253. Milton
Eluvene sucked in a quivered breath. Her gaze went to the door. Inside her chest, her heart was beating violently against her ribcage.
Milton’s magic soothed her, calming her fears.
“He can’t harm you anymore,” Milton promised her.
Eluvene’s body tensed before it relaxed. She trusted him, he realized. It didn’t matter that she was a Dark Mage and had tortured him for hours, it didn’t matter that they were supposed to be enemies and not lovers—he was done fighting how much he wanted her—she was precious and worthy of love and protection.
“I will crush all your bones if you don’t obey me, Eluvene! The pain you will feel will be like nothing you’ve ever experienced so far,” the Dark Master kept threatening her.
She trembled in his arms as the Dark Master’s voice drowned any other sound in the tower. It was the first time Milton saw her scared. Even so, she didn’t stop the incantation.
Her steady voice was the only sound in the chamber.
Milton put a spell that blocked sounds around the chamber, not wanting Eluvene to lose her focus.
The magic of the tower fought hard against Eluvene’s Darkness. The tower’s power came from the suffering and the pain of all those who have been tortured and killed inside it. The stone wall vibrated with such intensity, Milton started to doubt they would destroy that place of evil.
Maybe if Eluvene would have been alone, she would have been defeated, but Milton fed her power with his mana. The heart of the tower bit by bit, started to weaken. The combined magic of the two mages was stronger than the evil that resided in the mists of Erylas.
As the power of the tower started to weaken, a few stone bricks started to fall around them, but Eluvene’s darkness protected them from any harm. His Fire wrapped around her Darkness, turning into that beautiful blue-purple fire Milton first saw in the swamp, when they made a grave for his beloved horse, Wind.
Time seemed to drag forever until Eluvene finished the incantation. The tower was still standing and it released a last loud groan before everything came to a halt.
Milton was afraid that Eluvene misspoke some word and she would have to have to start the incantation from the beginning when the floor beneath their feet started to shake violently.
A small invisible dome appeared around Eluvene and Milton, keeping them safe as the Black Tower crumpled to pieces around them, killing anyone inside.
An earthquake started no long after the tower was no more, destroying a great part of Erylas, throwing everything into chaos.
When all was over and the dust settled over the dilapidated buildings, Eluvene collapsed to her knees. She and Milton had survived, but destroying the tower had put a toll on her.
Milton helped Eluvene get back to her feet. She used so much of her magic, her entire body shook with exhaustion. Milton wrapped an arm around her shoulders, supporting her. She hesitated a few moments before leaning her head on him.
“We made it,” he said, not quite believing it himself. He pressed his lips to her temple. “You did it, you destroyed the tower.”
Eluvene looked around the remains of the tower. Under a pile of bricks an Orc laid unconscious.
“We need to get out here before the Orcs descend upon us,” Eluvene said, her voice laced with fatigue.
The sound of drums rose above Erylas.
Eluvene looked up at Milton. “It’s too late,” she whispered. “That is the battle sign of General Guag. They will find us in a matter of seconds.” Her eyes shone like two emeralds. “I want you to know that I l—”
Milton pressed his forefinger to her lips. “We will get out of here,” he promised her.
In her weakened state, Eluvene couldn’t run so Milton lifted her up in his arms. She didn’t protest.
“How?” she asked.
“The catacombs.”
It was the only way to get out of Erylas without being caught by the Orcs.
The entrance to the catacombs was in the Royal Palace’s basement and by some miracle the palace was still standing. Milton went straight to it. Mercenaries and Orcs were inside and attacked him, but his and Eluvene’s magic was still tangled together, and the spells he cast with his last ounces of mana was enough to block the attack and allow him to reach the basement.
The mercenaries and the Orcs went after Milton and Eluvene.
The entrance to the catacombs was in a secluded place of the basement, where the light barely reached. The door Rhobart had broken on the night they rescued Ayla and Godefray from the tower was yet to be replaced. Milton entered the catacombs and prayed the Shadow Mage would let him and Eluvene pass.
The Shadow Mage materialized in front of Milton seconds after he stepped inside the resting place of kings and queens from other times. Better times. An ominous aura came from the guardian of that place. He wasn’t happy that his peace had been disturbed.
Growls and shouts came from behind Milton.
The Shadow Mage’s eyes glowed as he blocked Milton’s path.
“I don’t care what happens to me, but don’t harm her,” Milton pleaded the Shadow Mage.
It felt like a lifetime until the Shadow Mage moved to the side and let the two mages pass.
Milton rushed forward while the Shadow Mage attacked the Orcs and the mercenaries. Their screams of pain and fear echoed through the catacombs and reached the top floor of the palace.
The sun was high in the sky when Milton and Eluvene got out of the catacombs. They were near the grove with the cabin.
“You can put me down now,” Eluvene said and Milton did so.
“There’s a cabin nearby. We can spend the night there.”
Eluvene shook her head. “We are too close to Erylas. The Dark Master will send his minions after us. In a few hours, we will be dragged back to Erylas, to General Guag.”
Milton clenched his teeth. “We need to get to your wyvern.”
“That won’t be too difficult. Fluffy flew closer to Erylas while you were sleeping.”
Milton arched an eyebrow. “You mean recuperating after you tortured me for hours.”
“If you are waiting for me to beg for forgiveness, it won’t happen.”
A grin erupted on Milton’s face. “Oh, you will be begging pretty soon.”
Eluvene opened her mouth to protest but a roar from inside the forest.
“Fluffy is nearby,” she said.
**I will update in 2-3 days.**