The Paladins of Naretia

  *

  The weakness that had consumed Ol?rin to near the point of death had begun to fade. His chest, however, still ached from the effort of breathing, blood still oozed from his shoulder, and his limbs still begged to collapse. He was virtually powerless to do anything about the battle that raged in front of him, or of the stone golem that was slowly choking Aramus to death.

  It was in this desperate moment that a voice whispered in Ol?rin's mind. He recognised it at once as the voice of his beloved Goddess Edwina. "I have cried enough," she whispered. Just as suddenly as he had heard her, and was filled with her loving light, she left again and the reality of the cold, misty morning returned to him. The air, laced with the clashes of weapons and the cries of dying ogres, brought him back to his senses. He knew what he had to do.

  Rummaging through his old tattered hat, Ol?rin found the phial containing waters of life, the tears that Edwina had cried. She had given him four tears, but the potion only required two. Whilst fumbling a gem from the glass bottle, Ol?rin couldn't help but marvel at the Goddess's foresight. 'She must have known that I would need this,' he thought. If that was true, Ol?rin wondered what need he might have for the other one.

  Finally gripping one of the shining stones between his muddling fingers, Ol?rin place the phial back into his hat. Just as he did, he saw the ferocious figure of a worgen come hurtling toward him. His claws dug into the mud, propelling him forward, and his teeth flashed viciously in the morning sun, all except one missing canine.

  Ol?rin placed the tear snugly into the burl of his staff and held it up high.

  "ILLUMINOUS," he bellowed.

  Like a creature that had suddenly come to life, the tear shot out a blazing light. The worgen and ogres stumbled backward, whimpering like they had been burned, and abandoned their queen as they ran into the mire. Ol?rin knew that the light of Edwina most probably had burnt them, like it had done to Aramus in Darzithal. But he couldn't tell for sure because his eyes were transfixed on his staff.

  Like molten gold, the tear dissolved and gushed over the wood, turning it from a brown colour to a dazzling white. It snaked under his hand, sending a wave of power and warmth through his body. The pain left his wounded shoulder and when he looked down, only a hole in his purple robes remained as evidence that it had ever occurred. Even as a young apprentice Ol?rin had never felt so strong or alive before, and it took his breath away. It was the sound of Aramus gasping, and a sword meeting an axe, that drew his attention back.

  Apart from his iron armour, Bernard was a vision of red; his fiery hair matching his furious red face. Tears flowed freely over his cheeks and he bared his teeth as he swung again and again at the queen. Her long, curly hair flailed around as she met his attacks with a trained hand, but she could not best his vengeance despite her skill.

  Ol?rin, satisfied that Bernard would keep the queen at bay, strode calmly toward the golem. Aramus's eyes were beginning to roll back in his head. Just then, his grip loosened on the Etherium arrow and it shot out of his hand. It rocketed toward Ol?rin's chest with a tinny hum. Ol?rin's staff glowed and, as though time itself had slowed down, he calmly reached out his hand and caught the arrow before it struck. The arrow, etched with dark runes that no good wizard should know, struggled to escape his grip. The markings glowed brightly, sending a burning ache all the way up his arm.

  "Abomination," he whispered to the arrow. "Be gone."

  Ol?rin touched the arrow to his staff and the markings melted away like they had never been there. The arrow lost all fight and all power to move, and he dropped it into the marshy ground before continued on his way toward Aramus.