,¡± said Dmitri gently, ¡°I¡¯ll give you warning next time.¡±

    Claudia shook her head, ¡°No, I need to be able to stomach this. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Are you up to linking?¡± asked Dmitri, ¡°I¡¯d like to try a few things with the samples.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± she replied, ¡°as long as I don¡¯t need to do anything, I just want to sit down for a while.¡±

    Dmitri nodded and formed the link with her. The flare of magic within her relaxed her somewhat as it distracted her from thoughts of the rat.

 Chapter 38

    Leaving Claudia sitting on the bed, Dmitri went back over to the samples. Drawing glyphs for water and fire, he tried purifying the black liquid using a standard form of healing. Almost immediately the ooze reacted, as would be expected when adding water, it thinned out and there was more of it. But what Dmitri didn¡¯t expect was that after stopping the flow of water and air, the ooze continued to grow. In no time, it had doubled. Quickly, to prevent further spread, Dmitri drew the glyph for fire and incinerated the sample. Relieved that the fire had managed to destroy it, Dmitri moved to the next sample and the next elemental combination.

    Behind him, the door opened and Wayte entered looking around urgently. Seeing Claudia, he rushed over with only a brief nod at Dmitri.

    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Wayte, ¡°I felt the link and then suddenly you were gone!¡±

    ¡°You came up here for that?¡± asked Claudia with a smile, ¡°You really are a sweet man aren¡¯t you? It¡¯s a shame someone so good is surrounded by so much evil.¡±

    Wayte looked at her, not comprehending.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she explained, ¡°Dmitri was just working on the disease and he had to infect a rat.¡± She shuddered in remembrance, ¡°It is not a pleasant thing to watch. But he is working on it now.¡±

    A burst of flame ignited another sample as Dmitri exhausted another option.

    ¡°Oh,¡± said Wayte, his relief palpable. ¡°Just that when it broke off, I was afraid that something had happened, that Birkett had gotten to you or something.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Claudia smiled and put a hand on Wayte¡¯s arm. ¡°Thank you for caring. Your wife is a lucky woman.¡±

    Wayte blushed and smiled, ¡°So is Dmitri to have you.¡± Then he changed the subject, ¡°I¡¯ve managed to convince the guards outside that I¡¯m checking up on your progress, so I can be in here for a short while longer. But this linking, it is an extraordinary experience. I could tell what you were doing when you were accessing my speed and strength!¡±

    Claudia frowned, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Another flare of fire occurred as Dmitri continued, causing Wayte to look over.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to cure it,¡± Dmitri explained, seeing that he had Wayte¡¯s attention.

    ¡°With fire?¡± asked Wayte.

    ¡°No,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°I am using the fire to destroy any sample that grows and spreads too much.¡±

    Wayte nodded, not really understanding, ¡°Good luck,¡± he said and turned back to Claudia. ¡°When either you or Dmitri actually used the speed or strength that you had gained, I could feel what you were doing. One of you earlier had tried to lift something really heavy.¡± He looked around the room, weighing objects in the room with his eyes, trying to gauge which item it was, he latched onto one of the workbenches, it was solid oak, immensely strong and heavy because of it. Wayte went over and grabbed an end and partially lifted it.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, lowering it again, ¡°it was this one.¡±

    Dmitri had stopped what he was doing and had been watching the two of them and he raised an eyebrow at the table lifting. He looked at Claudia in askance; she started to blush. Dmitri shook his head and laughed, getting back to his work. Time to try water again, he traced the glyph in the air and added some water to the ooze. It bubbled again and began to expand once more. Instead of incinerating it so soon, he traced the glyph of air but instead of adding it this time, he extracted the air from the ooze. Denied its food source, the disease stopped spreading. Detecting something else in the mix, Dmitri traced the glyph of earth and began to extract that element. This time the ooze began to contract, losing substance until it was only a small puddle of liquid. Using the glyph of water once more, he extracted that from the liquid; soon the small dish was empty, the elements having reclaimed their own. Dmitri let go of his magic with a smile.

 Chapter 39

    Dmitri strolled over to where Claudia and Wayte were in deep conversation, ¡°I¡¯ve cured it,¡± he said casually. Claudia stopped mid-sentence and turned to stare at him, ¡°You what?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve cured the disease,¡± he repeated as calmly as before.

    ¡°What? How?¡± exclaimed Claudia.

    Dmitri explained the process he had used. After he had finished, Claudia asked if that would actually cure someone.

    ¡°I believe so,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°I¡¯ll have to modify it somewhat because this will cure an existing affliction.¡±

    Wayte interrupted them, ¡°That¡¯s great news Dmitri, but I have to go before I am missed. Call for someone when you are ready to announce your success to Draycott. I will leave the two of you to figure out the technical details.¡± He then left the room and locked the door behind him.

    ¡°What didn¡¯t you want Wayte to hear?¡± asked Claudia after Wayte had left.

    ¡°How did you-¡° he started, but cut off as he saw Claudia¡¯s knowing expression, ¡°Well yes I guess you do know me well enough. We are going to have to inflict someone with the disease; the mixture that produces the extended version.¡±

    ¡°But you have cured it haven¡¯t you?¡± asked Claudia confused.

    ¡°Yes, but we need Uriel if we¡¯re to have any chance to escape Draycott and defeat Akahaziel, so we need to summon him,¡± explained Dmitri.

    ¡°So we just send Wayte,¡± suggested Claudia, ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you don¡¯t want to tell him about Uriel.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°If Wayte knew that we could summon Uriel on holy ground, then Draycott would know.¡± Dmitri said, and then began to explain, ¡°Not because Wayte would tell him, but because between Draycott and Arcaedus, they can read people. Draycott would use the knowledge and set a trap. I¡¯m not sure what would happen in a battle between an angel and a demon, but I¡¯d prefer to dictate the terms myself. I don¡¯t think that Uriel would come for Wayte anyway, he would sense the residue of Draycott having controlled him and think it was a trap.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± asked Claudia.

    ¡°Well, as I said,¡± Started Dmitri, ¡°we ask Draycott for a prisoner to test the disease on. He¡¯ll send one down, find the disease perfect and then send the prisoner out to infect the French. The disease will abate and the prisoner will be fine. He¡¯ll then go to some holy ground and summon Uriel for us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that simple?¡± asked Claudia.

    ¡°Well if everything goes according to plan anyway.¡± Replied Dmitri soberly, ¡°Anything can go wrong. We need to be prepared for any eventuality.¡±

    ¡°So what do you need me to do?¡± asked Claudia.

    ¡°For now, make any potion that can be used as a weapon,¡± instructed Dmitri. ¡°If it explodes or incapacitates, we want it. I¡¯ll let you know if I need anything else.¡± He started towards his samples to continue working.

    Claudia spoke up, ¡°Dmitri, the last few days have been good to me. You have been good to me. I just want you to know that I am so much happier when I am with you. Once we¡¯re out of here, I will go wherever you do.¡±

    Dmitri had turned back to her as she had started to speak, and as she finished, he gathered her into an embrace and held her tightly. He took a step back, brushed a strand of her away from her face and planted a kiss on her lips. ¡°It¡¯s a deal,¡± he said softly and kissed her again.

    Dmitri¡¯s next task was to create a self-curing version of the disease, and with a limited number of rats, he had to work carefully. Keeping each rat in an individual enclosure, he exposed the first one to the disease. It immediately began to exhibit the black sores and wheezing that he and Claudia had seen in the rat earlier. Having already linked with Claudia, he drew the glyph for water around the rat and let it seep in.

 Chapter 40

    The thick viscous blood that it had begun to cough up became thinner and less frequent, so Dmitri took the next step and drew the glyph for air and began to extract that element. The wheezing got worse and the rat fell on its side. Dmitri quickly realised that as well as starving the disease of air, he was doing the same to the rat. He reversed the flow of air and instead began to feed air back into the creature. He thought for a moment, trying to think of a way to extract air, earth and then water when his mind hit upon something Wayte had said; he¡¯d seen Dmitri using fire and had thought that was part of the cure. So Dmitri took a risk and drew the glyph for fire and began to feed that into the rat. The rats wheezing turned to shrieking and it began to cough up blood once more. The black sores erupted and oozed the foul liquid. The rat collapsed and lay on its side in a pool of black ooze, a trickle of blood trailing from its mouth.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t work,¡± said Claudia from behind Dmitri.

    He turned around quickly, having not heard her approach, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t appear that way does it.¡± Dmitri sighed dejectedly, ¡°How are you coming along?¡± he asked her.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she said, gently placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, ¡°we knew that this wasn¡¯t going to be an easy task. I know you are doing the best you can.¡± She gave him an encouraging smile. ¡°But I have managed to make a few potions we can use.¡±

    Claudia guided Dmitri over to her workbench, ¡°This one,¡± she said indicating a bulbous little jar filled with a green liquid, ¡°will constrict airways, causing people to choke and struggle to breathe.¡± Then she indicated a vial filled with a yellow liquid, ¡°And this one, will cause an itchy rash almost instantly.¡±

    Dmitri nodded, clearly impressed, ¡°But how do we get them to ingest it?¡± he asked.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°We don¡¯t,¡± replied Claudia, and then explained, ¡°you simply throw the potion at the ground and when the container smashes, the liquid within will react with the air and become a gas, then they will begin to choke or itch accordingly.¡±

    ¡°Impressive,¡± said Dmitri truthfully, ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to understand how you did it, I¡¯m just happy you have.¡±

    ¡°It was surprisingly easy actually,¡± said Claudia, ¡°The choking gas is made from the pollen of a certain flower. The pollen normally causes this reaction in a small number of people, but I have made it stronger so that it should affect just about anyone. The other one, the yellow potion, it is made from a mix of nettles, it is contact with the skin that causes the itch in that.¡±

    Dmitri was nodding as she explained, it was incredible work that she was doing.

    ¡°Look!¡± exclaimed Claudia, pointing behind Dmitri.

    He turned to look at what she was pointing at; it was the rat. It was walking around its cage, alive! Dmitri quickly went over to the cage and inspected the rat. Its fur was matted from blood and oozes and it had open wounds where the sores had been but otherwise it was completely fine.

    ¡°Will you look at this, it¡¯s completely healthy,¡± said Dmitri astounded.

    ¡°But how?¡± asked Claudia, ¡°We saw it die. Didn¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Not quite,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°We saw it stop moving. It is quite possible that it simply lost consciousness because of the pain.¡±

    ¡°So it is a cure then?¡± asked Claudia.

    ¡°Yes, a complete cure.¡± replied Dmitri. ¡°Could you create something that added fire and water to the disease over time?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Water is easy,¡± said Claudia, ¡°I¡¯ll just add something that can break down any food into water. Assuming the person has eaten within a day or so they should be fine. Fire though is a different question. Do you want it to catch fire? And actually burn?¡±

    ¡°Not as such,¡± he replied slowly, ¡°I only added a small amount to the rat and it burned it all away in a flash. So maybe a small burst that burns itself out.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± she started, ¡°if we use the same fire liquid idea from our potions, it should work. I¡¯ll just change the amount of liquid it needs to ignite.¡±

 Chapter 41

    With that, Claudia went over to her reagents and took down several jars. She asked Dmitri to heat a bowl of water which he did by drawing the glyph for fire and directing it into the water. When the water was boiling, Claudia began to add the ingredients she had selected and stirred them in one by one as they dissolved. The liquid thickened as she stirred it and the colour changed. First a murky brown, then it turned a rich emerald green. Finally, as she added her last ingredient, a spiky red leaf, the mix turned a vibrant red.

    ¡°Cool it down quickly,¡± said Claudia.

    Continuing with the fire glyph, Dmitri began to extract the heat. Furthermore, he drew the glyph for air and cooled it with that as well.

    Claudia continued to stir while Dmitri cooled the mix and it began to thicken and then solidify. Soon enough, all the heat had been extracted and the mixture was solid. Claudia let out the breath she was holding, ¡°It is done,¡± she said with a smile.

    ¡°Is it?¡± asked Dmitri, ¡°How do we mix it with the disease?¡±

    Claudia replied by getting out two mortar and pestle, ¡°We grind it into a fine powder.¡±

    She divided the solid red mass into two parts, a piece of which she placed into the stone bowls.

    ¡°Watch, and follow what I do,¡± instructed Claudia. Picking up a pestle, she began to break up the red compound, Dmitri followed suit with his own.

    Slowly and carefully they continued until finally Claudia stopped, declaring hers complete. Dmitri, not as experienced as Claudia wasn¡¯t quite done yet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll finish yours,¡± said Claudia, ¡°Take some of my powder and mix it in with the black ooze.¡±

    Dmitri gathered some of the powder and breaking open the magic seal on one of his samples, added the powder to it. Not sure what to expect, Dmitri watched carefully as the two mixtures combined. The red powder simply dissolved.

    ¡°It dissolved,¡± he said to Claudia, sounding disappointed.

    ¡°Yes, it was meant to,¡± replied Claudia. ¡°It means that now the ooze is a self curing version, give it to your rat.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Dmitri took a scoop of the ooze over to a new rat, the other having suffered enough. Upon being presented with an unknown substance, the rat sniffed at it and took a small bite. Nothing. Not even so much as a cough.

    ¡°Damn!¡± shouted Dmitri, slamming his fit on the bench. Claudia, watching the proceedings shook her head, ¡°I guess we did it wrong,¡± she said.

    ¡°But I was so sure!¡± said Dmitri, ¡°It was the exact same method I used to cure it before.¡±

    ¡°But the rat you cured you infected first didn¡¯t you?¡± asked Claudia.

    ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s why the changes were meant to be ones that happen over time. That¡¯s what you created isn¡¯t it?¡± asked Dmitri for confirmation.

    Claudia didn¡¯t respond, she was staring at Dmitri.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked again. Then he noticed what she was staring at, it was once again the rat behind him. The rat was writhing in agony, its breath rasping. Suddenly, its back arched and it let loose a fountain of blood from its mouth, it sprayed across the workbench and splashed over some of the other rat cages.

    Dmitri quickly gathered cages and took them to varying spots in the room, dumping them apart so the now mutant disease wouldn¡¯t spread further. The original rat was on its side, kicking feebly into the air. The black boils had erupted all over the creature as well.

    Claudia, some cloth over her mouth and nose, was using some cloth scraps to try and clean up the blood that the first rat had sprayed everywhere. Meanwhile, Dmitri was observing the progress of the second rat; its entire body had begun to swell, the boils engorged and painful, a small trickle of blood seeping out its mouth.

    From around them, a wheeze began from each of the rats that had been caught in the spray of blood.

    ¡°Uh oh,¡± said Claudia, realising what was going to happen next. ¡°Dmitri!¡± she called, ¡°Do something!¡±

    Dmitri traced the glyph for air and gestured to one of the newly diseased rats, a blanket of air wrapped around it and gesturing again, Dmitri directed the rat out of its cage to another part of the room where he left it suspended in the air. Doing this with all of the wheezing rats, he enclosed them with a massive bubble of air. The sound of their wheezing was amplified by their close proximity to each other. One of the guards outside the door proceeded to bang on the door, ¡°What¡¯s that noise? What are you doing in there?¡±¡± demanded the guard, ¡°I¡¯m going to get Draycott!¡±

    Claudia looked at Dmitri in alarm. He shrugged, ¡°It is too late, we can¡¯t do anything to stop him coming now.¡± A strained look appeared on his face, ¡°Help me reinforce the shield. Copy the glyph I did and focus on air.¡±

    Claudia did as he asked and traced the glyph in the air, her expression one of wonderment as she communed with the element of air. She concentrated on the shield of air that Dmitri had constructed, pictured it thickening.

    ¡°Good work,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°Now we just have to hold it long enough. It¡¯s going to be bad.¡±

    The wheezing stopped. The rats each arched their backs as if taking a deep breath. The next second the inner walls of the shield were running red with blood. Claudia vomited.

 Chapter 42

    The door opened and Draycott entered, flanked by Wayte and Birkett.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on in here?¡± demanded Draycott.

    Dmitri, who had been tending to Claudia looked up, ¡°Draycott, we-¡° he started only to be interrupted by Draycott.

    ¡°Release your heretical magic! And address me as Lord. While you are in my domain, you will follow my rules!¡± demanded Draycott, spittle flying as he raged.

    Reluctantly in front of the madman, Dmitri released the magic. Unfortunately, it was this magic that had been containing the infected rats. The sphere of air that had previously contained a pool of thick infected rat blood churning with infected rats, dissipated. It hit the workbench with a splash, the rats, now free, scurried away as quick as their pain wracked bodies would allow, their fur matted with blood and black sores clearly visible. Claudia, who had almost recovered, retched once more at the sight of this.

