Pax swayed to the side just in time to let a spear swish through the air at chest level. The brief disruption to the battle was fading. More attacks flew across the divide, and he stood right in the middle.
At least the air mage was still out of it, smothering the flames on her clothing and using sputtering spells to drive Ember away. Her huge attack had drained her. She’d obviously been charging and saving the spell for a chance to kill the rebel leader with one shot. Pax saw a mana potion appear in her hand as she struggled. Even though her armor covered her, Pax could see her eyes glaring death in his direction.
There was something familiar about it, but Pax was too busy to pay her any heed. As his Sphere and Haste synergized, the information poured in rapidly and took all his attention. The background noise faded as his focus narrowed. He reached for a complete understanding of his surroundings that felt just out of reach. Desperate, he did his best to survive the dangers flying everywhere.
It felt like standing in a storm and trying to block every raindrop lashing at him from every direction. Something hot enveloped his left leg. Clenching his jaw, he ignored the pain and sent a flash of Scorching Touch and Windscale Shroud to his shin without bothering to look. He’d have to rely on Whisk and his armor to take care of the rest.
Evaluating the attacks from the empire troops in front of him came easiest. It took a push of effort to force his mind to monitor behind him. He didn’t know if the rebels saw him as an ally yet. There was always friendly fire to worry about. And his Bulwarks did little against magical attacks, especially powerful ones. He’d need to figure out a way to make fast and tiny Ice Mirrors in the future.
He had to keep moving, making the entire endeavor even more challenging. Pax leaned into his Agility, dodging everything he could, while fighting to keep his concentration from faltering. His spells joined the fray, popping up Bulwarks where he couldn’t sidestep the attacks.
Pain bloomed in the back of his left shoulder. He couldn’t spare the attention to check it, instead sending a quick flush of healing mana as a stopgap measure. More attacks targeted him. A flight of arrows sped his way, too spread out to evade. His mana strained.
He got three palm-sized Bulwarks up just in time to send the projectiles careening off to his sides. An exploding stone fragment slammed into the front of his thigh before he could block it. It staggered him. The additional pain jarred his concentration, almost making everything fall apart.
For a heartbeat, Pax balanced on the edge of disaster. He’d stretched his abilities to the breaking point and couldn’t let them drop now. He wasn’t even confident he could drop to the ground fast enough to avoid injury. With an effort of will, he forced all the pain to the background.
His body senses faded, replaced by the world of his Sphere. Attacks flew in and out of it with speeds that were dizzying. Pax pushed harder, ignoring the headache making his head split. And then, with a sudden click, the world around him snapped into clarity.
Pax could see it all. The ground buckled to his left. A spear flew in from his right. The small tornado of a spell swished through his Sphere from behind. Shield in one hand, with the other pouring out mana to his other spells, Pax danced through the storm. For the longest moments of perfect insight, he managed the impossible, dodging everything by the thinnest of margins.
Attacks tugged at his hair and clothes. He felt heat from spells, the spray of water, but nothing could land as he poured his mana out like water on a sandy desert floor. His mental state felt like he’d stepped into a different world, one where he saw and knew everything.
Instinctively, he drew on the mana reserves in his shield. A small voice in the back of his mind yelled that he was in trouble. But he didn’t have a choice. The synergy of all his spells with their prodigious mana cost was the only thing keeping him alive.
Then he heard his friends. Amil’s yell of effort alongside the roar of his signature Molten spell. A flash of wind, and Rin was by his side. Her blades flashed as she helped deflect incoming dangers. The ground rumbled. Both stonepaws did their part to disrupt the balance of the closest empire fighters.
Bryn and Tasar skidded to a stop in front of him, spinning and locking shields together in front of him. A heartbeat later, his crew was in their familiar diamond formation, warriors facing the enemies. Dahni took the rear, yelling over and over to the rebels that they were on their side.
Something shook Pax so hard his head rattled. But he hadn’t detected anything getting past his friends.
Stop! Cut your spells, Pax!
