“Thank you!” Dana piled food on her plate. “Everything looks so good. Um, why is the princess here and not the king?”

Jayden waited until she’d served herself before taking a portion. “For now he’ll stay in another room and have important men brought to him so they can speak in private. He’ll come out around midnight to make speeches and issue proclamations.”

“You’re surprisingly experienced at this,” Prince Onus remarked. “How many balls have you been to?”

“Enough that I’m not surprised at the attention you and I are drawing from bored women with money.”

Dana glanced at the young woman sitting near them, still alone. “Should I keep her company?”

“We’ll give the boy a fair chance to do right by her,” Jayden told her. “Then we destroy him utterly.”

“Must you make a scene?” she asked.

Jayden pointed his fork at the depressed young woman. “For that I am most definitely making a scene.”

A waiter came by to pick up empty trays, drop off full ones and pass Jayden another note from an admirer. Dana giggled when he put it and the others in an empty water glass. She asked, “Is that going to happen all night?”

“Yes,” Prince Onus replied. “If he actually picks one it could make the others jealous enough to act foolishly.”

A young nobleman in an expensive suit with a brightly colored bird on his shoulder sauntered by their table, slowing down only briefly as he met Jayden’s eyes. “I hadn’t realized we were this desperate.”

“Your citizens are pulling down houses outside city walls,” Jayden told him. “I’d think that would tell you how dire your situation is long before we arrived. You must be a tad dull.”

The nobleman harumphed and continued on his way. Prince Onus scowled and got up, but Dana put a hand on his arm. “He’s a jerk, not an enemy. If we hit everyone who spoke badly to us there wouldn’t be many people still standing.”

“But imagine the fun we’d have,” Jayden said playfully. “It’s amusing how many of these people don’t want us here and how many do.”

A waiter walked by them, trying to look casual as he dropped a note on Dana’s lap. She felt herself blush and clapped both hands over her mouth. Jayden’s expression darkened, and he seized the note and uttered a quick spell to burn it. The light drew attention from nearby tables. A few women gave Jayden appreciative nods while men chuckled.

“Who sent that?” Prince Onus asked. His voice was rich in hatred.

“I didn’t check,” Jayden said. “It spares us from crippling the man for life.”

Dana looked away in shame. What kind of girl did these people think she was? In her humiliation she almost didn’t notice a servant leading a nobleman away from the room. “Where’s he going?”

“The king is finally having personal meetings with his followers,” Jayden said. “I’d like to get to the head of that line before someone embarrasses us further.”

“I don’t see how,” Prince Onus said darkly. “The princess is surrounded by petitioners. You’d never get through them without hurting one, not that I’m against it at this point. She’s the only one in the room with the authority to show you to her father without his asking for you.”

Dana glanced at the young woman at the neighboring table. She looked as miserable as Dana felt, with her head propped up with her right hand while she ran the fingers of her left hand around the edge of a wine glass. There was a small pile of notes on the edge of her table, all unopened. She wanted one man’s attention and wasn’t getting it.

Instead the young man waited by the princess. Dana saw him speak to her; his expression eager, almost hungry. She couldn’t hear what the princess said, but he looked away in shame. Rather than leave, he pressed his case again. Whatever his request was, it proved no more successful a second time. Still he didn’t leave.

Jayden was also watching. “This has gone on long enough.”

Jayden got up and marched through the ballroom to the band. They were resting after finishing a long piece. Jayden passed a few coins to their leader and spoke briefly to him. The band leader nodded and led his players in a song Dana recognized. “That’s Hearts over the Moon.”

Dozens of women watched as Jayden marched to the young woman. He spoke loud enough to be heard by nearby tables. “Waiting for someone?”

“Waiting a long time for someone,” she said, her voice soft and sad.

“I’m someone. Stop waiting.” Jayden took her left hand and gently helped her to her feet. He led her in a dance, his eyes fixed on her the whole time.

“I, um,” she began, but her protests died as quickly as they began. Dana watched them move gracefully across the ballroom, and she wasn’t the only one watching.

“He’s quite a dancer,” Prince Onus admitted. “It’s not a skill I would have expected.”

