The Call of the Beachwick

Chapter 22: Queen Xara

"What do we have here?" Xara said through a toothy grin. "Lia, handed to me on a stone platter? Wrap her up in a bow and she's almost the perfect gift. You all really shouldn't have."

Aurelia looked from Xara to Kesi to find the latter of which had retreated into Eliza's arms, confusion written on her face. There was a protectiveness in the way Eliza held Kesi that gave her pause, but at the moment her mind was working on the more pressing matter of Xara's sudden arrival. She was confused that Xara had not only once more found the mask, but had managed to track her down in the first place. In her confusion, she started to feel afraid. As best as she could, she maneuvered her wrist to rub the rope tied to it against the edge of the stone.

"Leave demon, or I'll have you destroyed," shouted the Teacher. Aurelia didn't bother looking up, too focused in her own task, but if the Teacher was going to stall Xara on her behalf, she was more than welcome to let him do it.

"Aww, poor little elf has come out to play after all these completions? Maybe you're still hoping the goddess you serve is still alive in the celestial realm. If your still alive why not she? I bet that makes sense in your feeble little mind. Maybe that's because your dead goddess gifted you some divine intervention. If you think you're man enough; try me. But there is just one little thing..."

"What's that demon?"

"Your goddess has no power."

Aurelia turned and watched as Xara twirled her hands in rhythmic fashion. With a sudden flourish, she unleashed the pent-up energy in a bolt of crackling lighting, a vivid purple arc streaking through the air with deadly precision. Turning back the other way, she could see its searing brilliance casting harsh shadows across the chamber as the bolt hurtled towards the Teacher.

In a desperate attempt to evade the oncoming strike, the elf managed to lurch from his marble throne, narrowly avoiding the bolt, but collided with a young female halfling beside him. The lightning struck the marble with a deafening crash, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Aurelia instinctively closed her eyes, bracing herself against the blast. When she cautiously opened them again, she found a marble shard about the size of her fist lying within reach. Greedily, she seized it.

"You have the Goddess's power?" asked the Teacher stumbling to his feet.

"I have my own power!" sneered Xara. "Your goddess died when magic died. Here and now this magic is mine."

"I demand you give it to me. Give it to me now!"

With the shard, Aurelia finally freed her bindings letting the marble fall to the floor. When she was done, she reached for one of the daggers behind her with a fluid motion, grateful none of the youth were clever enough to have noticed them in the first place. She had just about broken the binding on her hooves when she caught Xara casting a second spell out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, if you insist," said Xara. This time, she didn't miss. Aurelia observed with a mixture of shock and grim satisfaction as the lightning struck the Teacher square in the chest, propelling his body across the chamber with a force that reverberated through the temple. He collided with the back wall, the impact causing the ancient stone to crack under the force of the blow. Aurelia winced at what she perceived to be the sickening sound of bones meeting unforgiving rock. The elf slumped against the wall.. His eyes, once filled with arrogance and disdain, now rolled back into his head, leaving only the whites visible. The acrid stench of burnt flesh filled the air, mingling with the metallic tang of blood, as wisps of smoke curled from his singed hair and blistered skin. The smell of it made her want to lose her breakfast and those in the room that didn't immediately scatter towards the exits did.