    Draycott raged, ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±

    Cautious around someone as volatile as Draycott, Dmitri explained, ¡°The rats are the infection that Arcaedus asked for. We¡¯ve completed it.¡±

    Draycott brightened up somewhat, the madness in his eyes dimmed, ¡°Have you now? Show me.¡±

    Dmitri, unprepared for such a request so soon rushed around and quickly gathered one of the enhanced samples of the disease along with one of the miraculously uninfected rats.

    ¡°First of all,¡± he explained breathlessly, ¡°the rats have a higher heart rate than humans.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean to me?¡± demanded Draycott, his eyes gleaming with madness once more.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°It means that you will see the effects of the disease faster than you would in a person. It should be the same in a human subject,¡± explained Dmitri.

    ¡°Should be?¡± asked Draycott sceptically.

    ¡°Well yes,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°we don¡¯t have anyone to test it on.¡±

    ¡°What about her?¡± asked Draycott seriously, indicating Claudia.

    Claudia¡¯s eyes opened wide at the prospect. ¡°No!¡± said Dmitri firmly, ¡°I need her.¡±

    ¡°You need her?¡± repeated Draycott.

    ¡°Yes,¡± affirmed Dmitri, ¡°I would not have been able to do this without her.¡±

    ¡°Bah!¡± said Draycott, ¡°Stop wasting my time! Show me the disease, kill the rat with it.¡±

    Dmitri put the sample in the rat¡¯s cage. Seeming to have learnt from the other rats, this rat didn¡¯t approach the sample.

    ¡°Well?¡± demanded Draycott, ¡°why isn¡¯t it dying yet?¡±

    ¡°It needs to ingest the disease, or be infected by another rat,¡± explained Dmitri.

    Draycott stalked over to one of the beds and heaved it onto its side; he bent down and snatched up a rat that had been lurking beneath the bed. It squirmed and tried to wriggle free as Draycott marched back towards the cage containing the healthy rat. He thrust the rat inside and squeezed it. In retaliation, it tried to whip around and bite him, knowing this would be the rat¡¯s reaction, Draycott had withdrawn his hand, and the rat had bitten the healthy rat. The healthy rat turned around and sunk its teeth into the offending rat. Its teeth pierced one of the lesions and the rat caught a face full of the black ooze.

    ¡°See,¡± said Draycott with a smirk at Dmitri, ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard at all.¡±

    Dmitri shook his head numbly, having not expected even that level of callousness from the madman.

    ¡°How long will this take?¡± asked Draycott, showing signs of irritability.

    ¡°In rats,¡± Dmitri began, but he was quickly overridden by Draycott.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your damn rats. It¡¯s the damned French I want to die,¡± stormed Draycott

    Out of the corners of his eyes, Dmitri saw Claudia open her mouth to say something, but Dmitri signalled her quiet with a wave of his hand. ¡°My Lord,¡± said Dmitri, trying another approach, ¡°We must look at this the correct way. The rats compared to the humans.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± said Draycott gruffly, ¡°continue.¡±

    ¡°Thank you my Lord,¡± said Dmitri bowing his head slightly; whatever he had to do to rid himself of this madman was worth it. ¡°As I was saying,¡± he continued, ¡°In a rat, this original disease would kill it in around an hour. This new version we have made does it in two.¡±

 Chapter 43

    By this time, the rat had begun coughing and wheezing. ¡°Excellent,¡± said Draycott eyeing the rat, ¡°It is beginning to feel the effects. Two hours you say? How long is that in humans?¡±

    ¡°Assuming that the time translates across the same way, you would be looking at two to three days,¡± said Dmitri.

    ¡°Very good. Arcaedus will be pleased. I¡¯m sure we have some humans in the cells we can test it on,¡± Draycott said with indifference, this time Claudia wisely kept her mouth shut, ¡°When does it pass on the disease?¡± asked Draycott.

    ¡°There are two times that the infection can spread without outside interference,¡± explained Dmitri. ¡°They are; when the subject vomits blood, if any of the blood enters another body, even in water, that second body will become infected. The second method is the black sores, they come after the blood. Once they rupture, by themselves or by being forced, the liquid that they release is very potent and the area immediately around it is infectious, almost as if surrounded by spores.¡±

    It was at this point that the rat started to retch. Draycott clapped his hands with a laugh, ¡°Oh how extraordinary! I have no doubt that Akahaziel will be pleased. You will have your test subject. If you release it into the water supply of a town, will that work?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it would take some time for the disease to lose its strength after being introduced into the water,¡± replied Dmitri. ¡°It will infect anything that drinks from the stream though, so be aware of that.¡±

    Draycott snorted, ¡°Between the French and the animals in the area, I don¡¯t think we will lose anything of any import. It is a fair trade. Make enough to last a month in the river.¡±

    ¡°It will be as you say my Lord,¡± replied Dmitri with a bow.

    ¡°Make certain it is,¡± said Draycott warningly and then he turned and left, Wayte following close behind. Birkett stayed behind in the room, ¡°Your tame guard isn¡¯t so tame anymore is he?¡± he sneered and then he too left the room.

    Claudia turned to Dmitri, ¡°I understand the grovelling; he looked like he would tear you apart with his bare hands at the slightest provocation. But why did you lie to him?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Oh, the duration?¡± asked Dmitri.

    ¡°And the spores,¡± added Claudia.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Well,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°even though Draycott is completely mad, he doesn¡¯t want to be infected himself. He may not fear you or me, but we can make him fear getting the disease.¡±

    ¡°So you were just trying to get rid of him quickly?¡± asked Claudia.

    ¡°That and if the infection gets loose in the castle, he will be in trouble, so limiting contact with it is paramount,¡± explained Dmitri. ¡°So this way, once we give it to the prisoner, we can say that they are in danger of infecting everyone. Draycott will have no choice but to rid himself of that potential!¡± finished Dmitri triumphantly.

    ¡°I like the idea of that man showing fear,¡± said Claudia fiercely. ¡°What do we do about the mix that he wants us to make up?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the alchemist,¡± said Dmitri. ¡°Do you know of a way to make something that looks similar but is completely harmless?¡±

    ¡°My my,¡± said Claudia, ¡°you certainly are beginning to rebel aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Dmitri. ¡°Because it will all end soon.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why you don¡¯t just kill them now,¡± insisted Birkett as he paced back and forth in front of Draycott¡¯s throne where the man himself sat poised as if ready to strike.

    ¡°While I understand that Arcaedus may have faith in you and may disclose his plans to you, I am not him,¡± replied Draycott. ¡°But I do understand the power of the human spirit. If it is allowed to be free, it can pose a danger to the best laid plans. This is why I have a few things in mind that will remedy the growing confidence in our prisoners.¡±

    ¡°As you say, my Lord,¡± said Birkett bowing.

    In high spirits, Claudia stood over a bubbling mixture, humming while she stirred it. Dmitri on the other side of the room was using water and air to clean up the mess caused by the rats. It had been an eventful time trying to round them up. Even though the rats would have been in tremendous pain, they would have been following their natural instinct and had then hidden themselves under much of the furniture. After managing to catch a few, they simply gave up. As long as they didn¡¯t corrupt the food supply, the rats would recover eventually. While Dmitri worked, he tried to imagine what the world would be like when he was his own master once more. After they were free and had defeated the demon, Dmitri felt that he would enjoy a life with Claudia. Maybe as a thank you, Uriel could take them someplace away from the madness of this civilisation. Uriel, the arch-angel, not really a companion one found themselves with. But he was a companion of tremendous help when facing off an unholy demon. They¡¯d better find a way to reflect the power onto itself.

    ¡°Claudia,¡± he called out and she looked up, the sunlight playing on her hair, he was such a lucky man. ¡°Have you had any thoughts on reflecting Akahaziel¡¯s power against him?¡±

    She shook her head, ¡°Not yet, but there was-¡° she was interrupted by the door being thrown open.

    ¡°Your human test subject,¡± announced Birkett. He entered the room with Mattief. Between them was slung the prisoner, dressed in rags with its head hanging low and manacles on its hand and feet. Birkett and Mattief dragged the prisoner over to one of the beds and let it fall. The prisoner landed hard and rolled off the bed. Birkett barked a laugh at the situation. The prisoner¡¯s cowl fell back and she let out a groan, it was Judith!

 Chapter 44

    Dmitri rushed over to Judith and knelt down beside her, ¡°Claudia, link with me!¡± He said in a rush.

    ¡°Well have fun with your new toy won¡¯t you?¡± said Birkett. ¡°I sure did,¡± he added with a sneer.

    ¡°You animal!¡± screamed Claudia and rushed at him, clawing and scratching. Laughing, Birkett fended her off, ¡°Jealousy doesn¡¯t suit you Claudia. Besides, you can come to me anytime,¡± he finished with a laugh as Mattief restrained her.

    Dmitri turned to face them, ¡°Let her go,¡± he demanded.

    ¡°Or what?¡± retorted Birkett, and then sighed, ¡°Oh, she¡¯s not worth the bother. Mattief, let her go,¡± said Birkett shaking his head.

    Mattief did as Birkett asked and let her go. She immediately turned and gave Mattief a slap on the face, and then she started towards Birkett once more, who spread his arms as if welcoming the challenge. Dmitri stepped in and grabbed her by the shoulders, ¡°It is not worth it,¡± he said gently. ¡°They will get what is coming to them.¡±

    Dmitri could feel Claudia relax beneath his hands.

    ¡°We had best be going I think,¡± said Birkett. ¡°We do have a feast to attend. Draycott is happy you are done. Claudia, I¡¯ll raise a toast to the downfall of your countrymen.¡±

    Claudia stiffened in Dmitri¡¯s arms, so he tightened his hold on her and looked her in the eyes. Birkett laughed once more and Claudia closed her eyes tightly, trying to ignore him. He shook his head and walked out, Mattief close behind.

    Dmitri turned his hold on Claudia into a hug, ¡°You can¡¯t let them get to you,¡± he said softly. ¡°We have to make them think that they¡¯re winning.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Claudia nodded in his arms and he gave a tight squeeze before letting go. She stepped back and looked over at Judith who was still on the floor beside the bed.

    ¡°We should link,¡± said Claudia, clearing her throat. ¡°We have to find out what happened to her.¡±

    Dmitri nodded and reached out for his magic and Claudia. Once linked, Dmitri traced the glyphs for water and air and let them seep into Judith. She groaned some more but rolled onto her back. Her eyes flickered open and widened as she saw Dmitri. ¡°Dmitri!¡± she cried, ¡°you came for me!¡±

    Claudia¡¯s eyebrows rose and Dmitri¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at the emotion in Judith¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Judith; we¡¯re prisoners here as much as you are.¡±

    She struggled to sit up and Dmitri and Claudia each grabbed an arm to help her up. Once she was sitting, she looked around the room and then at Claudia, ¡°Where am I, who is this?¡± she asked.

    Claudia raised her eyebrows at the abruptness, Dmitri saw her reaction and laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Claudia. Judith here is one of the fiercest women I have ever met. After I¡¯d accidentally thrown a fireball at her driver, not only did she leap over and take the reins, she also stopped the horses and started yelling at me.¡±

    ¡°Claudia?¡± asked Judith, ¡°as in Armand Destria¡¯s daughter?¡±

    Claudia¡¯s eyes shot wide open at the mention of her father, ¡°You have news of my father?¡±

    Judith turned to face Dmitri, ¡°I see you found her.¡± Turning back to Claudia she continued, ¡°Yes, Draycott¡¯s men caught me just after I left your village. I¡¯d gone there to find word of you after Dmitri had told me that he was looking for you.¡±

    ¡°How is he? Is he well?¡± asked Claudia anxiously, concern flooding her voice.

    ¡°Not a day goes by when he doesn¡¯t pray for your return, he misses you dearly,¡± replied Judith.

    ¡°Tell me more,¡± pleased Claudia.

    ¡°He has closed up the shop, he said it reminded him too much of you,¡± Judith said bowing her head sadly.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t he get anyone to try and help me?¡± cried Claudia.

    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Judith, ¡°and Draycott stopped them all. ¡°They were either turned away or they simply disappeared.¡±

    ¡°Dmitri, we have to get free and help him!¡± cried Claudia.

    ¡°We will soon,¡± said Dmitri returning with some food and water for Judith. Handing her the water, he explained, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that what is in store for you isn¡¯t going to be pleasant.¡±

 Chapter 45

    Judith¡¯s eyes widened in fear, ¡°What¡¯s going to happened to me?¡± she stammered losing her nerve.

    ¡°We need to infect you with a disease,¡± said Dmitri softly.

    Fear turned to outrage in an instant, ¡°What?¡± she demanded, ¡°Have you fallen so low that you would do what that mad man asks?¡±

    As she continued, her voice became shrill. Dmitri tried to quiet her down with placating gestures, but she was growing even more agitated. She got up and began to rant and rave, cursing Dmitri and Draycott. She continued until Claudia hit her over the head with one of the larger tomes.

    ¡°Claudia!¡± exclaimed Dmitri in shock, ¡°What did you do that for?¡±

    ¡°To quieten her,¡± said Claudia simply with a shrug. ¡°It seemed like the thing to do. Besides, I didn¡¯t like the way that she was looking at you; all dreamy eyed, as if you were a hero out of legend!¡± She laughed, ¡°She stopped after you told her your plan of course,¡± she snorted. ¡°That worked really well didn¡¯t it,¡± she finished sarcastically.

    Dmitri was in disbelief because of her behaviour and her incessant talking since she hit Judith, not to mention the jealously there in the first place. How could she think like that? Hadn¡¯t he shown her how he felt by now? He held up a hand to stop her tirade, ¡°You are a fool sometimes Claudia, but that could be why I feel about you the way I do. If we infect her while she is out, she won¡¯t fight us the way she did.¡±

    Claudia caught only one part of what he had said, ¡°They way you feel about me?¡± she asked turning dreamy-eyed herself. Dmitri sighed, unable to understand women. He bent down and grabbed Judith by the ankles, ¡°Do you mind?¡± he asked, indicating that Claudia take her by the arms. They lay her on a workbench with some padded cloth beneath her head.

    ¡°We can¡¯t get her to eat the stuff, but if we can put some inside her mouth at all, it will begin to do the job,¡± said Dmitri getting one of the samples. Claudia looked on in morbid fascination. Using a spoon, he gathered a small scoop of the black ooze and holding her mouth open with one hand, he scraped the spoon clean against the side of her mouth.

    ¡°Done,¡± said Dmitri standing up straight again.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Wake her up,¡± said Claudia in a hushed voice.

    Dmitri nodded, ¡°But first, we are not to give her any water. The formula you made does all of that and any additional water could produce unexpected results.¡±

    He looked at Claudia for confirmation that she understood and she nodded. Dmitri shook Judith gently; no response. He looked at Claudia, ¡°How hard did you hit her?¡±

    Claudia looked horrified, ¡°Not that hard. She is breathing isn¡¯t she?¡±

    Dmitri placed his hand near Judith¡¯s mouth and nose, to feel her exhale. ¡°She is breathing. Get me some water,¡± he said pointing to a pitcher on the table.

    ¡°But you said-¡° started Claudia.

    ¡°I know what I said, I¡¯m not going to make her drink it,¡± interrupted Dmitri.

    Claudia did as requested and retrieved the water. Dmitri surprised her by splashing some water in Judith¡¯s face. Judith rocketed upright, coughing and spluttering, ¡°What?¡± she began and then she was interrupted by a coughing fit. Dmitri made soothing gestures and patted her on the back. When she had calmed down somewhat, her shoulders sagged in defeat as realisation hit, ¡°You infected me didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Dmitri nodded solemnly, ¡°Yes, it was the only way.¡±

    ¡°The only way to what?¡± demanded Judith.

    ¡°To get out of here and defeat Akahaziel,¡± replied Claudia.

    ¡°How am I meant to help with that?¡± asked Judith stunned, ¡°I¡¯m only a merchant!¡±

    ¡°In good standing with those in the French village though yes?¡± asked Dmitri.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say the best standing,¡± she replied. ¡°But yes, they know me and I have traded with them if that is what you mean?¡±

    ¡°Our original plan involved a Frenchman from my village,¡± explained Claudia. ¡°We were sure that Draycott would have sent one down in an attempt to break my spirit. But then he took it to another level and sent you in; this way, it makes us infect you with the disease instead of someone from my village. You were someone he trusted and ranked high, so if you can be targeted, anyone can.¡±

    ¡°But you have given me the disease!¡± exclaimed Judith.

