Ben could feel his muscles straining as he continued to pump the bellows to

heat the forge for his master. Even after three years, his muscles were still
developing for the wearying work. But Mathias was paying Ben and was also passing
along his trade. Neither of which Ben could have dared hoped for a few years prior.
And that was just the surface of Ben's new life. Mathias' wife, Sharon, seemed
interested in getting Ben groomed for Married life. Especially since "no young man of
at least twenty years should be unwed" as she constantly reminded him. Even Gale
was in the market for marriage, though she was a few years older than most eligible
men were looking for, being almost twenty years old herself.
Mathias, of course, refused to let up on Ben's workload especially with the city
suddenly working on the expansion. They had more than enough need for metal
parts of some sort or another. And then there were the occasional requests by people
who couldn't tell a blacksmith from a swordsmith. Mathias still took the work. Taxes
had been raised again and Mathias had instilled into Ben the idea that forge work
was forge work, it didn't matter if they were making swords, hinges, brackets, or
anything else they were asked for.
Mathias' hammer rang while Ben continued heating the forge with the
bellows. The large man was focused solely on his work for the moment. Ben however
was free to think while making sure he didn't get the fire too hot. Melted iron did
them no good. Finally the fires got to temperature and Ben joined his master, picking
up a hammer and a rod that would be made into a stand for a large stew pot. It had
to be tall enough to stand over a fire, especially since they'd been told there was
nothing to hang the pot on instead in the hearth.
Ben worked carefully. Mathias didn't approve of shoddy results. He wanted
people to keep coming back, and what was fast was rarely quality.
Time passed quickly while master and apprentice worked side by side. Ben
knew what he could reliably craft and so left the other projects for Mathias to handle.
Eventually, however, the sun dipped almost completely below the horizon and Ben
quickly took the cue from his master that they were done for the day. Putting down
his hammer Ben stretched his sore arms and Mathias looked over Ben's current
project.
"Getting better, boy," the blacksmith said. "A few more years and you'll make
a decent journeyman." Ben smiled and took the praise. He'd heard it before, but at
least it meant that he was learning well. "Alright, come on. I think I can smell the
bread Sharon made."
Still smiling, Ben walked beside his master over to the house. He wasn't sure
if the man could really smell that well, but it was clear to Ben and his stomach that
the meal was going to be ready when they stepped inside.
Gale met them at the door and hugged her brother, not caring that he was
still covered in the grime of the work day. Sharon was standing in the doorway to the
kitchen, making a sound of disgust when Gale turned back to her. "Have I not told
about that?" She berated Gale. Ben's sister hung her head, but he could see a smile
on her lips. "Go on... wash up." Sharon gave the order.
Gale retreated up the stairs to the washroom and Mathias grabbed a large rag
he and Ben always used to wipe off at the end of the day. When Sharon was satisfied
with his cleanliness, she stepped forward and kissed her husband on the cheek,
making her usual inquiry about his day.
Ben wiped off his face and arms just as Gale came down the stairs. "So how
was your day?" He asked.
"I went out to buy the vegetables for the meal," Gale replied. "I... heard it
again." Ben blinked. He knew what his sister was talking about.
"I thought you said you'd been imagining it last month?"
"I know. But now - with this last time - it's just like three years ago.

Remember then?" Gale asked, a look in her eyes Ben didn't quite recognize. It looked
almost like a child who'd found something new and amazing, but not quite.
"Gale, that voice isn't there. I've walked past the temple hundreds of times
over the past few years and I haven't heard anything like what you described." And
he hadn't. Gale had said it was a female voice calling for her. Beckoning her to go
closer. The only reason the temple still stood was that people believed it would bring
the wrath of the goddess Vede to destroy it entirely.
And so the city's ruler, Tobias, had left it alone. Or that was the rumor at
least. Ben didn't know for certain and he didn't want to go against a man who
claimed to be the avatar of an old god. Whether he was crazy or not, Tobias had
killed a powerful champion of the gods. Everyone knew that story. And as such, no
one dared oppose him.
