Cindy smiled and hugged Rochelle. She wanted to leave as soon as she smothered the fires and helped restore order after the Council members were killed. They wanted to elect her as the new head of the citizens of New York, but she explained she had to go. Rochelle wanted to go with her but Cindy told her that she had to embark on a dangerous journey and that Rochelle needed to stay with this small group of survivors.

Cindy explained, "I might not come back. Rochelle, you need to help rebuild New York. I need a place to come back to."

Cindy became known as the Great Mage of New York, the person who saved them from enslavement and stopped the raging fires from engulfing the remains of the city.

Rochelle walked with Cindy. The young teenage girl was quiet. She had gone through many tragedies, from losing her mom in a horrific way and then being enslaved by the monsters of the Council. In front of Cindy was a large bird conjured and created from her water globe. She could make her globe change into anything. The bird shimmered in the daylight. It was made out of water, but was solid. Other people stood several feet away from them out of respect, but also, she suspected, out of fear. Cindy was the only person besides the Council with the command of magic. And this was power.

The large bird placed her right wing down.

Cindy said, "I will try to come back when I am done."

"If you come back," Rochelle said.

"Yes," Cindy said.

She mounted the bird by stepping on its outstretched wing and sat on the creature's back. Cindy waited until Rochelle moved back to the waiting people. She waved a goodbye to them and patted the bird’s neck.

The bird unfurled its wings and started to flap. A gust of wind arose, spraying the onlookers with dirt. Cindy and the bird lifted and flew. The sensation of weightlessness gave Cindy an air of happiness and joy. She thought this was how the Wright Brothers must have felt when they had their first ever flight.

Cindy knew her destination. She felt the Leader and his group had finally met and felt their magical echoes. It was seared into her brain. She steered her bird moving due south, watching the scene of destruction move past her. Her heart became heavy staring upon the many broken streets and buildings. The once thriving metropolitan city of New York was now a wasteland.

She flew until mid-afternoon. They moved faster than she thought because she was in now Tennessee. She had read a broken sign proclaiming, "Tennessee Welcomes You." She couldn't have moved that fast, even on a train or car but maybe a jet. She was never good at geography and without a smartphone she was going by her own instincts.

She flowed past grasslands, rolling hills and mountains. Nothing looked different or devastated until she flew by a small town, sleepy compared to New York and Los Angeles. Yet, as she moved closer, she saw most of the homes were ripped apart as if a tornado came through here and destroyed not just the vegetation and landscape but the homes and pavements.

Cindy was about to land and check if anybody needed help but her bird squawked, warning her. She saw dark creatures hidden underneath the shade of the trees. Red eyes glowed under the canopy. Luckily, she heeded her mount’s warning. She moved far away from the city and decided to have lunch on top of a small mountain top. She could see for miles on top of the hill.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Cindy sat on the grass and ate her meal, consisting of beef jerky and water. She sensed the Leader and his movements. He was traveling away from Nevada, headed southeast. She felt his presence like a homing beacon and her bird was in-tune to her senses. She knew she would find them at Pyramid Peak in New Mexico. Cindy had never heard of the place, but it came out of her thoughts as if she already knew, as if this information was given to her. The destination felt right. It was where they should go and would finally meet.

She chewed on her food, happy to be alive, sitting on a beautiful mountain, waiting for the day to turn into night. Yet, a darkness passed over her. Something was coming and they didn't have enough time. And she was not sure what it was. She thought it was coming from the west and also from above, which didn't make sense to her.

When she was done, she didn't want to start traveling again. She loved being here. She wondered when she was done with whatever her destiny planned for her if she could finally settle down around this place. Cindy stood and brushed off the grass from her legs. The bird squawked and she knew a group of Grogs was coming their way.

"Yes, thank you."

She jumped on top of the bird and they took off into the skies.

***

Lazarus and Matthew approached the growing horde of spiders and flew closer to the man-creature. He snarled and scrambled toward them. Lazarus focused his magic and was about to unleash a spell on it, when the man-creature raised his hand and shot something at them. It happened so fast he didn't have time to react until the cobwebs entangled themselves over his and Matthew's body. He tried to break the web but it was as strong as steel. He swore. He should have known.

He and Matthew fell to the ground. struggling to free their bonds. Then pain lanced his body. Electricity ran up and down the webs. Lazarus and Matthew wriggled in anguish. He tried to focus, thinking at any moment the spiders would come and sink their poisonous fangs all over them. He could even feel their legs scrambling over his body. He almost screamed.

The man-creature started to pull them closer to him. The electricity lanced into them making them dance in an agony of pain. Lazarus looked over and saw the caravan of cars were safely away. He was happy they had bought them time to leave. He couldn't think. Every time he tried to conjure a spell more pain hit him. He was breathless.

A shadow fell over him. It was the man-creature. The hideous head looked down on him while a large insectile leg prodded him.

"Ah, my children, lunch will be served."

Lazarus tried to struggle in his bonds and pain struck at him again.

"No!" he said through clenched teeth.

Lazarus saw Matthew struggling. His face was almost covered by the gauzy web-like film. Then he thought about Grace's and Matthew's magic. They both had power related to an element. Grace was sand and earth and Matthew was fire. He wondered what his element was. Another bolt of electricity struck him, but Lazarus barely noticed. His bracelet became warm on his wrist. It started to burn through the cobweb. The spiders came scrabbling up to him as he freed himself with a snap of the last bonds.

The man-creature said, "No!"

Before the spiders could stop their movements, Lazarus realized he had powers, not in one element, but all of them. He stood and held up his hand. Fire sprouted from his hands, burning the first group of spiders coming to them. Matthew was also free of his bonds. The big man stood and conjured a large fireball. He chucked it like a baseball and the fireball hit the man-creature squarely on its chest. The creature screamed in terror.

Lazarus focused and they both soared upwards into the sky. He held up his hands to the air. Large boulders rained down, pummeling and obliterating the man-creature and the spiders.

They stood looking at the rocks piled up on top of the creatures. The boulders started to move and Matthew shot fire into the mound. A scream erupted and then it was silent.