Jayden led his partner by Dana and Prince Onus. He didn’t take his eyes off the girl while saying, “Come along, prince. Dance with the girl you brought.”

“Jayden!” Dana scolded him.

“I, um,” the prince began. “I guess we could. If you wouldn’t mind.”

“I know I’m going to humiliate myself,” Dana said, but she got up and joined Prince Onus. She wasn’t a graceful dancer, but they managed to acquit themselves reasonably well. They tried to stay near Jayden and the girl as more dancers joined them.

The girl stared at Jayden, her expression perplexed. “Do I know you?”

He bowed to her. “Jayden, Sorcerer Lord.”

The girl gasped. “The man who killed an iron golem? Why would you dance with me? You don’t know who I am.”

“You’ll tell me if you wish.”

Dana caught sight of the young man who’d come with the girl. He was still trying to convince the princess of his worth long after there was any chance of getting whatever he wanted. The princess gave him a condescending look before pointing at Jayden.

“Trouble coming,” Prince Onus said.

“I think that’s what he wants,” she told him as the outraged young man ran across the ballroom, slipping between dancers and pushing some out of the way.

“How dare you!” the young man yelled. Musicians stopped playing and dancers moved away. Jayden got between the girl and her boyfriend, looking bored by the outburst. “Stay away from her!”

“I asked the girl to dance, nothing more. I’m surprised you didn’t.”

His expression turning red from anger and shame, the young man held a finger an inch from Jayden’s nose. “If you touch her again, I’ll break you in half!”

Jayden turned to the girl. “I have brought you trouble. Please accept my apology.”

“I’m talking to you!” the youth yelled. Jayden turned his back on the young man and walked back to his table. Being ignored only infuriated him further, and the youth yelled before charging Jayden. He got within ten feet before two men dragged him to a halt. “Let go!”

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” a man said to him. “That’s the Sorcerer Lord.”

Unphased, the young man yelled, “You think your magic lets you take advantage of my beloved?”

Jayden raised one eyebrow. “She’s yours? The way you treat her I would have never guessed.”

The crowd of onlookers parted as Princess Estell approached. Her disapproval fell on the young man. “This behavior is unacceptable. Return to your seat. Sorcerer Lord, I apologize for this man’s actions and hope you won’t take offense. Boys mature more slowly than girls.”

Jayden bowed. “The matter is already forgotten.”

Not finished, the princess said, “Prince Onus, I would appreciate the pleasure of your company to discuss matters of state, as would several of my father’s most loyal retainers who share a border with you. Sorcerer Lord, I would be grateful if you and your assistant would wait in the library.”

“Of course,” Jayden said. “I wish you good health and success, Prince Onus. Until we meet again.”

Prince Onus let go of Dana’s hand slowly when a servant led her and Jayden from the ballroom. As they left, she heard a nobleman say to another, “The boy survived. You owe me a gold piece.”

“I know we weren’t having a nice time, but did you need to do that?” she asked Jayden as they exited the ballroom.

“The longer we stayed, the better the chances of our visit ending badly.”

“That was bad enough.”

The servant brought them to an ornately carved wood door and opened it. Inside was a library as fantastic as the rest of the castle, with tens of thousands of books on oak bookcases engraved with dragon motifs. An enormous map covered in colored flags dominated one of the library’s walls. A lone man wearing silks and furs stood by a table with open books, a decanter and small crystal goblets. He looked to be about fifty years old with graying hair and an annoyed expression on his face. Dana figured he had the right to be annoyed after the trouble they’d caused, for the jeweled crown on his head could only mean this was King Rascan.

“Your majesty, what a pleasure to meet you,” Jayden said, confirming Dana’s theory. She curtsied while Jayden merely smiled.

“Not two hours passed since you arrived, and already there was a scene,” King Rascan told them. “You have a lot of gall coming here.”

Jayden wasn’t bothered by the hostile greeting. “I’d never get anywhere without it. You are a man with the weight of the world on your shoulders. That map speaks volumes on the danger your kingdom faces.”

Dana stepped in front of the huge map. “You’ve got every house and game trail here. I’ve never seen such a complete picture of the kingdom.”

