Page 143 of Ashes of Aether
“Laxus!”
The gilded gates of my manor vanish. They are replaced by the Arcanium’s archway.
QUEL ESTE VOLU, PODE NONQUES VERA MORIREthe carved words read.That which is aether may never truly die.
Chaos erupts behind me. I whirl around.
Magi and adepts stand shoulder to shoulder as they battle the rampaging undead. Necromancers are scattered through the horde, their black robes merging with the darkness.
Magic collides everywhere I can see. Ashes of aether scatter through the breeze, falling on Nolderan like glimmering specks of snow.
I push through the masses. No one turns to me. All are focused on their own enemies.
I manage three strides before a ghoul’s rotten teeth snap toward me.
Using my father’s staff as a focus, I draw upon aether. The crystalline surface gleams with magic, enabling me to rapidly power my spell.
“Ignira,” I hiss.
My scorching flames slam into the rotten carcass. It lets out an unearthly shriek as its body disintegrates into ash.
I continue through the havoc, searching for a face I recognize.
I find Archmage Gidston standing several paces ahead. Her violet robes distinguish her from everyone else still dressed in their finery. A few strands of blond hair have come loose from her usually neat bun. They dance around her in the wind.
“Archmage Gidston!” I call, hurrying over to her. Another undead lunges for me. I blast it with flames.
The Archmage finishes her fight with a wraith. Then she glances back at me.
“Reyna!” she exclaims. “Where’s your father?”
I don’t reply. I can’t. Telling her what happened atop the Aether Tower will make it all come rushing back. For now I can only block everything out, focusing on one movement and then the next.
If I stop to think, I fear I may never move again.
Her gaze trails across to my father’s staff. She must find her answer there, and in my blood-stricken face, since a shadow descends across her expression. Her lips part. No sound passes them.
This is the end. Of Nolderan. Of the magi.
Archmage Gidston’s shock lasts for only a short second. A wight launches a shadow bolt at us.
“Ignir’muriz!”she calls, surrounding us with a wall of flames. “Ignir’quatir!”
The fiery shield explodes, taking the wight with it.
Ghouls swarm toward us. We stand back-to-back, battling the legions of undead. They do not relent. When one falls, another takes its place. There is no end to this storm.
“Reyna!” a shout comes from ahead.
My aether shield is so dense I can’t distinguish the figure racing toward me. All I can tell is that they are among the living.
“Quatir!”
The barrier explodes, blasting the surrounding undead. Bone shards rain on me. Their edges graze my cheeks.
“Reyna!”
Now that my shield is gone and the nearest undead are defeated, I have a clear view of the person calling my name. Koby. His cheeks are branded red, and his breaths are labored. He barely manages to stop himself before crashing into Archmage Gidston and me.