Amor Vincit Omnia

(Love Conquers All)

Part Two: The Fragile Heart

"This is the end
Hold your breath and count to ten
Feel the earth move and then
Hear my heart burst again

Let the sky fall
When it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together."
- Adele
"Skyfall"

Happy holidays, everyone! I was hoping to get this chapter out as a Christmas gift to all of you, but it wasn't quite to be. Oh well, I hope you all enjoy it anyway. I know updates have been ... shall we say ... diabolically slow lately? ;) Sorry about that, my inspiration deserted me for a little while (plus this chapter is almost pure action, which is hell for me to write; I much prefer the talking scenes) but I soldiered through and now my muse is starting to wake up again.

Thanks so much once again for all the support you guys have given me, and this story, since I began it almost two years ago. Wow. I'm feeling sappy 'cause it's the end of another year, so I just want to say that I couldn't have come this far without you all! Enjoy the next installment, and reviews are greatly appreciated! :)

Chapter Twenty: Assault on the Palace

As they approached the city gate, they had to fight their way through a river of civilians all fleeing from the destruction. The Wolves were doing their best to keep order, but it was a nearly impossible task. People clambered over each other like rats escaping a sinking ship, the weak trampled beneath the feet of the strong. Saiya was separated from her companions within moments and crushed up against a wall. An elbow slammed into her stomach, winding her, and a boot descended with bruising force onto her foot. She couldn't even use her hands to push people away for fear of accidentally wounding someone with her bladed knuckles, so she made herself as small as possible and advanced, inch by hard-won inch, towards the great arch of the gate.

No sooner was she through than one of the meteors smashed through one of the twin guard towers, tearing the left half of the bronze gate from its hinges and leaving a mangled pile of metal and rubble in its wake, effectively blocking the only route in or out of the eastern quarter.

As the dust cleared, Saiya heard a piteous moaning, and looked down to see a young man trapped beneath a large stone which had fallen across his legs, leaving only his upper torso exposed. He held out his hands to her, fingers stiff with agony. She tried with all her might to shift the stone, but it was far too heavy.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "I can't help you, I'm so sorry!"

Someone seized her arm in a vice-like grip. She spun around to see Caesar, blood dripping from a cut on his cheek and one eye swollen shut. A splinter was embedded in the wound, sticking out at an angle.

"Are you okay?" he demanded hoarsely.

Saiya nodded. "You're bleeding," she said.

The wizard waved a dismissive hand. "It's nothing. Have you seen any of the others?"

"No." Horror washed over her. What if they hadn't made it through? If they were stranded on the other side, or worse, under the wreckage of the fallen tower …

Then she saw a flash of blonde hair as Eirena staggered dazedly out from the shadow of a collapsed building. She spotted them and made her way over to where they were standing, limping a little but otherwise unharmed.

"I thought I was dead for sure!" she exclaimed.

"Glad you're not," said Saiya. "Can the two of you help me move this rock? This man is hurt badly, but if we can get him out from under there …"

"I think it's too late," Caesar murmured. Saiya glanced down to see that the young man's face had gone still, his eyes fixed on nothing. She cursed and struck the boulder with her fist, furious with herself for failing to save him.

"It wasn't your fault," Eirena said. "With injuries like that, I doubt that anything could have been done for him, even if we had been able to extract him. Let's focus on the people we can still help. We have to get further into the city."

"But what about Baal and Kormac and Ghor? They-"

"They were ahead of me," Eirena assured her. "I saw them make it through safely."

"I hope you're right," Saiya muttered, but when Eirena and Caesar started off down the street towards the market district, she followed after them.

They hadn't gone far when the missing Templar came rushing out of a side street with a child in his arms. The tiny girl couldn't have been more than three years old, and her filthy dress and matted hair suggested that she was one of the many refugees that had taken shelter in Caldeum's slums.

"Danke Gott!" Kormac exclaimed when he saw them. "You are alright!" He spoke to all of them, but his eyes were focused on Eirena.

"Do you know where Baal and Ghor are?" asked Caesar, his voice still scratchy from breathing in dust.

"They went that way." Kormac pointed up the street. "I was behind them when I heard this little one crying, so I went back for her." He turned and gestured behind him. "Come on, you two. It's okay, you can come out."

A pair of boys, aged about eight and ten, stepped cautiously out of cover. The older one said to Saiya, in passable Khanduran, "Sir, you are going to help us, please?"

