Sera formed a barrier of ice at the top of the stairway, right where the tile had previously stood. Not a bad idea.
Then she shivered again, and I began to worry.
“You feeling okay, Sera?”
“No time for worrying about that,” she replied. That was a bad sign.
We reached the bottom of the stairs and found a door.
Vera checked it, then opened it.
The room it led into was very familiar.
It was a two-story room with a massive stairway in the center, three doors downstairs, and pristine red carpeting covering much of the floors.
Four tall pillars stood from floor to ceiling, though one of them had a large crack from where Keras had smashed into it, and another had a huge chunk missing.
Vera sucked in a breath. “Well, I suppose this is it, then. How do we get Katashi’s attention?”
Professor Orden appeared right in front of us.
I hadn’t had time to draw an anti-teleportation rune in this room yet.
“I believe,” Orden raised her hands, lightning crackling in between them, “It’s time to teach you children how to behave.”
Chapter XXII — Permafrost
On the minus side, apparently Professor Orden had lightning magic.
On the plus side, that didn’t mean a whole lot when she was standing right next to us.
Vera must have realized that at the same time as I did. Still holding both of my swords — I really needed to stop letting her take all my weapons — Vera stepped in and started swinging. Orden dodged the first couple swings, then vanished without a word.
She reappeared about ten feet back, then hurled the lightning at us. The bolt hit Vera dead-on, then arced to hit the rest of us.
My second barrier, already heavily taxed, snapped. Only a little bit of the lightning managed to make it through, but it still hurt. I shuddered and bit my tongue hard enough to draw blood.
Jin set me down a moment later. “I need to handle this,” was all he said.
Fair enough, Jin. Go get ‘er.
“Vanniv, I summon you.”
By the time I managed to push myself into a seated position, Vanniv was floating next to Sera.
“Oh, hey, finally in the tower! Nice room, too. I dig the choice of décor.” The winged man turned his head toward me. “You look kind of terrible.”
“Yeah, thanks, Vanniv. Need you to focus.” I pointed at Orden. “She’s trying to kill us.”
“Now, that’s a bit of an exaggeration,” Orden replied, forming globes of flame in her hands. “I need Vera alive at a minimum. The rest of you? Well, I’d still prefer you alive.”
I put a hand to my forehead. “Comforting. I don’t suppose you could tell me where you got another attunement? Elementalist doesn’t seem like your flavor.”
She grinned. “Just more items, darling. Give it a few years as an Enchanter, you’ll look like you have every attunement in the world, too. Unfortunately, for now, that means you’re woefully under prepared to face someone like me.”
Vanniv laughed. “Goddess, you love to hear yourself talk, don’t you? I mean, I respect that — my voice is amazing — but you’re coming on a little strong with the megalomania.”
Orden chuckled. “I think I like this one, Sera. Where’d you get him? Never mind. Doesn’t matter. I don’t know where you got enough mana to summon him, but you’re certain to be running—”
“Wyvern, I summon you!”
The vast draconic beast appeared at Sera’s other side, raising its spine-like tail.
Professor Orden blinked. “Well, you’re just full of surprises today.”
Vanniv cracked his knuckles, which briefly made me wonder how that was even possible with stone hands. “You want me to break her, boss?”
Sera nodded. “I’d prefer her alive.”
“Can do.” He flapped his way upward toward the ceiling, moving his hands apart, a lance of ice now forming between them.
“Oh, children. So overconfident. You think a couple pets are going to change the outcome here?” Orden pointed a hand at the wyvern. “Wyvern, I control you.”
The wyvern shuddered in the air, then flapped closer to Orden and landed at her feet.
That was...not a good thing at all. I’d been hoping that she didn’t actually have a Controller Attunement, but even if she didn’t, she apparently still had items that could serve that function.
On the plus side, she hadn’t tried to control us yet. Maybe controlling humans was harder? She’d grabbed Derek, but she needed a ring on his hand.
I really wished I’d taken the time to research foreign attunements.
Vanniv didn’t wait any longer; he just started throwing lances of ice at Orden. She countered the first couple by throwing the globes of fire from her hands, then the wyvern interposed itself between them with a shriek, hissing as the lances impacted its hide for minimal effect.
I didn’t see where Jin had disappeared to, but Vera was charging at Orden. Orden flickered again, appearing all the way across the room — near where I’d come up from the prison — and threw a ball of flame in Vera’s direction.
Vera jumped improbably high, taking her right over the fireball, and hurled my personally-enchanted sword. Orden side-stepped, but then Vera was arcing downward, gripping Selys-Lyann in both hands.
“Teleport.”
Orden vanished again, appearing right behind where Vera landed and sending a blast of lightning into Vera’s back.
Vera staggered, but didn’t fall. She spun around and charged again, a look of determination on her face.
In the air, Vanniv was rapidly hurling blasts of ice and lightning at the wyvern while it tried unsuccessfully to jab him with its spined tail.
Sera was concentrating. With my attunement on for a moment, I could see a trail of mana going from her hands toward the wyvern, and a net of energy forming around it. Presumably, she was either trying to re-establish control or banish the creature somehow. She wasn’t saying anything aloud, so I didn’t bother her.
I tried to stand.
That didn’t work at all.