4 The Battle of The Burning Plains

Theodore was surprised to find the Nasuada was very amicable to the idea of Urgals in her army despite their part in her father's death.

The Urgals quickly integrated into the Vardens army and positioned themselves on its western flank to prevent intermixing. Nasuada's last meeting with the Empire's forces had broken down, so the Varden would battle in the morning. Theodore could feel palpable tension in the late evening air as he sat beside Eragon and Orik, trading war stories.

Theodore had searched out Eragon as he knew that battle was fast approaching. He found Him and Orik chatting the night away, so Theodore decided to join his soon-to-be battle buddies.

Through their conversation, he discovered why Eragon held a grudge against Urgals. He had seen them terrorize one of the human cities he passed through. They had impaled babies and spared no one in their slaughter. Theodore felt a bit conflicted about Urgals himself. The Urgal leader comported himself with surprising grace and eloquence, but throughout his time in Nasuada's pavilion, Theodore had flashbacks from the Last Great Wizarding War.

The Urgals reminded him too much of the biologically engineered monsters the muggles had released toward the end of the Wizarding war against them. Out of desperation, muggle-born collaborators let loose a virus that unfortunately backfired on them, creating horned genetic monstrosities that quickly attacked muggles and wizardkind alike.

Those horned monsters created by a magical plague had spread like locusts, eating resources and people alike, breeding exponentially faster than any natural species. Ultimately, those monsters might have been the end of muggles more than anything else. Wizards were able to duplicate food and hide under wards. Muggles had neither, especially after many Muggleborn collaborators died in the early chaos, and soon the roaming horned monsters ate everything.

Like a hoard of locusts, they ate a whole species of humanity to death, not to mention a fair amount of wizards.

Theodore had some close family friends that those genetic freaks had eaten. The entire Longbottom family had died out because of them. Luckily, many of those Ghouls got slaughtered by nukes, the last starving after running out of food. Theodore mentally shook his head as he remembered ghouls eating each other as they starved.

What struck Theodore the most about those horned monsters had been their similarities with Urgals. They had seven fingers like Urgals, grew large and stocky, just like Urgals, and even shared similar horns and waxy thick skin.

The most prominent differentiating feature between the two was the urgal's intelligence and ability to speak. Theodore hoped that was enough to allow him to forget his mental connection between the Ghouls in his world and the Urgals of this one. The Wizard wasn't sure what he might do if he failed.

Eragon didn't talk about the Urgals long, though Theodore changed the subject and quickly moved on to stories about his earlier battles. Eragon was more than willing to share his sorted experience in the struggle of Tonjheim. Orik was happy to contribute to the portions of the fight Eragon didn't see or had forgotten. The shade killing had been more of an accident than anything else.

The atmosphere was merry; it was apparent to Theodore that Dwarves derived some honor from dying on battlefields. Orik had shared with him some of the great dwarven heroes of old killed in war.

He was willing and eager to share quite a bit of his culture. It was of great interest to the Wizard how Dwarven culture worked.

They had an elective monarchy, and they passed kingship between several clans. That drew Eragon's interest, too. The rider was interested in learning all about the Dwarves' bizarre governance.

Theodore, in turn, told him about the war in his homeland after the fall of the statute of secrecy, not in great detail, of course. Eragon was ablaze with questions about Theodore's magic and homeland. Theodore suspected the rider was trying to distract himself and indulged him.

The rider appeared especially curious about his difficulty seeing Theodore's mind.

"My mind works differently than yours, Eragon. Most magicians have free reign to enter thoughts of unprotected minds. This includes you, yes?"

"Of course, that's how mind magic works, isn't it?"

"My magic works differently. It is difficult for me to initiate contact with someone's mind without direct eye contact. My mind magic is much more sophisticated because of differences in how we manipulate magic. There is a type of mind magic among my people called occlumency. That is what I use for protection. It also prevents you from seeing my mind if you aren't skilled in legilimency. The art of mind reading in my homeland."

"How is your magic so different? I have never heard of runic magic, and the magically expanded space in your tent seems impossible even with magic." Eragon asked, both confused and bursting with curiosity. Orik also looked curious as he had been told previously by Eragon of Theodore's magically Extended tent.

"You know that device I used to measure your power and purity?" Theodore asked with a mysterious smile on his face.

"Yes, the one that used runes to measure purity and power of magic."

"You remember how I told one of the Du Vrangr Gata mages that my magic was different? Wizards like me are different from Magicians like you in that we don't just tap into magic. We create it. We release magic similar to the way I suspect dragons do. Because of that, our magic is wild and more difficult to train but also has a strength many magicians would have difficulty overcoming."

"So you release magic like dragons then." Eragon mulled that over in his mind before he nodded. "That makes sense to me. I have seen Saphira do things I never could with magic. She's made diamond form from almost nothing before. What else is different about your magic? Can I learn it?"

