Chapter Sixteen
Abigail stared at the room, feeling as if it were empty.
Kyle had come and gone, before he'd seen her.
... He was with Fiona...
That hurt far more than it should of. He was fighting an army, trying to reestablish peace in this fragile world...
But all she could think about was holding his hand in her own.
Dancing in the water...
Kyle's crooked smile...
Abigail felt embarrassed as she blushed, her whole body flushing, and then remembered only Duke could see her.
She walked over to the military map, and frowned as she looked at it, as Bellum placed some more pins.
"The school is being surrounded..." She whispered in surprise, looking at the blue pins dotted around. Glancing over to where Bellum was looking she saw green pins, and frowned, "An alliance?"
"The Bloodbound Pact." Draco whispered, and Abigail looked at him in surprise, suddenly feeling less substantial... She kept doing that.
Coming and going.
Draco waved his hand, "Pixies here, dwarves there... And we know there are rogue elements within the Elven Kingdom…"
Abigail cringed, "Either of them going to get out of this alive?"
Draco didn't answer, probably because he could no longer see her.
She'd faded back into Limbo.
Kyle reappeared with a pop beside her, and Fiona frowned, "News?"
"Protect yourself, now." Kyle growled, glaring around the room, "Cast a spell. Right now."
Fiona felt the urgency, so despite her confusion, she chanted quietly, "Luti lateris, protegat ossa ista omnia nubes mihi."
As the spell snapped into place she felt something hit her, and Fiona groaned, feeling a crackle of magic, and turned, seeing a spear embedded into a stone pillar that had appeared from nowhere.
She spread her hands, anger racing through her, "Who dares attack the House of Applesilver?"
"I do." Came a deep rumbling voice from the shadows, as a figure stepped forth from a door that had once been nothing more than a painting.
The black curls that made up his beard tangled to his feet, his whole body almost seemed to have been carved from stone, and the eyes inset into this formidable enemy where anything but enchanting.
The dwarf stood in the open, his fist holding another spear, but her eyes were drawn to his head, where a crown of gold lay.
He bowed slightly, "I am Igor, King Under the Mountain."
She glared, "I am Fiona Applesilver, Queen of all you see."
The dwarf shrugged, "And yet, there appears to be much I cannot see… Who was it that warned you of my attack?"
Kyle shrugged, "That was just a lucky guess."
Fiona smiled softly, "You know the way of mages… We all have secrets."
"My queen, please." The dwarf smiled, sending chills down her spine, "Though you may be a renowned terramancer, I too have magic of my own. Most dwarves do. Something to do with working rock day and night."
She shrugged, "So… An answer for an answer."
The dwarf frowned, stroking his beard, "So be it… May I amend my question?"
Fiona smiled, watching him, fighting the adrenaline coursing through her, "Are we not all civilised here? Please do."
The dwarf-king smiled, slowly beginning to pace in a circle around her, "What do you know of my purpose here?"
"Nothing beyond what I can guess." Fiona said tightly and attempted a smile, "The Bloodbound Pact has returned… If indeed, it ever went away."
Igor smiled and nodded, "It did not… But it did… To your kind… You forgot the sacred oaths that we swore… We bound bloodlines together, with Aimimancy, for all eternity… And yet… Your elvish kind… You obliterated the royal bloodline, and establish a new one. One who will not take pity on this Earth, or it's peoples…"
Fiona nodded slowly, "So… Have you come to re-establish the Bloodbound Pact? Or destroy it forever?"
Igor paused in midstride, and glanced towards her, "Is this your question, my Queen?"
She nodded, "Yes, my King."
The dwarf frowned and scratched his beard, "Well, to be frank, milady, we never considered that you might turn your back upon Kyle Kilroy."
Fiona blinked, "Is that so? Am I not bound by my bloodline to the duty of the Elvish People?"
The dwarf nodded slowly, "Aimimancy again, wasn't it? And then your dad killed the mancer?"
She shrugged, "I was barely a babe when I was bound. I have no memory of it."
The dwarf sighed heavily, "Well, you have me at a quandary, my Queen… The Bloodbound Pact is weak without all three… Together, we can change the world… But I know not how to trust a woman half the world believes is obsessed with Kyle Kilroy."
