A Push Stone
Elysia was well guarded in a room with over forty other women and children that had been gathered up from those that fled the courtyard. Elysia had already learnt that the Jinn-Magician had summoned a snake that used the Power of Division to create more of its kind whenever the first was defeated. That had surely been a distraction by the demon. She had begun to wonder what his true motives were.
When the demon entered her chambers, she was already awake from the sounds of battle outside her door. Then the Jinn-Magician burst into her room, and the demon seemed hesitant when her Maiden’s Ward necklace began to flare in a sphere of electric blue light.
She had realised this could be used as a way to trap the demon, and throwing all caution to the wind, she had stepped towards the demon with the blue magic surrounding her, as she backed the demon into a corner of the room.
It was then that the demon had somehow managed to throw her against the wall, where she bumped her head and everything went dark, until Tristan arrived. She thought the demon had created another of those bubbles of cobalt light around the magic of the Maiden’s Ward, and then thrown the bubble towards the wall, making her fly across the room with it. If this was what had happened, it was likely the demon just removed the spell before she slammed headfirst into the stone wall.
There was a little dry blood on her forehead, and her head ached terribly, but she was fairly sure did not have a concussion. She sat pondering the agenda of the Jinn-Magician this time around, wondering if the demon had been after her when he entered her room, or perhaps he was looking for something.
After a time, Tristan burst into the chamber with a dozen soldiers and their wolves in tow. In a state of panic and short of breath, Tristan explained that he would need Elysia to hold Neverend when he faced the snakes, as the Maiden’s Ward should protect her from these demons as sure as it did against the Jinn-Magician.
‘If you want my help,’ she said, ‘I’m coming with you.’
‘I don’t like to agree with you,’ Tristan said, ‘but I will still need Neverend close by my side for this Push Stone to work. The white wolf pup yelped and whined at his feet as he held up the grey stone egg to show Elysia.
‘Your hand is burnt,’ she said with concern.
‘It will heal,’ he said. ‘Now are you coming with me or not?’
She lifted Neverend into her arms and made her way out the door without waiting for anyone to follow. The pup was heavy, but if she let one of the guards carry him and he got free when they got closer to the snakes, they would lose their precious spirit guide. He wriggled and growled in her arms, but she would not let him go if her life depended on it. She looked over her shoulder at the soldiers massing behind her, with Tristan pushing his way to the front.
‘Try to keep up, won’t you?’ she said with a blank stare.
‘So, this is the plan,’ Tristan said. ‘You have to do things exactly as I say.’
‘I’m listening,’ she replied, staring ahead, and focusing her anger on the Jinn-Magician. Tristan was playing a deadly game, but duty had called him to action time and time again. She was so proud of him. She wondered why she had never noticed how brave he was in the past. Perhaps because he had never needed to prove himself.
‘Just be careful, Tristan,’ she said after he explained the plan. ‘You’re taking a lot of risks. We can’t afford to lose you.’
‘I didn’t know you cared so much,’ he said with a sideways glance.
‘I meant we need you as Guardian to the Snow Wolf,’ she replied.
‘Oh!’ he said, sounding embarrassed. ‘I thought that you were …’
‘Of course, I care about you, Tristan,’ she said looking his way. ‘You are our Brave Archer. So much depends on you and Neverend. And … you saved my life. I don’t know if I will ever be able to repay you for that. But I’ll try.’
‘So, you’re sure you understand how the Push Stone works?’ he asked again.
‘You only need to tell me things once, Tristan,’ she said. ‘I just hope your plan works.’
They were walking at a fast pace as they talked, soldiers following closely with wolves straining at the leash. ‘Me too,’ Tristan said. ‘I hope things turn out alright.’
She smiled to reassure him, though her fear was beginning to take hold.
***
Feligrihir watched as Tristan and Elysia walked into the courtyard, trailed by guards and their wolves. Rook had returned to stand beside Feligrihir, and the two of them continued to hold the snakes trapped in the dome of magic. Tristan and Elysia stood off to the side of the dome of light, and Tristan drew an arrow to his bowstring, as Elysia clutched Neverend who growled and squirmed in her grasp.
