Rise of the Ranger by Philip C. Quaintrell

Author:Philip C. Quaintrell [Quaintrell, Philip C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Published: 2017-05-05T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-eight

Keep Your Enemies Closer

The Hydra lay dead in the middle of the hall, its bulk completely burying the fountain and several dead fiends. Adamar had hacked his way to the creature’s heart and plunged his sword through to the hilt. Lyra placed a hand on the monster’s scaly hide, taking a moment of silence for Naiveen, her body somewhere inside the Hydra’s belly. Galanör felt nothing for the death of Naiveen. The companion’s loss would only make their mission that much harder to achieve, nothing more.

Galanör dragged his eyes from the lifeless corpse of the girl, killed by Lyra. The terror frozen on her dead face would haunt him with the faces of the children, snatched away by the Mer-folk.

“Ailas?” Adamar walked over one of the dead Hydra heads to stand beside Ailas at the door. Ailas stood as still as a statue, with his bow in hand, his gaze fixed on the corridor where they had all heard a great explosion.

Adamar sighed, drawing Galanör and Lyra to their sides. The corridor was a ruin of glass and rubble, the walls and floor consumed by fire. In the middle of the destruction were the charred remains of a body and a broken, half-melted bow. Eliön was dead.

Galanör put a hand on Ailas’s shoulder and gave the elf a reassuring squeeze. The two archers had been friends for nearly three centuries and had trained together for this mission for years.

“What magic is this?” Adamar looked on in awe.

Galanör noted the melted stonework. “This is no magic. It’s Malliath...”

The other elves turned to one another, questioningly. “Why is Malliath attacking?” Lyra asked. “He didn’t kill us on the beach, which can only mean that Princess Reyna received the invitation.”

“It must be an addition to the enthralling spells,” Galanör mused. “The mages must have enacted a silent, magical alarm when they found the teachers bodies. That’s why the hex-traps have awoken in our presence and why Malliath is seeking us out. We have openly attacked the mages and now the entire school is against us.”

“You have led us to ruin...” Adamar was quick to blame Galanör.

If they hadn’t already lost two of their companions, Galanör would have seriously entertained the idea of separating Adamar’s head from his body. He had no trust for the big elf, but his particular skill set would most likely be required between here and the Elder Book.

“We push on,” Galanör ordered, striding into the heat of the corridor. A small spell kept the molten droplets from burning his flesh and the fires at bay.

The elf paused to take in the sight of what remained of Eliön, a vision of what was to come in the war they were starting. The efforts of Korkanath’s mages were already testament to the casualties that would be suffered on both sides.

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