Dedicated to AdrAlpha for voting and supporting my stories. Thanks so, so much! :D

Also...at the bottom you can see, more or less, how Deneck looks. He's gone through three different hair colors until I finally settled on black, so yeah...he has black hair now. 

7.

Orange Glares

The alarm in Deneck's eyes stunned Reth. He had never seen such intense presence of an emotion in silver eyes before. Deneck's jaw clenched as his sight swept the dozens of Magus invading Jabel. He turned back to Reth and the unease on his face was replaced with resolve.

"Reth," he said, "I have never seen this many Magus before, but we can't simply stand here and do nothing. Remember they can be beheaded." Deneck faced the young man and addressed him. "You must find refuge out of the town. Head towards The Silent Chapel and tell anyone you come across to do the same. Go!"

The man nodded and sprinted off on the horse which he had arrived. 

"We need to find Ser Aldermeck," Deneck said to Reth. "Ser Sianna shall probably be with her as well."

As much as Reth wished to see his ser, something gnawed at him. They should help the townspeople first. It was what his ser would want, he was sure. Reth was unaware how he knew that, but it was a burning certainty he felt.

"The villagers must be evacuated. We have to help them escape," Reth said.

Deneck grinned. "Of course, Reth. That is what we are here for."

The raven tower was the farthest Guard post from the town, but Jabel was small. With the Rhokins' supernatural speed, the two arrived within seconds to the heart of the town where most of the people lived. The two stared in awe at the ice that coated everything.

Reth knew ice and snow was a normal sight, but even he could see how unnatural it all looked. The dark brown and black colors of huts and houses was distorted and dulled behind the walls of ice that encased them. Massive icicles and stalagmites protruded out of broken roofs, splintered doors and walls, and through broken windows. Some of the ice pillars were so enormous they met with other icicles on the opposite side of the street, creating arched frames for the road below. 

The orange flare of the Magus flashed over frozen rooftops. One of the orange blobs separated and its screech drew Reth and Deneck's blades out of their sheaths. The beast's long neck was seen first, curving out from behind a building. Deneck stepped up to it.

"See if anyone is inside the houses, Reth. I'll hold this one off meanwhile," he told Reth over his shoulder.

Reth nodded and went up to the wall of ice to his right. He placed a gloved palm on it and recoiled. It was pulsing with raw magick. Even though he was not yet seasoned in battle, he felt like this essence would be one of the most pure and condensed magick he would ever sense.

He stepped back and held his sword with the tip pointed at the ice. He thrust it forward, and the black steel pierced through the frost. He pulled and pushed on the sword, cutting out a doorway. With a kick, he shattered the carved piece of ice to reveal a wooden door to one of the frozen houses. Reth shattered it with another kick and stepped inside.

A thin layer of sleet gave a blue tint to everything: chairs, tables, hanging furs, and even the fireplace. Reth weaved through the giant icicles that grew from the ground.

"Excuse me. Does anyone reside in here?" he called out. His breath came out in clouds but the cold was nonexistent to him.

He walked past the living quarters to a small hallway that branched to two rooms. The first one was empty save for frozen furniture. It was in the second room where he found them. Reth's chest tightened.

They looked like ice sculptures. The frozen bodies of the family of three was huddled in the corner of the room with the parents hugging a small child between them. Reth kneeled before them. He could see the frost on their hair and eyelashes. His eyes scanned their frames as if he could find some way to reverse what happened to them, but he knew they were dead.

Reth jumped back and the entire room collapsed as a headless Magus crashed through the roof. Crystal shards exploded in the air, but all Reth could see was the shattering of the family's remains: limbs splintered, necks broke, and eyes cracked. Anger bubbled in Reth's chest.

Magus...

He exited the house through the hole in the roof and crashed through the giant ice wall to land back on the road. Another Magus had appeared and it was towering over a frozen Deneck. Reth raced to him and pulled the iced Rhokin out of the way of the creature's swiping claw.

"You will do well to stay away from the shards of ice it creates." Deneck's voice was heard.

Reth looked at him in his arms. The ice around his body was melting as the natural magick in his body battled the Magus' frost magick. Reth felt the wetness from the blood and melted water on Deneck's clothes soak into his own. He released him and stepped back.

Deneck shook his head and tiny ice crystals flew from his hair. "I think these Magus are all connected mentally somehow. They seem to share the same thoughts."

Before Reth could ask what he meant, another orange beast appeared behind them and the two Rhokin dodged the snap of its jaws. While in midair, Reth saw something manifest before him. It looked like a clear, tiny star. The crystal exploded and swirling snow escaped from it. The powder fell on Reth's arm, manifesting ice on him with its contact. It spread up to his shoulder.

More snow chased him.

Heat boiled in his stomach again as he felt the electricity of his magick shoot down his legs. Reth pushed off the platform he knew was under his feet and jumped over the flurry of snow. He saw the whiteness hit the ice wall, decorating it with dozens of icicles.

He landed on the sleek ground only to sprint away from another small crystal that appeared next to him. His arm thawed off as he ran. Reth whirled around to face his opponent. From the corner of his eye he saw Deneck fighting the other Magus. He thought it was strange how Deneck hadn't killed it yet when he had disposed of the other two so easily.

He saw the other Rhokin jump to the Magus' shoulder and swing his sword at its neck. A shield of ice materialized to stop his attack. Deneck countered by shifting his sword up to impale the protruding jaw of the beast. Golden blood rained but none of it fell on Deneck as another ice manifestation caught the blood and kept it away from him. Deneck's frustrated grunt led Reth to believe this wasn't the first time dealing with these frost shields. It seemed like the Magus knew Deneck could kill him by beheading him and that it should keep its blood away from him.

