the spell was so shocking that in its bloody aftermath no one moved for a second. Most of the soldiers were dead or dying, save for three who had been fortunate enough to be farther away. The crossbowmen were also unscathed, but as they registered what their eyes had just seen, they began backing away in fear, along with the surviving swordsmen.
Only the sorcerer seemed unfazed. He had been waiting, and now that his opponent’s magic was exhausted, he struck. Will saw raw power flowing from the elemental and into the bald man, then it emerged from his hands as a powerful blast of fire, which he hurled at Arrogan.
No! Desperate to help, Will opened the window and climbed out, though he knew by the time he could get to him, his grandfather would already be dead. When he looked up again, he was surprised to see his teacher still standing with swirling flows of incandescent fire circling him.
“Took you long enough, you craven bastard,” swore Arrogan. “You thought your men could take your lumps for you and then you’d step in and clean up afterward, didn’t you?”
The remaining soldiers routed, dropping their swords and running toward the road, followed closely by the crossbowmen. None of them made it. The flames surrounding Arrogan shot out in long streamers, roasting them each in turn.
Will wanted to cover his ears, for the screams of the burning men were too horrifying to bear. Unable to help himself, he watched as they fell to the ground, thrashing and rolling. It was almost a relief when the flames reached their lungs and silenced them.
The sorcerer stared at him, stunned by what had happened. “That’s not possible,” he muttered weakly. His eyes locked on Will’s grandfather. “Who are you?”
“I already told you, you demented, putrescent ass-pimple,” swore Arrogan, walking toward the man. He still held the sword he had taken from the first soldier, and he grinned as he showed it to the sorcerer. “They say fire is the worst way to die, but I think we should put it to the test. I’ll carve you up first, then burn what’s left. If I see you in hell later, be sure to let me know which was more painful.”
In a panic, the sorcerer called out to his elemental. The creature appeared then, finally visible to mundane eyes, a roaring bonfire of flames that reached almost ten feet into the air. It interposed itself between Arrogan and its master, but Will’s grandfather didn’t even flinch. He walked straight through the ravenous flames, ignoring them.
The sorcerer turned to run, but Arrogan leapt forward, stabbing the sword into the heavy man’s leg. His opponent fell, crying in pain. When he looked up at Arrogan, his terror was so great that Will thought the man might pass out, for his eyes were starting to roll back in his head.
The elemental turned and swept great fiery arms at Arrogan, but they fell apart as they passed through the space where he stood. Will could see the creature’s turyn dissolving every time it touched the old man. How is he doing that?
Bending down, his grandfather put one hand on the sorcerer’s chest. “Time to return what you’ve stolen.” The bald man squirmed, trying to push himself back and away with his one good leg, but Arrogan wasn’t having it. With his free hand he stabbed the sword into the sorcerer’s hip, just above the man’s good leg.
The sorcerer screamed, but when Will’s grandfather put his hand on the man’s chest again, his screaming changed, rising in pitch and fervor. Will saw something emerging, being pulled away as Arrogan tugged at the man’s source of turyn. When it finally came into view, he could see a complex, glowing knot of turyn. He had no idea what it was, but he could see a faint line of power stretching from it to the massive fire elemental.
Arrogan plucked at it with his fingers, unraveling it while the sorcerer begged and pled for mercy, weeping all the while. Will’s grandfather ignored him, and after a moment, the knot of magic dissolved. Then he stood and stepped away from his broken opponent. Looking at the elemental, he spoke directly to it. “You’ve suffered long enough, old friend.”
The elemental towered over the old man, unmoving. Will watched, fascinated, unsure what would happen, and then he was amazed to see the elemental bowing before his grandfather. After it straightened up again, it reached for the sorcerer.
The man’s screams cut