41 Bekhi's time with humans

"Take care of yourself, Kvalinn." I said with a tired smile, it was nearly midnight after all. "Don't use anything too powerful against the smaller monsters. Make sure you eat enough, even if there are new runes to learn, and don't overwork yourself. Also, keep Gerde safe! Frankly, I'm not sure why you're bringing her with you. She'd be a lot safer with me and my dad."

I looked at our adopted daughter, she was sleeping on Kvalinn's back, muttering something about sweet rolls. She was so cute! And the way she called me 'mama' made me feel like I was an adult with a family! No matter what, I had to keep her safe.

Kvalinn shrugged the way he usually did when he was pulling excuses out of his ass. "I just think it would be good for her to get some time with my father. Plus, she's been toughing out the forced march pace, but don't you think it would be better for her to make the trip in a wagon?"

"You just don't want to leave her behind." I said with a smirk. Kvalinn's face stonewalled like he was playing that elf game called poker, I must have hit the mark with that guess.

Looking around, he lowered his voice. "Ok, yes. I don't want to leave her behind. You saw how the emperor tried to take Delimira and Jenise as royal wards without even asking them. Tonight he was too occupied with them to pay too much attention to Gerde, but what happens when he does? He might try to pull the same stunt, or worse, one of the other nobles might try it. In the mountains, no one will want her for her magic, or as a token beastkin, so she'll be safe."

I rolled my eyes. Kvalinn's speech, as always, was littered with strange idioms that he said that he picked up in ancient texts. But his reasoning was sound. I just didn't like it.

"If anyone tries that with Gerde, I'll pummel 'em into the dirt with my bare hands! There won't be enough of them left to issue a grudge against by the time I'm done with them. Even if it's the emperor- actually, maybe not the emperor." I shuddered a little as I remembered the powerhouse that was the emperor. I've fought everything from goblins to dragons, and yet that human seemed to be bigger trouble than any of them.

Kvalinn nodded, as if reading my thoughts. "The emperor is definitely one scary guy. I wouldn't want to fight him either. Even with one of my doomsday weapons."

"Speaking of that. Don't even think of making one for him!" I moved in close to make sure he got the message. "In fact, don't make any at all if you can help it! I don't want to finally get to the mountains and find that you accidentally destroyed them!"

Slightly unnerved by my intensity, Kvalinn tried backing up, but I grabbed him by his collar to prevent him from escaping. He knew he couldn't get away from my grip, even if he tried, so he wisely surrendered with a gulp and a "Yes, dear."

I was satisfied with that. My mother had once told me, when I was just starting to fall in love with Kvalinn back when we were kids, that all men are under their wives thumb to some extent, and considering how much chaos Kvalinn caused in school, I'd have to be firmer than most other wives. So far her advice was working. He hadn't brought down any mountains, killed anyone important, or ended civilization as we know it. The only truly bizarre thing he had done ever since we had left home, was to adopt Gerde. But I couldn't fault him for that. She was just too cute!

Nodding to myself, I loosened my grip on his collar, and kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck, Kvalinn. Stay safe, and keep Gerde safe." Without letting go of Kvalinn, I looked past him at Delimira, who was glancing around awkwardly. Elves weren't comfortable around this type of closeness. "Delimira, make sure Kvalinn doesn't do anything stupid, and keep Gerde safe."

"Yes, Bekhi." Delimira promptly responded. "I'll keep a close eye on Kvalinn when he's making the sword with me, and no matter what, I'll keep my little sister safe."

Delimira and Gerde both regarded each other as sisters for some reason, and while I still wasn't entirely alright with it, since someone might conclude I was in some way related to an elf. The one time I told Gerde to stop, she asked if Kvalinn and I could give her another sister.

I told her to keep calling Delimira her older sister.

"Bekhi! Stop flirting with Kvalinn. The runesmith we brought from home is finally awake and ready to go." My dad called out to us from the wagon that was being loaded with supplies for the two day trip. Looking past Delimira, I saw a very familiar face.

"Actually, Delimira, just keep Gerde safe. Looks like someone better at keeping Kvalinn from making anything explosive will be going with you." Delimira and Kvalinn both followed my eyes, and Elder Thrikrondromm stared back at us.

"Thane Thredak, why are there cursed elves here?" Elder Thrikrondromm glared at us with a fury that made a dragon look almost cuddly.

