Joshua grimaced as he stepped back from the crystal. He shouldn't have lost control so easily. The savod were a little stronger than he expected. For communal creatures, they still had some faint hint of individuality.

  It would have to be enough to delay her. He couldn't face all three at once, or at least it wouldn't be the most prudent course. The knight might have some moral objection. Richard and Logan would be able to see reason.

  Joshua turned and started toward the stairs. He would need to be ready for when they arrived. He summoned all the strength he could muster. He knew what his master would say; he knew that his master would be disappointed.

  That didn't matter. He knew what was coming. He knew what he had to do. He wouldn't let anyone stop him.

  Now, what to do until they arrived?

  The thought rang through his mind. Perhaps he should have come out with all the savod, and forced them all to capitulate. That wouldn't have been the best thing. Some might have survived to warn others. They might bring a greater force to stop him. He was sure he would win the battle, but every loss would make his plan weaker.

  The faint scattering sound of stone scratching stone brought his eyes forward. His guests were ready to be entertained.

  "I know you're there." Joshua's voice boomed. "Come out, I have no desire to harm either of you."

  "That's not very assuring, savod." It was Logan who spoke first.

  "There is no savod in control of me," Joshua said. "It is I who control the savod."

  "Don't be a fool." Richard stepped out of the shadows.

  There it was. The shock that covered his master's face bubbled in Joshua's soul. There was a faint tingling joy in it. Joshua forced back the smile that threatened to crack his face.

  "I'm not a fool," Joshua said.

  "Then step aside," Logan said. "Make the savod stand down and let us fix the seal."

  "The seal is still intact," Joshua said, waving his hand. "I merely circumvented it."

  "He's right," Richard said. "That's a gateway, built over the seal."

  His master started forward, but Joshua couldn't allow that. With a snap of his fingers, a shadow dropped from the ceiling and pierced the ground at Richard's feet. It wouldn't hurt Richard, but it would keep him at bay.

  "Step no closer," Joshua said.

  "We need to stop them now." Logan drew his sword. "Adrian's counting on us."

  "Hold your blade, Logan." Joshua splayed out his hands. "We do not have to fight. I am here to tell you that the savod are no longer a threat. They are under my complete control."

  “I don’t believe you,” Logan said. “The last time we spoke you were completely under that thing’s control.”

  “If the savod was still in control, a thousand more would pour from the portal and tear you to pieces,” Joshua said. “I could do that as well, but I won’t. I need to speak with you both, right now.”

  “About what?” Logan asked.

  “About the future of Nelim,” Joshua said, setting his staff against the stone with a final knock. “About the fire that’s coming and what we must do to stop it.”

  Logan and Richard exchanged a confused look, and Joshua smiled. How easy it must be to live in that ignorance. Their choice was simple, stop the savod and stop the plague. Stop the savod and stop their takeover.

  “I speak of Sarrack.” Joshua waved his arm in the air and summoned the image of the fiery god.

  Logan stepped back defensively and Richard’s eyes hastily searched the image. It was a good replica, though it wasn’t nearly as fearsome as Joshua remembered. Nothing could replace the savod’s fear in his mind at that time.

  “This is why the savod came to Nelim. They were running from Sarrack,” Joshua said. “They would have taken anywhere to get away from his wrath, but they were lucky in this one case. They came across Nelim, a world completely unlike their own.

  “There is little diversity on the savod’s home world. They are large and small, but they have no need to be much else. They feed on the omena present in their world, they do not need to hunt or make war. Because of this, they knew no poverty, no disease, no hunger, and no desire. Individuals were immortal thanks to their combined minds.

  “That is why they were so intrigued when they came to Nelim. They found a world that was not as integrated with magic as their own, but one shaped by mortal conflict into a myriad of forms. While we may not have the same understanding of magic as they do, we have something they lack.”

  “What’s that?” Richard asked.

  “Potential.” Joshua smiled. “The diversity in our magic is just what they need. Together we can stand against Sarrack. They lost because they had no means available, but our magic will give them that means. In exchange, they will give us their experience.”

  “At what cost?” Logan demanded. “I doubt that they are ready to come in peace. They sought to control us, not to cooperate.”

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  “There is some truth in that,” Joshua said. “Their mind, before I took control, knew that we were not ready for the…symbiotic relationship they would offer us. They tried to come in force before, but that led to their defeat.”

  “So, we’re to help you release them, and then take over all of Nelim and turn them into dark abominations?” Logan asked.

  “Releasing the seal would help us in more ways than one,” Joshua said. “The amount of power that the sylvestrians tied into this seal acts like a stranglehold on the ley lines of omena that flow across Nelim. All of them are tied to this one point; and they feed the seal to keep it strong.”

  “Then if we were to release it,” Richard said.

  “Mages would again be as strong as they once were. We would be more powerful than anyone could imagine. We wouldn’t need runes to draw the elements from the ley lines.” Joshua smiled. “The power of the savod does this for me already; I can draw out the most pure forms of omena from anything.”

  “That crystal.” Richard pointed at the opaque crystal floating behind Joshua.

  “It is the solidification of all the savod’s gathered omena, all that’s left of their life force from their home world.” Joshua nodded. “I am using its power to draw them through the gate. I couldn’t do it with Nelim’s latent magic alone.”

  A chill ran down Joshua's spine. He had made a mistake there. He should not have said that. Until he released the seal, the crystal was his weakness. Without it, unless he absorbed it back into his body, the power would scatter.

  “You can’t bring out any more savod,” Logan said. “You’re keeping them here with that crystal. If it’s destroyed, then the savod won’t be able to stay here.”

