(Ivan)

A primal power surged through Ivan, urging him to attack. He wanted to be at the frontline, slaughtering the invaders. He paced back-and-forth as the pulse of fury pounded through his veins.

Vaguely, he was aware that his blistering rage was fueled by his new dragon magic, but he did not care.

He ground his jaw and gritted his teeth, struggling to control the beast within. He growled with frustration.

His waning control finally snapped, when the Mad General and his elites speared through their defensive line. Rock hacked through dozens of soldiers from the Nature Kingdom’s vanguard. The massive armor-clad general was unstoppable until he clashed with the Lord Commander.

Rob! Blood pounded in Ivan’s ears.

“Felk, take over the Wolf division,” Ivan bellowed at his Grid Commander. He gestured for some of his men to follow him. “We’re going to circle behind and help the Lord Commander. Make haste!”

They raced behind the defensive line and joined the Bear division. The fighting was fierce. Ivan vaulted over a fallen body and gutted a Shadowcloak that barred his way. With deadly precision he carved a path to the Lord Commander. He marveled at his speed and power. He nimbly dodged a spear thrust and dispatched another enemy. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his blood sang, and he reveled in the carnage.

Rob and Rock were just ahead of him, surrounded by corpses. A spearman cried out and charged the Mad General. Ivan grinned as Rob took advantage of the distraction and stabbed Rock.

His momentary elation was short-lived. Ivan’s heart dropped. He watched the Mad General stab Rob in the neck.

He rushed toward his mentor, cutting down any enemies in his way. He ignored the Mad General who had fallen to the ground. He removed his helmet and leaned over Rob. The Lord Commander held his neck. His hands were covered with blood and his eyes were unfocused. Brief recognition flashed across Rob’s face and a smiled tugged at the corner of his mouth. He took a few raspy breaths and then his sight dimmed.

Through blurry eyes Ivan watched Rob’s lifeless body. The clamor of the battle felt far away.

He treated me like a son. He taught me the basics of scouting. He helped me to grow as a man…

Rob had shared Ivan’s love for swordsmanship and strategy.

The war took just as much from him as it took from me. It cost him his son and his marriage. And now he’s gone…

“May you find light in the darkest tunnel,” Ivan recited the old Scaran saying and closed Rob’s eyelids.

Ivan’s arms trembled and his body shook. The veins on the back of his hands bulged and started to glow. He clenched his fists as blistering rage consumed him.

Ivan’s guttural scream transformed into a bestial roar. His face twisted with fury. The world around him was tinged in crimson.

(William)

From the top of the gate tower, William watched as Ivan reached Rob and knelt next to him. His heart sank at the sight of the fallen Lord Commander and his grieving brother.

I should’ve done something, he berated himself. I should’ve flown there and helped. His chin quivered.

He wiped his eyes, adjusted his magical sight, and gawked at Ivan. His brother stood up and wild vines of magic erupted from his body. William had never seen anything like it.

It was beautiful… It was terrifying.

“Aunt Lisa, Ivan’s magic is out of control… I don’t know what’s going on.” William saw that his aunt was still stunned by Rob’s death, and she did not reply. All the color had drained from her face.

William leaned over the battlement and stared. Ivan plunged into the enemy’s formation. His brother was a whirlwind of death and destruction. His magical tendrils ignited everything that they touched. He charged through the Shadowcloaks like a nightmare from the abyss, scorching everything in his path.

Ivan cleaved through Shadowlanders like a farmer reaping his fields. His fire magic was insatiable, devouring anything in his way. Arrows that were shot toward him were incinerated before they could reach him.

Ivan was unstoppable, and the defenders rallied behind him. The “Snowstorm” chant that had followed Ivan’s sword fighting victories at the Spirit Competition, was replaced by – “Firestorm.”

“Firestorm… Firestorm!”

The area around the southern gate was a massacre. The Shadow Lands’ formation faltered, and their ranks collapsed.

(Lisa)

“Ivan, come back,” Lisa shouted. Her cry was drowned out by the sounds of battle. Her nephew had left a trail of corpses behind him. Ivan ravaged the enemy forces and pursued them with savage determination, getting farther and farther away from Stoneridge.

She knew that Rob’s death had sent him into a rampage. William had told her that Ivan’s new magic had gone out of control, right after the Lord Commander’s death.

He can’t take on the entire Shadow Lands’ army by himself. He’s burning through magic too fast! Fear gripped her heart. He can’t sustain this. He’ll collapse from magical exhaustion.

“Rot and ruin,” Commander Craw cursed loudly from one of the battlements.

Lisa noticed that some of the soldiers from the Wolf and Bear divisions had rushed after Ivan.

