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Chapter 29
"From now on you shall be called Heron Rah Xa'hazik, Zifaratol Sha'ahrak War Mage." Announced Talira, the queen of the war mages to the crowd seated around the room. Harry stood up from where he'd been kneeling and went over to where his friends sat amidst roars of approval and thunderous applause. He'd done it, he was a grand master war mage, he was a survivor of the toughest training program ever. He sat down, placing his staff beside him where it stood upright on its own. The last challenge of the tests was for the trainee to create their own staff; all the grand master's had one. Finally the applause stopped and food appeared on the table.
"Lucky, my name doesn't have a translation in High K'haril. Godric said, Harry smiled. When they got their mastery the new war mage also earned the right o call themselves by their name, as translated into High K'haril. For most their name didn't have a translation, or at least not a pronounceable one, Harry's however had been easy. What he was even more pleased about was the "Rah" part. Normally it was tacked on after the last name, only the very best could place it between their last name and their first name. (no one in this time had a middle name) He looked up to where Talira sat.
When is she going to announce it?
After the meal. Godric replied, Harry was referring to when Talira would tell everyone that he and Godric were both marked with the phoenix. However dinner was likely to take all night, it was tradition for everyone to stay up until midnight or so whenever a new war mage was initiated, but for three, and Grand Master War Mages at that, the party would probably go on until dawn.
As dinner vanished Talira stood for silence as desert appeared, silence fell along the tables.
"Now this is a very important announcement but feel free to eat during the explanation. Tonight we initiated three new Grand Master War Mages. However two of them were not what they seemed. At the beginning of their training both of them did something unheard of before, during the last challenge they beat the skull. When that happened they, like everyone else were given a mark upon their palm, but they beat the skull, and therefore it was not the War Mage mark they got. All of us here, except for them, have the death's head mark (a skull with a rune on it's forehead for power and righteousness) they got a different mark." She stooped, both of them stood and held up their right palms, clearly visible on both was a perfect red and gold phoenix. But unlike regular phoenixes every feather had small glints of gold in it, the wings were edged with gold and red flames while the body was outlined in pale gold flames, and from the back of it s head, where regular phoenixes had a long red feather their phoenixes had a long gold tuft. Both closed their palms, then opened them again, the phoenix was gone, and in its place was a deep gold rune for Lord Phoenix. Gasps and cries of shock circulated around the room, the other masters were gaping in astonishment. Every Grand Master War Mage was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, but the Order had been without a leader since the founding of the War Mages. No they had not one but TWO?
Harry I think we'd better explain.
Agreed, I will.
"Quiet please," Harry said as everyone started asking questions. Slowly silence fell, "in order to explain this I will have to give you a little of my past. I was not born to any of the mountain tribes; in fact I wasn't born anywhere near here. When I was one my parents were killed by a serial killer. I survived and lived with my aunt and uncle. When I was old enough I went to school, in my fifth year at this school all of the 15 year old students are given a challenge, they must go into an enchanted forest and gather certain items, sort of like a treasure hunt. Only much more dangerous because of the creatures that lurked in the forest. While I was in there my group and I somehow ended up in the forest center, unknown to anyone the center of the forest was a link between past and present. We were transported to another forest, only nothing lived there; there was no breeze, no sounds besides our own, nothing. In different clearings all around us were runes carved into the ground. Suddenly a monstrous creature appeared from nowhere beside us, to escape we went into the nearest clearing, which turned out to be another Gate." Harry spent a full hour explaining about the Ways to them and what had happened, he also explained that he came form the future, one thousand years in the future.
"Godric here is the Phoenix Lord of this time, and I am of mine. In two weeks I will be returning to my time and my people, they are in the middle of a great magical war and I must do what I can to help them." There was a long silence, and then Talira spoke.
"Alright, before you leave I have a message for the War Mages of your time, they must have been pretty sloppy not to have picked you out before." Harry shook his head sadly.