  Joshua wanted to curse.

  “You’re missing the point,” Joshua said. “I’m telling you that there is something worse than the savod coming to Nelim. It would reduce everything to ash. We must be ready to stop it, and the savod are the answer.”

  They exchanged another look, but they weren’t going to cooperate with him. Joshua’s heart raced in his chest. He would need to act soon if he wanted to be able to defeat both of them. They knew his weakness. He couldn’t let them attack the crystal.

  “No,” Logan said.

  “A pity,” Joshua said.

  With a snap of his fingers, a hundred points of darkness struck out. They threw Logan back into the hard wall with a sharp smack. With one move, it was just he and his master left in the fight. Joshua smiled to himself.

  “I was worried about you,” Richard said. “After I warned the Tower I came after you.”

  “Why?” Joshua scoffed, pointing to his face. “I can’t return to the Tower like this. I can’t be your apprentice any longer.”

  “You’re right in that,” Richard said. “You really can’t be my apprentice any longer, but it’s not because this magic has tainted you.”

  “Then why?” Joshua asked.

  “Because you gave into it.” Fire and ice formed in Richard’s palm. “You’ve let the power consume you. You aren’t any apprentice of mine.”

  “Oh?” Joshua said. “What are you going to do with me then?”

  “I will destroy you,” Richard said.

  The air froze with the words. Joshua didn’t even have time to see the ice shards. Like a thousand tiny daggers thrown at once, they pierced him. Joshua smiled. The sharp cold pain matched the ache of his heart.

  But, it wouldn’t kill him. He was no longer just a man.

  “This is what I abandoned,” Joshua said, brushing off the shards with a slight wave of his dark hand. “Your power is nothing, Richard. Let me show you what real power is.”

  The two claws erupted from the ground with just a thought. Joshua did not need to draw up power like Richard, it burned within him. His master was cunning. A shard of stone rammed into his claws, knocking them aside.

  A sharp blade cut deep into Joshua’s face. He didn’t see it, but that was because there was nothing to see. It was a blade made out of focused air, one of the most deadly elements that a mage could use.

  Dark black blood spilled out from his cheek. Joshua didn’t reach a hand up. The blood would seal itself, it would replace it with something much stronger than skin. All Richard did was bleed his weakness away.

  “I’m sorry, master,” Joshua said.

  From all around him, the arms shot out. This time there would be no escaping. They closed in on Richard and took hold of his arms and legs. The claws bit deep and drew blood. There would be no guilt.

  He had to do it.

  “I take no joy in this,” Joshua said, a sharp shard of magic forming in his hand. “You should die by my hand.”

  “Then come for it.” There was a smirk on Richard’s face.

  Joshua didn’t understand it. Surely, it was over. He had won. All he had to do was step forward and stab once, right into the man’s heart. Then it would be over. His master would be no more, and he would be free.

  The pressure of the air changed ever so slightly as he stepped before his master. Joshua didn’t see it coming in time. How could he have expected it? A stream of fire exploded from his master’s mouth, and ignited the air around him.

  It burned.

  Joshua’s skin was alight. All that the darkness didn’t cover succumbed to that flame. The force threw Joshua back and to the ground. He rolled in anguish as the flames raced across the robes.

  It was such a stupid trick. He cursed. It wouldn’t be enough to kill him. He should have known that his master would try it. He should have just killed him with the claws. Joshua jumped back to his feet and faced Richard.

  “You will pay dearly for that,” he said as he summoned a multitude of long sharp lines of dark around him. “I won’t let you do that again.”

  “Once was enough.” Richard laughed.

  “I hope it was worth this pain,” Joshua said as he sent the darkness streaking forth.

  He closed his eyes to it. Even though he had come so far, he couldn’t watch it happen. Richard was the one person who had cared for him. Richard was the one who had taught him everything he knew about magic.

  There was no sound of flesh pierced through. Only the clatter of a blade against hard magic rang out. Joshua opened his eyes quickly, and grimaced. He had taken too long to defeat Richard. Now there was another player.

  The shards of darkness fell to the ground around Logan where he knelt in front of Richard. His sword had cut a nearly perfect circle at the center of the attack. The dark glow of magic hung about him.

  “We’re ending this now, Joshua,” Logan said. “It’s my fault for letting the savod take you. It’s my responsibility to end you.”

  Adrian yelled his battle cry as the savod swarmed around him. The enchanted sword gleamed in his hand as he struck down at the rampaging beasts with every opportunity. All around him, his men cried out. Many, he knew, would not walk away from this battle.

  “Regroup!” he yelled, throwing out another lit black metal ball into the middle of the road that the savod streamed in from.

  His men fought their way toward him as another explosion ripped through the air. The savod shuddered collectively under the force. The sarpan’s black powder was good for one thing, even if it didn't always hit the right target.

  His men formed around him, all swords, maces, axes and shields. The runes on each burned a deep sharp red. The familiar smell of a blacksmith's forge burned in Adrian's nose. He missed Faye so much.

  “Draw them to the wall!” Adrian yelled again.

  They had to keep near the wall. It would be the only way to reduce their risk. They weren't fighting to win. Truly, they could not win against the odds. They were just the distraction, not the main force.

  “Fine day for a fight,” Van said beside him, drawing his sword from a savod's head with a trail of black blood.

  “We'll have to retreat behind the walls soon,” Adrian said, surveying the dark wave that tried to encircle them.

  “Then right back in?” Van asked.

  “We have to keep these monsters busy.” Adrian nodded. “Then we have to get those idiots out once they're done. I don't fancy dying until then.”