Fiona felt fear ripple through her as Kyle suddenly spoke firmly, a flash of fire appearing around him, "Then why don't you ask me?"
The dwarf through the spear and it went through Kyle, clattering on the floor.
The necromancer rolled his eyes, "I'm not actually here, idiot."
Igor sneered, "You are an abomination!"
"I know." Kyle shrugged, "But what choice did the Pact leave me?"
Igor blinked, "What?"
"You sent armies. Multiple. You tried to obliterate the College of History and Magic, from the face of the earth… You tried to kill the only two friends I have ever known…"1 Kyle glared at the dwarf, clenching his fists, "You destroyed my home, came after my family, because of what I could be... Well, you made me into this!"
Igor stared, "You could have died."
Fiona stared from one to the other, "The Pact butchered the College?"
Kyle nodded, "They emptied the Shadowlands... They sent vampires at a school, because they were scared of what a student might one day be... And you know, without that fear, I would never have invented the spell that allowed me to survive death... I became a monster... Because you, were far worse."
Igor sneered, raising his hands, muttering and Fiona glared at him, "Do you really want to die? That isn't Kyle. It's a projection... He isn't here. He can't hurt you, and you can't hurt him. Only words matter... And yours are sorely lacking. What defence does the Pact have for itself?"
The dwarf glared at her, "Necromancy is one of the worst sins there is. The consequences for the entire world matter."
Kyle cocked his head, "Fill me in. Let me know this secret knowledge, dwarf. Maybe I'll just go back to the Other Side."
Igor sighed heavily, "The Other Side will come for you, when you don't pay. They will send an army of Reapers, creatures with their own magic, the ability to steal souls. They will devastate the entire world, hunting for you."
Kyle shrugged, "I've struck my deal. The Reapers have no need to hunt me... I know when and where my soul will be destroyed, and I won't fight it."
Igor's eyes widened, "You promised the Other Side your soul? Why?"
"To protect her!" Kyle yelled, pointing at Fiona, "Have you not been listening? You caused all this!"
Igor shook his head, "I do not believe it. I can't. Friendship is not worth so much."
Kyle clenched his fists, "Truly? Then take a closer look at Fi. I had to save her from some of your vampire compatriots."
Igor glanced over at her, and Fiona swallowed nervously, the man sizing her up, "What... What are you?"
Fiona glared, "The Elven Queen who owns the stone you are standing on."
"... With fangs..." Igor whispered, staring and Fiona's eyes widened, glancing over at Kyle, "You... Saved me..."
Kyle shrugged, "From most of the hunger, from daylight... Not from turning. Sorry, haven't really had time to break the news gently."
Fiona clenched her fists together, "Why? Because you've been off saving Abigail?"
There was a snapping sound, and the world seemed to become freezing, as Fiona saw Igor freeze in place.
Kyle sighed heavily and sat down, "We've got all the time in the world now, Fi."
She glared as she leaned against the wall, "Never said you could call me that."
Kyle shrugged, "What do you want from me, Fiona? I've barely been able to keep tabs on you and Abigail, let alone enough for us to sit and laugh about how bad a meal is... I can do stuff like freeze the world, like now, but it means I'll be weaker against whatever threat is currently rearing its head... I don't have a lot to give."
The elf glared at him, "So? What? Am I supposed to forgive you for putting us all through this?"
Kyle frowned, "What would have happened if they killed me, Fiona? There were seven vampiric armies. Trolls and elves. The three human empires. All in one place... As much carnage and destruction as there was... It could have been so much worse... As it is, it's a fragile empire versus an ages old alliance. I'd say we have better odds at getting through this."
Fiona fought herself, understanding the politics and the machinations for war that had long been in the making. Kyle had simply been an excuse.
But she didn't want to accept that.
She wanted to be angry at him.
Kyle cocked his head, "Fiona?"
She glared at him, "I'm annoyed. Can't you give a girl a break?"
Kyle stood up slowly, "You need to move, Fi... Something else is here."
Her eyes widened, and she threw herself across the floor, the window shattered, an elf standing up with a laugh.