King Rascan glanced at her only briefly before turning his attention, and anger, back to Jayden. “Time has not diminished your boldness. Years ago you had the audacity to seek to buy my treasures. Most recently I heard you’d survived an assassination attempt by some of the most dangerous men alive.”

“None of them were technically men, and one wasn’t alive,” Jayden told him.

“Of course they weren’t.” King Rascan poured himself a drink and took a sip. “You are guilty of breaking nearly every law there is. Other men would show shame or remorse.”

“I feel no shame because I saw the danger to you and your neighbors long before you’d admit it,” Jayden replied. His tone was firm without being confrontational. “War if successful must be planned years in advance. I saw measures being taken to bring violence to your lands. I warned others and was ignored. When that failed, I did what little I could to prevent it from happening, and failed again. If you seek to demonize me, do so for that.

“Despise me, insult me if it pleases you, but don’t turn down my help when your kingdom needs me. Yes, your majesty, you need me. You need every resource, every man, every opportunity you can get, or your dynasty ends with you. I do not ask more than you can give. The spell tablets I seek are worthless to you and your wizards except as showpieces or paperweights, but in my hands can do limitless damage to those trying to hurt you.”

Jayden stepped in front of the map. “I presume this sea of blue flags represent Meadowland forces sent against you. Point at one, your majesty, a threat your men can’t defeat without suffering grievous losses, and I will make it go away.”

King Rascan took another sip of wine. He stared at the map for a moment before saying, “How little you understand.”

“Then explain it to me.”

King Rascan waved to the door. “The men and women at the party are Bascal’s richest and most powerful. They are also the most judgmental snobs you’ll ever meet. They place great stock in ancestry and proper behavior. You are by all accounts a criminal, admittedly not the worst our world has known. I am judged by the company I keep, Sorcerer Lord. Your reputation damages mine. Yes, I need you. Yes, I am afraid all I have will be lost, all those I love killed or enslaved. Meadowland accepts slavery these days, you know.”

“We’ve seen it, and set the girls and kids free,” Dana told King Rascan.

“Then you know the danger my people are in,” King Rascan told her. “But in victory I may sow the seeds of defeat. My people won’t forgive me for associating with a criminal, no matter that you’ve come to help. They will look down on me, question my orders, scrutinize my every move for more signs of weakness. If they find any, they will use that as their excuse to ignore my orders when it suits them. Such disobedience will spread and grow in strength. Your presence tonight will haunt me until I am dead, and haunt my successors for generations to come because their father welcomed a criminal.”

King Rascan’s lips pulled back to show his gritted teeth. “That is what you are costing me, Sorcerer Lord. It is a price I must pay for my kingdom, my people, my daughter, and it’s going to get worse. I have invited hundreds of outsiders into Bascal. Mercenaries, adventurers, even a mad scientist, and with each of these questionable defenders I doom myself and my heirs to the threat of rebellion from my nobles. Meadowland once suffered the scourge of civil war. I have no desire to share their fate.”

“I’m sorry you’re hurting,” Dana told him. “We wouldn’t be here if there was another way, but we need those tablets. Sir, you’re in more danger than you know. Jayden thinks the Inspired are in Meadowland.”

King Rascan dropped his drink. “He wouldn’t! Tyros couldn’t be such a fool!”

“He had the wizard Victory’s Edge in his service, which shows he is such a fool,” Jayden replied. “Victory’s Edge hinted he was with the Inspired, and if one of them is present more will come to sink their claws into Meadowland. Disastrous as that is, they will surely seek to expand their influence, and kingdoms weakened by war would be their most likely targets.”

“Then I have no time to find other ways to protect Bascal.” King Rascan stabbed his finger at a single blue flag on his map, close to his border but far from other flags. “There is a threat here equal to your boasts, one I need to die quickly and horribly. End its life and you shall have the reward you seek.”

“You make it sound like this isn’t a person,” Dana said.

“I have a dragon in my employ,” King Rascan told them, his voice softer. “Scald serves me as he once served my father. He is young by the standards of his kind and needs centuries to reach full size. Despite his youth he serves bravely. It is his reports from high in the sky that produced this map. That nearly cost him his life.”

