CHAPTER 14.

The sun slowly began to disappear behind soft, marble grey, clouds. Waiting in the darkness choked the bravery from Marcus. There were an excessive amount of Vortigern's guards in the area. He began to regret not asking Magnus to bring a: company of Saxon Vikings from the village. He sighed deeply and peered through the cracked shutters. He stood in a crouched position and watched as the commander give his speech.

Anna and Marcus took cover in an old and rundown building that was war-torn and abandoned.  

"Declare yourself, false Queen. Take your sword and show the power you wield." the commander mocked Axel, holding Excalibur like a toy to a child.

Marcus let out an irritated sigh, "Son of a gun, her hands are tied-"

"Silence, mortal. You will blow our cover." Anna snapped at Marcus, for letting his irritation get to the best of him. Anna was more paranoid about getting caught.

 Marcus began to grow impatient as he watched Magnus get into position. He shifted through the tight crowd. All of Axel's hope began to burn away in her chest. Axel was heavily injured and her lips were chapped from dehydration. He began to wonder if she would pass out before Magnus was able to reach her. Magnus pulled up his hood and began to push further through the crowd.

"Hang in there," Marcus whispered.

"I said take it!" the commander continued to scream at Axel.

A smile formed from the corner of Anna's lips as her eyes remained soulful and black, the eyes of the ravens. Vortigern pinched the bridge of her nose as a splitting headache attacked her. A reign of shadows dived toward the guards, their beaks scraping the flesh off from the guard's exposed skin, the guards began to flee the scene. 

Citizens began to flee the scene. Men, women, and children. Both tall and small screamed for their lives, toppling and crushing one another. The remaining of the guards drew their swords and began to defend themselves against the Mage's reign of terror. Horses began to toss their masters off their backs.

Marcus drew his arrow back.

Marcus kept quiet, the feathers of the fletching gently brushed against his cheek. Magnus studied Axel, he could hardly believe that was her. She looked nothing like the women he took into his hospitality. Magnus knew Vortigern purposely made her look unfit and unqualified for the role of Queen.

He aimed the arrow at the Queen's crown as the guards began to pull her back to her safety. It was like she was stuck in a trance, frozen by the terror she witnessed. The fletching made a scratch as thin as a hair on Marcus's ivory cheek. Vortigern shrieked when her crown was stolen from her head by an arrow. The remaining guards made a barrier of shields around the Queen as they began to push back to the palace.

Magnus began to approach the commander who took cover behind a nearby stall. He tossed his cloak to the side. His stride began to pick up as the commander lunged towards the torch. It was awfully close to the corpse of the guard that was assigned to toss the incandescent torch.

Magnus grabbed the commander, only to receive a headbutt, that he easily recovered from. This was no longer a battle for the torch, it was a battle to their demise. The commander's sword came awfully close to Magnus's cheek. 

Magnus ducked, spun around, and sliced beath his shoulder. The commander cried out in pain as blood began to spill. The commander carelessly released his sword. The commander tightly bounded pressure on his wound and searched for his sword. 

Stealthy and quiet footsteps taught toward Magnus. With a blade in his hand, Magnus premeditated his movement. He spun around and parried the guard's attacks, and took him off guard. But unknowingly, the guard bought time for the commander to make his move. Magnus pushed the guard's sword down and took his only opening.

Magnus raised his knee and kicked the guard back. The guard's back slid against the ground, his sword slipped his fingertips. With quick movements, Magnus caught his sword and struck both swords through the guard's chest plate. With such force, it was enough to run Londinium into the ground.

Marcus clapped and laughed when the guard was getting into the fight of his life. Marcus's blood ran cold when he watched the commander reach the torch.

Marcus began to draw the string of his bow back and aim for the commander.

His arrow met the commander by inches, it grazed the outside of his eyelid. Marcus cursed when the arrow didn't exactly stop the commander from hunting down the torch he dropped.

"Shit." Marcus cursed.

Magnus finished him off by giving him a quick and honourable death. Quick and he didn't have to suffer. He wiped his nose and his heart sunk into the pit of his stomach when he didn't pay close enough attention to the commander.

Large beads of sweat dripped down Magnus's golden hair. His chest heaved up and down. Magnus twisted around and watched as the torch ghosted the wood. The heat began to slowly crawl up the wood. The fire didn't care for the time. The wood began to snap, and confetti of ash began to spark from the wood. The smoke began to grow along with the flames, becoming a repulsive blanket. Axel began to fight with the last amount of energy left in her.

The commander began to laugh, but unexpectedly Maxwell approached the commander, silently. His steel pierced through the commander's thick skull. The commander collapsed onto his knees and fell lifelessly onto the ground. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. The look the commander left from this world would forever remain in Maxwell's mind.

Magnus ran towards the flames, valiant and brave, not giving a care for his safety.

He leaped over and on top of the wood. Magnus hissed from the heat and made quick movements. He began to cut her thick bindings. Magnus began to scream in frustration as the heat became unbearable to deal with.

Her bindings snapped and he placed her arms over his neck and tossed himself back. He kept his arms tightly intertwined around her back. Magnus's back slid across the stone, she had minor burns, but she was safe in his arms.

Marcus stretched his head out the window and saw an army of guards bolt towards the square.

"They're coming!!" Marcus warned Magnus.

The Mage began to descend the staircase and onto the main level. She began to chant a spell. And Marcus leaped out the window and slid down the fabric canopy of the stall. Marcus took Magnus's side and took Axel into his arms. Marcus's heart stopped, when the army charged closer to them.

Anna's amulet began to glow a vibrant, emerald green. She struck her staff against the ground. A white aura surrounded the ground beneath the guards and swallowed them into the stone and moulded them into the ground.

Maxwell grabbed Excalibur off from the ground, "Come on! More will follow." Maxwell informed Magnus.

"What about Gavin! He's still in the Palace, we can't leave him!" Marcus yelled in a voice of panic. 

Maxwell's eyes hunted the pebbles and dirt on the cobblestone. 

He hesitantly opened his mouth to speak, "H-he didn't make it." Maxwell studdered.

Marcus twisted around and furrowed his brows, "What?" he snapped.

"It's all my fault, I could have stopped it-"

"You son of a bitch!" Marcus's voice boomed down on the teenager.

"Stop! Are you so ill-minded to believe that one kid could have: stopped a company of guards and the Vortigern's guard? We have better things to do than argue." Anna irritatedly growled.

Anna huffed and began to cast another spell, carefully avoiding her anger to get the best of her.
Her father taught her that fate was inexorable. That life is a jest to the Gods, her father loved to claim that there was no justice in a world that stained the soil with blood. 

She recalled her father's wisdom, that Humanity should spend more time laughing, other than weeping themselves to death. But Gavin deserved so much and not mourning his death would prove to be beyond the barriers of cruelty.