162 Over the Hedge (2/2)

\”A powerful nature spell envelops this entire valley… I would assume that there's a master magician at the center of the maze, and if not, then at least a dozen magicians casting the same enchantment,\” she explained further.

I took into account the information Aura gave me while I surveyed the maze below.

Defenders and attackers clashed at the edge of the hedge as some of the enemy units braved the outside of it to test our own defensive capabilities. A remarkable thing about this maze was how it seemed to open up whenever their side chose to attack almost as if it was aware of who was good and who was bad.

\”How powerful do you think this spell is?\” I asked Aura.

\”An area of effect spell like this one is most often a high-tier one,\” she answered.

Aura got up and dusted off her knees. Then she stood to full height and pocketed her crystal.

\”You want to see if it'll stand up to a bombardment, don't you?\” she guessed knowingly.

I nodded.

\”Want me to summon the efreet?\” She locked her fingers together and stretched them forward. \”I can't promise my power will be enough though.\”

I shook my head and patted her shoulder.

\”No need to worry yourself, partner…\” I raised the peace sign high in the manner of a football player after he'd scored a goal. \”Let's see if these master magicians can hold their own against the chosen one.\”

The call came down to the very front where I had Luca waiting on standby with Luca and his Reavers.

I'd seen the maze hedge before meeting General Red Bull, and I already assumed then that I would need the power of the chosen one to break through it.

Red Bull walked closer to me and Aura.

\”So that's him, huh?\” he said. \”Are you sure he's the one? Seems almost as flimsy as April.\”

We watched the tall figure walk over to the edge of the hedge.

\”He's the one,\” I said, a hint of pride escaping my lips.

It had been five months since Ty officially joined the Foolhardies, and we tended to use his powers sparingly as the situation rarely called for the nuclear option. Tonight, however, I imagined Ty could finally get to show off a bit.

We watched Ty stretched his hands out to the maze. We saw his form shimmer, bathed in a blue aura that I always likened to Captain Marvel when she was flying in the sky.

Then we felt the night turn cold as if father winter had suddenly come upon this valley and let out a long, chilly breath over it. Quickly afterward, that which was once a wall of verdant green was transformed into the snow-white wall that spread out from the place where Ty's hands rested on the hedge.

The entire front side of this hedge and several layers beyond it was now covered in a sheet of ice, proving once more that Ty's magical talents were an overpowering cheat of a gift.

Ty stepped aside so that Luca and his Reavers could begin their job of destroying the ice before them.

A single swing of my brother's broadsword brought down a large portion of the front wall like it was nothing more than a shattered ice sculpture. And just like that, the hedge had been breached.

Then he looked over his shoulder to address his men, and I wasn't there, but I could guess what orders he was giving. \”Stick together, team,\” or \”Go, go, go, go!\”

The Reavers shattered wall after wall of ice that barred their way while at the same time dealing with the enemy forces that appeared to stop them.

If it was just Luca and his unit, they might have had a chance against them, but by this time, Edo and his Bastards had joined the fray along with other units from the Red Bull's forces.

It was a veritable free for all inside the hedge now, although it was no longer a maze for my Foolhardies led the way forward in a straight line that would take them to the oasis.

The hedge did not grow back, and the places that were still verdant were quickly dealt with by Ty, who, alongside Luca, was at the very front of the growing column of our warriors.

\”Not bad,\” Red Bull noted. \”I would have done it differently, but I like this overwhelming show of force too.\”

I felt a swell of pride for my brother and my friend and the rest of my unit. They were always managing to execute my crazy vision in the best possible way.

\”So… how do you plan to deal with him?\” Red Bull asked.

He was referring to the Dawn Breaker, of course, the Sunspire Dominion's famous fairy knight who was supposed to be over at oasis number two. And yet, when we arrived here, I was told who exactly was giving Red Bull and his troops such a hard time.

\”As I said, you ain't seen nothing yet,\” I repeated, and unlike those past days when I faced off with other famous military officers, I actually felt confident.