The Princess of the Night
Chapter 15 – Storming the College / Passing the Torch
The four sorcerers stood outside the castle gates. Three stood completely still. The last trembled like a leaf caught in a storm. Gerard turned to him.
"Go on, you're free to go. Just remember what I told you."
The man nodded quickly. "O-of course. I have to warn the other students to stay away from the central chambers at all costs."
"Good." Said Gerard as the mage ran away from them, slipping through a small gap in the doors, which promptly closed behind him. Gerard looked around at Lily.
"Well, that's that. I suppose there's only one thing for it now." He hesitated. "Wait, where's Marek?"
The sorcerer appeared from behind a nearby standing stone.
"Here. Say, Lily, what's this stone for?"
"It's the marker for a mass grave."
"You don't say…" he mumbled to himself without a trace of sarcasm for once. He concentrated, and black tendrils emerged from around him and penetrated the ground. A moment later a rotten hand penetrated the earth and began clawing at the dirt. It was followed by another, and another, and soon corpses in various stages of decay were climbing up out of the dirt. Marek smiled that sadistic smile of his.
"My own zombie horde…"
Just then the darkness was pierced by a beam of light. Lily and Gerard looked up to see several figures on the battlements. Some held weapons like bows and spears, some held magic. All shared the same angry looks. A single man stood directly above them, regarding them silently. He raised his hand, which began to glow. Moments later a beam of white light streaked out, heading straight for Gerard. He instinctively raised his arms in front of his face, forearms touching, palms facing inwards. The beam of energy struck a glowing purple barrier and crackled along it. Gerard grunted in exertion, beads of sweat forming on his face.
The sorcerer raised his other hand, firing another beam which joined the first. Gerard was forced to one knee as lily stared on in horror. She hadn't expected to go up against a member of the Supreme Council this early on. The energy beam widened, growing in intensity. Just when Gerard was about to give up, the beam faltered, then shrunk. He got to his feet and looked up at the Supreme mage, grudging respect in his eyes.
"My turn." He whispered, and the sound travelled up to the mage, who barked a laugh. Gerard held his hands in front of him, palms facing each other. A ball of light formed, growing in size and intensity. When it was about the size of a football Gerard turned his hands to face the Supreme Council member, who promptly stopped laughing. He nodded to the mage next to him, who conjured a shimmering golden shield, similar to Gerard's. Gerard released his energy blast, which met the shield. It held for one second, then two, then- with an ear shattering bang it splintered, and the Supreme sorcerer screamed as the energy hit him and he began to melt.
The other mages looked on in horror, stunned. After a few moments they turned to Gerard. If they had looked angry before, now they looked positively murderous. Gerard conjured a shield as magical attacks, arrows and spears rained down upon them. He looked at Marek.
"The gates," he grunted.
Marek nodded and strode forward, regarding them. They had withstood countless sieges, both magical and mortal over the centuries. But never before had they to withstand a sorcerer of Marek's calibre. He thrust his hands forward, a huge blast of air heading straight for the gates. Lily threw fireballs at the mages on the battlements, hoping to distract them long enough for Marek to do his job. He pushed again, and the gates shook visibly, almost buckling. Marek grunted in dissatisfaction. He raised his arms, and a huge wave of shadows reared up behind him. He brought his arms down in a sweeping motion and the wave crashed against the gates, splintering them. The hordes of undead swarmed forward, heading straight for the mages that waited within.
Gerard let the shield fall and swept his arms wide, sending a gust of air at the battlements. The sorcerers were flung backwards, landing in the courtyard beyond. He looked over at Lily, who stood there with her arms outstretched, palms upwards. A moment later, fire appeared in her hands, but it didn't stop there. It spread up her arms, across her chest, face and legs. She stood there, completely engulfed in flames, and looked at Gerard.
"Well, are you coming?" she asked, turning and striding towards the remains of the gates. He summoned a gleaming sword and strode forwards, the blade crackling with electricity.
Marek stood in the centre of the courtyard and the shadows writhed around him. They formed long, sharp tendrils, which grew more powerful with each life they claimed. Groups of mages fired magical attacks at him, yet none found their mark. A lazy swipe of his hand and a group of mages flew backwards, crashing into a wall. A spear of ice flew towards him and the shadows intercepted it. Marek responded with a spear of shadows, which pierced the cryomancer's shoulder, pinning her to the wall. Another shadow shard speared her other shoulder. Two more trapped her legs. Marek teleported over to her, his face inched from hers.
"That," he growled, "Was a mistake."
The shadows enveloped his hand and he punched, trapping her head between his fist and the wall. The human skull was never meant to withstand this kind of pressure and cracked, grey matter spraying everywhere. Marek wiped his face clean of gore and laughed.
Suddenly, he felt an arm around his neck, pressure on his back and, before he could even react, a wickedly sharp blade slid between his ribs, puncturing his heart. There was a flash of heat and Marek slowly turned as his attacker wheeled around, trying to bat out the flames that enveloped him. That particular struggle ended rather quickly. He looked up to see Lily across the courtyard, her hand still outstretched. Charred corpses surrounded her in a rough circle. Marek nodded his thanks as he set to work mending his heart, replenishing the blood he had lost.
