Fifteen Years Earlier

“Kilgarda. Is that your name?” Asked a man in thick blue robes standing atop a pillar of foggy white ice.

“Yes, but what business does a mage from the lands beyond the flowing waves have here?” Asked an elderly woman whose silver hair resembled mercury.

She stood at the helm of a few dozen warriors armoured in brown hides and white furs.

An ice spear formed in front of the man and with the wave of his hand, he sent it flying towards the group.

The warriors raised their shields and braced themselves. They had heard the tales of mages from the other villages further south. It was the tale of those who had thrown away their roles as Seers in exchange for strength and a frozen heart.

Kilgarda, on the other hand, raised her arms and formed a dome of ice with all her aura.

The ice spear broke through the wall of ice without issue, but just as Kilgarda expected the spear to skewer her, it evaporated into mist.

“So, it is true that each village, even the smaller ones have at least one mage.”

The woman frowned. “I’m no mage but a Seer,” she corrected him. “But tell me, what brings you here?” Although she couldn’t thwart the man’s attack, she wouldn’t let down her guard. To do her upmost when it came to protecting her people was a Seer’s job.

“You’re right, I shouldn’t dawdle around. I want to have your child, or that of your descendants.” His expression remained neutral as he spoke flawless Daqua.

Say for him, everyone couldn’t help but squirm in their skin. His words didn’t hold an ounce of mocking or teasing. After letting a few hundred snowflakes fall, a warrior yelled. “Fuck off!” And threw their spear at the mage.

As it flew, ice formed on the spearhead, weighing it down, until it plummeted at the base of the pillar on which the mage stood.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The mage didn’t spare the one who threw the spear a glance. Instead, an ice spike jetted out the ground and impaled the man’s foot. The warrior screamed and wailed, while the others did their best not to run to the help of their comrade or back home to their wives and kids.

“If you promise me a son with your blood, I’ll grant your village freedom. Freedom from whatever the Northern Tower plans to do with your lives and blood. But if you refuse, I’ll personally impale every man, woman, and children. Your flesh will be used as food for cattle, your skin as book covers, and your blood as potion ingredients. Now choose.”

Kilgarda, brought up to fulfill a Seer’s duty, could interpret the shifting of winds, the shape of snowflakes, and the hearts of men. But none of this applied to devils.

To the mage, empathy was an alien concept and pity was a commodity. “Why do you want my blood?” She asked.

A new ice spear formed in front of him. “That doesn’t concern you. Now choose. It’s your last chance.”

Kilgarda steeled herself. He wouldn’t kill them all if she asked a few questions. It was still in his best interest to keep her subjects alive if he wanted her blood. After all, he should know that no one would let their descendants be corrupted by a demon without at least knowing its ambitions.

“Hardheaded and overconfident!” yelled the mage at her silence. A second ice spear now hovered in the air. “I need a kid who will restore the power of my name. I cannot afford to raise twenty kids to find the one who will be able to ascend to magehood. But I heard that Seers could guide and awaken the mana heart of their descendants.” The mage waved down his hand. An ice spear bolted away towards the furthest back warrior.

Following the ice with her eyes, Kilgarda tried to raise an ice wall in front of Gerquo, however, she didn’t have the required mana to make the wall appear that far back.

“No!” she screamed as the ice spear pierced Gerquo’s heart.

“It’s unfortunate … and a blessing (for me) that none of you possess any abilities above the first rank. However, I’m certain that with my care and the training of the Towers I can make any son of mine become a semi-decent mage—”

“Attack!” yelled Kilgarda. This man wasn’t one to be reasoned with. No, she was foolish to think anyone who invaded their lands could be reasoned with. What had they ever done to deserve this? What was there even to steal in this vapid plain? These mages wore such thick, luxurious cloaks which shimmered under the sun. What did they have to gain here?

A mere half a decade ago they didn’t know the existence of mages, but now they had come hundreds strong without warning. As far as they knew, these mages had crept out of the coldest hell to reap their souls.

The men launched their spears, and Kilgarda launched diamond-shaped blades of ice. The spears which were on target dropped to the ground, weighed down by ice, and her ice shards melted; its water splashing on the mage’s blue robes.

Then came the retaliation twenty ice spears heavy.