Gale just made a sound identical to the one Sharon had made after seeing
Gale's dirtied face and dress. "Honestly Ben, I would have thought you'd believe me
at least. I'm not crazy. You know what happens to those who are insane." Ben
stiffened. The insane were often imprisoned and were never heard from again. If
people got the idea that Gale was hearing voices that weren't there... they'd take her
away and everything Ben had done to ensure a life for her would be undone.
"You're not insane. Perhaps you're just hearing it somewhere and think it's
coming from the temple." Ben said carefully, trying to think of a logical explanation.
"Whatever you do don't-"
"-go near the temple. I know," Gale interrupted and finished. "If any guards
see me, it could cause trouble." Ben sighed and embraced his sister. She could really
worry him at times, especially when this topic arose.
The meal passed mostly in silence. The only conversation was household talk
that Ben and Gale needed to eventually learn how to handle. Taxes, savings, income,
children, and expenses were all things both of them needed to learn about as was
expected of them.
Ben went to sleep that night and found it hard to attain as thoughts of what
his sister had mentioned before dinner and the implications of it haunted his mind.
He didn't even remember falling asleep.
But he did remember being woken up by Mathias who was irritated that Ben
had overslept his morning chores. After a tongue lashing, Ben moved quickly to
finish the tasks he did every morning, such as bringing in water, heating up the
forge, shoveling coal, and other various duties. Mathias didn't show up to the forge
when Ben was finished like he normally did, which Ben took to mean that the man
had gone to meet with somebody.
Mathias still hadn't returned by midday when the bell rang at the front of the
store. Pausing mid swing, Ben quenched the metal and went to answer as the bell
range again.
The tall man who stood waiting was studying the bell as if it were the most
interesting thing in the world. He rang it again before Ben could get there and
ignored Ben's statement of "I'm coming, hold on" and rang it once more, though Ben
caught his hand before the bell could make much noise.
"Can I help you, sir?" Ben asked, looking the man over. The man was blonde,
which was strange for the region - not counting Ben and Gale's own blonde hair
which had been inherited from their mother - and his eyes were a sapphire blue that
seemed to sparkle in wonder.
"I wonder if you could," was the response. Ben blinked in surprise. He didn't
get that every day.
"Well... what is it you need?" Ben asked, thinking his response over carefully.
The man smiled and turned his head to the side for a moment and nodded after a
moment.

"I've been asked to deliver a package to someone. But not just anyone, and it
can only go to that person." Ben was silent again. The man's voice struck him as
someone who wasn't entirely there mentally. And his answer made as much sense as
the feeling Ben was getting from him.
"Okay... do you know who you're looking for?" The man gave Ben a smile that
sent chills down his spine.
"Not at all. I'm just the messenger." The man's smile continued as he looked
over Ben in the same way that Ben had originally. "I wonder if you could be the one I
was told to deliver this too," he said, lifting a leather-wrapped package that had until
them been unseen, despite Ben's very clear view of the man's hands. "Touch this."
The instruction was simple and yet every fiber of Ben's being told him that he
shouldn't that doing so would be a very bad idea for him. Yet he reached out a hand
and barely touched the parcel.
And instantly felt his entire left arm go ice cold.
Letting out a yelp, Ben stared in shock at the man and jerked back his arm.
The man's smile turned into a grin, one that unnerved Ben even more. "You are the
recipient," the man said, setting the package on the counter. "Open it whenever. I
must be off." He turned and started to walk away.
"Who are you?" Ben asked to the man's back while he waited for his arm to
regain the proper feeling. The man stopped turned his head to the side and nodded.
"I'm Morgan, chosen of Hanan."
A chill unlike any of the others went along Ben's spine. Hanan, goddess of
compassion and mercy, was a sworn enemy of Tobias' supposed master. And Ben had
just been approached by someone who claimed to have been chosen by her. If word
got out... Ben would be more than imprisoned. If he wasn't outright killed, he'd likely
be tortured.
