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Chapter 26: The Darkest Hour, Part 2
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2022-06-22 14:05:33Related chapters
The Darkest Hour Chapter 27
The passageway ran on for miles. For further that he could ever have imagined. Mile upon mile of scorched black rock marked his path and guided him on his way. The further he went, the hotter his path became as he neared the mountain's core.After a short while Varrus paused to catch his breath. He was breathing hard and his robes were drenched with sweat. He desperately searched his memory for the words to a spell of cooling. As he did so, an involuntary impulse ran through him and the words of a spell unknown to him appeared on the tip of his tongue.At once his body temperature cooled and his breathing slowed. Even now, in the depths of the world's greatest volcano, his master watched over him. He felt the pull of the star-god's magic stronger than ever. Despite his weariness, he was pulled deeper into the heart of the mountain."Not far to go now my servant."The pull of the star-god's magic became almost inexorable. Varrus wasn't even sure he still retained control of his le
Last Updated : 2022-06-22The Darkest Hour Chapter 28
"And so the light of the world goes out," Lena whispered. Beside her, Callum knelt weeping at the cliff edge. Standing a short distance behind her, Aaron was numb with shock."My sight," he murmured, "it's gone." Lena looked up to the heavens for some sign of hope but found none. Above them the thick black stain that covered the sun had grown to engulf the entire sun, casting their world in perpetual dusk. Not even she could find a glimmer of hope in this their darkest hour. She took Aaron by the hand and gave it a squeeze. She had to be strong now for all of them. Hers was the least burden to bear this dark day; the loss of her magic as nought compared to the loss of sight of he who was dearest to her, or the loss of a child, as Callum was now grieving. All their efforts it seemed, had come to nothing. And Varrus was gone. On the far side of the rapids, there wasn't so much as a trace of the dark mage who had vanished the moment his task was complete. Lena knew there was m
Last Updated : 2022-06-22The Darkest Hour Chapter 29
In his small office at the heart of the Wizards' Citadel, Elidor paced. Ever since Callum had left to rescue his daughter events on the 'Isle had gone from bad to worse. It had started not long after Callum first went away, when the residents of the 'Isle himself included had noticed a distinct change in the world of magic. Casting had become difficult, and required an extraordinary amount of extra focus just to produce the simplest of spells. Many of the less experienced magic users had lost the ability to cast completely. That was when the panic began.It started slowly at first, with just a few of the more senior mages coming to him and asking for his advice. They came one, or perhaps two at a time to his office, knocking politely and waiting for the previous occupants to finish their discussion before being ushered in by an aid to have him do his "uncertainty" speech all over again. It had been fine at first, but as rumour spread of the death of magic, or in some cases, the
Last Updated : 2022-06-22The Darkest Hour Chapter 30
Kiera watched as the young trooper stumbled his way to the door. She had been watching him for a while now and had already marked the group of sniggering fools who had spiked his drink. He was going to have a mighty headache come the morn that was for sure. She didn't envy anyone the task of reporting to the barracks the next day with a hangover like that. That was when the real initiation began.Kiera rubbed her hands together to try and get some warmth into her fingers. It sure was getting colder outside and to think it was Midsummer's day! Something was wrong, she knew that much. And it wasn't just the weather that was giving her cause for concern. For weeks now, she had been feeling "hollow" empty almost though at first she just put it down to home-sickness. It sure had been a long time since she had last been home, since she had last seen Callum and Phae.She was just about to rise and check on the sick trooper when some commotion from the central table set her senses on edge
Last Updated : 2022-06-22The Darkest Hour Chapter 31
Callum woke with a jolt. Someone was tapping him on the arm. He groaned as he turned to see Lena sitting beside him, looking at him, a concerned look etched upon her face."You're doing it again," she said softly. "You told me to wake you the next time you did."Callum looked down at his hands. Sparks arced between his fingers. He didn't even need to click his fingers anymore it was almost as if the sparks had a will of their own. He frowned. If only he could work out what was causing themJust then the cart hit a bump in the road and the two companions were jolted in their seat. From the back of the cart a familiar voice let out a loud curse. "Callum what did I tell you about your driving?!""Are you alright back there mister sleepy head?"Aaron felt his way cautiously towards the front. "I'll have you know Callum I thoroughly deserved the nap I was taking, and certainly didn't deserve to be woken so rudely by yourself!""Well it wasn't me this time," Callum retorted. "And to
Last Updated : 2022-06-22The Darkest Hour Chapter 32
