"And that’s how he was burned?"
As Anice nodded ekly, Lessa added, "Duke Daniel noticed the scar during breakfast and asked what had happened. We told him and he struck Edmun in front of everyone. He refused to heal the wound as punishnt for—"
"Mind your mouth, girl," spat the boy in question. "You can’t say whatever you want just because we were being friendly with you. Don’t forget that you’re just a baron’s daughter, and that your father’s only a baron in na. He doesn’t even have his own territory, or at least doesn’t run it himself."
Calum gave a malicious nod, one of his cheeks red where a small hand had recently struck it. "We’ve suffered enough humiliation in your presence, so we’re no longer interested in keeping you company."
"If that’s the case, then I’ll bring them elsewhere so that we can stop bothering the two of you."
Alistar grabbed both girls by the hand and then turned to leave, though he hadn’t dragged them far when he sensed a small amount of magical energy approaching his back at a rapid pace. He imdiately understood that one of the brothers had just launched so sort of spell at him, which surprised him greatly. Magic wasn’t sothing to be thrown around lightly, and it could easily take soone’s life under the right circumstances.
Pushing the girls aside, he turned around just in ti to see a head-sized ball of fire heading straight toward his chest. Acting on instinct, he cloaked his right hand in swordsman’s aura and dispersed the fireball with a well-tid swat. His cousin’s spell had been poorly executed, the amalgamation of flas having barely kept itself together by the ti that Alistar had targeted its most unstable area.
Both of his cousins stared at him in silent disbelief, their stupefied expressions making Alistar lose what little respect he had left for them. Not only had they clearly intended on leaving him with excessive injuries, they had truly believed that such a weak spell could have put him out of commission. They had both bragged countless tis about how they were in the midst of training to beco arcanites, and yet Calum’s offensive spell had hardly been different from the one that Alistar used to light candles.
"Are you crazy?" yelled Lessa, whose earlier timidity had been replaced with a rare look of rage. "What’s wrong with you? You could have killed him!"
Anice was suddenly her hotheaded self, an angry glare revealing that the frightened, anxious girl from before was gone. "How dare you attack Alie like that? Do you want to burn the rest of your brother’s face?"
"You two..."
Alistar was taken aback. More than that, he was moved. Neither of the girls had been able to work up the courage to defend themselves from the constant badgering of the other boys, but the mont that Alistar beca a target of his cousins’ animosity their attitudes had completely changed.
Calum spoke without remorse. "I was only trying to hurt him."
"Alie’s been nothing but nice to you. How can you do sothing like that to him?"
"Are you going to stop us?" snorted Edmun, his words slow and nacing. "I’m curious, what did you just say about my face?" The anger in his eyes was real, his cheeks red as if he were suffering from the greatest of shas. "Unfortunately for you Anice, if I’m going to have to walk around with this scar from now on, then you’ll have to receive one as well."
Anice lost all of her vigour as she watched Edmun hold out a hand, aiming his palm at her. As the energy in the air began to vibrate at the instigation of the boy’s spell, her legs began to shake as past traumas seed to flash through her eyes.
So this is the real Edmun.
Alistar stepped forward, heart pounding as he faced his cousins. "Lessa, is that your handprint on Calum’s face?" When she nodded, he asked, "Did he kiss you, like his brother did to Anice?"
"He followed to the privy last night, but I slipped away when he made the attempt and then went ho with my family."
"Why does that mark on his face look fresh?"
"Well, they followed us when we left the estate and he tried to do it again. As soon as I told him off, they completely changed back into their old selves. That’s about when you showed up."
"I told you how they were," said Anice, her voice unsteady. "I knew sothing was wrong when they were being nice to us. I just knew it!"
Caught between complicated feelings, Alistar wondered what his uncle Caedmon would do in such a situation. He would likely apologize and try to solve the dilemma with words, though Alistar had already tried and failed with this approach. His cousins were quite simple-minded and forthright to a flaw, so taking the diplomatic route would only worsen his predicant. He now found himself wondering what Tramon’s reaction might be.
He recalled what his master had said back when he had still been hanging from the tree outside of his ho. Then all you have to do is protect her. Or can you not even do that?
His resolve hardened.
That’s right.
Staring at the sudden mass of flas that had appeared in front of Edmun, he imdiately found the answer. Judging from the size and stability of the spell, his cousin intended to mutilate Anice, and not just a little bit. Wondering after the boy’s sanity, Alistar decided to give both of the brothers a good beating on behalf of the girls, who were so of the most important people in his life. No matter what he did right now, he doubted that the outco would be drastically different. Since he was destined to incur their wrath, he decided that he’d protect the girls to the best of his ability even if he had to flee the county as a result of his actions.
Without looking back, he said in tone that brooked no argunt, "Anne. Lessa. Go over to the base of the hill."
Staring at the mass of flas that was constantly growing in size, Anice gave Alistar a worried glance. "Alie, no... Let’s just leave. You don’t have to fight them."
Lessa set her jaw and dragged Anice away despite her friend’s complaints. Edmun didn’t track them with his spell, which he continued to aim in Alistar’s direction. Evidently, he had lied about his true target.
The flas were now large enough that they could completely engulf a grown man, the air all around Edmun bending from the heat. Calum was forced to take several steps back, and even the caster’s skin was flushed in all areas where it was exposed, his pupils shrunken with veins visible on his temples.
"You’re a fool if you think you can face this spell!" called Calum, who was in the midst of retreating to the hillside a ways away from the girls. "Don’t bla us if you die."
Dropping all pretenses, Alistar gave him a disapproving look. "When I saw you spar at the collegia, I got the impression that you were a decent swordsman. Because of that, I thought that you must be quite talented with your magics as well, but to think that you would actually be such a novice."
Nobody else seed to have noticed that Edmun had long since lost control of his spell and that he was currently fighting with all of his focus to prevent it from exploding outward in all directions. Unfortunately for him, the more he invested into attempting to subdue the rampant energy, the larger and more unstable the flas beca. Likely, he was pouring a lot of power into an elent that he lacked an affinity for, all because he himself had suffered a terrible burn.
"Hurry up already," Alistar baited. "If this were a real fight, do you think that your opponent would just let you build up your spell for so long?"
The older boy looked as if he wanted nothing more than to drive a dagger into Alistar’s throat, but he didn’t seem able to spare enough focus to snap out a response. More than anything, he looked worried.
Should I save him? It wouldn’t benefit anyone if Edmun died, since that would rely earn Alistar and the others the wrath of his uncles.
Without warning, the flas began to undulate like an egg from which a baby bird was about to break free. Edmun let out a frightened yell and then tried to run away, though his efforts were for not, as the flas casually dissipated with a rush of hot wind. As soon as they disappeared, a cloaked figure stepped out from behind one of the nearby oak trees.
Seeing the new arrival, Alistar cald his inner energies and stopped his preparations to disrupt Edmun’s spell with well-aid masses of water. As Antoine’s eldest son pulled back the hood of his cloak to reveal his handso, strong-browed face, only Alistar was aware of the countless veins of moisture that were quietly trickling back down into the earth beneath their feet.
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