Hearing Ugotlas's words, Hamond opened his eyes to find he was still alive.

  He had fully expected to be cut down by the Witch of Wrath's spell. He didn't want to die, but from the moment he cast the spell to keep Edeline and Nela safe, he knew that he his own death was coming. The Witch of Wrath confirming that she knew the source of the spell only made it all the more clear.

  But he still was whole and injured, able to crawl backwards away from the clashing spells. Undignified, yes, but Hamond didn't care. His luck wouldn't hold out if he stayed that close to the battle. A single stray spell would make Ugotlas's intervention meaningless.

  "So, the cat finally came out to play," the Witch of Wrath said, falling back as her swords circled up into the air over her head again. Ugotlas also leapt backwards with a growl, letting his shield fade from view.

  Getting over to where Edeline was sitting, Hamond felt a cold chill just looking at her. He might not be much of a healer, but he recognized the burns. While no enchantment should have done that, it wouldn't have protected her from wounds caused by a secondary effect. For example, the excess power of the enchantment being so intense that it ignited the clothing she wore.

  "What even was that?" Nela asked him, "Did she try to turn one spell into the other, or something?"

  "Yes," Edeline said before Hamond could answer. "I'm sorry."

  "Don't worry about it," Hamond told her, looking around. He wished it was safe to move her further away, but with Ugotlas and the Witch of Wrath staring each other down, anything that drew the latter's attention would be deadly. He'd just have to counter any spells sent their way, and hope Ugotlas could win this fight.

  "Dijed inek heka seshep sheser-" Ugotlas began his first spell.

  "Gaia phantasma orygma!" the Witch of Wrath spoke, completing her own spell first as she stepped backwards to the earthen wall she'd created a moment ago. An orange hue appeared around her, but otherwise the spell did nothing. Perhaps it was some sort of defensive measure.

  "-sheser wenen." The rays of lights materialized, focusing on the Witch of Wrath...as she fell back inside the earthen wall, vanishing through it. The rays all struck the barrier before fading, leaving only scorch marks and her still floating swords to indicate the woman had just been there.

  Hamond's mouth gaped open. There was no enchantment that could allow a person to pass through a solid object. At least, none that he knew of. It wasn't conjuration or transmutation spell though, so that left the one possibility. And with it, the stark truth that for all of Edeline's power, the years of skills and experience the Witch of Wrath possessed were far greater than all of them put together.

  Ugotlas seemed unworried. "I am not surprised you scurry away to hide yourself. You are incapable of facing true power."

  The swords suddenly started moving over to another of the earthen barriers. Ugotlas, tail twitching, spun to follow them. Of course, Hamond realized, the spell had them remain close. With them present, she'd never actually be able hide. It was a strangely careless mistake for her to make.

  One that was all too convenient.

  Just as Hamond came to that realization, he saw the Witch of Wrath emerge from the first wall. She wasn't even bothering with Ugotlas. She was still targeting them.

  "Mega phloxoistos!" A enormous flaming projectile formed, aimed straight at Hamond.

  "Tetra hydropidax!" Edeline's spell caught the missile as it started to fly forward, sending it off to the side barely a step to Hamond's left.

  This in turn got Ugotlas's attention. "Dijed inek heka seshep sheser sheser wenen!" By the time he finished his incantation, though, the Witch of Wrath had already retreated back into the wall. The glowing beams passed through the space where she had just been, to no effect.

  Looking back over at Edeline, Hamond could tell casting that spell had taken everything she could muster. Her brow was covered in sweat, and she had her teeth gritted. Even the faint gleam of satisfaction in her eyes didn't hide the truth. That was almost certainly her last spell. Hamond would have to protect the both of them.

  The question was simple. How? The Witch of Wrath had showed a level of skill that left Hamond stunned. She combined multiple spells in a blend of offense, defense, and misdirection. If the Spellking couldn't overcome this, he didn't see how he could hold out.

