"Okay," Drake said, cracking his neck and giving the Incantus one last look, "Okay."
Becky looked down, feeling her confidence ebb by the second. She was stuck in a metal tower with her foot poised over a satellite, waiting for a spell that may or may not work. What was more was that it was being said by someone who had tried to kill her a few days earlier. That that someone didn't seem to be the best sorcerer in the world either. It didn't exactly inspire confidence.
She saw him lean his head back and raise his arms. The lights around her flickered and her grip tightened. In a sweeping motion Drake pushed his arms towards the tower, his hands in fists. He opened them like he was in some sort of stage show. For a minute Becky thought that she saw a flash of blue light.
.
.
.
The fires around Morgana went from orange to blue. Morgana lowered her arms, turning her head in a panic. Dave watched in amazement as she screamed and fell to her knees. Balthazar started forward but Dave put out a hand to restrain him. They still didn't have any idea what was going on.
Flecks of light were gathering outside of her. The light solidified into something approaching sand. They streamed from her face and gathered in front of her, settling at the bottom and building themselves up. As more and more joined Dave thought he saw the form of a woman take shape. With even closer inspection he saw that the shifting form belonged to Morgana. He gave Balthazar a questioning look.
"A parasite spell," he said, "But I've never…I've never seen it used in this way before."
More flecks were added, making Morgana look solid. Dave clearly saw two women in the middle of the fountain. He also noticed the fires turning from blue to orange.
.
.
.
"Now!" Drake yelled.
Lashing out Becky kicked the satellite. The first time she went for it she missed. The second time she landed a solid blow on it, the shock of the impact going up to her knee. The satellite turned down and she thought she saw a flash of orange. The next minute she withdrew her foot and continued to clutch to the metal of the tower.
"Nice job," Drake called up to her.
Becky nodded, swallowing.
"Not so bad yourself," she said, "But I'd really like to get down now, so not another word until I'm back on solid ground."
.
.
.
The fires went out, sending out a wave that knocked Balthazar and Dave off their feet. Dave got up and gave his Master a hand. Shielding his eyes he saw that Veronica was still in the middle of the fountain, pushing herself away from the ever-shifting Morgana. He didn't blame her. She didn't look happy.
"You'll pay for this!" Morgana shrieked, "You'll all pay for this!"
Balthazar sprinted to Veronica's side. Dave did the same, knowing he couldn't let his Master go alone. What happened next seemed to occur both very fast and yet, somehow, very slow at the same time. He tried to explain it to Balthazar later, but words had never been his strong point. After a few minutes he gave it up entirely.
His Master reached Veronica first. He started to help her up, but realized that he couldn't get her out of the way in time. Instead he stayed with her, reaching out with his ring. Morgana was already sending flames though, and Dave could see Balthazar's shields crumbling, rebuilding themselves, and crumbling all over again as the flames flickered around them.
By the time Morgana sent another wave of fire Balthazar's shields were spent. Dave was on the bottom step of the fountain then. He could see plainly that Balthazar and Veronica didn't stand a chance. When the fire hit them they were going to die, horribly, and Morgana would have won.
What happened next had very little thought involved. He was a person of action, a person who'd had lessons about magic pounded into him ceaselessly since he was ten. Dave had no ring. In that situation he was defenseless. Balthazar had made it very clear what he was to do if he found himself in such a situation; get the hell out of there and let him handle it.
Yet, Dave wasn't just a magic student. He was a son. The woman who would have been, who might still be, his mother was laying on the ground. The man who had raised him had her in her arms, refusing to leave her. Dave wasn't going to abandon them. That was a decision he made consciously and willingly. So, without hesitation he jumped in front of them and stretched his arms out. As the flames came he closed his eyes.
He expected to feel flames devouring his flesh. He expected to smell burnt meat. He expected pain to flood his entire being. That wasn't what happened though. In place of pain he felt warmth all around him. It didn't touch him though. Confused Dave tentatively opened his eyes, keeping his arms outstretched.
Flames flowed around him, repelled by the shield he had unconsciously made.
"No way," he whispered.
Turning his head he saw Balthazar look at him with pride.
"It is you," he said.
Dave grinned and looked back. The flames had stopped. Morgana stood as still as she could in her flickering form, seething.
"The Prime Merlinian come to claim his destiny," she said bitingly, "Just try."
"Balthazar, Veronica," Dave said, squaring himself up and straightening his shoulders, "Get out of here."
Taking in a deep breath he cleared his mind.
"I've got this."