“Hold your ground,” Craw bellowed. “Felk, get your soldiers behind the wall. Everyone, pull back… pull back! For Tor’Sal’s sake, get me Guild Master Dune. Repair and secure the breach immediately.”

Lisa saw the soldiers from the Wolf and Bear divisions reluctantly retreat. Ivan did the opposite. Her nephew stormed on ahead. He had already reached the middle of the battlefield.

She flinched when a Lightning Strike blasted Ivan, but the attack only fueled his frenzy.

I need to stop him before it’s too late…

“Stay here,” she snapped at William.

She shifted into a falcon and flew after Ivan.

(William)

William gaped as Ivan cleaved and scorched everything in his path. He continued to watch the chaotic retreat. It looked like a stampede as soldiers were being trampled.

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A squad of mounted Shadowcloaks rallied behind the retreating army. Roaring, they charged past the fleeing men. A burst of flames engulfed them before they could reach Ivan. The inferno consumed many of them like kindling tossed into a raging fire. Their desperate screams were short-lived. The resolve of the remaining cavalry was shattered, and they joined the retreat.

A golden scorpion mount scuttled across the battlefield. William adjusted his eye shift and gulped. The Shadow Queen stood on top of the arachnid and her eyes were pure white, illuminated by lightning.

Her mount screeched and came to a stop as a tendril of lightning lanced through its body. She glided down the carapace and landed lightly on her feet. She faced Ivan and tilted her head.

“My scorpion shall feast upon your corpse.” Her cruel voice was carried by the wind. “Your magic is no match for mine.” A smile danced on her pale lips.

Ivan ignored her taunt and continued to charge.

Esmeralda snapped her fingers and a twister appeared in front of his brother. She flicked her wrist and a second one popped up behind him.

Aunt Lisa, who had flown after Ivan, was struck by the rear vortex, and spiraled down. William flinched.

To his relief, his aunt shifted into a cat and landed on her feet. Lightning struck right next to her, and she was flung like a ragdoll. She tumbled a few times and crumpled to the ground.

William froze in place, gripped by fear. His fingers clutched the side of the battlement. He exhaled with relief when his aunt hauled herself up and crawled away from the vortex. His eyes darted back to his brother.

The twisters closed in on Ivan, but he kept moving forward, advancing on the Shadow Queen. Still, William could tell that his brother was struggling. His fire shield was slowly fading.

William moved before he knew what he was doing. If he was going to get into trouble, this was the time!

He vaulted off the wall and shifted into an owl. He flapped wildly and raced toward the battle. He saw Sapple helping his aunt, which allowed him to concentrate on the battle between his brother and the Shadow Queen.

Maybe I can flank her.

He banked to the right and circled around the twisters. Scraps, I wish I could use Mirror Image for a diversion. Gah, those stupid cyclones will disrupt my illusions.

William landed, shifted, and immediately blasted the Shadow Queen with a Lightning Strike and then a Light-bolt. He followed up by Levitating a barrage of rocks and rubble.

Esmeralda flicked her wrist, and she was shielded by a dome of lightning. Her attention remained fixed on Ivan, who inched closer and closer toward her.

Whaa? William stared at her fading lightning barrier, which had absorbed his attacks. What is this magic? Was that the relic… the Amulet of Storms?

Still, he noticed that her arrogant demeanor and poise were slipping. Her forehead was etched with lines of strain and her mouth was twisted. Her shoulders were tense, and her fists were clenched.

Ooh… She’s struggling.

Dragon magic burst out of Ivan toward the Shadow Queen. Fiery tendrils lashed at her. Most of her attention was fixed upon him. She blasted him with Lightning Strikes and pummeled him with hail.

William’s magical sight saved him again.

He saw magical tendrils in his peripheral vision and summoned his Light Shield. He was blasted by a barrage of Lightning Strikes. He snapped his head to the right.

Rot and ruin, he cursed. A group of enemy casters had joined the fray. They hurled more spells at him.

“Keep zapping him,” one of the casters shouted.

“Where are the blasted archers?” another cried out.

William darted from side to side to evade the magical barrage. Sweat trickled down his face. His Light Shield was taking too many hits.

I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

A sharp pain lanced through his left shoulder. He looked down and saw that his arm was bleeding.

He winced. Don’t freeze up… Keep moving.

William rolled to the side and pain shot through his injured arm like fire. Another Lightning Strike crackled above him.

Something caught his attention, and he knew exactly what he needed to do.

He gritted his teeth, lifted his arm, and cast Body Glow. The area around him was illuminated by a dazzling light.

“What is that idiot doing?” one of the enemy casters yelled.

“Whatcha gonna do with that Body Glow?” Another one guffawed.

The others stared dumbfoundedly at the bizarre spectacle, which was exactly what he had wanted. His distraction was working.

Two nightcap wasps descended behind the enemy casters and started picking them off, one by one, with their paralyzing venom.

