Read The Champions for Free Online

has more mages!”
    As if to verify Seth’s statement, within an instant the
battle altered beyond measure.
    Lightning, fire, blasts of ice, and gusts of wind raced
across the battlefield, seemingly from everywhere at once. Though Seth was
spared in the initial wave, something struck him none the less.
    As the first barrage hit, Seth felt something snap as power
rushed into him, filling him momentarily with pleasure. Then feeling the loss
of the connection Seth mourned it, and turned his head in time to watch the
burning form of Eve, his avian champion, fall from the skies in a smoldering
heap.
    In a moment of panic Seth’s eyes darted around the skies
until he located Borrik’s massive form hovering well above the field of battle.
Then Seth felt another rush of power as another connection broke. A moment
later and a third champion fell. Seth reached out with his mind to locate the
mages at the same time as he turned to face Jonas and give his orders.
    “Have Borrik guide you and the men, and destroy the mages.”
    Jonas bowed his head in understanding and within a second
over a hundred giant werewolves were bounding through the invading troops,
singling out those who were the greatest threat.
    Magic blasted all around and Seth silenced one mage after
another, but his troops were falling before the onslaught. Water began to seep
up out of the soil as Seth turned another mage to ash. A moment later,
something smashed into Seth that drove him backwards to the ground, several of
his ribs either bruised or broken. Struggling to breathe, Seth rolled to see
the giant ball of ice that had struck him in the chest. He had never seen it
coming with his vision of the gods. Unlike magical fire or lightning, the ice
was natural. It was created by actual elements, although by magical means, so
once hurled, it retained no power and thus was invisible to his god-like
vision. Staggering to his feet as Jonas took up position to better guard him,
Seth threw up a magical wall of pure power, and went back to work snuffing out
the life of his foes.
    The water upon the ground was now more than a foot deep.
Suddenly, as if coming to life, the water surged upwards into the air and, as
it did, turned unbelievably cold as wind blasted the field. Giant spikes of
ice, as tall as a man, formed all over the battlefield. Some of them encased
Sigrant’s soldiers while others were stained and filled with blood and gore.
Around them all was ice. Combatants from both sides of the fray began to slip
and fall upon the ice between the immense spikes. However for those of average
size it was just that, a fall. For those blessed with size, falling meant
landing upon the spikes of ice, and within a minute Seth lost another dozen
troops. Looking around Seth spotted something he never in his life would have
expected.
    The only father Seth had ever known was James. To his
recollection, his father had never spoken of fighting in any battle, ever. Yet
here, now, among the champions Seth had created, and among the few valiant
Knights of Valdadore remaining, stood the man who had taken Seth in as an
infant and raised him as his own child. Across the field, beside his brother
the king, James swung a sword with practiced ease, cleaving men and spikes of
ice with each blow. Seth, lost in thought a moment, was returned to brutal reality
as the life of another of his troops rushed through his body. The tide was
turning again.
    Focusing on his task, Seth reached out to locate the nearest
mage then winced as his ecstasy faded and he remembered his damaged ribs.
Fireballs rained down from the heavens and lightning danced amongst pointy
fingers of ice. Seth concentrated and grasped at the bloated life of the
nearest mage and ripped both life and blessing away in one fell move. Instantly
the mage crumbled to ash as the pleasure of life power coursed through Seth.
    Without delay Seth unleashed a torrent of fire, aiming not
at the troops around him, but at the deadly ice spikes