Cleansing Fire
Chapter 19: Overrun

Wake Marius. Wake for your life. They are coming.

Marius surged out of sleep, looking around wildly. That was the first time the voice had spoken to him while he was asleep. He strained his eyes in the darkness, trying to see if there was anything wrong.

There. In the trees, something was moving.

He could see the still form of Lori lying nearby – she was still asleep from whatever potion Magnus had eventually fed her. Magnus seemed to be asleep on the other side of the fire. He would have to move very quietly to get to the other man. He shrugged off his blankets and started crawling slowly around the still blazing logs. The one night they had not doused the flames and this was when someone found them.

He froze as a branch cracked under his knee, the sound abnormally loud in the silence of the night.

“Someone’s awake in there. Move in, move in now!”

He heard a ring of steel and gave up on stealth. He sprinted towards Magnus, going to his knees next to him.

He grabbed a shoulder and started shaking.

“Magnus! They’ve found us! Wake up damn you!”

Magnus’ eyes snapped open and he jumped out of his bedding, much faster than Marius would have believed possible.

They had only moments to think about the attack before the soldiers were upon them. Marius thought he recognised the insignia of the Academy Guard but he couldn’t be certain in the dim light. A man ran at him with sword outstretched and he dodged to one side to avoid being skewered. These men were trying to kill him, not capture him. Unless it wasn’t him they were looking for. He glanced across at Magnus and saw that he had had the same thought. They both started circling back towards Lori, trying to keep all the soldiers in sight.

“The men are expendable. The Steward only wants the girl alive.”

He could see that mention of the Steward had puzzled Magnus but they had no time to think about it before the men were upon them.

He slammed his fist into the soft flesh of a man’s throat and he went down gargling for air. Marius took the opportunity to take the man’s sword and, desperation taking over, stabbed him in the chest. He flinched as the bright blade sank into the man but he had no choice. Tonight it was kill or be killed.

He saw that Magnus had no such compunction about killing – the floor was littered with bodies around him as he spun impossibly quickly, fireballs flying from his outstretched hands. He had taken a number of wounds already and they were fuelling his own particular brand of magic.

Marius could feel his gift calling to him, urging him to use it to fight these men. After what had happened to Lori, he didn’t know that he trusted it. Much better to trust in steel than in magic. He worked furiously, parrying blows and dodging flashing blades. It seemed as if he were fighting off the magic itself, the pull became less and less with each opponent he faced. There were too many of them to stand his ground and he found himself edging backwards all the time, giving way very slowly. His arms already felt leaden and he could no longer see Magnus or Lori. It took all his strength to just keep slashing and blocking, with nothing spare to think about the others right now. At last, he was facing only one man, the last of a group of four that had been difficult to defeat. This man was different – he carried himself confidently. Where the others had been inexperienced at fighting – something which had saved him, this man knew his craft well. He circled Marius carefully, flipping his sword from hand to hand. He wasn’t going to make any mistakes. Marius would have to concentrate very hard to come out of this alive. Maybe if I just use it a little… No! He crushed the thought viciously. He couldn’t control his power – what if he ended up hurting the others again. He’d rather take his chance with the sword.

He dodged to the right, hoping to make it past the soldier but he found himself blocked and almost lost an arm for his mistake. As it was, the other man’s sword grazed down his arm, opening up his sleeve. He could feel the warm blood tricking down to his hand, making the hilt of his sword slippery and hard to hold.

Can’t hold out much longer with this one. It was now or never. He backed off some and groaned as he felt the river bank beneath his heel. He’d moved too far back and now was blocked off by the rushing waters. The man smiled at him, clearly realising the same thing and started walking forward, his sword weaving back and forth, looking for an opening.

Marius knew he would have to gamble. He ducked to the left and at the very last moment, charged forward, surprising his opponent. The man recovered well and his blade came swinging back in a wide arc that would have cut Marius in two had it not been for his own blade slicing into the man’s midriff. Although he dropped to the floor clutching at his stomach, the sword completed its arc, smashing into the side of Marius’ head. Fortunately it had twisted when the man fell and only the flat actually hit him. It still crashed into his head with considerable force, sending him sprawling. He teetered on the edge of the river and before he could pull himself back, he toppled into the freezing water. His breath exploded from his lungs and he sank beneath the surface. In his dazed state it was impossible for him to swim properly and he felt himself being pulled downriver. He tried to make for the opposite shore but it was a hopeless effort. The river moved faster and faster, carrying him over some rapids and smashing his side into a partially submerged rock. He floated for a time, barely conscious but managing to keep his head above water. As his eyes were closing for the final time, he saw a small inlet coming up on the far side of the river and struck out for it, using the last of his strength. For a terrifying moment, he thought he had missed it but then his hands crunched into loose shale and he dragged himself up a little way to the bank. Now that he was out of the river he could feel the strength ebbing from his body and he collapsed in the shallows.