Chapter 24

“I am obviously dealing with a bunch of very low-class idiots! In case you fools haven’t noticed, I am a hell of a lot higher than I was; perhaps you’d like me to unfreeze you and let you find out right before I completely destroy you.” All but one of the men’s eyes were growing wider as I spoke. I figured as much releasing them. I told them they were free to go, but they owed me a favor and that I’d remember them. Each nodded and was gone extremely quickly.

“Now then, as defiant as you are, do you think you can beat me? I highly doubt it, but you’re welcome to try.” I told the man.

I unfroze the idiot and started to power up to almost full power, that I believe was enough as he shook his head no and was gone as quick if not quicker than his friends. I reached out to where Cedric was and shouted for him. Appearing a moment later he started to laugh, “So you really don’t care about these little wimpy children. The shield you erected will fail soon then their weak power will add to my own.”

Shocked a moment, it was my turn to laugh, and this, of course, pissed Cedric off to no end as his face contorted into a mask of rage. “You dare to laugh at the greatest mage that has ever lived? I could kill you now, brother, far easier than you think, even with the pissant power of our sister that you have. I will wait, and I need you to be as high as you can be so that when I suck your soul, I will indeed be unstoppable. Not even the council combined will be enough to stop me!” Shooting a bolt at me, I deflected it, then reached out and started to rip away at his defenses, screaming. He again tried to pull away, but I held fast.

“You’ve been fucking with the wrong mage, you sorry piece of shit!” I shouted over his increasing screams, “Whatever you are planning, it won’t work ‘cause I am here to stop you like always!” Finally, he screamed even louder and then wrenched himself loose, but not before I got a sense of what his plan truly was. So I thought he’d planned on me taking one of my siblings from him, but the problem is I had taken far more of them than he’d intended. Even with the orders he’d implanted deep in her, there was far too much of her for them to really control her, plus I felt I had taken the last bit of her from him.

[Eluria, I am sorry, but I must do this] I told her as I reached in and ripped the orders out of her. I heard her gasp and then cry, but it was short-lived when I heard her tear-filled voice.

[Thank you, brother. Though there are others, this was the worst one; at least now I can no longer harm you.] Nodding, I saw in her mind other orders that she had pointed out and that had been quickly eliminated. I came to or arrived back in my body. Celina was there trying to clean up the mess. She’d held her own far better than I’d hoped for. Walking up to her, I removed the barrier to my students and reached Celina when I felt my energy drop, crap.

“You did an excellent job, but,” I heard several of the students in the doorway, “I think you need to call the council. I’m afraid that Cedric took a bit out of me with this latest battle.” Celina’s eyes went wide as she started to scream for the council, even though Pena was also calling his father. I turned to the class, “I am proud of each of you, and you are progressing far better than I thought you would,” I wobbled on my legs falling to my knees. That’s when I heard Gena gasp, and then Cloe and Celina started to scream, oh gee! I hadn’t noticed the blood on my forehead. Ok, Cedric was really getting desperate if he was trying to injure me. Good, the ass! I felt several hands grab me, and the energy left me, and the world spiraled into darkness. Crap, this was going to ruin my whole damn day!

I awoke an hour later with a loud groan. I felt several people around me before I opened my eyes. Opening them slightly, I felt the pain start, crap! It felt as if my head was splitting still. I managed to get my eyes open, though I just didn’t seem to have enough strength to get off the floor yet. Celina lifted my head, and Cloe poured the foulest-smelling concoction. Ugh! The taste was even worse than the smell, though I had to admit that I felt my strength returning quickly.

Looking around I saw the council standing a ways off huh? Why were they over there? I looked the other way and soon got the answer. Tom and Evelyn Timmings, Gregor and Trina Vidon were beside Cloe and Celina. Shaking my head, my eyes opened wide.

“Why in the hell are you here? I thought you were all going to stay in the keep, and YOU,” I said as I turned to Gregor, “you told me you’d back off!”

Gregor gave me one of those irritating smiles as he answered, “So I lied. What are you going to do? You have never been able to catch me. What makes you think that with your added power you are faster?” Sitting up, I grabbed my head as I started to fall back towards the floor; oh crap, still dizzy. What had Cedric been trying to do to weaken me so others could kill me? Yes, I was starting to see he was; it was almost like what I’d been trying to teach my students. If the enforcer was weakened, then he would be an easy target.