Saiya smiled, wanted to put the boys at ease, and also amused at the fact that she had apparently been mistaken for male. "Yes, that's right. Stick close to us and do exactly what we say, and we'll get you to safety."

They encountered more stranded people as they made their way towards the bazaar, and soon had a small army consisting of three more children, a teen girl, a pregnant woman and her husband, an innkeeper and two prostitutes, a very elderly man, and a middle-aged widow who was found by the corpse of her husband and was unwilling to leave him, forcing Kormac to lift her bodily over his shoulder. As he carried her away, a meteor struck the very spot where she had been crouched.

The marketplace was a battleground. In between the broken stalls and scattered merchandise, the Iron Wolves were fighting with Belial's minions. Saiya was torn between wanting to stay and help them, and getting the people she protected to safety. Her concern for the civilians won out, and she grabbed the nearest Wolf, shouting, "Where is Commander Asheara?"

"Over by the sewer entrance," the man replied, pointing. "She's trying to get everyone undergr-" A stray bolt of magic struck him in the back, and he collapsed forward, nearly dragging Saiya down with him. She released him with a small gasp, knowing that later, she would weep over all the senseless violence she had seen today. Now there was simply no time to feel sad.

"Come on, people!" she announced. "This way!"

As she started forward, however, a few of the serpent demons splintered off from the main group and started towards them, tridents raised. Beside her, Caesar murmured, "I'm not sure how much use I'm going to be, Saiya. My arcane reserved have not fully replenished."

"Just stay back and defend the refugees," she ordered him. "I'll take care of these monsters. Eirena, give me some back up!"

"On it," replied the enchantress, twirling her staff. A glistening haze seemed to wreathe the demons, and their movements noticeably slowed. Saiya leapt into action, somewhat surprised at the power surging through her limbs. She took down the first two foes with heavy strikes, slashing one's throat and ramming the blade on her knuckles into the other's midriff, spilling guts to the cobblestone. The third attempted to bite her, but she sidestepped and stomped down on its tail, anchoring in place. A blow to the side of the head incapacitated it. A fourth opponent had already slithered its way past her, going for her comrades. She launched herself after it, but Kormac was already there, effortlessly closing the gap in their defensive wall. He ran the serpent through, and Saiya broke its neck for good measure.

"That was amazing!" exclaimed one of the prostitutes, staring at her in awe. "How do you move like that? It's like you're made of water."

The young monk blushed faintly and shook her head. "Just years of practice."

"Everybody scatter!" Caesar cried suddenly. "Meteor!"

Saiya glanced up to see one of the chunks of stone hurtling towards them. Instinctively, she grabbed the two nearest people (who happened to be Eirena and the pregnant woman's husband) and almost before she was conscious of doing it, she had teleported a short distance away. The man, unprepared for the shock of temporal displacement, slumped to the ground in a faint.

Most of the other refugees had managed to get away in time, but one of the children was still directly in the path of the falling stone, staring around in confusion. Speaking no Khanduran, he had clearly not understood Caesar's directions, and had frozen in panic as soon as everyone began to run.

Saiya had no time even to think. She warped once again, appearing right beside the terrified child, and wrapped her arms around him. The meteor was so close that she could feel its heat scorching her skin, could hear it crackling through the air, and she gathered her strength and sprang away in a mighty leap. The impact in the earth behind her sent out a shockwave that propelled her forwards. Upon landing, she stumbled and fell, rolling a few times and ending up on her back with the boy across her chest. Miraculously, neither of them had been injured by the flying shards of stone, but the reason for that was clear when she looked back: a wall of ice between them and the crater. She mouthed a fervent 'thank you!' to the wizard and got to her feet, lifting the child with her.

Rounding the corner, they came upon a man in the garb of the city guards, locked in battle with two of the demons. Saiya hesitated – she had no love for the guards, especially after she witnessed their brutality in dealing with the refugees – but it went against her nature to abandon anyone in need, regardless of how deserving. With a sigh, she was about to start forward and aid the beleaguered man when a hand gripped her shoulder. It was the innkeeper she had found earlier, a man with a hunched back and a hijab obscuring most of his face.

"What is it?" she growled, annoyed at the interruption.

"Please, my Lady, don't stop to help him!" the innkeeper begged. "His kind has done nothing but harm us."