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Dmitri, ¡°But this is a modified version. The plan was to get the Frenchman to return to his village and go to the church and pray for Uriel.¡±

    Claudia threw up her hands, ¡°and that¡¯s where it all fell down, you¡¯re not one of them. Will they take you in?¡±

    ¡°I was welcomed into the village as a trader, so I don¡¯t see why not,¡± said Judith with a shrug.

    ¡°The disease isn¡¯t showing yet though,¡± informed Dmitri.

    ¡°What is this disease?¡± asked Judith, ¡°am I going to die?¡±

    ¡°Not from this, no,¡± said Dmitri. ¡°But we will need you to get to a church and pray for Uriel. Let him know where we are and that we will need his help to get free.¡±

    Judith repeated the instructions back to confirm them and Dmitri nodded when she got it right.

    ¡°Now, I suggest you rest,¡± said Dmitri. ¡°Tonight will be the hardest night of your life.¡±

    Judith nodded and shuddered, suppressing a sob and closed her eyes tightly.

 Chapter 46

    Upon hearing that their Lord wanted to celebrate, Draycott¡¯s servants and house staff were driven into a frenzy of activity. More food was brought in; a troupe of travelling acrobats was paid a commission to perform and all of the local English nobility was expected to attend. Late in the evening, the great hall was a riot of colour, banners and pennants decorated the room, candles on every table, and seated around the tables were the English nobility. A small group of musicians were in a corner providing music for their indifferent audience. The men at the tables were a raucous lot, tearing at the meat, the fat dripping freely, and yelling out to each other, striving to be heard over the din that they themselves were the cause of. The ladies, for the most part the wives of the nobles, stood off to one side, tittering to themselves, each proclaimed their own significance in the greater picture.

    Lord Edmund Draycott, Scourge of Agincourt and Protector of the Realm sat lording over his guests. He stood and the music faded off, the nobles at the tables only silencing upon realising. One man, not happy at being told to be quiet by his neighbour roared; ¡°I will not be quiet!¡± Realising that the rest of the hall was silent, he rose to his feet in embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m sorry my Lord,¡± he said.

    ¡°I expect that you are, Lord Graven,¡± said Draycott is a low voice, just above a whisper.

    The entire room was deathly quiet, having heard rumours of the Lords madness, only attending as refusal would be met with an unfavourable response.

    ¡°Lords and Ladies,¡± Draycott bellowed, ¡°We are gathered here tonight to celebrate. Our King brought us to this land to claim it for England. We failed then and he left the war in our hands so we can continue the fight! I have this very day been shown the key to victory! We will win this land for the crown, we will defeat the vermin that swarm this land like some unholy blight!¡± he finished with a roar. The nobles erupted with cheers. ¡°Who is with me?¡± he asked in a normal voice after the cheers had died down. A few men murmured their affirmative, willing to commit to the cause of a known madman. ¡°Who will stand with me?¡± he repeated with a roar, a roll of thunder outside seemed to emphasise the cry. This time the room rose to their feet, roaring in approval, no noble daring to give Draycott any reason to focus on them. After the adulation had died down, Draycott gestured that they sit, and apart from one man, they did so.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Lord Graven, would you like to sit down?¡± asked Draycott acidly.

    ¡°Of course my Lord,¡± he said in his blustery voice, ¡°But first I¡¯d like to promise you that I, my sons and my household will gladly fight for you!¡±

    ¡°Lord Graven,¡± said Draycott in a soft voice.

    ¡°Yes my Lord?¡± he asked.

    Draycott opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by a howl of agony from somewhere within the castle. The nobles went white, wondering what madness Draycott was up to now. He signalled a guardsman and Birkett strode over, ¡°My Lord?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Find the source of that noise and rid us of it,¡± instructed Draycott in a harsh whisper.

    ¡°It is your failed First Merchant my Lord,¡± replied Birkett.

    ¡°What? How do you know?¡± asked Draycott surprised.

    ¡°Because I know what she sounds like when she is in pain,¡± replied Birkett with a knowing look.

    ¡°Ah yes, of course, your hobby,¡± said Draycott with a look of hunger on his face. ¡°If that is indeed the case, take her to the river and dump her in. But make sure her lesions rupture.¡±

    Birkett bowed and turned to leave but Draycott grabbed him by the arm, ¡°Don¡¯t get any of the stuff on you either. But take Wayte with you. I won¡¯t see it as a problem if he is infected.¡±

    Birkett bowed again, ¡°It will be my pleasure,¡± he replied with an unpleasant grin on his face.

    ¡°My Lords, my Ladies,¡± roared Draycott turning back to his audience, ¡°The sound you heard was the beginning. We have a weapon to use on the French. It is being put in place as we speak.¡± Having gained their attention, he sowed the air with seeds of obedience, only the strongest would withstand this magic. ¡°Within the week it will reduce the French to a force we will have no trouble eradicating. Return to your homes this night; spread the word amongst your estates, among your subjects. We will march on the French by week¡¯s end!¡± He finished his speech with a flourish and a deep formal bow at his guests, knowing that even those few that could resist him now wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop him. The nobles roared with approval, getting to their feet and applauding.

 Chapter 47

    ¡°Can¡¯t you quieten her down?¡± cried Claudia as Judith let another keening moan. She had begun moaning a short while ago, but even though she had been infected hours ago, she had yet to cough up any blood, but she had begun to cough in between cries for mercy and moans of agony.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying,¡± said Dmitri. ¡°Nothing seems to be working. She is in agony after all.¡±

    The door opened and Birkett entered, followed by Wayte. ¡°We¡¯re here for your patient,¡± said Birkett without preamble. Dmitri¡¯s jaw dropped open; it was too soon for her to be taken away, she might not survive the journey.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea,¡± said Claudia.

    ¡°Oh? And who asked you woman?¡± asked Birkett in a snarl.

    ¡°Well, if you want to get infected, you just go ahead,¡± replied Claudia sweetly.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Birkett suspiciously.

    ¡°It means,¡± said Dmitri, as if talking to a simpleton, ¡°that if you take her now, you will get infected.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to be clever Dmitri,¡± said Wayte threateningly, ¡°it won¡¯t work to your favour.¡±

    Dmitri and Claudia exchanged startled glances at Wayte¡¯s behaviour. Claudia nodded towards Wayte and pointed to her mind, indicating that Dmitri should be the one to link with Wayte. Preparing his magic, Dmitri reached out for Wayte. His spirit wasn¡¯t there!

    Meanwhile, Claudia had told Birkett that until Judith had coughed up blood, it wasn¡¯t safe to move her. As if the disease itself had heard, Judith¡¯s body seemed to choose this time to give up the fight against the disease. Her coughing grew worse and at first it was a few drops of blood, but as it became worse, so did the amount of blood. Tears ran down her face as she fought to stop coughing. The guards simply stood back and watched. Dmitri and Claudia linked and Dmitri had erected an air and water shield around them, the same type of shield that he and Antonio had used so long ago. Thinking back to the events that had happened since, Dmitri realised from his perspective, it had only been a few days. After Judith¡¯s coughing fit had subsided, Wayte and Birkett grabbed her, one guard held her by her arms, the other by her feet. She struggled feebly, but it sapped her already depleted strength and she fell limp.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this!¡± cried Claudia.

    Birkett stopped and turned to face her, ¡°Why? She is going to die anyway.¡± Then his eyes narrowed, ¡°Or were you planning to cure her?¡± He laughed, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let Draycott know when we return. I¡¯ll relish her death you know.¡±

    Claudia rushed at him, but once again, Dmitri grabbed her, ¡°Let them go,¡± he said gently. ¡°Neither of them is a real man. Neither will fight against the evil that plagues this place.¡±

    Claudia stopped struggling as she heard Dmitri¡¯s emphasis on ¡®neither of them¡¯. She looked at him questioningly, indicating Wayte. Dmitri shook his head as if to say no he hadn¡¯t been able to link with Wayte. Claudia frowned and concentrated, focusing her mind, trying to link with Wayte. She found a shadowy form where Wayte¡¯s spirit should be and tentatively she reached out for it with her mind.

    Dmitri watched the men go as Claudia tried to link with Wayte. Having been working humbly and peacefully for the church for so long, Dmitri almost didn¡¯t recognise the emotion as hatred as it crept up inside him. Birkett was such an evil and despicable man; it was hard not to experience something of the like. Claudia clearly did, the number of times that she had flown at him in a fury indicated as much. But Dmitri hadn¡¯t undergone the torture at his hands that she had.

    Dmitri had gotten so used to having her in his arms that he had almost forgotten that she was there until she collapsed. Dmitri looked at her startled, her eyes were closed and her arms and legs limp. He carried her to the bed, not caring about the guards anymore. He checked her breathing, it was slow and shallow; she was alive, for now.

 Chapter 48

    Wayte and Birkett carried Judith through the twisting corridors of the castle towards the stables. Neither man complained; they were doing their job, even if it was contributing to the deaths of thousands. That type of thing was for nobles to think about, not soldiers or guardsmen. ¡°Get a cart don¡¯t you think?¡± asked Wayte as they got nearer.

    ¡°Definitely,¡± replied Birkett. ¡°I¡¯m not hauling her that far. Unless you want to drag her behind your horse?¡±

    Wayte shook his head with a gruff laugh, ¡°Maybe not this time. The disease might not spread if there isn¡¯t enough of her left to throw into the river.¡±

    Birkett laughed, ¡°I daresay you¡¯re right Brother.¡±

    ¡°And,¡± continued Wayte, ¡°Draycott would get angry.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said Birkett, ¡°My sister doesn¡¯t seem to like it when Draycott is angry at you for some reason.¡±

    A pained expression flitted across Wayte¡¯s face briefly for a moment before being replaced by one of scorn, ¡°If she would just learn to obey me,¡± he started.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you how to fix that already,¡± interrupted Birkett.

    ¡°Yes you have,¡± replied Wayte as they reached the stables and signalled a groom to organise a cart, ¡°it is just hard to find the time with these damned prisoners.¡±

    The groom returned with rickety cart drawn by a single horse. The horses bearing and the way it behaved showed that it was no simple cart horse, it had the heart of a warrior, it stood there ignoring its harness, it stood as a warhorse.

    ¡°Sorry sirs,¡± squeaked the groom in a tiny voice, ¡°this was the only horse left, the Lord Draycott has been dispatching messengers non-stop.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°We will take this horse and cart,¡± said Birkett quietly. ¡°But if I have reason to complain at all, we will have a very close conversation when I return.¡±

    The groom squeaked in fear and ran off.

    ¡°Come now Birkett, don¡¯t scare the entire household off,¡± said Wayte with a laugh.

    With a count to three, they heaved Judith¡¯s limp body into the back of the cart. Birkett reached into his coat and withdrew a dice cup, ¡°Highest roll gets to rest in the back first?¡±

    Wayte nodded and took the dice cup. With a shake he let them loose and they roll on the bed of the cart. Every dice landed with a single pip facing up. Birkett roared with laughter, ¡°I have the feeling that you¡¯re going to be up front,¡± he grabbed a single die and let it roll; it landed with six pips facing up. Birkett¡¯s single die was higher than the total of all of Wayte¡¯s. Wayte shrugged and clambered up the front into the driver¡¯s seat while Birkett leapt into the back with Judith. At Wayte¡¯s urging, the horse started moving and the cart trundled forward. Soon the pair was travelling through the darkened streets of the city, no one about apart from other members of the guard at this late hour. When they were stopped at the gate, Birkett let the guards know of their mission. Showing scepticism the guards asked how they could possibly defeat the French with one sick woman. Birkett responded without words, but by tearing open Judith¡¯s cloak, displaying the sickening black sores. The guards jumped back and waved them through.

    Birkett clambered over Judith to speak to Wayte, ¡°You see, it is directness that you need to get through to people.¡± When Wayte¡¯s reply was only to grunt, Birkett drew his dagger and began picking at his nails with it. He soon grew bored of this and twisting around, he began prodding Judith¡¯s sores with the blunt end of his dagger. Each prod elicited a moan from Judith and a cackle from Birkett.

    ¡°Hey,¡± said Wayte sharply, turning around and seeing what Birkett was doing, ¡°can you stop that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± asked Birkett, ¡°Why should I do that?¡±

    ¡°Because if you rupture one of those damn things, we¡¯ll get infected, that¡¯s why!¡± said Wayte harshly.

    Birkett grunted and nodded, ¡°right again Brother.¡± He climbed back over the partition. Shoving Judith to one side, he leaned against the side of the cart, ¡°I think I¡¯ll rest my eyes for a while. Wake me when we get closer.¡±

 Chapter 49

    Wayte grunted in affirmation and continued to guide the horse down the deserted road. It had been so long since he had brought Marianna out under the stars he thought. Almost immediately that thought was replaced by one wondering how such a thought had entered his mind. He craned his neck to look at Birkett and Judith in the back of the cart; Birkett¡¯s eyes were closed in what appeared to be a peaceful slumber, while Judith¡¯s eyes were closed tightly against the pain. The odd thing, thought Wayte, was that as well as being clearly able to remember Judith¡¯s arrest, her expressions of betrayal and fury were scarred deep in his mind; he could also clearly remember a welcoming smile, a ready laugh. Following these thoughts, he could recall visiting Judith with his wife Marianna; everyone was smiling and having a good time. Odd. He pictured Marianna¡¯s face, again there were two memories, one where she was happy and smiling, and another where she was scared and fearful. It was odd how the two images were overlayed on top of each other.

    A jolt in the carts movement and the sound of Birkett cursing brought Wayte back to reality. Shaking himself, he slowed the horse to a stop and looked off the side of the cart; something was wrong with one of the wheels. He climbed down off the cart as Birkett began demanding to know what was wrong. Inspecting the wheel, Wayte could see immediately that one of the spokes had broken and told Birkett as much.

    ¡°Can you fix it?¡± asked Birkett.

    Wayte shook his head, ¡°No, we don¡¯t have the tools or the parts here.¡±

    Birkett started swearing again, he got back into the cart and start kicking Judith, screaming that it was her fault that they were out here. Initially Wayte watched on as if this was normal, but as he watched Birkett¡¯s face, all contorted in fury and Judith¡¯s, clenched in pain, another memory hit him; a fight that he had had with Birkett, Birkett had been furious like he was now. It had resulted in him being knocked out, and when he had awaken, he found his wife fearful because he had abused her while he was being controlled. Control. The word triggered flashes of memories, in some he was good, others he was evil. Something in his mind snapped and he was brought back to reality; the colours were sharper, the sounds seemed more real. He saw Birkett once again, his face twisted in anger, he was in a mad frenzy, spittle running down his chin. Wayte broke off the already damaged spoke and swung it at Birkett¡¯s knees. Birkett collapsed to the bed of the cart and sat up, his face furious!Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°What was that Brother?¡± the emphasis on brother came with a sneer, strange that he hadn¡¯t noticed it before. Birkett recognised the expression on Wayte¡¯s face. ¡°Ah,¡± he said, his eyes lighting up, ¡°You¡¯ve broken free. I¡¯d wondered how long it was going to take. Now I can really enjoy my task, and then I¡¯ll enjoy her one last time before I slit her throat in the river.¡± He cracked his neck and leapt down off the cart, sword drawn.

    Wayte drew his own sword and stood in a defensive stance, ¡°What is this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Just a little loose end that needs to be cleaned up. Draycott wants you dead, and I¡¯m happy to provide the service. He didn¡¯t even have to pay me,¡± said Birkett with a guttural laugh. He thrust at Wayte, a clumsy stroke which was deflected easily.

    Birkett recovered from his clumsy attack and focused, unleashing a steam of attacks the forced Wayte backwards. Wayte, recognising this attack as similar to the one that Birkett had used to beat him last time danced out of the way instead of trying to block. Birkett¡¯s momentum carried him past Wayte and Wayte delivered a smack against the back with the flat of his blade, unwilling to cause injury at this point. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to kill you,¡± he said to Birkett as they circled each other once more.

    Birkett laughed and spat, ¡°I don¡¯t see why not, I¡¯ve got no such compunction about killing you.¡± He snarled and leapt forward with a massive overhead swing. Wayte easily side stepped and changing his grip on his blade, swung the pommel of his sword at Birkett¡¯s head, trying to knock him unconscious. Birkett spun away, his sword coming around. Wayte saw it coming and tried to get out of the way, but he was too late, he gasped in pain as the blade bit deep into the flesh of his side, only to have the pain worsen as Birkett tried to draw back his sword only to find it caught in Wayte¡¯s mailshirt. Unable to free the blade, Birkett let it go and drew a dagger from his belt and began throwing slashes at Wayte.

