Heir to the Sundered Crown by Matthew Olney Page A

his body. He had to refrain from laughing as he felt the magic build within; the tingling becoming more intense as he focused on the heavy desk. He raised a hand slowly. Alira stifled a gasp as the desk began to rock, the noise instantly drawing the attention of the assassin.
    The footsteps grew closer. Luxon had his eyes shut tightly as he concentrated.
    Alira screamed as the assassin leapt on top of the desk his dagger pointing menacingly at her. She scrambled back away from the killer.
    “Luxon! Help me” she cried.
    Luxon smiled.
    “Of course.”
    He flung his arms upwards. Alira screamed as the desk shot into the air, the surprised assassin on top. With a smash the desk, complete with the stunned assassin slammed into the crystalline ceiling, a sickening squelch the only clue as to the assassin’s fate.
    Luxon leapt backwards as the debris of the desk and the gory remains of the assassin crashed back to the ground. A red smear clearly visible on the ceiling.
    A wave of tiredness threatened to overwhelm him, but Alira caught him before he collapsed in exhaustion. He placed a hand on her shoulder to steady him-self and shook his head to clear the dizziness that threatened.
    “Thanks, I forgot how tiring that spell was...” he muttered.
    A loud crash came from the hallway outside the chamber. The sound of alarm bells from the city had now been replaced by screams and the sounds of clashing steel. The city was under assault!
    A ball of fire zipped passed the doorway accompanied by an agonised scream. A Crimson robed assassin appeared in the doorframe his robes aflame as he writhed on the stone floor. Alira recoiled at the sight and the smell of a man being burnt alive by magic fire.
    The Nightblade Welsly stepped over the charred corpse, relief evident on his face as he saw Luxon and the girl.
    “Praise be, that you two are safe” he said.
    “Welsly, what’s happening?” Luxon asked. The sounds of battle were growing fiercer and louder.
    “Caldaria is under attack. Assassins somehow managed to infiltrate the city and open the gates for an army that was hiding in the woods to the southeast. What Nightblades there are in the city will be attempting to retake the gate house, but as for Master Thanos and the other mages I have no clue,” explained Welsly, fatigue evident in his voice. His black leather armour had been ripped by a knife blade.
    “Are you hurt?” Alira asked as she noticed the damage. A rivulet of blood was oozing from the tear.
    Welsly shook his head in the negative. “No, I’ll be fine, the bastard only dinged me, he took me by surprise is all.’ Tentatively he touched the wound, only for his black gloves to come away sticky with blood. 
    Cautiously he leaned out into the hallway before gesturing for Luxon and Alira to follow.
    “Stick with me and stay close, these Crimson blades may look like ordinary men, but they move like something unnatural. We need to reach the top of the Arch tower. That’s where Thanos and the other masters are likely to be,” the Nightblade explained as he broke into a run, the others close on his heels.
    They passed a number of chambers. In several the unlucky occupants lay dead, in one a mage had taken out several assassins, their charred remains releasing a foul smoke out into the hall. In another a female mage was knelt over a wounded guardsman, the light emanating from her palms was her attempt at healing the knife wound in the man’s chest.
    The three continued slowly through the towers lower floor. Despite the carnage all around them they had not encountered any more assassins. Finally, they reached the great stair case which led to the levitation platforms that would take them to the tower’s higher levels.
    Welsly crept forward, taking cover behind one of the crystal pillars that dominated the base of the stairs. Each step was made of brightly coloured glass which gave the stairs their other nickname of the ‘Rainbow staircase’. Luxon and Alira both