"I can't just leave him," she replied. "Besides, I think that in the grand scale of things, Belial has done far more harm to the city than a few corrupt humans ever could." She shrugged away his grasping hand and charged into the fray, landing a flying kick that sent one serpent flying. The guard, surprised as he was by the sudden rescue, quickly collected himself and put a bolt through the downed monster's head. Saiya slew the other and turned to the man she'd just saved, only to choke on her words of greeting.

"Lyndon!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Miss me?" he asked, winking.

Saiya spluttered. "What the hell are you doing here, and why are you dressed like that? Wait, don't tell me: it's a long story, right?"

"How did you know? Look, darling, it's lovely to see you again so soon, but I don't think this is really the time for a reunion. Please tell me you have some sort of safe place to go, preferably underground. If you hadn't noticed, the sky has decided to fall today."

Caesar and Kormac had caught up to them by this time, and neither looked remotely pleased to see their erstwhile companion.

"You?" groaned the mage. "I thought we had gotten rid of you for good!"

"I'm like a bad dracham," Lyndon said cheerfully. "I always turn up, usually when you least expect it."

"I'm glad," said Eirena, and Lyndon's smile softened noticeably. He said, "Well, at least someone feels that way."

"We're trying to find Asheara," Saiya informed him. "You're welcome to come with us if you want to."

"I might just," said Lyndon, hefting his crossbow.

Even with the rogue backing them up, it was nothing short of miraculous that they made it to the sewer entrance without losing anybody. Asheara was indeed there, and by her side were not only Baal and Ghor, looking none the worse for wear, but also Leah, Adria, and Tyrael. The angel was garbed in a hooded white cloak, beneath which was a chainmail tunic that caught the light in flashes of silver.

"It's about time you lot got here," Adria remarked coldly. "We've had to delay our offensive, thanks to you."

"Excuse me," Saiya snapped. "We had more important things to do, like saving people's lives."

The witch's eyes flashed in a way that might have terrified a normal person. "Look around you, girl. This is no time for heroics. You might manage to rescue a paltry percentage of the population by scurrying around the streets, but the only way to end this carnage is to get to Belial as quickly as possible."

The other woman's callus attitude infuriated Saiya, and she was about to say so when Baal interrupted, casting her a glance that made clear both his sympathy to her feelings and his warning not to push this too far.

"Adria is right," he said, "but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't continue to help as best we can. I propose that we split the group. Kormac and Eirena should stay here and assist the Wolves, and the four of us-" He indicated the Nephalem. "-will go on to the palace with Adria."

"We'll do everything we can," Eirena promised.

"Well, here's where I get off," said Lyndon. "I wish you all the best of luck, but I have no interest in tangling with a demon."

Saiya surprised herself – and him – by pulling him into a tight hug. "Thanks for everything, Lyndon," she murmured. "If I don't see you again, know that … I'm glad we met."

"Same to you, little darling," he said, pressing a scratchy kiss to her cheek. "You take care of yourself out there, and these knuckleheads, too." He blew a kiss to Ghor and turned away, shouldering his crossbow.

"It is settled, then," said Tyrael. "I will accompany you as well, and lend my aid to the fight."

"Well," said Baal, "we can't do better than to have an actual angel on our side."

"I am human now, brother, and as mortal as you," Tyrael cautioned.

Asheara led the way as they set out into the ruined city, weaving between burning buildings and piles of rubble. Many of the streets were blocked, and they were forced to take roundabout ways, but it wasn't long before even Saiya, who barely knew the layout of Caldeum at all, realized that they were not heading towards the palace.

"Where are you taking us?" Baal demanded. "I thought we were in a hurry."

"The Wolves have stables near here," Asheara replied. "We will be much safer on horseback."

"Oh, great," Saiya muttered, recalling her last experience riding. She fervently hoped that she would not be given a steed of her own.

The stables had been partially destroyed, but fortunately most of the horses had escaped the collapse. Asheara informed them that all the animals had been trained to follow simple directions in Kehjistani, and she divided them accordingly so that each pair had one person who spoke the language. Baal, who claimed to have learned to ride with the Hunters, mounted a powerful grey stallion and swung Saiya up behind him. Adria helped Ghor up on her white mare, Asheara pulled Leah onto her saddle, and Tyrael chose the largest horse for himself, offering a hand to Caesar. The mage hesitated in taking it, but there was no other option. He looked exceedingly uncomfortable as he wrapped his arms around Tyrael's waist.