Dana realized this dragon was more than an employee to Rascan. Scald was a friend in time of need, one who had been hurt almost to the point of death.

“Scald was on a reconnaissance mission observing enemy troop movements when he saw a newly built fort far from enemy forces. He was curious why, and as he approached, he smelled a foul odor noticeable from miles away. He didn’t get close enough to see what it was before a full grown wyvern with a rider attacked him. Had Scald been larger, stronger, he could have effortlessly torn the impudent beast apart, but as a youth he escaped by the narrowest of margins.”

“Will he be okay?” Dana asked.

“My healers and holy men tend to his wounds,” King Rascan said. “They say he should make a full recovery. Scald begs to go back in the air. I dare not let him, yet I must have him there.”

“You need this wyvern dead,” Jayden said.

“Your assessment of my map was incorrect, young lady,” King Rascan said, the force returning to his voice. “This is no longer a complete picture of the region. With Scald grounded I don’t know where Meadowland sends its troops. Even worse, Meadowland’s forces can now create a map as detailed as this one for themselves, for their wyvern’s rider studies us from the safety of the air. I need the wyvern dead, Sorcerer Lord, and I’ll willing to work with you to do it.”

King Rascan pulled the flag from the map and handed it to Jayden. “Bring me its head, and both spell tablets in my treasury are yours.”

“We shall return victorious,” Jayden promised.

“If we have a deal then leave at once,” King Rascan ordered. “The longer you stay the more damage it does to my reputation. I trust you can find your way out.”

Jayden bowed and left the library. Dana stayed only long enough to say, “I’m sorry you have so many problems. We’ll do what we can to help.”

Once they left, Jayden headed back to the ballroom. “We’ll say our goodbyes to Prince Onus and leave.”

“Do we have to? He’s so lonely.”

“I’m no happier than you, but we have what we came for, and our continued attendance could cost us that.”

Dana studied his face as they walked. “What’s wrong?”

“King Rascan promised both his spell tablets. Both implies there are no more in his possession. I’d heard he owned far more than that, which now appears incorrect. There is a chance these are spells I already know. We could be risking much for little reward, or none at all.”

“The spells might be weak even if they’re new.”

“Also possible.” They returned to the ballroom to find little had changed. The band was playing a new song and nobles danced gracefully across the room. “There’s the prince talking to two noblemen. Let’s make our apologies to him and go.”

Dana caught sight of the young man Jayden had embarrassed earlier. “Look who’s heading our way spoiling for a fight. Don’t maim him.”

Jayden opened his mouth to no doubt offer a sarcastic reply when he was interrupted by whistles. Guests stopped dancing and the band stopped playing. Bells rang outside the ballroom. Armed guards rushed in and surrounded Princess Estell.

Then the wall in front of them dissolved, bricks melting like hot wax and dripping onto the floor to reveal the night sky. Men yelled. Women screamed. The colorful birds so many guests had brought squawked and flew off in terror. Dana saw a white cloud sailing across the sky with men riding it and stone gargoyles flying alongside. The cloud shot across the sky to the breached wall.

The magic cloud dissolved and unleashed its cargo. Dana saw at least twenty gladiators taking the lead. Behind them were two wizards with staffs, both dressed in unusual outfits made of white and black cloth. One had a white mask across his face with thin eye slits in the fabric, while the second had a bushy black beard. Behind them Dana saw a score of skeletons and a disgusting barrow wight hunched over and howling like a mad dog. A wave of pain washed over the guests from the presence of the undead and they cried out, but thanks to Jayden’s mind shield she felt nothing.

Panic took hold and people across the ballroom screamed. Guests and servants ran for their lives, tipping over tables and spilling food on the floor, while some cowered from the intruders. Only Dana and Jayden headed toward the invaders. Jayden cast a spell to form his black sword, raised it high and yelled, “Protect Princess Estell!”

