Aetherbane is a plant that grows in remote places, such as high mountainous peaks or oases that are near impossible to reach in the Akari Desert or the Kozagan Desert. Once used on a magic user, the latter loses all ability to draw power from the Aether, the source of all magic. There was also information related to a hybrid form of Aetherbane developed by Eva's people in the southern continent. So I consulted her about it.

'We found a way to harvest the plant's pheromones then used a device that could spread it all around a territory,' Eva said. 'It's a rare and expensive artifact,' she went on. 'I'm surprised Bodrick managed to get his hands on one.'

'How do we get rid of it?' I asked.

'It's simple,' she replied. 'You have to get inside the Aetherbane zone and find the device. Destroy it or deactivate it, and the zoning dissipates.'

'I have a feeling that's it's easier said than done,' I commented.

'Especially if Bodrick's left it in good hands,' Eva said. 'I think you should warn the others before they step into a trap they can't get out of.'

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'Once inside the Aetherbane zone, you can't get out unless its master gives you leave,' she replied. 'Or if you kill said master then deactivate the artifact.'

'How do I deactivate it? I like its usefulness, I might want to hang on to the thing,' I said.

'It's usually activated using a secret phrase or code,' Eva said. 'If you know the secret phrase, you can change it to your leisure. Harvest more pheromones from other plants, and you can even expand the territory that blocks the use of magic.'

I immediately contacted Raiya and let her know about the Aetherbane then.

'That's not good,' she said. 'I can't hear anything from Beatrix's side either.'

'Send the b.l.o.o.d.y baron to check up on her,' I said. 'Regroup here with me. We need to think of a plan to get Bodrick out of the house.'

'No can do,' Raiya said. 'We already have our hands full here.'

'I'll come to you then,' I said, clenching my fists hard.

That's the thing with plans. You don't know what your enemies have up their sleeves. You have to be proactive or lose the battle in the most shameful possible way. I wasn't going to allow the man who manipulated me, killed two of my friends, and drove my name through the mud to live any longer.

I turned to look at the poor guard I'd just pulled the information out of. He was holding his tiny arm, whimpering, crying like a little babe. I cleared my throat and he raised his angry eyes toward me.

"Keep him here with you," I told the two men that accompanied me. "You can have your fun with him if you like. Just keep him alive in case we need more from him."

"Please," the guard started begging. "I told you everything I know."

"You think you told us everything," I retorted. "Keep him alive unless you want to deal with your boss," I said to the others. "And don't leave your posts. Make sure you let us know in case anybody comes here."

They nodded, and I hurried toward Raiya. The screams from the front door had indeed subsided. This either meant that Beatrix was done with her killing spree, or that she was captured. I picked up speed and ran faster toward the time witch. When I reached her, I found her fighting off a horde of enemies, at least ten by the looks of it.

The b.l.o.o.d.y baron was struggling to push three guards away while Raiya summoned the power of wind to drive her opponents away. The others who had accompanied them were already dead. Things started looking bad for us.

Just as one guard was about to drive his sword through the b.l.o.o.d.y baron's neck, I willed my essence to pour out of me and directed it at the a.s.sailant. He instantly tensed up, as his movement seemed to have slowed down dramatically. The b.l.o.o.d.y baron took advantage of the opening I created and finished him off.

Raiya was not doing any better. She couldn't fight all the six guards that attacked her at the same time. So she only pushed them back then shot some spells at the exposed ones. Some of them managed to evade the spells. Others took them head on but didn't die or get seriously injured. I looked ahead of the horde, there were at least half a dozen more guards heading our way.

'Raiya,' I called out to her. 'I'll create an opening for you. Can you roast all these f.u.c.kers at the same time?'

'If you allow me enough time to do it,' she said.

'How much time do you need?' I asked.

'Five minutes, give or take,' she said. 'And would you hurry? I can't keep up all these people.'

At that moment, the b.l.o.o.d.y baron let out a painful cry that pierced my eardrums. He'd just taken a hit to his right calf. I called upon my Fragment's powers, and drew from its essence to try and achieve what I've never achieved before. Eight guards surrounded Raiya and the b.l.o.o.d.y baron. If the latter died, Raiya would be in immediate danger.

Six more were heading their way. They'd reach them in two minutes. After that, there was nothing I could do to remedy the situation. So I strained myself. I remembered the way I managed to slow each tree leaf individually. I remembered the way I slowed that guard who almost killed the b.l.o.o.d.y baron.

With an approximate estimation of a guard's average weight, plus their armor and weapons, I concentrated on slowing each one down individually. Then I released all the essence I had stored up in the first hand of the fragment. The energy flew at each of the fourteen guards. Some slowed down more than others, but I'd achieved my objective.

'Make sure you don't miss,' I told Raiya. 'I can't move while I'm holding this many people down.'

'They're as good as dead,' she answered. 'Just don't lose focus.'

'The b.l.o.o.d.y baron's losing too much blood,' I said. 'Help him if you can.'

Raiya turned to look at him then put a hand on his injured calf. The old man began grunting, but a few seconds later, his painful cries stopped. He got to his feet then beheaded the one who almost finished him off.

'Tell him to keep one for me,' I said. 'Better yet, tell him to bring him here.'

'You'll have plenty of people to kill,' Raiya said. 'Let me focus on what must be done here.'

She raised her blasting rod in the air then started mumbling a chant in the strange language she always used for spells. A minute pa.s.sed, and I already started feeling the energy I used loosening. I needed to hold on, nurture it a little longer. I wanted to get in touch with the b.l.o.o.d.y baron and ask him to kill more people while Raiya prepared her spell, but the old man couldn't use psionic communication.

Two minutes pa.s.sed, and my body already started shaking heavily. Some of the guards seemed to move a bit faster than I wanted them to. So I dug into the fragment's essence and drew from the snow flake's second hand. I drew half the essence I stored in there and directed it at the people I slowed down.

Three minutes pa.s.sed. Raiya's chant went on, higher in volume and in pitch. Her essence flowed around her, raw and dangerous. I could almost feel it pus.h.i.+ng against the effect of my own spell. If she kept going this way, she'd soon shatter the effect of my spell and die before she could finish her chant.

I tried to get in touch with her, but she'd closed herself to all psionic communication. I drew more energy from the fragment and emptied the second hand of the snowflake. The spell was beginning to take its toll on me. My body s.h.i.+vered more violently. My legs could no longer support my weight. I was sweating from every pore in my skin.

Four minutes pa.s.sed. At that time, it felt more like an eternity to me. It was harder to maintain to spell on live bodies, with organs, different limbs and a consciousness of their own, than maintaining it on inanimate objects. I had to endure though. I had to keep a tight hold of the men.

'Only sixty seconds to go,' I kept reminding myself. Sixty seconds seemed like a year in my mind then. My chest burned, and my heart pounded against my ears.

Then I remembered a spell Raiya had used when she trained me to open my third eye. Instead of slowing time, she'd advance it, make it faster. I was at the brink of pa.s.sing out. I had to do something. Maintaining a spell, I learned, didn't rely just on the amount of essence I had. I had to act now or lose the fight right before we won it.

I decided to risk it all. I drew all the energy from the third and only remaining full hand of the snowflake. I directed it at Raiya and willed the time to move forward for her. Her chanting immediately became faster, almost unintelligible. A few seconds later, I couldn't be bothered to count at that time, I heard Raiya scream the following words.

"Rise, Ifrit, ruler of fire, and destroyer of worlds!"