A/N: This chapter is where the PG13 rating really comes into play. Be advised, this chapter contains stronger violence than the others and has the death of a minor canon character.


Chapter 4: Like a Ton of Bricks

Noel Grandling fitted an arrow to his crossbow and let it loose on the wild-eyed raider running toward him. Under Commander Larse, Noel was engaged in his first battle as a member of Rider group, defending Rarlith's Pass. Heart pounding, Noel dismounted from his pony, and drew his longsword. He rushed at a black-clothed enemy, blade flashing in the sunlight as he shouted the horrifying K'miri war cry he's heard the Horsemistress at the palace yell on occasion. After divesting his opponent of both his sword and his life, Noel turned around and was immediately knocked to the ground by a powerful figure.

Noel looked up at the uncharacteristically cruel face of Evin Larse in confusion. Bile ran like tears from his Commander's eyes and Noel barely had time to cry out before Evin's sparkling green and yellow blade ran the young man through the heart.


*******


By the time Numair arrived in Port Legann, the attacking raiders had discovered that they lacked the manpower and the magic necessary to breach such a strong keep. Instead of continuing to storm the nearly impenetrable walls, the raiders were content for the time being to swarm about the roads, woods and villages of Legann, slaughtering any who traveled outside the stone walls of the fortress.

Numair had found himself engaged in a few skirmishes on his route to Legann, using his powerful Gift to fight his way out of the raiders' harm.

Now bent nearly double over a desk that was too small for his tall frame, Numair sighed in frustration and lifted his eyes from the pile of documents before him. Although his Gift was still fully intact, Numair found that he could not communicate magically with anyone outside of Port Legann. His magic was confined, and despite his experiments and research he could not for the life of him find out why.

The mage then stood, shook out his cramped legs, and murmured a general cloaking spell. Now shielded from eyesight, Numair decided to infiltrate the raiders' ranks to see what he could discover.

*******

As he walked through the forest next to the coastline, Numair wished he had thought to bring a physical cloak along with him as well to ward off the dawn chill blowing inland from the ocean.

Using his magic to scan yards ahead of his actual position, Numair was rather confused by his apparent solitude. The raiders, usually so dangerously plentiful, were nowhere in sight.

The sunlight began to dim the further he walked into the trees, and he was eventually forced to create a small glowing orb to light his pathway. He reached a large clearing that he had been certain the enemy was using as a campsite, but found it empty instead.

You look lost, Master Mage. came a rough voice from behind him. Numair spun on his heel to come face to face (or, more accurately, face to solar plexus), with a shriveled looking old man dressed in rags.

You lurk in dangerous areas, grandfather, Numair said amiably. He dropped his apparently ineffective cloaking spell and regarded the newcomer warily. What are you doing in these parts?

The wrinkled face turned up into a sad smile as calm blue eyes studied the mage. I've had business dealings in the Legann marketplace; kept my stall there nearly forty a year now. But the arrival of these villains has robbed me of my humble riches and my dear family of their lives.

I'm very sorry, answered Numair, pitying, but still wary of this stranger. May I ask you, sir, what you know of these villains? Do you know who they are?

came the kind old voice. They are slaves of Uusoae, Queen of Chaos.

In a flash, the old man vanished and Prince Deniau stood in his place, laughing maniacally. Green and yellow Chaos magic flowed from every pore in Deniau's body, knocking Numair to the ground and trapping his Gift.

And you, Arram Draper, shall soon join their ranks.


*******


The dragonet pawed frantically at her adoptive mother's sleeping form. Crying out shrilly, the creature finally succeeded in waking the young woman up.

Daine looked at her charge in concern. What is it? What's happening? Suddenly an all-too familiar sense of wrongness flooded Daine's consciousness. she cried, leaping from her bed to hurriedly pull on breeches and grab her longbow from the wall.

She ran out of her quarters and into the field in front of the castle, screaming the alarm to anyone within earshot. Daine fitted a bolt to her bowstring and stared up at the sky, waiting for the immortals to show themselves. Jonathan, Thayet, Onua, and Sarge ran out into the early morning light to stand armed beside Daine. The Rider trainees were right on their heels, struggling with their too-new weapons.

In an instant, the sky seemed to be filled with stormwings. The foul-smelling creatures swarmed about their quarry, eyes rolling in madness and razor sharp teeth gnashing for human flesh.

Daine expertly shot and killed her attackers as she had for the past three years, when suddenly a man's bloodcurdling scream pierced the air. As she turned to see what was happening, powerful pain and horror coursed through her entire being, nearly knocking the girl off her feet.

