A Darker Shade of Sorcery, - [top ten ebook reader txt] 📗

out and about the Fortress, climbing the castle walls, playing in the courtyards or lying amongst the long grass of the fields as Cera led Evan through them.

“They’re adorable, aren’t they,” she gestured to a group of fairies fluttering about the head of a pixie, teaming up to lift off his hat and fly away with it.

“Yeah,” Evan replied. Just like you, he wanted to say, but didn't have the courage.

The wind picked up, causing raindrops to swirl around them. The rain beat down harder, soaking their skin, and drenching their Novice uniforms. Evan considered suggesting they should go back inside, but found he liked spending time alone with her too much.

Other Realmers began to desert the area because of the weather. Until the only other people were the group of Mid-Realmers playing fetch with the dog-like Droges.

He found his eyes wandering to Cera more and more, he couldn’t help himself. Her hair was an ebony river as it fell across her face, dripping at the ends. Tiny rain drops had settled on her face, like transparent freckles, and her eyes were the brightest shade of emerald.

“I heard your parents abandoned you when you were born?” She asked suddenly.

“Sorry to pry, it's something Jed mentioned, if you don't want to talk-”

“No, it's fine,” Evan said, “my Gran raised me, not my real Gran, but to me she was both my mother and father.”

“How did she die?”

“Just old age, she was ninety-three. I wish I'd been a Venator when I found her, I could’ve brought her back,” he said bitterly.

275

“No Evan, sorcery can’t bring people back from death, or stop death from natural causes. We can heal, even from the brink of death if we’re really powerful, but not if the person is already dead.”

Evan nodded miserably.

“Haven't you ever wondered about your real parents?”

“I don’t care who my parents are, whoever deserts a baby in the forest is nothing more than a monster,” he replied vehemently.

“There could've been a good reason.”

“I don’t think so, my Grandmother said I would’ve died if she hadn’t found me.”

“You’re right. I just can’t wrap my head around why someone would leave a baby without really good reason.”

“What about your parents? Your father seems, uh, nice.”

Cera laughed, “He’s strict but I’ve seen him smile before, once or twice. He puts a lot of pressure on me. Both he and my mother are great Venators. When I couldn’t do magic for so long my mother was really worried, father was incensed. It would’ve been the worst thing in the world to him if I didn't have any sorcery.” Her laughter had long faded by now.

“I thought there were lots of Realmers without magical relatives,” said Evan, trying in part to distract Cera from her sadness.

“Yes. It’s quite common to be a Realmer and have ordinary parents, but it’s almost guaranteed a child of a Realmer will have sorcery,” she replied. “If you’re born into an old Venator family like I was, the chances of having magic are even higher. It’s not right for someone like me to not possess any sorcery at all!”

276

The torment of what Cera had gone through, believing she was magically barren, was etched clearly on her face. Evan could tell by her expression how much fury, sadness and desperation she must’ve felt. It was almost like she was reliving it now.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself. “I, uh…The day I used magic for the first time was the happiest I’ve ever seen my Father.”

“That must’ve been rough. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“It’s okay, everything’s better now. Father still pushes me hard. Makes sure I’m doing as much training as I can. Tells me I'll need to do well on missions when they come. He thinks I should be a Mid-Realmer already, that I’m taking too long to move up the ranks.”

“You should tell him to lay off you,” Evan bristled.

Cera smiled then. “Go on then, you tell him.”

“Yeah, I see your point.”

“He’s not that bad, just expects a lot, you know.”

“My grandmother was a little like that, she loved reading my stories. I remember her telling everyone she met how talented her Grandson was.”

Cera laughed, “She sounds great.”

“She was,” Evan replied, “she never had children, or a husband, so in a way I was the only family she ever had. I’m glad I was able to be that to her before she passed.”

As they entered the forest the rain instead fell on the canopy of silver leaves above, pattering gently and putting him at ease.

The ground was dry here, protected by its natural ceiling.

“I come here a lot,” said Cera as she sat down, gazing at the creatures moving on the outskirts of their cosy little clearing.

277

Evan tore his eyes away from her to see the magical beings gallivanting through the undergrowth; besides them, he and Cera were alone.

The trees provided temporary shelter from the wet, but the wind followed them in, howling as it rifled through their hair.

“I sit alone for hours sometimes.”

Their eyes met for a long time before Evan realised and looked away hurriedly,

“Er- do you want me to leave then?”

“What?” she giggled.

“You said you like being here, alone,” Evan explained, feeling like the biggest idiot in the world. I don’t want to go! Why did I say I wanted to go?

“Oh Evan, you’re so cute.” Cera’s lips widened into a smile that made his heart leap.

Before he knew what was happening, Cera leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. He blinked in disbelief.

“And you don’t even know it, do you?” she giggled again.