Those three words worked a kind of magic equal to any Dana had seen him use. Many guests fled, but not all. Men in finest clothes seized chairs, knives from their tables, even wine bottles and went to the princess’ defense. Guards horribly outmatched by stone gargoyles and heavily armed gladiators held their ground or pushed forward with Jayden in the lead. Princess Estell ran from the room while guests and her personal guard risked their lives to protect her.

Gargoyles flew across the ballroom and slammed into the defenders. The guests’ makeshift weapons were no good against stone monsters, and the gargoyles effortlessly knocked men and women aside. One gargoyle left the others and flew at Princess Estell. Her guards tried to stop it and failed as it plowed into them and knocked them to the ground. It nearly reached her when a giant black hand seized hold of it by the legs.

It was Jayden’s work. He used the giant black hand to pull the gargoyle away from the princess and swing it into an intact stone wall, smashing off the top half of its body. He threw what little was left into the onrushing gladiators, knocking two down.

Another gargoyle flew overhead and tried to drop onto Dana. She jumped out of the way and the gargoyle landed next to her. Dana drew Chain Cutter from the concealed sheath on her back and swung at her enemy’s wings. Her sword hacked off the wings, and to her shock buried itself deep in the stone monster. It looked as surprised as she did, and fell apart into a pile of gravel when she pulled her sword out.

With the defenders so overpowered, Dana and Jayden had to hold back the full force of the attack. Dana saw the skeletons charge the guests. The presence of the undead sent men and women into a frenzy, and they fought back viciously. Chain Cutter was her most effective weapon against these abominations, and she went straight for them.

“You’ve kidding, right?” a skeleton asked as its eyes flared red. The skeleton met her charge and tried to claw her face. She swung Chain Cutter to literally disarm her foe, and sword met bone in a blinding flash of light. The skeleton didn’t blacken and die as others had when Chain Cutter had hit them. This time it was blasted to dust as her sword sang hymns of praise.

The next skeleton backed away from her. “Uh, boss, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

“Kill her,” the masked wizard ordered his skeletons. “Kill everyone.”

Dana ran into the mob of skeletons. A year ago they would have been a threat, but not when she was armed with a magic sword and had been trained by Jayden for months. They tried to overwhelm her with sheer numbers and failed. Two skeletons ran from her and died shrieking when their own creator made them crumble apart with a wave of his hands.

“Disobedient curs,” the masked wizard hissed. He pointed his staff at Dana, and the barrow wight leaped at her with sharp claws reaching for her throat. Dana jumped left and stabbed her sword into the barrow wight as it passed her. The monster’s howls degenerated into a high pitched screech. Light poured from its gaping maw, then rays of light burned holes across its body from the inside before it burned into dust. With them gone the pain and rage affecting the crowd vanished.

Jayden’s magic hand seized another gargoyle out of the air. He brought it down like a hammer on the gladiators, knocking four of them down. He swung the gargoyle again and battered aside more gladiators, making openings in their formation that defenders rushed in to take advantage of. The gargoyle eventually cracked apart under this abuse.

The bearded wizard cast a spell that pulled bricks up from the floor. They hovered in the air for a second before launching at Jayden as fast as arrows. Jayden cast his own spell and formed his shield of spinning black blades. Bricks met shadowy blades, destroying both.

“Curious,” a voice called out. Dana couldn’t tell who was talking, but she heard it clearly. “What else do you have?”

Screams erupted around them. Both Dana and the masked wizard turned to their right. The gladiators had formed a wedge and were forcing their way deeper into the ballroom. Guards tried to stop them, but even with a steady stream of reinforcements coming from across the castle they were being pushed back. The bearded wizard supported them by making bricks on the floor rise up and form a long whip of stone. The whip lashed out and knocked down men like they were toy soldiers.

Dana couldn’t help them while fighting the masked wizard. She raised her sword and told him, “You’re not the first necromancer I’ve fought. Surrender!”

The masked wizard clapped his hands. “Your sword makes you a threat, but nothing makes you my equal. Ladies and gentlemen, the cacophony of madness.”

The masked wizard cast a quick spell, and to Dana’s amazement he began to gibber. It was random sounds, bits of words and animal cries blended together into an obscene tirade that grew in volume with every passing second. Guests and guards gripped their heads in agony and cried out, but not Dana and Jayden, and not the gladiators.