He was male, tall, even for an elf. His black hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and in his hand, he held a scythe.
Kyle tensed, and yelled, "Run, Fi!"
Kyle stared at the elf, laughing and tossing his weapon from hand to hand.
"What do you want, Reaper?"
The elf cocked his head, his voice echoing darkly, "Kyle Kilroy. Your debts are not yet due."
He clenched his fists, "Why are you here, Reaper? If not for my soul, then what?"
The elf rolled his eyes, "The tallies are unbalanced. The elf owes the Other Side her life. Where once there was a queen, now there is a vampire. Unbound from every law or curse that was imposed upon that kind."
Kyle winced, "Her debt is mine. I brought her back."
The elf shrugged, "I am due a soul. I will Reap."
Kyle nodded slowly, "Then reap mine."
"I cannot. Though your debt is not due, it still exists. It will be taken."
Kyle winced, thinking as fast as he could, and he swallowed, "Then I appeal."
The Reaper sneered, "On what grounds?"
"Fiona Applesilver and Abigail Ignis are both bound to me... And the Other Side has placed an undue hold on Abigail." Kyle stated harshly, and the Reaper paused, "Abigail Ignis has no hold on her."
Kyle glared, "She did not die. The Reaper in her awoke, but she did not cross the threshold to the Other Side in death. She came close, but did not cross."
The Reaper paused, "Your appeal will be heard... Others are needed. Look for our decision at dawn."
The elf vanished, fading as if he were a shadow.
Kyle breathed out a sigh of relief.
Abigail paused, staring at the figure as he stepped out of the ground, "Now what?"
The man's voice echoed, a deep rumble, "Abigail Ignis."
She swallowed nervously, "You're a Reaper?"
The man blinked, staring at her, "I... Am... But... Are you not?"
She shrugged, "That's what everyone keeps telling me."
The Reaper struggled for a moment, "Then how is it that you are not channeling Messormancy? How is that you can enter the world of the living?"
Abigail blinked, feeling the active curiosity in the man, and she swallowed, "Just... Hold still... I have an... Idea."
The Reaper stiffened, but didn't run.
She put her hand on his chest, tingling as his life, emotions and memories washed over her. The hundreds of years since becoming a Reaper, bound to walk Limbo, and strike down the poor souls who imbalanced the world.
Abigail breathed in and out.
She focused carefully, forming a ball of Vitamancy, an incredibly complex shape, made from twisting overlapping strands into repeating octagonal shapes. As she formed it she smiled softly, "It's nice to meet you, Braun."
A tear slipped down his cheek, "I... Was... Braun..."
Then she focused, steeling her will and pushing, the soul binding to the body below her grasp.
As she did she fell, tumbling away from the world into the void, but she had expected it, and stood solid, her scythe appearing in her hand as she growled, "I am Death. I embrace it."
But this time it was no soul that streaked towards her. A headless cowl screamed at her, another scythe swiping towards her.
She struck it aside, surprised by the strength and ferocity as the spirit of the Reaper spun and went to tear her apart.
Abigail winced, noticing that with each blow the Reaper was knocking her backwards in this void without up or down. She growled, hissing, her scales standing on end, turning red, and fading to black, as her hair turned white, the will to destroy coursing through her like a river that feeds the ocean.
Abigail felt something vibrating in her chest, feeling more power than she could comprehend swamping over her, and she seized it, striking hard.
The Reaper tried to deflect her blow, but the scythe was sharpened by her rage, by the magic that flowed through her. As it curved towards the creature the wind was ripped asunder, forming wisps of the neverwhere.
Her blade cut through the weapon of her enemy, turning it to splinters as she tore the soul apart.
Abigail collapsed onto her knees, shaking, and she heard a thud, glancing up to see Braun lying on the cobblestone, twitching.
She hoped she had made the right decision.
Duke stared at the man shivering in the bed, and glanced at Abigail, "You're sure he was a Reaper?"
The nymph rolled her eyes, "Yes. Totally. His voice echoed, and I saw his soul... And killed something that looked like a Reaper. It used a bloody scythe... I'm sure he was possessed by a Reaper."
Duke blinked, "A theory, Miss Ignis?"