Elidor arrived at the Citadel to find the interior almost as cold as it was outside. Without the luxury of magically-imbued heating elements the wizards staffing the building had built up small fires in many of the main communal areas of the complex, but his own chamber was clearly not one of them. He was pleased then to find a steaming cup of tea waiting for him on his desk. He was almost about to ask the young messenger to show their guest in, but then spotted her sitting comfortably behind his desk. Elidor didn't need foresight to know the face hidden under the cowl. He could recognise Freya anywhere.The Lintari stood as he entered, and vacated his seat. As she did, she allowed her hood to fall away to reveal a face that set the Seer's heart racing even now, over two decades since they had last met. She hadn't aged a day.She was stunning there could be no doubt. Yet despite her beauty, and despite her almost unrivalled talents, even for a member of the Lintari, her blue eye
Last Updated : 2022-06-22The Darkest Hour Chapter 33
Edwin exhaled deeply, his breath billowing in the biting cold. He put his axe down for a moment and risked a glance around him. Three days. Three whole days they'd been chopping firewood to feed the great fires that had been set up in the squares and assembly points in Lambros. Three whole days and still the sergeant hadn't explained why half of them were chopping firewood, while the other half had been set to law and order duties in the city. At least that was proper soldiering. Edwin sighed as he picked up his axe from the floor, dusted it of snow, and turned his attention back to the task at hand. All around him recruits strained and swore as even in its last gasps of life the giant leafy oak did its best to hamper its attackers.Leafy.It seemed strange to be turning an axe on a tree so abundantly full of life, still in its summer bloom; seemed strange to see snow covering fresh green leaves.Beside him a particularly vigorous soldier cursed loudly as he caught a splinter
Last Updated : 2022-06-22The Darkest Hour Chapter 34
The trawler rocked gently as cold winds buffeted it from the east. Though a passenger craft by trade, its rooms were instead filled with provisions crates of aid sent from the mainland to provide what meagre support they could for the residents of the ancient 'Isle. Aside from the small crew, the forlorn trawler carried only three passengers: two of whom stood out on deck, huddled together for warmth, lost in their own bleak thoughts.Though he was without sight, Aaron stared out into the distance, out into the impenetrable dark that marked the boundaries of his world. "A storm is coming." Beside him, Lena stirred. "What makes you say that?""You can't feel it?""I can't feel a thing," she replied. Aaron nodded and squeezed her hand a little tighter. It had been a stupid question. They had both been struggling of late, but these last few days Lena had been suffering particularly. She had always been so strong, but now, confronted by the absence of her gift the absence of her
Last Updated : 2022-06-22
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The Darkest Hour Chapter 50: Epilogue
It was over the demons were gone. An eerie silence fell upon the city. No one knew what to do. Some of the survivors broke down and wept while others embraced companions, or offered up a silent prayer for the departed. At some point during the battle he had lost sight of Lukas and they'd been separated. Though his mind was clouded he was sure he remembered seeing his friend wade into the thickest fighting, throwing himself mercilessly at the demon creatures during what they felt would surely be their final moments on the earth.Suddenly Edwin's eyes widened. As he started to sift through his memories, one image in particular stuck in his mind. Lukas had fallen!Edwin's heart started to race. He searched round desperately but couldn't recognise his friend's face amidst the countless bodies that filled the city streets. Just then a faint voice reached his ears."Edwin."Edwin looked round, anxiously scanning the bodies that lay on the floor. There amidst a pile of demon corpses
The Darkest Hour Chapter 49
Phae opened her eyes to find herself standing alone atop a cold stony precipice floating adrift in the dark desolate void. The realm she had entered was a mirror of the star-god's psyche a sort of "in between" where she knew their final confrontation would take place. Though there was no obvious sign of life she knew that somewhere amidst the darkness the evil one prepared for his final act. On this one rocky outcrop would be decided the fate of the world. For better or for worse she held the fate of everything dearest to her in her small, fragile hands. She inhaled deeply and felt the warmth of her new powers surge inside her. At that moment, something started to stir. Though she could not see it at first, a world was forming around her. From her rocky outcrop a bleak, barren plain surged into existence and stretched out as far as her eyes could see. She looked to the heavens as high above her stars burst into being and clouds swirled into life. Another moment later and the sta
The Darkest Hour Chapter 48
The moment had come. There, buried beneath a thick blanket of snow, the Heart called to her. She could already feel the subtle changes in the world around her as she approached. All she had to do was reach out and touch it... She had survived death and travelled hundreds of miles without food, water or barest idea of what her final task would be, or even who or what she was. It was all now so clear.She was unique in the world born of union between the two great forces of nature. If the earth were the body then magic was the blood; neither could exist without the other. It seemed fitting then that she should be the one to save them all seemed fitting that she should be the one to breathe life back into the old world and so right the wrongs of the past.She knew what she must do.Slowly, serenely, Phae floated to the ground, her bare, naked feet sinking into the soft white snow. She barely registered the cold her innate power kept her safe from harm.The earth called to her.