Rin’s words finally penetrated. He realized she’d been trying to break through his trance for a few moments. She had one hand gripped on his pauldrons, shaking him.
He obeyed and finally cut his spells. Haste, Sphere, Bulwark and even the small trickle he’d kept going to Overcharge all stopped. Around him, the battle returned to normal speed. The noise and mayhem crashed back around him, deafening. His entire body sagged and pain stabbed everywhere. It was the worst in his head, like multiple picks stabbing into his brain. He’d really overdone it.
Pax planted his shield into the ground in front of him and grabbed at it with both hands to keep himself standing.
Rin roughly shoved a health potion into his hand. “Drink that, then a mana one.” She spun to rejoin the fight.
Now that he wasn’t in a focused trance, Pax hurt everywhere. Warm blood trickling down the inside of his thigh armor. The inflamed skin of his left shin objected to every bit of motion. His shoulder and side, where he couldn’t remember taking a hit, ached fiercely.
Pax threw back the health potion, welcoming the soothing liquid. He followed Rin’s orders and retrieved a mana potion too, glugging it as fast as he could. He was so tapped out, it only took the edge off his pained exhaustion. But the battle wasn’t over.
Pax felt like a pampered ’crat, standing in the middle of a battle, protected on all sides by his crew. He needed to get back into the fight, or at least stay conscious so he could maneuver with his crew. The welcome flow from Dahni’s and Neptid’s boosts helped speed his recovery.
Rin smiled with relief when she saw him functioning again, but was immediately back to fighting. The battle’s on the edge. About to tip in our favor. Just a little more. She paused for a moment, then added quietly in a message just for Pax. Tell me right away when Talpa finds Eris.
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I’ll check now. He knew she must be worried sick.
Eris not on this side. Checking other side. Talpa sounded worried, too.
Pax passed on the grim news, knowing Talpa needed more time. There was plenty of area he hadn’t been able to cover yet.
Motion behind them jerked his attention back to the battle. The rebels surged forward. Those who’d swung to the sides raced in with a fast pincer movement. They were making their move.
Pax’s crew held their ground as the rebels flowed around them like they were a stone parting the center of a raging river. A fierce grin spread across Pax’s face at the realization that he and his friends had tipped the balance.
Rin was right. It was the beginning of the end for the empire troops. Before they arrived, the empire troops had the slightest edge. Blocking the powerful strike against the rebel leader had made a huge difference. Then Pax’s crew arriving had provided the perfect distraction. Pax didn’t dare use any more spells, instead leaning on his Strategist skill while adding his shield to protect their formation.
Stick close and follow behind the leader’s group, he told Bryn, gratified when she did as he asked, adjusting their course to fall in behind the leader. Be ready to protect or support them.
The rebel leader drove forward with a fierce battle cry and almost complete disregard for his own safety. His troops followed his lead, charging forward to keep up with him. They slammed into the thickest knot of empire troops a moment before the troops attacking from the flanks added their weight.
The ending was almost anticlimactic. Pax’s crew followed right behind the more powerful fighters, ready to step in. But the rebels didn’t need them.
The empire troops still standing fought like beasts, trying to sell their lives as dearly as possible. But the rebel troops were yelling offers of surrender, encouraging them not to die that day.
It didn’t seem to have any effect until the leader yelled out in a booming voice that had to be a warrior skill.
“Vanguard! Stand down! Stand down!”
The rebel leader held up a hand, skipping back a few steps as he motioned for his followers to do the same.
An arrow flew. A spear jabbed, and a spell fizzled, redirected at the last moment to shoot into the sky.
Sudden tension filled the quieting battlefield. Everyone still had their weapons and hands raised.
But the empire leader actually meant his word. His shield and spear disappeared into his inventory. He waved his hands at the last of his troops still on their feet and holding their weapons. “Vanguard. Weapons down. Mana down.”
There was a long pause before the air mage let her hands drop and her tattoos went dark. Others followed suit, and Pax felt the surrounding tension ebb.
“You’ll keep your promise of humane treatment?” The armor-clad leader asked as his remaining fighters put away their weapons, some with sullen expressions.
