Arascus watched the mage cohort leave as they followed Essa baorth. Fer had a few hours, it should be enough. The goal of this operation was simply to give her an opening. Killing Essa would have only been a bonus that would have made the future easier. He sighed as he looked at Kassandora through the window. The politis and clerics were cheering, the public had e out. The Kirinyaan anthem was starting to be sung.

  And Kassandora stood behind them, her sword still in the ground, pletely shut down at the fact her pn had gone awry. He should get to her before she popped off.

  Edmonto up the pace as he walked past the corpses Eliza had made. He turo the girl. She stood there, cold faced as lightning sparks of sorcery sparked between her fingers. Fleur took a step back as Eliza pulled the ribbon from her brown her a fall loose around her shoulders. Edmonton took looked down at the corpses. They had killed before during Fer’s rescue attempt, but that was quick bouts of magic that had been unleashed in the heat of the moment. When he downed White Pantheohat was just as cold and impersonal as the Arti snow that had surrouhem.

  And now? He looked at Eliza again as she took a step into the blood, hard-faced and straight backed. Those browhat once reminded Edmonton of fertile soil now where as terrible as rot. “We’re here to save Lyca.” Eliza said. “Keep moving, we don’t have time.”

  They turned further into the tai ward as arms started to bre. The noises chaos from Fer’s forces, the screams and roars and explosions and gunshots, dulled wheurhe first er ioructure. Three mages were here, all with full-coloured robes to mark their status as staff members of Arcadia, already prepared with magical barriers. They looked at the three youths that had turned.

  The tallest man held a staff, the woman and maher side to him held were armed with glowing wands. “What is happening?” The tallest mage shouted. He didn’t lower the barrier though.

  “Are we utack?” The woman shouted.

  “You are.” Eliza took a step forwards as she drew her own wand, the emerald gemstone glowing along with the red heartstone neck her chest. “By me.”

  The walls ripped apart as vines and roots and flowers tore through them. A beam of red reflected off the mage’s red barrier. He started to move his staff and then a sharp branch pierced his leg. The man fell in a scream as Eliza weaved magid sorcery together. A vine pierced the witch’s chest, a flower sprouted from between her breasts. The final man mao expel fire from his wand. Edmonton stepped forwards, his arms extended. A small red circle caught the fireball and both of them exploded. Eliza red beam pierced the tallest man, then twisted and turned like a shing she st of the trio fell as he ierced by her red trident jured by sorcery.

  Edmonton took a step back from Eliza. Fleur came close to him and they joined hands. “Eliza, are you alright?”

  The girl did not even turn around to look at them, she simply kept walking forwards. “We’re going to save Lyca, that’s all that matters.” They kept on walking until they came to a cross. The path split in two. Eliza said nothing, she simply looked both ways. It was bright in here, lighting crystals hung off the walls to illumihe pin stone hallways.

  “Which way are we going?” Fleur asked. Eliza closed her eyes and waved her wands. The cold grey stones underh them rumbled and cracked as vines crept out of them. They started to sprout colourful flowers and Eliza waved her wand. Then the viarted to slither across the ground like shey picked up speed as Eliza stood there, humming a tune, her wand making pirouettes in her hands. Edmonton heard shouting from the entrance.

  “We’ll cover you.” Edmonton said as he took a position. The arm from outside was still bring but this deep in, there was no sound of the battle from outside. No sign of the chaos, it could have just been another day here, were it not for the corpses lying on the ground.

  Fleur took up positioo Edmonton. A team of mages ran in, already protective shields. Water spiralled around one man, another hand fmes in his hands. The rest had their wands already glowing with mismatched colours. “Who are you?!” They asked, obviously stu the three students being in here.

  Edmonton said nothing, he snapped his fingers and nces sprouted around him. Fleur started to hum and a barrier went up around them. It sted less than a sed, but a sed was enough to gauge iions. The mage with fire in his hands stepped forwards and took aim. A n of fme hurled down the corridor at Edmonton and Eliza.

  It hit Fleur’s barriers as the girl drew her own wand. Winds howled and hurtled it back as Edmonton unched his wo men fell, pierced and pockmarked by his assault. The water mage stepped forwards, his hand sapphire rings that shoh dazzling light. Edmontoed the man’s strength. Strohan him but of a different mi, he had not e to kill.

  Edmonton drew his own wand and unleashed a flurry of his own magic. It was difficult to steal another man’s water, as difficult as g a key out of another man’s closed fist. A howling wind swept down the corridor as Fleur waved her wand again and knocked most of the men over. Edmonto his ce as his will probed the water. Surprise and shock gave him an opening, a rexation of that closed fist, a single finger grew weak.

