Eric stood rooted to the spot, even though Samuel was no longer restraining him with magic. Now it was a combination of horror, indecision, and conflicted priorities that froze him in place. Elena’s words echoed in his head, suddenly blank, as if his brain had vanished alongside all his certainties of the day. The certainty that, no matter what happened, he was strong enough to protect his family. Or the certainty that Infernals were a rare thing and never so malevolent that they would actually harm the innocent.

“Eric, I know this is terrible to learn,” Samuel said. Eric wasn’t aware enough to register the slight glare he sent to his daughter. “But we cannot let this distract us from our goal.”

“Our…,” Eric took a moment to form even a single sentence. “Our goal?”

What was the goal again? Try as hard as he could, he couldn’t ever recall anything in life being important. But of course, at the Archmage’s prompting, he remembered. Ah, yes. Save the world. It seemed such an insignificant thing compared to the horrific news that had just been presented to him. His own daughter was in harm’s way. She was possessed by an evil spirit from another plane of existence, the same spirit that had hampered Elena’s growth for three centuries.

And that was when the fear and indecision faded. All his nervous energy resolved into a single, solid emotion. Rage. It billowed up inside his heart so quickly that it made him light-headed. In even less time, it had clouded his mind. He was going to kill each and every Infernal he could. They were foul demons who would interfere in the life of ordinary, everyday people just for their own selfish interests. They had no right to exist.

His sword was already halfway out of its scabbard when Samuel’s spell hit him again, freezing his boy more completely than even his own fear had. He struggled to break free, but this attempt was no more successful than the last. Samuel had frozen his jaw and head, as well, so that he couldn’t even move his eyes. The scream of unstable rage that he wanted to unleash died before it could be given life.

“Do not move!” Samuel said, his voice hard. For a moment, Eric felt a rush of indignant anger. How dare Samuel deny the one thing he wanted so badly? Why would he stop him from achieving his single, heartfelt goal?

But then he realized that Samuel wasn’t looking at him. He was looking back towards the throne. The Queen had risen halfway out of her throne but froze at the commanding voice, looking much more like a chastised child than the Queen of what was arguably the strongest nation in the world. Samuel’s voice came again, but this time, it cracked with its own unique force, as if thunder was booming inside the large throne room.

“If you take one step, I will end you, along with the Queen. Do not even think of fleeing this space.”

He spoke as if he wasn’t addressing the Queen. Then, with a shock powerful enough to wash away some, if not all, of the anger, Eric realized that he wasn’t. It made sense. The Queen was also possessed. Then why hadn’t she been restrained as well? Maybe she was strong enough to fight off the effects of the Infernal attempting to possess her.

Seeing that Eric was back in control of himself, Samuel released the spell binding him. His limbs were weak in the rage’s absence, and he sat down at once, though he regained his feet quickly. He stared, open-mouthed, at the Queen. “She’s been possessed as well?”

“Yes,” Samuel confirmed. “But hers is a legitimate pairing, not a hostile takeover like with these.”

“How many have been possessed?”

Samuel’s face was conflicted. The muscles of his jaw were taut as if he were clenching his teeth, not willing to admit his own shortcoming. “I don’t know. These are only the ones that I caught inside the palace.”

There were forty-three people gathered in one place. If that was just within the palace, Eric shuddered to think how many within the city itself had been affected. As if reading this question on his face, Samuel said, “Issho-Ni has already been dispatched across the city. Every master, adept, and apprentice is donating their efforts to enforce a curfew, as well as every member of the Maravino and the Royal Guard.”

Every single able-bodied man and woman of the fighting forces were tied up with ensuring that Milagre wasn’t adversely affected by this wave of new Infernals, then. Eric thought quickly, wondering what that could possibly mean to the safety of the city. But it had been peaceful for some time now, he reasoned, so the chance of an attack was highly unlikely. Even if there was to be one, they would know well ahead of time that it was coming. Nobody could teleport within a hundred miles of Milagre without Samuel knowing about it.

Suddenly, Eric realized that as bad as it sounded, there was no doubt that Samuel could handle it. He was the greatest mage alive, after all, wasn’t he? Case in point, he was restraining nearly fifty people at once, and he didn’t look the least bit weary. And his uncertainty could be attributed to the mere fact that this was a new kind of problem. He’d think of some way to fix it. All Eric could do was follow his lead and wait for Samuel to give him a task to help.

“So what do we do?”

His question might have sounded simple, but it wasn’t. Samuel took nearly half a minute to come up with an answer, which did more to prove how difficult it was than anything could. “I don’t know.”

“Can you toss out the Infernals that are in these people?”

“If it is a legitimate pairing, no,” Samuel said. He answered that quickly, which reassured Eric. “If it’s a hostile possession, it is easy.”

“Why can’t you break up a legitimate pairing?”

“Well, I can, but not without causing significant damage. The longer the Infernal is there, the worse it is. And if the person doesn’t want to get rid of the Infernal, then it’s even worse.”

Eric frowned at that. Why would anyone willingly choose to share their body with another being? But then he thought of Megan and Alice. His friend never seemed put out or troubled by the presence of the Infernal in her boy. Maybe it was possible for them to co-exist. Would Megan take the chance to be rid of Alice if the opportunity presented itself? He wasn’t sure, but something inside him said no.