Lily felt a fist hit her head and she stumbled. She turned to see the man raise his fist again, but he stopped. He opened his mouth to speak, and blood dribbled out. He fell, sliding off of Gerard's blade. He offered her his hand, which she took gratefully. Lily launched a blast of air at a woman running up behind Gerard, taking her off her feet. Gerard motioned and a column of earth erupted in the face of a mage who was about to sever Lily's head from her body. The two stood back to back, fending off attacks. Gerard glanced over at Marek, who stood panting, clutching his chest. His shadows kept would be attackers at bay, but they seemed weak.
"Do you trust me?" Gerard shouted over the magical blasts.
"What?" answered Lily.
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes, of course I do. What kind of question is that?"
"Just listen. I'm going to give you some of my energy, and when I say so, I want you to release it, ok?"
Lily nodded in affirmation. Gerard sent out a small magical shockwave, knocking the advancing sorcerers back a few metres. He turned to Lily and placed his hands on her shoulders. His eyes glowed with white light. Lily felt a huge surge of power, almost enough to bring her to her knees. Her whole body vibrated, and her blood was like liquid fire in her veins. Gerard teleported to Marek and raised his shield once more.
"NOW!" he roared.
Lily took a deep breath and as she released it, a ball of searing hot hellfire erupted from her. It swept across the courtyard, incinerating everything in its path. Mages screamed as they perished where they stood. The stones of the castle blackened and cracked under the heat. Lily didn't realise she had closed her eyes, but when she did, she slowly opened them. She stood in a wasteland of apocalyptic proportions. Charred remains littered the ground. Gerard looked at her, nodding.
"Right," he said, "Time to go greet the Supreme Council."
The corridors were mercifully empty, and Lily led the way. Deeper into the castle they walked, heading towards the centre. Marek had fed off of the death energy in the courtyard, and so was able to fight again. Gerard knew that they had yet to face the worst the College had to throw at them. The remainder of the Supreme Council were probably in the main chamber, where Celestia was being kept. Masters of their chosen discipline. Pyrokinesis, fire magic. Cryokinesis, ice magic. Aerokinesis, air magic. Geokinesis, earth magic. Necrokinesis, death magic. This was not going to be an easy fight. Lily looked extremely drained, dragging her feet, her shoulders slumped. Marek insisted he was fine, but repairing vital organs took a lot out of a sorcerer. The odds were very much against them Gerard mused, as Lily stopped at a door.
"This is it," she said, motioning to it.
"Then let's finish this."
Gerard opened the door and screamed. Lily quickly noticed the fading flame rune on the floor as the flames travelled along Gerard's exquisite suit. The Runemaster! he thought. How could I forget the Runemaster? As he fell to the ground in abject agony he teleported, allowing Lily and Marek access to the room. They stepped over the threshold, wary of any more runes. Lily immediately spotted the Runemaster, cowering behind the other Supreme mages. He didn't even have time to cry out as she raised her hand and an icicle pierced his throat. The other mages didn't seem to like this. The Necromancer and Cryomancer turned to Marek as the shadows rose from the ground around him, leaving Lily to deal with the Pyromancer, Aeromancer and the Geomancer.
Gerard materialised in the centre of the room, on a raised dais. Next to him, with all four of her hooves chained to the ground and an iron band around her horn, lay Celestia. Sigils glowed on the band and shackles. Gerard recognised them instantly. Binding symbols. With a wave of his hand, the flames went out. Celestia looked up. Gerard lay there, panting. His once fine suit had been reduced to smouldering rags, and his skin was charred and horribly burned.
"I know you… I do not know how, but your aura is familiar," she mumbled weakly.
"I'm…" Gerard tried to speak between coughs, "the unicorn… from the castle. You… banished me, remember?"
"Vaguely…" answered the princess weakly.
Gerard chuckled softly. "Well, lucky for you I'm willing to forgive you for that. I'm going to get you out of those shackles, then you're going to heal me. After that we'll defeat those mages and bring you home. It's as simple as that."
Celestia managed to raise a doubtful eyebrow.
Gerard focused, and the shackles binding Celestia froze. He looked drained from that simple act. Celestia struggled to her hooves and reared, slamming her fore hooves on the ground. The brittle shackles splintered, along with the band around her horn. She staggered as her magic came rushing back, almost taking her off her hooves. She knelt next to Gerard and her horn began to glow. The golden colour reflected off Gerard's skin as it began to heal. After about a minute, he was able to stand.
