I fueled the almost-dead campfire with my power until the bright ball of fire illuminated the surrounding area. The eight soldiers stopped and shielded their eyes, blinded by the sudden light. They recovered quickly and drew their swords.
“Lay down your arms and return to Alexandria,” I said.
The men didn't move. They stared at me, their bodies tense.
“Don't make me hurt you.”
I played with the campfire in front of me. Streams of flame extended from it and moved about as if they were alive. The heat flowed around my body. I sent the fire toward the men. The fire danced in front of them, causing them to drip with sweat, but they didn't move. A few of the younger men squirmed, but that was all.
“Hellsfire, look out!” Jastillian yelled.
I hadn’t seen anyone move, but I dropped the fire show and shielded myself in a layer of fast-moving air, as Master Stradus had taught me. Two crossbow bolts clashed against it and turned aside. I created two gigantic fireballs from the campfire and sent them flying in the direction from where the shots had come. One man screamed from the left while the other dropped his crossbow and dodged the fireball on the right.
I dropped my shield, not sensing or seeing any danger. The fire in front of me blazed brighter until it shot up into the night sky. I parted the fire as I walked over it. I took some of the fire with me, cradling it in my hands as I prepared to use it as a weapon.
“Drop your weapons. You have the last warning I intend to give.”
The lead man did as I said. The other men followed suit. The archer came into view. I walked up to the group of men and asked the leader, “Who sent you?”
He narrowed his eyes at me and leaned back from the dancing fire. But he didn't say anything.
I raised my hand and pointed it at another man. I didn't want to, but I prepared to send the flame that spiraled around me at him. “Who sent you?”
“Premier. Premier sent us.”
I lowered my hand. “And your orders were?”
“To kill you and capture the dwarf.”
“Does the king or princess know about this?”
“No, sir.”
I glanced at the other men to see if he told the truth. He did. “I want you to go back to Alexandria. When you get there, tell Princess Krystal what took place here and what your orders were.” I let the hot fire flow out of my eyes and stared at each of the men. “I'm a wizard. I will know if you obeyed my orders.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Now leave!” I swept my hands and sent the fire surrounding me to the ground. A line of fire nearly crossed the men's feet. They turned around and ran.
I bent down and touched the ground again, feeling their heavy footsteps as they ran. It was never a good idea to run around in the pale moonlight. One of them fell, possibly twisting his ankle. The feel of his feet was erratic as two of the others helped him limp to their horses. As soon as I felt the horses' hooves trot away, I released the earth mana.
“You did it, lad. I've seen magic before, yet I'm always impressed. That was amazing.”
I didn't say a word. Tiredness struck me. I had used a lot of magic, and it was sloppy and showy. I had done it that way to impress them enough to fear me. A true wizard would have been more precise in his spells.
Jastillian picked up one of the swords. “Are you sure they're gone?”
I sighed and shrugged. “As sure as I can be.”
I walked over to the man who had died. Bending down, I was taken aback by how young he was. He was about my age. His face and his left arm were badly scarred. His face was oddly quiet, for dying in such a terrible way. I forced myself to continue to look at him, even though the smell of burnt flesh sickened me. I stared into his lifeless eyes, wishing it didn't have to come to this.
“He died an honorable death, Hellsfire,” Jastillian said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “He died in battle and in service to his country. There's no greater honor.”
I swept my hand over his eyes and closed them. In a quiet voice I said, “There was no honor in this. He didn't die protecting Alexandria. He died because of Premier. Godsdamn Premier. We've got to stop him before more people die.”
“We will, lad. We will.”
I got up, and we walked back to the campsite. I re-ignited the campfire and placed some more wood on it to keep the animals away.
“Go to sleep, lad,” Jastillian said. “You've got a few more hours before your watch.”
I shook my head and sat down near the fire. “You go to sleep. I'll keep watch for the rest of the night.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Jastillian paused as if to say something. “I'll see you in the morning.”
When I was sure he was asleep, I hugged my knees against my chest. I glanced towards the direction of the dead body, shivering from a cold that wasn't there.