 Chapter 50

    Ducking and weaving from the madman, Wayte struggled to free the blade that was caught in his mailshirt, still cutting into him with every movement. As Birkett dived in again Wayte swung around, the pommel of Birkett¡¯s sword coming around and smashing Birkett in the face sending him reeling, but the blade digging deeper into his own side. Though causing him immensely more pain, the move had loosened the sword from the chainmail and it fell free and clattered to the ground. Wayte fell to his knees in pain while Birkett stumbled trying to clear his head. Putting his hand down to steady himself while propping himself up with his sword, Wayte¡¯s hand made contact with Birkett¡¯s sword. Picking it up, he rose to his feet. Wielding both swords, Wayte flew at Birkett, the blades missing by inches as Birkett backpedalled. Hiding the pain in his side, Wayte lowered the blades, ¡°I clearly have the upper hand. You can¡¯t win form here. Do you yield?¡±

    Birkett spat, ¡°What do you think?¡± and threw the dagger at Wayte who brought his swords up to deflect the flying blade. The pain in his side flared up as he moved and he dropped Birkett¡¯s sword. While Wayte dealt with the dagger flying towards him and in pain by the wound in his side, Birkett dove forward and grabbing his sword, rolled onto his back and thrust upward towards Wayte¡¯s groin, knowing that if he severed the artery there, it would be all over for Wayte. Fortunately for Wayte, he recovered in time; holding his own sword two handed, he thrust straight down, skewering Birkett and pinning him to the ground. Birkett¡¯s eyes widened in pain and shock, it was over, he was beaten.

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to kill me?¡± rasped Birkett with a cough.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t give me much of a choice brother,¡± replied Wayte softly.

    ¡°Finish me. Please,¡± pleaded Birkett, the pain growing stronger.

    ¡°Your victims would want you to suffer,¡± said Wayte coldly.

    Birkett¡¯s eyes closed tightly against the pain.

    ¡°But after all you have done, you are still my brother in law and I owe it to your sister. May you find peace in another life brother,¡± said Wayte softly as he drew his dagger.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°Tell them that I am sorry,¡± rasped Birkett.

    ¡°I will,¡± promised Wayte as he drew his dagger along Birkett¡¯s throat ending his pain.

    Guardsman Jonathan Wayte knelt on the ground, his head bowed tears flowing for his fallen brother. Birkett had been his brother for a long time, his madness recent.

    A moan from the cart brought his mind back to the present, ¡°Judith!¡± he cried out and stood up. The pain in his side exploded and he nearly collapsed. Kneeling back down, he undid Birkett¡¯s belt and with a great deal of difficulty looped it around his chest as tight as it would go, restricting the movement. The pain was still there, but it would be limited, he could at least move again. He clambered up onto the cart, ¡°Judith?¡± he whispered. ¡°Can you hear me?¡±

    She wailed and thrashed around, ¡°Dmitri?¡± she moaned.

    ¡°No,¡± replied Wayte softly, ¡°It¡¯s Wayte.¡±

    Her eyes opened and she struggled briefly before catching sight of Wayte¡¯s face; the eyes were different. They didn¡¯t shine with the madness she had seen in them when she was captured. They were deep and echoed the sadness within.

    ¡°Jonathan?¡± she asked timidly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied with a smile, ¡°it is me; I¡¯m back to my old self.¡±

    ¡°Dmitri!¡± she cried out.

    ¡°No, Wayte, you were right the first time. Dmitri is still back in the castle,¡± he replied, his smile falling as she went into delirium.

    ¡°No, no,¡± she moaned, ¡°He¡¯s good. I won¡¯t die!¡± she finished with conviction.

    ¡°But the disease,¡± started Wayte.

    ¡°Is not real,¡± she managed to get out.

    Wayte¡¯s eyes widened at the prospect, ¡°He did sabotage it? Birkett was right?¡±

    Judith scowled at the mention of Birkett but nodded in relief as he finally understood.

    ¡°Where should I take you? Back to the castle?¡± asked Wayte.

    She lurched upright through her pain, ¡°No!¡± she cried out. ¡°The village, need to go to the village. The church, need Uriel.¡±

    Wayte nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll take you there. It might be a little rough. You just hold on.¡±

    He climbed down of the cart, his wound stretching but the belt helping to restrict movement. He unhitched the horse and with great effort, he helped Judith off the back of the cart so she was standing and leaning up against it.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need to have you on the back of the horse behind me holding on, it will be painful for both of us, but it¡¯s the only way,¡± informed Wayte grimly.

    Judith nodded numbly and let Wayte put her on the horse where she began to sway. Changing his mind, he jumped up behind her and reaching around her, grabbed the reins and kicked the horse into motion.

 Chapter 51

    Unable to use magic to find out why Claudia had collapsed, Dmitri sat down to think about it. Since it had occurred when she had tried to link, he figured it had to be something to do with her spirit. He reached out for his magic, opening himself up as if linking and he reached for Claudia. He couldn¡¯t find her spirit. What he could find however was a dark cloud where she should be; it flickered as if it contained a flame, trying to stay alight. It must be Claudia, trapped here by some dark magic cast by Draycott! Dmitri drew vast amounts of inner strength and raised his arm, ready to thrust it into the dark cloud and rescue Claudia. His arm shot forward. Dmitri collapsed to the ground beside Claudia¡¯s bed, his breathing slow and shallow; he too was now trapped like Claudia.

    Dmitri opened his eyes to darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he did not immediately recognise his surroundings and looking around; he saw that he was in a cave, and there was a river gushing beside the path he was on. He did recognise this cave, looking forward he tried to recall what was in that direction. It led to... he couldn¡¯t remember what it led to.

    ¡°Dmitri!¡± came a cry from deeper in the cave.

    Maybe that person knew what was going on thought Dmitri.

    He started forward and realised that he didn¡¯t have a torch to light the way. But looking around himself, he saw that the area was now suffused with an eerie glow, the darkness had lifted but was now replaced by this strange source-less light.

    ¡°Dmitri!¡± came the cry again.

    On hearing it a second time, Dmitri could hear that it had the sound of a plea for help. ¡°Why would anyone in this cave need help?¡± wondered Dmitri. He moved deeper into the cave, its twists and turns going off in a myriad of directions. Twice he ended up back where he had started. After the second time, he stopped to think. What if he left a trail so he could know where he had been? He reached into his backpack, which he didn¡¯t recall having mere moments ago; and pulled out some rope. He held it loosely and walked forward, the rope trailing behind him.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Dmitri!¡± The cry sounded urgent now.

    He continued moving forward, this stretch of cave was like a corridor, long and straight. Ahead of him on the ground was something, it was, it was the end of his rope! He looked back the way he had come; the rope extended in a straight line into the darkness, ending beyond his view. Reaching the end of the rope on the ground, he picked it up and started to follow it.

    ¡°Dmitri!¡± The cry came from straight ahead!

    Dmitri rushed forward, trailing his rope and following the other, then he stopped; standing ahead of him was a figure. Dmitri stopped in surprise; the figure ahead of him was holding the end of the rope that he himself was following; in the same hand that he was trailing his own rope behind him. Even more unusual were the clothes that the figure was wearing; they were identical to Dmitri¡¯s, the uniform of the Exarchs. His mouth suddenly dry, Dmitri swallowed hard, for some reason he was very conscious of the sound of water dripping throughout the cave. Now afraid of the figure in front of him, he gingerly reached out his hand to touch the figure on the shoulder. As he did, the figure turned; his first thought that it wasn¡¯t an Exarch¡¯s uniform after all, it was the uniform of an Exarch¡¯s apprentice. His second thought; Antonio! His flesh an ashen grey, his unblinking eyes stared ahead and Dmitri took an involuntary step back, Antonio¡¯s dry eyes were locked onto Dmitri, his mouth opened, a moan of terror, the pleading ¡°Dmitri!¡± came out. It was then that Dmitri caught sight of Antonio¡¯s other defining feature, a parallel set of gouges ran deep across his flesh, showing bone and sinew.

    ¡°You left me,¡± came a rasping whimper.

 Chapter 52

    Dmitri, still taking steps backwards away from the apparition, backed into a wall, a wall that hadn¡¯t been there before. He quickly looked around; he was no longer in a stretching corridor, but a wide open cavern with a river flowing through it. This is where it had happened, this was where the Demon Akahaziel had clawed free of the ground. Dmitri saw again in his mind as Antonio summoned up needles of air and ice and launched them at the demon. He saw again the demon ignoring these pitiful attacks and turning his ire towards Antonio by marching straight at him. And as the barrage continued, he saw the demons clawed hand raise into the air and rake across Antonio¡¯s small frame. The boy had fallen to the ground without a sound. Dmitri had left him there. Not without a fight though, he had used the most powerful magic at his disposal, he had summoned a fire elemental and rained fire upon the demon but to no avail, the demon just absorbed it all. Claudia had explained why later but- ¡®Claudia, who is Claudia?¡¯ his mind asked.

    The figure that was Antonio staggered towards him, his free arm outstretched, ¡°Dmitri,¡± he cried out once more.

    Dmitri stiffened his resolve and held his ground, ¡°I tried,¡± he said firmly.

    ¡°But you failed,¡± rasped Antonio. ¡°And even now you are still failing. Don¡¯t let my death be for nothing, defeat Akahaziel. He has you in his grasp now, you need to free Claudia.¡±

    In his mind¡¯s eye, Dmitri could see a beautiful auburn haired woman, the sunlight playing through her hair. The past few days flashed through his mind the auburn haired woman there the whole time.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Claudia!¡± he gasped.

    When his vision cleared, he was no longer in the cave, but an opulent apartment. The furnishing was beautiful, the decorations many and the room seemed to reek of wealth. As he was looking around, the door burst open, the man he knew as Draycott stormed in, dragging someone behind him. Dmitri stopped and stared, it was Claudia! Draycott threw her onto the bed and started clawing at her clothes.

    Dmitri rushed over to help, but suddenly the world shifted and they were gone; the bed unruffled and the door closed. Frowning, Dmitri went over to the door and put his ear to it. From on the other side he could hear Claudia¡¯s voice raising as she delivered a blistering tirade, then silence. Dmitri slowly opened the door; on the other side was a private dining room. The table was laid out with so much food that it was straining under the weight. Dmitri only had seconds to take this in before Draycott upended the table with a mighty heave; he strode over to a stunned Claudia and backhanded her across the face, sending her sprawling from her chair. He reached down and grabbed her arm and started to drag her towards the very doorway that Dmitri was standing in. Dmitri quickly closed the door and moved away from it. Sure enough, the door was thrown open once more and once again Draycott stormed in dragging Claudia behind him. Draycott threw her onto the bed and started clawing at her clothes. Then the world shifted once more! They disappeared again.

    Going over to the door again, Dmitri could hear Claudia¡¯s voice again. She is reliving her nightmares thought Dmitri with a shock. In the same way that he had been returned to the cave, she too was returned to this time and place. But mine was different, he thought, I was able to change things; the rope for one thing, they¡¯d not used one, the cave wasn¡¯t enough of a maze then. And I stood up to the grisly spectre of Antonio, who then responded as Antonio would have. Draycott threw Claudia onto the bed and started clawing at her clothes. Shift!

 Chapter 53

    Dmitri burst through the door making loud noises; neither Draycott nor Claudia reacted. Maybe they couldn¡¯t see him? They hadn¡¯t reacted to the door either, but then neither of them was facing it. So he could affect things but couldn¡¯t be seen. He did the only thing he could think of, he picked up a leg of ham and threw it at Draycott! Draycott was so intent on glaring at Claudia that he almost didn¡¯t notice the leg of ham as it came flying at him. He ducked at the last moment and then glared at Claudia. His expression said that the blame lay on her. He overturned the table and backhanded Claudia off her chair. He reached down, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the room, not noticing the already open door.

    ¡°Damn, it didn¡¯t work,¡± cursed Dmitri to himself.

    Shift! Claudia and Draycott were back around the table, which was once again upright, the leg of ham on its platter. Claudia started up her tirade once more. This time, Dmitri picked up the leg of ham and instead of throwing it at Draycott, he heaved it at Claudia. With a squeak she tried to dodge but the ham caught her in the chest and sent her sprawling off the chair. Draycott roared with laughter at this unexpected turn. Claudia was scrabbling around on all fours, stunned at the outcome. Dmitri rushed over to her, ¡°Claudia!¡± he cried out.

    She looked up, started, ¡°Dmitri?¡± she whispered. Then her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she started screaming at him, ¡°You¡¯re not Dmitri! I didn¡¯t know him yet!¡±

    Dmitri took hold of her as he so often did when she was upset, ¡°Claudia, it is me, your Dmitri.¡± She tried to struggle free.

    As Dmitri held her, Draycott had gotten up and was heading towards them. Claudia saw this and shrieked, ¡°If you really are Dmitri, then help me get away from this monster,¡± she pleaded.

    Dmitri took her by the hand and headed towards the only exit to the room that he knew of, the bed chamber. As they passed Draycott, Dmitri lowered his shoulder and ran into him, lifting him into the air. Almost as if in slow motion, Draycott twisted in the air and grabbed hold of Claudia as they tried to flee past him. Claudia screamed as Draycott caught her and Dmitri turned to face him.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°You will never break her free!¡± said Draycott with a snarl, ¡°You too are trapped here for eternity to watch the woman you love suffer.¡±

    Dmitri leapt forward and delivered a solid punch to his face forcing him to let go of Claudia and sending him sprawling. ¡°We¡¯re already free,¡± said Dmitri and turning to Claudia, ¡°I am Dmitri. I am the man that loves you.¡± He drew her close and kissed her deeply on the lips.

    The world around him shattered and he opened his eyes to find himself staring beneath the bed. He scrambled to his feet; he was back in his and Claudia¡¯s chambers in Draycott¡¯s castle. He looked down on the bed, Claudia lay there, her breathing deep and steady. Leaning down, he kissed her. Her eyes shot open and recognising Dmitri her arms shot out and caught him in a tight embrace.

    ¡°Dmitri!¡± she said with a smile, tears running down her face, ¡°You do love me!¡±

    ¡°Yes I do,¡± he said returning a smile, ¡°with all my heart.¡±

    Claudia sighed contentedly in his arms, ¡°I feel so exhausted after that, I could sleep in an instant. What was that anyway? Was it a trap for us?¡±

    Dmitri shook his head, ¡°I thought that at first as well. But there is no way that Draycott knew that we had been linking with Wayte. I think it was a safeguard.¡±

    ¡°Against what?¡± Claudia asked.

    ¡°I think it is safe to assume that Wayte was being controlled correct?¡± confirmed Dmitri and Claudia nodded. ¡°If he broke free, he would be a threat to Draycott. So Draycott set a trap and if Wayte broke free, he would be trapped in his own nightmares. But we sprang the trap, so Wayte would be fine if he broke free.¡±

    ¡°So what now?¡± Claudia asked.

    Dmitri shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re going to kill Judith and pollute the water supply. Not only that, it will infect the village after a few days, but then they¡¯ll all heal as normal because that¡¯s how we made it to work. We¡¯ll be found out.¡±

    ¡°Well then we have to get out of here,¡± suggested Claudia. ¡°It¡¯s the only option now.¡±

    ¡°Ok,¡± agreed Dmitri. ¡°Let¡¯s link. We¡¯ll use your elixirs and create a massive explosion. Hopefully we can take out a wall or something.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have much of a chance do we?¡± asked Claudia.

    ¡°No. But then we don¡¯t have any options either,¡± replied Dmitri grimly.

 Chapter 54

    Wayte was near exhaustion when he arrived at the monastery that Judith had directed him to. The monks, seeing two injured people on a horse rushed out and helped them off the horse. Wayte reached out to one of the monks, ¡°Please, we need your help, my friend, she is not well. Keep her isolated otherwise others may get sick.¡±

    The monk nodded and passed on the information to the monks that were with Judith, ¡°You are English?¡± he asked in broken English.

    ¡°Yes, but I am their enemy,¡± replied Wayte.

    The monk frowned at this, ¡°In that case we must ask you to leave. We are a peaceful monastic order and cannot be seen to show favour to either side in a war.¡±

    Wayte nodded and gritted his teeth against the pain, ¡°Just be sure that my friend speaks to Uriel.¡±

    The monk¡¯s head shot up with a gasp, as did those of the other monks. They began to whisper amongst one and other.