Saiya clung tightly to Baal as they sped down the twisted streets, the horse's hooves clattering over the cobbles, dodging around piles of rock and bodies of human and demon alike. The young monk hoped desperately that Kormac and Eirena and Lyndon would be alright, before coming to the grim realization that if anyone was likely to die, it was her, and the others who were going to confront Belial.

Unlike the rest of the city, the Imperial Palace had hardly been touched by the devastation. The walls were largely intact; the bridge over the river bore only a single hole where a meteor had smashed through it, and was still passable. As they galloped across, the massive gates began to open. Asheara pulled up her horse so abruptly that the creature reared, crying its displeasure. A head appeared at the top of the rampart wall.

"Salam, Komandani Asheara!" the figure bellowed. "Men gözlemek kapitani Afzal edirem. Imperatorun serencamlari ile, men sizing ücün qapisi acilmisdir."

"What did he say?" Saiya asked Baal.

The Hunter answered without turning around. "He greeted Asheara and said that he's Watch Captain Afzal. By the Emperor's orders, he has opened the gate for us."

"That was prompt," Saiya said, impressed. "Do you think Hakan has been keeping an eye on us with the medallion?"

"Must be. I don't see how else he would know the exact moment we arrived."

Asheara was already spurring her mount through the open gate, and the rest of the group followed in single file. All seemed peaceful at first, but Saiya wasn't deceived. The enemy would show themselves soon enough.

They proceeded across a courtyard and up a long flight of stairs, but as they entered the pillared corridor at the top, there was a flash of green and Asheara's horse stumbled, falling hard on its front knees and pitching its rider over its shoulder. Leah barely managed to hang on. Saiya and Ghor jumped down immediately and hurried forward to help the Commander. The horse staggered upright first, but it was hobbling, the skin below its knees peeled away to reveal raw flesh beneath.

"What happened?" Saiya asked, extending a hand to Asheara. The other woman appeared to be unharmed, despite her tumble.

"I don't know," she muttered. "It is unlike Cahangir to loose his footing." She went to where the injured animal stood, trembling, and knelt beside it to examine its legs, shaking her head.

Ghor, meanwhile, was bent over, staring at the ground. Suddenly she recoiled, just in time to avoid a spurt of greenish liquid that shot up apparently out of the ground. Smoke rose up from the stone.

"Does anyone have a torch?" Saiya asked. Adria made an impatient sound and cast a light spell that hovered directly overhead. In its pale glow, black lines, about ten feet apart, were clearly visible across the cobbles, stretching across the corridor from one side to the other. It was as though some massive beast had reached down from heaven and scored its claws across the ground. It was from these that the acidic liquid had come up with the force of a geyser.

"This is bad," Caesar said. "If we get caught by one of those …" He didn't need to finish; everyone could see what the fluid had done to Asheara's horse.

"We'll have to go on foot," said Baal, dismounting. Tyrael, Caesar, Adria, and Leah followed his lead. The horses, now masterless, stood in a cluster at the top of the stairs and watched them with puzzled eyes.

"Well," said Saiya. "Should we go across one at a time, or all together?"

"That depends," said Leah, "on whether the acid is triggered by the proximity of a living being, or if it occurs randomly."

Saiya held her hand out at shoulder-height over the nearest line. "Let's find out." A slight hissing sound was the only warning she got before the green liquid sprayed up, just missing her as she yanked her hand back.

"Okay," she said. "I definitely triggered it."

"There are five vents in total, that I can see," said Baal. "If we all run through at the same speed, we should be able to make it."

"If we run at the same speed," Caesar argued. "But what if someone falls behind? I think a better method would be to stagger our runs so that one person goes through and set off all the traps, and then the next goes as soon as they've reset."

"Not bad," Baal admitted. "So, who has the honor of going first?"

"I will," Saiya volunteered, raising her hand. She was expecting Baal to protest, but to her surprise he said, "I'll be right behind you, then. Be careful."

"Right." She took a deep breath, seeking her place of calm, and took off at top speed, feet pounding on the stone and her focus narrowing to the safety of the courtyard beyond the corridor. She crossed the first two lines in safety, hearing them erupt behind her, and leaped over the third. The fourth one came quicker than she had anticipated, and she felt the burning mist on the back of her calf as she crossed it. She flinched but didn't hesitate, launching herself into a forward roll that carried her cleanly across the fifth and final barrier.