  But if he didn't, they would all die.

  "Teleios horama," Hamond spoke. At least with this spell, he could see where her next attack would come from, even if he lacked a way to stop it. Sure enough, Hamond could just make out the glow of her spell just under the ground. He could even see faint tendrils of energy linking the Witch of Wrath to each of her floating blades.

  These blades were now splitting up, three floating over each of the barricades. The other one remains floating in the empty air over their heads. It was clear now that the Witch of Wrath could control them from underneath the ground to...wait. Why wasn't she using them to attack while she hid?

  A glimmer of hope appeared, faint and wavering, and yet within reach. Whether it was because she couldn't see above the ground to target her attacks, or because her control of the swords was limited while maintaining the other spell, the Witch of Wrath had a weakness. The question that faced Hamond was how he could possibly take advantage of it.

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  The glow of her energy began to move towards the earthen wall closest to Ugotlas. Hamond readied himself, rapidly going through what he could do that the Witch of Wrath wouldn't expect. Any of his spells she could counter easily, since she would hear the incantation. Unless...

  ...unless he found a way to attack her without using a spell.

  "Nela," Hamond spoke, surprising himself with his own calm. "Get your crossbow ready."

  "Right," she said quietly.

  Hamond didn't even look in her direction, trusting her. all his attention on the Witch of Wrath. The timing had to be perfect. Too soon, and she'd be able to flee back underground. Too late, and she'd be free to attack Ugotlas.

  She emerged, stepping out onto the grass. Hamond gestured, and spoke the spell quickly. "Lithoistos!" In the echo of his spell, he could just hear the sound of Nela's crossbow firing.

  Too quick to track, the nearest conjured sword swooped in and cut Hamond's stone missile out of the air. Under it, the crossbow bolt flew uninterrupted, and caught the Witch of Wrath's leg. With a pained grunt, she fell to one knee, confusion visible on her face.

  Ugotlas acted immediately. "Dijed inek heka tijez khener khener wenen." The ropes flew forth, rapidly wrapping themselves around the Witch of Wrath. It took no time at all for her to be bound in place. No more escaping to under their feet for her, Hamond thought with grim satisfaction.

  Now for the hard part.

  Without any warning, all of the swords shot towards Ugotlas. Hamond wasn't about to let that happen. "Tetra lithoistos!" Three of the swords pivoted and blocked his spell, while the last one continued on its way to attack the sphinx. Hamond could only hope Ugotlas could handle that much.

  Meanwhile, he faced the full attention of the Witch of Wrath, as she turned her head to stare coldly at him. At least Hamond knew he could keep putting her under pressure if he could cast fast enough.

  "Mega phloxoistos!" Or she could just cast a different spell. Desperately, Hamond cast the spell Edeline had, shooting sprays of water to try and deflect the fiery projectile. It barely worked, as he could feel the heat as it passed by his shoulder. That was far too close to him, and far too close to Edeline and Nela. Meanwhile the swords again started to move away, and again Hamond chanted his spell and launched the missiles to force them back.

  Gathering the magical energy for spells was automatic at this point for Hamond, something he had been trained to do without thinking. Even so, he'd almost never had a reason to cast multiple spells in quick succession. Few thaumaturges did. Now, though, he would have to just to keep up with the Witch of Wrath.

  It wouldn't last. Eventually, his voice would give out, and the Witch of Wrath could silently will her conjured blades to kill any of them as she wanted. Still, Hamond knew he had to keep going. Give all of them as much time as possible to think of some solution. Any solution.

  Even if there was no such solution.

  The swords swung around to aim at Ugotlas yet again. "Tetra lithoistos!" Hamond barked out, calling forth the missiles once more.

  "Gaia maceria!" Instead of countering with another attacking spell, the Witch of Wrath simply blocked his spell with yet another earthen wall, as well as his line of sight. By the time he got around it, all of the swords would be on Ugotlas. They were already on their way.

