There was no time to think about it. She could not sense Darcy’s position. Hopefully he was already safe in the tunnel. The other four French Imperial Mages were harnessing their magic. She could sense the magic building power, pouring out from each of them, and concentrating on a single point.
The point began to expand. In her mind’s eye, she could sense a fireball forming. It grew bigger and bigger. It began to spin, then to rise, slowly and steadily, until it hovered about the trees. It was enormous.
It had taken no more than seconds, barely enough time for Elizabeth to register what they were doing. Now the full impact of it registered. The mages were about to release the fireball on Founder’s Hall, and the alarm had not yet been sounded.
If the bells did not ring soon, everyone in Founder’s Hall was doomed.
***
IT TOOK ALL DARCY’Sstrength to tear himself away from Elizabeth and to run towards Founder’s Hall. Leaving her felt like a betrayal. He did not want to choose between the Royal Mages and his wife, but he had to set aside his personal feelings. He had to go inside and fight to protect the Hall.
He had to trust that Elizabeth could take care of herself.
The woods came to an end. Stepping out into the open meadow where anyone could see him set his pulse pounding, but he was not too far from his destination now, and he would reach the Wards’ protection any moment now. A faint shimmer ahead of him told him exactly where the Wards were.
He did not slow down, trusting that they had not changed, but bracing himself to encounter resistance. Two more steps, and the shimming surface towered above him, reaching out in an arc to the sky. One more step. He staggered forward, his hand outstretched, his body reaching for safety. He knew what to expect. There was a faint pull as the Wards recognized him as one of their own.
He grunted with relief. His lungs were burning, his breath coming in great gulps. He was protected now, and thankfully, there was still no sign of attack. He looked back to see if Elizabeth was behind him, but she was not. He could see someone running in the distance. Satisfied, he used his magic to search for the hidden entrance.
The spell to unlock the door took longer than he thought. He was breathing heavily and could not say the words clearly enough. He bit back his frustration as he repeated it for the third time.
That was when he heard the strange, hissing sound. It sounded like fireworks, but much, much louder. He turned and looked for the source of the sound, then gasped. A huge sphere, the size of a carriage, was climbing upwards above the woods. He had never seen anything like it.
Even more worrying, the alarm bells were silent. No one knew of the looming attack, and he did not have time to get inside the Hall and set up defenses. He had to do what he could out here.
He reached out with his magic to find Elizabeth, but he could not locate her. Confound it! She was still using the Cloaking spell. It was all up to him now. He was the only one who could stop that sizzling object from laying the Hall in ruins.
Swiftly, he threw up a thick membrane to block its ascent. It would not stop the burning sphere, but it would slow it down long enough for him to come up with something else. The fireball hesitated only briefly, then burned its way through the membrane, passing through it as if it was no obstruction at all.
Shaken to the core, Darcy followed up with a Ramming spell. It struck the fireball hard, enough to move it off course. He watched hopefully as a puff of smoke expanded outwards from the fireball, but the hope was short-lived. To his dismay, the fire grew larger, as if Darcy had deliberately fanned the flames.
Why had no one sounded the alarm?
But the fireball’s reaction had given him an idea. If he could produce several spells of the same type, he could dislodge the ball and prevent it from reaching the Hall. He shaped one spell after the other, in quick succession. The sphere wobbled with each strike, plumes of smoke billowing around it.
Its ascent was slowing, but not enough. He could not keep this up for long. He could only buy time and hope the alarm would sound and the Elemental mages inside the Hall would spring into action.
Then he thought of another plan. He could take hold of the fireball and steer it towards the river.The Compendiumhad a spell for shifting objects, but Darcy had never tried it on anything larger than a cricket ball.
Using the Rope spell, he imagined a stick ending in a loop of rope which encircled the sphere. He would use the rope to hold the sphere in place, then move it in the direction he chose. The trick was to ensure the rope fit securely around the sphere. It was a delicate operation.
The first stage worked. The loop tightened around the sphere and held it, but he could not maneuver it. It was too heavy with magic. He was slowing it down, but nothing he did would shift it. He was shaking from the effort, sweat pouring down his face. He pushed against it with his magic, but try as he would, he could not make it budge.
Then suddenly the rope was severed with a snap, and the sphere broke free of his control.
There was no stopping it now.