"No, there aren't any War Mages in my time. I am the only one." This was greeted with shock, no War Mages? And he was going back? War Mages by nature were pack creatures, they needed other war mages, simply because they tended to be so different from the rest of humanity, they needed others like them. To be alone, without their fellows was a war mage's worst fear. They were like wolves in that way, and a common saying was " a war mage who fights alone can never be happy, the pain of such sorrow will drive the lone war mage to their death." And then there was the fact that Harry would not only be leaving the war mages, he would be leaving his soul brother, and unheard of act. They knew that he couldn't stay; there was too much chance of his changing history. But to leave might kill them both, they wouldn't be able to talk, since in Harry's time Godric was long dead, after having someone else inside your head for so long the loneliness was terrible, it was as if half your mind had been cut away. And he would be leaving Cleatris his girlfriend. Little did the rest know that Harry, Godric, and Cleatris had no intention of letting anything keep them apart. They had not wasted a year and now nine months access to the best library of the magic arts ever. Together they had created probably the most complex enchantment ever. It was one of the bonuses of having a soul brother; two minds could be turned to the same problem with twice the mental capability. It's planning had taken thousands of hours, but it had worked, so long as nothing really unexpected happened it would work. Humans are hard to connect and transport across time, but magical animals are easy. Because of this the plan rested entirely on the fact that Harry and Godric could turn into phoenixes (and some other animals) and Cleatris could turn into a Griffin (and some other animals) Nothing was going to stop them, for who could stop the Phoenix Lords?
The rest of the evening everyone partied, but the party was rather subdued, Harry would be leaving soon, and no one knew if he and Godric would survive, and they would be loosing one of the Phoenix Lords.
**
The news came in the form on an exhausted pyromancers messenger, gray with exhaustion and his horse half dead. It was Cleatris who found him and got hi back to the palace alive. There he told them the urgent message he brought from the Haderach tribe. A dark wizard who had risen to power off to the far east had slaughtered the entire Fraquinos tribe. He'd been slowly conquering everything in the mountains. He was currently only a day's ride form the Haderach; already he'd given them the rules of surrender. All adults would be killed and the children brought up by his followers to become his followers themselves. He'd been visiting the Haderach tribe searching for future War Mages or Elements.
The Order stood as Harry and Godric entered the room, Godric gestured to them to sit down and went to his seat while Harry went around the table to the window, ignoring his seat, to greet his phoenix Xenrose as she flew in with some charts, he perched on the windowsill to examine them while Xenrose landed on his shoulder with a rustle of feathers.
"Alright, the war lord's army contains one thousand one hundred and twenty wizards and witches and sixty giants. In all the war mage's are 572, including trainees. With the giants counting for two each we have half their number. But we're also better fighters. The roads form our side to the Haderach valley are clear while the roads on the other side are filed with snow. Halley what's your team been up to?" Halley looked up from a map she was studying.
"We've created six hundred pits, covered by frail ice and snow, nineteen avalanches to get them with, twenty five rockslides, three basilisks trapped in caves that can be released just by pulling a rope. They should be hungry by the time his army arrives."
"Could use some of that lava form Mt. Phoenix now." Harry murmured quietly, everyone looked at him, "where one of the mountains collapsed inwards during the great earthquake a large amount of lava, position at the former mountain top, would slide down and right onto them, without endangering any one on our side."
Great one Harry
"Transportation would be difficult, but is we started in a half hour it could be ready by midnight." Godric agreed.
"I'll take a team up there." Harry responded and left the room. Much as he enjoyed planning tricks to play on the enemy he liked the fighting more.
**
Daybreak came, the war mages had just reached the valley, and the warlord's army, about a hundred and eighty smaller, was already headed down into it. 500 war mages started to trot down their slope, slowly going into a gallop as they began a millennia old war song.
In and around the valley the effects of the song were felt quickly, power seemed to hum in the air and start to gather near the war mages, all the animals fell silent and hid, the air began to vibrate as the song steadily grew to a roar, power filled words rushing out over the snow. With terrifying war cries they broke through the last band of trees and charged across the snow, the warlord's army shouted challenges and rushed to meet them. Godric and Harry rode side by side at the head of the war mages on their twin stallion, tow phoenixes swooping over head, Harry and Diablo twisted aside and race doff around the valley to attack with Cleatris from the back. Their job was to contain the fight within the valley's center. Godric shouted orders and the crowd broke up a bit, forming a pitchfork shape that encompassed half the valley.