Abigail shrugged, "I don't know... I did to him, what I did to the ice golem... But instead of seeing his soul, I saw a spirit. I destroyed it."
Duke nodded slowly, "So you believe the Reaper is not a part of you, but possesses you, in some active way."
Abigail shrugged, "Braun could tell us more... He was surprised that I wasn't a permanent channel for... He called it Messormancy."
Duke nodded slowly, "I do not know if he will survive... But I believe you may have defeated a Reaper, Miss Ignis."
Abigail winced, "Professor... There's a... Problem..."
He nodded slowly, "I see a strand of white in your hair."
She winced, "I think that'd be a symptom..."
Duke glanced at her, "Of what in particular?"
Abigail ran a hand through her hair nervously, "Braun was confused as to how I could pull back from the Reaper... And how I could cross into the world of the living... I think... I think I'm different. I don't feel like I have something in me... I feel like the Reaper is just another magic, halfway under my control."
Duke winced, "How most Aimimancers feel... So... You think you are somehow different...?"
Abigail shrugged, "I feel like I'm Death."
Duke blinked slowly, considering, "That... I can see why you hesitated."
The nymph glared at him, "Thanks."
Duke sighed heavily, "I do not mean to insult you, Miss Ignis… Feeling like an embodiment of the concept that is the end of life, is peculiar to most of the mundane peoples in this world. To those of us with power, it would force us to believe that we had stepped over the edge into insanity… But you do not feel that, and I do not believe it."
She looked at him sheepishly, "Really?"
Duke shrugged, "Truly, I do… But we have more pressing matters… In my library, I once possessed a tome written in a dead language, that spoke of Merosean Magic… They share the root word and meaning, of Messormancy."
Abigail smiled grimly, "You're office was destroyed, like everything else."
Duke nodded, "But, we have options open to us… I gave up on traveling to the past, when I discovered that once observed, events cannot be changed… But I think that we should still be able to observe. See where the book ends up."
She shrugged, "Awesome… So we're going back in time? … This is going to suck, isn't it?"
Duke nodded, "Indeed."
Fiona paused out of breath, and looked around herself fearfully, at all the elves frozen in place.
Some wore the looks of the everyday - happiness, stress, anger, and boredom.
Others didn't.
They were frozen in a moment of terror, a place of fear.
All around them, dwarves were leaping from rooftops, axes and maces in hand.
Their faces were different, stony, determined, and wrathful.
Fiona winced, fighting back an urge to tear them all limb from limb.
She knew there would be consequences to attacking whilst this place was frozen.
She just didn't know what.
Fiona ran a hand tough her hair, it wasn't just a desire to tear them apart, was it?
She wanted the destruction.
She wanted to see mangled flesh and blood pouring into the air.
She raised her hand delicately to her teeth, finding four fangs, that immediately cut her hand open.
She winced, staring at her hand as blood drops froze un the air as they separated from her, and a knew feeling washed over her.
She didn't just want destruction.
She had the power to do so, and it was right in front of her.
She touched a blood droplet softly, and pushed her will against it, forcing it to change shape.
Nothing happened.
Fiona let out a soft growl, trying to force it, and she saw the droplet begin to quiver, reality fighting for control.
"Stop!"
She spun around, blinking as colour washed back into the world, "Kyle."
He clenched his fists, "Seriously, Fiona? You want to learn Aimimancy?"
She winced, "I didn't! I don't think... I... Kyle what in the Shades happened to me? Back at the College?"
He sighed heavily, shoulders drooping, "You were dying. Throat slashed out by a vampire. Draco and Maidr were barely keeping you alive... And I finally managed to bring myself back fully... So I trashed the place. I took you to the infirmary, and pasted anyone in the way... Word spread I was back, and the fighting sort of eased off... I saved Abigail, and came back to you... But I couldn't heal you. I could find the vampire in you, like a parasite made of Aimimancy, wrapped around your lifeforce... The Vitamancy keeping you alive and the Aimimancy that was the vampire virus were nearly indistinguishable. Can't destroy one without the other, so I did the next best thing... I stopped you from dying, and fully awakening the vampire in you, and then I put a decent dozen protection spells on you, to remove the weaknesses of the vampire. Sunlight and so on."
