The Divided Knight - Chapter Twenty

Most people who possessed magical talents began to manifest their abilities during late adolescence, usually around sixteen or seventeen years of age. Zoe had been no different in that regard, but, when her abilities had begun to show themselves, it had quickly been discovered that she not only had an affinity for Life Magic – the comparatively weak magic that clerics used to heal themselves and others – but also the broader powers granted by Arcane Magic. Women who could use Arcane Magic had always been rare – at least as far as recorded history was concerned – and it was even rarer when a woman who could use Arcane Magic was able to combine it with her talents in Life Magic. Zoe, as it had turned out, could do just that, and so her teachers had taken it upon themselves to not just teach her the ways of being a cleric – they had also decided to pass on what little was known about being what was called a Spellbreaker.

Spellbreakers could destroy spells that were cast by others. This was different than dispersing a spell, which, though it undid the spell, left its underlying energy behind. Spellbreaking unmade the spell entirely, making it impossible for anyone to reuse the energy that had gone into its casting. Spellbreaking is what Zoe had done to dispel the shield the Lich had used during the encounter on the hill, and though that had been the first time she'd ever done it, Zoe had found it child's play, not even taking into consideration her new abilities as Abbott of the Order of Catharzen. And then had come the moment when she'd had to put Thaddeus back together, which was when she'd learned just how much her Spellbreaking powers had changed.

No longer was Zoe confined to breaking spells. She could now take their energies into herself, using them to augment her powers and make it possible for her to do things she otherwise wouldn't have been able to. Wish I'd understood that better before allowing the static spell around the Guardian's dwelling to snap back into place, Zoe thought as she looked at the Sword Priest Atraxos had left behind to deal with her and Thaddeus. I could've broken it, instead. Which would probably have left us crushed when the dwelling came down on us.

The Sword Priest – who had been made to look so much like a Vampire that it caused Zoe's blood to run cold – drew his black-bladed sword and hissed at them. Immediately, Zoe recognized the hiss for what it was, and wasn't at all surprised by Thaddeus's curse when he found he could no longer draw his sword. Break it! She reached over and touched Thaddeus's scabbard but, at the last moment, decided to draw the spell's power into herself instead of banishing it. The resultant inrush of energy flooded Zoe with warmth, and she found herself grinning. What couldn't she do if she could augment her powers so easily?

“Draw your sword, Thaddeus!” Zoe shouted. “Now, before he can cast, again!”

Thaddeus's sword was out and in his hands before Zoe could blink. The Sword Priest – who had appeared so menacingly confident, before – had a moment to look confused, and then Thaddeus was upon him, attacking with magically-enhanced, superhuman speed that the Sword Priest was only just able to defend himself against. Zoe circled the perimeter of the fight, wincing in pain each time Thaddeus's sword met that of the Sword Priest – the clash of the blades coincided with crimson flashes that signified small rents being made in the fabric of reality – looking for any opening that would allow her to use her power.

Conjure me, Priestess! Aylander said inside Zoe's head.

She did it without thinking, speaking the words that made the dead Eltaran appear. Before when he'd appeared, Aylander's form had been ethereal, like that of a ghost. This time, however, he looked much more solid, and there was a sword – all but the twin of Thaddeus's – in his hands. A look of horror appeared on the face of the Sword Priest when he caught sight of Aylander, and then there were three people fighting, the Sword Priest retreating across the platform as he desperately tried to turn away attacks coming at him from two directions.

Satisfied that Thaddeus could now hold his own, Zoe decided to turn her attention to the stone platform. From her research at the abbey, she knew the spell etched into its circumference was an Eltaran transit spell. It was the most powerful spell she'd ever encountered – even more powerful than the static spell that had supported the Guardian and his dwelling – but, at the moment, it was dormant, and would only become active once its words were spoken. I can energize it without activating it, though! Zoe suddenly realized. How else could she have known how powerful it was? The words had no inherent power of their own. Zoe knelt down and laid her hand flat against the stone.

All at once, Zoe had access to a record of everyone who had ever used the spell. She also could see all the other, identical spells it was connected to, a network that spread out like a spider's web across her consciousness. If she had been powerful enough, Zoe knew she could have disrupted the entirety of that network, destroying every single one of the transit spells forever. Even with the Abbott's abilities, however, and even with the added augmentation provided by her absorption of the Sword Priest's spell, she wasn't quite powerful enough to do that. She could stop Atraxos from reaching his destination, though, and she did, breaking the spell, there, while unconsciously absorbing the energy of the one, here, at the same time. Zoe gasped when she felt the effects of what she'd done, her body coming alive with power.

“No, you cannot!” the Sword Priest Thaddeus and Aylander fought cried, apparently realizing for himself what Zoe had just done. “YOU MUST NOT!”

Zoe came to her feet. “Nevertheless, it is done. And, now, you shall die.”

Zoe unleashed her power, but didn't direct it at the Sword Priest. Instead, she directed it at Thaddeus and Aylander, and found herself watching in awe as they absorbed it all. Things happened too fast for her to see, then, punctuated by a horrible, high-pitched shriek from the Sword Priest as Thaddeus ran him through with his sword. Thaddeus could have decapitated him, then, and taken his soul – his sword, at the moment, was empty – but, before that could happen, Zoe banished it, never once thinking to offer the same mercy she had offered the Lich. Not Twisted enough! Not even close!

Silence fell. Abruptly, Zoe became aware that Thaddeus and Aylander had turned toward her and were staring. Zoe felt drained, but not so bad that she was afraid she might pass out. Aylander looks like a ghost, again, she thought, and giggled giddily.

“What did you do, Zoe?” Thaddeus asked. “That last surge came from you. It was incredible!”

Zoe didn't fully understand everything she'd done, which made her feel like giggling even more. “I helped save your gorgeous arse,” she said. “And made it a lot harder for friend Atraxos to get where he wants to go.” She giggled, again, and grinned. “I fucked shit up.”

Thaddeus's eyebrows shot up.

“Such language!” Aylander said, sounding more amused than shocked.

Zoe started laughing. And, before long, Thaddeus and Aylander were laughing, too.