Inching their way to the top of the sky, the suns bore down on the practitioners behind the Council building. A little farther, and the practitioners would be at full power. A little farther, and Mauryn could finally accomplish what he’d been born for. He could finally prove his worth.
In the backyard of the Council building, Mauryn and five others stood in a wide circle. At the center stood eight more practitioners—the elders. Elder Ethereal, Elder Kohler, and Elder Seer occupied the very center of their formation. The other five elders formed a small circle around them in the middle of Mauryn’s circle.
According to the training Mauryn had received about the ritual, power over all six elements was needed to initiate the rewind, and to preserve the consciousnesses of the elders—who would all remember this timeline when the next one began.
The six elder elemental specialists would perform the bulk of the work for the ritual. Elder Kohler’s and Elder Seer’s participation would be minimal, but their consciousnesses would be preserved. The elemental specialists would draw power from every living being and thing on the planet. Each would draw energy related to his or her own element. Elder Ethereal would tie all the elements together and kick-start the time shift.
In the off-chance that Elder Ethereal overexerted herself and died or passed out during the ritual, Mauryn was tasked to step in and perform that most important function. Mauryn wiped his damp palms against his pant legs.
His finger twitched to reach for his comm unit, to check the time again. Or he could just look up into the sky and see the time there. He gave in, tilted his head upward, and inhaled. Six minutes.
He wished they didn’t have to wait until the last second. But waiting was their best chance, since practitioners were most powerful when the suns were at their highest. Ra would be cresting the sky in a few more minutes. If they started too soon, they could fail. It was tricky business—rolling back time.
Mauryn had positioned himself next to a Bender, whose name was Koulis. Now Mauryn almost regretted the choice. Koulis had been a last-minute replacement when Loken hadn’t shown up for duty this morning. He looked almost as nervous as Mauryn.
Koulis’s eyes shifted to the left and right every ten seconds or so. Likely, he expected the Mages to break through their first line of defense and attack at any minute.
That would be fine as far as Mauryn was concerned.
Although Mauryn might have preferred Loken’s calm dignity over the stress-inducing Koulis, Koulis would put up less of a fight when Mauryn did what he had to.
In some ways, it was a shame. These people had accepted him in a way he’d never before experienced. Growing up in the Believer village, Mauryn had been an outcast even as a small child. Too interested in science to fit in, but too dedicated to the gods to go into exile. When he’d heard the call for practitioner registration, he’d seen a way to redeem himself. He’d seen a way to finally gain the adoration he deserved for his quick mind and devotion to the gods.
Sadly, he’d stay his course and accomplish what he’d come here for. He regretted it had to end like this. He’d met some good people here—even met some who might have been lifelong friends if things had been different.
Mauryn checked the time again. Five minutes. Time to move.
He yanked the sword from the weapons belt around Koulis’s waist and slammed the butt of it into his head. Koulis dropped to the ground, stunned.
“My apologies, friend,” Mauryn said, before spinning to his other side and stabbing the Breather standing there through the heart.
The inner circle, too preoccupied with watching the suns’ progress, didn’t notice his activities right away. The outer circle reacted immediately, rushing toward him.
He raced toward the inner circle at a speed that only an expert Breather could match. With the gods helping him, he could displace air almost as efficiently as any Breather, since ether was an essential part of the air. Before any of the others could react, he’d reached the central circle.
Mauryn elbowed Elder Burner out of the way and aimed for his primary target, Elder Ethereal, the strongest among them. His momentum slowed as the sword met and sank into the flesh of her throat. Blood gurgled from her lips as she fell.
Elder Breather was the biggest threat; with his speed, he’d react first. Mauryn ripped the sword from Elder Ethereal’s corpse. He pushed his energy into the bare metal handle and felt the sword lengthen. When Elder Breather lunged toward him, Mauryn jabbed. The sword slipped cleanly through the elder’s rib cage. Blood spurted from the wound as Mauryn withdrew the sword.
The ground shook beneath his feet, preparing to crack and swallow him up. Mauryn stabbed Elder Mover through the heart, and the shaking stopped.
Fire and water shot at him from Elder Kohler, Elder Burner, and Elder Flooder. A sword swiped at him. Mauryn leapt backward out of the blade’s reach and threw up an ether shield. The fire and water struck the shield, which held under the attack. Sparks and droplets collided with the barrier and sprayed outward.
Elder Bender slashed with his sword. Metal clanged against ether. The shield held.
Mauryn sat cross-legged on the ground. He’d taken out a Bender, a Mover, and—most importantly—two Breathers and the other Ethereal. With both the primary and backup Breathers for the ritual gone, and with no available Ethereals, the ritual could not be performed.
Fire, water, and metal slammed against his shield, but the barricade held strong—at least for the moment. It was the remaining Mover, from the outer circle, who would be the one to kill him. The ground would open up. Mauryn would be lost into the depths of the earth.
But he’d die having made his people proud. He’d stopped the ritual.