The Darkest Hour Chapter 47
Phae shivered. Strangely, it wasn't the cold that made her tremble; it was the chill of magic pulling at her soul. She had been travelling for over a week, floating as naked as the day she had been born, pulled by some strange force that whispered to her in her dreams comforted her and told her everything would be alright.Given all her experiences it seemed strange that she should trust the force now guiding her, but something about it just felt "right". Somewhere deep inside her soul, she recognised the voice that spoke to her. Some small seed, planted there by her mother's blood had given her a direct link to the strange power that had saved her.No, the power wasn't strange it was perfectly natural. Phae shivered again as the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together. She had undoubtedly gained her magical talents from her father, and from her mother she had gained... the link. The earth was calling her, and it was a voice too powerful to resist. She travelled, she knew,
The Darkest Hour Chapter 46
High above the misery and destruction, Varrus, the dark envoy, appeared amidst a cloud of thick black smoke. His mount Death snorted furiously as he held position above the Magical Isle and surveyed the carnage his forces had wrought."Curses! What has he done to my beautiful army!"Even from a distance the dark mage could sense the tremendous power being wielded so very far below. Every so often a flash of pure brilliant light would shine up from the 'Isle and cause him to flinch away in pain. Despite the cold, despite the dark, despite everything, somehow Callum had managed to find a way to thwart his plans.Varrus could feel the lurking presence of the star-god at the back of his mind. He was now entering a critical phase of the plan. Failure now wouldn't just mean death it would mean an eternity of damnation at the whim of his omnipotent master.Varrus gripped the reins of his dark Pegasus tightly and brought his mount lower over the island. At his presence, swarms of furies a
The Darkest Hour Chapter 45
Callum floated on the crest of a wave. The power he had unleashed surged through his veins, illuminating the twilight sky in flashes of dazzling light followed by equally dazzling dark light the stuff of the malevolent powers the stuff from which Varrus' armies seemed to be built. He floated a few yards from the ground, a shining beacon of hope to the men and women who fought valiantly alongside him.This, Callum realised, must have been part of Varrus' plan all along strike at the heart of magic and stop any chance the old world might have of saving itself.Below him, following as closely as they dared, Kiera, Lena and Aaron stuck in close formation and fought desperately to keep the hordes of winged furies at bay. Callum knew now that he was the key that he had been the key all along. By destroying him and all those dearest to him, Varrus would effectively win the day.But Varrus' plan would be his undoing. Phae was gone, and Kiera had nearly died. Such had been the effectiven
The Darkest Hour Chapter 44
The fighting was bloody. They had only been on the island for a few hours and already they had seen enough death to last a lifetime. Edwin stepped gingerly past the bloodied corpse of their sergeant who lay face down alongside three more of their former squad-mates. The four men had been cut down within the space of a minute by a particularly bloodthirsty pack of the smaller creatures that had forced them away from the harbour, into the city streets. If it hadn't been for Lukas and a couple of the braver members of their squad, he too might have fallen to their savage claws. By all rights he shouldn't even have been alive, but somehow he had survived where other braver, stronger men had failed. He was just one of the lucky ones, though he wasn't sure if "luck" was the right word for it.As the adrenaline of their latest encounter started to fade, one trooper started to vomit onto the side of the street. Edwin patted the young man on the back as he stepped past him to find Lukas starin
The Darkest Hour Chapter 43
The fighting on the western wall was intense. Soldiers banded together to try and stave off the furies' attacks as every so often one of the larger beasts would swoop down and send the defenders scattering in all directions. The Magical Isle hadn't seen such bloodshed in many long centuries, and still the dark mage was yet to make himself known.Callum allowed himself the briefest glance up at the sky as all around him men and women fought and died against a foe he couldn't even begin to describe. The fate of the world was balanced on a knife-edge and the furies were just the first move. Though his sword was covered in the blood of at least a dozen victims, the creatures continued to swell in number and swarm the walls in greater and greater numbers. Just then his thoughts were brought crashing back down to earth as beside him, Lena let out a scream. A large creature, quite unlike any demon Callum had seen landed in front of them and let out a blood curdling cry. Aaron swore as the
The Darkest Hour Chapter 42
The boarding planks thumped against the dock. Edwin stumbled forward amidst the press of troopers surging towards the shore. Lukas grabbed him by the arm as he felt his feet begin to slip beneath him. He hadn't even stepped onto dry land and already he owed Lukas his life. At the Captain's orders they edged their way along the packed pier towards the shelter of the city. It was then that the first shrieks pierced the air."Get down!"Edwin leapt to the ground and covered his head with both his hands as six dark shapes flashed past them, shrieking and slashing. Edwin rolled onto his back just in time to see Captain Bridgemore locked in combat with the first of the monsters, sword flashing as the creature clawed and swiped. As soldiers rushed to the Captain's aid the creature beat its leathery wings and drew itself high into the air. Edwin watched in horror as the beasts made another diving run. Lukas held out his hand and Edwin allowed himself to be dragged to his feet. "We need to
