Episode 47: Don't make her mad

Orlaith's golden aura was hard to miss from almost any position on the battlefield, and the enemy magi immediately counterattacked this new phenomenon.

Aurora saw the size and angles of the incoming magics and cursed. She threw the strongest magical shield that she could manage around herself and several of the "enemy" soldiers. Fire, ice, and lightning struck simultaneously, bathing the entire area in painful energy and screaming zones of disharmony where the effects overlapped. Aurora and the soldiers were battered painfully but not seriously injured.

Orlaith's aura had flared outwards into a convex shield. She was untouched by the attack, but she was mad. A single arrow shot out over the enemy; at the top of its arc, a great bird cry was heard, louder than the scream of any eagle. The fiery form of a phoenix unfolded itself. It flapped its wings, struggling to gain altitude and sending down a rain of flames. As it gained height, the image slowly faded until nothing remained but the desolation beneath.

The surviving enemy surrendered.

Orlaith's aura disappeared. She sat down, stunned and exhausted. Aurora helped Percy bandage his wounds, while Max supervised the disarming of the prisoners. Arthur knelt by Lord Summerson's body. Isabelle knelt by Arthur.

"Damn it," Arthur cursed. "Why here? This wasn't some important border or tactical line that had to be held at all costs. We've lost too many good heroes to this stupid invasion; why can't idiots like Black Jong let us die in peace?"

Isabelle couldn't answer that question.