Dana wasn’t affected by the bizarre spell. Jayden’s mind cloud spell must be protecting her again. Then she heard Chain Cutter’s prayers grow in volume to match and then exceed the masked wizard’s obscene magic until it drowned him out entirely. Dana charged the wizard and he raised his staff to block her swing. Chain Cutter effortlessly lopped off the top two feet of his staff, and the tip of her blade nicked his left arm.

There was a flash of light and the masked wizard screamed in agony as his arm burst into flames and burned away. Dana cried out in surprise and backed away. The wizard fell to his knees and gripped the charred stump of his arm. He’d lost everything up to his elbow. Dana saw a brass cap covering what remained of his arm. It took her a moment to realize what had happened. “Your arm was undead. You grafted a dead man’s arm onto your body!”

“You’ll suffer for that,” the masked wizard hissed.

Dana wasn’t sure what to do. He was defeated, and without an arm should be no threat, but he was a necromancer. He’d done inexcusable deeds. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to kill him even after what he’d done.

Her hesitation cost her the chance to make a decision one way or another. A magic cloud formed under the masked wizard and lifted him off the ground. He flew back out of the destroyed wall. It was then that she saw another magic cloud floating outside. It was small, barely big enough for the man in white and black standing on it. He watched the battle with the same disinterest as a boy watching ants warring upon one another. He even held a book in one hand and wrote in it.

“That’s disappointing,” the man said, his voice carrying throughout the ballroom. “Let’s try something different.”

The bearded wizard took a red brick from inside his uniform and threw it on the floor. Bricks across the ballroom lifted up and flew across the room, making walls buckle and the ceiling groan. The bricks swirled in a tighter and tighter spiral until they stuck together to form a crude version of a man. It started small but added hundreds of pounds every second until it was five feet tall and continued growing.

Dana had to stop the brick monster before it got any bigger. Most of the gladiators were fighting Bascal soldiers and knights coming to their princess’ defense, but one got between her and the growing monster. He raised his sword and ran two steps toward her before Prince Onus tackled him. The gladiator struggled to shove Onus away while the prince drove his right fist into the gladiator’s face again and again like a sledgehammer. The gladiator dropped like a stone.

“Um, thank you?” she stammered. A gladiator flew by her head, followed by another. Men fighting around Jayden were so tightly packed together that he couldn’t use his magic hand to its full effect without hurting innocent men. Instead he plucked gladiators from the crowded battle and hurling them across the room.

“You stop the monster, I’ll stop the wizard,” Prince Onus told her. Another gladiator flew screaming through the air to land at the prince’s feet.

Dana hated his plan the second she heard it. The bearded wizard was a major threat. Kaleoth could lose its only heir, and more importantly a good person. One look at Onus’ face showed he wasn’t going to back down regardless of the consequences. He charged the bearded wizard, leaving Dana to fight the growing monster of bricks.

And it was getting a lot bigger. Dana wasn’t sure if it was a golem, an elemental, maybe something entirely new to her, but it was eight feet tall and getting larger. It marched toward the diminishing line of gladiators still standing. The room shook and cracks spread across the floor like a spiderweb.

Dana ran for the brick monster and slashed at its right knee. There was no blinding flash of light as her sword sunk deep into her opponent. It swept its right arm at her, and she had to pull Chain Cutter out quickly to get out of the way. She swung at it again and sliced off a hundred pounds of bricks with one hit.

Jayden’s giant hand flew over her and grasped the brick monster’s head. It pushed hard enough to tip it over, and it fell with a crash that echoed across the room. Dana slashed at it while it was still down. She hit it twice in the right arm and chopped it off at the elbow.

“Die, vile girl!” the bearded wizard snarled. He formed another whip of bricks and lashed out at her. She jumped over the whip, although two gladiators and three Bascal soldiers weren’t as lucky and got bowled over. The whip pulled back for another swing that never landed.

