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Chapter 21: A superior force

Cael\'s shout was immediately echoed by dozens of others. Oliveira soldiers woke up and would soon turn their weapons on the intruders.

The silhouette Cael spotted froze for a moment. Cael used that time to read an Arcane Arrow spell and aim the magic projectile at the enemy. Two dozen paces divided them—even in the dark, it wasn\'t too hard to hit the target.

To Cael\'s dejection, the intruder\'s shock didn\'t last that long. He noticed the arrow and moved out of the way, letting it harmlessly whiz by.

"Retreat!" the man shouted in a voice that sounded unusually young for someone with a right to give commands. But Cael could sense bright mana in them; this person was a mage. A first-ranked, maybe? Or possibly even second-ranked.

Cael didn\'t see the other intruders until they began to move away from the courtyard and towards the wall. This was when Cael expected the closest enemy to turn his back and flee as well.

Instead, this person, ignoring all the people who got out of the tents, dashed straight towards Cael.

His eyes widened. *He\'s quick!*

"*Light, come forth!*" Cael exclaimed, throwing his palm towards the approaching enemy.

There wasn\'t time to do much more. In two seconds, he was already near Cael.

At that moment, Cael\'s spell created a ball of bright light in the palm which he had lifted towards the intruder. Not bright enough to blind in normal circumstances, but when a person\'s eyes were used to the dark…

The enemy halted, squinting at the light, and then at Cael\'s face.

This close, Cael could see that their face was covered in something black, hiding their features; and that their body was pulsing with an enhancing spell of some sort. A spell too complex for anything of the first, or even second, rank.

It was at this moment Cael realized he was in deep trouble. Soldiers? They wouldn\'t stop a mage that powerful! His best bet was to get to his father; but how? Cael\'s first circle Windstride won\'t let him be faster than the man under an unknown third circle spell.

Speed. Something so simple, but so telling of the chasm in power between the first and the third rank. Or even fourth—but that would mean that this man was Enzo Nuvoloso himself, and Cael just couldn\'t believe that.

Even the third rank, though, was enough to kill him.

What point was there in being a spellcaster if you are dead before you finish a single word in Arcani? That\'s why the most powerful mages were those who learned how to cast spells wordlessly.

Cael only heard about them.

*Is this it? Am I going to die so stupidly? Will I piss myself too, when I\'m dead?*

The enemy raised a hand with a knife, and the moment of hesitation passed. Cael\'s survival instinct kicked in.

*Eat this!* he thought, pushing the ball of light towards the enemy\'s face. The man dodged, but it gave Cael precious moments to dodge and break into a run.

He weaved between the tents, extinguished campfires, barrels with provisions, and other clutter.

Behind him, people shouted in alarm. Something exploded, but it wasn\'t near Cael. He didn\'t turn to see who cast the spell, or where it was aimed at.

With the ball of light staying behind, there was nothing to show Cael the way, and he had to avoid falling by sheer intuition and luck.

They lasted him for a dozen seconds, after which something slammed at him from behind, pushing Cael face-down into the dirt. In the last moment, he lifted his hands, protecting his nose, but he still felt rattled to the last bone from the impact.

But this was all the pain he felt. Nothing pierced through his muscle and organs, nothing severed his spine… No blade protruded from his back. Only a heavy, alive weight that pushed him down.

*He wants to take me prisoner!* Cael realized. *Must\'ve recognized me when I cast that Light spell. I look enough like my father for that!*

The next decision came to him together with that realization. Knowing that his remaining time now likely measured not even in seconds, Cael moved without wasting it on thoughts.

He grabbed the Sending Amulet on his neck and pulled it off the leather cord with a single powerful tug. Then, he hid it in the only place that came to his head at the moment.

Cael put it into his mouth. The amulet tasted like dirt, but he ignored the taste and stuffed it behind his cheek as safely as he could.

In the next moment, a hand pressed on the back of his neck. His head swam; in moments, his body, and then the world, grew dim and distant.

Cael\'s last thought was full of hopes that he won\'t choke on his amulet. That would be the stupidest, the worst possible way to destroy his destiny…