It was starting. She remained unseen, but Marrow would soon show the lich her might.
Hundreds of bright blue magic circles threatened them from above. Ignoring them, she reached out to each of her fetishes. One by one the sigils she imprinted on them came alight. Each one, in turn, caused their corresponding symbols to glow white on her fingers.
She reached out towards the night sky.
In a blink, Cromwell set the spell loose. Marrow made a fist with her outstretched hand in response, resonating with each of her fetishes to knit a dark barrier together that encompassed the entirety of Lindow. Each blue flame he loosed on the town hit her barrier with the impact of a small, but powerful meteor. She struggled under its might, in turn attempting to absorb the impact so she could hurl it back at Cromwell’s temporary form.
Her knees nearly buckled, until Ezra placed a hand on her arm.
“Such little faith,” he said through myriad voices. “The people see your efforts and while they may not know you, Marrow, find comfort in the fact that I and the Night Mother acknowledge your triumph.”
The deity looked to her and then the site of each impact on the dome she conjured.
Marrow smirked at the being beside her, pulled her arm back, and then punched out towards where Cromwell observed from. Her barrier spread out and opened up like a flower. It folded above the town, and then obliterated Cromwell’s summoned form within the concentrated force of multiple blackened projectiles.
As her magic dispersed, Marrow let out a strained breath.
* * *
Adrian collapsed beside Veleria the moment Corvus fled. Their face had been indescribable when it burned. While only half of it was affected, Adrian could not believe how easily their skin had melted.
Still cheek down, Veleria only smiled at him.
“I can’t make any more fire,” she told him. “Whatever that sorcerer did seems to have cut me off. Seems that I can’t heat up either…Good thing I’m no longer wounded.”
She struggled into a standing position, catching Adrian against her chest when he fell over. Her fingers stroked his hair.
“You’re safe…” She whispered. “I promise you.”
After some time, just as she was getting up and setting Adrian against her shoulder, she heard a commotion and looked up to see a number of townsfolk coming towards them, with “One-Eyed” Marty among them.