Chapter 36 FIRE AND DOUBT
Magnus sat in a small room in the castle, currently bored out of his mind. He was basically just waiting around. Reeve had brought him in, telling him they had something to show him. When he had said it had to do with the entire demon killing plan, he had eagerly followed. However, that had been some time ago. He had been waiting for what felt like forever. He wasn't sure if he could take much more of this.
A sigh escaped the sorcerer's lips as he decided to start thinking through his options for the battle. He had to come up with a spell that was effective yet not too big. He had to keep in mind that the arena was small and that the town was just outside of it. He couldn't endanger any of the townspeople. There has to be a spell that will work…
"We're ready!" exclaimed Reeve as he ran in from the door which joined this room with another. There was a large smile on the boy's face. "Just wait till you see her! It's amazing!"
"Her?" he asked curiously, but his question was soon answered. The door to the room opened again, and in walked Scarlette and Christian. However, his interest wasn't in them right now. Following the two of them was Xyra, and if he hadn't known that she was the only other female in the house, he wouldn't have been able to tell that it was her.
Everything from her head to her toe was different. Her hair had been trimmed up a bit so that it just brushed her shoulders, and it no longer hid in the ponytail she insisted on wearing so often. It really brought out her eyes now. They were an amazing shade of blue, and now they looked brighter than ever.
Magnus was sure that no one would ever be able to guess that this girl was a thief. She looked like a lady of class, possibly of royalty. Her dress just highlighted that fact more. She was in an elegant white and baby blue dress. It hugged her slim body but opened up when it reached her hips. The sleeves were long, reaching her wrists and then some. He was almost positive that this dress's purpose was to grab the attention of just about any man who saw it. He knew he was staring, his mouth slightly open in awe. It's not like he could help it. Despite being a composed, calm sorcerer, he was still a guy.
His eyes roamed just about every inch of the young thief, and he couldn't get over the fact that this really was Xyra. She was amazing, one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and during his travels, he had seen quite a few. Right now though, she topped them all.
"Amazing…" he whispered, his eyes finally reaching hers. She was most likely aware that he was staring, evident by the blush on her face. He just gave her a soft smile. "You look beautiful."
"Doesn't she?" added Christian. "Scarlette really outdid herself this time."
"Nonsense," Scarlette said as she looked at Xyra. "Miss Xyra is such a beautiful girl. It was rather easy to come up with this."
Xyra was blushing profusely now, so she lowered her head a bit to try and hide it. However, she couldn't escape the eyes of her companion. He was still staring at her as if he had never seen a woman before. Despite his calm smile, his eyes still held a great deal of awe and shock. He was admiring her. It's not that she minded all that much, but it did feel rather strange. Just think if Darren were here… He'd really be laying it on thick.
"Everything's going according to plan," stated Magnus cheerily. "Now all I have to do is come up with a good spell, and we'll be able to put this into action."
"Um…" began Christian. "Something I heard…about demons. I'm not sure if this will matter much, but they wear armor…"
"Armor?" Magnus questioned. That was something he had never heard of before.
"I think they said it's made from dragon scales."
Apparently he had said something wrong, because the second those words left his mouth, Magnus's eyes widened in shock. It didn't last long though. Instead, he whined a bit and leaned back on the couch, his neck being supported by the back.
"No…" he complained. "Why that? Why did it have to be dragon scales…?"
"What's wrong?" asked Reeve, not quite understanding why Magnus looked so bummed out. The sorcerer had been in such a good mood only moments ago.
"Stupid demons…" he muttered. "Stupid magic-resistant dragons…"
"What's wrong?" Scarlette asked, looking to Xyra for an answer.
"Well…" the young thief began. "Dragons are anti-magic beings. Only incredibly powerful spells work on them. If the demons have dragon scale armor, then only the most powerful spells will be able to kill them."
"This is just my luck," Magnus grumbled. "Nothing ever works out for me."
"Why not use an Umbra Mortis like last time?" The question had come out so casually, as if she considered that spell to be so incredibly simple. Magnus just glared at her a bit as he sat up a little.
"That spell only works every once in a while," he explained seriously. "It's a real gamble. If I had been interrupted, I could've destroyed far more than just that dragon. I won't use it again unless I'm sure I won't fail."
"Then what's left?" If he couldn't use an attack like that, then what other options did he have? He needed a powerful spell to kill a dragon, so he would need an equally powerful one to destroy a demon in dragon armor.
"I guess…the best way would be to use an Incineration, but that one's really risky too."
"So you're saying you can't do it?" questioned Christian.
"Not at all. I'm just saying that I'll need complete concentration. Absolutely nothing can go wrong, or I could end up losing control. You see, an Incineration is one of the strongest spells in fire magic. Casting it can easily kill a sorcerer, but that's only if they don't know how to use it properly. However, it will always be risky, because if cast without the proper control…it could destroy the entire town."
No one said anything about that. The severity of his voice had been more than enough to halt the conversation. Their rather simple extermination plan had just taken a completely new, highly dangerous step. Nothing was going to be allowed to go wrong. It all had to work perfectly.
"Is there another spell?" asked Reeve softly. "There has to be another."
"We can't take any chances," Magnus stated. "We have to finish them off quickly, or they will catch on. Besides, there isn't too much to worry about." A smile spread across the sorcerer's face. "I've cast it a ton of times before. I won't let you guys down. You'll just have to trust me on this, alright?"
Magnus stood up from his place on the couch and began heading for the door. He had a few things to take care of. He wanted to explore the arena to see just what kind of battlefield he was dealing with. He had to know the terrain so he could make sure he'd have the advantage. This extermination was slowly becoming so much more complicated. However, to him, it was all worth it. He'd do anything to get the talismans.
As he left the room, no one said anything. They were all too busy thinking over what he had said. They really didn't have any other option but to trust the young sorcerer. Hopefully, he really did know what he was doing. He had seemed confident enough.