Instead, I stand and gather magic around me as I seek out the source of the chaos, sure it’s the Velmaran. But he remains immobilized in the back, pinned by vines and fighting to get out of their grip. With a roar, he breaks through the vise of ivy binding him with sheer strength and immediately begins helping people get out of the room. I’m about to kill him, slice through his neck with whatever weapon I can summon, when I notice him pick up a limp Alyss and carry her to safety. Were the Velmarans involved in this attack at all, or is it just a coincidence the warrior was here today? The frustration of not being able to act, unable to identify who to rage against for this violence, nearly tears me apart. My ire builds and builds, until the room shakes with my own magic. A gathering group in the center of the room catches my attention, distracting me from my anger for a brief moment.

A dozen Thayarian citizens, humans and fae alike, march toward me, all armed. The fae gather their magic to them. They’ve detonated some kind of magical bomb and are preparing to launch another. Before I can confront them, Royal Guards have surrounded the group of rebels with a windy spray of water. Two fae raise their hands and aerstep the guards to the other side of the room. They slam into the stone wall with a crack that makes me nauseous, bodies slumping to the ground. Swords that litter the ground lift and hurl toward the unconscious guards. They’re impaled as I scream for healers to help them. Despite my frustration with the Royal Guard’s failure today, the guilt of their deaths will haunt me. The blonde Velmaran runs into the fray, fighting the Thayarian attackers with the practiced ease of a well-trained warrior and saving several citizens from their blows. That’s interesting.

Suddenly, a dagger flies toward me, the hum of the aether-directed blade unmistakable even in the noisy room. I shatter it into hundreds of pieces that fly in all directions. The eyes of a red-haired assailant widen in shock. He’s tall, his red hair shoulder-length and framing dark blue eyes. I force the air from his lungs, choking him just long enough to send a message before I release him and leave him panting on the ground.

Using my magic to summon a sword into my hand, I stalk toward the group of assailants. Dewy mist collects around me and a strong wind whips my hair out of its braid. With each step, I pull more magic to me, careful that I only use magic connected to a conduit affinity. Water and light churn in a cyclone that I hurl at the group of fae, trapping them behind a wall of elemental magic.