  Edmonto from zero to a hundred in an instant. His will ehat water, pushed the over man out. By the time he recovered, Edmonton was already in trol, the water hung still in mid-air as the man’s brown eyes widened in fear. Sorcery was good, sorcery owerful. But Edmonton had been training his magiost of his life. Sorcery was strong but it was difficult. Magic was sed nature to him, it was easy as breathing.

  Edmonton stabbed his wand into the air and showed the man what fighting required. The water shot backwards like lightning into the heart of that group. It tore through a man’s side and downed as the magis scrambled to put protective barriers. Too slow. The water burst like a pore, thin spikes pierg every beati and throat still there. They all colpsed as the water surged back down the corridor and spun around Edmonton.

  He finally let out a breath and wiped the sweat of his face. “Eliza, are you doraining with Anassa was exhausting but he knew she wouldn’t kill him. Now, it was difficult to pace just how much of his power he should expend. Anassa had been correct, he wasn’t delusional enough to throw his life away and risk using the minimum amount of power.

  Eliza pointed down the corridor to the right. “We’re going that way, that’s deeper in.”

  Fleur looked the other way. “What’s that way?” Eliza started walking as she replied.

  “Dead-end, barracks room for the guards.” She said coldly.

  “Are there guards in there?” Edmonton asked as he caught up to Eliza, still looking backwards.

  “There are.” Eliza said as they turned a er. This one was empty luckily.

  “Shouldn’t we prepare for them?”

  “They’re dead.” Eliza said ftly as they came to another jun. Eliza’s vines, sprouting with flowers had made their way here too. Fleur gave a warning look to Edmonton and then poio Eliza behind her back, shaking her head. Edmonton nodded. How Eliza saw them, Edmonton did not know, but she replied. “We’re here to save Lyca. I will save Lyca.” She said ftly, almost without aion. “I do not care about anything else, I will save him.”

  They followed the fl vihrough the corridors in silence. Eliza broke it. “There’s more ing in, they’re slow.” She said.

  “From the entrance?” Edmonton asked. The water around him settled into his hands as he finally calmed down enough to not waste his magic. His legs were getting heavier, his steps slower. Fleur grabbed his hand wheiced and started to pull him forwards.

  “From the entrance, we’ll run into them on the way back.” Eliza said. “There’s a barrier up ahead.”

  “Guarded?”

  “No.” Eliza stopped and clicked her tohere’s something here.” Edmonton sensed with his magic. There was indeed something here, but it wasn’t of his element. They both turo Fleur. She shook her head. Eliza took a heavy breath. “Fleur, I’m almost out. Cover us.”

  “Okay.” Fleur said. A barrier of opaque pale red sorcery appeared around them as Fleur waved her hand forwards. Eliza nodded and turo look back down the corridor. She waved her wand, a vine burst from the wall and slowly thied until it became a root. It started to creep over the floor, c every tile.

  Something clicked. In the moment, fire burst out from the walls. They scorched the stone bck, Edmonton could feel the heat even as the fmes roared against Fleur’s barrier. Eliza kept pushing onwards. Another click, another n of fire. Ten in total. Fleur was breathing heavily by the time Eliza had fihey both were, with beads of sweat running down their faces. “That’s slowed us down.” Eliza said ftly. “We move on to save Lyca.” She took a step forwards as Edmonton half-carried Fleur. She ed her arm around his shoulder as they kept on moving. “This is the way to the cells.”

  One narrow corridor further, there was anroup of mages guarding. Ten men. Edmonton reached for sorcery with what he had remaining. Eliza stepped forwards, vines sprouting along the walls. Fleur’s winds sung down the corridor. The guards had raised their shields and had readied spells already.

  A bst of fire hit a vihe pnt’s outer coating ied from existence as Edmonton’s water, amplified by sorcery raised through the fire. Someone caught the drop in a protective shield. The water harmlessly impacted against it like a steel hammer smming into a soft cushion. Then the sorry hit. It cracked the barrier.

  Fleur’s winds came in. The guard’s multicoloured robes whipped in the wind as one of the men smashed the butt of his staff into the floor. Rocks started to shift form a barrier. Another raised a stoo the air, simply pulled it out of the wall and u at the three. It hit Edmonton’s barrier and exploded into a thousand small shards.

  Eliza’s vines ripped through the walls and burst out he feet of the mages. Immediately bdes of air sliced them down. Edmonto his reserves of sorcery start to fade. If he had to rely on just magic, then he could not stand against ten mages. Three against ten was simply not a match. Fleur pushed herself off Edmonton and took a step forwards.

  Edmonto all traagid sorcery leave her as she walked through his barrier. Her arms held wide to either side. “STOP!” She shouted. Eliza looked at her, Edmonto his eyes bulge, but the mages at the end put their wands down. They didn’t let go of magic, but the streaming stohe snake of fire crawling towards Edmonton along the floor and the icicles h in mid-air came to a pause. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Fleur shouted.