Getting to her feet, she scanned the courtyard for signs of enemy presence. All appeared quiet, but there was something off about it – a rank smell, a slight shimmer in the air. She subtly shifted into a fighting stance, gripping her knuckles firmly.

"We're not alone," Baal said from beside her.

"I know," Saiya replied. "How many to you think?"

"Hard to tell." He sniffed at the air. "I'd estimate at least thirty, and I'd say that they're spread out all over the courtyard, hiding behind those lovely decorative urns and cushy palanquins. Maybe a few in the potted palms."

"Is this any time for levity?" she asked, scowling. Baal bared his canines in a blood-thirsty grin.

"None better," he said. "I'm out of arrows, so I'll have to fight with my knife."

"Just stick close to me," Saiya grunted. Raising her voice, she shouted, "You're not fooling anyone, demons! Come out and play!"

A man stepped forth from thin air in the center of the courtyard. He was built like a sapling: long and slender but with a wiry, supple strength. Golden curls crowned a head that was best described as 'artistic'; Saiya hadn't known that men could be so beautiful. Then she caught a glimpse of his eyes and shuddered. They were utterly inhuman, black and coal like pebbles from the depths of the sea. He carried a strange weapon, with a short haft attached to a chain, upon which was hung a studded star of metal about the size of a pomegranate.

"Layth Luqman." Saiya hadn't seen Caesar join them. The mage's voice was hard, and his eyes were lit by an intense hatred that she hadn't seen since the days following his escape from the Emperor's court.

"This is him?" Baal murmured. "The Captain of the Imperial Guard?"

"Well, well," said Luqman, "if it isn't his Imperial Majesty's personal fool. Haven't been making an ass of yourself, I hope."

"He's mine," Caesar ground out from between clenched teeth. "No one else is to touch him, you hear? I owe him a lot of pain."

"Take care with him, mage," Baal cautioned. "He reeks of danger."

In response, the wizard flicked his wrist as though he was waving away a pesky insect. Sheets of ice gathered around his body, forming a suit of armor. Saiya felt the temperature lower a few degrees.

There was a brief moment of calm, an weighty silence that settled over the area. It was shattered when Caesar raised his hands and sent spikes of ice fanning out across the courtyard. Several of them struck invisible demons, which shed their camouflage and surged forward in a tide of writhing bodies. Saiya charged to meet them, Baal by her side. She was aware of Ghor in the background chanting a rite of summoning, and the battlecries of Tyrael and Asheara. A bolt of purple magic – Adria's, she thought – shot past her left ear and smote a serpent that was closing in on her.

Saiya could feel her training taking control as she ducked beneath a swinging trident and gashed open the belly of its wielder, then spun smoothly to the right and slammed her fist into the underside of an unhinged jaw, severing the forked tongue and penetrating the roof of the mouth. She jerked her hand free. Becoming aware of a presence behind her, she kicked out high. The strike connected, but clawed hands gripped her ankle in an impossibly steely grasp. Unable to pull away, she flailed helplessly as the demon lifted her up and dangled her by one leg with the top of her head brushing the ground. She lashed out, but her blades bounced ineffectively off of its scaled underside.

A second demon was drawing back its trident, preparing to impale her through the chest, when an arc of light cleaved it from head to tail. The two halves fell in separate directions to reveal Tyrael, his white cloak drenched in blood. A quick thrust of his sword liberated Saiya from her captor, and she fell awkwardly to the ground.

"Are you injured, child?" he asked, extending a massive hand to haul her to her feet.

Saiya shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks to you." She glanced around. Adria and Leah were back to back, the girl holding up a shimmering shield of magic that protected both, while her mother fired off vicious blasts from her staff. Ghor had brought forth the giant creature she had summoned at Wortham, and was perched atop its shoulders as it thundered into the thickest cluster of serpents, sending bodies flying with every blow of its club. Saiya could not actually see Caesar, but his position was marked by a whirling tornado of frost.

Then she spotted Asheara. The Commander had been cornered against a pillar, her sword arm pinned to the wall by a trident. She was fending off her attackers with her shield, but it was only a matter of time before they overwhelmed her.

Tyrael had already moved away, and no one else seemed to have noticed Asheara's plight. Saiya sprinted forward, throwing herself onto the back of the nearest snake and cutting its throat. As it toppled forward she used its body as a platform to leap, kicking another in the side of the head. But she was too late. One of the demons, finally succeeding in catching hold of Asheara's shield, had torn it from her grasp. The other reared back, teeth bared.