"Funny you should ask that." My dad said in his carefree manner. "One of them is Kvalinn's ward, and the other is his apprentice. His apprentice is going with you to make the Emperor's weapons."

Instantly, the dwarven rage emanating from Elder Thrikrondromm doubled in intensity, making me extremely glad that I wasn't going with them. I gave Kvalinn another kiss on the cheek before releasing him. "Good luck. I'll see you when the armies get to the mountains. Make sure you have something for me."

"Gulp!" Was Kvalinn's only response as he trudged off as if to his doom.

I sympathized with him, I'd been subjected to the Elder's lectures before, and the coming one looked to be a doozie, but I still chuckled as I watched him and Delimira walk off towards the wagon. I waved goodbye as the wagon started off, and soon there was just me, my dad, and Jenise standing in the darkness.

"Will Kvalinn be alright?" Jenise asked, trembling in fear after having endured just a small taste of the punishment Elder Thrikrondromm would doubtlessly be dishing out to Kvalinn later. "That was a dwarven Elder, right? He looked very angry about something."

"He's just angry that Kvalinn took an elven apprentice." My dad explained, giving her the side eye. "To be honest, I'm still on the fence on whether or not I should be angry at Bekhi for having a damned elf as a ward."

"It wasn't my idea, dad!" I protested. "She got dumped on us by her dad when he smuggled us out of Issanore."

"Eh, whatever." He shrugged in a relaxed manner, and then gave me a hug and a smile. "Let's get you two to bed, we still have another week of this forced march, and we'll need all the sleep we can get."

My dad started leading the way back to the camp, but I stopped to watch the wagon trundle on for a few minutes more. This would be the first time Kvalinn and I had been separated for longer than a day in years, and I already missed him.

It's funny, when I left for the school in Nurnwuhr, my family all teased me about marrying a dark dweller dwarf to make me personal weapons, and I told them I'd never marry a dark dweller who had never seen the sun in his life. And I was serious! Especially when everyone down below called me a dirt eating surface dwarf.

But when I saw Kvalinn for the first time, something clicked inside me. He was doing his own thing at the youth hall and angered an Elder, who sentenced us to a game of shieldwall against older students. It would've been a much more fun game if the older kids didn't moan so much about me nearly fracturing bones and cracking skulls, but that was their fault for letting their shield work get so sloppy. Anyway, I fully expected our team to lose, everyone around me was acting like they had never held a weapon before in their life. But Kvalinn somehow pulled through, and won the game by producing a weapon in less than a half hour that satisfied the Elder coaching the game. I knew I had to get one of his weapons for myself, mostly because I had been forced to leave all mine behind, but also because he was the same age as me and probably had prices I could afford.

Not only did Kvalinn make weapons for me, he did his best to find a way around the rules that said he couldn't sell weapons, and they were of a quality I'd never seen before! With magical runes that did all sorts of weird things. Sure, some of them hurt to use, but they hurt my opponents more. And that was all that mattered.

Throughout the years we attended school together though, he never saw me as more than a friend and 'guinea pig' for his weapons. (I'm still not sure what a guinea pig is, but something tells me it isn't very nice.) But for me, he slowly became more than a friend, he became family. Someone that I wanted to spend my life defending.

It's taken years, and an unexpected adopted daughter, but now he seems to see me in the same way. Neither of us have talked about marriage yet, we're still too young, but we are definitely going before the ancestors to declare our union the first chance we get. I just need him to survive without me.

"Come back to me safe, Kvalinn." I softly whispered as the wagon carrying him disappeared into the blackness of the night.

"Kvalinn's gonna be fine, Bekhi." My dad called to me with a bit of tired mirth, not even turning his head to look back at me. "Gerde too. They've got Elder Thrikrondromm with them, and he's been fighting for longer than our town has existed."

"Yeah, but I'm still worried about them." I grumbled as I caught up with them.

"Well worry quietly." My dad joked. "Dawn is just a few hours away, and we have a long day tomorrow."

"What in the ancestor's name is an elf doing here?!" An Elder roared as we groggily emerged from our tents to the trumpets blaring, announcing the first light of dawn, and telling the armies to prepare for the march. "Step aside, Dak, I'm about to strike out a grudge that has lingered in my family's grudge books for centuries."