Transfiguration? Theodore found his curiosity spark at the kind of magic dragons contained. Theodore had never seen a breed of dragon quite like Saphira. Theodore couldn't help but wonder what made them different.

Theodore smiled at Eragon's question before answering, "I don't think you can learn my magic any more than Saphira's. However, I can tell you another thing about my magic that might interest you. My magic interacts with your magic in strange ways. I can show you if you want. I will create a ball of magical energy, and you can try and block it with a simple ward."

Eragon agreed immediately. Theodore allowed a bright, yellow orb to hover over the palm of his hand. Eragon chanted something in the ancient language and held out his hand.

Theodore let the bright orb fly slowly across the table from his hand to Eragon's. Eragon and Orik watched it as it made its way close to his wards, expecting the magic to fizzle out when it came close to his hand as he had made his ward specifically to block the orb that came from Theodore's hands. Of course, he was quickly proven wrong, and Eragon felt some magic take hold that made him feel light, as if he had dropped a colossal weight.

He was back at the farm again, teasing Roran about something he had done with Katrina. Eragon felt like he had never become a rider. He felt like his father's death; the hatching of Saphira's egg was all a dream.

Eragon had started to think about lazing away the day on the farm the next day before suddenly it was all back again, and the wild, large smile that appeared on his face began to fade with it.

Eragon was jolted to full awareness by metal screeching against metal. The armored Wizard held Orik back at arm's length while the dwarf tried to use his stubby arms to get at the Wizard. Orik was incensed, asking what Theodore had done, striking ineffectually at his plated arm.

Eragon realized he had been giggling and stopped. Orik took note, ignoring the Wizard for now and asking Eragon if he was alright. He returned to his chair Only after Eragon nodded, but only after giving Theodore a look more appropriate on a murderous kull ready to charge than the adoptive son of a dwarven king.

"What was that?"

"It was a Cheering charm. It makes you feel happy no matter your circumstances. That one was low-powered, so it didn't last long. It went through your ward because my magic had a higher density and intent quotient than your wards. Wards work by spreading any force that collides with it throughout its entirety. My magic allows me to bypass that protection by not allowing wards the time or ability to spread that force throughout their entire structure. It's someth …"

"Enough of that magic talk from you, Wizard. Did you have to use such a potent spell?" Eragon appreciated the look of concern on his foster brother's face as the dwarf tugged at his beard in a fit of anxiety. Theodore, meanwhile, was content to let the dwarf's interruption pass without complaint, not eager to start another physical confrontation.

"It's fine, Orik. I was just caught off guard. Please give me a moment." Eragon still felt a smile in his voice as he said Orik's name but did his best to tamp it down. The rider found he wasn't sure if it was fine.

Eragon felt a complex mix of emotions bubble to the surface. There was anger at being helpless to the spell's effect. Lingering happiness from the magic that had been cast on him. Images of Murtagh dying and memories of the pain from his shadow-cursed scar splashed to the surface in retaliation against the spell's effects.

Most of all, Eragon felt guilty for allowing a reality without Saphira to make him happy. Eragon could feel Saphira looking at that guilt with odd amusement but comforted her rider, allowing warm thoughts to envelop him like a hug, but he slowly pulled himself from her mental embrace.

'Did you see that, Saphira?'

'Yes, that man is dangerous. Oromis never spoke of such magic, meaning it must be entirely novel or too advanced for him to teach us. You are lucky that he is on our side, little one.'

'Is he though, Saphira? How can we know for sure?' Eragon glanced at Theodore, unsettled more than ever at his perfect visage, 'We know so little about him. He is a foreigner in these lands. He can do the most unnatural of things,'

'Come, little one, How can we put stock in Unnatural being bad when many humans consider us the same.'

'This is different, Saphira. He is dangerous. His magic is strange, and can do things I have never seen. I think he derives joy from the pain he caused. Why else would he use such a cruel spell?'

'Come, little one, we are dangerous too. Lupin has magic we've never seen, but Eragon, you are a dragon rider. Would you attempt to kill someone sworn to your service?' Saphira's full attention fell on him, and Eragon only shook his head, allowing his disgust at the thought to show clearly. 'Then we must accept the possibility he is on our side. Besides, he has been open and friendly. There is no need for hostility.'

Eragon could only concede the point as he returned to himself, fully overcoming the lingering effect of the cheering charm. He began asking more questions, curious about what made Theodore's magic so different.

Theodore answered the questions he could, though they mostly were gibberish to Eragon, who required no wand or proper intent to use the ancient language. Magic in Theodore's world was more complex and meandering than the simple ancient language used in this world. It was also quicker and more potent.

Eragon asked Theodore's strength and purity rating for his magic before he suddenly cut himself off.

"I feel the presence of two people crossing the no man's land. I think it's Angela and Solembum," Eragon said, his voice deepening in alarm.