The two sides met with huge explosions and screams, like to waves breaking they surged upwards against each other and then fell out into battle. Harry heard Godric in his head start a rhythmic slow chant that steadily grew in volume, suddenly it stopped as the phoenix powers exploded from Godric's palms in the form of a huge phoenix made entirely out of raw power. It flung itself at the enemy, burning and screaming, blinding them with its brightness and power.
Harry ducked under a low branch and hurled a lightning bolt, ahead he heard a scream and a satisfying thump as the giant he'd been fighting and was now chasing fell down the mountainside in an unstoppable slide, and right over a cliff. The battle had been going on for hours now…Harry looked around and caught sight of Cleatris as she stabbed a spear all the way through an opponents back. She whirled her horse and galloped over.
Godric Cleatris and I will join you in a minute or so.
Okay, hurry will you? Harry frowned with worry at the exhausted tone in Godric's voice. They had all agreed that, so as not to change history, Harry wouldn't spend the entire time in the center of the fight. They had no way of knowing what his participation would do to change history in his time, if anything at all.
"Godric's okay right?" Cleatris asked him, seeing his frown.
"Yes he's fine, come on, let's go join the rest." The two galloped off down the winding trail to the main battle.
Harry locked blades with an enemy, then twisted in the saddle and hurled a knife, the enemy screamed in response and clutched the knife handle which stood out of his throat and topple off his horse. Two curses came flying his way, he parried and sent both back at their owners. A stunning spell jumped form a wand to his right, it was absorbed into his shield and vanished. Diablo reared, flailing his hooves and screaming, bashing in another wizards head just as he raised his wand. It was night now, everyone was tiring, suddenly a blast that shook the ground and a war cry echoed through the night, Godric had found the war lord.
Harry! Harry wheeled Diablo and they pushed through the seething mass and ran over to where the two stood, locked in a battle of magic fifteen feet apart.
Godric's red and gold was battling madly with the others black. Harry put up a shield to stop anyone from the warlords' side from entering, his shield was quickly back by another as Cleatris arrived. The warlord had stayed in the back all day, not fighting, while Godric was tired form a full day of it. His phoenix Ranahal flew down and uttered a few notes of song, Godric immediately perked up a bit. Harry called his lightning a hurled it at the war lord who stumbled, leaving Godric an opening. Godric got him with three curses designed to slough the flesh right off his bones. Screaming the warlord fell and rolled, but he pulled a knife from a hidden sheath and plunged in into Godric's side, then pulled out a necklace and whispered an incantation. It glowed and his wounds healed somewhat.
Godric and the warlord hurled curses at each other, Harry fought near them while Cleatris kept up the shield, occasionally trading places with her. Soon the ground around them was littered knee deep with death bodies. Finally Harry and Godric joined minds for a final spell.
Now brother. Both shouted the incantation, silence fell as power just seemed to seep out of everything, then the warlord countered, their spell began to shatter, Harry dodged a club swing and had to turn to defend himself from a giant, the warlord's spell began to shatter theirs.
Harry I'm going to use that-
go ahead, I'll try to stop the effect before the reach anyone else. And Godric whispered the last part of the spell, Harry threw up three layers of shields, each to shield against a different part of the spell. Behind him the area where Godric and the warlord had been standing blew up. Cries of fear and shock echoed around, Harry shuddered under the explosion, trying to keep the shields intact. Finally it began to die away. Ten minutes later it was over.
The pit in which they found Godric was twenty feet deep; the warlord had been blow to bits no bigger than a fingernail. Harry got his unconscious soul brother out, trying not to panic, Godric had been hurt by flying rock, he had a hugs mass of gashes on his back and on the back of his right calf, a cut ran down the right side of his face and his ear was torn, his right arm was broken and his left hand had been so badly bashed up that the healers thought some of his fingers might have to be amputated. In the aftermath of the battle the valley was in ruins, the war mages fixed it up a bit before returning home, Harry, Diablo, and Flame leading the way, Harry levitating Godric alongside.