She ran for the corral, shooting at every stormwing in sight, but it was too late. A group of stormwings had descended on the Rider's horses, tearing at the terrified animals' bodies with their steel talons and claws. Daine screamed in agony as she watched Stefan Groomsman let loose another cry and throw himself into the fray, desperate to protect the horses he loved. The stormwings easily tore the hostler limb from limb, laughing and relishing in their kill. The queen had to physically restrain Daine from running out after Stefan, and it took all Thayet had to pull the girl away from the writhing mass of anguish and death.

Daine fought hard against Thayet's well-meaning grasp. Her wild magic boiled and thrashed within her core, causing her body to convulse violently with all the pain and fear her hoofed friends were experiencing. She finally succeeded in bursting free from her queen's hold, and again ran wildly toward the corral. Two stormwings swooped from the sky and latched firmly onto Daine's arms, pulling her into the sky.

Daine! DAINE! Jonathan sent out bursts of his magic, desperately trying to bring the girl back, but her captors carried her out of sight. Their goal achieved, the remainder of the stormwings alighted once more, flapping higher up into the clouds, leaving the humans below to count their losses.


*******


Numair struggled desperately against his Chaos bindings, his magical and physical muscles straining against his constrictions. His eyes widened as his former best friend and ruler of Carthak entered his line of vision to dig steel claws into the ground beside Deniau.

he choked out in rage. What do you want, you son of a whore!?

Really, Arram, where are your manners? purred the stormwing. I think the informality of this godsforsaken country is really starting to get to you.

Deniau chuckled and brought his smug face down closer towards Numair's. I hate to impose upon you this way when we've never even been properly introduced, he began. but I'm afraid I'm going to need a little favor from you.

Numair stared stonily into his captor's eyes, not willing to dignify the statement with any sort of response.

Deniau sighed and drew back to his full height. I suppose we'll just have to convince him, then.

Ozorne smiled.

Two screeching stormwings then burst a large hole through the thick foliage of the trees from the sky above to drop the body of Daine Sarrasri unceremoniously to the ground.

Numair's breath stopped at the sight of Daine's motionless figure. A deep seated ache began in his soul as he realized that he would have to spend the rest of his days without his magelet by his side. The wind ruffled her hair gently as he once had, and Numair could feel his heart shatter as the true magnitude of his love for the young woman finally became clear to him.

It was all Ozorne could do to keep from laughing at the look of unmitigated pain on the mage's face.

She's not dead quite yet, Numair. the stormwing said, barely masking his glee. You now have a choice to make. You can save your lady love by performing one small task, or you can let her die right here before your eyes.

Scanning Daine's form for any signs of life, Numair whispered,

answered Deniau, holding a piece of parchment up to the mage's face. An incantation. Quite a menial task for you, I'm sure it wouldn't prove too much of an inconvenience.

Dark eyes flickered to the words on the paper. This is Ithrandil's Curse, Numair hissed. You want me to dissolve the barrier between the Human and Immortal realms?!

My patience grows thin, Arram! spat Ozorne. Veralidane will die if you waste much more time! The former Emperor Mage bent his hideous face and sneered. Do you love her at all?

You could never begin to fathom the depth of my feelings for Daine. Numair whispered. I would defy Father Universe himself if I believed I could save her pain. But you ask me to prove my love for her by helping you to destroy everything she holds dear. You will never understand pure love or loyalty, Ozorne, and you will never comprehend what it means to serve a purpose higher than violence and greed. Daine does. She would give her last breath to defend this world. And if I cannot save her, than I will die protecting everything she ever loved.

Beside himself with rage, Ozorne reached out with his sharp wings and slashed Numair's arm. You see? he screamed. This was always your problem, Arram! you shirk from your true potential because of this ridiculous idea of right and wrong! There is no higher purpose in this world, there is only Chaos!

Deniau's eyes lit with an idea and he pulled a yellow-green crystal from his robes, muttering a request to his mistress under his breath.

Imagine the power you could have harnessed! You could have controlled everything but instead you chose to live as an impotent philosopher, never fulfilling your true calling. The magic should have been mine! It should have been mine all along! Ozorne bent to drink the blood pouring from the young man's wound, consuming Numair's power. His face smeared with crimson, Ozorne's eyes rolled into the back of his head, his lips forming silent screams. Deniau's crystal flared and Ozorne began to glow.

The patch of sky visible above Daine's body turned red as Numair's bonds faded away. He ran to his magelet's side, cradling her in his arms. Ozorne whipped his body around to grin triumphantly at the mage. What do you know, Arram? I suppose this spell falls under my power after all. The stormwing's eyes burned with gold fire as a great cracking noise ripped through the heavens. Numair could feel the barrier crumble as he clutched Daine tightly to his chest.

Deniau looked up at the sky and smiled. They're coming.