"You're right, Eragon. I can feel Angela's magic," Theodore said, his wand flickering from his holster into his gauntlet-clad hand, alarming Orik with its sudden appearance. Theodore had kept his armor prepared for battle at any moment but had taken his helmet off to speak with Eragon comfortably. He quickly donned his chitinous helm once again, and the armor sealed his headwear in place, conforming it comfortably to his face.

The Three of them quickly ran to the edge of neutral ground and found a hooded Angela walking with Solembum at her side toward the Varden from the empty plane between the two forces.

The woman looked pale but satisfied, smiling a bit as she noticed the Three of them waiting for her at the edge of the Varden's encampment. Theodore shook his head as he saw another oddity to add to all the strange things about Angela. A cat stalked her shadow, and a cowl of black magic hung to it, collecting around its honeycomb-colored eyes that glowed dimly in the dark.

"I hadn't realized I would get a welcome committee on my way back. The deed is done. I hope none of you have weak stomachs or are at least hard of hearing." Angela said, her pale face obviously in the moonlit night. She continued closer but was stopped by the rider's outstretched hand.

Something loud that would hurt the ears, an explosion, a signal of some kind, screaming? Theodore thought back to what Angela had said about poison, and suddenly, things clicked together in his mind.

She had poisoned Empire soldiers. The crazy woman had dared to walk across the no man's land with poison and somehow made it through the enemy encampment without dying.

Theodore could not help but admire the balls on that woman while also wondering how incompetent the Empire's guards were. Perhaps he needn't have bothered with invisibility. Maybe he should wear a colorful clown uniform with a bright red nose and neon white face paint the next time he decides to sneak amongst the Empire's forces.

Eragon began to ask something about her betraying Varden. Orik also expressed Suspicion. Theodore remained silent, wondering whether Angela had acted alone.

"I ordered Angela to poison the opposing army," Nasuada said without a drop of any guilt or remorse that Theodore could detect. Eragon was not surprised by her arrival as he had felt her coming, though Theodore could feel Eragon's Surprise at what Nasuada had admitted to.

Theodore watched as he squirmed at the thought of using poison. Though Eragon didn't voice any of his thoughts out loud, the young rider's furrowed brows were commenting enough. Theodore was glad for his silence. Honestly, he didn't want to deal with the rumblings of the naive.

Theodore could only hope Eragon saw the truth as he did. The Varden was vastly outnumbered by almost three to one on a flat plane; there was no natural advantage for the Varden. If magic didn't come into play, they were dead already. Theodore had always subscribed to the saying, 'If you didn't cheat, you weren't trying.'

The Wizard had cheated many people after the initial fall of the statute of secrecy, sometimes even death itself. Underhanded tactics were sometimes all Wizards had to stave off the tide of muggles clambering for their deaths with automatic rifles and explosives.

The Wizard could only hope Nasuada's methods were as effective as the ones the Wizards used back then. Otherwise, he might have to expend even more effort slaughtering the lot of them or escape before they exhausted him of his enormous pool of magic. However, Theodore was betting on the former rather than the latter as he had yet to see any magic that held up against his own. The Wizard sighed as voices rang out into the night.

Theodore didn't listen to the pained screams that Followed Angela's return. Muffling charms were made for a reason, after all. However, The Wizard did see how it affected people who listened. Despite their enemy soldier status, Eragon was pained by the loss of life. Orik was a mix of angry and depressed as he heard their screams, cursing every so often under his breath. His Dwarven honor was deeply ingrained and acting up, causing him to curse at the use of poison, much to Angela's admonishment.

Time flowed more quickly for Theodore as morning came closer.

At some point, Theodore had given the amber swords he forged to Nasuada, and she had given them out to essential soldiers, captains, and generals. His sword had withstood whatever tests Nasuada had put it under.

The troops of the Varden began to gather, and many began to outfit themselves fully. The Varden, despite the great activity of its soldiers, grew more solemn and quiet. The tension became thick enough to slice with a sword as the battle drew closer. As Eragon and his protectors gathered, Theodore took note of some new additions in the form of horned and stocky Rams.

Nasuada had granted Eragon more bodyguards. Urgals would fight alongside Eragon Orik's dwarves and Theodore himself.

The leader of the group of Urgal introduced himself as Nar Garzhvog. He was the large Kull that had negotiated with Nasuada. Eragon introduced Orik as the adopted son of Hrothgar and Theodore as a foreign ally.

Theodore decided this would be an excellent opportunity to determine what everyone would do during battle and asked Eragon if he had any plans.

"I will root out empire mages and undo the ward for the soldiers they will protect. I will mostly need your help along with Orik and the Garzhvog to protect me when I'm vulnerable as I'm doing so."

"Do you mind If I engage the enemy nearby while I protect you? My magic is powerful and flashy. It will create powerful effects that confound and frighten nearby soldiers, but it will also attract undue attention to you if I am too close." Theodore let sparks fly between his hands, showing them what he meant.