"Elder Nondrunri, I know that this is unusual, but the elf is under my daughter's protection, and thus, under my protection. There will be no striking of grudges today."

My dad's statement caused a bit of commotion with every other dwarf in the camp. Most of them I recognized from my hometown.

"Thane Thredak." An Elder I didn't recognize rumbled. "Are you taking the position of defending an elf? How many grudges sit unanswered in your own clan's grudgebook against the cursed race? How many of your ancestors perished to their damnable magic? Are you truly going to stand against us? If word of this reaches the king's ear, then he will remove your title, and rightfully so. Now stand aside."

My dad was then pushed to one side by the arrogant wazzock. He could've fought back against the Elder, pummeled him like he did to anyone who questioned his authority, but by the glance he gave me, I knew he was letting me stand on my own two feet. A standard rite of passage for my family, dating back to a tradition set by my grandfather, when he first created the town of Vesturhildrun on the surface. I was not gonna let him down.

"Stop!" I shouted. "By the honor of my ancestors, no one will touch my student!" I took out my ax and shield, and then elbowed Jenise to do the same. I was pretty sure that I could take 'em all single handedly, but I didn't want to risk it. Jenise had been entrusted to me and Kvalinn by her father, and even though I didn't like the way he did it, I was not going to betray that trust.

A few cries of "Elf lover!" and "Ignorant child!" came from the older dwarfs, and a couple from my hometown commented "She's Dak's child alright." I ignored all of them. Instead, staring down the unknown Elder who was gripping his ax with whitened knuckles.

"I am Elder Halmurlum, of the Warrior Clan." The Elder began, his hands shaking with rage. "Why are you defending a member of that vile race?"

"Because she was entrusted to me by her father. I don't like the elven race anymore than you do, but I'll be damned if I betray the trust of someone who's gone to their ancestors. If you want to find an elf to take out a grudge on, Issanore is that way." I sarcastically gestured with my ax to the northwest. The opposite direction of the battle, and across a sea that no dwarf would willingly cross.

There was a long pause, with tension so thick that you could cleave it with an ax. The Elder and I glared at each other for several minutes, waiting to see who would move first. I would've liked to attack, but every inch of the Elder yelled "Warrior!" to me. A fight with him would not be easy, even with all the weapons and armor Kvalinn had enchanted for me.

"Enough of this." My dad stepped between us as the stalemate went into its tenth minute. "If we don't hurry up and hit the road soon, the humans will get to the Tharkuldohr Mountains before us. Where would be the honor in that?"

Elder Halmurlum, glared between us for a moment, his long white beard quivering in suppressed fury at a grudge denied, and his bushy eyebrows furrowed in anger. But finally, he put his ax away. "You live another day, elf girl." He growled out. "As do you, elf lover. But do not ever come to the town of Hildohr, and expect to leave alive." He then turned to my dad with a snarl. "Expect to hear from Thane Grildat at the next Council of Thanes. King Thralgrorlum will be very interested to hear of your family consorting with elves."

I let out a sigh of relief that I hadn't realized I had been holding. For a brief instant, I was glad Gerde wasn't with me, her cute little nose could detect when I was tense, and she tended to get underfoot in her attempts to give me hugs.

"Thank you for defending me." Jenise said in a quiet voice as she slung her shield on her back.

"Don't thank me yet. There are probably some dwarves in the camp who hate you more than they did, and probably even some humans out there."

"D-do you really not like elves, Bekhi?" Jenise asked, her face just a little teary.

Shit, I hadn't realized that we had been speaking in Imperial, and Jenise had understood every word.

"Um…" Goblin's grog. I couldn't think of any nice way to put it. Jenise was just a year or two younger than me, but her 'emotional intelligence', as Kvalinn put it, made her seem a lot younger. There was no way out, I'd just need to be blunt.

"No, I don't." I said with a sigh. "Elves are bossy, snobby, egotistical fools. The entire time I was in Issanore, I was holding myself back to keep from punching every single elf on the island in their smug faces."

"What about me?"

"You're different, now. Back when we first met you though, you were just like every other damned elf. And for a while after that too. But you've been trying to be better, so I guess I'm ok with you."

Jenise looked saddened by my response, but I didn't have the time or energy to be nicer. I learned a lot younger than her that the world doesn't like you, and only a very few and close people will. She'd get over it, and be stronger on the other side.

