Star-Torn Sky

“Here, upon the dawn of a new day I find my firssst prey…” he slammed his staff into the ground and darkness emanated near his dragon feet. Quena used Revere’s shoulder to support herself as she stepped in front of them. “This is magic I know,” she said as she straightened her crooked back with a resounding choir of cracking bones. She cleared her raspy throat and her walking stick clacked on the road. “Face me, blood thirsty baby killer!” “Grandmother,” Tarseldine hissed and bowed with respect. “I ssshall enjoy thisss duel.” “Quena… We’ll go on ahead,” Revere said with worry in his gravelly voice. The sorceress focused on her opponent and the wind chilled them like the breath of the ice dragon. The cold air brought black smoke that pulled at her long, knotted tendrils of gray streaked hair. The beads on her walking stick clinked like icicles. Tarseldine spun his staff and watched Quena from across the distance, blue eyes meeting blue. Revere and Allie dragged Gai behind an old stone wall as the fight began. They heard the shatter of ice and the whistle of the wind. Revere peered out at the duel and saw Quena’s form glitter with the blue of icy armor. Tarseldine’s staff shot shadowy spears at her that she repelled with a sudden snowy updraft. Tarseldine faded from vision and reappeared closer to the ice sorceress. Ice formed on her staff into deadly shards. She spun as she swung at him. Quena’s staff ripped through the illusion. A nightmarish apparition of shadow and smoke startled her. Ice shot between her and the swirling dark visage like spears building a lattice wall. The apparition screamed and it hurt Quena’s ears. She dropped her staff and the ice shattered off it. She backed away and clapped her hands suddenly. The lattice wall collapsed upon the shadowy image. Runes appeared beneath her feet but Quena stepped into the air, walking upon snowflakes as if they were stairs. Shadow craft darkened the snowy ground beneath her.