"What do you mean foreign magician? How is it different than any other caster? We Urgals might not be the most learned magic users, but I was taught that all casters use the same source." The Urgal asked, his voice sounding harsh, guttural, and so deep it was felt in Theodore's chest when it rang.

"Theodore is an expert in deeper magic than most magicians," Eragon explained to the Urgal that there were many things that Theodore could do that he could not. The rider pointed out Theodore's flaming cape to the Urgal. "It's fine for you to work with your magic, Theodore. We will try to prepare for the fright you give the Empire's soldiers."

Theodore took note of how amicable the rider appeared with the Urgal. Not a few hours before, Eragon was decrying them as savages, yet now that had all changed. Now, they were having a civilized conversation with the savages. At the very least, Theodore could appreciate Eragon's professionalism before the battle, but it was still strange.

"Aye, you heard the rider. Don't try to frighten us too much, you hear that, you damned Wizard." Orik said and grumbled as he idly bumped his fist on the side of his axe.

The Urgal grunted, not knowing what deep magic was, but decided to trust the rider knew what he was doing.

"Eragon, can I speak to you alone?" Theodore asked as he removed his helmet, detaching it with a soft hiss. Eragon agreed, and they walked a bit to the side.

"What happened, Eragon? I know how much you hate Urgals. Why are you so willing to accept one now."

"Nar Garzhvog, let me read his mind. I was surprised by what I found there. Urgals are a war-like race, just like I thought, and they have committed savage acts, but I found it was always in defense of their home or to get more land. Urgals don't like to engage in senseless violence like, I thought. Durza, the Shade I killed, was responsible for their unforgivable behavior."

"So you decided to put aside your bias after gathering the facts?" Theodore looked at Eragon, trying to take his measure of him. Eragon nodded.

"You truly are a rare breed. I guess the Vardens Shadeslayer is different than most men." Theodore smiled, feeling his respect for the rider soar as he was able to do something. Theodore still struggled with forgiving an enemy for their nature. The rider preened under Theodore's praise but said nothing.

"I just wanted to warn you that the magic I will use for the battlefield. It isn't pretty in any way. There are horrific things you can do with magic like mine, and I plan to use some of those things in the battle to come." Theodore said in a low voice.

Eragon gave a solemn nod in acknowledgment, but Theodore could see him go so pale that the Wizard worried that the rider's skin might crack and flake away from lack of blood. What made him so afraid was it the cheering charm Theodore had cast on him. He didn't know it would have such an effect. Perhaps this was part of ward mentality.

Having a shield against all threats could make one complacent; it was part of the reason Theodore hadn't devised something similar for himself. All-purpose Wards could always be broken through powerful magic, so to trust they would hold would likely be his death, especially in a pitched battle against another wizard. Wizards were too versatile to rely on things like wards. Even a simple killing curse would likely shatter most kinds of wards.

Eragon and Theodore joined the rest of the group and sat to wait for the battle to begin. Eragon was still pale but made conversation with his warrior band. Theodore picked up his ear to Nar Garzhvog as he explained Urgals and their war custom to leave their dead to be feasted on by carrion birds. Theodore would never have suspected that sky burial would be so big amongst the horned savages, though it made sense who would want to lug their gigantic bodies away from the battlefield.

Eragon's color finally fully recovered when Orik joined the conversation, mentioning dwarves like to be put away in stone to be stored in catacombs. Despite the grim topic, the rider relaxed as he talked about how Palancar Valley buried their dead. They did it the more traditional wooden coffin way in the ground way.

Theodore was half expecting Eragon to say they made funeral pyres or shot flaming arrows at boats floating away. So much of this land felt like it had a heavy Nordic influence to Theodore. The people of Alagaësia looked the part as Vikings would, with many having straw blonde hair, eyes as blue as the sea, and fair skin. There were some exceptions, Nasuada among them, but there were few from places deep in the desert where such changes were only natural.

Eragon mentioned some odd drinking traditions from Carhvahall, and they continued talking about the alcohol they would drink once the battle concluded or some other such thing. Theodore stopped paying attention.

He let the three converse but declined to join the prewar banter. Theodore found he was jittery more than usual. He knew he had to center himself. The Wizard began to prepare himself to take life mentally, sitting stock still and meditatively listening to the quiet crackle of fire from his cape as it flickered.

The Wizard never enjoyed killing despite doing plenty of it. He had slaughtered thousands in various wars in the name of survival, and then when the muggles were all gone in his adopted father's name. That had been a less noble cause but no less bloody.

He remembered the faces of those he had killed as a product of his mastery in the art of Occlumency, and he developed melancholy feelings about many of their deaths. Over the long centuries, he had pondered over each death in excruciating detail; it was necessary to improve his combat abilities.

His reluctance to kill didn't stop him from feeling the forbidden thrill that clung to all men when it came time to take life when it was doing or die, but the Wizard always came to regret things later. It's why the stunning charm was one of his favorite spells, but he wouldn't be using it today.