"Hurry up, you two!" My dad called out. "Get your tent packed up, and get ready to march. We leave at dawn, with or without the humans."

Just as Jenise and I were packing up our tent, a human walked into the middle of the milling dwarves. He looked to be one of those fancy messengers that the nobility here use, I think the humans called them 'pages', and was dressed in sturdy, but high quality, clothes.

"Thane Thredak." The young page said respectfully with a bow, and an Imperial salute. "I apologize for disturbing you so early, and when you are busy with preparations for the march. But, could you direct me to the dwarf Bekhi Mubrimssdottir?"

"That's me." I waved the page over. "Can I help you?"

"Miss Bekhi," I snorted, the page was barely younger than me. "The emperor's guards sent me to find out if you might be aware of where the summoned hero Miyata is? When they went to the tent that the summoned heroes were supposed to sleep in, only Takamori was there. And since the Yankee Party was friendly with her, they thought you might know where she is."

Miyata is missing! My first instinct was to look under the mostly folded tent in case she was hiding nearby. Nope, not there. My next instinct was to look to the south where Kvalinn's wagon had left. Oh shit.

"I haven't seen her, but-"

"She's freaking lying!" The magically translated voice of Takamori caused the page to flinch in fear. "Out of the way, useless, I'll find out where that little sneak is hiding."

"Lord Takamori! Where are your guards?" The page quickly moved between us.

Takamori smirked with an evil glint in his eyes. "Those losers? They're taking a nap. I guess some people can't keep up with true greatness. Now move!"

Takamori grabbed the page's shoulder in a show of force, and brutally shoved him to the ground, and then he kicked him in the ribs. I winced at the impact, there were probably a few bruised ribs. The page would probably be stiff for the next couple days after a blow like that. He then leaned down towards me with a leer. "You, pipsqueak, tell me where Miyata is. I was looking forward to getting to know her again now that I have my new powers. She can't run and hide from me anymore."

"Go kiss an orc." I told him. This so-called hero was somehow worse than elves, Zaihanians, and Tochkan nobles combined, nothing about him made me want to help him.

He didn't like my response, and I felt more raw hostility coming from him than the average goblin displayed when going for the kill. "You worthless piece of shit runt. Do you know who I am? I'm the freaking summoned hero of the Empire! Tell me where Miyata is, before I decide that you're a better target for my games."

I instinctively took out my ax, ready for whatever this wazzock was about to throw at me. He was wearing chainmail and light steel armor, and at his waist was a mithril sword.

For an instant, Takamori had a panicked look in his eye, and he took a step back at the sight of my ax. But he recovered himself, and something seemed to roll off him like a fog. It wasn't anything I could see with my eyes, but every instinct that I had was now telling me to run away and hide. It was as if I was looking at the oncoming breath of a frost dragon that could freeze any being solid and was about to kill me, but Takamori hadn't even so much as drawn his sword. Was this his celestial power?

He stood still for a minute, waiting for me to give up, before leering at me. "Heh, you're braver than most of the weaklings here. Tell you what. You can be my girlfriend. I've always liked short girls with spunk." This unbelievable wazzock then had the nerve to lean back and crook his arm as if I was going to get close to him with a giggle, like I was some cheap human girl.

Before I could unleash a continent's worth of swear words in multiple languages on the prick, Jenise spoke up from behind me. Whatever was emanating from Takamori was affecting her too, so her voice was quiet and trembling. "W-w-what god gave you his gift for you to have this power?"

Transferring his leer from me to her, Takamori sneered. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He then blatantly sized her up, his eyes lingering on her chest, before leering even more intensely. "Maybe I'd even tell you if you became my girlfriend too. I've always liked those nerdy manga where you get a harem. And you're pretty cute too. Get over here."

As if she was a loaf of bread, Takamori reached around me to try to grab her as she cringed in terror.

Two warring emotions raged within me, and time seemed to slow down. On the one hand, my honor demanded that I defend Jenise, even though she was an elf, and a child that had been dumped on us by her father. On the other hand though, the magic that Takamori was radiating in all directions made him appear truly terrifying. Not physically, he still looked like a gawky human teenager, but it was as if he were a red hot iron that common sense screams at you not to even think of touching, and that your body will violently try to avoid.

