A serpent of fire screamed through the desert air, and even from afar Maiz thought he could feel something of the blazing power of the spell. But he wanted more. He cast Mana Sense.

It was difficult at to see through the haze of color surrounding the field of battle, though now it had cleared somewhat. Most of the lower-level fighting had died down, as the Masters and Adepts began their duels. Across his vision, there were blazing stars and beacons of power from the various experts on the field, but it took little to see that the Jin were hard pressed. Still, from the way that the streaks that represented the Master Warrior Monks were blurring around the field, at the least they could remain alive for as long as was necessary.

Maiz refocused his attention on the most impressive fight. The Master Pyromancer from the invading army was an incandescent point of light in the desert, and more magic was flowing out of him every second than Maiz could have ever controlled. It reminded him forcibly of Hakim’s power, though while he had seemed to prefer the use of many small spells to overwhelm his enemies, this mage favored massive constructs and sustained attacks. Even as Maiz watched, the thousand ropes of mana connecting the star and the fiery serpent twisted and jerked, and the construct’s tail swept across the sand. A streak of green light shot over the attack, too fast for Maiz to catch with his ordinary eyes but just barely visible in his magical sight.

The Jin’Teslin hung in the air as the Pyromancer’s spell scoured the sand beneath her.

For a moment, Maiz though that she had been caught, unable to dodge the next attack, but as the Pyromancer sent more mana out towards his serpent, Maiz forgot his worry. How was the man doing that? There had to be a dozen distinct patterns in that spell, and he was casting them all while holding onto a massive external mana construct! When the spells reached the serpent a moment later, there was a woosh of air, audible even from so far away, and the serpent exploded into a dome of fire, which solidified and flashed white hot before constricting around the Jin’Teslin.

The green streak was engulfed by the red mana for a bare moment, but even as the fire closed in around her, a second crack shook the air and the Monk was hurtling toward the Pyromancer, the flames breaking around her as her power blazed even more. The pyromancer shot to the side as well mana blasting out to his side and propelling him away. As the Jin’Teslin turned, a wall of flame sprung up between the two Masters, but the Warrior Monk only paused for an instant before crashing through the barrier with a green flash. Maiz wished he could see exactly what she was doing in the physical world, but he could barely follow the women's movements through Mana Sense. Still, he was somewhat pleased he was following the combat this much. He had definitely progressed his understanding, especially of magic, since watching Hakim fight.

A flash to the side caught his attention, and Maiz turned in the direction of the camp. He could actually see it this time--they were at the higher vantage--and it was easy enough to spot the source of the light. A white dome had sprung up around a tent near the center of camp, and though it faded a moment later, it flashed back into existence twice more even as Maiz watched.

“That’s bad.” Lila’s voice behind him mirrored Maiz’s own thoughts, but he didn’t take his eyes from the camp below. With Mana Sense still active, he thought he could make out faint streaks of green and a stronger aura of white around the large tent, but he couldn’t make anything out for certain. That was, until a lance of bright white magic shot towards the edge of the tent.

The strangled noise from Lila was cut off as Hugan grabbed both of their shoulders from behind, spinning them to face him. “Come on! We have to get to the exit, there’s a pair of Masters covering our retreat right now.”

Maiz nodded at his friend’s armored form, and kept a surreptitious grip on the dagger he’d managed to procure from an enemy archer. A Jin had obliterated the man in passing before being matched by one of the enemy Masters. Maiz had many qualms about the Warrior Monk Masters, but they did a far better job of protecting their forces than their counterparts in the army. Their mobility and skill in combat went a long way towards keeping the Temple’s casualties far lower than the army’s. If only the army didn’t have several times their own fighting force.

They moved out, Hugan taking the lead with his shield half-raised, Lila and Juya huddled in almost uncomfortably close for protection. Maiz was covering the rear, and he kept throwing glances back at the camp as they moved out to the edge of the field, behind several high-rising dunes. Flashes of white light continued to light the camp as they continued to move away, until finally the camp disappeared behind the crest a sand dune.

“Do you think they managed it?”

Lila’s shouted question went unanswered as they finally reached the little alcove nested in the sands where a rough hole had been opened in the sands, wetted down and propped open. As Maiz understood it, the Jin, or perhaps a few of the stronger Adepts, had excavated this tunnel in under an hour, though they had been forced to take longer to support it properly before letting the raiding force through. The fruits of superior attributes, and determination.

Or is it desperation? It was hard to pin down exactly how far away the army was from the Temple, but the raids conducted thus far hadn’t seemed to do enough to damage them. Eventually, they would reach their goal.

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When they were finally in the cramped tunnel, Maiz shook himself out of his contemplation, looking to Lila’s sweaty face. “Someone saw them--those white spells--”

Maiz cut himself off as he saw Lila’s face tighten, the change just barely visible in the dim tunnel. She turned her eyes to the walk through the tunnel, but Maiz hurried to add, “they, uh, should have been able to get away, at least.”