"I think these Magus are all connected mentally somehow. They seem to share the same thoughts."

Deneck's words entered Reth's mind, but—

Pain detonated across his chest. Distracted by Deneck's battle, Reth didn't see his own foe's attack and the Magus executed a rib cracking head–butt on him. He slid across the ground. An icicle smashed into his back, pushing him up in the air. He landed on his feet with his sword on the ground to keep his balance.

He inhaled and a sharp pain on his right side made him cough. Flecks of blood escaped his lips. Reth tried to focus on the approaching Magus through his blurry vision. The beast stopped and its neck pulled back. Reth felt the same raw magick from the ice wall gathering in the Magus' mouth.

Reth stood to move but the pain brought him down to one knee, palm on the ground to hold him up. Through his blurry vision, he saw something hanging next to the creature's head. It looked like a circle made of several jagged, yellow lines that danced and weaved with one another. The sharp heat of his magick rose in Reth's stomach. He followed through with it, but instead of it coursing through his legs, it went through his arm and out the palm he had on the icy ground.

The yellow circle by the Magus' head gathered and sprouted forward as a giant spear with a white blade. It punctured through the creature's temple and erupted from the other side. Reth's summoned spear dispersed with a surge of light. Without the weapon to hold it up, the Magus crashed to the ground, a crown of splintered ice framing its corpse. 

Reth stared at the dead beast, trying to figure out what had happened. He looked up to where the yellow circle had been. His eyes widened when he realized it had been his platform from his last jump. It had remained in midair, waiting for Reth's command.  

The crash of breaking ice caught his attention and he saw Deneck slide on the ground. His uniform was torn and his exposed skin was coated red. Reth pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain that streaked through his chest. The glimmer of an ice crystal in front of Deneck's face prompted him into a run.

It was too late.

The crystal broke and snow encased Deneck in ice once again. Jaws from an orange neck snapped over his arm and shoulder.

"Deneck!" Reth cried.

The Magus stood still and a snort escaped it. The orange skin on its head shredded off from its neck as if pulled by some invisible force. Stringy flesh and blue eyeballs followed, golden blood whipping the air at the ferocity of the pull. The gold intertwined with red as the Magus' jaws were loosened from Deneck's shoulder and pulled into his magick.

Reth saw as the creature's entire head was swallowed into Deneck's being. The arm the Magus had bit was the one wielding his sword. It dripped with golden blood from the stab wound it had given the Magus inside its mouth. Reth realized it was through that Deneck had been able to activate his magick. The Rhokin stood up and sheathed his blade. Crimson dripped to the ground from his bitten shoulder.

"Reth?" Deneck said when he saw him.

"Deneck." He staggered to him, put his sword away, and placed an arm around him, careful of his wound, to support him. The pain in his chest protested, but Reth held on.

Deneck chuckled. "I believe I should be holding you up. Broken ribs hurt more than flesh wounds."

He pulled Reth's arm over his neck and held him up with his uninjured one. The sharp sting from Reth's side eased a little. He smiled at Deneck and he returned it.

"You two are alive!"

The Rhokins turned to the sound of the voice. Reth knew who it was before he saw her.

"Ser!" he exclaimed.

There was a huge tear across Sianna's chainmail, and Reth could only think of how he should have fetched her a stronger chest piece. As she neared him, he saw the countless, bloody wounds on her face and through her torn gloves and arm guards. Magus blood was splashed her armor, but her still fluid, but tired, movements proved she was not greatly injured. Reth sighed in relief.

Sianna's eyes went wide when she arrived before them. "You two..." She trailed off and looked at the trio Magus corpses.

"Ser Rayoss," Deneck exhaled, "is Ser Aldermeck alright?"

She faced him. "Yes. She"—her eyes wavered with sadness—"she has proclaimed Jabel lost. Most of my comrades died and we have seen no survivors. We are to evacuate."

"Ser, you can't!" Reth exclaimed.

Sianna looked at him in surprise.

"There must be some survivors somewhere."

Melancholy overtook her features again. "If only, Reth."

A roar from above drew their attention to the sky. It was another Magus, but this one was taller and bigger than the others.

"Damn," Sianna whispered.

"We can outrun it," Deneck said and pulled away from Reth. "Would you rather I carry Ser Rayoss?"

"Carry?" she exclaimed.

Reth's eyes narrowed with determination and a surge of strength coursed through him. No one but he carried his ser.

"I shall be able to carry her," he said.

"Carry? Why carry?" Sianna continued to ask.

"We will move faster if we carry you, ser. You are unable to keep up with our heightened speed. Simply tell us where to go so we may find Ser Aldermeck," Deneck said to her.

"She told me to meet up with her at Cirrane's south path to The Silent Chapel. Last I saw her she was with Tiel and they were heading towards the destination. We got separated in the chaos, and I was with Elkar, but he didn't make it past our last encounter."

"It is a good thing you found us, ser. Shall we go now before we are discovered?"

Sianna nodded and Reth stepped up to her.

She eyed him with slight worry. "Are you alright, Reth?"

Her words of concern pumped extra strength into him. "Yes, ser. If I may?"

He scooped her up and lay her over his shoulder—the side that wasn't injured. Somehow, he knew she wouldn't have liked it if he had cradled her in his arms.  

This was the first time Reth hadn't waited for her to tell him to do something.