Radiance - The Alight Archives Book #1

40. Hollow Halls

Like helpless goblins in a forest wafting with heavy smoke, Todd and his pair of sulmo friends trembled as Kliff Dresden approached them all, relishing his victory with a hostile look and a grimace contorting his face. They'd been very vocal about their vitriol towards Custas, and Elaine didn't reckon they were any more fans of Kliff, now more than ever. But even they had to recognize when they were bested in battle.

Shaking his head, Todd climbed to a wobbling crouch, spitting a ball of something red out of his mouth. It still shocked Elaine that Kliff's last spell hadn't burned them to death. That explosion, its shockwaves alone were enough to send a full-grown man to the ground, and the intense heat could only be matched by the scorching temperatures of Krag Volcano. And yet they were still breathing? It wasn't that Elaine wanted them off in the Eternal Gardens; more so, she was perplexed at how any person could survive such destruction.

At the end of the day, though sorcerers were capable of harnessing Essence and casting magic, they were still fundamentally human. They could still bleed out from a bullet wound or fall ill from a common virus or break when pressure overpowered the density of bone. So how was it that the battered group covered in burn marks and dressed in now-torn clothing managed to avoid death's cold touch? Unless Kliff's spell wasn't as powerful as it was otherwise advertised, but if that truly was the case, then...

"Okay, man! Okay! You've made your point! You win!" Roash whimpered, holding up his hands as he sat on the floor.

"No more, we surrender!" Almon grunted, nodding his head frantically. "We won't fight anymore! Just let us go!"

Kliff scoffed. "What? You're joking. After all that talk of you being the strongest and demanding respect, you'd just so easily plead mercy and hightail it out of here?" Kliff glanced back at them. "See, you guys? They were never a threat to you; they're hardly a threat to anyone. Nobles like these only act tough when they know, or rather, when they think they can actually win. When the world is theirs to mold, they'll warp it into their personal playground. If not, well, you've seen the results, haven't you."

"Bastard!" Todd scowled, slamming a fist onto the ground. "You think I'm going to let this go?! Once I'm back on campus, I'll tell the Gray Cloaks what has happened here! By tomorrow's end, all four of you will be expelled. You hear me? I'll see to it that none of you ever hold a wand again!"

"Oh, really?" Kliff said, and his leer silenced whatever else Todd had to say, the boy clamping his mouth shut and looking away with a strained expression. "I've listened to your endless rabble for quite a while; now, you're going to listen to what I have to say. From here on out, none of you will ever come near Custas or Elaine or anybody in the Aire Club ever again. Take the fact that you can still speak as a kindness. Bother me again, and I promise you I'll demonstrate just how ferocious my fire can be. Do you get me?"

Todd didn't respond; whether it was due to his pride or the fear Kliff was instilling in him, Elaine couldn't decide. "Come on, man!" Almon urged, tugging him on the arm. "Let's get out of here. This guy isn't messing around."

Nostrils flaring, eyes watering, Todd gave a nod to Almon, and allowed for Roash to pull him to his feet. Without meeting Kliff's glare, the long-faced boy showed them his back with a spin and dashed for the mouth of the alley, Almon and Roash hurrying after him. "You'll pay for this!" Todd shouted, his chin slanting into his chest as he ran. "You haven't heard the last from us, Dresden! I'll make you regret the day you ever crossed paths with me!"

"Yeah, he's right!" called Roash from over his shoulder. "You four will get what's coming to you!"

"Once Big Bro Lukas hears about this, you'll be sorry!" Almon loudly added, nearly tripping over himself in the process.