The goblins halted their assault, fell back, and made a clear path for three inferns that marched toward Brenn with their eyes blazing red.
"You wish to fight with fire? Very well, but you will not fight goblins."
Brenn did not fear fire, for it was a part of him, but his control over the flame allowed him to see deep into the core of the infern's blazing essence. Despite being only half-demon, the heart of the creature was pure evil. The fire mage saw malevolence in the fiery depths and he realized how demon fire could burn the soul. He did not wish to battle such creatures of hate, but he had no other choice. The goblins had the street blocked, and he was well aware of the inferns speed.
Without considering the consequences, Brenn unleashed his most powerful spell. He knew he could not outmaneuver the half-demons, or outlast them. His only hope was to surprise them. He did so with raw power.
Choosing to go beyond the flames of fire, he focused his energy on reaching into the cores of the inferns and stoking their very essence into a self-feeding storm. The half-demons never had the opportunity to fight back as the fire within them turned into pure boiling plasma and consumed their entire beings. The heat became so intense that the three inferns collapsed into each other. The burning winds that pulled them together were so strong that they actually became one glowing mass until there was nothing left.
With no energy left to defend himself, Brenn fell to his knees. He was given only a momentary reprieve as the goblins stared dumbfounded at the small pile of infern residue in the center of the street. Their shock lasted but a few heartbeats, long enough for the mage to appreciate the true power of the spell he cast. It would be his last. He prayed his end would be quick, and since the goblins were ferocious with the desire for immediate revenge, it actually was.
Chapter 24
Before Holli revealed much detail regarding the events in the valleys, Enin brought both her and Ryson to Heteera's bedroom where Jure kept watch over the dormant sorceress.
"Any change?" Enin asked, as he peered into the room but did not enter, deciding it was best to remain outside so as not to risk disturbing the sorceress.
Jure got up from his chair and met the threesome just beyond the doorway.
"No, she hasn't moved on her own. No real reactions at all, not even a cough, but at least the magic appears completely stable."
Jure nodded a greeting to both Ryson and Holli. He was surprised to see them and wondered what news they brought back from the Great Valleys.
"They just returned," Enin explained. "I wanted you to hear what they said. No sense in them repeating things."
Enin finally allowed Holli to recite all that she and Ryson had learned. Both wizards remained silent throughout. Neither asked any questions until the elf guard concluded her findings with the prophecy as explained by Reader Rachael.
"Rachael was certain about the two wizards casting white magic?" Enin wondered.
"She had extreme confidence in the prophecies," Holli admitted.
"Not too many spell casters can cast in pure white," Jure noted. "Doubtful that there would be two others so close to the crisis that would be willing to work together."
"I doubt there are any in the valleys," Holli added. "The regional steward put harsh restrictions on the use of magic. I even asked him about it. The magic was the one area where he showed uncertainty. I do not think he is comfortable around it. I believe the inferns are enforcing the casting restrictions. A wizard with the ability to cast white magic would have found such restrictions unacceptable and would have left long ago."
Enin agreed, and then returned his focus to the prophecy.
"It seems we are required to act. Destiny is a difficult thing to avoid."
"Are you certain the prophecies refer to you and Jure?" Holli asked, still unwilling to merely accept such a presumption.
"Certain? No, but I believe Ryson received the message from the sword for a reason. That fact cannot be denied. The two of you were guided to Rachael, and then you came here. I am not willing to discount such occurrences as simple coincidence. Whether you wish to believe the prophecies or not, the enchantment of the sword should not be disregarded. I believe that's direction enough for Jure and I to involve ourselves, but we are not quite certain who we are to act against. Perhaps it would be best to deal with the dwarves first. We know…"
Jure cut the wizard off with just one word.
"Draevols," the elder wizard stated with hardened confidence.
"Draevols?" Enin responded first. "You think they are responsible?"
"Yes, I do."
Holli didn't dismiss the thought. In fact, it held merit. She considered draevols a possible threat when she first encountered the inferns, but she needed to point out certain issues. Making unsubstantiated assumptions was as bad as ignoring obvious facts.
"But I did not sense any draevols," the elf made clear. "Not in Sterling, not in Huntston, not even in Ashlan."
The elder wizard felt uneasy about taking the lead, but he could not dismiss the clarity with which aspects of the story fell into place.
"It's not a surprise," Jure explained. "I don't think they were in Sterling. The dwarves were dealing directly with the goblins. There would be no need for a draevol to risk revealing itself in a city of dwarves."
"What about Ashlan and Huntston?"
"I think that's exactly where they are."
Enin pressed for greater clarification.
"Why is it you believe draevols are involved at all?"
"It just makes sense. Holli said there were inferns guarding the valley. Why would they do that on their own? They wouldn't. They're following orders. It becomes a question of who is capable of ordering an infern to guard a pass instead of burning down the forest. A goblin? A dwarf? I don't think so."
"That's a bit thin to automatically assume draevols are responsible," Enin noted.
"I would agree, but it doesn't end there. We also have to look at what's going on in Ashland and Huntston, and across the valleys. Goblins are taking over farms and inundating cities. Something much more devious than a goblin has to be involved."
"Prilgrat was the driving force behind most of that," Ryson offered.
"And what would make a regional steward allow goblins to infiltrate his lands?"
"I have not been able to answer that question," Holli admitted.
"Wouldn't a demon be able to manipulate humans? You have to admit it's possible, at least much more likely than a regional steward making some kind of handshake deal with a goblin. No, I'm sure there are two draevols and they're deeply involved with Ashlan and Huntston. I believe that is where they're hiding."
"Hiding?" Holli wondered. "You think the draevols knew we were there and purposely hid from us?"
"To a degree, yes. Didn't you say that Prilgrat wasn't surprised to see you in Ashlan? It sounds like he expected you. I'd go as far to say Prilgrat knew you were in the valleys. If he struck some kind of deal with a draevol, I'm sure they'd share that information. And didn't soldiers arrest you in Huntston? Seems to me they were aware of your presence."
"But not the whole time," Ryson pointed out. "It took a while for the guards in Huntston to identify us, and the inferns in Ashlan had no idea who I was when they tried to capture me. To me, that means they weren't sure where we were, and wouldn't Holli have noticed a demon so active in either place? I mean, she can sense goblins coming down a tunnel. We were in the same room as Prilgrat. We talked to him."
He might not have understood magic, but Ryson knew how to use his own senses. Holli was very sensitive to the energy. Her missing a demon would be like a delver failing to notice a long dead corpse decomposing in the next room.
"Not necessarily, not if the demon wished to hide," Jure explained.