Fire Mage by John Forrester

across the sky towards the temple dome. These were no ordinary meteors… Talis knew what it was, it had to be Fire Magic.
    Someone screamed down in the city amidst a flurry of shrieks and shouts and shutters slamming open. Footfalls clapped on the cobblestone streets and figures raced through the dark while a plume of fire jetted across the sky. A deep, booming gong thundered out from the towers that kissed the highest point of Naru. The warning…warning of an attack. Why was this happening?
    Talis and Nikulo stood gawking at the rippling explosions breaking out across the city. Overhead a flash of lightning singed the sky, shattering a guard tower. An enormous thunder cracked so loud Talis had to cover his ears.
    As students of the Order, they were sworn to protect the temple at all costs. Talis and Nikulo jolted to action, dashing towards the temple. They reached the street, and snaked down the hill past soldiers burdened with steel armor, past citizens crying in terror at skies aflame, past howling dogs and cowering cats. Nearing the temple, Talis spotted wizards from the Order of the Dawn flying high above. Sprouts of fire erupted from their palms, spiraling across the sky, engulfing a cloud of shadows.
    There, in the sky, were dark sorcerers like the ones from Master Holoron’s stories.
    As Talis craned his neck up, searching the skies, he wondered how he could help. He heard a voice behind him.
    “Over here,” said Rikar. His hair sprung out in all directions under his nightcap. Mara stood next to him, staring at the sky.
    “What are you doing here?” Talis said, frowning at Mara.
    “The explosion woke me up…I know you’d be here—”
    “But your parents will kill you if they know you’re here…”
    “Who cares! Our city is under attack. Let’s do something to help.”
    Talis shrugged and motioned towards the entrance. “Let’s go up and get a better view.” They climbed broad, marble stairs leading to the top of the temple. Torches lined the stone walls. As they neared the exit, brilliant flashes of orange and blue and golden light flooded through the shafts.  
    Outside, a shriek stopped Talis in his tracks. A wizard from the Order stood paralyzed, a shadow mist enveloped her form. Faces of demons rose and fell inside the mist, and when she sank to her knees, he spotted a dark sorcerer hovering in the sky fifty feet away from them.  
    “Over here.” Rikar tensed his fingers and a luminescent blade, as long as a man, appeared near the flying sorcerer. As Rikar swung his arm around the blade lopped the man in half. The cloud of shadows evaporated, and the two halves of the sorcerer thudded on the streets far below.  
    “Help her,” Talis shouted, and bent down next to the woman and held her wrist. She still had a weak pulse.  
    Nikulo pushed Talis aside and lifted her up so she sat. Placing his hands on her upper back, golden light filled her body in waves. Her eyes surged open and she gasped.  
    “She’ll be alright,” Rikar said. “We have to keep going.”
    They stalked towards a group of young apprentices clumped together, facing the sky. Fireballs and lightning and wind shot from their palms.  
    “Cassis!” Rikar raced towards the group. Cassis turned and flashed him a terrified smile.  
    A thundering crack singed the air between them, pulverizing a twenty-foot stretch of wall. Talis smelled electricity and sulfur. When the dust cleared, he noticed the wizards huddling together.  
    Rikar stretched his fingers towards a sorcerer flying above the group. A shimmering hammer formed in the sky, and he swung around to strike him, but it reflected off some invisible shield, and knocked Rikar back ten feet, slamming his head against the stone wall.
    Nikulo darted towards Rikar and bent down, lifting his chin. Rikar shook his head, staring bleary-eyed around.
    “Behind you!” Mara tapped Talis on the shoulder.  
    Whirling around, Talis noticed an invader diving at him. Cassis reacted,