Chapter 6: Rescue Mission

REDMOND

Redmond beamed with delight at the sight of his queen. The last few months were so hard without her by his side. Finding her in their kingdom was the icing on top of a mud cake.

“It’s so good to see you!” he said joyfully.

Something wasn’t quite right, however, though Redmond couldn’t put his finger on what.

Queen Adria wasn’t responding as he thought she would. There was something peculiar about her. Her radiant skin was paler than normal, and adorning her forehead was a glowing jade gem.

Redmond smiled at his queen in confusion. She stared back at him with an apathy that he couldn’t understand. He realized he’d been moving closer to Adria without realizing it—pulled by some unseen cord that connected their spirits.

“Redmond, wait!” Lydia called out from behind. “Something’s not right!”

When he was mere steps from her, the queen’s palms grew bright with magic. He shielded his body, but the blast hit him so hard that he tumbled end-over-end, landing at Marsie’s feet.

“What in the holy hell is going on?” she gasped.

“It’s a trap!” yelled Dorian.

Redmond tried to pick himself up, but the punch from his mate’s magic had left him stupefied. He felt pressure under his arms and realized that Lydia was pulling him back toward the safety of the cantina.

None of this made any sense! Why would the queen turn on him? It was as if she didn’t even recognize the person who’d loved her for all these years. What was happening?

Queen Adria readied a blast and aimed it straight for Redmond’s chest. It would have found its mark had Lucius not intervened last second with a magical shield.

He’d saved the young Slifer. But Adria’s magic took a toll on the old wizard.

“She’s more powerful than I thought!” Lucius cried out. “Get to safety!”

As they neared the opening of the cantina, Redmond shook out of Lydia’s grasp and stood to his feet.

“What are you doing?” Lydia asked, confused.

“That’s my queen,” he replied.

“Then can you explain what the hell she’s doing?” Marsie demanded. Her eyes were wide as she watched the old wizard and the queen have it out.

“I don’t know,” Redmond said, “this isn’t like her.”

Marsie shook her head in disbelief. “We have no other choice. If this is how she’s going to greet us, then we have to take her down!”

Redmond looked at the group. Why was this happening?! Dust from the collapsed clock tower was filling the air with a suffocating mist. Redmond shook his head at the chaos. Had Queen Adria really caused so much destruction?

He wanted to ask so many questions but knew he’d receive no answers—at least not now.

“I’ll fend her off,” Redmond said. “Let me try to get through to her.”

Redmond sprinted off, his limbs morphing into hardened wood. Lucius was grateful to see the Earth Slifer join his battle against the queen. He hated to admit it, but she was starting to wear him down. Maybe all the drinking was beginning to catch up to him—

“Queen Adria!” Redmond yelled, his voice pained and uncertain. “Why are you doing this to your own kingdom?”

The queen did not respond, instead staring at him as if he were a stranger. The silence killed him. She had been Redmond’s lover, best friend, and confidante; she had molded him into the young man he’d become. But all traces of that loving woman were washed away in the green glow of the jade gem.

She sent out another blast of magic, but Redmond was ready. He conjured rock straight out of the dirt beneath them, shielding his group from the powerful blast.

Queen Adria turned her attention to the surrounding buildings. Summoning a gust of wind, she blew down the walls, causing the structures to collapse.

Screams echoed down the dusty streets. Villagers scrambled to avoid crumbling debris as more buildings toppled in a chain reaction. It felt as if the aftershocks from an earthquake were rumbling beneath their feet.

“Help the villagers!” Redmond ordered, deflecting another blast of magic.

“Keep it up!” Marsie said emphatically, following his command.

Redmond watched as Dorian, Lydia, and Marsie sprinted down a side street. They gathered panicked villagers as they tried to find the nearest route to safety.

Lucius lumbered up next to the Earth Slifer and manifested one more magical shield.

“Best of luck,” Lucius grunted before disappearing in a cloud of magic.

Redmond was left one-on-one with his mate. His stomach felt like a backflipping acrobat. It was a bittersweet moment to finally find his lover. But now the only person he’d ever loved was trying to crush his lungs into powder.