Time went slowly for Theodore as he felt anticipation build in his chest. The time before the battle was always the worst for him. He knew he had an excellent chance of survival, yet his heart beat with the anxiety of knowing pain in battle.

Then came that moment like it did hundreds of times before, where emotions steadied. Now was the time for action. Theodore felt a familiar adrenaline rush as he joined The Varden troops in battle formations. The sun was beginning to rise as the Varden approached neutral land. Their armors padded to reduce the noise they made as their troop stalked across the burning plains.

Theodore felt himself beginning to loosen the tight rein he kept on his magic. Bits of his endless magic pool seeped out, staining the ground as he walked, causing the earth to crack silently with each step. Theodore did not let it touch his companions, but he could feel Saphira giving him a side eye as if she sensed his tethered violence.

King Orrin's cavalrymen were the first to strike, and they quickly carved their mark on the Empire's eastmost flank. Empire soldiers, many young, inexperienced soldiers, were thrown into disarray in the confusion. Still, captains experienced in war whom Angela's poison didn't manage to reach brought them quickly back in line.

Shouts of alarm and pain cut off replaced the sounds of clashing steel and thundering armor, and the fight was on. The Varden began rushing at the Empires forces with a vicious howl filled with blood lust, and Theodore, Eragon, Orik, and the Urgals joined them. The Empire's forces barely managed to rouse themselves and prepare sloppy battle formations before the two armies clashed.

Theodore began the battle with one of his favorite spells, a darker, more deadly version of Diffindo. His wand snapped out invisible blades that sliced through armor, flesh, and horses like a hot butcher's blade sliced through fatty meat. Dozens of men lined up in disorganized rows were bisected or maimed as an invisible edge made of impossibly dense magic didn't stop after the first row of men.

Soldiers were thrown off horses, and men knocked into each other, destroying any military formations soldiers might have stumbled into. The first several rows of men had almost no reaction as Theodore's cutting curses flew impossibly fast. Many men didn't even know they had died until they began their charge again and fell to pieces. The next few rows of men weren't so lucky. The magic became choppy, and men saw their deaths coming. Eventually, the magical edge lengthened, slicing even more along its width before its magic began to destabilize.

The blades finally stopped after several seconds, and its magic dissipated, leaving a vast area in front of Theodore where soldiers feared to tread, for good reason, too. So much blood and dismembered body parts were strewn all over the newly formed no man's land it likely created a slipping hazard.

While men screamed in confusion and pain from severed limbs or from finding their fellow soldiers suddenly minced meat beside them, Theodore began to make a circling motion with his wand, and blood began to gather and pool in the air. Bullets formed in the air, combining in swirling red, and suddenly became metal and sharp.

Dozens of massive steel lances violently thrust forward with a flick of Theodore's wand, impaling dozens more Empire soldiers and sending debris at hundreds more, creating deep craters in the ground. However, the Empire's army wasn't idle, and an unstoppable tide of men pushed frightened men forward. Some managed to slip or fall into the craters the Wizard had formed; those soldiers were quickly trampled as battalions of troops poured over the knot of dead soldiers toward Eragon, and his Dwarven and Urgal bodyguards began their slaughter.

Theodore let loose hundreds of spells in seconds, each finding one target or multiple. Some of his overcharged charms and curses knocked back clumps of men, causing many to become disoriented. As a result, a large contingent of the Empire's army became focused on him. Hundreds of soldiers died in the process of trying to get close and overwhelm him.

One man too brave or stupid for his own good rushed Theodore, dodging several of his curses. The man was nimble and quick despite his armor. He made it within a sword striking distance of the Wizard before Theodore transfigured a bump in the ground, tripping the soldier while letting loose a piercing charm that blew a hole the size of a cannonball through the man's center mass, causing his insides to splatter the ground hundreds of feet behind him.

Most piercing charms would have stopped there, but Theodore reached out and gripped the charm with his magic, giving it fuel and direction. The piercing charm continued a meandering path, killing clumps of Empire soldiers as it passed, knocking those it missed off their feet until Theodore overcharged it. An explosion sounded in the distance, killing a lump of soldiers standing close to each other.

Just as the Piercing charm detonated, a knot of Empire soldiers fell limp as Eragon spoke one of the words of death. The Varden's soldiers gave a loud cheer. However, their joy did not last long and soon became cries of pain and terror.

Siege weapons threw massive balls of heavy ceramic at the Varden's forces, killing hundreds. Theodore blocked a few of the projectiles and gripped them in invisible hands before throwing them into the heart of the Empire's forces. Theodore couldn't catch every one of them, though, and many slipped through, slaughtering Varden soldiers dozens at a time.

Realizing that the machines had to be taken care of, Theodore devised a plan. Gripping a round ceramic projectile just before it hit like he did before, he used an overpowered engorgio charm, causing it to swell until the shell became dragon-sized. Theodore twirled his wand, and the projectile began to rotate violently. Containing its force so it didn't fly away, putting more pressure behind it to launch it with even more strength.