With a gasp, Saiya warped between them, thrusting her arms out in opposite directions. Her bladed knuckles caught one snake in the soft flesh just under its arm, and the other rather harmlessly in the ribs, but her risky maneuver had its intended effect: both forgot about Asheara and turned on her, hissing angrily.

She concentrated on the less wounded one first, finishing it off with repeated stabs to the gut. Unfortunately, this required her to turn her back on the second serpent. A long arm locked around her throat from behind, and the foul stench of its breath slid along her cheek as it lowered its head to her neck. Needle-sharp fangs pricked her skin, and she froze in terror. In her current position, the slightest movement might do her enemy's job for it.

"Saiya, now!" cried a familiar voice. Baal! The demon's head was wrenched back by a hand, and Saiya took the chance to twist and punch over her shoulder. Her strike punctured its windpipe, if the sudden rasp of its breathing was anything to go by. A gout of blood flowed out over her chest. Disgusted, she ripped the demon's imprisoning arm away and staggered free.

Baal grabbed her and pulled her around to face him. His eyes were wide and fearful, and his fingers, slick with gore, fumbled at her throat.

"Are you hurt?" he breathed. "Did it bite you?"

"It didn't get the chance. Don't worry about me – Asheara needs help!"

The Commander had already removed the trident, but her arm hung immobile by her side, dripping blood. Baal kept guard while Saiya helped the other woman pry off her pauldron and bracers, and cut away the thick fabric over the injury. It was a deep wound, and from Asheara's grimace when she tried to move the limb, the bone had been damaged.

"My sash," she grunted. "Bind it."

"Are you able to keep fighting?" Saiya asked as she wrapped the strip of cloth tightly around Asheara's upper arm. The Commander's laugh turned into a grimace halfway through, and she spat a word in Kehjistani that Saiya was pretty sure she'd heard Baal use before.

"You think a little scratch like this is going to put me down, girl?" Asheara said. Burying her sword point-first in a dead serpent to keep it upright, she swung her shield onto her back and shifted her weapon to her left hand.

"Something's not right," muttered Baal. He was staring at the battlefield, counting on his fingers.

"What is it?" Saiya asked.

"There's far too many of them. We've been killing them off like flies, but we're still outnumbered."

"Reinforcements?" suggested Asheara.

""Look at the ground," said Baal. "How many corpses do you see?"

Saiya added them up and frowned in puzzlement. "Only seven, counting the four we just slew. But … I've killed more than that myself!"

"Exactly. There's some sorcery at work here, and if my guess is correct, it's very bad news for us."

"This isn't the time for games, boy," Asheara snapped. "Tell us what you think is happening."

Baal didn't answer. His gaze was flickering rapidly over the courtyard – searching for something in particular, Saiya thought. Then he snapped his fingers and pointed to a body lying draped across the rim of the fountain.

"There," he said. "Watch."

A reddish aura seemed to gather around the serpent, and it slowly began to lift itself up. It turned towards them, and for a brief moment, a great gash was visible in its side, white bone and pink organs peeping through the torn skin. But then, incredibly, the cut sealed up, leaving no trace. The demon picked up its fallen trident and slithered forward to attack Ghor, whose gargantuan beast had finally been killed.

"Allahin isiq," whispered Asheara. Her face had drained of all color. "Are they immortal?"

"No," said Baal. "This is a particular kind of black magic. Adria would recognize it; she used it herself not too long ago."

"Oh gods," Saiya whispered. "Someone is bringing them back to life. But who?"

"There's only one person I know of who would be capable of that," said Asheara. "The court sorceress, Ilandili. If Luqman is here, it stands to reason that she would also be nearby."

Baal nodded curtly, saying, "Split up and fan out. She'll be concealed, casting from a safe location." He headed to the right, skirting the edge of the courtyard. Asheara went in the opposite direction, but Saiya stood still, sinking into the calm place that allowed her to sense the lifeforces around her. They were a chaotic mix of friend and foe. The demonic energies were harsh and cruel, stinging her consciousness as she brushed up against them. In the center of each knot of evil was a bright aura: the icy blue of Caesar, the tranquil green of Ghor, Tyrael's blinding white, Asheara's hot, fiery red. Then there were the others, the ones that were harder to distinguish. Adria showed up as royal purple, Leah as a lighter shade, faded and colorless next to her powerful mother. And there was the vortex of dark and light, two forces locked in eternal battle, that was Baal's soul.