This time Evan leaned in, surprising himself. What am I doing? He pulled his head away from her as soon as he realised what he’d done.

He was about to open his mouth to say sorry when their eyes met again. All Evan knew was that he needed to kiss her again. Suddenly Cera’s mouth was on his. The feel of her soft, warm lips was amazing. She clutched at the back of his head, grasping his wet hair. Her skin felt electric when his fingertips grazed her lower back. Cera’s grip on his hair tightened.

Dimly, Evan was aware of the sky growling above them, the rain must be foreshadowing a storm. What! What was he doing thinking about the weather when his lips were locked upon Cera’s.

278

The wind howled vociferously, the rain smashing down so hard it broke their leafy canopy. The ice-cold rain descended around them, whilst the wind howled, louder than before. The sky growled again and this time Evan broke contact, his head snapping back as he realised the sky hadn’t growled at all.

Hideous parodies of humanity dropped from the trees above, edging toward them and growling in hunger.

The demons had come back for him at last.

Chapter 19- Strike Three

“RUN!” he roared, pushing Cera away, caring more for her safety than his.

“They’ve come for me not you. Get back to the Fortress.”

Evan leapt to his feet, seizing Ruaden’s hilt frantically, horror-struck at the demons emerging from all sides.

There were five of them!

A gigantic yellow scorpion with three near-human heads fixed haphazardly around it. A cobalt wolverine creature, with elongated spikes all along its spine. A grotesque mass of pulsating, blubbery skin made up the next horrific creature, like a terribly obese man, warped by chaos. A long serpent demon slithered, its lower body a snake but its upper bearing four arms and six wolf heads. A tall purple devil emerged last, his body humanly muscled, but with bat-like wings and scarlet horns on his head.

The devil smiled wickedly, revealing black fangs dripping green saliva.

279

The wonderful sensation Evan felt seconds before was ruthlessly ripped away.

Replaced by an almost paralysing coldness which consumed him; threatening to smash his mind apart. His eyes were seeing what his mind struggled to comprehend.

Creatures like this shouldn’t exist, they couldn’t exist.

The devil spoke in a sibilant but guttural language Evan didn’t understand. He figured the meaning when the other demons shambled, loped, or slithered closer.

“Cera,” Evan whispered, his urge to protect and get her away overriding his own fear. “Please,” he begged, “run, before they attack.”

But Cera wouldn’t, or couldn’t move, she sat frozen, her eyes locked on the pus-oozing demon closest to her.

The devil hissed a second command and the demons charged.

Evan's sorcery, already at the surface, broke through as they raced towards him. He left his feet in an inhuman leap and streaked towards the yellow scorpion, his emerald sword carving down and slashing through its middle head, cleaving it in half. Black blood streamed out, splattering Evan’s face. The scorpion screamed, scuttling to the side as its ichors spat out of the newly created orifice.

The wolverine-demon pounced at Cera. Evan flung Ruaden with all his might. Just before the beast clamped its jaws down on Cera’s leg, Ruaden plunged into its eye.

The demon rolled away, howling like a banshee, clawing to remove the magical crystal piercing its head.

Evan ran to stand in front of Cera as he faced the monsters down.

“It’s me you want,” he rasped, blue flames crackling inside his fist. It doubled in size as he raised his arm above his head. He saw the devil’s gaze follow it.

The devil's lipless gash of a mouth widened as he uttered another command.

280

The three uninjured demons attacked simultaneously, the snake striking for Cera whilst the oozing bulk and the purple devil came at Evan from either side.

Evan span, throwing his handful of flames, scorching the devil’s face and causing him to reel back in agony, but then Evan was seized from behind by two gelatinous arms.

He used magic to electrify his body but the enormous demon just laughed, apparently immune to his magic. Evan snarled, mad with panic to get free and protect Cera. He elongated the nails of one hand to daggers and struck deep into the flabby arms that bound him. This time the demon dropped Evan, hollering in rage. Evan twisted wildly, slashing with his claws, ripping up the length of the giant’s chest.

Evan looked back to Cera but she was saving herself. As the six armed snake lunged she conjured a ball of electricity that scorched its scales and sent it sprawling.

Cera screamed as she sent energy blast after energy blast at the writhing snake until it was no more than a sticky mess.

The fat demon clobbered Evan whilst he was watching and sent him crashing to the floor. He tried to get back up, but was pinned by two heavy paws as the wolverine returned.

The beast roared, Ruaden still impaled in its eye and blue blood running down its snout. Its massive maw was wide open, intending to snap down on Evan’s head. His hands shot out just in time. The demon’s putrid slobber roped down off its fangs, coating Evan’s arms as he struggled against it. The beast yelped as Evan’s hands flared into flames again. Evan used all his power to send fire