Ben didn't even touch the leather-bound bundle. He didn't want anything to
do with it. He'd worked hard enough to build his current life and his every bit of
reason told him that having anything to do with whatever was inside the leather was
bad news for that life. Instead he stared at it as if it were a snake curled to strike at
him.
Seconds passed into minutes and finally Ben grabbed it, putting it under the
counter. The entire bundle was deceptively light and it felt as if he were lifting a
feather pillow. It went against his better judgment to keep it, but Ben didn't want to
risk one of the guards seeing it, just in case it could get him into trouble. The
soulforged guards of the city punished those they even suspected of something
illegal or suspicious.
Ben then returned to his work, his arm quickly regaining the feeling once he
got to moving it. And when Mathias returned to the smithy, Ben had all but forgotten
about his encounter with the strange man and the bundle still sitting underneath the
counter. His master checked over Ben's progress and nodded.
The rest of the day passed as normal, though Ben's thoughts wouldn't stop
going back to Morgan and the package he'd been handed. He noticed a few glances
from Gale as he ate in silence, not really paying attention to the conversation at the
table. He just wanted to wake up and think of today as one strange dream.
Gale managed to corner him after dinner, despite his efforts to the contrary.
"Something's wrong, isn't it?" She asked in quiet tones.
"No..." Ben told her. "Everything's fine. Just a long day." Gale just studied him
in silence, though she did move to block his escape attempt.
"I know you, brother. You brood whenever something worries you."
"I told you, I'm fine, just tired. Lot of work orders lately." Gale blocked
another attempt of his to move around her. She looked like she was about to speak
and then decided against it and let him pass.

Ben didn't want to worry his sister and he certainly didn't want to put her in
danger. And this whole issue just reeked of danger. So he readied for and got into
bed, managing to fall asleep after not very long despite his anxiety.
He was watching the flames of houses in the outskirts of the city burning.
There were shouts all around him and cries of pain and despair. He looked around,
wide-eyed at the panic around him. He looked back and his sister was lying oblivious
in her crib.
Arms suddenly grabbed him and he was pulled aside to face his mother who
looked dirty and disheveled. "Emael," his mother said hurriedly, using the name she
often called him by. "Emael, get your sister and get out. Find safety. Keep her safe,
protect her, Emael. Like a brother should." He looked at his mother in confusion.
Sure there was panic, but what was wrong? "Emael, get your sister and go! Now!"
He didn't stall any longer and hurried into the other room to grab his year old
sister. He had barely turned three some time ago and so the process of carrying the
little baby girl was difficult.
He ran out of the back of the house and towards the city itself. He bounced
the girl a little too hard in his hurry and she instantly started to cry. What was her
name? He wanted to calm her, but beyond gentle shushing noises when he slowed
down to care for her, he couldn't think of the name given to her. He knew his mother
would often call her Eirwyn, saying that it was her nickname. But that wasn't it. It
was like Emael. His mother had explained that the names were of her homeland.
And her homeland wasn't well liked.
The names, she had said, would only mean something to her own people. But
he couldn't use his sister's nickname. He opened his mouth and whispered the first
name that came to mind.
"Gale," he said over his sister, holding her close to him. "Shhh, Gale." He
quietly urged the girl. She kept crying. Why didn't she understand him?
A shadow of a figure on horseback cause Ben to start. It reminded him that
he needed to run. He needed to get inside the city wall. His parents had always told
him that if danger happened the city was safe. He even knew of a spot where he'd
sometimes snuck into the city and avoided the city guards at the gate after they'd
taken him back home the first time he tried to get past them.
----Ben awoke the next morning to the sounds and smells of breakfast being
cooked. The dream made from his memories was replaying itself in his mind. How
long had it been since he had really thought about it? How long since he had heard
his mother call him 'Emael', even in his dreams? He grudgingly rolled out of bed and
passed by his sister. She didn't say anything as he walked by her, but he did pause to
grumble a "Morning, Eirwyn."