Saiya spread her net further, disappearing so deeply into her meditation that her regular senses – sight and smell and hearing – no longer functioned. She was aware of the danger she was placing herself in, but her gut told her that they would never find Ilandili by stumbling blindly around.

In this state, in was easy to distinguish the living demons from the ones that had been revived by necromancy. Saiya soon noticed that the Risen ones had cords of black magic attached to them, all leading to one spot on the far side of the arena.

"Found you," she whispered, releasing her meditation and returning to the world. She opened her eyes to a trident barreling towards her. One of the serpents had observed her vulnerability. There was no time to dodge or even warp, and she braced herself for pain – but at the last moment, a well-aimed spell blasted the weapon away. The points scored across Saiya's chest, leaving scratches in her armor but causing no damage. She gathered herself and quickly slew the now defenseless demon. Glancing in the direction that the spell had come from, she saw Adria watching her with an inscrutable expression. She wasn't exactly sure how she felt about the fact that she now owed the witch her life.

The sight of yet another serpentine body rising from its inert position on the blood-soaked ground reminder Saiya of her current mission. After a moment of consideration, she decided that the best method of attack would be to teleport directly to Ilandili's location in the hopes of surprising her, and finish it as soon as possible. It was a challenging jump to make, as the margin for error was very narrow. A bit too far to one side would place her inside a pillar, and a mistake in the opposite direction would drop her into thin air over the river.

Fixing the location in her mind as firmly as she could, the young monk began to count down in her she reached zero, she warped, landing on her feet only a few inches from her intended target. She drew back her fist to strike – and stopped.

The ancient woman, alerted by the sound of Saiya materializing, had turned around, her milky eyes fixed over her would-be assassin's shoulder.

She was blind.

Saiya's stomach twisted. It was one thing to kill a demon who was trying to kill her, or even a human opponent, though she preferred to knock them unconscious if possible. But how could she murder a helpless old woman? The sorceress's wrinkled face was wary, but not yet afraid. She didn't know who was standing behind her, ready to end her life.

But Saiya's compassion proved to be a terrible mistake. In a moment, Ilandili's expression changed, her bulbous eyes narrowing to slits, her mouth curling into a snarl. Her hand snapped out, fingers as brittle as twigs twisted like claws, and Saiya felt a sickening pull at her gut, as though her insides were being torn out by an invisible force. She screamed in agony, falling to one knee. Her vision began to go dark.

No. The stubborn voice worked its way up from the very depths of her fading consciousness. No, it said, I will not die here. I will not let this be the end.

Baal, who had seen her peril and was rushing to her aid, told her later that she had spoken aloud, though she was not aware of it. All she knew was that she somehow found the strength within her to lash out, pouring the last of her might into a single blow. The awful pain ceased, and her senses returned so quickly that she was disoriented at first.

Ilandili lay spead-eagled on her back, arms thrown wide, milky eyes open. A line of red bisected her face from cheekbone to cheekbone, right across the bridge of her nose. The cut was very clean – nary a drop of blood had been spilled – but the old woman was dead.

As Saiya knelt, gasping and trying to regain her breath, Baal came skilled to a halt beside her. She forestalled his anxious questions with a wave of her hand, and he helped her to her feet.

All across the courtyard, the demons that had been bound by the sorceress's magic were slumping to the ground, lifeless once again. The tide of battle had changed. Of Belial's army, only five remained.

Now that the field had cleared, Saiya could see Caesar for the first time since the battle had began, and a stab of alarm shot through her chest. The wizard was facing down Layth Luqman, and though they seemed evenly matched, it was evident that Caesar would not last much longer. He had taken several hits already, and was limping badly. His opponent appear to have suffered only minor injuries. As they watched, he swung his flail at Caesar's feet, scattering chips of stone. The mage stumbled backwards.

"Luqman's toying with him," Baal muttered, his dark brows drawn into a scowl. "He knows he has Caesar beat."

"Don't be so sure," Saiya retorted, but her tone lacked the confidence projected by her words. Caesar looked so tired, and he had drained his arcane reservoirs so recently that she didn't see how he could have anything left.

Tyrael evidently thought the same, for he started towards the battling pair. But Caesar cried, "Stay the fuck out of it!", with venom in his voice, and the angel retreated.

