Cage

Five figures emerged through the rolling smoke.

Mariana walked at the centre, several paces ahead of the others. The four mages behind her spread out in two sloping wings, forming a sharp V across the battlefield as they advanced.

Mariana wore silver-and-black armour, her long red hair secured in a high ponytail. Several magical barriers shimmered around her body, appearing and disappearing like layers of transparent glass.

Boric walked behind her in heavy black armour, several jagged black stones floating around him in a slow orbit.

Near him stood Lola, a young woman with long purple hair, dressed in a metallic skirt and matching crop top. A shimmering barrier curved around her body like a transparent shell.

Craven followed in a worn cloak, her thin frame almost disappearing beneath it. Thick gold bangles covered both wrists while magical rings revolved around her, strands of white hair whipping around her face.

Zack wore green and black, his unruly black hair falling all the way to his waist. A halo of fire burned steadily around him, its glow flickering against the smoke-filled air.

Leo’s expression hardened.

So these were the mages they had been warned about.

Leo pulled his sword free.

“Not another step.”

He pulled his wand with his free hand.

A streak of electricity snapped towards Mariana.

One of the translucent barriers around her flashed into existence, catching the spell before it reached her. Electricity scattered across its surface in brilliant white veins.

Leo immediately swung his wand again. A second blast struck from the side, forcing another barrier into existence.

Mariana’s golden eyes narrowed.

Her wand moved.

Three violent gusts struck Leo almost simultaneously. The first tore the sword from his hand, the second lifted him from his feet, and the third hurled him across the battlefield.

Leo slammed into a stone wall.

Mariana lowered her wand and continued forward until a wall of magic materialised across her path, forcing her to stop. Grandmaster Erasmus stood beyond it with his wand raised, several of his mages spread out behind him.

“You will go no farther.”

Mariana studied the barrier, then Erasmus, and smiled. With a movement of her wand, the wind compressed until, for one strange second, the battlefield seemed almost silent.

Then the barrier buckled, cracks of magical light racing across its surface.

Erasmus’s eyes widened.

“Reinforce it!”

Several wands rose behind him as more magic poured into the barrier. Mariana pushed again, and the wall bowed towards them.

Something in the distance caught her attention.

Mariana looked beyond the barrier and saw a lone figure hovering high above the battlefield, little more than a dark silhouette through the smoke. The figure was moving towards her.

She narrowed her eyes, trying to make out who it was.

Across the battlefield, Sybill had already seen her. A genuine smile spread across her face at the sight of a real challenge after such a long time.

“Let the wardrobe change.”

Flick.

Silver light exploded around Sybill, swallowing her silhouette.

Her clothes disappeared beneath a brilliant suit of armour formed from shimmering silver magic, gold tracing its edges in delicate patterns. Metal swept over her legs in thigh-high armoured boots, while silver-and-gold protection curled halfway along her arms.

A crimson cape unfurled behind her, and a metallic band appeared across her forehead. Her long black hair turned silver, while the lavender vanished from her eyes, replaced by the glowing silver of polished moonlight.

Sybill threw her head back and laughed manically, just as Silhvester had in the novel they had read only days ago. The sound carried across the battlefield.

“Finally! The nemesis like the Fartiarty! The battle will be the legendary!”

◆ ◆ ◆

Sammy ducked as a sword whistled over his head, then barely blocked the next strike. The impact travelled straight through his arms and nearly knocked the sword from his hands.

He cursed under his breath. Everyone had told him not to merge in with the soldiers once the fighting began.

He really should have listened to them.

“I really should have listened to them.”

The soldier attacked again, but before Sammy could raise his sword, a shield slammed into the man from the side and sent him crashing to the ground.

Another enemy rushed forward, only for the armoured figure behind the shield to meet him head-on. He knocked the man’s sword aside, drove a heavy kick into his knee and sent him down with a strike from his shield.

Sammy stared. Whoever this man was, he was an absolute beast on the battlefield.

Then his voice thundered across the battlefield.

“Sammy! Shield up!”

Sammy’s eyes widened.

“Dad?”

Andrew knocked aside another sword.

“Things were getting quiet at the castle, so I decided to join the real battle. And on the subject of what you’re doing here, we’ll have a discussion later.”

Sammy’s stomach gave a turn.

◆ ◆ ◆

Mariana stared at the silver figure approaching across the battlefield, while Grandmaster Erasmus followed her gaze.

Erasmus raised his wand again, but Leo pushed himself away from the wall.

“No, Erasmus. Don’t engage.”

Erasmus looked towards him.

Leo nodded towards the silver figure approaching through the smoke.

“It’s time she takes over. We have other matters to take care of.”

Erasmus looked back towards Sybill. For one astonished second, he simply stared, silver light reflected in his eyes as his mouth slowly fell open.

“The Goddess…”

He swallowed.

“The Goddess has indeed come to assist us.”

Mariana’s attention shifted completely away from Erasmus.

“Boric! Craven! You go first!” Mariana shouted.

Boric stepped forward as the black stones around him began to spin faster, while Craven’s golden rings flared to life.

“Lola! Zack! With me. We help the army. They’re clearly struggling to maintain control.”

Mariana turned to leave, giving Sybill a single glance as her upper lip curled in disgust.

“All of you are the staying with me. Nobody will be allowed to do the leaving.”

Sybill lifted her wand, and several barriers appeared around them at once. One wall formed, then another behind it, then another, layer upon layer of shimmering magic merging and reinforcing each other until they seemed almost as solid as steel.

The walls rose high above the battlefield, curling towards one another across the top as the enormous shimmering cage formed around them.  

Mariana spun around, her translucent barriers sliding into place around her like overlapping sheets of glass as wind began to spiral around her feet.

Boric clenched his fists, and the jagged black stones orbiting him accelerated until they blurred around his heavy armour.

Lola’s transparent shell flared brilliantly around her body, its surface rippling as she raised both hands.

Craven spread her thin arms. The golden bangles around her wrists lifted one by one, while the magical rings surrounding her began to spin faster.

Zack’s halo erupted behind him, flames surging upwards until his long black hair whipped in the heat.

Five mages stood ready.

Before any of them could move, the last opening in the cage sealed shut.

They were trapped.

With Sybill.