He whirled around and surveyed the scene. The Cryomancer lay dead, a large hole punched through his chest. Marek was battling the Necromancer, their shadows slashing at each other. Lily had defeated the Geomancer, but as he watched, the Aeromancer sent her hurtling into a wall with a gust of air. A flick of his hand and all the air around Lily disappeared. She tried to take a breath and failed. Terror seized her. Just as she thought she was going to pass out, a tendril of shadows whipped across the room, grabbing the Aeromancer. He was yanked sideways and Lily could breathe again. She fell to her knees. Sucking in huge lungful's of air. On the other side of the room the Aeromancer crashed into the Necromancer, and both mages slammed into the wall. Marek advanced on them both, and the shadows converged. When they came apart, neither the Aeromancer nor the Necromancer were breathing.
The Pyromancer turned as he heard something move behind him, to find Gerard standing there. Behind him stood Celestia, looking much stronger than she had only moments ago. Gerard raised his hand. The Pyromancer looked confused. Moments later that look turned to panic, then fear as flames consumed him, burning him from the inside out. The charred husk that was his body fell to the ground, now only an empty shell. Gerard sighed in relief.
"Well," he said, "that takes care of that."
He turned to face Lily and Marek when something slammed into his chest, pinning him against the wall. He felt multiple ribs snap. Marek stood there, shadows extending from his outstretched hand.
"Marek, what the hell are you doing?" shouted Gerard.
"Getting rid of you," he sneered.
"No! Not now! I'm too close!" Gerard roared, a column of stone erupting under Marek's feet. The shadows loosened their grip and Gerard broke through them, healing his ribs.
"Why are you doing this?" Gerard asked Marek, who was rubbing the dirt out of his eyes.
"Because you've had your time. Now it's my turn to be in charge."
Gerard tried to rush Marek, but realised too late that it was a feint. Marek, whipped his hand around and a wall of shadows slammed in to Gerard, taking him off his feet. He struggled to stand and Marek teleported to him, kicking him in the gut. The air rushed out of Gerard's lungs and he gasped, slumping to the ground.
Marek wasn't giving him any respite however. He lifted Gerard above his head, throwing him in to a pillar of stone. The impact cracked the pillar. Gerard slumped to the ground. He was painfully aware of all the broken bones, and there was a sharp pain in his lung. He coughed, and blood splattered on the floor in front of him. He began to heal the injuries, focusing on his punctured lung. Marek, of course, didn't plan on letting Gerard heal, the shadows loomed above Gerard's prone figure, ready to plunge into him, when Marek was surrounded by searing flames. He turned to find Lily walking slowly towards him, more flames in her hands. Marek extinguished the flames and laughed.
"You think you can take me on? You are nothing compared to me!"
Lily ignored this and threw more fire at him. She completely agreed of course, she was no match for him, but she didn't intend to beat him. Before she could throw any more fireballs, Marek teleported to her and grabbed her neck, lifting her off the ground. The flames in Lily's hands went out, and she frantically tried pulling Marek's hands away from her neck. Just then, someone tapped Marek's shoulder. He turned, and Gerard's fist sent him stumbling. Lily fell, and Celestia stepped in front of her, making sure Marek didn't threaten her again.
Gerard advanced on Marek, pure hatred filling his eyes.
"You think you can stop me? I have been waiting a millennium for this day. I will not let you be the one to ruin this."
Marek raised his arms to block the next punch, and he heard them snap when Gerard's fist hit them. The shadows flailed, and cuts opened up all over Gerard's body. He healed them without missing a step and lifted Marek by the neck and swung him around, throwing him across the room. Marek hit the wall and stayed there. Gerard advanced slowly. He raised his hand and four spears of ice shot out, pinning Marek to the wall. When Gerard reached Marek, he regarded him carefully, as if contemplating how best to kill him. At last he reached out, and Marek turned his head away, not wanting to see. Gerard grabbed his arm and placed his hand over Marek's wrist. When he removed it, there was a symbol seared into the flesh. He repeated the process with Marek's other wrist. Marek looked at the symbols and blanched. He tried to command the shadows, but nothing happened. He attempted to teleport, but stayed where he was. He screamed in frustration as he felt his magic, just out of reach. His powers were bound.
"Ok, that really is it, unless one of you is going to attack me too?" he said, looking at the Alicorn and the young woman standing in front of them. Lily managed a tired smile. Celestia chuckled slightly, but she looked shaken.
Gerard looked directly at Lily. "We don't have much time. The students will be here soon to see what's going on. We have to be gone before they arrive. Marek is in your charge now. Do with him what you wish."
Marek paled at this.
"It's all up to you now Lily. You have to lead the College of Mages."
Lily's eyes widened. "Me? Gerard, I'm flattered, but there's no way I could run the College!"
"You don't have a choice. You either continue the tradition, or let it die here tonight. Besides, who said anything about alone? You can choose your own Supreme Council, and if worst comes to worst, try and contact Luna. Tell her I sent you. She'll be more than willing to help, I'm sure. Now go, see to your students."
Gerard turned to Celestia as Lily left the room. In a flash of sickly green flame he assumed his pony form, and began to draw the all too familiar symbols on the dais. When he finished he indicated for Celestia to stand in the middle of the circle. He joined her. There was a flash of light, and they were gone. Marek slumped, the ice shards embedded in his limbs not allowing him to fall.