It was a delicate balance, but the Wizard managed until it began to generate a wind current that knocked soldiers below off their feet. Theodore let go, and it shot off to where it came from.

The black shape became a blur, and an instant later, with a shrieking bang, it hit, shattering into a typhoon of thousands of sharp fractiles, slaughtering a hundred or so men and injuring hundreds more, all while destroying the catapult it came from.

Theodore didn't stop there. He threw a few more of the ceramic projectiles after enlarging them with an engorging charm at the catapults they had come from, crushing the machines under a barrage of their missiles. Eragon dismantled others as he took over Empire soldiers to sabotage them manually.

Able to entirely focus on the Empire forces, Theodore noticed a few soldiers that came too close to him after he had become distracted destroying catapults. With his magically lengthened sacrificial knife, he cut down the dozen or so soldiers in striking distance, letting his blade greedily suck up blood while forcing the rest back with a controlled burst of green cursed fire that bit into hundreds of soldiers ravenous as it spread among their forces jumping from person to person like hounds seeking weak prey before the soldiers began to wise up and spread out causing the cursed fire to go out leaving burned husks in its wake.

The soldier's lifeblood made Theodore's sacrificial dagger sing joy, but the Wizard ignored that for now. Using active transfiguration, he turned the ground beneath him into a tidal wave of earth-flinging men dozens of feet back. Cracks formed, swallowing and suffocating a dozen or so soldiers out of the path of the tidal wave of earth.

A small bubble formed around Theodore as Empire soldiers grew reluctant to face him directly. Many feared the magic he used, but others felt something tight grip their chest as they tried to close in on him. Archers shot arrows at him, attempting to wear him down from afar, but they glanced off Theodore's armor without finding purchase. Theodore, finally having space, decided to create a more complex transfiguration.

Pulling on the slaughtered soldiers' bodies, Theodore compacted and transfigured them while infusing his creation with heavy intent to kill. A gigantic steel mountain took the form of a lion. It was the size of three men of average height standing on each other, formed and giving a vicious growl. Theodore saw his creation's chrome fur shiver as it tensed newly formed muscles.

Lions had always been Theodore's favorite big cats, so he had gone all out. He gave the lion a mane that shivered and bristled, looking like stars stretched thin as it reflected sunlight. Its teeth were as sharp as any sword and curved so that it could hook into its prey. He had used a complex array of animation charms that would allow the cat to act like its real-life counterpart.

Theodore let the beast loose on the Empire's soldiers, only telling it not to kill the Varden's soldiers. It quickly began its wanton slaughter, stomping and crushing soldiers under its paws and between its fangs in equal measure.

Theodore transfigured two midnight black panthers from leftover blood to protect him as he let loose another salvo of curses from the sharpened tip of his wand.

The Empire soldiers, who still outnumber the Varden's forces, were confused by Theodore's exotic magic. Many were pushed forward with half-hearted charges, unable to understand their surroundings.

Hours passed, and as Theodore kept throwing curses like an absolute fiend, he managed to catch snatches of Eragon and Saphira as they fought. Theodore had to admit that they struck a vicious image. Eragon was a blur, slaughtering soldiers as quickly as they came before him. Saphira fought dozens of soldiers at a time using tooth claw and tail to sweep Empire soldiers as if she were dancing. He had enough time to notice they were entirely in synch before turning his attention to his fellow bodyguards.

Orik did a fine job of slaughtering men alongside his fellow dwarves, killing almost as many troops as the Urgal kull and his men.

Theodore's lion quickly killed hundreds of men like ants, and Theodore watched as nothing stopped it. Swords and spears rattled off, and Arrows were flung away or fell harmlessly to the ground. Theodore was so busy watching the gleaming metallic feline rip through human flesh and casting his curses that he didn't notice that Empire soldiers encircling them.

Theodore's group had been so successful at killing that they diverted many of the enemy's forces behind them. The Empire's troops, unwilling to fight Theodore's group, overwhelmed the Varden's soldiers through sheer manpower.

Theodore noticed several Dwarves fall as the Empire's soldiers concentrated on the Urgal and Dwarven fighting forces. Theodore saw a knot of soldiers attacking fall limp, giving Orik and the Urgal leader a reprieve. Theodore found himself impressed with the efficiency of the magic of this world. Eragon could kill hundreds of Empire soldiers with a few words of power. Theodore noticed Nasuada and Arya had been separated from them at some point but ignored it for now.

Theodore decided he should do something about the remaining forces encircling them.

Theodore reached into his moleskin pouch and pulled out a calcified magic stone while lifting his wand skyward. Clouds rapidly began to form in the smoggy sky. Theodore started chanting in Latin in a loud, ominous tone that carried to the surrounding Empire's soldiers despite his distance. Panicked, the Empire's soldier, realizing he was up to something, shot arrows at him, and others charged through uneven terrain to overwhelm him. Men stumbled and were trampled in the crowd of soldier's efforts to get to him.