    The monk turned back to Wayte after conferring with his brothers, ¡°What do you know of Uriel my son?¡±

    Wayte shook his head, ¡°Nothing I¡¯m afraid, Judith was sent to talk to him. Who is he?¡±

    ¡°He is one of the seven Arch-Angels,¡± the monk replied simply.

    Wayte¡¯s jaw dropped open, ¡°An Arch-Angel?¡± he exclaimed, ¡°Dmitri has some powerful friends,¡± he muttered.

    Again the monks were shocked at the mention of a name, ¡°Dmitri? Not Dmitri Romanovic?¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Wayte shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, he¡¯s not from around here. He opposes the Lord Draycott, I know that much.¡±

    ¡°He would if he is indeed the Last Exarch,¡± replied the monk with awe. ¡°He was lost to us, but now you say he is found? You are with him are you not?¡±

    Wayte nodded, ¡°Yes I am, I owe them much, Dmitri and his friend Claudia. I¡¯m about to head back to the castle and help them escape.¡±

    ¡°They are in the clutches of Draycott? You are in no condition to rescue anyone. Allow me to send some brothers to free them,¡± offered the monk.

    ¡°No, I cannot allow you to do that, it would focus the wrath of Draycott on this monastery,¡± replied Wayte. ¡°I came out here with another guard; the castle is expecting our return. The longer we wait the harder it will be to fool them. I have to go back myself.¡±

    The monk sighed, ¡°Yes, you are correct. Very well,¡± he clapped his hands twice and a circle of monks formed around Wayte.

    Bowing their heads and clasping their hands together in prayer, they began to chant. The chant grew louder and louder and it seemed to reverberate through Wayte; he couldn¡¯t help but feel that this was a sacred and holy ritual and he dared not interrupt them. One by one the monks stopped chanting until one last monk was sustaining a single wordless note. Soon it stopped and all was silent. The older monk turned to Wayte as the others drifted off to tend to Judith or return to their duties.

    ¡°What was that?¡± asked Wayte. ¡°It was beautiful.¡±

    ¡°It is not to be spoken of,¡± replied the old monk. ¡°You may return to the castle. Dmitri must be freed; the entire world depends on him surviving this night.¡± The monk turned and started to head back towards the gates of the monastery.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Wayte cried out, ¡°What about my wound?¡± But as he said this, reaching out towards the monk, he noticed that the tightness in his side from the wound pulling open wasn¡¯t there. Gingerly pulling up his mail shirt, he looked at the wound, it was covered in congealed blood, but probing gently, he felt no pain. He carefully wiped off some of the blood and saw unmarred flesh. His wound was gone! Nodding to himself, now even more impressed with the monks, he turned to the horse and pulled himself up onto it. Turning back towards the castle, he kicked the horse into a gallop.

 Chapter 55

    ¡°That should do it,¡± said Claudia as she stoppered the last vial and placed it with the others.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think we¡¯ve overdone it?¡± asked Dmitri eyeing the collection of jars and vials containing various coloured liquids.

    Claudia shook her head, ¡°Not even nearly,¡± she said. ¡°If I could have more I would, but we just don¡¯t have the materials.¡±

    Dmitri nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s get started then,¡± he indicated the door.

    Picking up a particularly bulbous little jar, Claudia hunkered down behind a table they¡¯d upended for this purpose and lobbed the jar across the room. The jar impacted the door and with a loud boom it shattered and a wall of dust exploded out at them. As the dust cleared, Dmitri and Claudia inspected the damaged, some crumbled mortar, but otherwise the door remained intact.

    Outside the room, Mattief¡¯s companion Thomas turned to him as the dust cleared, ¡°What was that?¡± he asked, shock evident on his face.

    ¡°Nothing good, I¡¯ll wager,¡± replied Mattief with a scowl.

    ¡°Should we tell Draycott?¡± asked Thomas warily.

    Mattief sighed. He knew that disrupting Draycott could come with its own consequences. ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± he offered and then scowled again when Thomas nodded emphatically; Thomas had meant it to happen this way. They still weren¡¯t treating him like one of the guards. He left the corridor and started to cross the courtyard. As he entered the main keep, another guard was heading in his direction, fury painted all over his face, his uniform spattered with blood and dirt.

    ¡°Wayte?¡± asked Mattief, somewhat startled to see him.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Where is he?¡± demanded Wayte.

    ¡°Who?¡± stammered Mattief.

    ¡°That animal Dmitri!¡± snarled Wayte.

    ¡°In his cell,¡± replied Mattief. ¡°I¡¯ll come let you in after I¡¯ve seen Draycott.¡±

    Wayte ignored him and stormed past him into the courtyard.

    ¡°Wayte?¡± called out Mattief, ¡°I can¡¯t let you in yet. I have to see Draycott. Wayte?¡±

    But Wayte was no longer in earshot.

    Wayte stormed up the corridor towards Thomas, ¡°Let me in,¡± he demanded.

    ¡°But I can¡¯t-¡° he started but Wayte grabbed him.

    ¡°Look at me! This is all from that infernal woman,¡± he said indicating the blood and dirt all over him. ¡°They knew this would happen. I want to give them a piece of my mind,¡± he finished with a snarl.

    Thomas nodded and Wayte let him go, ¡°Just don¡¯t kill them,¡± pleaded Thomas. ¡°Draycott will have my head if you do!¡± He got out his keys and unlocked the door.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Wayte, a dark gleam in his eyes, ¡°I take full responsibility for what happens to them.¡±

    Inside the room, Dmitri and Claudia were preparing another potion to use. As the door opened and Wayte entered, Claudia looked up, ¡°Wayte!¡± Then she saw his expression and the state of his uniform. ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    ¡°You two know what happened, you did it!¡± growled Wayte and swung the door hard and launched himself at Claudia.

    The door slammed shut behind him and as he reached Claudia, his expression changed, ¡°Act like I am assaulting you, I need to talk to Dmitri.¡±

    Where Claudia¡¯s expression had been one of fear as Wayte stalked towards her, it now turned to recognition and she smiled and nodded. She began to bang and crash around the room, making all sorts of pained moans and screams.

    Dmitri was frowning at Wayte as he approached, ¡°What is she doing?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Causing a distraction so we can talk,¡± explained Wayte. ¡°As you may have noticed, the last that you saw me was carting Judith off with Birkett. Draycott had control of me than, but I somehow managed to break free. Normally when I had broken free in the past, I was sucked straight back in.¡±

    ¡°I think I know how,¡± said Dmitri and he went on to explain the nightmares that he and Claudia had been trapped in.

    Wayte¡¯s face took on a pained expression, ¡°Is she alright?¡± he asked nodding towards Claudia.

    ¡°She seems to be,¡± replied Dmitri. ¡°I entered her nightmare and helped her to escape. I think it is all behind her now.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± asked Wayte.

    Dmitri brushed away the concern, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Now what happened?¡±

    ¡°Well, Birkett is dead,¡± started Wayte.

 Chapter 56

    ¡°What?¡± exclaimed Dmitri interrupting Wayte.

    ¡°He was ordered to kill me so it was him or me,¡± Wayte replied sadly. ¡°He did repent in the end, he wanted me to tell everyone that he was sorry.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡± said Dmitri slowly. ¡°But in a way, I¡¯m glad that he is gone. Make sure you tell Claudia of his repentance though, it will help her through everything she has been through.¡±

    ¡°I think that is but a small candle beside the bonfire that your support has been Dmitri. You mean quite a lot to her,¡± replied Wayte truthfully, then he cleared his throat. ¡°But back to other things, Judith is now safe with some monks at a monastery outside the French village. She didn¡¯t look well though. She said that she¡¯ll get better. That is correct isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course it is,¡± replied Dmitri. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure when. Did she contact Uriel?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I don¡¯t think so,¡± informed Wayte. ¡°She wasn¡¯t talking when I left. She was a bit delirious when I was talking to her. Oh, and Uriel? You had dealings with an arch-angel? That¡¯s one giant secret to keep to yourself!¡±

    ¡°But you can see why we did it though, can¡¯t you?¡± asked Dmitri.

    ¡°Definitely,¡± agreed Wayte, and then added, ¡°I¡¯m just sorry that I wasn¡¯t able to beat Draycott¡¯s control until now. But our next move is to escape from here. My thoughts are we simply attack the guards and fight our way out when I get them to let me out.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± said Dmitri as a thought struck him, ¡°Now that we have you, we can further the idea that we had to escape. I¡¯ll swap places with Claudia so she can explain,¡± suggested Dmitri, and then went over to where Claudia was still making a racket. ¡°Claudia, swap places with me, Wayte has some news. Explain about the exploding potion as well.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Claudia nodded as Dmitri began to make sounds as if being beaten. ¡°You have news?¡± she asked once she had reached Wayte.

    ¡°Birkett apologised,¡± said Wayte simply.

    Claudia was taken aback, Dmitri could have at least warned her of this! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what did you say?¡±

    ¡°Birkett apologised for having wronged you,¡± repeated Wayte. ¡°I killed him,¡± he added quietly.

    Claudia embraced him, ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°For both giving me his apology, and for killing him. I hope that he finds forgiveness and happiness where he is now.¡±

    Wayte went on to explain what he had told Dmitri and finished by asking about Claudia¡¯s plan.

    ¡°Ah yes,¡± said Claudia. ¡°We haven¡¯t had much success on the door, but we were about to try it again when you came in. We are going to blow the door open with some explosive potions that I created.¡±

    Wayte looked at her sceptically until she pointed out the shards of bucket and the charred area around the doorframe. ¡°Oh,¡± he said with surprise. ¡°Well, in that case, use them over here,¡± he suggested indicating a different wall. ¡°It will open up into the courtyard that we came through on the way here. It will be quicker to escape from there; it will bypass quite a few corridors in the walls here.¡±

    He called out to Dmitri who came over, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the noises anymore; it won¡¯t matter for much longer. Claudia has told me the plan, but I¡¯m changing it. We go through that wall,¡± he said, pointing once more. ¡°And Dmitri, to add to it, you and I link. I think that if you get my agility and strength, we can get you a sword and see how you go. Claudia, you bring anything that you can deter people with.¡±

    Dmitri and Claudia nodded and Claudia began to collect potions and stuff them into a sack. Dmitri reached out for his magic and linked with Wayte who shuddered as their spirits linked, ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll ever get used to that,¡± said Wayte. ¡°Claudia, are you ready?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°You can do the honours if you like?¡± he offered.

    Smiling, Claudia lobbed two vials at the wall that Wayte had indicated. The explosion ripped through the wall causing the entire keep to shudder. As the room filled with dust, they could see torchlight from the courtyard streaming in a huge hole in the wall. ¡°Wow, I was not expecting it to be quite like that,¡± said Wayte who was just standing there stunned, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± he cried recovering.

 Chapter 57

    I¡¯m telling you,¡± said Mattief, repeating himself, ¡°They are up to no good. We have to kill them now.¡±

    ¡°Now you listen here young Mattief, I understand that you are new to the guards, so I will try and make this very clear to you, I am in charge here!¡± finished Draycott with a roar. ¡°I am aware of their treachery; they will be dealt with accordingly. Even now Guardsman Birkett is taking care of our friend Wayte, and it will only be a matter of time before Arcaedus returns and we can put the final stage of our plan into effect.¡± By this time in Draycott¡¯s rant, his eyes were wide and his every word was accompanied by grander and grander gestures, his mouth foaming and spittle flying as he entered a frenzied state.

    ¡®My Lord,¡± said Mattief warily. ¡°I understand your desires, but I regret to inform you that Wayte has returned to the castle.¡±

    Draycott launched to his feet, ¡°What? How do you know this?¡± he demanded darkly.

    ¡°I ran into him in the hall on the way here,¡± he replied meekly facing Draycott¡¯s ire.

    ¡°Then that is the first thing that you should have reported!¡± roared Draycott. ¡°When I can find a reliable guard, you will be used as an example for all guards to follow.¡±

    ¡°My Lord, I-¡° started Mattief dropping to his knees.

    An enormous roar drowned out the rest of his sentence as the entire castle shook under the effects of Claudia¡¯s explosion.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Coughing through the dust in the air, Draycott rasped, ¡°Come with me guardsman, you may redeem yourself yet.¡± Then he bellowed to any guards within earshot, ¡°To arms! The prisoners are escaping!¡±

    After Mattief had left guardsman Thomas to guard the door to the prisoners, Thomas had relaxed somewhat. New guards had the tendency to be overzealous in their duties and it simply made for more effort than was required in simple guard duty. It was why he had let the fool report to Lord Draycott, let him find out on his own the care that needed to be taken around the madman. The other guards had since taken on the saying ¡®Stay out of his way, live to get the pay.¡¯

    When Wayte had stormed up, covered in who knows whose blood, it seemed the best thing to do was to let him in. No use holding him there, by letting him in, he could do what he wanted and Thomas could get back to resting. As long as Wayte didn¡¯t kill any of the prisoners, all was fine. He did try and ignore the screams from the woman, but it was hard. She was such a pretty woman, she reminded him of his little niece, all grown up.

    But when the explosion rocked the castle and dust filled the air, Thomas sprang into action and fumbling with his keys, he opened the door. He was greeted with a scene of chaos, one section of the wall had a gaping hole in it, and the prisoners were leaping out, being led by Wayte.

    The woman looked back and saw him, she smiled and waved. Numbly he waved back. He stared in confusion as she tossed something at him. Dropping his keys, he caught the object. Looking down, he saw that it was a fat little jar with green liquid leaking out of it. Suddenly he found it was hard to breathe. Clutching his throat, he fell to his knees, looking over at the hole. She was still there, the pretty woman, looking for all the world like his little niece, all grown up. Then darkness took him.

 Chapter 58

    Wayte leapt through the hole, sword drawn, Dmitri followed after, his senses attuned to Wayte¡¯s. Even his moves closely mirrored the other mans, even though he didn¡¯t have a sword of his own. Looking behind him, he saw Claudia with her head back in the other room.

    ¡°Claudia,¡± he whispered. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Stopping anyone following us from this direction,¡± she said, holding up a handful of vials and jars. She ducked her head back into the room and Dmitri heard a clatter as someone collapsed inside. Claudia quickly climbed into the room and soon returned carrying a guardsman¡¯s sword. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± she said holding it out to Dmitri with a smile.

    Wayte just shook his head and loped on ahead through the courtyard, Claudia and Dmitri close behind. As they entered the hall, two guards rushed them. Claudia fell behind Wayte and Dmitri who greeted the guards with swords raised. Having been with Dmitri for a few days now, she had seen the lack of grace that he had when he moved, so she was completely unprepared for the grace and fluidity that his movements exhibited now. It was as if he had been born with a sword in his hand. She had seen Wayte before her capture and even he too seemed more graceful, his reflexes sharper. The guards attacked Wayte and Dmitri individually but the two men defended as one. Each man reacting to the others movement as if two parts of a whole. The guards could find no opening against such a defence, and dropping their swords, they turned and ran.

    Mattief ran into the room, sword drawn. He was followed by Draycott and a number of guards, ¡°You two,¡± he said, pointing at two of his men, ¡°see to him,¡± and indicated the man on the floor. The two guards went over to the fallen man and sat him up, trying to find out what had happened.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°You and you,¡± said Draycott indicating two more guards, ¡°through the hole and after them. Mattief and the rest of you, come with me.¡± The guards he indicated leapt through the hole in the wall swords drawn.

    Draycott turned and marched out the room, the guards following. Mattief sheathed his sword and looked around the room once more, as if he might find one of the prisoners hidden there. Exhaling loudly in frustration, wanting to redeem himself in Draycott¡¯s eyes, he left the room. The two guards that were checking on the fallen Thomas looked at each other and shrugged; one couldn¡¯t tell what a rash young man like Mattief was thinking when he acted like this. Resuming his search, one of the guardsmen found a fat little jar with some green liquid in the bottom of it.

    ¡°What is it?¡± asked the other man.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± he said and poured some of the liquid onto his palm. The liquid evaporated on contact and both men gasped in surprise. Soon they too were choking as Claudia¡¯s potion began to affect them. It wasn¡¯t long before they collapsed on top of guardsman Thomas.

    The three escapees ran through the twisting corridors of the castle, Wayte leading the way. Since the first two guards near the courtyard, they had faced minimal resistance. Claudia had taken care of them; a small yellow vial shattering on the ground in front of them had driven them into a frenzy of scratching; they were covered in an angry red rash and couldn¡¯t help but sooth the itch.

    ¡°Something is not right,¡± said Wayte suspiciously as they rounded yet another corner and found no opposition.

    ¡°How do you mean?¡± asked Dmitri as they crept down the corridor.