The sudden use of her old name gave him a moment of pause. "Sorry, Gale,"
He muttered before he went to start his morning chores. Gale stopped him by
grabbing his hand.
"I recognize that name, Ben. What's going on?" She asked. "You were
brooding, and I could hear you having what sounded like a nightmare most of the
night. What happened?" Ben didn't look at her for a minute and then he sighed.
"It... was just a dream. Of when we started living in the city. Nothing to worry
about. Yesterday was just busy and I just had the memory of back then in a dream."
He said, trying to give her a reassuring smile.
"And that name?" Gale asked. Ben was silent again. He'd never told his sister
of their mother or their other names.
But he guessed he'd have to tell her eventually in case their blonde hair and
the hint of their mother's olive skin in their own coloring ever became more of an
issue. So far it hadn't, but that was because hardly anybody had seen one of his

mother's people since the war in which Tobias conquered the city and the
surrounding area.
Ben opened his mouth and closed it before shaking his head clear. Gale
deserved to know and he'd hidden it too long. "Mother was a foreigner, a Sarien. She
had different names for us that suited her people. Mine was Emael and yours was
Eirwyn." Gale was still and finally she nodded, swallowing. "As you know, it's best
that people don't find out. The Saris Empire isn't well liked, even when they don't
venture out of their lands very often anymore."
"How did you find all of this out?" Gale asked.
"There's the little bits I remember mother telling me and the rest I picked up
from city gossip." Ben sighed. "Whatever you do, don't use your other name around
normal people. Even mother called me Ben around anyone but father." He felt a little
better, telling his sister this much. While he hadn't thought much about it since he
was a child, it still felt as he'd removed a major weight that had been on his chest.
"Alright, that's all. Feel better?" I asked with a reassuring smile. Gale nodded after a
moment.
Without another word, Ben hurried off to do his chores before Mathias got to
him him for being late.
The parcel was still there and despite having told his sister part of what he'd
been hiding from her, his anxiety just grew whenever he even glanced at it. Mathius
didn't seem to notice it, despite being in clear view numerous times, something that
didn't help Ben's anxiety in the slightest.
The forge was as busy as he could expect, so thankfully there was work to
take his mind off of the parcel for a time. But eventually the day came to its end and
Ben followed his master back to the house.
Gale was moving happily, more so than Ben had ever seen her. Sharon would
occasionally have to tell her to be careful as Gale would almost drop something in a
moment of distraction. The hairs on Ben's neck rose and he had an ominous feeling
that there was something going on with Gale that was beyond simple cheer.
Throughout dinner, he just couldn't shake his building anxiety and finally
when there was a moment he could get Gale alone, he pulled her out of earshot. He
didn't even say anything before Gale's smile started to drop. "What's going on? You
aren't acting like yourself, Gale." She hesitated and fidgeted with her hands. Her
head turned as if trying to listen to something and Ben firmly grabbed her shoulders.
He'd sacrificed far too much time for Gale to ruin everything. He needed to
know what was different.
Then his eyes caught a glint around her neck. A golden glint. Something that
looked like nothing they'd ever owned before. "Gale?" Ben asked worried. "Please tell
me that this is good news. Gale?"
"It was all I could find, but I was guided to it." She pushed Ben's hands off of
her and pulled out a small golden pendant. Carved with a combination of embedded
diamond and opal, Ben's eyes widened and he almost recoiled as he recognized
Vede's symbol. It was something he would have expected to see from a priest. In
fact, as a child he'd seen the riches worn by the various priests allowed in the city by
Tobias. "I went into the temple." Ben's chest was pounding as he fought the urge to
run and the urge to embrace his sister and throw the pendant away.
Why did he have this feeling of dread? It was even stronger than the unease
that had filled him whenever he saw or thought about the parcel in the shop. When
he thought about that strange man named Morgan. When he thought about any of
this stuff concerning the gods recently.