Smooth. Next I should remind her that her mother’s out there fighting a Master mage to cover our retreat. At least his words took away some of the tension in her eyes, but she still focused them forwards, and with an internal sigh, Maiz turned to Hugan, who’d been uncharacteristically silent.

“Everything all right?”

Behind the helmet, Maiz couldn’t see his friend’s face, but the blink told him that he hadn’t been paying much attention. “What? I’m fine.”

There was a slight edge to his voice, and Maiz sighed as he saw how he was holding his shield arm, tight to his side, immobile even as he clambered forward. Maiz unclasped his bracelet without a word, but even as he reached out to Hugan’s other arm, a white light suffused him, and almost instantly the tension in his arm loosened.

“Thanks Ziya!”

She just nodded from her position down the tunnel, falling into step beside them as they continued on. She was wearing green Cleric robes stained by dirt, sand, and a few darker streaks that Maiz took for blood. As she walked beside them, her piercing gaze fell on him. In a moment, she looked from his eyes to his relatively undamaged tunic to the dagger still held in his off-hand, and moved on to Lila. A little twinge of embarrassment came over him, but Ziya of all people wouldn’t care about a strange look.

“What is wrong, Juya?”

Maiz looked around, startled, at the fifth member of their party.Maiz had already seen that she lacked any obvious injuries, but now that he thought to look, it was obvious that she wasn’t in a particularly good mood. Her usually serene features were drawn, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes shifting from place to place. Even in the dim light, Maiz could tell that she’d flushed at Ziya’s words, but though she glanced at each of them in turn she didn’t say anything.

No, wait--she didn’t look at Lila.

“Juya?” Lila’s voice was almost… resigned?

After a moment, she spoke, still looking down in front of her as they trudged through the tunnel. “I do not want to intrude, but the--”

“--he sat up the other day. Mother didn’t say, but I think he spoke. He’ll be ready before it’s time, don’t worry.” Lila sounded almost tired as she said the words, and though the tension in Juya’s face eased somewhat, it didn’t vanish completely.

“Thank you.”

Who were they… right, the ancient Grandmaster. Maiz had done his best to put the presence of a literal legend under the same roof as him out of his mind, but apparently Juya was having more trouble. Why was she suddenly concerned about the Jin’Aba’s status? Maiz could understand that having a Grandmaster on their side would do much to help their defense, but somehow Juya’s face and Lila’s response had seemed to refer to more than that. Still, one look at Lila told him not to ask.

“Hey Lila, what are you--”

“--don’t ask.”

Poor Hugan. Maiz was sure he’d figure that out someday.

They walked on in a slightly awkward silence, save for the clank of Hugan’s armor and the voices coming down from each side from other raiders returning to the Temple. It was probably Maiz’s imagination, but the voices sounded tense. One set in particular, coming from behind them, caught his attention.

“I still do not understand how.”

“It is immaterial--all that matters is how we get past it in the future.”

“Then knowing exactly how the enchantments work will make it easier, no?”

“It is unnatural--what title gives one the power to make shields of pure ma--”

“--stop flapping your mouths. Are you Adepts or acolytes?”

The commander’s group. They’d been the ones targeting the supply tent, from what Maiz knew. The most powerful Adepts in the Temple. They’d managed to make it out alive, but they hadn’t accomplished their goal. Thanks to an enchantment.

Maiz looked around at the others, but everyone, even Hugan, knew not to react to the words as the Adepts brushed past them in the hall. Two of them, the commander and a woman who looked to be the same age, nodded to Lila as they passed, but otherwise no words were exchanged. The silence lasted all the way back into the Dungeon, into the Temple, and back to their rooms. They would meet later to train, likely, but everyone wanted to sleep. Maiz wished he could as well. Instead, pushing on Enlightenment to get him through the fatigue, he ran the Path and entered the Purple Room, clutching the dagger in his hand.

Farsight. A now-familiar image opened up before him. An old man, gray streaking his beard, leather apron holding in his paunch. His hands were moving, eyes focused, but Maiz thought he could detect hint of weariness around his eyes. The sun shone across his face, flickering, growing and shrinking as though the shadows were cast by an object flapping in the wind. Sure enough, even as Maiz watched, the man walked away from whatever he’d been doing. His body remained in sharp focus, but Maiz couldn’t make much more out. That was, until the man reached out and grasped something in his hand. A piece of dirty white cloth, which disappeared from view again as he rummaged with it. It was enough for Maiz. A tent flap. So the man was with the army.

This was the fourth enchanted item he’d managed to find--he’d gotten two from the last raid a few days ago, and of course the helmet from before that--and each time he’d been greeted with this man’s face, both sleeping and awake. Unless Maiz was very unlucky, that meant that this one man was responsible for the enchantments that had let the army stay ahead of the Temple for so long. That was… troubling. And it raised important questions.

In the purple light of the little room, Maiz dropped to his knees before the altar. He didn’t have much time before he would have to go back, but this was important. He began to pray.