  At least they had-

  Hamond's thought was interrupted as Nela darted past him, sprinting around the barrier towards the Witch of Wrath. What...what was Nela doing? The swords immediately spun and sped in the running Elefae's direction. Feeling like he was stuck in mud, Hamond forced himself to move around the wall after her, to try and help, to protect Nela, to do something.

  The swords converged on Nela right as she reached where the Witch of Wrath was bound. "Doroneroi!" Nela cried out, one arm stretched out towards the woman.

  The swords came to an immediate halt. A moment later, they broke into a scattered mist of glowing specks before fading to nothing. Nela stumbled sideways, clutching at her left shoulder. One of the Witch of Wrath's blades had just barely reached her, leaving Nela wounded.

  Hurrying over, Hamond looked at the now slumbering form of their opponent, slumped over against Ugotlas's conjured ropes. They'd somehow done it. She was defeated. They had survived.

  Nela grunted and pulled up the sleeve of her tunic. "Panakeia logos." The cut was apparently not that deep, to Hamond's relief. It mended easily enough. "So now what? Not sure I like the idea of just killing her, but I don't think there's any safe way to hold her prisoner."

  The idea of striking down a completely helpless person didn't appeal to Hamond either. There were other problems with it too. "I also wouldn't want the reputation of the ones who slew the Witch of Wrath following us around."

  "Or she could end up following us around herself," Nela commented, stretching out the arm that had been injured. "It's a better problem to have than fighting off all those spells, at the least."

  "Are you certain you wish to spare her life?" Hamond winced as he turned to look at Ugotlas. The sphinx had not escaped unscathed, limping forward with one bloodied paw held curled off the ground. "Ending it here would be the most practical way to ensure she is no longer a threat."

  Hamond shook his head.

  "Very well. Perhaps there is an alternative solution then." Ugotlas looked, surprisingly enough, reluctant. "She is the one who faced the Spellking in battle, is she not?"

  "Yes," Hamond answered, unsure where this was headed.

  "Then I shall hand her over to those who can contain her." The ropes binding the Witch of Wrath faded away, and she collapsed on the ground with a thud. "Dijed inek heka kenit dijebet wat teken akhet wenen."

  The ground under the sleeping woman glowed with a brilliant yellow light, forming a circle around her. The Witch of Wrath sunk into the circle and vanished.

  "Where'd you send her?" Nela asked.

  "She is with my fellow Kashun Abuati now. They are far more skilled than I am. They will be able to contain her." Ugotlas let out a sound that was half a growl, half a sigh. "Know that I did not do this lightly. That spell was intended to be my method for returning to them once my task here was complete."

  "Wait. Are these other ones in Lasfont?" Nela pointed out, "Why couldn't you use the spell to just send us all there then?"

  "It only allows one to travel so, and the only destination it can go to are special beacons set up in advance. Each usage of it requires a separate beacon to be prepared. Even if one of you was willing to be detained as she will now be detained, bringing the rest of you to the north would require taking the slower route. I was not speaking false when I told you our alliance would delay my return."

  "Thank you," was all Hamond could think to say. Maybe that had misjudged Ugotlas.

  "You...you did it?" Edeline asked weakly. Hamond turned to see her slowly walking towards them, holding what was left of her dress close to her body.

  "We did it," Nela said.

  "Are you alright?" Hamond approached Edeline, worried that walking would be too much for her. She likely needed to rest, but he knew all too well Edeline wouldn't listen until she knew they were safe.

  "I...think so..." With her voice cracking, Edeline suddenly flung herself forward at Hamond, pressing against him as she began to sob. Hamond paused a moment, then embraced her, understanding what she had to be feeling. The truth was, she'd almost lost him.

  Just as he'd almost lost her.

  Something deep inside Hamond shattered. Holding Edeline even more tightly than ever, he began to cry as well.