He turned away. The sense of dread was making him feel sick. Gale put the
pendant under her neckline once more and looked at Ben with a worried expression,
but left him alone in the hall. Ben just stood there, staring blankly. With how things

were going, even if Tobias didn't hear of anything and take Ben's life apart
personally. He still felt that things were changing to dramatically than he would have
liked.
Ben walked numbly over to the window where he could barely see the forge in
the darkness. He wasn't sure how much time passed, but after some time he felt a
large hand clamp down on his shoulder from behind him.
"Wonderful, isn't it?" Mathius asked. Ben stayed silent, though it took effort
not to jump. He hadn't heard his master. "Ben, I'm going to be honest. When you
came to me years ago and asked to be my apprentice, I had considered saying no.
You were older than the age where most other apprentices start. That and I've seen
you stealing to survive - No, let me finish," he said when Ben turned his head and
opened his mouth to speak, "I saw you stealing as a child. But When I thought about
your request, you looked like you honestly wanted a change in your life. Now I didn't
grow up as you did. I was apprenticed when I was ten. I was diligent in my work, like
you are. But unlike you, my heart stayed in it. You grew up differently and longer,
boy. While I'm proud that you want a simple life, I don't think that is truly what you
want, is it? Speak honestly."
"I... didn't want to live on the streets anymore. The guards would kill us
eventually. That they didn't is a miracle. It took a while before I could think of how
and who to go to." Mathius nodded.
"You chose this life, but your sister I don't think is suited for the life you chose
for her, don't you agree?" Ben was silently but nodded after a moment. "And today,
something happened to her that made her happy." He gave a small chuckle at Ben's
expression. "I can read people too, Ben. I know you've been worried over the past
few days. And I want to tell you something simple: just as you did through your
childhood, follow your heart. Have a good night." He clapped Ben's shoulder once
more and walked away. Ben was still.
What was his heart telling him to do? Well, the logical thing was stay with the
blacksmith. But there was something within him that was telling him to leave the
city. He hated living in fear of Tobias and his cronies. But he knew to keep his head
down. He didn't have the strength to defy a soulforged.
But someone chosen by the goddess of mercy had personally handed Ben a
parcel. And it obviously had power, as Ben could still remember the feeling in his arm
it had given him. Ben could guess at what he'd been given, but he didn't want to
believe it.
-----Ben had been unable to sleep. It was the middle of the night and everything
was quiet. So instead of sleeping, he was tiptoeing silently through the house and
out towards the forge.
When he was out in the open, he had to duck under the counter as a city
guard passed by. The parcel was only inches from him now and Ben grabbed it,
sitting on the ground and quietly trying to remove the leather wrapping. As the he
pulled the last fold away, Ben's breath caught.
His eyes met with lightly glowing glyphs and dark leather. The contents were
much larger than the parcel had led him to believe. And Ben could see what it was: a
suit of leather armor. It wasn't just enchanted. Ben could feel the sheer power
coming off of it.
"Hanan gives me some skill with illusions," Morgan's voice suddenly said
beside him. Ben jumped and looked at the man who hadn't been there a moment
before. "I masked its power until you opened it. Now I'd advise arming yourself and
grabbing your sister. You need to get out of the city until you are ready."
Ben's eyes were wide as Morgan vanished, but obeyed the man's advice. He
hadn't worked much with leather armor, but the suit was surprisingly simple and he

was dressed in a matter of minutes. When we was finished he stood there for a
moment, looking down at himself. By donning the armor, he was certain of what it
meant.
He was now one of the soulforged. The runes on the armor glowed with a dull
icy blue light. He flexed his muscles and was surprised to find that the armor fight so
well. As if it were a second skin that had been made for him and him alone. Power
was coursing through this body now, making him feel stronger, faster, even more
alive than he'd ever felt before.
"Go!" Morgan hissed at him, reappearing, pushing Ben towards the back door.
"Marvel later, leave now!"
"Who's in there?" A voice called from the street. Ben froze and Morgan
pushed him again, his own body suddenly covered in a suit of armor. It looked like a
combination of plate, mail, and leather. And there was a warm radiance to it. Ben's
eyes widened and Morgan pushed him again.