"Are we really going to sit here and watch the fool get killed because he's too proud to accept help?" said Baal.

"He'll never forgive us if we interfere," Saiya answered. "This is a matter of honor for him. Luqman humiliated him, and if he doesn't get his revenge, he won't be able to move on." When the Hunter still shook his head, she said, "When you find the demon who murdered your family, will you ask me for help defeating it?"

"No," Baal admitted reluctantly. "I just … what if he can't do it?"

Saiya said nothing, because there was nothing she could say. The mage was definitely lagging, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his movements sluggish. He was being slowly and steadily driven back towards the railing-enclosed balcony that overlooked the river, from which there was no escape save for plunging into the waters below.

"Gods damn it," Baal hissed as a blow from the flail caught Caesar solidly in the midriff, cracking his icy armor, shredding his robe and the skin beneath. "That's it, I'm not going to take anymore of this. He can hate me if he wants to, I don't care."

Saiya latched onto his arm before he could move an inch. "Wait! Look!"

With a sound like the cracking of a glacier, Caesar's armor exploded outwards. The force of it knocked Luqman back a few steps, glittering shards embedded in his face and arms. The wizard raised his arms high, a sudden wind whipping his hair about his face, and chills ran down Saiya's spine. The ground trembled.

"What the fuck is he doing?" whispered Baal.

A massive head burst up through the stones of the courtyard: sleek, reptilian, with elegant tapered horns and eyes that glittered like diamonds in the light of the rising sun. It rose up and up, weaving two and fro on its great column of a neck. The body appeared to be made of ice, bluish-white and nearly translucent. Frost puffed around its open jaws.

"Holy Ytar!" Saiya exclaimed in awe. "I've never seen the like!"

The snake-creature was advancing on Luqman, who backed away, weapon raised. But he didn't make it far; a second head erupted out of the ground behind him, followed by a third to his right, boxing him in. They moved in unison, and as far as Saiya could tell, were part of the same monstrous beast. Given the size of each, it must be of tremendous scale.

"It's a hydra," murmured Baal. "I've read about them, but … I thought they were only legend, like dragons or unicorns."

Luqman tried to fight back, but the battle was already over. He managed to slay one of the heads with his flail, only to have another rise in its place. Caesar's wan face bore a look of grim satisfaction as the hydra spat out a stream of ice, completely encasing his enemy, then clamped down on his body with all three heads, each biting a different part. They pulled back simultaneously, eviscerating the demonic captain.

Finished with one victim, the hydra turned next to Adria and Leah, who were nearest. The witch raised her staff, but Caesar banished the creature with a wave of his hand, and it dissipated into a chilling mist.

Moving slowly, the humans gathered in the center of the courtyard, looking each other over with weary eyes. They were victorious, but they had not come through unscathed. Asheara was faint from loss of blood, and the wizard was barely able to keep his balance. Most of the others had wounds of some kind or other.

"Let's hope we don't have to do that again," Baal grunted.

"At least here we don't have to worry about being crushed by a meteor," said Saiya. "I wonder how Kormac and Eirena and Lyndon are doing. Hopefully they're okay."

"An impressive display, boy," Adria said to Caesar. "I didn't know you had myth-magic in you."

"Neither did I," Caesar replied.

Leah asked, "What's myth-magic, mother?"

"It's the art of bringing to life creatures not of this world," Adria replied. "Only the more clever and powerful of mages can accomplish it, for it requires something that a surprising number of magic users lack: imagination. There are no spells in myth-magic. The only limits are in your own mind."

"I didn't know what I was doing," Caesar said. "It just kind of happened."

"Come," said Asheara, "we have wasted enough time. The throne room is just ahead. We should find his Imperial Majesty there."

A wrought iron gate stood in their way, but it was more decorative than defensive, and a blast of Adria's magic crumpled the bars like paper. They continued up the stairs and into the long hall, open to the air and lined with beautifully carved statues of the previous emperors and tropical plants. The floor was engraved in silver and gold, illustrating the history of Kehjistan and the heroic deeds of its long line of rulers. Every inch of the place reflected the majesty and opulence for which Caldeum was famed.

In the bejeweled throne at the far side of the room, a figure was seated. It was far too large to be Hakan. As they drew closer, Saiya saw that it was Gamil Fahkri. He regarded them with solemn eyes.

"My friends," he said, "I was hoping you would come."

* 'Allahin isiq' means "God's light."