Book 2 Chapter 42

Torvus’s eyes shone dangerously as he listened and a cold look swept over his face. He raised his dagger pointing towards his old senior. “I’m going to kill you…” He said quietly as he launched himself forward. The figure didn’t reply as the men and women around him raised their crossbows, sights set on the targets before them.

“Idiot!” Tirr yelled catching the back of the young man's tunic and pulling strongly. The force threw the former assassin back, rolling across the ground next to Nerida and Maria as Tirr moved to the front.

Dozens of twangs sounded from the ring of assassins as crossbows fired one after another. The bolts flew with terrifying accuracy, screaming through the air as they shot remorselessly towards the child and his followers.

Tirr let out a curse and channeled his power once more. He held his hands out, his body glowing as the golden light rose around them once more. He felt his faith draining quickly as he expanded the shield into a shining dome, just in time to feel the impacts as the bolts shattered against the protective surface.

“You trying to get yourself killed?” Tirr asked through gritted teeth as he focused on maintaining the barrier. Torvus stood shakily, Breathing deeply as he calmed himself.

“Sorry… “ He muttered half-heartedly, still thinking about the taunts. I didn’t think they’d send him all the way out here…”

“Well, we can talk about that later. You spent forever on this plan so let’s stick to it! It's hard enough keeping this up without saving you from yourself…”

More bolts struck against the barrier as the watching assassins staggered their shots, keeping a constant stream of attacks flying towards the group. Others stood patiently, daggers drawn, ready to rush in and finish any survivors the moment the barrier broke.

Reynolds stood next to the white-masked figure, a smirk on his face as he watched the young god struggle to protect those behind him. He let out a laugh, one of his signature flares lighting in his hand. He tossed it casually towards the barrier and it exploded on contact, shaking the ground and sending dirt and smoke everywhere.

As he watched the smoke fade, the crossbows still firing, the haze disappeared revealing the young god once more. Sweat beaded his brow and his breath had quickened as he felt himself burn through the last of his reserves of faith, resorting to his body’s physical strength to keep the barrier going.

Tirr glared at the familiar man still smiling at him, memories of the battle at Road’s End coming to his mind. He resisted the urge to launch himself at the man in a fury, especially after having scolded Torvus for the same thing. “So this is where you ran off to scum.” He called out instead…

“Good to see you fake god, Been looking forward to running into you again. I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear I found somewhere my talents could be of further use. Been a while since I had so much fun burning down a village...”

Tirr’s teeth clenched as the reports of a flame wielder attacking villagers suddenly made sense. “You bastard…”

“It was all kind of empty though, as I could never forget the humiliation you gave me. When I heard I’d get the chance to pay you back I couldn’t resist…” Fire bloomed in the mercenaries as he launched another attack. It splashed against the shield and the still-standing Tirr.

“Just as impressive as before…” Reynolds called, smiling, “But I wonder how long you can last. “Flames blossomed like petals Reynolds threw another flare at the shield. The shield flared and shimmered at the impact and Tirr grunted. Maintaining such a larger barrier was taxing enough but with the constant drain of the crossbow fire and the explosive shock of each flare he was draining quickly.

“How much longer?” He called back towards Nerida, who was looking back over the burning fields behind them.

She stood still, searching the darkness for something before a small smile played over her lips. “They’re here…”

Reynolds was preparing to launch another flare at the wavering shield when he felt something cold strike his cheek. He lifted a hand just in time to feel the wet spot before it disappeared into steam. He looked up, confused, an action followed by many of the assassins around him.

Droplets of water came out of the dark empty sky, a rain that poured from nowhere as there weren’t any clouds in sight. Suddenly it grew heavier, sizzling as it struck the fires Reynolds started. He fought to keep them going as he cursed, looking up as he tried to find the source water’s when he saw a dark shape slowly revealing itself as it fell.

His eyes widened as the object reached the light of his flames. A chunk of ice, thicker than his fist, falling at breakneck speed as it sped down towards him.

“Careful!” The white-masked man yelled to his men. Giant hail crashed down mixed with the heavy rain. The hail smashed into the Assassin’s Guild’s men. Those with the shard flickered as they did their best to avoid the danger. Those without were too slow, the hail striking them with brutal force. Bones snapped and skulls dented as the ice crushed everything beneath its descent

“Prepare to fall back…” The white-mask ordered, yelling over the sounds of hail crashing.

“No!” Reynolds yelled, just moving out of the way of another block of ice, “We’re so close!”

“No, we aren’t…” The assassin started as he looked over towards where the intruders had been pinned down with a frown. Behind them had appeared a group dressed in blue robes and armor. A stream of water led the way as they pushed through the burning fields to arrive at the glowing barrier.

Tirr sighed as he let down the shield. The constant fire having been halted in the chaos caused by the rain and hail. The group’s leader bowed politely as she reached Nerida.

“I’m sorry for the delay Priestess, what are your orders?”