“Fine, then,” He said. He strived to keep his voice level in the hope that if he looked calm, maybe he could prompt Samuel into finding a solution more quickly. “What can I do?”

To his surprise, he found that Samuel had an answer waiting for him. “You’re in charge of hunting down that Infernal you found. If possible, I’d like to restrain him until we’re sure that he’s not the cause.”

“What about the human that he’s bonded with?” Eric asked. “I don’t know anything about Infernals or how they form bonds, but I’d wager that one was a legitimate pairing, as you call it.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Samuel said. “But he should still be restrained. He’s committed a severe crime and needs to answer for his actions.”

“You want me to capture him?”

“No. I don’t doubt your strength for a moment. But Menikos’ involvement elevates it to a much higher plane. I’ll have to attend to it personally, with some powerful backup. For now, I just want you to find him. But first…”

He turned away from Eric again and faced the restrained people. His voice cracked out with that sense of power and authority once more. “Palayasin!”

Banish. Eric recognized the word at once. Instantly, the bodies of the citizens went slightly slack, as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders, and they’d collapsed in relief. Now that he was looking closer, Eric could detect the clammy faces, pale skin, and general fatigue on each of them. Clearly, being taken over by an Infernal without permission had exacted a heavy toll on them. His anger flared once again, but this time he tempered the emotion, pushing it down for further consideration.

“Welcome back, people of Milagre,” Samuel said. His voice was much gentler now, and he spoke with a very patient, empathetic air. “I understand that you are tired, but you were the victim of a rogue mage who had infiltrated the palace.”

They all showed signs of shock at his words and looked around with startled eyes. They all saw the Queen and immediately bowed in respect, looking awed to be in the presence of someone so important. Many polite greetings rang out, but Samuel caught their attention again, gesturing towards Eric with one hand.

“This is Master Breeden. He will be escorting you back to the city safely. If any of you are too ill to return to work, he will also escort you to a healer.”

Samuel gave him a meaningful look, and he nodded his understanding. At once, he started beckoning the people toward him. “Come with me, folks. Let’s get you home and resting.”

They issued him a quiet word of thanks as they passed, slipping outside the double doors of the palace, looking both unsettled and grateful. Eric waited until the last of them had exited and gave Samuel a perfunctory bow. “If that’s all, Lord Bragg.”

“Certainly, Master Breeden,” Samuel replied smoothly, keeping up the illusion without trouble. “Thank you for your service. We will speak later after my business with the Queen has finished.”

He gave a slight figure of his fingers, and the doors closed, sealing Eric off. In the last half second, before they slammed shut, Eric heard Samuel say, “Now, tell me exactly what you’re planning here. Depending on your answer, you might not leave this hall alive.”

-

Eric got the scared and confused people safely down through the Noble District and back to his homes without any trouble. The city streets, as a curfew was in effect, were empty for the first time in living memory. Eric had never heard the city so quiet, even after the battle against Attos. The only figures he could spot were the members of Issho-Ni, Maravino, and the Royal Guard on city corners, keeping an eye out for trouble. One or two of the general military or guars questioned him when they saw him with a large group, but he persuaded them away with a quick word each time. Only the members of Issho-Ni, recognizing him at once, let him pass without comment.

Once the last citizen closed the door to their home, letting out a quiet mutter of gratitude for the help, Eric let out a long sigh of relief, tempered by the nervousness that had only grown as he moved away from the palace. As if this slight sound was a summons, he saw someone approaching from around a large group of buildings. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised to see the face of his master, Ehran.

“You look just about done in, Eric.”

He tried to give Ehran a reassuring smile but knew it was a doomed attempt. “I want nothing more than to rush to the aid of my wife and daughter.”

Ehran nodded. “I can’t sympathize with the notion as I am single and childless, but I do understand the need to protect. It’s even worse when you know that there’s nothing you can do.”

“Figures you would understand that more than anyone else,” Eric said ruefully. “Samuel is urging me to forget them for the time being and fight for the cause.”

He lifted one fist in a mocking gesture of determination, and Ehran’s grin widened. “You know, you’re too harsh on Lord Bragg. He’s gone through his own share of tragedy more times than either of us can imagine.”

“I know,” Eric admitted, thinking of Elena. “But he could appear more sympathetic. It’s not hard.”

“Maybe you should teach a class,” Ehran said with a laugh. “I’m sure you could teach him-”

He got no further. Suddenly, all sounds around the area vanished. Ehran’s lips continued to move, but Eric heard nothing of his words. Both of them frowned in confusion, noting the odd sensation. What could cause that? Had someone cast a spell on them, momentarily deafening them? Eric turned around to look for the source of it and felt his heart drop into his stomach. There was no doubt what the cause was.

Far, far into the distance, he could see the gradual slope of the city. At the very peak of that slope, by design, was the palace that sat at the center of Milagre, a beacon of power and protection. Or rather, that was where it had sat. Because now, there was nothing. Well, not nothing. A giant cloud of dust had been flung into the air as if by an explosion, and bits and pieces of the massive palace had been thrown clear of the site, flung so far that…

“Take cover!” Ehran shouted, the sound suddenly turned back on. “That debris is coming right towards us! Take cover!”