Free Deliverance by Brittany Comeaux Page A

both pushed their swords towards the other, but they were
evenly matched.
    “I was about to say the same about you.”
Gavril countered, “Daddy taught you well, didn’t he?”
    Just then, there was a flash of light,
catching them both off guard. Everyone looked in time to see
another flash that knocked Maryn and Taryn against the wall, the
first flash having knocked out Sigurd. Saitar then shot a beam at
Kerali, which acted as a rope and latched around him. The elf then
fell helpless to the ground. Without fail, the rogue elder then
shot the same binding spell at Crystal. She dropped to her knees
and struggled to break free. Then, just as Gavril ran to help her,
Blaze disarmed him, knocked him down with a kick to his abdomen,
and pointed his sword to his throat.
    After a brief moment, Bogdan laughed with
triumph.
    “Well, my dear,” he told Crystal, “It seems
that six against three is no guarantee of a victory. I suppose you
are out of luck.”
    “Luck?!” asked Crystal, still struggling,
“Luck had nothing to do with it! You don’t know how to fight a fair
fight! All you know how to do is cheat your way through everything!
How can you live with yourself?”
    “Hold your tongue, woman! I shall now make
an example of you and anyone else who dares to raise a blade to
me,” replied Bogdan. He brandished his sword over Crystal’s neck
when another sudden flash of light nearly blinded everyone. Crystal
then realized that the binding spell has gone and she could move
again.
    She looked in time to see the Malcolm and
Thaddeus enter the room. Thaddeus had disarmed Saitar and was
holding his own staff pointed at the rogue elder. The binds on
Kerali had disappeared as well, and Malcolm struck Blaze, which
made him lose his sword and gave Gavril time to grab his own.
Sigurd had come to and groggily stumbled over to the High
Elder.
    “About BLOODY time!” the dwarf barked.
    “I am sorry, my friends.” replied Malcolm,
“I finally realized that Saitar had betrayed us when Thaddeus had
pointed out that Bogdan wouldn’t have known about the Eye unless an
elder told him. I figured the king would just threaten us into
opening the entrance to the chamber, but then I saw that Saitar was
missing, and I realized that he had betrayed us.”
    “Wretched traitor!” shouted Thaddeus,
shoving his staff into Saitar chest.
    It was then that Bogdan took advantage of
everyone’s confusion and hurriedly grabbed the Eye of Gaull.
    “Stop!” cried Crystal. She rushed toward him
with her blade drawn, but he just inched closer to the pillar.
    “Yes. . . .” he muttered lustfully, “I can
feel its power. Give me the power to destroy these fools!”
    “Bogdan! Stop! You do not know what you are
doing!” shouted Malcolm.
    “I do not need to know anything except
power! I want the power to make nations bow before me! The power to
make mountains fall in seconds! The power to be a god!” shouted
Bogdan, who then laughed maniacally.
    “Bogdan, I warn you! Turn away from the
pillar, or else . . .” Malcolm trailed off and then saw Blaze lying
on the ground. Malcolm felt he had no choice, so he pointed his
staff at the prince, emitted an orb of energy from the end of the
staff, and said, “or else he dies!”
    To everyone’s shock, Bogdan did not yell or
plead with the high elder; he burst into laughter.
    “I am about to become a god.” replied
Bogdan, “Do you really think I need an heir anymore?”
    Blaze sat motionless on the ground. All of
the color had drained from his face as he stared at the man who
once called him “son.” Gavril looked at Bogdan angrily.
    “He is your son!” Gavril shouted.
    “He is useless!” replied Bogdan, “I have
what I want now. I don’t need that brat slowing me down
anymore.”
    “You heartless bastard!” screamed Crystal.
Bogdan laughed again.
    “Hearts are for the weak. I have never felt
the need to carry such a burden! Now then, I believe I have a world
to conquer,” replied Bogdan,