  Edmonton got it immediately. They could not defeat these mages in open bat. One of the guards shouted back. “WE SHOULD ASK YOU THE SAME!” Fleur took a deep breath and replied.

  “There’s some madness going on outside! People are killing each other!” The guards all looked at themselves. The snake of fire on the ground faded away, the icicles dropped and shattered on the ground.

  “Are you mad?” One of the guards shouted bad Fleur dropped her arms to her side.

  “Do I look mad?”

  “You did attack us out of the blue.” Someone else shouted back.

  “We came here because we know you’re trained.” Fleur slowly put her wand bato her belt and put her arms out to either side. Edmonton and Eliza followed along. “So we thought it’d be safe, the guards he entrance all have killed each other.” She took a tentative step forwards and the mage’s protective barriers stopped as Fleur indicated to Eliza.

  “This is Eliza, she led us here.”

  “I’m Anton.” One of the guards shouted back. “Do you know what it is?” Fleur shook her head as she took aep.

  “ we stay here? At least until someone arrives?” Fleur made her tone weak and tired. It wasn’t hard to fake, they had all exhausted themselves in the fights before.

  “Alright.” Anton replied. “You shouldn’t attack people like that though.” He o the es and they all rexed. Some even put their wands away. “What’s happening outside?”

  “People just started to go mad. I ’t tell you.” Fleur said. “I think it’s some entment but…” She sighed heavily. “On this scale? I’ve never heard of it.” The guards all looked grimly at each other as they started to talk about madness entments and what could cause it. A few people mentioned Olephia, another said Kassandora but then that got dismissed as Kassandora was in Arika.

  Edmonton looked at the heavy steel door that separated them from the cells. Eliza o it and gave him a tiny thumbs up hidden behind a stretch. Someone came to her. “You’re talented in Floromancy.” He said.

  “I try.” Eliza replied ftly and the man gave her a fused look. Fleur could act but Eliza had never been good at subterfuge.

  Anton came back to them. “What are your names?”

  “I’m Eliza.” Eliza replied.

  “I know yours already.”

  Fleur gave hers. “Fleur.” And Edmonton quickly acquiesced.

  “Ed.” Anton’s expression darkened as his eyebrows furrowed.

  “Like Fleur Ambelee and Edmonton Weaver?” The man asked. “Haven’t you been missing for like three months? There was a search for you.” Edmonton did not respond. He snapped his fingers. Fleur waved her hand.

  Magic required catalysts to use but sorcery flowed straight from the body. Catalysts only amplified it. They could not defeat the mages in an open test of strength but now? When all of them had lowered their barriers? Red lightning roared from Fleur and Edmonton as it cascaded through the guards. It pierced through throat a and head in the blink of ahe guards were magis, but they fell to the ground as corpses heless.

  “They’re close.” Eliza said as she pulled out her hand and elled magid sain. Two red waves hit the steel door, blew it from its hinges and a viore out of the ground to push it over. “LYCA!” Eliza shouted. The three crowded into the hallway before a reply even came. A burst of fire chased them in, Fleur turned on the spot, raised her hands and put up a barrier of red sorcery.

  “Go! Quick!” She cried out as the fireball exploded over her shield.

  Edmonton took the left side without saying a word, Eliza took the right side. The first door, he got cut with sorcery. It fell to reveal a small windowless cell with nothing but a sink, a toilet and a bed. Eliza moved to her third as Edmonton took the sed. He heard the girl shout Lyca’s name and burst out into tears as Fleur screamed out.

  Fleur’s barrier fell, shattered into pieces as the girl dived into one of the open cells. Edmonton quickly retreated into his own as fmes came hurtling down the corridor. A stone propelled through the air cut his shoulder when he unched himself towards the cell. He could just about see the inside of Lyca’s cell from here.

  The man had grown, he was more muscled, his hair was darker. The pale grey prison garb he wore did little to make him less imposing and his hair was as shaggy as ever. He stood there looking at Eliza as the girl looked at him. They embraced each other and started whispering. Edmonton rolled his eyes at the sight as another fireball hurtled down the corridor passed the open cells. “HEY LOVEBIRDS!” He shouted.

  Lyca looked up from Eliza’s shoulder and Edmonto shouting. “WE CAME HERE FOR YOU! SO GET US OUT!” Lyca’s eyes sharped. Eliza wiped her face before she turned around.

  Lyca’s face twisted into a wolf’s snarl as he took a step into the corridor. Sorcery’s red lightning crashed from his eyes. He waved his hand.

  The corridor was submerged in the red glow of sorcery.

  No more fmes came.