A flicker of light from my Promesiun charm snaps Noah and Lucy into action. “Circle the Riadek as it closes in,” I instruct at the sound of the first roar. “Fire and Light to disorient it, then water to flood it back into its cell.”
A nod from the others signals a familiar drill, ending with the use of the flight charm to avoid being caught in a flood of our own making. We still have the advantage of being kids in the eyes of most adults, despite our experience in battle. The half-surprised, half-contemptuous looks on the bearded soldiers’ faces suggest they doubt our military skill. Well, there’s no time like the present to remind more seasoned wizards of our abilities.
If they haven’t worked out why I’m called The Fire Witch, they’re about to find out as I whip my Promesiun charm into the air, sending it spinning close to the group of Domitus who look as though they’re going to retaliate until they feel an imposing presence above them … reminded of the power of the Williynx who can shatter bodies with blasts of ice.
The smug grins are wiped off their faces as I lift my Promesiun charm higher into the air, whipping it in a circular motion around the group of Domitus who are forced to remain static, suffering a mild humiliation at the hands of a girl they were laughing at only minutes ago.
Their smiles have turned to expressions of mild puzzlement, wondering why my back is turned to a colossal creature pounding its hind legs on the earth as it strains against the chains containing its famed ferocity.
I know exactly where the Silverback is, keeping Conrad in my peripheral vision as I make a point to the arrogant men who inch back towards the mountain face, jumping at the sound of a roar from another cell buried in the mountain walls.
They know the consequences of retaliation … as do the other Domitus who appear from illuminated arches in the mountain walls … including Odin and Neve Blin who offer us the same blank stare we got at Poridian Parlour.
With everyone in play, I return to the formation of four, standing in between Conrad and Lucy with Noah opposite: a synchronised group of Night Rangers familiar with each other’s rhythms, ready to put on a show for the band of soldiers conditioned in cruelty.
“Let’s break the chains and give them something to think about,” Conrad suggests, eyeing the muscle-bound group who watch from a distance.
I nod with a smile, confident of my magical powers and completely trusting the boy I love. We’re a formidable force, and it’s time to show the emotionless soldiers the consequences of courting danger. As the Riadek roars its fury, straining against the chains containing its powers, the four of us send our Promesiun charms along the ground.
We lift them inches from the Silverback’s constrained, armoured body … the lines of light resting on the chains, infusing them with steel until the links weaken and shatter one-by-one … allowing the Silverback to roar into life.
“Now!” I shout to the others who know what to do, activating the Disira charm to vanish from view, reappearing behind the freed Silverback who roars once more, sniffing for our scent along the ground as its vast, armoured wings spike with sinister intent.
Another strike with the Promesiun charm rips through the soil around the roaring Riadek, causing it to lose its footing as it tries to turn, angling to whip its armoured wings towards us, but we vanish before it can, sending a blast of fire towards it with the use of the Smekelin charm — fire that hangs like a curtain around the disoriented Silverback which shrieks at the sight of the curtain of flames engulfing it.
Unlike the crowd of Domitus who look on in silence, there is no intention to use cruelty to force a submission. In fact, our intention is the exact opposite, aiming to prove that power can be asserted in subtle ways — through common charms rather than unnecessary curses. It’s just a matter of wrong footing a once-feared creature until it senses defeat, symbolised by our collective shout of ‘LEVERIN’ as we release a flood of water from our hands.
The water fills the taming range quickly, rising to our ankles as the curtain of fire limits the Silverback’s vision. Each time it moves, the curtain closes in, the flames intensifying as it does so. It only needs the water to rise now for the point to be made: that the taming methods used are questionable, meaning the Domitus are now in our sights.
With the water rising in the taming cell, we enact the final charm, uttering ‘Propellus Celiri’ to rise from the ground, our legs free of the water as a flower wraps around our wrists, propelling us towards our Williynx.
Once astride our feathered companions, we tap our legs to ignite a flume of fine ice, ensuring we remain positioned over the group of stunned Domitus who can only look on, fuming at the sense they’ve been forced into a humiliating position of submission. The soldiers of Drandok are no match for the Williynx, remaining motionless as the water rises to their waists.
Their arms remain by their sides, their neutral position signalling no threat as we tap our legs against the Williynx once more, triggering mild blasts of ice that freeze the water surrounding the Silverback: a vision of youth and colour in the sky, causing a monster to retreat to its stone cell.
A collection of colourful feathers drains the water from the taming range, generating a line of light on the outer boundary, creating a drainage system in the soil. With our skill in the face of ferocity proven, we signal for our feathered friends to morph into