Fiona stared him, "I really am a vampire?"
"No." Kyle shook his head, "You never died."
"Why didn't you stop all this, Kyle?" Fiona glared, tears welling in her eyes, "You could have stopped it all, earlier!"
Kyle sighed heavily, looking at the ground, "I spent nearly a thousand years, looking for answers, Fiona... A way to save both you and Abigail. Some way, any way, to get you out of this situation... It took me that long to find a way."
Fiona glared, "It's your fault we're in this! You started a bloody war!"
Kyle nodded, "I did... But the war was an excuse... A way to gather and bind a series of armies together... Something is coming, Fiona, something worse than anything I've done... I just wanted to see you alive at the other side of it."
Fiona frowned, "What's coming?"
He shook his head, "If I tell you, then it is going to be worse. All of this."
"I deserve to know, Kyle." Fiona growled, fighting an instinct to rip out his throat.
The young boy she had fallen in love with sighed heavily, and wiped a tear from his eye, "Vampires come from somewhere... A particular place in the Shades... It's what sucked the Shades dry, destroyed the land... It's what is sustaining the ice age, the world over... It created the vampires as a way of spreading a disease, making inroads to spread it's influence."
Fiona frowned, "What does that mean?"
"There's... There's a gateway to the Other Side in the Shades." Kyle said hesitantly, swallowing nervously, and he shrugged, "There. I said it."
A shiver went through her entire body, and the elf queen swallowed, "The.. Other Side?"
Kyle smiled weakly, "It's worse than you know."
Fiona shrugged, "What do I know? Kyle? What does anyone but you and Professor Duke know about the Other Side?"
Kyle shrugged, "It's hard to describe... But think of vampires as the wild dogs, not the people that trained them, made them, and forged them from the souls they have stolen from the living world."
Fiona swallowed, "Shades..."
Kyle winced, "It's complicated... Let's... Let's deal with the Bloodbound first... We'll need them too, if we hope to stop everyone."
Fiona winced, "The Pact need to join a Necromancer, a vampiric queen, and an army of the dead against the Other Side? ... This is a crap day."
Kyle smiled, "Kinda... But, I didn't freeze time."
She glanced over to the horizon, seeing a glimmer and grinned, "You cheat, Kyle."
He shrugged, "I'm not alone here. There's a certain leader outside the walls, I need you to negotiate with."
Fiona swallowed, "Isaac Isaac? The troll leader you cursed?"
Kyle shrugged, "Yeah... He thought it best to destroy everything I love, which included you."
Her ears turned pink, and Fiona tried to seize the moment. She reached out to Kyle, wanting to grab him and pull him in for a kiss.
She forgot he was just a projection.
So instead, there was an awkward stumble.
Kyle blushed, "Uh... We don't have much time. The Pact needs to be stopped."
Then he was.gone.
Shadows take his burning soul!
Kyle swore at himself, embarrassment, regret, and more complicated feelings washing over him.
He'd completely missed it.
He had known Fiona had liked him, and he'd flirted with her, but it wasn't that simple.
He didn't know what to think.
The world was in danger, he'd already sold his soul, everything was incredibly dangerous, at tipping point... But he couldn't get two girls out of his head.
Kyle yanked himself apart, reforming on a rooftop, looking at the scene as dwarves and elves fought, tearing each other apart, and he felt an incredible tiredness wash over him.
What was really the goal of all this?
What was the point?
"About time." A deep voice.rumbled next to him, and Kyle spun, blinking, "Professor Duke."
The old dryad shrugged, "I am surprised you fought the depression for so long, Master Kilroy."
Kyle sighed heavily, "Is there an army coming or not?"
The dryad shook his head, "I am not here for that. That will come later. For now, I am here to give you purpose again."
Kyle rolled his eyes, "Truly."
The dryad glared at him, and Kyle felt the danger then. Danger he had not felt since dying.
Duke paused and shook his head, "Things are accelerating. The other young girl you care so deeply for has destroyed the Reaper who challenged you here."
Kyle went white, "Destroyed a Reaper? There's going to be hell to pay."
"She destroyed the Reaper, not the man."