    ¡°There should be more defenders,¡± replied Wayte stopping them with a raised hand.

    ¡°Maybe we scared them off?¡± suggested Claudia. ¡°Those first two ran in fear from you both.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± replied Wayte with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯d never seen those two men before; they must have been new recruits.¡±

    ¡°Aye, they were,¡± came a deep voice from behind them.

 Chapter 59

    Dmitri turned and came face to face with a hulk of a man. Standing head and shoulders above Wayte, he wore only pants, leaving his scarred chest bare and was wielding an enormous double bladed battle axe.

    ¡°But they¡¯d ne¡¯er seen battle! These scars are the mark of many a man I¡¯ve slain,¡± said the giant. ¡°And you¡¯re next!¡±

    The bear of a man swept forward with surprising agility, swinging his battle axe as if it was half its weight. Still linked, Dmitri and Wayte started weaving around the big man, diving in for a strike and then dancing back to avoid the deadly weapon. The scarred man deflected or dodged every attack that Wayte and Dmitri threw at him.

    ¡°Get clear of him!¡± cried Claudia.

    ¡°You stay out of this, lass,¡± roared the big man.

    Dmitri and Wayte took this moment of distraction and attacked simultaneously. In a move that stunned them all, the man leapt into the air and spun, both avoiding the attacks and lashing out with his limbs. A foot caught Dmitri and sent him reeling. Wayte evaded and danced back, ¡°Now!¡± he called out to Claudia.

    Claudia lobbed both a green and a yellow potion at the giant and they shattered on his chest. The man stopped and looked down at the liquid running down his chest, ¡°I don¡¯t need a bath lass,¡± he said and then roared with laughter.

    The escapees looked on in horror as Claudia¡¯s potions, which had been so effective on everyone else so far, did absolutely nothing to stop the big man. He took three steps and with his free hand, picked up Dmitri and hurled him into a wall. The spirit link that he was holding open with Wayte broke as Dmitri hit the wall, and Wayte dropped his sword in shock. The big man saw this and laughed, ¡°What¡¯s wrong lad? You scared?¡± He started towards Wayte, his great axe spinning in front of him.

    ¡°Hey!¡± called Claudia.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Not now lass, we can play later,¡± said the big man.

    But Claudia¡¯s distraction was enough for Wayte to escape the giant¡¯s reach. With Wayte out of range of any of Claudia¡¯s potions, she hurled one towards the giant, but instead of aiming at him, she had aimed it at the wall behind him. This time, the potion was effective, it impacted the wall with a great explosion and it ripped into the wall and brought a large section down upon the big man. Reacting too slow, the man was buried beneath the rubble.

    Wayte retrieved his fallen sword and looked through the new hole in the wall, ¡°This way,¡± he called to Claudia and Dmitri, who was picking himself up off the floor.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked Claudia tenderly.

    Dmitri nodded and ducked down to retrieve his sword, ¡°Just a bit dizzy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Wayte interrupting. ¡°But we have to keep moving. Are you alright to link again?¡± he asked as Dmitri and Claudia started towards the hole in the wall.

    Dmitri responded by reaching out for his magic and linking with Wayte.

    ¡°Ok,¡± said Wayte as he felt the link connect, ¡°let¡¯s go, there is not much further now. And that is thanks to you and your explosions Claudia.¡±

    She smiled and they all ducked through the hole.

    As they headed down this new corridor, Claudia turned to Wayte, ¡°Should we have left him there like that?¡± she asked, referring to the big man.

    ¡°It was either that or kill him,¡± replied Wayte quietly as they reached a doorway.

    Claudia grimly nodded in acceptance and then asked, ¡°How far?¡±

    Wayte held up a hand to stop them moving forward, ¡°We are very close; this next room is the entry hall. Beyond that is another courtyard and it contains the gates leading out of the castle. Now, the gates will more than likely be closed so we¡¯ll have to get to the gatehouse to open them and then escape. The biggest problem will be archers, I daresay that Draycott will have some patrolling the walls, so Dmitri or Claudia, can either of you shield us all when we get out there?¡±

    ¡°If Claudia and I link we will be able to,¡± answered Dmitri. ¡°But I cannot link with both of you at once.¡±

    Wayte thought about this for a moment, ¡°Alright, here is what we do,¡± he started. ¡°You stay linked with me Dmitri, and when I deem it safe, I¡¯ll call out and I want you to link with Claudia instead, together you can both shield me and I¡¯ll make a dash for the gatehouse. As soon as the gates are open, run out. Do not under any circumstances wait for me.¡±

    Claudia¡¯s eyes widened at the implication and she went over to Wayte and embraced him, ¡°Thank you, for everything.¡±

 Chapter 60

    Wayte cleared his throat, embarrassed, ¡°Alright, we know what we¡¯re all doing, let¡¯s go.¡± He crept forward, followed closely by Dmitri and Claudia. They passed into the entry hall and found the cavernous room empty. Wayte looked around in suspicion, but unable to find anyone, crept into the doorway leading to the courtyard and looked out. Doing a quick count, he turned to the others, ¡°There are four guards,¡± he informed them, ¡°Two swordsmen on the ground and two pikemen on the upper walls. The pikemen will run down the stairway as soon as they hear a commotion so we¡¯ll need to dispatch the swordsmen quickly,¡± he looked at Dmitri, ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    Dmitri licked his lips and swallowed, his throat felt parched. Unable to find the words, he nodded his head and saw Claudia beside him doing the same. Together they moved quietly into the courtyard.

    ¡°Well done,¡± praised a voice from above them. Spinning quickly, sword in hand, Dmitri looked up and saw Draycott flanked by guards. A noise from behind them caused them to spin again, more guards, heavily armoured, fell into place. Draycott sauntered towards a staircase and began to descend to their level. On the other side of the doorway that they had entered from, guardsman Mattief was doing the same.

    ¡°Did you really think that I would let you leave?¡± asked Draycott. ¡°Wayte, I have to say that I¡¯m surprised that you survived. Birkett was a very driven man.¡±

    ¡°Just another thing that you will be held accountable for Draycott,¡± called out Wayte.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°You will address me as Lord!¡± screamed Draycott, ¡°Kill them!¡±

    Several things happened at once, Mattief and Draycott leapt down the last few steps, the guardsmen surrounding the escapees moved in, and Claudia reached into her bag and let loose with some potions contained within. The potions shattered and gases billowed out, combining with explosive potions and a great ring of fire erupted around the escapees, Mattief and Draycott plunging through the flame, one driven by determination to clear his name, the other by madness or something more. The guards outside the ring were forced back by the heat radiating from the flames. Several immediately ran towards the keep, running for buckets.

    ¡°Mattief!¡± barked Draycott, ¡°Bring me Dmitri¡¯s head and I shall see to it that you are a made man!¡±

    Mattief turned to him and bowed, ¡°It will be as you ask my Lord.¡±

    ¡°And guardsman Wayte,¡± sneered Draycott, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of your traitorous hide myself. Your pitiful brother was too weak to be able to finish the job.¡± Then he turned to Claudia, ¡°And of course, you my sweet, you will wish for the time you had with Birkett when I start with you.¡±

    Claudia shrank back from the madness gleaming in his eyes. Dmitri stepped in front of her, shielding her from Draycott¡¯s leer. Raising his sword, he charged at the madman, but Mattief, doing his duty, stepped in and deflected the blow, lashing out with his fist. It caught Dmitri in the jaw and he stumbled.

    With Mattief occupied, Wayte attacked Draycott, he stepped in, directing a slash to Draycott¡¯s midsection. Draycott easily brought his sword up and blocked the blow. Then he added a vicious twist to his blade and it flicked around Wayte¡¯s guard, forcing him to step backwards in order to avoid it. Draycott, now on the offensive, began to strike out at Wayte.

 Chapter 61

    Having underestimated the skill that Dmitri would have, Mattief had struck out with a clumsy but powerful blow designed to quickly incapacitate a lesser opponent. When Dmitri deflected the blade and made an attack in the same movement, Mattief realised just how dire the situation had become.

    Swinging his sword with a powerful two handed stroke, Draycott found that Wayte was defending too well for someone that had only trained under his command; someone must be helping him! Draycott looked around; Dmitri was too busy with Mattief, so it wasn¡¯t him, then his eyes locked onto Claudia. Yes, it had to be her, had she not already defied him with her magic once before? Time to level the playing field, ¡°Archers!¡± he bellowed.

    Mattief had been able to defend against Dmitri¡¯s onslaught by a hair, but it had begun to wear on him, and he¡¯d began to think that Draycott had forgotten the other guards he¡¯d had hidden until the madman had called out for archers. Seeing the archers arraying themselves on the battlements, Mattief¡¯s confidence returned and he waited for Dmitri to strike again. This time, instead of blocking or deflecting the blow, he stepped aside from Dmitri¡¯s attack and he sailed past. Mattief swung his blade as Dmitri passed and caught him with the tip of his blade, scoring a wound across the back of his shoulder.

    Wayte had been defending steadily against Draycott until the madman stopped and began to look around. When he had bellowed for archers, Wayte knew that he had to step up the assault, between the archers and the guards with buckets of water, it was only a matter of time before they were overrun.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    During this time, Claudia had not been idle, as guards approached the flames with buckets of water, Claudia attacked them with some more potions, enhancing their fiery defence. Reaching into her back for another potion after Draycott had called for archers, she found to her dismay that no potions remained. Tossing her bag to the ground, she focused on the magic taught to her by the druids, hoping that this far out from the centre of the keep, the dampening field might be weaker. She envisioned the wind whipping up the dirt and sand in the courtyard, a whirlwind consuming everything in its path as it sought to grant them the freedom they fought for. When she opened her eyes however, all she saw was a small burst of air that kicked up a small patch of dirt and sand. An archer, seeing the Frenchwoman focusing on the dirt and seeing it move in return took the opportunity to prevent more deaths of his countrymen and loosed an arrow at her. The arrow punched into her abdomen and she fell to the ground with a yelp.

    Dmitri, hearing Claudia¡¯s yelp of pain turned to see her collapse to the ground. Seeing the woman he loved hurt on the ground drove him into a frenzied state, his vision filled with a red haze and he attacked Mattief with a deadly vengeance in his eyes. Mattief fell back against the mad attack, but Dmitri didn¡¯t falter. Channelling the strength of two men, and the anger of a man in pain, Dmitri struck again and again and Mattief fell back onto the ground, and looked up at Dmitri, his eyes pleading. Without mercy Dmitri took a final swing and Mattief slumped to the ground unmoving. Searching the courtyard for another worthy of his unrelenting vengeance, his eyes locked onto Draycott. He strode over and began to attack. In the first swing, Draycott took a deep wound to the shoulder of his off hand before manoeuvring into such a position that he was able to defend against both men. Dmitri pressed his attack, giving no quarter to the man that had destroyed Claudia¡¯s life.

 Chapter 62

    ¡°Dmitri,¡± came the voice of Wayte, as if far away. Dmitri ignored the voice. If Wayte wanted him, he could wait until the monster had been dispatched.

    ¡°Dmitri,¡± called Wayte again, this time closer, ¡°See to Claudia, she is wounded, let me deal with Draycott.¡±

    As the image of Claudia wounded crossed Dmitri¡¯s mind once more, the red haze lifted. He saw himself fighting Draycott, as if through another¡¯s eyes. He wasn¡¯t a fighter, he helped people. Numbly, he stepped out of the way of Draycott¡¯s attack and Wayte dove in, pressing the attack.

    Dmitri dropped his sword and ran over to Claudia and knelt down beside her. He looked down at her wound, blood pulsed out and he covered it with his hands, ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± he soothed, ¡°I¡¯m here. We¡¯re going to be free.¡± She turned her head and looked at him and smiled, ¡°Dmitri, you¡¯re here, I missed you.¡± She coughed and her mouth filled with blood, Dmitri¡¯s heart burst with pain seeing her like this. Claudia¡¯s eyes widened and she reached out towards him. He held out his hand for her to take hold of, but she pushed past it instead, indicating his chest. Frowning, he looked down, he instantly saw what she was pointing at; the burst of pain wasn¡¯t only from seeing her in pain, he had an arrow protruding through his chest.

    Wayte felt the link not only break, but snap as the arrow pierced Dmitri¡¯s chest. His attention faltered as he turned to see Dmitri collapse to the ground beside Claudia. Draycott leapt forward with a thrust, and without his senses and reflexes augmented by the link, Wayte too fell to the ground wounded. Draycott laughed and turned to his men, ¡°See! They are humans, not demons. As one a formidable force, but as individuals they are weak.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    His next sentence was drowned out by a roar of sound as a fiery meteor plummeted from the sky. It impacted in the centre of the courtyard, between Draycott and the escapees, sending up clouds of dust and surprisingly; feathers. As the dust started to clear, Draycott could see a large glowing object in the centre of the dust cloud. His suspicions were confirmed as the dust began to slide down the outside of a large golden dome that stood shimmering in front of him. Inside the dome, Draycott was able to make out a large figure in golden robes and brilliant silver armour, spread out above this were pure white wings.

    ¡°Uriel!¡± screamed Draycott. Using all his strength, he started striking the dome, every strike sending webs of lightning skittering across the surface. Inside the dome, Uriel looked out at him, shaking his head in sorrow.

    ¡°Fire at will!¡± screamed Draycott and a hail of arrows poured down upon the dome, each impact also creating the skittering lightning that Draycott¡¯s sword had. Uriel leant down and picked up Wayte and slung him over his shoulder. Leading down again, he placed a hand on each of Claudia and Dmitri, bowed his head as if concentrating and then they all disappeared in a whirlwind of feathers.

    ¡°No!¡± screamed Draycott in anguish. He turned to the captain of his guard, who had only just now managed to extinguish the flames enough to cross the barrier, ¡°Get on a horse. Find Arcaedus; tell him what has happened here. Return by morning.¡±

    The captain nodded, ¡°It will be as you say My Lord, but may I ask what the plan is? In case Arcaedus asks that is¡± added the captain quickly.

    ¡°We prepare for War!¡± shouted Draycott, sending guardsman scrambling to prepare.

 Chapter 63

    Judith Mercer, the once First Merchant to the Lord Draycott was walking around the grounds of the monastery that Wayte had brought her to. She couldn¡¯t remember much of the night before, only two things remained strong in her mind; Dmitri telling her that she was infected, and the second was that she had stumbled to the chapel at the monastery and had called upon Uriel. Other than that, everything was fuzzy; she had awoken stiff and sore, parched almost beyond belief. She walked back and forth across the courtyard to relieve the tension and ache she felt, trying to think of a way to rebuild her business, it was best not to dwell on what had happened last night; trying not to think on how no one had heard from Uriel, let alone Wayte or either Claudia or Dmitri. Her train of thought was brought to an abrupt halt as she heard a commotion in another area of the gardens. Rushing in that direction, she arrived to find feathers drifting to the ground and a group of monks huddling around something. Through a gap in the monks, she could make out a part of a cloak that she recognised as Dmitri¡¯s.

    ¡°Dmitri!¡± she cried out and rushed over, pushing past the monks. To her horror, she saw that Dmitri¡¯s chest was covered in blood, an arrow protruding from his chest, and not only that, it appeared that both Wayte and Claudia were wounded as well, Wayte with a slash along his side and Claudia an arrow in her stomach.

    Standing over them was a figure so magnificent that Judith was surprised that she hadn¡¯t seen him first. It was Uriel, his golden robes and silver breastplate shining, his face obscured by the hood he wore.

    ¡°Abbott¡±, he spoke, the voice was distant and hollow, yet filled with such power and authority. ¡°I can sustain them indefinitely, but you will have to heal them. Do Claudia first, I have much to discuss with her.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    The Abbott bowed deeply to Uriel and he and a few other monks carefully carried Claudia apart from Wayte and Dmitri. The monks began to chant, a sound that reverberated throughout Judith¡¯s entire body. A monk seemed to spot her then, and with a gesture that implied that she do as he asked, led her away from the chanting monks. Walking away, she turned back to see that Claudia was enveloped in a large glowing aura.

    Claudia opened her eyes to see a gaggle of kindly old men standing over here.

    ¡°How do you feel?¡± asked one of the men in her native tongue.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she replied in English and tried to sit up, but some of the men were holding her down.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± asked the same man as before.

    Confused, she began to repeat that she was fine when the old man held up a blood covered arrow, ¡°We removed this,¡± he said gently without accusation.

    In a flash, everything that had happened came crashing back, ¡°Dmitri!¡± she cried.