Honor won the internal battle, and I took a swing at the wazzock with my ax, causing him to squeak in fear and jump back. Takamori was distracted enough that he stopped emitting his magic that was slowing me down.

"Seriously? You're seriously going to take a swing at the guy who's destined to save your pitiful little world?" Takamori recovered quickly, and was back to spouting nonsense. "I'm just trying to give you the chance to get with the perfect guy. What's the problem with that? Are you into chicks or something?" I took another swing at Takamori, which he regretfully dodged. "Geeze, keep that up, and I might not want you as a girlfriend anymore."

"Get lost, you rock toothed wazzock! I already have Kvalinn. I don't need a dishonorable human who can't even stay faithful for a full minute." I took several more swings with my ax, but he dodged each of them by the slimmest margin. The increasing look of panic on his face as I came closer and closer to striking him was nice to see though.

"Miss Bekhi. Please. You cannot fight him, he's too strong!" The page wheezed out before running out of breath.

"You're still awake, Useless?" Takamori remarked, losing a lock of shaggy hair to my ax. "Hurry, get to the emperor. These dwarves are crazy! They attacked me out of nowhere for no reason. They'll kill me!"

"Shut up." I intentionally missed him on the next swing. "Just get lost and run like the sad sack of goblin puke that you are. And never come near me or Jenise again."

My next swing forced him to fall on his butt, and choosing the better part of valor, he began shuffling away while still on his ass.

"Huh, I would've thought he'd at least be stronger than Miyata." I commented to myself as I helped the page up. Miyata hadn't come close to beating me either, but at least she had drawn her weapon, and even tried to trade blows. Takamori hadn't even thought to lay a hand on his fancy sword.

My comment had unfortunate timing. Takamori stopped in his tracks, and started blasting out his magic again, making everyone around nearly pass out in terror. The sensation was like being tied up in the snow, without armor and weapons, with a pack of yetis charging at you. (Don't ask how I know what that feels like, just know that there was a lot of XXXXX beer involved.)

"Lord Takamori, p-p-please s-s-stop." The page pleaded as he collapsed to the ground, my arms lacking the strength to hold him. "You're affecting his majesty's soldiers with your magic."

"I don't give a shit." Takamori shouted with pure disgust radiating from his eyes, and drawing his sword, albeit very clumsily. "This piece of trash dwarf just compared me to that sniveling dung heap Miyata. No one's better than me!"

Goblin's grog, this isn't good. No cursed elven spell could compare to the power of whatever Takamori was spitting out, and I've seen and been hit by a lot. The pressure of it forced me to my knees, Jenise was crying and curled up in a ball, and the page had passed out entirely and was foaming at the mouth in terror.

"Yeah, that's right, dwarf. Get down on your knees where you belong. I'm going to make you eat those words. And then I'm going to beat you until you are begging for me to take you as my girlfriend. Maybe if you start begging now, I might have mercy on the elf girl."

The weight of the spell was crushing me, but I strained out a response. "Go eat dirt, you rock brained wazzock." There was no way I'd beg to scum like this.

"Heh, the hard way it is." Takamori then delivered a firm kick to my midsection that sent me flying. It was way stronger than a blow from a yeti, if I hadn't been wearing armor, then it might've even caused internal bleeding.

"Bekhi!" I heard my dad call out. Looking out from the corner of my eyes, I saw him vainly trying to get closer to protect me. But without all the enchanted armor that I had, and the experience with magic that I achieved from my time in Issanore, he didn't stand a chance against the damned hero.

"I'm fine, dad." I called back. "I just need to use something Kvalinn left me."

"Is that something gonna kill us all?"

I grinned maliciously. "No. Just one cocky so-called hero."

Reaching into my sack, I pulled out an extremely powerful, but extremely annoying, battle ax. It was inscribed with the Rune of Heroes, and it would only work if you were fighting to protect someone else.

"Whom do you fight for?" A bombastic voice echoed in my head.

"I fight to protect my friends and family." I mentally replied, grimacing at the histrionic tone. I'd asked Kvalinn more than once to fix this thing so the voice wasn't so loud, but he kept saying it wasn't broken.

Ignoring my silent complaints, the voice boomed again. "Then fight! Fight for the glory of heroes!" The rune started glowing in a bright red light, and the effect of Takamori's magic on me began to dramatically diminish.

