slabs turned into pulverized sawdust, and the metallic hinges clattered to the floor like forgotten toys.
“MAYA!”
I froze in place, that voice hitting me with the force of a sledgehammer. Holding my breath, I turned to face the pulverized door and came face-to-face with the only man I had ever loved.
Soren.
He had come for me.
He rushed into the foyer like a charging bull, his visage that of a warrior. Instead of the lab coat I was so used to seeing him wear, he wore an armored chest plate, and the rest of his clothes seemed in line with what a Raider warrior would wear.
“Get the bastard!” I heard another voice say, and that’s when I saw Kain rush past Soren. Behind Kain came Rahl, and then an army of angry Raider soldiers flooded Praznoor’s palace with the implacable fury of a rising tide.
This wasn’t what we had planned, but I couldn’t care less. They were here, and that was all that mattered.
“No!” Praznoor bellowed, racing across the foyer. With frantic movements, he ripped a painting off the wall to reveal a hole behind it. There, fastened to hooks on the wall, was another scepter. It didn’t look as opulent as the one he usually carried around, but it seemed just as functional. “Who do you think you’re dealing with? I am Praznoor the Mighty, and I’ll crush you all under my heel!”
With a murderous expression, Praznoor waited until the Raider soldiers had him surrounded. A grin lit up his face and he spun on his heel, waving his scepter around. A cloud of green smoke spilled from the end of the scepter, and it started coalescing into a giant creature. Surprised, the Raider soldiers jumped back, clearly not comfortable with the sorcerous ways of Tracorox.
The smoke congealed into a monstrous beast that resembled the centipede-cab, except the legs on this one seemed to culminate in sharp talons, and its mandibles were as long and sharp as swords.
At first, I thought it was just an optical illusion, but as the creature whipped its tail against the soldiers, it quickly became apparent that it was a real threat. It hit one of the soldiers right in the chest, and it sent him flying across the foyer and against a wall.
“Step back,” Rahl cried out, reaching for the sash he carried around his waist. Stepping past the throng of astonished soldiers, he flicked his closed fist at the creature and threw a powder of herbs at the monster. With a groan, the creature started writhing on the ground, its physical form giving way to a fog-like appearance. In the blink of an eye, the creature disappeared, leaving nothing but its rancid smell behind.
“You Macronites,” Praznoor shouted, angrier than before. He brought his scepter up and conjured more of the creatures, their horrid shapes appearing out of thin air, but this time Kain and his soldiers were ready.
They stepped forward, battling the creatures with fearless cries. That afforded Praznoor a distraction, which he used to rush back toward the tunnels. Rahl wasn’t going to let it happen, though. He stepped in front of the sorcerer, and without a moment’s hesitation, he threw another dose of powdered herbs at Praznoor’s eyes.
I saw a blur of pale-gold rushing past Rahl, and my heart tightened as I realized that was Soren, his long hair whipping behind him as he hurried toward Praznoor. With a swift kick, he swept Praznoor’s legs out from under him and then brought his fist down onto the sorcerer's face.
Praznoor went down like a deflated balloon, and moving fast, Soren grabbed the scepter from his hands. Looking down at a bloodied Praznoor, he then brought the scepter down on his knee and broke it in half. The moment he did it, the monstrous creatures that crawled around the foyer started vanishing, their hideous groans filling the air.
“You’re done, Praznoor,” Soren growled. With a wave of his hands, the Raider soldiers closed in on Praznoor and pulled him to his feet.
I watched from a distance, my body still crumpled on the floor. I tried to rise to my feet, but the chains and manacles made it hard to move. I stumbled and fell, desperate to get to Soren, and that’s when he turned his attention to me. My heart almost stopped when our eyes met.
“Maya.” He rushed toward me and went down on one knee.
“Soren,” I breathed, closing the distance between us and laying my head against his chest, hardly able to believe he was