    The old man put a hand on her shoulder, ¡°Rest child, you cannot exert yourself so soon.¡±

    She ignored his request and began to struggle against the hands holding her down.

    ¡°Please,¡± requested the old man, ¡°calm yourself, your friend Dmitri is fine. You have a great benefactor to thank for that,¡± he indicated beyond her.

    Craning her neck, Claudia was able to see a golden glow, but no more. ¡°If I promise to be calm, will you let me up?¡± she asked.

    His response was to look in askance towards the golden glow. ¡°You may rise Claudia,¡± came the voice, it was hollow and deep, yet filled with something that Claudia couldn¡¯t put a name to. The hands restraining her withdrew and she sat up and turned towards the golden glow. Her mouth fell open as she took in the figure that was Uriel; his golden robe and silver breastplate, while marred by patches of blood, still glowed with an unearthly light.

 Chapter 64

    ¡°You must be Uriel,¡± said Claudia once she found her voice again. ¡°I¡¯m deeply honoured that you would care for someone like me.¡±

    Uriel laughed, a deep resounding sound that seemed as if it was coming from the earth itself, ¡°It is I who should be honoured young Claudia,¡± he boomed. ¡°You seem to be the key to a great many things.¡±

    Claudia was taken aback by this revelation, ¡°But I¡¯m just an alchemist!¡± she exclaimed, ¡°Dmitri is the one you are after!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Uriel, ¡°Dmitri is, but you are as important to him as he is to greater things. If you are lost to him, he will be lost to us. I shall explain when he awakens.¡±

    Almost as if on cue, Dmitri staggered over to them, healed but very weak. ¡°Claudia,¡± he asked, ¡°are you alright?¡±

    Claudia made an exasperated noise and indicated Uriel.

    Again Uriel laughed, ¡°It is as I said Claudia, you are more important to him than anything else. Young Dmitri, I see that you have not changed since last we met.¡±

    Dmitri turned on Uriel in anger, ¡°Did you know this was going to happen? All the deaths? The Exarchs are gone!¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°No Dmitri,¡± replied Uriel. ¡°They live on in you,¡± he gestured towards the main body of the monastery and they began to walk towards it. Uriel continued, ¡°You are the last Exarch, the final light in the growing darkness. No sooner than I had shifted you into this time, Akahaziel escaped his planar prison. He waged his own war first against the village whose ancestors trapped him there. Then he went after your brethren.¡±

    ¡°They fought back didn¡¯t they? Why didn¡¯t you help them?¡± demanded Dmitri.

    ¡°I did,¡± replied Uriel quietly, his normally echoing voice a mere whisper. ¡°I did help them, but I could not do it alone. I was unable to convince my brothers to help; they knew you were safe and that was enough for them.¡±

    Dmitri exhaled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this has been wearing on me, I shouldn¡¯t have yelled.¡±

    ¡°We almost lost you to the darkness Dmitri. Your hatred of Birkett, and when you attacked Draycott, such anger and hate. You yelling at me just now is but a small flame against a bonfire compared to those,¡± he paused. ¡°I would have come for you sooner, but Akahaziel has corrupted the city. Without being able to see you, I couldn¡¯t risk you by interfering. Your friend Judith told me of what happened, of your incarceration, and of the man Jonathan Wayte. We are indeed quite fortunate to have a man on the side of the light.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do now?¡± asked Dmitri.

    ¡°Now is the time for you to rest. With the amount of corruption and darkness that Akahaziel has bled into the city, there is no doubt that he will have an army marching upon us.¡± The group had reached a small room with a bed in the corner. ¡°Dmitri, rest here, regain your strength. Claudia, if you will come with me, we need to discuss how we are to defeat Akahaziel.¡±

 Chapter 65

    ¡°My Lord,¡± called the captain of the guard as he ran towards Draycott, ¡°We cannot muster up anymore serfs, so we will be unable to use the longbows.¡±

    Draycott grimaced at the news, ¡°See if you can¡¯t find anymore; it is one of our greatest advantages. What do we have in terms of cavalry and infantry?¡±

    ¡°We have done a fair sight better there my Lord,¡± replied the captain. ¡°Many of the Lords and Ladies that attended your banquet have turned up with their retinues; so we have quite the number of swordsmen and light cavalry. The Lords have of course come in their heavy armour.¡±

    Draycott nodded and mounted some stairs that led to the parapet, ¡°That should be enough. Arcaedus will be back soon, until then we can use the sheer force of numbers to overwhelm any pitiful resistance that they manage to assemble against us.¡± Reaching the top of the stairs, Draycott turned and leaned over the battlement, looking over the troops that were assembling in the courtyard below. Row upon row of men in chainmail shirts were practising drills. Grooms were scurrying about, rushing to tend to the horses brought in by the surrounding Lords.

    ¡°My soldiers!¡± roared Draycott, spreading his arms wide, allowing his aura to expand and envelop the men here. ¡°Today we are gathered here to begin the end of the French. No more will they skulk within our cities! No more will they steal our children! No more shall they provide a damaging influence.¡±

    The soldiers roared in approval, lapping up Draycott¡¯s absurd words and building into a frenzy, ¡°My soldiers,¡± continued Draycott, basking in the adulation, ¡°let us ride forth for the good of mankind!¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Dmitri awoke to afternoon sun filtering in through a stained glass window. He recalled the discussion with Uriel from this morning and knowing that it was only a matter of time before Draycott and his men arrived, got up and left the room. As he wandered through corridors, looking for familiar faces, each monk he passed would bow deeply to him. As he passed another pair of monks and they began to bow however, Dmitri snapped at them, ¡°Why does everyone keep bowing to me?¡±

    The monks stood there in silence, trying to discover why Dmitri should be asking such a question when the answer was so obvious.

    ¡°You are the Last Exarch, my Lord,¡± one of the monks finally replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m no Lord,¡± replied Dmitri. ¡°And while I may be the Last Exarch, I wouldn¡¯t be if I hadn¡¯t unleashed the demon,¡± he finished bitterly.

    The other monk spoke up, ¡°Pardon me my Lord,¡± he cringed as Dmitri threw him a glare, ¡°But you have brought Uriel with you. He is our patron angel and he would never accompany someone unworthy.¡±

    Dmitri sighed, ¡°Very well.¡±

    The monks also breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Where can I find Uriel?¡± asked Dmitri.

    The monks gave him directions for which he became very grateful, for even with them, he still managed to take a few wrong turns. Along the way, he passed rooms where monks and other men in mismatched clothes held spears or pike and were practising thrusts and blocks. A monk walked through the ranks, repeating that they must fight and defend as one, only then can they break a charge. Continuing along, he passed through a courtyard that the two monks had mentioned, but what they had failed to mention was men with bows. Working in rows, the men would loose arrows towards straw targets across the courtyard and then smoothly draw another arrow from their quiver before loosing it as well. As Dmitri watched, it was clear to see that as they continued, their accuracy was getting better as hands and minds that were clearly used to tilling a field were now put to work in archery. Dmitri frowned, wondering how far some of these people had come in such a short time.

 Chapter 66

    Continuing along the route that the two monks had described to him, Dmitri at last entered the room he was looking for. Claudia and Uriel were there, discussing the upcoming battle with the Abbott. ¡°We will of course provide field medicine where we can,¡± finished the Abbott as Dmitri came in.

    Claudia saw him and rushed over, ¡°I¡¯m so glad that you are alright,¡± she said embracing him, the relief evident in her voice, ¡°I was so worried, but between Uriel and Father Preston here, they assured me that you were fine.¡±

    Dmitri returned the embrace with equal fervour, ¡°I was afraid too Claudia, seeing you hit like that. Promise me that you will stay out of this battle, I couldn¡¯t stand to see you get hurt again.¡±

    Claudia pulled back from the embrace, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Dmitri,¡± she replied, ¡°I have to be there with you, we know how to stop Akahaziel, but I need to be with you on the field.¡±

    ¡°But-¡° began Dmitri and then stopped. ¡°Wait, you know how to defeat Akahaziel?¡±

    Claudia smiled; a smile that showed that the possibility of life without the demon wasn¡¯t only possible, but it was close as well.

    ¡°It was based on something I began to tell you, I don¡¯t even know when it was. But Akahaziel can¡¯t heal himself; he can only corrupt, so we need to reflect his corruption against him, correct?¡±

    Dmitri nodded, following along.

    ¡°Well I got the idea after Uriel created that magical dome over us during the escape, nothing Draycott did could pass through,¡± she began, explaining the solution to Dmitri.

    After she was done, he looked at her amazed, hardly able to believe that this was the woman that had attacked him when he first entered her cell, the woman who had been broken by the evil of men like Draycott and Birkett. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you Claudia,¡± he said with a smile. When she looked at him quizzically, he continued, ¡°You have been through so much these past few months, and look at you now, stronger than you were then, taking initiative and living for now, ready to take the battle to them, and all without thoughts of vengeance.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Claudia smiled again, it seemed to light up the room, ¡°That¡¯s because I have you for motivation. Uriel told me something before that-¡°

    ¡°There will be time enough for that later,¡± interrupted Uriel gently but firm. ¡°Dmitri, your army awaits. Those willing to fight for the light have come forth. We now await the fourth member of our party, the guardsman Jonathan Wayte.¡±

    ¡°How can they be my army?¡± asked Dmitri. ¡°These people don¡¯t even know me!¡±

    ¡°They know of you, they know that you fight for the light, that is enough for them,¡± explained Uriel.

    ¡°Aye, it was enough for me lad,¡± came a giant sized voice from the doorway.

    Dmitri whipped around and saw the giant man that they had fought during their escape. His hand darted to his side, but came back empty; no sword. The big man saw and laughed, ¡°Calm yourself lad, I¡¯m not here to fight you. My name is Magnus, your lass there,¡± he said indicating Claudia, ¡°showed me that the right side to be fighting on is with you. She¡¯s brave enough to be one of my very own kin!¡±

    Claudia blushed at the compliment, ¡°Yes, thank you Magnus. How are the soldiers coming along?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll do well enough,¡± he replied. ¡°You¡¯ve got some worthy countrymen here.¡±

    Claudia nodded and turned to Dmitri, ¡°We are fortunate that Magnus decided to defect, he has been a mercenary for many years and knows how to lead. He¡¯ll be directing the bulk of the men while we go after Draycott and try and flush out Akahaziel.¡±

    Wayte entered the room then, appearing to be full of energy, ready for anything, ¡°What did I miss?¡± he asked. Then his eyes caught sight of Magnus and he reacted exactly the same way as Dmitri which caused Magnus to laugh again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry guardsman, I¡¯m on your side this time. I¡¯m directing the soldiers,¡± informed Magnus.

    Wayte frowned and looked at Dmitri, ¡°Is this wise?¡±

    Dmitri shrugged, ¡°He was appointed before I was awake. I do have faith in Claudia¡¯s decision though. Especially when it is backed by Uriel.¡±

    Wayte nodded, clearly not completely sold on the idea, ¡°Then it shall be so. What am I to do?¡±

    It was Uriel that answered, ¡°Before we can tackle Akahaziel, we must force him to show himself. You and Dmitri will be linked and should fight Draycott until he reveals himself. After long enough I daresay he will change from the form he has taken and attack. Then Dmitri and Claudia will link and do their job. It is then up to you to ensure that no harm whatsoever befalls them. You must protect them with your life. I will be holding off Akahaziel until Dmitri is ready.¡±

    Wayte nodded, accustomed to such a role. He opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted as a young monk rushed in, ¡°They¡¯re here! Draycott¡¯s army is outside the town!¡±

 Chapter 67

    A gentle breeze stirred the sparse grass that was scattered on the plain outside the French village. Arrayed on either side were two armies. On one side, with light cavalry, regular infantry and a few scattered heavy armoured knights, stood the English. They were well armoured and trained and many were veterans of the campaign that had led to the defeat of the French at Agincourt. Sitting astride a giant warhorse was the Lord Edmund Draycott, heavily armoured with two fierce blades strapped to his back. Beside him, on a smaller horse, an old man sat hunched, his expression a scowl. An odd place for a man like this, but Arcaedus¡¯ ability to See would benefit the army greatly when the time came to direct the troops.

    Lined up against this formidable force stood the French. Having suffered at Agincourt, they were hesitant to engage the English again, especially against veterans of the very same battle. Their force, made up of pikemen and spearmen, more often than not wielding what would have been a farming implement only days ago. Behind these were the archers. Having seen the power of English longbows, the French had adopted the weapon, acknowledging its advantages in terms of the skill and training required when compared to other weapons. Most of the men had sabres in their belts, used to wielding them from horseback, but unable to do so this time. One figure was alone on horseback, the giant fiery Scot, Magnus. He would be directing the troops while Dmitri and Claudia went ahead with their task. Wayte stood with these two, Claudia nervously biting her nails as she viewed the army arrayed against them. Dmitri stood beside her, holding onto her determined not to lose her again. Uriel was absent; he had stayed back at the Monastery for now, holding back so that his appearance would force a reaction by Akahaziel. Alongside Claudia were a collection of men, if they could even be considered men yet, some only barely showing signs of a beard, but each determined to prove their worth. These men wielded one of the simplest of weapons, the sling. Instead of using rocks however, Claudia had provided each of them with a bag of jars and vials. She had cajoled the monks to follow her instructions in order to make potions but they had balked at the thought of making anything that would damage another human being. They had relented somewhat and helped create potions that could incapacitate the enemy.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Dmitri reluctantly let go of Claudia and went over to Magnus, ¡°Help me up, I want to address the men.¡±

    Magnus replied by reaching down and grabbing Dmitri by the arm and simply yanking him onto the horse. Upon seeing Dmitri¡¯s expression at the method, Magnus just laughed. Raising his voice above the sounds of the soldier¡¯s idle banter, Magnus asked for silence so Dmitri could speak. Sitting on the horse in front of Magnus, Dmitri looked at the men assembled before him; he could hear a few mutters and the sound of wind, so he raised his voice so all could hear, ¡°As some of you are aware, my name is Dmitri Raskolnikov Romanovic. I am not here as your leader, I am here as one of your fellow human beings. We are here today to uncover and stop a great threat to humanity, the Demon Akahaziel. He followed me here from my homeland, and in doing so brought much corruption, both in the land and in the minds of men.¡± He nodded towards the English, ¡°We will fight these men, but do not hate them, for they have been led astray. We will sever the head and the rest will fall. Fight with me brothers, fight with me and we will defeat the evil in this land.¡±

    To Dmitri¡¯s surprise, the assembled soldiers roared in approval. Climbing down, he strode back over to Claudia and Wayte who were staring at him.

    ¡°That was amazing!¡± Claudia said in awe, ¡°You brought them even more solidly to us, they will die for you if they need to.¡±

    ¡°Well let¡¯s see to it that they don¡¯t need to,¡± replied Dmitri.

 Chapter 68

    On the opposite side of the field, the men looked to Draycott, waiting for what would undoubtedly be a rousing speech. Draycott looked towards Arcaedus who nodded his head slightly. Draycott opened his mouth to speak; the troops stood tall and braced themselves, awaiting his words.

    ¡°Attack!¡± roared Draycott.

    As the English soldiers thundered across the plain and the light cavalry circled around the sides to flank the French, Magnus signalled to his men. Archers nocked arrows and stood ready to draw. Pike and spearmen formed a defensive screen around the archers and braced for the impact. Several archers watched the cavalry descending upon their flanks and a few feebly loosed arrows at the charge.

    ¡°Not the horses ye fools!¡± roared Magnus.

    Those archers still aiming at the charge sheepishly turned to target the footmen. The pikemen knelt and thrust out their pikes, forming a vicious barrier that would slow if not stop the charge. Having lowered their pikes too early however, the French could only stop and stare as the cavalry spotted the pikes and spears and wheel off in a different direction.

    ¡°Fools!¡± cried Magnus, ¡°All o¡¯ ye! After them! Archers, loose at will!¡±

    ¡°You see what they are doing?¡± asked Arcaedus at the top of a rise with Draycott.

    ¡°Yes I can, their commander is correct, they are fools,¡± replied Draycott. ¡°But then so is he, I would have expected Dmitri, or at the least that traitor Wayte commanding, but I can¡¯t even see them, just that great red ape.¡±

    ¡°Oh do not worry, Dmitri is there,¡± reassured Arcaedus, ¡°I can feel his spirit, it is flitting about, trying to find Akahaziel.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Draycott laughed darkly, ¡°Is he now? Maybe I should go play with them?¡± he suggested.

    ¡°As you say my Lord, I will keep their troops busy with yours,¡± replied Arcaedus with a bow.