**
Now Godric if you don't wake up I'll pour ice water on you. Harry smiled as Godric's eyes flew open.
Harry! Harry chuckled through their link.
"Awake hmm? You've been out for three days. Well done with the spell, yes the shields worked." Godric relaxed in relief.
How am I?
I'll give you three guesses as to your lasting injuries, and the first two don't count.
Ahh, scars on my back in the shape of the phoenix rune?
1 of 4, go on.
Er…missing fourth finger on left hand?
Yep doing good.
Hmm, and bad scarring on the back of my right calf?
75% nearly there, now for the million dollar question, what is the last injury. Hint, I've told you about it, I was fourteen when I got it.
Ah, gash in the crook of my right arm?
Are you reading my mind brother?
Of course I am.
Grrr. Kay ice water time!
No!
Hehehe, just joking. Come on Lord Phoenix, the Order has been worried sick about you. Harry left to go find Cleatris and tell her Godric was up, as he left the Order came in, looking much relieved.
**
The wind was blowing lightly, atop the hill stood two men, both with long black hair tied back, each with a huge fierce looking black and white stallion beside them, each with a phoenix on the right shoulder, each with a staff in the right hand. The staffs were made of the same colored wood, topped with smooth balls of diamond held by claws, the staff base ended in what looked like a bird's talons, like the claws gripping the diamond. No words needed to be spoken, just thought. Finally the one with blue eyes turn and mounted his horse before riding down the hill. The other mounted and waited until the other stopped to look back as he reached the top of the next lower hill. The figure on the hilltop with blazing green eyes raised his staff, there was a bright flash of light, then an answering blaze of light from below, and then he turned and rode off into the woods. As he reached a certain spot a rune could be seen, faintly drawn on the ground, next to it lay a he fallen tree, the figure on his horse, with a phoenix on his shoulder stopped, looked at the tree, then urged the horse forwards into the center of the clearing, and they vanished.
There! Done! Did think I'd just send Harry home without one last battle did you? Part two coming up…I'm not sure when. Remember this is still Harry's fifth year!
Chapter 29
"From now on you shall be called Heron Rah Xa'hazik, Zifaratol Sha'ahrak War Mage." Announced Talira, the queen of the war mages to the crowd seated around the room. Harry stood up from where he'd been kneeling and went over to where his friends sat amidst roars of approval and thunderous applause. He'd done it, he was a grand master war mage, he was a survivor of the toughest training program ever. He sat down, placing his staff beside him where it stood upright on its own. The last challenge of the tests was for the trainee to create their own staff; all the grand master's had one. Finally the applause stopped and food appeared on the table.
"Lucky, my name doesn't have a translation in High K'haril. Godric said, Harry smiled. When they got their mastery the new war mage also earned the right o call themselves by their name, as translated into High K'haril. For most their name didn't have a translation, or at least not a pronounceable one, Harry's however had been easy. What he was even more pleased about was the "Rah" part. Normally it was tacked on after the last name, only the very best could place it between their last name and their first name. (no one in this time had a middle name) He looked up to where Talira sat.
When is she going to announce it?
After the meal. Godric replied, Harry was referring to when Talira would tell everyone that he and Godric were both marked with the phoenix. However dinner was likely to take all night, it was tradition for everyone to stay up until midnight or so whenever a new war mage was initiated, but for three, and Grand Master War Mages at that, the party would probably go on until dawn.
As dinner vanished Talira stood for silence as desert appeared, silence fell along the tables.
"Now this is a very important announcement but feel free to eat during the explanation. Tonight we initiated three new Grand Master War Mages. However two of them were not what they seemed. At the beginning of their training both of them did something unheard of before, during the last challenge they beat the skull. When that happened they, like everyone else were given a mark upon their palm, but they beat the skull, and therefore it was not the War Mage mark they got. All of us here, except for them, have the death's head mark (a skull with a rune on it's forehead for power and righteousness) they got a different mark." She stooped, both of them stood and held up their right palms, clearly visible on both was a perfect red and gold phoenix. But unlike regular phoenixes every feather had small glints of gold in it, the wings were edged with gold and red flames while the body was outlined in pale gold flames, and from the back of it s head, where regular phoenixes had a long red feather their phoenixes had a long gold tuft. Both closed their palms, then opened them again, the phoenix was gone, and in its place was a deep gold rune for Lord Phoenix. Gasps and cries of shock circulated around the room, the other masters were gaping in astonishment. Every Grand Master War Mage was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, but the Order had been without a leader since the founding of the War Mages. No they had not one but TWO?
