Sigmund poured the power of the Light into Dellin. Mageline's heinous magic was literally boiling the man from within. He called on his faith to counteract the magic. At first there was no response and Dellin convulsed and shook, blabbering incoherently the whole time. Just as Sigmund's mental strength was about to give up, the sweating stopped and Dellin fell into a deep slumber. Worn and tired but healed nonetheless.

Sigmund could not even stand; he had used all of his energy to save Dellin. Magg (as the boy named Daniel had called her) had grown much more powerful in the last six years. What she was doing here in the hills of Elwyn Forest with the Defias gang, he could only guess at.

Soldiers had gathered around him as he had fought Dellin's curse. They were covered in blood, dirt, and sweat but had the look of triumph in their eyes. He sadly noted that there were only eight of them. The others must have perished in battle.

He came to his senses after a moment, "What are you standing here for! Into the forest! Find them!"

Martin the scout took the lead and soon the men were charging into the forest.

When he realized he was alone, he wondered out loud. "Ferentide? Could it be?" There was something in that young man's eyes he had seen before.

He dully realized that he could not afford to stay on the ground. He uncorked a bottle of spring water and drank heavily. He pressed it to Dellin's lips as well, but he was still unconscious and would probably remain so for several hours.

Sigmund stood to his feet and was horrified at what he saw a moment later. A black pillar of smoke twisted into the air like a great black serpent over the forest.

"Mageline, what have you done?" He muttered.

He rushed into the forest towards the smoke. Adrenaline pushed his body on faster than it was capable of in its exhausted state. He could already feel some of his energy returning thanks to the water. After a few moments of running, he came to the fire. It was blazing high, but already his soldiers were working on it. A small pond was nestled in the forest almost a hundred paces from where the trees burned. The soldiers passed helmets filled to the brim back and forth like a fire brigade. Their efforts could not stop the flames, but it could at least keep them from spreading to the base of other trees.

The tops of the trees were another problem. A gust of wind blew burning leaves into other tree tops. Soon the fire had doubled and Sigmund's men were running away from the blaze.

His face illuminated in the red glow of flame, Sigmund said, "Light help us all."

Continued in the next chapter…