"What the hell?" Takamori swore as I stood up with the ax in hand, and a murderous glint in my eye. "Only the Emperor dude can stand against this much magic. How the hell are you still standing?"

"I don't answer to mindless trolls. Now turn off that magic, before I make you." Now that I wasn't subject to his magical pressure, I sized up Takamori's chances against me in a fight. His stance was awkward, his grip on his weapon was too tight, and his eyes were darting every which way now that victory wasn't a sure thing.

"What are you going to do, Pipsqueak?" Takamori bluffed. "I'm the summoned hero, I've been blessed by Harswydus. A full blown god, just roll over and die already."

I didn't know that god, but if I had a copper for every snooty elf who claimed to be blessed by some god while trying to beat me, then I'd be rich.

For an instant, I missed having Kvalinn and Delimira by my side, they probably knew who this Harswydus god was. But then I grinned, Kvalinn would likely make me hold back against this wazzock, or have told me to keep Gerde safe while he took care of it. Without him here, I can go all out in this fight.

"No!" Jenise exclaimed in distress. I had almost forgotten she was there. "Why would the god of terror bless a summoned hero?"

"Shut up!" Takamori yelled. "It's all your fault that I'm doing this. If you and the dwarf bitch had agreed to be my girlfriend then I wouldn't be hitting you with this magic. Maybe once you see how powerful I am you'll change your mind."

He then took a swing at me with his sword. I didn't even need to dodge. He was worse than any skinny elf at sword fighting. It was as if the sword was swinging him around.

"Is that the best you can do?" I asked as I pummeled him in the gut with the hilt of my ax. A few more blows like that and my grudge against him for that kick he gave me earlier would be wiped clean. "Com'n, are you tryna fan me with a gentle breeze?" I kicked his rear as he passed me during another clumsy swing. "Because if you are, you're failing at that too."

"Graah!" Takamori screamed in rage as swing after swing missed. "Stop dodging and trying to make yourself look better than me!"

"Make me!" I parroted his words back at him with glee.

Takamori paused, and grinned evilly. "Harswydus, hear my words and respond. Bind my foe in chains of dread, so that people may fear your name. Terror Chains!"

This spell, like that god, was also unknown to me. But the result was predictable. Yellow chains materialized and bound me in place. Leaving me helpless against the hero.

"Coward!" I yelled, struggling against the chains. "Is this how the Empire taught you to fight?"

Leering at me with a victorious grin, Takamori slowly walked over to me. "Nah, they get all pissy about honor too when I pull this trick. No, this method of fighting is all my own. You're going to regret ever thinking that you were better than me." He then raised his sword, with all the grace of an oaf handed silverware, and seemed to be debating how to kill me.

My struggles against the chains were useless, they were stronger than any other spell I'd seen. My final thoughts rushed through my head. Kvalinn, Gerde, mom, dad, and Delimira. I'll miss you. Keep fighting, and I'll see you again in the Halls of the Ancestors.

Just as I had resigned myself to death, I heard an unexpected voice break through the tense silence.

"Lasraichean, hear my words and respond. Bathe my opponent in your holy fire, so that fear may be banished. Fireball!" Jenise, barely keeping herself upright against the waves of Takamori's magic, flung a head sized ball of flame at him. Forcing him to dodge, and breaking the concentration he had on the chain spell.

"You bitch!" Takamori spat out. "This is the thanks I get for taking you as my girlfriend? You're just like my girl back home. She never could appreciate my greatness either. Even when I beat it into her and her wimp of a brother."

"I am not your girlfriend." Jenise struggled to get the words out, but looked at Takamori in defiance. "And I never will be."

"Yes, you will. You just don't know it yet. I guess I'll have to convince both of you the hard way. Man, I wish Yosuke were here. That baka had fists of steel, even if he cried while he punched people."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I asked with an angry grin. "I still have my ax, and that cheap trick won't work twice."

"Oh yeah? This time I'm going to tie you, the elf, and the dwarves up. And then I'm going to make you watch as I kill all of them. Unless you surrender now." Takamori punctuated his comment with what he meant to be a seductive look, but it was more repulsive than a goblin making mooney eyes. It must have had the same effect on Jenise since I heard her dry heave behind me.

As Takamori began preparing his spell, I was gripping my ax to take his head off. But before either of us could move, the voice of the emperor rumbled out. "That will be quite enough."