Harry I think we'd better explain.
Agreed, I will.
"Quiet please," Harry said as everyone started asking questions. Slowly silence fell, "in order to explain this I will have to give you a little of my past. I was not born to any of the mountain tribes; in fact I wasn't born anywhere near here. When I was one my parents were killed by a serial killer. I survived and lived with my aunt and uncle. When I was old enough I went to school, in my fifth year at this school all of the 15 year old students are given a challenge, they must go into an enchanted forest and gather certain items, sort of like a treasure hunt. Only much more dangerous because of the creatures that lurked in the forest. While I was in there my group and I somehow ended up in the forest center, unknown to anyone the center of the forest was a link between past and present. We were transported to another forest, only nothing lived there; there was no breeze, no sounds besides our own, nothing. In different clearings all around us were runes carved into the ground. Suddenly a monstrous creature appeared from nowhere beside us, to escape we went into the nearest clearing, which turned out to be another Gate." Harry spent a full hour explaining about the Ways to them and what had happened, he also explained that he came form the future, one thousand years in the future.
"Godric here is the Phoenix Lord of this time, and I am of mine. In two weeks I will be returning to my time and my people, they are in the middle of a great magical war and I must do what I can to help them." There was a long silence, and then Talira spoke.
"Alright, before you leave I have a message for the War Mages of your time, they must have been pretty sloppy not to have picked you out before." Harry shook his head sadly.
"No, there aren't any War Mages in my time. I am the only one." This was greeted with shock, no War Mages? And he was going back? War Mages by nature were pack creatures, they needed other war mages, simply because they tended to be so different from the rest of humanity, they needed others like them. To be alone, without their fellows was a war mage's worst fear. They were like wolves in that way, and a common saying was " a war mage who fights alone can never be happy, the pain of such sorrow will drive the lone war mage to their death." And then there was the fact that Harry would not only be leaving the war mages, he would be leaving his soul brother, and unheard of act. They knew that he couldn't stay; there was too much chance of his changing history. But to leave might kill them both, they wouldn't be able to talk, since in Harry's time Godric was long dead, after having someone else inside your head for so long the loneliness was terrible, it was as if half your mind had been cut away. And he would be leaving Cleatris his girlfriend. Little did the rest know that Harry, Godric, and Cleatris had no intention of letting anything keep them apart. They had not wasted a year and now nine months access to the best library of the magic arts ever. Together they had created probably the most complex enchantment ever. It was one of the bonuses of having a soul brother; two minds could be turned to the same problem with twice the mental capability. It's planning had taken thousands of hours, but it had worked, so long as nothing really unexpected happened it would work. Humans are hard to connect and transport across time, but magical animals are easy. Because of this the plan rested entirely on the fact that Harry and Godric could turn into phoenixes (and some other animals) and Cleatris could turn into a Griffin (and some other animals) Nothing was going to stop them, for who could stop the Phoenix Lords?
The rest of the evening everyone partied, but the party was rather subdued, Harry would be leaving soon, and no one knew if he and Godric would survive, and they would be loosing one of the Phoenix Lords.
**
The news came in the form on an exhausted pyromancers messenger, gray with exhaustion and his horse half dead. It was Cleatris who found him and got hi back to the palace alive. There he told them the urgent message he brought from the Haderach tribe. A dark wizard who had risen to power off to the far east had slaughtered the entire Fraquinos tribe. He'd been slowly conquering everything in the mountains. He was currently only a day's ride form the Haderach; already he'd given them the rules of surrender. All adults would be killed and the children brought up by his followers to become his followers themselves. He'd been visiting the Haderach tribe searching for future War Mages or Elements.
