As Tereus and Maddie approached the Academy, the saw Druids in red robes at the gates. They were fighting against black-clad soldiers wearing the plumed helmets and Gorgoneion of a soldier of Ares. Tereus stopped for a moment to survey his army. With the markets destroyed, soldiers were advancing on the Academy and the Palace. Priests of Mars behind the rows of soldiers, casting offensive spells, tearing down the Druids’ defenses, and creating defensive fortifications of their own. The whole city was in chaos. Only the carefully advancing soldiers, all in perfect formation, were orderly. Palace guards and city soldiers fell first. Druids took much longer. Most fought with magic, but a few of the red-robes fought with swords or daggers. Some druids stripped off their robes, revealing the whorled tattoos of British warriors. They were cut down by the army of Ares, but managed to break apart the line.

As Maddie and Tereus ran closer to the Academy, she saw that several of the students were engaged in magical assaults. Most of them were older students, but several first-years were helping from the back. Maddie saw Corentin leading his class. Cleo and Gaius were standing alongside him.

Maddie tried to look at Tereus, but it was a struggle to move her body. He had lied to her, used her fear against her. And there were her friends, whole and unharmed. With extreme effort she swung the huge onyx sword at Tereus. It rebounded off Ares’s spear.

“So, you’re stronger than I gave you credit for.”

As he looked at her, she felt the weight of his power pushing down on her mind. She pulled the sword back and swung again, but Tereus merely sidestepped. The weight grew heavier, almost physically pushing her to the ground.

“You fight for your friends. It’s time to to eliminate that option.”

He held out the spear and lightning leapt from it. The bolt hit the side of the Academy. Stone crumbled down, killing students and Druids alike. Maddie lost sight of her friends. She pushed off some of Tereus’s weight and swung at him again.

Her sword paused mid-swing.

“I see that won’t be enough. We’ll get rid of some of those pesky memories, instead. The Druids aren’t the only ones with powerful mind mages here.”

He pushed her arms to the side and touched her forehead with his hand. Everything disappeared, replaced by shadow. She looked out on a battlefield, but she couldn’t concentrate on it, or remember why she was there.

It didn’t take long for the water to flood the streets. The soldiers regrouped and retreated toward the city wall. A large ship rose up and the soldiers began boarding. Several priests stayed behind to cover their retreat. Tereus led Maddie to the ship and they climbed aboard.

The waters of the sea began to pull down in the island. It ran through houses. The remains of its greatest building were flooded. The main gates crashed open and more seawater flooded in. Within hours the entire city was submerged.