Rose and Drake had come to the rescue!

William left them to deal with the enemy reinforcements and turned his attention back to the Shadow Queen.

Storm clouds had gathered above Esmeralda. Lightning streaked overhead. Gales of wind roared across the battlefield. A raindrop hit William on the face, and he blinked. Debris flew toward him, and he lifted his arm protectively. The sky opened up and he was pelted by the rain.

William yelped as a vortex ripped through the sky above him. It lifted him off the ground and then flung him back down.

“Arghhh!” he screamed. He twisted his body at the last moment to avoid smashing his injured arm.

Oof! he grunted as the wind was knocked out of him.

The tip of the vortex touched down not far from him. In a futile gesture, William flattened his body to the ground while trying to recover.

I’m too light. He clutched at the grass underneath him.

The solution was obvious.

He shifted into a tree and sent his roots deep under the ground to anchor himself. The wind howled and thrummed around him. It battered him about but could not uproot him.

He ripped chunks of rubble from the earth and hurled them at the Shadow Queen with his branches.

Hah, that got your attention.

Esmeralda conjured another twister to shield herself from his attack. Her response was swift. The winds above William intensified. He grunted in pain as his branches creaked.

Crack!

Flying rubble slammed into him, shredding his bark. One of his branches cracked. Sap trickled down his trunk.

Arghhh! he cried out.

I can’t take any more of this. He trembled.

The Shadow Queen remained focused on his brother. She took a step toward Ivan and leaned forward. Her mouth twisted into a snarl. She extended her arms and opened her hands. A torrent of lightning erupted from her fingertips and slammed into Ivan.

The explosion of light temporarily blinded William. Bereft of his ability to see, he was left only with his magical sight.

He gasped. Thick serpentine coils of dark magic roiled across the battlefield. They collided with the crimson tendrils of the dragon magic.

Ivan staggered.

The serpentine coils thrummed with power. William followed her dark magic to its source.

He tilted his head and focused. The source was located at the base of her neck.

His eyes widened as recognition dawned on his face.

The Amulet of Storms! That’s gotta be it.

The ball of raging magical essence, the source, was right under her neck.

I can’t believe I missed it! Something crashed against his trunk, and he winced.

Oy! An idea struck him like a lightning bolt.

What’s the worst that can happen? he thought.

He wiggled one of his roots under the ground and wormed his way toward Esmeralda. His hidden tentacle crept and squirmed toward its target. When he reached the ground under the Shadow Queen, he coiled his appendage beneath her feet. He was like a snake, ready to strike.

Woosh!

He pierced the surface right under her. His root erupted from the ground and shot up. He grasped the amulet and ripped it from her neck. He dragged the relic under the ground away from her.

Cut off from her magical power, her twisters died down.

Terror flashed across the Shadow Queen’s face. She clutched her neck and her eyes darted around in desperation. She grabbed the top of her dress and shook it. She looked down in a panic.

She crumpled into a heap on the ground. Trembling, she got up on her hands and knees and clawed wildly in the dirt.

“Nooooo!” she wailed and collapsed onto one side. Her body twisted and writhed violently in the dirt.

William gaped and bile rose in his stomach. Esmeralda’s black hair turned gray and fell out. Deep wrinkles and brown splotches appeared on her once pale, smooth face. Her muscles shrank and she transformed into skin and bones.

She stopped wailing and gurgled. She gasped for air. He looked at her with horror as the Shadow Queen’s shriveled, lifeless body fell apart.

She’s dead…

William felt numb. He transformed and vomited. His eyes drifted to the amulet in his hand. He trembled. His eyes widened and he resisted the urge to throw it away.

Did losing the relic kill her? He panicked. He hastily shoved the artifact into his pocket, before changing his mind and tossing it into his enchanted bag.

He slumped down, feeling exhausted. He was bloodied and battered but alive.

He wearily looked around. He was surrounded by death and destruction. Fallen soldiers dotted the battlefield, siege engines lay burned and broken, torn flags flailed in defeat, and columns of smoke rose into the sky.

It was eerily quiet. Rose and Drake had dispatched the enemy casters and had rushed to help Ivan. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Aunt Lisa hobbling toward him. Sapple was right by her side.

She limped up to him and threw her arms around him. She held him close. He hugged her back with his good arm.

“Is it over, Aunt Lisa?”

She squeezed him tighter but did not reply.

The thudding of distant hooves caught his attention. He looked blearily over his shoulder.

“Rot and ruin,” Lisa cursed.

A contingent of enemy cavalry approached. They looked like fresh reinforcements from the south, but they carried white banners.

The last thing that William saw before he passed out was Jane Sapphire. With her fiery blade raised high, she charged onto the battlefield leading the reinforcements.