Duke's soft tones made Kyle jump, and he swallowed, "Reapers are... An infection? A possessor?"
Duke shrugged, "Perhaps. There is not much more i can say... But in my quest to aid Miss Ignis, we will attempt to travel back before the College was destroyed. There is a book, which you once saw me studying, that mentions something akin to the magic Miss Ignis is discovering."
Kyle winced, "I miss her."
Duke shrugged, "You have already sold your soul, Kyle... You have denied any closeness with either of these wonderful women. The best you can do is keep them alive."
Kyle nodded slowly, "Protect Abigail, please."
Duke shook his head, "I will need protection, not her... She defeated a Reaper... I am no longer certain that she is just a Reaper... Perhaps, something more."
Kyle winced, "How much do you know of Reapers, Professor? Are they just the foot soldiers in this war-to-be? Or the elite?"
Duke glared, "This war is here, Kilroy. It was here long before your birth. I established the Silvergate clan to protect the borders. I established the Applesilver family to ensure the Pact would never again interfere. I founded the College of History and Magic, along with seven others, so we could forge an army in this world!"
The vehemence of the anger hit Kyle, but more, it was how long Duke had been fighting.
Kyle winced, "I didn't mean to start all this."
Duke shrugged, "But you did... It was your attitude, Kyle... Until you, a Necromancer was a creature of patience, of tact. Predictable. Then along comes a young brash Aimimancer, and he delves so quickly and deeply into a new magic that he must be eliminated. Not only that, he shows a large amount of unpredictability. Able to forge new spells with the least amount of thought, ingenious in the way he finds more power... The Other Side is right to be terrified of you."
Kyle nodded slowly, "Not yet, they aren't."
Duke creaked as he leaned forward, "If you aren't careful Kyle, you will tip the balance of favour in our enemy's direction."
Kyle sighed heavily, "I met her, Professor."
Duke stepped backwards hurriedly, "You met the Lady?"
Kyle shrugged, "That is with whom I made my deal. Not with one of the court, but with her."
Duke shook his head, "The others can be reasoned with... But her will is iron... Why?"
Kyle smiled tightly, "The others would take back their power if they see me make a single move against them. She... Would not. She would allow me to face her with her own strength."
Duke shook his head, "But... To even speak with her... Is insanity."
Kyle winced, "I saw her face Duke... And you need to know."
Duke frowned, "I am surprised you were allowed to return to the world of the living."
Kyle shook his head, "Not the point... Duke, she was a nymph."
The professor stared at Kyle for a long time and then nodded slowly, "You believe she and Abigail are connected? That Abigail is not a mere Reaper, but connected to their Queen?"
Kyle shrugged, "It's only your doubts that Abigail is just a Reaper that sparked the thought."
Duke frowned, "We will tread carefully."
Kyle clenched a fist, "If you fail to protect her, Duke, I will destroy you."
The old Necromancer looked at the young, struggling not to laugh.
Kyle sneered, "The deal for my soul, professor, was a kiss."
Duke froze, staring at Kyle, "The Lady would kiss one of your choosing?"
He shrugged, "I intended it for myself, once all this is over... But I would gladly make it yours if you do not protect Abigail."
The professor shrugged, "So be it."
Kyle smiled and turned, dismissing the professor's projection with more force than Duke would have thought possible.
His attention snapped to the task at hand, and a ring of flames sprang up around him, racing in a circle.
Next the edge of the roof was torn away, the stone floating upwards and became a ring around him.
Above those two rings, a third formed, around his head height. The wind whipped itself, becoming a visible vortex.
Kyle smiled.grimly as he saw the world beginning to move, the sky beginning to swirl overhead, and he stretched out a hand, the trees in the plaza below exploding, water flying upwards and formed another spinning circle above him.
Finally, Kyle took a blade from his pocket and cut his hand, the blood flying upwards and forming it's own circle.
Kyle glared at the world, as the sky turned black, rain beginning to pour down. He spoke, his voice amplified, "I am Kyle Kilroy. If any dare face me, do so now."
The fighting slowed and then stopped as each dwarf and elf.turned to face him.