"Get going," Morgan ordered again. "I'll hold him off." There was a wordless
battle cry and instantly a giant sword crashed through the front of the shop. The
man holding it was wearing black armor that seemed to glow with darkness itself.
Morgan simply slid backward and dodged the attack, in his hands he held two blades
that were almost too short to be called swords. "Go, Emael!"
His name snapped Ben out of his trance and he started running. He ran back
to Mathius' house and ran right into Gale as she was trying to close the door silently
behind her. Their collision slammed the door instead and Gale blinked while Ben
started picking himself up off the ground. As he did, Gale grabbed his shoulder and
he realized that she hadn't fallen with him.
Instead it had been as if he'd just bounced off of her. The impact made him
pause in shock, but he was back on his feet almost instantly. "Ben what's going on?"
she looked at him again. "Where did you get one of those?"
"Long story. We have to run." Ben said quickly. There was another loud crash
from the direction of the forge and Ben grabbed Gale's wrist in a panic. "Now!" He
pulled her for a bit before she started to run beside him, easily keeping pace. Ben
kept looking to the sides, wondering why there weren't more guards.
As soon as they hit the alleys they lived in as children, Ben's sighed in relief
and slowed down. His memory of the back streets and side passages through the city
had to be greater than the city's defenses had.
Ben's and Gale pressed against the side of a house and waited until a patrol
passed, then crossed the street as quickly as they could. The city wall was actually
much closer than it felt now. While in truth it was only a few streets away, it felt like
a league. The difficulty was then in getting past the city's wall, since they were far
too big for the hole Ben had snuck them through when he was three.
Ben motioned for Gale to move after the next patrol passed and they crossed
another street without issue. When Ben joined her, he pressed himself against the
wall of the house and looked at his sister. She was holding that strange pendant in
both hands, her head down and lips moving as if speaking. Ben touched her shoulder
carefully and she looked up instantly in shock at him.
"Gale, we have to keep moving." He told her. She nodded and tucked the
pendant under her clothes again. Ben was still as he watched her move ahead.
Something was definitely different about his sister. And that pendant carved with
Vede's seal was the only clue Ben had.
The next street was more heavily guards as patrols moved from house to
house, kicking in doors as if searching for something. Ben didn't need to guess what
or who they were looking for. The soulforge he was wearing felt cold and Ben
whispered a small apology to the people being affected by the search for them.
Ben peeked out of the alley and looked both ways. When he saw the coast

was clear again, he and Gale began moving once more.

"Halt!" A voice filled with authority yelled to their right. Ben froze as panic set
in. Gale turned and tried to pull him away, but failed as a man in armor similar to the
first guard ran up to them. "Boy, come with me and I won't kill the girl. Resist and
after she's dead, you life will be forfeit." Ben's heart pounded at the order. How could
he possibly say 'no'? Even though his very instincts were telling him to.
"No," Gale said in a calm voice. "And we dare you to try." Blinked blinked and
tried to move in front of his sister to guard her. Instead she pushed him hard and he
was knocked sideways a few feet, falling. He watched in horror as the black sword of
the man started to come down on his sister.
And he watched as she blocked it with a sword so large that she shouldn't
have even been able to pick it up, much less wield it. When he took in her full
appearance though, what he saw both horrified and relieved him.
Gale was wearing plate mail adorned with a cloth hanging from her belt,
which was decorated with the symbol of Vede. The plate was lacquered white and
glowed with radiant light. Her sword was just as long as she was tall, but much wider
than any reasonable sword should be. It looked like it would weight far too much for
any reasonable person to wield properly... and she was currently holding it in one
hand as if it weighed as much as a feather.
All Ben could do was lie there and watch as Gale over powered the guard,
knocking his arm wide and slashing across his chest. Ben watched in shocked horror
as Gale cut the man to the ground with the sound of rent metal. It happened so fast
her blade was even clean of blood. When she turned to face Ben he saw the pendant
was set into the front of the breastplate.
