Blackness enveloped her.
Tobias lost himself in the torrent of the Eye’s magic. His mind felt like it would explode as the Eye drew every ounce of power out of him. His skin felt like it was turning to ash. He was certain it was peeling away red and burned. Magic flooded through him like a raging river threatening to sweep him away. He had never felt so connected to the Eye. He prayed his son would find a love as special as his mother.
In that final moment he had an epiphany, a realization, of what the Eye truly was. His eyes shot open, surprised. In that instant, before he died, he saw the Eye glowing blue.
The Heart erupted in a blinding flash of light. The Fist was decimated, but it had taken most of the mercenaries with it. The men raging against the shield were not as lucky as their fallen comrades. The Eye released its fury, a bluish-white ring of fire streaking across the Heart of the forest. The unearthly flames sought them out, consuming them all. Some rolled on the ground, but snow did nothing to extinguish the Eye’s wrath.
***
The trees at the fringes of the Heart were now splintered kindling. Treylan grimaced at the jagged and torn tree trunks. The crunching sound of snow was the only sound as his horse walked into the field of carnage. He had expected to watch a grand battle, “epic” the stories might say. He never imagined his brother would decimate the entire army. Cutthroats as they were, ten thousand men was no small force. All the better, though. Loose tongues were always a danger, not to mention the coin saved. He would command all of Shaladon soon so what did a minor force of paid thugs matter? His personal guard of a hundred followed behind him, a mixture of awe and fear showing on their faces. A few tried to ignore the destruction and charred remains littering the ground as they made their way to the lone red carriage.
Treylan looked at the carriage with contempt. Thin curls of smoke wisped skyward from its singed frame. The door swayed with a gust of wind, revealing the baby lying on the floor. Next to one another on the ground, Tobias and Magdalene looked like they were sleeping. He hated them more for the peaceful look on their faces.
Dismounting, he searched the Heart for any sign of life and found none. No movement, no moaning of the wounded. Ten thousand men!
The baby giggled behind him. It sounded like mockery. Enraged, Treylan grabbed the Sword. Without the gift of magic within him, it was simply a blade. Seemed only fitting to kill the son of Tobias with his almighty sword. With a yell, he brought the Sword down on the child.
The Heart erupted again in a blinding flash of white-hot light destroying every man in Treylan’s guard, leaving no trace they ever existed.
***
As the sun set behind the forest trees, quiet fell on the Heart. A lone figure, shrouded in shadows, viewed the open expanse. He had no desire to get close to the Eye. From the cover of the trees, he looked for any sign of movement. He saw none. A muscle in his jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth, anger seething. Treylan was supposed to retrieve the Sword so they could hide it. With the Keeper dead and the Eye lost, Shaladon would look to someone they could identify with, someone who reminded them of their beloved king. Who better than the king’s own brother? Manipulating the people from the shadows would be simple as they sought hope and security, clamoring to make sense of their great loss. Once he had Treylan on the throne, he could quietly make changes.
The Wizard’s Order would, of course, stand in the way, but there were divisions within their ranks and some already moved when he pulled their strings. A few accidents—starting with a particularly nasty one for Maximillian—and the problem could easily be remedied. A few short years and no one would be left to stop him from ripping open the well of magic Dalarhan stood on. Treylan had been rash, though, and one foolish act too many now
Tobias lost himself in the torrent of the Eye’s magic. His mind felt like it would explode as the Eye drew every ounce of power out of him. His skin felt like it was turning to ash. He was certain it was peeling away red and burned. Magic flooded through him like a raging river threatening to sweep him away. He had never felt so connected to the Eye. He prayed his son would find a love as special as his mother.
In that final moment he had an epiphany, a realization, of what the Eye truly was. His eyes shot open, surprised. In that instant, before he died, he saw the Eye glowing blue.
The Heart erupted in a blinding flash of light. The Fist was decimated, but it had taken most of the mercenaries with it. The men raging against the shield were not as lucky as their fallen comrades. The Eye released its fury, a bluish-white ring of fire streaking across the Heart of the forest. The unearthly flames sought them out, consuming them all. Some rolled on the ground, but snow did nothing to extinguish the Eye’s wrath.
***
The trees at the fringes of the Heart were now splintered kindling. Treylan grimaced at the jagged and torn tree trunks. The crunching sound of snow was the only sound as his horse walked into the field of carnage. He had expected to watch a grand battle, “epic” the stories might say. He never imagined his brother would decimate the entire army. Cutthroats as they were, ten thousand men was no small force. All the better, though. Loose tongues were always a danger, not to mention the coin saved. He would command all of Shaladon soon so what did a minor force of paid thugs matter? His personal guard of a hundred followed behind him, a mixture of awe and fear showing on their faces. A few tried to ignore the destruction and charred remains littering the ground as they made their way to the lone red carriage.
Treylan looked at the carriage with contempt. Thin curls of smoke wisped skyward from its singed frame. The door swayed with a gust of wind, revealing the baby lying on the floor. Next to one another on the ground, Tobias and Magdalene looked like they were sleeping. He hated them more for the peaceful look on their faces.
Dismounting, he searched the Heart for any sign of life and found none. No movement, no moaning of the wounded. Ten thousand men!
The baby giggled behind him. It sounded like mockery. Enraged, Treylan grabbed the Sword. Without the gift of magic within him, it was simply a blade. Seemed only fitting to kill the son of Tobias with his almighty sword. With a yell, he brought the Sword down on the child.
The Heart erupted again in a blinding flash of white-hot light destroying every man in Treylan’s guard, leaving no trace they ever existed.
***
As the sun set behind the forest trees, quiet fell on the Heart. A lone figure, shrouded in shadows, viewed the open expanse. He had no desire to get close to the Eye. From the cover of the trees, he looked for any sign of movement. He saw none. A muscle in his jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth, anger seething. Treylan was supposed to retrieve the Sword so they could hide it. With the Keeper dead and the Eye lost, Shaladon would look to someone they could identify with, someone who reminded them of their beloved king. Who better than the king’s own brother? Manipulating the people from the shadows would be simple as they sought hope and security, clamoring to make sense of their great loss. Once he had Treylan on the throne, he could quietly make changes.
The Wizard’s Order would, of course, stand in the way, but there were divisions within their ranks and some already moved when he pulled their strings. A few accidents—starting with a particularly nasty one for Maximillian—and the problem could easily be remedied. A few short years and no one would be left to stop him from ripping open the well of magic Dalarhan stood on. Treylan had been rash, though, and one foolish act too many now
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