Kyle clenched a fist, the circles sprang outwards, encompassing the entire city, and he floated upwards to the center.
He glared down, "The Pact believes what I am to be an abomination. They mean to destroy this city, and what I care for... But this city is protected."
A dwarven commander hefted his axe and then tossed it, the blade flying towards Kyle.
He felt.shock hit him.
He recognized the enchantment on the weapon.
This is how he had died the first time.
Fear and agony washed over him.
He couldn't think.
He couldn't move.
The axe flew closer.
Isaac Isaac burst through the stone wall, barely pausing before plowing through the army in his wake, his hand grabbing the small weapon out of the air and crushing it.
He dropped it to the ground, glaring, "I be Isaac Isaac. I lead Trolls. This man mine to kill."
The dwarves slowly backed away, and Isaac Isaac began to think something was different. Wrong.
Had he hurt himself?
He looked at his hand, but it was intact. Fine.
He felt a human hand touch his shoulder and glared at Kyle, who smiled softly, "They're waiting for you to die. The blade was cursed in the same way they first killed me."
Isaac Isaac paused, "And I not dead why?"
Kyle smiled, "Trolls may turn to stone in sunlight... But no troll can be harmed by magic. Moved, yes. Harmed... No."
The troll leader smiled slowly, "Kyle Kilroy is an enemy of my enemy. Friend."
Kyle stared, "You would forgive me?"
Isaac Isaac shook his head, "I will make a meal of your bones... But maybe when you died of old age."
Kyle shrugged, "Good enough... Now, um... The Bloodbound Pact..."
Isaac Isaac looked down, wincing as he saw dwarves with swords, axes and shields. Glaring at him, and preparing.
He smiled, "Troll Hoarde ten minutes out."
Kyle winced, "My army is half a day out."
Isaac Isaac clenched his fists, and spoke loudly, "Little elves!"
He paused, revolted, "Little elves... Trolls will forgive all, if together we defeat Pact."
A clear strong voice spoke from a nearby rooftop, her voice nearly musical, "As Queen of the elves... I accept."
Then everything erupted into movement.
Isaac Isaac roared as blade bit into his skin, his fists were in constant movement. Beating and bludgeoning.
The ground beneath him was turning black, his hands were cracked and weary.
Blood poured down his back, his arms.
He was being torn to pieces by an army of undergrounders. Isaac Isaac let loose a roar.
His voice filled the air.
It was the sound of agony.
The sound of pain.
The sound of fear.
It was... The sound of... Sadness... True deep hurt, inside...
He knew it as he roared.
It was the sound of grief.
There was a resounding thunderclap, and for a moment, his attackers fell backwards, burned and beaten.
Kyle appeared in front of him, and the handle of a sword grew out of the ground. Then Kilroy was gone.
Isaac Isaac seized the handle, finding with astonishment that it fit his hand perfectly, and he drew it up.
The silver blade glistened in the rain, reflecting the fires all around.
Isaac Isaac smiled as he raised it against his enemies.
He would call the sword, War.
Fiona fell backwards, the stone around her arm shattering to dust.
The dwarf sneered at her, his fingers flexing, "No elf is better with stone that a dwarf."
Fiona glared at the mancer, her fists tensing, "I think you'd be surprised."
She didn't get a moment to show off, however, as the dwarf burst into flames.
She leaped to her feet, and off the rooftop. As she hit the ground it yanked upwards, molding to her body with a mutter.
She punched, shattering the face of a surprised axe-wielding opponent.
Fiona spun, idly blocking a blow, and stared at the storm that was Kyle.
There had to be ten thousand dwarves swarming over the capital, and half of them were focused on one man.
She could see him, suspended in the air, made of fire, surrounded by stone and wind.
Kyle was beating back nearly a thousand soldiers, but all the same... She couldn't help feeling that he was losing.
How could they win this fight?
If he couldn't?
Fiona felt rage and fear boiling up inside her.
She had to stop the Pact here, there was too much at stake.
She didn't care that Kyle thought they would need them, they had to be stopped.
Her hands reached down and touched the soft soil, a shell forming over her, releasing her into her own cave.
Fiona was left in the dark as blades clanged, elves screamed and trolls roared.