    Without replying any further, Draycott kicked his nightmare steed into motion towards the French.

    From the French lines, Dmitri watched his archers uselessly firing arrows towards the fleeing English cavalry, his pikemen chasing them, pikes and spears lowered as a charge. He saw the English infantry still charging towards them, and more importantly, Draycott, flogging a monster of a horse in a frenzied gallop towards them.

    ¡°Now!¡± called Dmitri.

    Claudia stopped her spirit roaming and linked with Dmitri. He traced an earth and fire glyph and let loose the magic he had been gathering, focusing it into the two glyphs. The ground shook and then erupted. A huge ring of earth exploded around the French, walling the English in with them. Draycott, on the outskirts of the ring of earth was thrown off his horse as the ground ruptured beneath him. Horses whinnied and screamed in terror, throwing their riders. The French, having expected this, took advantage of the confusion and began their real attack. Claudia¡¯s slingers let loose with a barrage of potions. All around the fighting, green gas clouds appeared as the potions shattered on impact. Calling on the element of air by tracing the glyph, Dmitri asked for the breeze to settle so that the gas didn¡¯t disperse. He then signalled to Wayte and drawing their swords, they descended into the madness.

    Arcaedus, overlooking the battle from afar started in surprise as Dmitri¡¯s magic caused the earth to erupt. This changed his plans somewhat. Focusing his new commands in his mind, he directed them towards Draycott, where they were instilled in his army by that strange force of will he seemed to be able to impose on others.

    On the far side of the battle, Draycott regained his feet and drew his twin blades. Almost immediately, the blades took on an oily sheen and began to smoke. Draycott¡¯s face took on a deadly grin and he advanced towards the fighting, wielding his dual weapons of corruption and decay.

    As Dmitri and Wayte moved towards the fighting, a wind whipped up and a whirlwind of feathers appeared in front of them.

    ¡°Now is the time Dmitri,¡± said Uriel, glowing brightly. ¡°This should help,¡± he continued and gestured towards Dmitri¡¯s sword. The blade began to glow gold and a shimmering layer of golden flames seemed to wreath it. ¡°Now if you will excuse me, I need to draw out the demon.¡± With that, he stretched out his great white wings and launched himself into the air.

 Chapter 69

    Draycott saw Uriel launch into the air and screamed in anguish, ¡°Uriel!¡± he roared and began to cut through the fighting in front of him, men fell quickly to his swords, the corrupted blades biting into their flesh and causing it to decay. French and English alike fell to the hungry steel as Draycott made his way towards Dmitri, the damned angel would have to descend if his mortal hero was killed.

    Dmitri and Wayte fought side by side, linked. Wayte¡¯s natural skill was enhanced by Dmitri¡¯s perception and Dmitri¡¯s inherited skill with a blade was enhanced by his ability to use his magic while he fought. As the battle continued, the moans of the wounded, the smell of the blood and dust, all of these stood out to Dmitri. Sweat was beading on his brow as his golden sword of flame cut into yet another Englishman, the wound instantly cauterised by the heat. None of the English had continued fighting after being struck by Dmitri¡¯s blade. The wounds were far from fatal, but there was something about them, whether it was the cauterisation or something divine imbued into the blade by Uriel, the wounded simply seemed to get up when they were able to and wander off the battlefield.

    Hearing screams of something beyond agony, Wayte looked for the source to find Draycott wading through the battle, his deadly blades leaving a stream of what appeared to be rotting corpses. He nudged Dmitri and pointed Draycott out to him; ¡°We have to do something about him,¡± he suggested.

    Dmitri nodded in agreement, ¡°If he is indeed Akahaziel, we need to kill him. Can you hold the English off me?¡±

    Wayte nodded and wished him good luck.

    ¡°Draycott!¡± roared Dmitri over the din. The English Lord looked up and saw Dmitri. A wicked smile appeared on his face and with a wave of his arms; soldiers from both armies were thrown aside by an invisible force. Draycott charged at Dmitri, twin blades whirling. Dmitri held his ground in a defensive stance, blade up, ready to stop the charge. The two forces of light and dark met with a clash, the twin black blades meeting the single golden blade. Upon impact, lightning seemed to cascade off the blades and there was a boom as if thunder.Stolen novel; please report.

    In the hill overlooking the battle, Arcaedus had been following Draycott¡¯s spirit with his mind. When it had darkened as black as pitch and he heard the thunder sound, he knew that Draycott had caught up with his mortal nemesis Dmitri. He sent his spirit further, finding Dmitri in the fray. Interesting, it seemed that the golden spirit of Dmitri wasn¡¯t alone, there were spirit tendrils snaking out and linking him with... with the other human it seemed. Very interesting indeed.

    As Dmitri and Draycott clashed, the battle around them continued with unceasing ferocity. The hot stink of blood hung thick in the air, the dust being kicked up clung to the sweat pouring off the soldiers, English or French, they were all human and surely none of them could relish their current situation. Apart from Draycott; feeling empowered by the deaths occurring around him in his name, he struck out at Dmitri again and again. Thunder boomed and lightning struck each time the blades met.

    Dmitri was beginning to tire under the mad onslaught, but stiffening his resolve; he ducked around one of Draycott¡¯s assaults and managed to hit Draycott with a slash to the arm. The blade bit deep, the flame sealing the wound almost immediately. The divine energy imbued into the blade washed through Draycott; his eyes opened wide as a sense of vertigo overtook him. His grip on his blades slackened and he drop one of them.

    ¡°Edmund?¡± asked a kindly voice. Draycott looked to the source of the voice; it was a strange foreign man with a glowing golden sword. The man¡¯s arm was outstretched in a gesture of friendship. Draycott stretched out his hand to take hold of the man¡¯s hand, but then something bubbled up inside him; a seething hatred. His eyes cleared and he saw the man in front of him; ¡°Dmitri!¡± he screamed and struck out with his blade which bit deeply into Dmitri¡¯s outstretched arm. The skin around the wound began to darken and fester. The sword in his other hand glowed bright and the festering wound began to glow as well. In moments, the wound was gone, replaced by a golden scar. Both men, startled from the occurrence stepped back, Draycott collecting his fallen sword as he did so; it wasn¡¯t going to be as easy as either man thought.

 Chapter 70

    As soon as Arcaedus had sensed the connection between Wayte and Dmitri he had begun to move towards the battle. When he felt Draycott get wounded by the holy blade wielded by Dmitri, he had felt the darkness leaving Draycott. In fact, the darkness all around the battlefield had begun to dissipate. Arcaedus had blasted Draycott with a force of purpose and direction and he smiled wickedly as he felt the hate and darkness swell within the other man once more. The golden glow of Dmitri had flickered as Draycott had struck out at him, and as it struggled to sustain itself a golden glow had burst out from within Dmitri and burned brightly. It seemed that no matter what divine or demonic powers were at play here, the battle would be decided between two mortal men.

    Both men circled each other warily, neither paying attention to the battle raging on around them. They both knew that any advantages given to them from their tainted or blessed blades was now gone; it really was a fight to the death. Draycott stepped in, bringing one blade down in a chopping motion. Dmitri brought up his sword to block the blow and a crackle of lightning ripped through the air. Draycott wasted no time and hammered his other blade down upon Dmitri¡¯s raised sword, causing his defence to buckle. Draycott advanced and delivered a kick to Dmitri¡¯s chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. He strode forward to finish the fallen man when Dmitri whipped up his sword. It bit deep into his inner thigh, severing the artery there. His energy pulsed from him and he fell to his knees and collapsed to the ground. Feebly, he rolled onto his back, trying to find Dmitri. A shadow fell over him and he tried to focus his eyes, but it was all too blurry. How could he be dying? Wasn¡¯t he an all powerful demon? The form standing over him knelt down beside him.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°You can rest now Edmund,¡± came the hollow voice.

    Using the last ounce of his strength, he focused his eyes, it was the Arch-angel Uriel. Why was he here? Isn¡¯t he the enemy?

    ¡°His control over you is weakening as you die. You are free of Akahaziel, die well,¡± said Uriel softly.

    All around the battlefield, the clash of blades had stopped as the English appeared to have woken from a trance, looking around as if having no idea of where they were or what they were doing. Dmitri saw one man look at the sword in his hands, who saw the blood covering it and he dropped it, and falling to his knees, he began to weep.

    An unearthly screech ripped through the air, and all around looked to the source of the noise. Arcaedus sat astride his horse, his open mouth was the source of the horrible noise. Arcaedus¡¯ face seemed to ripple and distort, and then his entire body ripped asunder, revealing in all his fury; the Demon Akahaziel.

 Chapter 71

    Akahaziel clambered free of the tattered remains of the human that he had been inhabiting. ¡°Uriel!¡± rasped Akahaziel, ¡°I know you are here! Show yourself!¡±

    ¡°It is over,¡± said Uriel, rising from the ground beside Draycott. ¡°Your vessel is dead; you cannot control these people anymore.¡±

    Akahaziel laughed, it sounded almost a wheeze. ¡°For an Arch-angel you are very narrow-minded. I don¡¯t need your pitiful human army.¡± With a roar, he thrust up his arms and spoke words of power. The earth shook and all around the battlefield were eruptions of dirt as the ground itself seemed to give birth to a legion of demons. Each monster clambered free from the ground and began to attack anything nearby. More than a few men were cut down as they gaped at this sudden turn of events. Magnus let out a roar and men nearby, whether French or English rallied to him, the more to hold off the demonic assault. Akahaziel, in the meantime was wading through the scattered soldiers, loosing blasts of corruption that ripped through man and demon alike, causing them to decay and reduce to a rotten heap. Uriel would have none of this and using his own powers, he let loose with massive novas of divine energy. Demons caught in the blasts screamed as it seared them, and any human hit was bolstered by the holy light, any malady from Akahaziel¡¯s corruption cleansed.

    Dmitri and Wayte ran through the battling armies, seeking out Claudia. Demons continued to raise from the earth, making the ground underfoot treacherous as Wayte found out after a scaled claw burst from the ground to wrap around his ankle. He fell, but Dmitri was there in an instant, hacking at the demonic limb with his sword. From beneath the surface of the ground, Dmitri could hear the demon scream. He thrust his blade down into the dirt and the screaming stopped. Wayte shook the disembodied talon free from his ankle and shuddered, ¡°These things shouldn¡¯t exist,¡± he growled. Dmitri nodded in agreement and continued looking for Claudia.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Uriel let loose a wordless yell as he engaged Akahaziel with the broadsword that was strapped to his back. The blade shone with a golden light that made Dmitri¡¯s blade seem a candle beside a bonfire. Using both hands to wield the massive weapon, Uriel struck out at the demon. Akahaziel raised his talons to fend off the attack and the blade glanced off as if his claws were the finest steel. He retaliated with a flurry of attacks that Uriel could only block with his blade, the speed and ferocity of the attack had left him with no time to evade.

    The monks at the back of the battle with Claudia had begun to bless the potions that her slingers had been lobbing towards the new enemy, the demonic legion. As soon as Akahaziel had appeared, one of the monks had stopped rounding up horses that had lost their riders and had mounted one and galloped off towards the monastery and had quickly returned with the abbot. In no time the monks had gathered and in ceremony blessed the potions. As these potions rained down upon the demonic forces, they exploded and showered demons and humans alike in a rich golden flame. Where the humans spirits were uplifted, the demons were seared by the flames. Claudia saw Dmitri and Wayte rushing towards her. She turned to the abbot, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I will have to leave you now, I have to face Akahaziel.¡±

    The monk nodded, his eyes sad, ¡°May you succeed my child,¡± he replied, and with a gesture he whispered under his breath, blessing her.

 Chapter 72

    As Claudia walked towards Dmitri, she could see that his sleeve was in tatters, clearly the result of injury. Reaching him, she took his arm to inspect the damage only to find a thick golden scar. Her eyes widened upon seeing it, ¡°What is that?¡± she gasped.

    ¡°Uriel blessed his sword,¡± replied Wayte as Dmitri and Claudia embraced.

    ¡°A sword did that?¡± she asked in surprise.

    ¡°Good thing he did too,¡± replied Dmitri. ¡°Draycott hit me with his blade; the corruption had begun to set in before Uriel¡¯s blessing took over.¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯m just glad he did then,¡± she replied with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Alright you two,¡± interrupted Wayte. ¡°You have a demon to destroy, and then you can enjoy each other¡¯s company.¡±

    Dmitri cleared his throat, ¡°Yes, well let¡¯s get some of these horses and get down to Akahaziel.¡±

    Mounting up, they rode back into the fray. As they sped through, and passed the fighting, their spirits dropped at seeing the sheer number of demons and how much they were overwhelming the remnants of the human defence. More than once demons tried to tear them off their horses but Wayte or Dmitri¡¯s blade, or a quick burst of magic from Claudia soon prevented the demons from succeeding. As it evaded one demon grasping out at it, Claudia and Dmitri¡¯s horse stumbled after the ground beneath them buckled as another demon pulled itself from the earth. Unable to regain its balance, the horse was pulled down by a pursuing demon. As Dmitri hit the ground in a roll, he saw that Akahaziel was fighting Uriel just beyond a group of demons ahead. Claudia regained her feet and let loose a blast of magic that spread out in a big shockwave. Dmitri got to his feet, ¡°Wayte, I¡¯m sorry, but you have to protect Claudia and I now; we cannot do this without you.¡±

    Wayte nodded as Dmitri ended the link between them and went to turn back to the fighting but Dmitri stopped him, ¡°Use this,¡± he said, holding out the blessed golden sword.

    Taking the sword, and unable to find the words to convey his feelings, he nodded once more in thanks. Turning back to the tide of foul demons, he braced himself ready to stop any encroachments.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°So we create elemental shields first correct?¡± asked Dmitri.

    Claudia nodded and reaching out with her magic, she linked with Dmitri. The bloom of magic as they linked surpassed anything that Dmitri had ever felt. The look of ecstasy on Claudia¡¯s face said that she too was experiencing the bliss. Giddy with the feeling, Dmitri began to call up elemental shields, each a layer from a different element.

    Akahaziel felt an enormous burst of power as Claudia and Dmitri linked. Turning his head ever so slightly so as to not lose sight of Uriel, he could see that the infernal mortal Dmitri was calling on the elements. He loosed a blast of corruption in that direction, but one of his demonic children caught the blast and was obliterated.

    As the demon that Wayte was fighting was destroyed by a blast from Akahaziel himself, he saw that they had gained Akahaziel¡¯s attention. ¡°Dmitri,¡± he called out as he stepped in to stop another demon, ¡°you had better hurry, he doesn¡¯t like what you¡¯re doing!¡±

    Uriel, seeing that Akahaziel was momentarily distracted, lashed out with a powerful blow that bit deep into the demons flesh. Akahaziel howled in fury and focused on Uriel with swing after swing, his claws raking across Uriel¡¯s armour, leaving great gouges across the otherwise flawless surface.

    Dmitri was now surrounded in a shimmering barrier formed from all four elements. Focusing deep within herself, Claudia drew deep on her magic and the shields shimmered and disappeared. Feeling empowered, Dmitri nodded to Claudia with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s end this.¡±

    Uriel felt Claudia¡¯s magic behind him and he let loose a scattered barrage of holy magic. Demons that were hit screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground, the holy fire searing them deeply. Humans that were hit seemed to glow, their wounds closing and their strength returning, all fatigue gone. Also hit by the barrage, while deliberate by Uriel but unnoticed by Akahaziel, was Dmitri. As the holy magic impacted against the elemental shields already surrounding him, the magic fused together. Taking a deep breath, the feeling icy cold, Dmitri stepped toward Uriel and Akahaziel. He reached out and touched Uriel on the arm, Akahaziel, in the background stopped and stared. Uriel turned and saw Dmitri standing there, hand outstretched as if waiting for something. Uriel handed Dmitri his sword, ¡°It is only fair that I let you finish this Dmitri.¡± With that he spread his great white wings and took to the air.

    Akahaziel was incensed, ¡°Uriel!¡± he screamed, ¡°Return and face me! These pitiful humans are nothing!¡± He let loose a blast of corruption at Dmitri to prove his point.

    As the corruption sped towards him, Dmitri had to restrain himself from trying to dodge, as it was, he still flinched as the blast hit him and the shield dissipated and the blast of corruption was reflected and sped back towards Akahaziel.

    Akahaziel hadn¡¯t given up his tirade and was still yelling at Uriel as the corruption hit Dmitri. But when the blast failed to affect Dmitri and instead reflected back at him, he stopped and stared. Try as he might, he tried to dodge out of the way but the blast caught him.