In Dana’s travels with Jayden she was used to being ignored by his enemies. After all, she was weak compared to him. In this battle it was her turn to draw attention from dangerous enemies, while Prince Onus went unnoticed because he had no magic sword and couldn’t cast spells. Overlooking him was a mistake the bearded wizard regretted instantly. Onus charged the wizard and drove his shoulder into him, then punched the evil wizard in the gut and doubled him over. He followed up with more punches to the wizard’s head, grabbed him by the head with both hands and rammed his knee into the wizard’s face.

The brick monster struggled to its feet. Dana slashed it and did massive damage. Again and again she hit it, but more bricks flew up to replace what she destroyed. The brick monster grew no bigger, but it healed every injury she inflicted.

“I need help!” Dana called out.

“Coming!” Jayden called back. A gladiator tried to stab him and suffered for it when Jayden cut the man’s sword in half, knocked him over with a kick to the chest and stomped on him once he was on the ground. Jayden formed his black whip and swung it around the brick monster. More bricks flew across the room to join with the thing, a terrible mistake when they locked in place over the whip. His whip hissed and ate the brick monster apart from the inside. It tried to kick Jayden, and Dana sunk her sword deep into its foot before it got close. She pulled her blade out and took its foot off. The monster toppled, and this time came apart.

“The construct didn’t grow nearly fast enough,” the dispassionate voice said. “We’re going to have to work on that.”

Dana went to help Prince Onus, who didn’t need assistance. He had the wizard in a headlock with his right arm and was savagely beating him with the left. The wizard couldn’t perform the complex hand gestures or utter the arcane words to cast a spell under such an onslaught and fell to his knees. Prince Onus finished the fight with a kick to the wizard’s stomach before grabbing the man’s staff, ripping it from his grasp and breaking it against a marble pillar.

Which was a mistake. Once Prince Onus’ hands were off the wounded wizard, a magic cloud formed under him and flew him to safety. It joined the other two wizards in white and black flying outside the castle. The one who’d stayed outside the fight observed them with curiosity after their victory.

“I appreciate the opportunity to see you in action,” the third wizard said. “I’d never seen shadow magic before. It’s impressive.”

“What part of Sorcerer Lord didn’t you understand?” Jayden demanded as he ran to the edge of the hole made by the enemy wizards. “What made you think you stood any chance against me with cheap parlor tricks and disposable men?”

A gladiator struggled to his knees. “Disposable?”

“I don’t see magic clouds carrying you away,” Dana told him.

Another gladiator reached out to the escaping wizards. “No, wait!”

“You’ve failed everywhere you’ve tried to seize power!” Jayden yelled. “You’ve lost countless wizards since your wretched order formed! Men and women who could have saved this world died trying to control it! You are a band of idiots running headlong to your own destruction!”

The three clouds drifted leisurely away into the night. The only wizard of the three still capable of standing after the battle said, “This has been educational. Let me really put you to the test.”

At this distance it was hard to tell what the wizards were doing, but Dana saw a red circle of light suddenly link them together. She’d seen this when Zentrix was invaded and knew what it meant.

“It’s a binding spell!” she yelled. “Everybody run!”

Guests, guards and even gladiators still standing took her warning to heart and fled for their lives. The circle of light grew brighter, and Dana saw dozens and then hundreds of ice javelins form in the air. The remaining wizard was drawing power from his defeated allies, making his spell massively more powerful.

Jayden began casting his fireball spell. He chanted and held his hands together as even more ice javelins formed. Dana dragged tables in front to him as a makeshift barrier, and Prince Onus joined her. Jayden’s chanting ended and a tiny spark floated into the night. A second later the enemy wizard’s spell also finished, and a storm of ice javelins whistled through the air as they flew at everyone in the ballroom.

BOOM!

Jayden’s fireball went off in front of the breached wall, swallowing up countless ice javelins. Others broke against the castle’s outer wall or the floor and walls of the ballroom. Three hit the overturned tables and went halfway through.

“Are you hurt?” Prince Onus asked them.

“I’m okay,” Dana told him. “Those wizards must be with King Tyros if they had gladiators working with them, but who were they?”

“Their black and white uniforms mark them as members of the Inspired,” Jayden said as he watched the magic clouds flee into the night. “The worst is upon us.”