‘Release them!’ Tristan yelled to Feligrihir, who allowed the dome of magic to dissipate as all three snakes slithered towards both Elysia and Tristan. Before the first had travelled more than a few paces, Tristan’s arrow thudded into the snake’s skull. There was a burst of golden light as the arrow pierced its head, and the magic coursed through the body of the serpent until its entire form exploded into filaments of golden dust.
Feligrihir was relieved to see that the first snake did not divide again, but before Tristan could draw a second arrow, the other two snakes rushed the two children as electric bolts surrounded Elysia and a sphere of transparent light surrounded Tristan. What magic was that the boy was using? Tristan managed to release a second arrow before the vipers struck the shields, and this second snake also died and did not divide again. But the third bashed its skull against Elysia’s shield of electric light, as if attempting to wound Neverend or the girl. At this point Elysia stepped closer to Tristan, within his own shield of light that surrounded him in a globe. Suddenly the two shields of magic exploded with light and power. A blast of blue flame launched at the third snake, that exploded, but seconds later divided to create two snakes.
The two snakes launched at the shields once more, as bolts of lightning like arrows of blue flame launched at the two serpents to obliterate them. Then moments later there were four snakes. The serpents snapped their jaws and punched their skulls against the two shields, as they began to push the two children apart as their shields of light and magic pulsed around their forms and they rolled to either side of the snakes that fought to create the divide.
Tristan fired his last arrow that struck the skull of another serpent and destroyed the creature. But three snakes remained, and they struck their skulls against the shields of light to roll the two children across the pavement as they stared helpless from within.
The Bishop had joined Feligrihir some time ago, and the old looney was staring in disbelief without any idea of how to stop the snakes. At this point, Feli decided he would have to risk his own neck with a spell that was forbidden. He reached within his cloak to draw forth a vial of a magic potion, similar to Heavenly Peach Elixir. He took a gulp, then drew forth a knife and sliced the palm of his hand and squeezed so that his blood spilt onto the pavement.
At this moment he yelled at the top of his lungs, ‘I summon the Elder God, Neit!’
A bolt of lightning pierced the skies and thunder rumbled as a great golden Griffin launched down from the heavens to land with front claws clutching one of the snakes. On his shoulders sat the Elder God Neit, his spear punched through the serpent’s scales with a ring like hammer on anvil. A shock of energy passed through the serpent, and then it was reduced to nothing. The God of War Rage aimed his spear at the other two snakes as a beam of pure white launched from the spear to blast them to oblivion. The snakes did not divide, and this was the reason Feli had summoned the God, as he hoped the magic of an Elder God would destroy the Power of Division that the snakes were using.
The Bishop and his cronies stared at the Elder God in stunned wonder and outrage. ‘Wicked Devil!’ yelled the Bishop. ‘Begone from here!’ He threw a clay flask of Holy Water at the God as he spoke the words, and the flask cracked against the armour of the Griffin, as the beast reared and screeched as a hissing sound rose from its flesh.
Neit sat atop the beast with a face of pure white bone, a human skull with dark eye sockets with a light burning within. His hair was long dark braids beneath a helmet of golden light with wings at the temples. His armour was a splendid display of gold plating adorned with jewels, and his mighty spear burned with a golden light. Neit chuckled at the attack by the Bishop, seeming not unlike the Spectre of Death himself, as the Bishop and his men gasped in horror.
‘I SHALL DEPART,’ Neit said addressing Feligrihir, ‘IF YOU COMMAND ME, SUMMONER.’
To which Feli said, ‘You may depart, now. Thank you, O’ Divine Spirit.’
At this the Bishop spat the word, ‘Blasphemy!’
Rook slapped the side of his head as if he were about to faint.
Neit returned to heaven on the wings of the Griffin as a bolt of lightning touched down upon them amidst the rumble of thunder.
‘Feligrihir the Magician,’ the Bishop said, ‘you have been allowed to continue your Pagan practices here long enough. I charge you with invoking witchcraft! You will be tried, sentenced, and put to death.’
‘On what grounds?’ Rook asked.
‘For summoning demons!’ yelled the Bishop.
‘Neit is an Elder God,’ Feli replied, ‘you senile Old Buzzard.’
‘Blasphemy!’ the Bishop hissed. Pointing a finger at Feli with a sinister grin. ‘Your trial will start three days from now. Guards, put him in chains!’