The arrows scraped against his armor, making an unpleasant sound that made Theodore wince but didn't stop his chant. Projectiles continued falling like rain on him without denting his armor or giving him bruises; many were shot without care as they impaled the Empire's own soldiers. Theodore let the large black panthers he had transfigured before loose to tear through any soldier brave enough to come too close.

The two black cats ate through groups of Empire soldiers, mangling their metal armor in their teeth.

Their hides, however, were not as tough as the metal lion Theodore had created before, and so dozens of empire soldiers working together began to wear down the two black cats through sheer numbers.

Several Empire soldiers, overcoming their fear and confusion, worked together to box in one of the black panthers and slow it enough for several dozen Empire soldiers to impale the muscular black beast. The soldier continued stabbing the black panther until it fell, still managing to make a bloody mess of it. The second beast attempted to save its brother's life, but the Empire's soldiers could not be killed fast enough for it to make a difference. The remaining panther continued ripping into Empire soldiers, barely managing to keep the tide of them back until Theodore stopped his chanting, and the spell was complete.

Theodore called lightening down from the heavens, and pure white the width of a carriage erupted downward, blinding everyone as it struck the ground, razing hundreds of Empire soldiers and his transfigured panther beneath it and releasing a deafening thunder as tendrils searched for warm bodies in the form of smaller bolts of lightning.

They branched off each boring holes through hundreds of enemy soldiers. In seconds, several thousand Empire soldiers dropped like flies. The soldiers that surrounded their group bore the brunt of the attack and became piles of ash; others, luckier and further away, fell to the ground with smoking holes through their chests.

Silence fell over the battlefield as everyone had seen the lightning bolt fall. The Empire's soldiers saw the Aftermath and gaped in horror. The Varden gathered themselves first and charged their enemies with renewed passion. The Empire soldiers, out of some form of likely short-lived PTSD, flowed around Theodore's group, giving them a path back to the Varden's main forces.

"We should retreat, Eragon," Theodore said as he ran closer to the rider and his dragon. The rider refused to meet his eyes, seeming to ignore him. It almost became awkward before Orik broke the silence.

"Do we need to retreat when we have you around, Theodore," Orik said as he shook his head and looked at the metal lion still trampling empire soldiers by the dozens. However, the metal lion in the background moved incrementally slower now.

"The foreign magician is right, Prince Orik," The Urgal spoke up, causing Orik to glare at him. The Urgal had taken to calling him prince since he had been introduced as the son of Hrothgar. "We are too far behind enemy lines. If we don't retreat now, we will once again be surrounded. I have not studied in the deep magics, but Lord Theodore likely can't use spells like that infinitely."

Deep magics Theodore smiled as he heard the Nar Garzhvog say that. The Urgal would have said it sarcastically before, but now it held a tone of respect. Theodore looked at his companions, who were looking at him intently for confirmation, before nodding.

Theodore knew most of the power for that spell didn't come from him. The magic Theodore used communed with nature and entreated it to deliver its wrath upon an enemy using the orb of calcified magic as a catalyst.

Sadly, the catalyst had shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Alright, follow me." Eragon climbed on Saphira, whose armored form quickly returned to the Varden's main forces. Theodore, the Dwarves, and the Urgals followed, and soon, they were in the heart of the action again.

The Empire's forces groaned as Theodore released another string of curses in their direction. Some soldiers found themselves frozen in ice, others turned to ash, others bisected by cutting curses, and others fell without apparent injury. Wards protecting soldiers from magic appeared to be nonexistent to Theodore's curses.

Theodore sent blasting curses at groups of soldiers clumped together, causing them to fly apart and knock into their compatriots, giving Varden soldiers openings to strike.

The Wizard noticed that despite his help, the Varden was being pushed back; they didn't have enough men. Even with the poison from Angela having a delayed effect on the Empire's forces. There weren't enough Varden soldiers.

Realizing The Empire's forces were concentrated around his group, Theodore, with a flurry of circular motions with his wand, conjured a gravitational center in the form of a small black ball. Theodore threw the black ball forward with a flick of his wand like one would cast a fishing rod, and it drew a few Empire soldiers together into a mass of tangled limbs. More Empire soldiers came flying from nearby to join them.

Using magic to levitate the mass of flesh, Theodore used it like a wrecking ball against the Empire's front lines. He crushed soldiers under its immense weight, tossing it at a clump of empire soldiers, causing the ball of tangled limbs to expand and grow as more soldiers' bodies were attracted to its center. The Wizard got an idea and let loose a chuckle before sending the ball back into the Empire's army, picking up soldiers and causing men to scramble to avoid it. The Varden's soldiers used the opening created by the ball to divide the Empire's forces.