“You’re not like this!” Redmond pleaded once more. “Please, Queen Adria, hear my voice!”

But the queen refused to listen—or couldn’t.

Redmond’s attention once again returned to the green gem pulsing on her forehead. Was this the reason she seemed like such a different person? It didn’t make any sense, but it was the only information he had to go on.

As the queen blasted Lucius’s shield, Redmond rolled to the side and called up another barrage of jagged rocks. For a moment the queen disappeared, lost inside the maze of rocks.

He immediately sent out vines that wrapped around the stone, hoping to snare the queen inside.

“This is for your own good!” he shouted.

Suddenly the rocks and vines exploded, sending shards in all directions. Redmond was knocked back by his own power and tumbled hard to the ground.

When his eyes opened and the dust settled, he could only gasp in horror. Queen Adria was floating above him. In spite of his fear, he couldn’t help but think how beautiful she was as the wind whipped her hair and cloak.

“Please…” he muttered. “Stop.”

But she wouldn’t listen.

With a shockwave of energy, she sent Redmond into convulsions. The spasms made it hard to breathe. He tried to block it, but his powers were too weak.

~My queen…~

Redmond could feel the slowing beat of his heart as the queen pummeled his body.

***

LYDIA

For a village without a wall, it was becoming increasingly hard to find a safe path. Debris from the desecrated buildings blocked every available route.

Lydia wanted to teleport out of here, but it would be impossible to transport all of these villagers at once.

~This is what Lucius warned me about!~ thought Lydia as they zigzagged around the crumbling structures. ~For once I should have listened to his drunken rambling. If we get out of this, I’ll never hear the end of it!~

Marsie was at the head of the pack, waving her arms for the villagers to follow. Dorian had positioned himself in the middle while Lydia stayed at the back to make sure they didn’t leave behind any stragglers.

Lydia looked back toward Redmond’s position. Her view was blocked by rubble, dust, and smoke. But every once in a while, a blast of light would ignite the sky. They were still fighting. She hoped her friend was able to stand his ground against the powerful queen.

She tried to think what it would be like to fight Gabriel. Her powers had matched his in the past. But she knew it would be almost impossible for her to do. Battling her mate would surely tear her apart.

~Stay strong, Redmond.~

“This way!” Marsie yelled as more buildings fell in the distance.

Dorian ushered the villagers forward. He glanced back at Lydia and nodded his head, as if to say, we can do this.

“Where’s Lucius?” Dorian asked as Lydia finally caught up.

She turned around as an explosion sent dust shooting down the alley. They shielded their eyes.

“He probably got lost in all the commotion,” she replied. “The buffoon just had to get wasted on a mission.”

“I resent that!” Lucius retorted.

Dorian and Lydia spun around and caught the old wizard sneezing dust.

Lydia rushed forward and hugged her grandpa. It had been so long since they’d shared any affection that the gesture took them both by surprise. Lucius patted her on the back, grateful for his granddaughter.

“Where’s Redmond?” she asked, pulling away.

Lucius shook his head. “I’ll go back to him later. Right now, we need to make sure everyone is safe.”

Lydia smiled at the wizard’s drunken determination. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to have him with the group after all. As long as he kept putting others before himself…

“Follow me,” Dorian shouted over the deafening cracks and pops echoing through the town. It sounded like a fireworks display gone wrong.

They turned a corner and watched with relief as villagers poured through a hole in a wall. Finally, something was going right!

As the last of the survivors made it to safety, Dorian pumped his fists in victory. Marsie spun around with her hands on her hips and a relieved smile on her face.

Lydia and Lucius looked at one another as they simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

“We did it!” Lydia shouted. “Now to get back to the queen before…”

Something wasn’t right… Lydia could feel it the moment that Marsie’s voice broke off. An ominous presence...

Shadows danced around the edge of their vision, elusive in the cloud of dust.

“What now?” groaned Lucius.

Wizard Hunters spilled through the cracked buildings and jumped over the fallen walls. An ambush! The group readied themselves for battle. But they were surrounded.

Lydia looked at her companions. Their fierce eyes all told the same story—it was time to take care of these pests once and for all…