The Marenon Chronicles Collection - By Jason D. Morrow Page 0,155

the blood flowing in his limbs again. “They came just a few hours ago asking where the Gatekeeper went. When I didn’t tell them, they tied me to the chair and left.”

Each of them brought their shirts up to cover their noses and mouths trying to breathe without sucking in too much smoke.

“We can’t try to get out the front,” Kaden said. “They’ll be ready and waiting for us.”

“Yes we can,” Inga said. “Follow me, I know what to do.”

“Can you use your magic?” Silas asked.

“I just got a weird feeling, Silas, I didn’t lose my abilities,” she retorted. All of them followed her down the stairs, mouths covered and weapons ready. On the way down, Silas’ staff instantly turned into a sword, readying him for the fight to come. The smoke was getting thicker and the fire throughout the rooms was growing, eating away at the wood and furniture. Whatever Inga had planned, she needed to do it fast because they would be dead in minutes.

She walked to the front of the house and stood near the door. Everyone now had to hold their breath, for even breathing through cloth burned their lungs. “Everyone stand back,” she said, and they complied by hunkering down to the floor several feet away from her.

She stood, gathering all of her magical strength, transfixed on the wall in front of her. A glowing red began to form around her, and for a slight moment, Silas thought she had caught fire, but this wasn’t the case. Her magic was beaming; pulsating through her body like it was ready to explode. Her teeth clenched tight and her eyes were unaffected by the smoke wafting past. With a loud scream, she released her energy on the door and wall in front of her and it exploded outward. Anyone who may have been waiting on the outside would now be ducking the debris from the explosion. Half of the house stood while the other half lay in pieces on the ground.

Each of them fled the burning house, weapons drawn and ready to fight. Enemies gathered themselves off the ground while some of the man-dogs lay injured with shrapnel wounds. Standing at the end of the yard was Judoc. Next to him was a person that made Silas’ stomach drop, and his heart beat faster with fear. The assassin. He stood with his left arm bandaged, a wound given to him by Silas the day before.

“I didn’t imagine we’d be able to keep you out,” Judoc said. “It’s why I came prepared.”

The assassin held up his bow and arrow and shot directly at Silas, but Inga’s quick thinking placed the green shield around all of them, deflecting the arrow.

“You can’t keep the shield around you forever,” Judoc said.

“You’re right,” Inga answered. The green shield instantly turned into a bright red fireball in her hands and she shot it straight at the assassin, landing it on his left side, setting the bandaged wound on fire. The masked man shouted out in pain as he tried to extinguish the flames. Judoc yelled for his minions to charge, and the group was instantly attacked on all sides. They were outnumbered heavily, but their fighting skills far surpassed the vicious dogs. Lorcan slashed through two of them at once, sending them to the ground. Silas and Kaden had their own hands full trying to keep the dogs off of Jessup. Two ran to Silas’ right and he stepped over to confront them. As he was about to swing his sword, it abruptly turned into a bow and arrow. Frustration and anger came over him as he was about to make the kill, but when he turned he saw the assassin taking aim at Inga who had her back turned, electrocuting an attacker with her blazing magic.

“No!” He knelt to one knee as Kaden dispatched the dog-men Silas had meant to take down. He took careful aim at the assassin. Before the assassin released his arrow, Silas let his fly. He missed the assassin by a foot, but the distraction was enough to make the assassin’s shot toward Inga go wide. Silas leapt from his spot and charged after him, his staff turning from a bow to a sword. Their blades clashed and sparks flew. The assassin used only one arm to deflect Silas’ blows, but it was enough. He was a skilled fighter and would not be taken down easily. Even with one arm he was able to go on the offensive