Using every ounce of speed available to her, Inara ceased her magical assault, rolled backwards, and retrieved the Moonblade from her belt. Relying on skill and years of experience, she threw it clear across the gap without taking any time to line up her aim. It cut through the air until it collided with Alijah’s shield. The power of the blade instantly shattered the protective magic and continued past the half-elf, slicing the side of his face in the process.
Shock and pain turned Alijah away, his attack on the tree brought to a swift end. By the time he had recovered and whipped his hair aside, Inara was upon him. Her last step became a leap, bringing her down on Alijah with a closed fist.
The blow turned him around with a mouthful of blood spraying across the air. Displaying a great deal of resilience to the pain, he turned his momentum into a full spin that saw his leg fly up and connect with the side of Inara’s head.
On the ground, her vision fractured, a boot flung up into her ribs and forced her to roll in agony across the ground. Alijah gave no quarter, yanking her back to her feet with an iron-grip around her throat.
“You were supposed to be on my side!” he growled, followed by a punch to her gut. “We were supposed to do this together!” He laid another fist into her ribs. “You don’t just betray me, but the realm itself!” Alijah lifted his fist and thrust it towards Inara’s face.
But he wasn’t the only one with an iron-like grip.
Inara caught his fist mid-air and held it steady. Her free hand wrapped around Alijah’s thumb, currently digging into her neck, and prised it away.
“I’m going to kill you,” she croaked.
A student of the Mag’dereth, Inara called upon her knowledge of form five to untangle herself from Alijah. It also came with a flat-handed attack to the side of his neck, a hammer-fist to his jaw, and strong elbow to the eyebrow. Each successive blow staggered the would-be king until there was enough distance between them for Inara to deliver a push kick to his chest.
His back impacted the ground, splashing water into the air. He was slow to rise, her attack designed to discombobulate. Inara used what precious time she had to focus her magic, drawing on it from her core, and harnessing it in her hands. As her power reached its apex, stymied by her fatigue, Alijah was back on his feet with a face full of rage.
Something close to a war cry burst forth from Inara’s lips as she unleashed her magic, a combination of spells capable of reducing a man to ash. Alijah met her attack with outstretched arms and a new shield.
The light between them was blinding and the heat being generated sent ripples through the air. Theirs wasn’t simply a battle of wills, however, but a battle of power. Alijah’s power was built upon knowledge, a knowledge of which Inara could not boast.
“Gideon taught you a lot!” he yelled over the maelstrom of magic. “But he couldn’t teach you what he didn’t know!”
Alijah slowly pulled his arms back before pushing his hands into the back of the shield. It quickly expanded, forcing Inara’s spell back on her.
For a second, the world went black. The next thing Inara knew, she was lying on her back, the water covering her ears. She could see Alijah casting more spells over the tree, the sound of his magic dulled by the water, but her mind struggled to comprehend anything.
A low branch, the size of a city street, gave in to the fire and impacted the ground with a violent earthquake. There was a part of Inara’s mind that knew she needed to get up, to fight, to do anything. But everything hurt. Her muscles weren’t responding and her bones felt so heavy she feared they had been bolted to the ground. More than that, though, her mind had been fractured by the blast.
After what felt like a lifetime, Alijah came to tower over her. His eyes, mirrors of her own, looked down at Inara. After a few seconds, he crouched down and used a small leather pouch, taken from his belt, to scoop up a handful of water and a crystal with it. Then, without a word, he stood up again and continued to observe his sister. His fingers twitched, though whether that was due to the volume of magic he had expelled or his temptation to draw his blade remained a mystery. He didn’t say anything. Killing her would be easy now and Inara knew it.
As the realm of magic came down around them, brother and sister held a silent moment. Then he was gone. Inara remained on her back, her eyes fixed on the starry stalactites above. She could see the flames rising higher and higher up the tree. Every inch it lost was a portion of magic taken from the world.
Lost felt like the right word to Inara. That’s exactly what they had done. Lost. All because she didn’t have the power or the will to kill a single man. That thought brought some of her anger back and with it the power to move her hands and feet. Eventually, she was able to lift her head out of the water and even begin to sit up.
“Inara!” The familiar voice drew her to Galanör, who was dropping down from a tall root. “Inara!” he called again as he came to her aid.
By her side, he quickly checked the half-elf over before looking back at the burning tree. Most of the tree was untouched by the flames, but the fire’s reach was high and beyond either of them now. Not far away, another branch lost its grip and fell to the ground. Everything shuddered beneath them.
“There’s nothing we can do now,” Galanör told her, his eyes roaming over the devastation rising up the tree. “We must consult
