My Sorcerer

Chapter 15

The taste of blood filled my mouth, but I pushed through. I need to ignore this. I needed to help him. I managed to take down another one of the men, but before I went after another one, Pierceton flicked his wrist, and the remaining three went flying. “I think you’ve all not realized who you are dealing with. I will give you one chance to escape with all your parts, or I will make sure each one of you is missing at least one part before the sun rises.” His voice was dark, serious, and undoubtedly a promise rather than a threat.

The leader laughed at his words. “I realize you are a wizard, but you cannot be more powerful than three.”

“Wizard...” he muttered with a sigh. “How often must I explain the difference between a wizard and a sorcerer?” he groaned. “You know what... you are not worth the air it would take to explain it.” He raised his hands, and as he did, the men who were still standing also rose into the air. They squirmed, trying to get their feet back on the ground. However, no matter how much they moved, they could not return to the earth that had once been beneath their feet, not unless Pierceton were to will it.

“You will place us back on the ground,” the leader demanded.

“I could, but I suppose you would, but I believe it would do you more good to do it on your own. Considering at least one of you is a wizard,” he taunted them.

“There is one among us,” grunted the leader, agitated.

“Then he appears to be a coward or inept at magic,” he jeered at him.

Just as the words left his lips, branches around us began to snap and thud heavily onto the ground. The wind began to pick up, gathering leaves and then using them as weapons. The leaves had been hardened, and so when they so much as brushed against your skin, they sliced through it. Whoever their wizard was, they didn't seem to care about his comrades as they were also being struck.

Before too many pieces could cut her, Pierceton waved his hand, and everything stopped. “Cheap trick,” he chuckled as the remaining men hit the ground, bleeding from the cuts that had been caused by their own comrade. “Come out before I must make you,” he warned.

“I do not believe you have the strength.” The voice was carried through the air, making it hard to locate where it had come from.

“I do love to put a cocky wizard in their place,” Pierceton responded, his voice laced with excitement.

Before the other person could respond, Pierceton merely took a step forward and a gust of air that felt like it had been imbued with magic ripped through the air. He grinned and took another step, and it happened once more. Then he began to stretch. “It's been a while since someone could withstand my simple magic,” he muttered mostly to himself. “Now, let's really get started.”

I watched as he raised himself into the air. It was as though he only had to think it for it to happen. He didn’t need to really move, not like all the other magic users I had seen on TV or even here tonight. We're sorcerers, really, that's different from other magic users, or was it just him? “Last chance.” His voice boomed over the forest. “Step out or I will bring you out.” The strength of his voice sent a ripple throughout the forest. Birds escaped along with all other creatures. She could hear the rumble of their footprints. She herself felt the need to escape with them on instinct. It took great willpower to remain.

The wizard did nothing to show he even acknowledged Pierceton’s threat, and so, he made good on his promise. The trees seemed to pick themselves up from the ground and move aside, revealing the wizard who stood there with a look of shock plastered over his face. However, he quickly composed himself. His eyes darkened as he peered around him. His gaze then settled on me. An evil grin spread across his lips. He raised his hand, a stick with his fingers wrapped around it. Then he began to mutter something, words she couldn’t hear or possibly didn’t understand.

Before he seemed to get too far in his chant, Pierceton was in front of him in the blink of an eye. “I admire your fight. However, you are choosing the wrong fatespell to go after,” he nearly growled at him.

“At least I’m not too slow,” he responded smugly.

I watched as Pierceton spun to look at me. It wasn’t until he did that I felt that something was wrong. The world was starting to fade away. I couldn’t understand what was happening. Pierceton’s expression shifted to that of fear, or was it more than fear in his expression? I wanted to tell him I was fine. Then I wanted to ask what was happening. I just wanted...

“Cora!” I heard him scream my name before I lost my strength and hit the ground. I felt a rush of wind, the echoing voices of the men being thrown around, and then his hands were on me.

Wetness, I felt something wet dripping on me. “Cora, please be okay,” he cried out. I felt the tightening of hands around clumps of my fur. His hands were shaking. Why? What happened? I couldn’t open my eyes, but I could still feel him, smell him, and hear him.

“Open your eyes... say something...” he pleaded with me, but no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t. I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, and couldn’t open my eyes.

Suddenly, the air around me changed, becoming hotter, almost as though it were rage itself. “What have you done to her?!” he bellowed. The air started to crackle as it began to heat up more. He was no longer kneeling next to her. Instead, he had stood and was making his way over to where the wizard stood.

Fear prickled through her. She felt as though something terrible was about to happen, and there was nothing she could do to see what was going on, let alone attempt to stop it. She wanted nothing more than to tell him she was still alive, that she was aware of the world, but it was as though she were trapped within her own body.