Thirty warriors were guarding two doors that led to the room where the leader was supposedly hidden. Ten hunters against thirty. Under normal circumstances, Grace would believe that the enemy wouldn’t stand a chance with those numbers. Now, she had no idea of how powerful the enemy was.
Swords and staffs were gripped in the wizards’ hands, and their eyes shone with intent. They weren’t giving up without a fight.
Grace glanced at Aaron, waiting for his orders. He seemed to be assessing their powers.
The prince lowered his hands and took two steps forward. “Put down your weapons and surrender. We aren’t here to kill you. We just want to capture your master. No one will get hurt you if you comply.”
One of the wizards shouted from the back, “Surrender? You are the ones invading our world, our home. We did nothing to be persecuted like this.”
“We just want to live in peace away from the Celestials,” another wizard added.
Grace looked at their faces and realized that despite their bravery, they also looked terrified.
“We wouldn’t be here if that was the case,” Aaron intervened. “We have proof that you’re committing acts of terrorism against your homeland. This needs to stop here.”
“Lies!” one of the wizards at the front shouted.
“You’re a traitor to your kind,” another one accused.
Michael growled. “It seems they can’t be persuaded with diplomacy. Let’s just end this already. They might be more helpful once we tie them up.”
Aaron nodded sternly. Spreading his hands, glowing magic imbedded in Aaron’s palms and shone green and yellow, occasionally flicking into blue. “If you don’t surrender, we’ll need to take action.”
The other dragon princes did the same, their magic showing the element they controlled: water, fire, and wind. Aaron commanded the earth, which inside a cave didn’t bode well for the wizards who refused to surrender. He could destroy everything with a flick of his wrist.
The hunters aimed their guns at the wizards, their left hands holding a hunting knife.
Grace sauntered to the front row, letting the fire spread down her limbs and her hair float in the air. Her eyes turned white, and the electricity in the air shimmered with static.
The wizards exchanged glances, their swords and staffs still held above their heads in an attack stance.
“They’ll kill us if we surrender,” one of the wizards yelled as if his companions were pondering to give up.
Grace frowned at their claims and glimpsed at Aaron. His face was unreadable, but she knew him too well to know that he’d never kill without provocation. Hunters didn’t kill hostages. They weren’t barbarians.
“Defend your loved ones,” one wizard shouted and ran to attack with a roar of war.
It seemed like all of the other wizards were ready to charge with their weapons and release their magical powers.
Grace and the princes didn’t move. They waited for them to come closer before they unleashed their powers and sent the first row of attackers flying back.
The wizards fought back. Glowing shards made of ice and fire flew at them, and a protective shield was created to absorb the attack.
The hunters stood their ground. Grace knew instinctively that Noah was behind her, calm as one could be, holding his fist high, so Michael, Steve, Lori, and Andrea stayed put.
Wizard formations didn’t place the stronger ones in the front. Like any other elite fighters, there were different levels of power between magical beings. The front row included the foot soldiers that had excellent fighting skills but fewer magical abilities. The back row was the most skilled with magic that could summon all sorts of attacking spells.
The hunters fought differently. Since shifters were more vulnerable to magic, they always stood behind a wizard. Wizards were shields against magic. Hunters were skilled fighters who could craft small protective spells but relied on their speed and martial arts to catch their prey.
The princes joined forces to throw a new attack against the wizards. This time, a collective shield absorbed the wave of power, and the ground shook under their feet. Dust and small pieces of rock fell from the high ceiling.
The shield dropped, and a new wave of enchanting shards flew at the hunters. In the back, Grace spied two wizards casting spells against the large oak doors they were protecting. They were leaving protections in case they were defeated. They probably knew they were simply delaying the inevitable.
Grace wondered if their leader was that special. In her world, many would give their lives to protect the king. Angels would do the same to protect their royal family. The leader of these wizards was being protected as if he was a king. Still, a true king didn’t let their subjects die. If he was that powerful, he should come out and face them. Why hide?
Royals were cowards who liked to hide behind their guards.
There were only two people in the world that Grace would give her life to protect: Grandpa and Noah.