"Ben, we have to run," she told him as the other guards nearby all started
running towards them. Ben nodded and scrambled to his feet running after her and
looking back only when they had ducked into cover. The alley was only wide enough
for at most two people, but not if they meant to fight. One of the guards had a bow
though and they pulled back an arrow.
Unable to think from fear, Ben threw up his hands to protect his face and
closed him eyes, freezing.
The sound of metal on metal rang out and Ben lowered his hands enough to
see Morgan there, his swords in hand. "When I tell you to run, damn it, I mean it.
Keep moving!" He grabbed the hood against Ben's neck and dragged him until Ben
resumed running. "Battle is not something you hesitate in. I realize you aren't
hearing a god's voice in your head, but keep it in mind."
The man cursed as one of the guards drew close, raising his swords to deflect
the soulforged's axe as it attempted to come down on the insane man's head. He
was pretty agile considering the combination of plate and chain, with bits of leather
here and there that he was wearing.
Ben watched the fight for a moment longer before turning and running. He
didn't know what the soulforge he was wearing afforded him, but fear made it likely
that he wouldn't find out until he got to safety. So he ran, catching up to Gale easily,
as the square stones of the city wall drew closer. The sounds of fighting behind him
faded as he focused on his desperation.
He and Gale arrived at the wall that surrounded Malaolc. Gale's sword was
nowhere to be seen and she was pressing her hand against its surface and her head
cocked as if she were listening to something. Ben was looking in every direction he
could, trying to decide where to run next.
"Ben!" Gale shouted, trying to get his attention. "Ben! Break the wall!" He
blinked, trying to understand exactly what she was asking. He stared blankly at Gale
for a moment before looking back at the fight Morgan was involved in. The man was
using the alley as a choke point but was still facing off against three soulforged by

himself and was slowly getting pushed back. On top of it, Ben couldn't help but
notice the small patches of blood that Morgan seemed to be leaving.
"Ben!" Gale shouted again. He wasn't paying attention though. Instead his
eye caught movement on one of the rooftops above Morgan and Ben looked up to
see the guard with the bow moving into position, an arrow notched and ready to
deliver what would likely be a killing blow to Morgan.
"No," Ben cried, adding his voice to the battle, as he unconsciously flung his
hand towards the archer. Energy lashed from him as the runes on his armor burst
into a bright blue light, blinding him momentarily. Ben couldn't really explain what he
did, but when the light faded and his vision returned, he could only stare in shock.
The archer was frozen solid in what looked to be a giant mass of ice. The roof
of the building was slick with ice and the air was a frozen mist. Ben was panting as if
he'd just sprinted a mile, his own breath coming out as a fog.
After a moment, Gale grabbed his shoulder and shook him. "Ben, I need you
to break through the wall." He blinked at that. When he didn't respond, she sighed.
"Your magic. Use the soulforge and break the stones with ice. Vede says to trust your
instincts."
Maybe it was the fact that a goddess was giving him advice through his sister,
but Ben nodded and turned towards the city wall and placed his hands against it. He
didn't know how he knew, but an idea came to him. Water and ice could break apart
rock. It could split stone. And the cold inside of him was the very ice he needed to
summon.
Unlike before, while the runes flared brighter, they didn't blind him as frost
spread from his fingers and ice grew in the cracks. It took several seconds to get
anywhere and in the end, Ben was forced to slump tiredly, the wall still standing.
Nonetheless Gale smiled at him before curling her hand into a fist.
Gauntlet collided with ice and stone. Then again. And again. And finally once
more. Ben became dumbstruck yet again when the wall gave. A hole wide enough for
a single person formed as the stones collapsed outward and fell to the ground. Gale
grabbed Ben, who was still winded from his spells, by the arm and pulled him
through the hole, even as the arm she'd just used to create their escape route was
limp at her side.
Nevertheless, she continued to pull Ben until he had caught his breath enough
to run beside her as they made their escape into the night.