Blood Oath (Book 2 of Alfireán age)

Supernova

Goosebumps formed on Dy'Ixion's skin as he watched the sun's radiance triple in brightness. Long, dark shadows stretched over the plaza, and motes of rocks and dust danced on the ground. Then the honey golden light suddenly blossomed into pure white, and the sun's shape twisted wildly as it began to collapse.

Something was wrong.

He had never seen an attack anything like this before, but every fiber of his being screamed in terror as his hairs stood on end. His sixth sense kicked in and he threw up his arm. Pouring his energy into a spell, he charged his shield, then cast it over himself just as the sun exploded.

The shield around the city shattered, and the entire horizon transformed into a wall of blazing light that raced down towards him like the judgment of God.

Instinctively, Dy'Ixion raised his hands to guard himself, and his breath caught in his lungs as he watched in disbelief and horror as the white light slammed into him and his army, evaporating all of his men in a single moment—their body's turning into ash and vanishing before his very eyes as the light consumed them.

***

Rays of light massaged Alf's face as he leaned backwards and basked in their warm glow. Letting the world around him fall away, he prayed as the stress from the last hour washed away. Then something tapped his back. Glancing backwards through the overpowering brightness, he could just make out the outline of Olivia pointing skywards. "Zaphaniea," she whispered then lapsed into unconscious, her arm falling to her side.

That's right, Alf startled. Olivia had fallen out of the sky after she'd cast the spell last time. He turned his head skyward and scanned the heavens, but only a blanket of pure white looked back at him. He knew she was somewhere directly above them, but he had no clue where, and while Olivia had had the strength to keep aloft until the spell had run its course, he doubted the grand champion did.

"Use a shield as a slide," a bell-like voice said off to his left, somewhere in the endless white.

Of course, he thought as he flung his hands out and channeled a funnel-shaped shield high into the sky. Seconds later, the sound of wings rustling reached his ears and the shield vibrated as something landed on it. A tangle of white wings and red hair slid down the length of the shield and landed at his feet. Emerging from the light, the outline of one of the maids rushed to his side and carefully untangled the champion as her wings faded away.

"We beat them!" the prince shouted triumphantly, his voice coming from off in the distance where Alf had last seen their attackers. "They are nothing but piles of ash."

Alf's heart swelled within him. They had won, he thought as he turned his head towards the heavens and said, "Thank you, Jesus."

***

A crack ran the length of Dy'Ixion's shield, and he pressed his hand against it, channeling energy into the red barrier for all he was worth. Then another crack appeared, and a shaft of light bore threw, cutting a deep gauge in his side. He screamed in pain and pushed his whole body against the shield. Hate and anger boiled off him in waves; he ground his teeth and strained his muscles to their limit as he poured every last bit of his energy into the shield.

He would not die here!

Not when he was so close to his revenge.

NO! Never!!

The endless eternity of white emptiness pounded at him, every now and then breaking through his barrier and cutting into him, but he could not, and would not, yield to it. He fought it with every fiber of his being, even taking some of his own life energy and feeding it into his ever- hungry shield, until, at last, the glow subsided.