She touched the soft dirt, taking in it's scent, trying to understand it.
Her will hardened, becoming iron.
Fiona gripped the earth, magic flowing through her like she was a waterfall, and she spoke quietly.
Her voice was firm, unable to be questioned, as her authority echoed.
"Videte nunc, exaudi clamorem meum, exaudi vocem meum. Heed me now, heed my cry, listen to my voice."
The ground beneath her began to shake, each particle responding in kind to her command.
Fiona felt the shell that was her cave begin to shake, her attackers trying to get to her, and destroy her.
"Liga mihi, ligaveris super terram, usque perpetuum addicere. Bind to me, bind to the earth, bind to forever."
Sweat began to pour off her face, dripping to the ground, as she focused.
Most spells were simply eight Latin words with strong conviction behind them, different emotions for different magics.
Repeating the phrase in English doubled the power of the spell, but also the wear and tear on the caster, in many cases ending in death as the spell collapses before being finished.
Fiona had only known one man insane enough to bind several of those doubly-powerful phrases together… But what she was trying to do had never been done.
It was raw, powerful and entirely insane.
She smiled, Kyle must be rubbing off on her.
"Eaque militia let stare test temporis, in perpetuum. Let this spell stand the test of time, in perpetuum."
The ground was alive, every particle around her lit up with magic, waiting to be used… Begging.
Fiona winced, thinking on her words.
The words mattered… The eloquence leant its own power… She couldn't fight the feeling that Kyle would be able to do this better.
But he didn't have the will.
He wouldn't do what needed to be done.
So it was in her hands.
"Accipite regnum, accipe en elvish terrarum, mihi devincire. Take this kingdom, take the elvish lands, bind them to me."
Blinding agony shot through her, and Fiona gasped, struggling.
It felt like a knife had burst through her heart.
She couldn't concentrate, couldn't focus.
It hurt. It hurt. It hurt.
Fiona let out a yell of anger, fighting the magic burning her for control, but finding little more than a slippery staircase.
This was too much, it was burning her out, overwhelming her before she was done.
She wasn't fighting a losing battle, it was already lost.
Words tumbled from her mouth, weak, pathetic, but binding to the source of magic that was the remnants of an elvish princess.
"De terra illius regni, ut ligaretur pannis sanguine. From the earth of this kingdom, bind it my blood."
The magic shifted focus, the vibrations of the world around her changed.
The pitch was different, the frequency was alien, and relief from the pain poured down upon her.
Before Fiona could breathe a sigh of relief, a sense of nausea struck her, and she couldn't hold back.
Vomit pooled around her feet, the stench filling the small cavity she was hiding in.
She felt her face crinkle in disgust, but she was far from done.
"Sanguis en regnum tumultus. Tumultus terra mea. Bind the kingdom to my blood. Bind the earth to my command."
Fiona felt like she'd just been round-house kicked in the face whilst a vampire attempted to suck the soul from her battered body.
She collapsed onto her knees involuntarily, gagging as she did.
It just had to be vomit, didn't it?
Couldn't be flowers or something actually pleasant.
She smiled grimly.
Only two more commands, that's all she had to do… Then she would have cast the most powerful spell in the history of magic.
Her mind was spent, the magic made her feel like she was slowly dissolving into the air, and she had no clue how the battle was raging around her.
But it didn't matter.
Only one thing mattered now.
Finishing the spell.
"Amove lamia, nani et proditores regni, contere eos. Remove all vampires, dwarves and traitors from this kingdom, destroy them."
Fiona had intended to keep going, to finish the spell as quickly as she could.
She found herself instead on hands and knees, coughing violently, blood splattering on the ground.
Her hands turned to claws in the soil, and she felt her forehead touch it.
She must be bent over in a ball, gasping for air as she was killed by the magic she was channelling.
It didn't matter.
She could die later.
"Exilio… membra… Sangui…nis…cursu… Foederis… dryadales… et… a… solo… Exile… all… members… of the… Blood…bound… Pact… from… elvish… soil!"
The last word became a shout, as the spell hardened and launched into effect.
The magic fled, the ground shook, as the magic sort to obey it's command.
Fiona fell sideways to the ground.