CHAPTER 91: PILLARS OF HUNGER

Far ahead, lanterns flickered in the dark.

The carriage, dark with gold highlights, and bearing the crest of the Royal Academy of Magic, moved steadily along the road, guarded only by the cover of night and the insignia that marked its authority.

Rowe’s teeth clenched. His daughter’s killer was inside. The monster who dared take her life, the wretch who thought they could stain House Rowe’s honor, destroy its legacy, and live.

"Forward!" He roared, his voice carrying like the call of a war horn.

The soldiers spurred their steeds, and the night erupted with the deafening thunder of hooves. Their charge shook the earth, the sound growing louder, closer, until it became a tide bearing down upon the solitary carriage.

The driver, perched at the front, must have heard it. The distant thunder of their charge, the glint of steel in the moonlight, the terrible inevitability of the storm.

Lord Rowe saw him turn, saw the lantern light catch the fear in his face. The carriage lurched as the carriage began to move faster. It sped up, wheels rattling over the dirt road, but it was too slow.

"Do you think you can flee from me?!" Rowe spat, his voice venomous. "Coward!"

His fury surged. He dug his heels into his warhorse, the beast surging forward with a scream of effort. The distance between them closed swiftly, the night itself seeming to bend beneath his wrath.

And then, with a voice that cracked like thunder, Lord Rowe cast his strongest spell.

His greatsword rose, the runes carved into the steel blazing to life in a brilliant blue glow. The magic almost seemed to pulse, gathering and crackling as it drew upon the mana within him. The air around the sword rippled, distorted by the sheer power being condensed into a single point.

Rowe swung the weapon downward with all his strength, and the night exploded.

A beam of pure azure light erupted from the sword, roaring through the air like a lance from the heavens.

The ground beneath it split and cracked, dirt and stone thrown aside as if struck by lightning.

The spell speared forward, a roaring torrent of destruction, closing the gap between his wrath and the fleeing carriage in the blink of an eye.

The driver’s eyes were wide, the desperation in them all to clear for him to see, even with the distance between them.

He yelled something, trying to swerve. But the beam was too fast, too merciless.

And it struck.

[][][][][]

A few minutes earlier.

The carriage rolled steadily down the road, and inside, the light was dim, a faint glowstone above them casting enough light to reveal Cecilia seated close to Noah’s unconscious body.

His chest rose and fell in a shallow rhythm, but at least he breathed.

His skin no longer looked like pale parchment. She’d managed to stabilize him. She brushed a strand of brown hair from her golden eyes and exhaled.

Oliver sat across from her, arms crossed but his posture tense. His gaze flicked from her to the unconscious student, then back again. "What will the academy do about the three months of learning he’s missed?"

Cecilia kept her eyes on Noah. "They’ll put him through remedial classes. It won’t be easy, but... it’s the only way to make up for lost time."

Oliver grunted. He seemed like he wanted to ask more questions, but hesitated, lips pressing into a thin line. Finally, he leaned forward, ready to speak again, when the carriage trembled.

A low rumble like thunder drifted into their ears. It wasn’t from the sky, but from the ground, rhythmic and steady. Hooves. Many hooves.

From outside, the driver’s voice carried through the front panel. "Ambush! Soldiers on horseback, closing fast!"

Oliver’s head snapped up. His demeanor changed instantly, the tense silence replaced with soldierly focus. "Faster!" He barked.

The carriage jolted, runes flaring blue as the driver urged the enchantments to full power. The vehicle began to surge forward, its wheels glowing with accelerated movement.

Oliver turned to Cecilia. "That long distance fire teleportation spell. You’ve been practicing it. How far along are you?"

Cecilia blinked, startled by the question in the midst of chaos. "I— I’m close, but I haven’t gotten it yet. Why?"

Oliver’s expression hardened. "Then start working on it now. You were never supposed to be here, Cecilia. If they see you... if they know you’re here, none of this ends clean. They must never know."

The thundering hooves grew louder, pounding against the earth in synchronization. The enchanted carriage swerved as the driver began weaving left and right to dodge.

"Incoming!" He yelled from outside the carriage.

Oliver’s eyes widened. He thrust his hand out, and used his skill.

Energy surged forth from him. Thick, transparent magical jelly encased the interior of the carriage like a protective womb, sticky yet dense, forming a barrier between them and the world outside.

In the next instant, the impact came.

A roaring wave of magic slammed into the carriage. The whole construct lurched into the air, flipping like a toy, then came crashing down with an ear splitting shriek of torn metal and shattering runes.

The enchantments that had been woven into it fizzled out in bursts of light, guttering into nothingness. Panels flew, wheels tore free, and timber cracked as the frame of the carriage gave way.

They rolled to a stop. Smoke curled from the wreckage, flames licking the broken edges. But inside, Oliver’s jelly shield held. They were tossed but not torn, alive within the oozing protective dome.

Oliver didn’t waste a moment. He turned to Cecilia, his tone iron. "Start the spell. Now. It may be our only chance."

Cecilia’s heart pounded, but she nodded. She adjusted her hood and pressed her palms together, trying to form the spell formation. "I’ll try."

Oliver’s eyes narrowed as his senses stretched outward. "I felt it. That spell earlier. It was Hunger Affinity. If you don’t succeed, Cecilia, if you can’t cast that spell, none of us will leave here alive."

The groaning of metal filled the air as the remains of the carriage were wrenched apart. Twisted steel and broken wood peeled back, manipulated by magic until the open night sky poured in.

Soldiers on horseback circled them, their armor gleaming under the moonlight, their helmets shadowing their faces. Dozens of them. No escape.

At the center, a man dismounted. His armor was heavier than the rest, and a crimson cape flowed from his shoulders. He raised his hand, a glow of blue mana gathering in his palm. His voice boomed across the wreckage.

The blue pillar of energy shot from his palm, streaking towards them.

It slammed into Oliver’s jelly shield with the force of a battering ram. The jelly shuddered, resisting for a moment, then sizzled as the energy ate through it.

In seconds, it dissolved into nothing, leaving them bare before their enemies.

The caped man lowered his hand, his expression grim. "Bring me the boy."

Steel sang as swords were drawn, and the soldiers advanced.

Inside the ruined carriage, Cecilia’s firelight swirled desperately at her hands, her spell formation half-complete.

Oliver shifted his stance, body low, prepared to fight.

Noah remained unconscious at Cecilia’s side, his fate teetering on the edge of a knife.

The noose had closed.