Chapter 62 THE SORCERER WHO WOULD NOT FALL
Xyra felt something wet drip onto her clothing and sink in through the fabric. She wasn't sure what it was. Curious, she opened her eyes, but what she saw made her heart stop. Magnus was still there, kneeling protectively over her. His jade eyes were filled with an unspeakable pain, his mouth opened in shock. She knew why too. The liquid that had dripped onto her clothes was blood, and it belonged to Magnus. Protruding from his stomach was the end of the khukuri…her khukuri.
The demon that had run her sword through Magnus was standing over them, smirking in triumph. It slowly and painfully pulled the blade from the boy's body, and this time Magnus cried out. A huge hole had been left in his chest, blood flowing freely from it, staining his white robes a dark crimson.
"Magnus…" Xyra whispered, shocked, still having a hold of her mind. It wasn't until he collapsed onto her chest that she was snapped out of it. "Magnus!" She sat up and rolled him onto his back, bending over him. She wasn't paying the ogre any attention, and it was getting ready to bring the sword down again. It never got the chance though. Darren came up behind it and ran his sword through the demon. He then flung it to the ground, grabbed the khukuri, and went to Magnus and Xyra. He fell to his knees next to the sorcerer.
"Magnus," he called seriously. However, Magnus wasn't paying attention. Instead, he brought his arms up and placed his palms over the wound in his chest. He pressed down, blood gushing onto his hands, but he didn't care right now. He muttered something softly, and they began to glow. He was trying to heal himself.
Magnus cringed as the process began. This was going to take a while, but he wasn't sure if he had the strength left to do it. He could already feel his hands slipping from the wound. He wasn't going to be able to focus on this. His hands suddenly stopped moving, another pair holding them in place. Xyra had grabbed them, now helping him push down on the wound. She didn't seem to care that her own were getting bloody. She was focusing only on him. It wasn't enough though. The hole wasn't closing fast enough.
"Darren," said Xyra, quickly getting the hunter's attention. "Hold his hands in place." The hunter listened, taking Xyra's place for a moment. The thief looked over Magnus, trying to find any sign of the healing talisman on him. She noticed a small pouch connected to a belt loop on the pants he was wearing. She removed it and opened it, and lo and behold, there were all seven talismans. Now the problem was finding the right one.
"Which one is the healing one?" she asked Darren, praying he would know. She had just seen it today, but all the talismans looked the same to her. She showed the bag to him as he looked over the tiny amplifiers.
"That one," he told her, motioning with his head. "The golden one with the clear stone." She quickly grabbed it and placed her hands over Darren's and Magnus's. The light began to glow brighter, and the healing process sped up. Soon enough, it began to fade, and when they all removed their hands, there was no sign of the wound at all.
"Magnus?" called Xyra gently. "Can you hear me?"
The sorcerer opened his eyes weakly and gave her a very shaky smile. There was exhaustion written all over him, but he forced himself to a sitting position and then slowly began to get back on his knees. He looked around a bit, something bothering him. Through that whole period of time, nothing had attacked. He now knew why. The dragons had formed a circle around that area. They were keeping the ogres from getting past them, but now that Magnus was healed, that wasn't one of their concerns. Some of the ogres were drawing closer.
"Here," said Darren, giving the khukuri back to Xyra. She looked at it sadly, at the red blood on it. She knew it was Magnus's, and it made her feel sick knowing that he had nearly been killed with her own blade. "I'm gonna head out. Take care."
Darren ran off, leaving the two of them alone. Magnus was finally getting to his feet, his legs shaking a bit, but he was standing. He began looking around a little more, wanting to get a feel for the battle. Right now, it seems evenly matched. Some of the dragons had been injured, but none had been lost yet. The corpses were all ogres. However, the battle wasn't really getting anywhere.
"I can end this," stated Magnus, drawing Xyra's attention. "There's one spell I can use, but I need some of the white stone from that room."
"What room?" she asked, although she had a feeling she already knew.
"The one with the markings. I need some of the petalite. Just a small piece will do."
"Okay." She began looking around for Xerxes. If she could find him, she could get some of that stone. Eventually, he came into sight. He was fighting off a few of the demons on his own. "Lord Xerxes!" she called, drawing his attention. "Come here!"
Without hesitating, he ran over, leaving his warriors to fight off the ogres. When he reached the two of them, he was surprised to see blood on their clothes. His face paled in worry.
"What happened?" he asked. "Are you hurt?"
"We're alright now," Xyra answered. "Listen. We need a piece of petalite."
"What for?"
"A sealing," answered Magnus, having to take a deep breath to steady his body. "I just need a small piece. If you get me one, I can seal all of these demons."
"Are you sure?" He seemed skeptical, but that was only expected. Magnus looked ready to collapse, and he was speaking of casting a powerful sealing spell. If he pronounced even one word of the chant incorrectly, it could easily hurt him. However, their situation right now looked hopeless. More and more dragons were being injured. Their warriors were being thinned out. They would start getting killed pretty soon if something wasn't done.
"Please sir," begged Magnus, his eyes fully open and completely determined. "Let me do this."
"Very well." He reached around his neck and removed the pendant. In the center was a marble-sized piece of white petalite. "Is this enough?"
"That will do," said the sorcerer as he took it. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, concentrating on the spell he was going to cast. One wrong word, and he was history. He started chanting, going slowly to make sure that each syllable was pronounced accurately. As soon as he was done, he opened his eyes and held out the stone. He spread his legs a bit and braced himself for the impact of the spell. "… Scutum praemium."
A huge wind suddenly exploded within the valley, stopping everyone from what they were doing. The dragons all just stood there as the demons began to get pulled towards Magnus. The ogres threw themselves onto the ground, trying to save themselves by digging their claws into the dirt. However, it was to no avail. The vacuum force just began pulling at them harder, drawing them towards the piece of petalite. When they drew too close, their bodies compressed, and they were sucked in.
The dragons all stood by and watched the phenomenon take place. Every ogre was being sealed within a piece of stone. Magnus was really standing his ground too, fighting off the force of the winds and his own looming unconsciousness. His body was weak, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. He had to do it though. There were people depending on him. He had lives he was accountable for. He wasn't going to let a single one down.
Soon enough, all the ogres were gone from the valley, all sealed within the stone. The winds died down, soon nothing but a gentle breeze. That was it. The battle was finally over, and they had won. They all began cheering, dropping their swords and throwing their arms up into the air. Even Darren was partaking in the event, shouting and hooting right along with them.
Xyra just smiled at the surrounding group. They were all so happy and relieved. Their village was safe once again, and they hadn't lost a single person. The wounded were being treated, and the exhausted could finally rest. She turned her eyes to Magnus, a look of great admiration painted on her face. He really was something. Even after facing death, he was still standing.
"Magnus?" she called out, wanting to thank him and congratulate him. However, she received no response. Just like so many others who had been pushed to their limits, he had reached his. His eyes closed, and his body swayed, and before he could stop himself, he collapsed to the ground, finally allowing the darkness to take him.