The Order stood as Harry and Godric entered the room, Godric gestured to them to sit down and went to his seat while Harry went around the table to the window, ignoring his seat, to greet his phoenix Xenrose as she flew in with some charts, he perched on the windowsill to examine them while Xenrose landed on his shoulder with a rustle of feathers.
"Alright, the war lord's army contains one thousand one hundred and twenty wizards and witches and sixty giants. In all the war mage's are 572, including trainees. With the giants counting for two each we have half their number. But we're also better fighters. The roads form our side to the Haderach valley are clear while the roads on the other side are filed with snow. Halley what's your team been up to?" Halley looked up from a map she was studying.
"We've created six hundred pits, covered by frail ice and snow, nineteen avalanches to get them with, twenty five rockslides, three basilisks trapped in caves that can be released just by pulling a rope. They should be hungry by the time his army arrives."
"Could use some of that lava form Mt. Phoenix now." Harry murmured quietly, everyone looked at him, "where one of the mountains collapsed inwards during the great earthquake a large amount of lava, position at the former mountain top, would slide down and right onto them, without endangering any one on our side."
Great one Harry
"Transportation would be difficult, but is we started in a half hour it could be ready by midnight." Godric agreed.
"I'll take a team up there." Harry responded and left the room. Much as he enjoyed planning tricks to play on the enemy he liked the fighting more.
**
Daybreak came, the war mages had just reached the valley, and the warlord's army, about a hundred and eighty smaller, was already headed down into it. 500 war mages started to trot down their slope, slowly going into a gallop as they began a millennia old war song.
In and around the valley the effects of the song were felt quickly, power seemed to hum in the air and start to gather near the war mages, all the animals fell silent and hid, the air began to vibrate as the song steadily grew to a roar, power filled words rushing out over the snow. With terrifying war cries they broke through the last band of trees and charged across the snow, the warlord's army shouted challenges and rushed to meet them. Godric and Harry rode side by side at the head of the war mages on their twin stallion, tow phoenixes swooping over head, Harry and Diablo twisted aside and race doff around the valley to attack with Cleatris from the back. Their job was to contain the fight within the valley's center. Godric shouted orders and the crowd broke up a bit, forming a pitchfork shape that encompassed half the valley.
The two sides met with huge explosions and screams, like to waves breaking they surged upwards against each other and then fell out into battle. Harry heard Godric in his head start a rhythmic slow chant that steadily grew in volume, suddenly it stopped as the phoenix powers exploded from Godric's palms in the form of a huge phoenix made entirely out of raw power. It flung itself at the enemy, burning and screaming, blinding them with its brightness and power.
Harry ducked under a low branch and hurled a lightning bolt, ahead he heard a scream and a satisfying thump as the giant he'd been fighting and was now chasing fell down the mountainside in an unstoppable slide, and right over a cliff. The battle had been going on for hours now…Harry looked around and caught sight of Cleatris as she stabbed a spear all the way through an opponents back. She whirled her horse and galloped over.
Godric Cleatris and I will join you in a minute or so.
Okay, hurry will you? Harry frowned with worry at the exhausted tone in Godric's voice. They had all agreed that, so as not to change history, Harry wouldn't spend the entire time in the center of the fight. They had no way of knowing what his participation would do to change history in his time, if anything at all.
"Godric's okay right?" Cleatris asked him, seeing his frown.
"Yes he's fine, come on, let's go join the rest." The two galloped off down the winding trail to the main battle.
Harry locked blades with an enemy, then twisted in the saddle and hurled a knife, the enemy screamed in response and clutched the knife handle which stood out of his throat and topple off his horse. Two curses came flying his way, he parried and sent both back at their owners. A stunning spell jumped form a wand to his right, it was absorbed into his shield and vanished. Diablo reared, flailing his hooves and screaming, bashing in another wizards head just as he raised his wand. It was night now, everyone was tiring, suddenly a blast that shook the ground and a war cry echoed through the night, Godric had found the war lord.
Harry! Harry wheeled Diablo and they pushed through the seething mass and ran over to where the two stood, locked in a battle of magic fifteen feet apart.