“I swear by Vitur. We’ll feed you and treat your injuries.” The rebel leader answered quickly. “Though I can’t guarantee captivity won’t include some Interrogation, there’ll be no torture or killing.”
The empire leader nodded, looking reassured by the lack of hesitation in the answer.
Watch out. Whisk jerked himself off Pax’s armor, pouring out to the right in a sudden stab of motion toward two bodies that had been prone and motionless on the ground moments ago.
One was now sitting up, hands out and mana flaring toward the blind side of the rebel leader.
“Rorick, no!” the empire leader yelled, hands out.
The mage ignored him. With a desperate yell, he shot a deep blue spell, narrow and deadly, directly at the rebel leader.
But Pax was already in motion, Whisk’s warning just enough for him to act in time. Mana drained and almost dead on his feet, there was only one thing left Pax could do.
Bursting out from between his friends, he shoved his shield forward and released the spell he’d absorbed only moments ago. The whirling storm of air blades was so powerful the recoil staggered him. That was nothing compared to what it did to the grounded mage.
The stored spell rushed over him at almost the same moment he released his own spell. The two clashed in a maelstrom of destruction, blades of air and water smashing and exploding in a violent reaction.
Rorick screamed in pain. The power of the collision sent his body flipping backward, limbs flailing in the air, limp like a rag doll.
Around him, both sides responded instantly, weapons back out and mana pulsing in tattoos.
Except for the empire leader, who had both hands raised again. “Stand down. That’s an order!”
The tension was back, and only the pained moan from the injured water mage broke it. The empire leader met the rebel leader’s gaze before turning to glare at the last of his troops who still held weapons. They followed his orders, not looking happy about it.
He turned back. “We will surrender. Let me treat my people, please. He might still be alive.”
“How can I trust you? One of your fighters ignored your orders, and you attacked a group with children.” Rage filled the rebel leader’s last words.
“We have our orders.” The empire leader let out a long sigh and shook his head. “But I don’t make war on children, which is why we held our fire long enough for you to send the littles out of harm’s way.”
The rebel leader hesitated for a drawn-out moment before the mage next to him leaned in and whispered something.
The leader looked exasperated. “Fine. We don’t have any manacles for the mages, so any more attacks or even attempted ones will be deadly for you. Understand?”
“Understood.” The empire leader turned and began issuing rapid orders to treat his people who were down.
The rebel leader cleared his throat. “Um. If you’re short on potions, we might be able to spare some after we take care of our own people.”
The empire leader looked briefly surprised before nodding. “I guess you all can’t be as bad as we’ve heard if you’ve convinced Pax and his crew to join you.”
Pax froze. Each of his friends nearby slowed too and stared at the man. The empire leader took off his helmet, revealing the grizzled face of an experienced warrior that was all too familiar.
Pax sucked in a breath, unsure exactly how to handle the revelation. “Captain Langley?”
But the rebel leader wasn’t looking at the captain. He’d spun around and was staring at Pax with an unreadable expression, tension in every line of his body. The two fighters closest to him were doing the same, their intensity so intense Pax almost took a step back. They knew they were on the same side, right?
“Did he call you Pax?” the leader asked, enunciating each word just loud enough to be heard.
Pax nodded, reaching up to pull his own helmet off. “Yes. Pax Vipersworn, first-year mage student and now a mage for the rebellion.”
The rebel leader mouthed Pax’s name and let out a soft scoff of disbelief.
Someone on the empire side grumbled at Pax’s declaration, but quickly stifled it, making Pax briefly wonder how many of the fighters he would recognize once they were out of their armor.
The rebel leader reached up and pulled off his own helmet. He tucked it under his arm and said nothing, just giving Pax an expectant look.
Pax didn’t recognize him. He was a youngish warrior with a hard look that spoke of years of hard fighting. What did the man want with him?
Then the man smiled and shook his head. The smile triggered something. Pax’s gaze traveled up his face to meet his eyes. Eyes he recognized.
“Come on, Pax. Don’t you know your own brother?”