The Wizard couldn't help but wonder what would happen to the soldiers trapped in the ball as it rolled into the distance. He assumed the soldiers at the deepest layer would suffocate, and the ball's weight would likely crush the soldiers on the outside as it continued rolling. Still, Theodore wouldn't be surprised if some soldiers would survive and live long enough to starve inside. He turned away from such thoughts, throwing himself back into battle.

The Empire's forces were in disarray, but that only became worse once there was a call amongst the Varden that the Dwarves had come. Eragon flew into the air and confirmed it, causing the Varden's spirits to be lifted and the Empire's soldiers to release an even louder groan.

The dwarves slaughtered Empire soldiers from their flank and, like Orrin's calvary, caught the Empire's soldiers on their back foot again.

The Wizard decided to take advantage of the Empire's confusion and summoned a large fire whip from the end of his wand and threw lashes at Empire soldiers. Most soldiers retreated from the path of his flaming weapon, but some soldiers stubbornly stayed in the path of the whip, holding up shields in the hopes of protection. They went up like tinder broiling in their armor.

Soldiers were driven back in the wake of lashes of fire, and another large knot of Empire soldiers fell as Eragon subverted another Empire mage. The Varden, with the dwarves, succeeded in pushing back the Empire's frightened warriors. Varden began gaining momentum, and the Empire, realizing this, fought even more determinedly, barely managing to stall them again with their dwindling numbers.

Theodore continued to lash his whip, driving clumps of enemy forces back until he heard Eragon call for him. Knowing that the Varden had momentum and would continue without him, the Wizard let his whip dissolve into ambient magic before running to Eragon's side. The rider was bloody, and Theodore could see the exhaustion on his face. They were all bloody human, dwarf, and urgal alike, covered in the blood of enemies.

Orik had a limp, and Nar Garzhog had chipped his horn somehow, but they were all alive and relatively uninjured.

The rider quickly explained that he was alerted to a boat coming up the river toward the Varden and that they would have to remain on the ground because they wouldn't fit on Saphira. Nar Garzvog and Orik simply nodded in resigned acceptance. Theodore shook his head.

"Don't worry, Eragon, you're not alone in this."

The Wizard reached into a sturdy, small moleskin pouch at his belt and pulled out a broom that couldn't fit. It had a sturdy six-inch-wide, seven-foot-long wooden shaft for its broomstick and a stitched leather seat.

The broom's bristled end released embers, giving all who saw it a dangerous feeling. The Wizard held the broom between his two legs and hoovered off the ground to the amazement of Humans, Dwarf, and Urgal alike.

Theodore could tell they liked his war broom. It was a sturdy hunk of metal and enchanted wood invented during the last great wizarding war. It was rated to withstand muggle bombardment, so its materials were night unbreakable, though it did sacrifice some speed to ensure it was war-ready. The embers out of the back were mostly an aesthetic choice but doubled as a powerful flame thrower and could allow massive bursts of speed when required.

"Let's go," the Wizard exclaimed as he brought himself even with Saphira. Eragon quickly climbed into her saddle, and they were off.

The two flew high above the battle that raged on the burning plains but could still hear the clashing of swords and screaming of men. Theodore's broom released embers behind him as it sliced through the air, and Saphira's wing beat loudly, keeping her even with the Wizard.

Theodore noticed the battle split into pockets of violence between the two groups as they flew. Theodore, from the air, could see a large host of Empire soldiers still working together well despite the chaos of battle. Theodore knew that was dangerous as it could act as a disproportionately large force that could tilt the more minor conflicts in the Empire's favor. The rider and broom riding Wizard quickly arrived at the river they were told about.

Eragon spotted the Vessel coming upriver and saw many familiar faces from Carvahall, including his Cousin. Theodore looked at Eragon and could feel mental communication between the rider and the tall man with a hammer on the ship.

Seeing that the rider knew the man, Theodore decided to do something about the large, organized Empire host he had seen before. Flying close to the ground, the Wizard, with a tap of his wand, let his left gauntlet retract like liquid as he took out his ritual dagger, still humming with magic, and carefully gave his palm a thin extended cut, letting some of the blade's power to fill a few drops of his blood. They took a red shining glow as they sunk themselves into the ground. Feeling his seed take root, Theodore healed his hand and allowed his gauntlet to clad his hand again.

The Wizard flew to Eragon's side to wait for the rider to finish whatever conversation he was having. As he waited, the Wizard could feel the seed he planted begin to germinate and spread rapidly toward the intended location.

Eragon didn't take long to finish his mental conversation, but Theodore could see trouble brewing in the distance. His metal lion tearing up Empire battalions was melted to slag by a red dragon instantly.

The red dragon gleamed like a million rubies bunched up into a dragon form each of its scales, collecting light from the midday sun and refracting it at slightly different angles to a dizzying effect. The rider wearing armor made of smooth black steel that sucked in sunlight rather than reflect it raised his sword and let sunlight glint off its grey-silver edge as his dragon flapped its wings and hung itself stationary in the air as a sign of challenge for Eragon and Saphira.