Godric's red and gold was battling madly with the others black. Harry put up a shield to stop anyone from the warlords' side from entering, his shield was quickly back by another as Cleatris arrived. The warlord had stayed in the back all day, not fighting, while Godric was tired form a full day of it. His phoenix Ranahal flew down and uttered a few notes of song, Godric immediately perked up a bit. Harry called his lightning a hurled it at the war lord who stumbled, leaving Godric an opening. Godric got him with three curses designed to slough the flesh right off his bones. Screaming the warlord fell and rolled, but he pulled a knife from a hidden sheath and plunged in into Godric's side, then pulled out a necklace and whispered an incantation. It glowed and his wounds healed somewhat.
Godric and the warlord hurled curses at each other, Harry fought near them while Cleatris kept up the shield, occasionally trading places with her. Soon the ground around them was littered knee deep with death bodies. Finally Harry and Godric joined minds for a final spell.
Now brother. Both shouted the incantation, silence fell as power just seemed to seep out of everything, then the warlord countered, their spell began to shatter, Harry dodged a club swing and had to turn to defend himself from a giant, the warlord's spell began to shatter theirs.
Harry I'm going to use that-
go ahead, I'll try to stop the effect before the reach anyone else. And Godric whispered the last part of the spell, Harry threw up three layers of shields, each to shield against a different part of the spell. Behind him the area where Godric and the warlord had been standing blew up. Cries of fear and shock echoed around, Harry shuddered under the explosion, trying to keep the shields intact. Finally it began to die away. Ten minutes later it was over.
The pit in which they found Godric was twenty feet deep; the warlord had been blow to bits no bigger than a fingernail. Harry got his unconscious soul brother out, trying not to panic, Godric had been hurt by flying rock, he had a hugs mass of gashes on his back and on the back of his right calf, a cut ran down the right side of his face and his ear was torn, his right arm was broken and his left hand had been so badly bashed up that the healers thought some of his fingers might have to be amputated. In the aftermath of the battle the valley was in ruins, the war mages fixed it up a bit before returning home, Harry, Diablo, and Flame leading the way, Harry levitating Godric alongside.
**
Now Godric if you don't wake up I'll pour ice water on you. Harry smiled as Godric's eyes flew open.
Harry! Harry chuckled through their link.
"Awake hmm? You've been out for three days. Well done with the spell, yes the shields worked." Godric relaxed in relief.
How am I?
I'll give you three guesses as to your lasting injuries, and the first two don't count.
Ahh, scars on my back in the shape of the phoenix rune?
1 of 4, go on.
Er…missing fourth finger on left hand?
Yep doing good.
Hmm, and bad scarring on the back of my right calf?
75% nearly there, now for the million dollar question, what is the last injury. Hint, I've told you about it, I was fourteen when I got it.
Ah, gash in the crook of my right arm?
Are you reading my mind brother?
Of course I am.
Grrr. Kay ice water time!
No!
Hehehe, just joking. Come on Lord Phoenix, the Order has been worried sick about you. Harry left to go find Cleatris and tell her Godric was up, as he left the Order came in, looking much relieved.
**
The wind was blowing lightly, atop the hill stood two men, both with long black hair tied back, each with a huge fierce looking black and white stallion beside them, each with a phoenix on the right shoulder, each with a staff in the right hand. The staffs were made of the same colored wood, topped with smooth balls of diamond held by claws, the staff base ended in what looked like a bird's talons, like the claws gripping the diamond. No words needed to be spoken, just thought. Finally the one with blue eyes turn and mounted his horse before riding down the hill. The other mounted and waited until the other stopped to look back as he reached the top of the next lower hill. The figure on the hilltop with blazing green eyes raised his staff, there was a bright flash of light, then an answering blaze of light from below, and then he turned and rode off into the woods. As he reached a certain spot a rune could be seen, faintly drawn on the ground, next to it lay a he fallen tree, the figure on his horse, with a phoenix on his shoulder stopped, looked at the tree, then urged the horse forwards into the center of the clearing, and they vanished.
There! Done! Did think I'd just send Harry home without one last battle did you? Part two coming up…I'm not sure when. Remember this is still Harry's fifth year!
