The Demons of Rome

XXIII - My Bubble's Under Siege

There was no screaming, Max just looked down at the sword in horror. He slumped to his knees, the sword sliding out of him with a sickening, slithering sound.

Jalec calmly wiped the blood on a rag and sheathed it, standing back so that the boy wouldn't bleed on him.

Iatus let out a guttural scream of rage and began to crawl towards Max.

"Stop, Iatus," Urien said scornfully.

The pain was excruciating, like someone was pouring molten lead onto his arm but Iatus kept moving forward, getting to one knee and floundering, his body fighting him all the way, like someone had him tied to weights. Somehow he eventually managed to reach Max's side.

"Max!" he shouted.

"Help... me... Iatus..." Max gasped weakly.

"Stay with me Max!"

"Leave him, Iatus," Urien said coldly behind him.

His arm started to burn again and Iatus felt like he was being pulled away from Max by a team of oxen.

"No! I won't!" Iatus shouted, a tear streaking down the side of his face.

"You must obey me, the rune..."

"No!" Iatus shouted again, he glared at Urien and shouted the spellword for shield.

He poured as much mana as he could find into it, focussing on shaping it around Max and himself. The shield exploded outwards, sending a shockwave of air and dust outward in a great plume, Urien and Jalec were knocked back off their feet. Jalec let out a scream in surprise but Urien was too close and had the air driven out of him.

"Iatus... you... said... it... would... be... okay..." Max said painfully.

"It will, it will," Iatus reassured him.

"Impressive... for a boy," Urien said, getting to his feet.

Jalec too was getting up but he was backing fearfully away.

"Lower the shield," Urien said, his calm demeanour returning.

"Never," Iatus shouted defiantly, but he was fighting inside himself to keep his control.

He looked desperately about for anything that could save Max but there was nothing. Desperate he breathed "Erro," focusing it into a small beam of heat and light that scorched the ground around him. He hurriedly twisted on the spot, carving out a rough circle around himself.

"What are you doing boy? You can't stand inside a summoning circle."

Iatus hurried through a quick summons and then shouted at the top of his voice "Aelith," as if he was physically calling to him.

The mana drain was intense, like nothing he had ever felt before, as if he were being ripped open from the inside but then there was a flash of lightning and a scream then Aelith was dragged into existence.

"Ow!" cried Aelith, bitterly. He was in the form of a squirrel, his cheeks puffed out and filled to bursting. When he saw Iatus its tiny mouth dropped open.

"Aelith, heal him!"

Aelith was still looking at him in confusion, "How did you do that? Do you have any IDEA how painful that summon was?"

"I don't know, heal him now!"

"It was like being dragged across a bed of nails... for an hour!"

"Aelith, he's dying, help him!"

Aelith looked at Max and scowled, "I'm not a healer, I can't do that."