Fiction Fridays - Untitled Magic Story Part 4

We're back to our regularly scheduled story snippet post this week, with a whole eighteen minutes to spare before Friday is over. It's a little short today because of some stressful stuff that took place today, but I was determined to continue the story at least a little bit. The previous part of this story can be found here (as well as links to the previous installments). Happy reading... or something.

I briefly thought about another light spell, but with the situation I was in, I’d need whatever pitiful strength I had left. Besides, I knew what the Corridors looked like; I had seen them from the outside more times than I could count. Endless hallways and turns and dead ends for miles and miles, a private hell in a magic pocket dimension controlled by the Covenant. Nothing to see here. Instead I headed down the right-hand hallway, randomly choosing it over the left-hand hallway, groping my way in darkness. And while I doubted it, there was a chance the darkness was hindering whoever had put me here.

The first sign I was wrong was the roaring flames that suddenly sprung to life around me. A fireball spell. I could feel the heat even through my jacket, which had just had it’s water-enchantment restored. Without that enchantment, I’d have been dead instantly. Still, the enchantment wouldn’t last long. I broke into a run and escaped the fire, some of the flames and heat still clinging to me, finally winking out seconds before the enchantment faded. Under my breath I thanked whatever was listening for the small favor of letting me keep my eyebrows; an expression of permanent surprise wouldn’t do my love life any favors… if I could get out of the Corridors alive, of course.

The fact that the enchantment on my jacket shielded me meant I was up against a magistrate. A fireball from the elementalist member of the Covenant would have cooked me alive instantly. Small comfort, though; magistrates never did anything without an explicit order from their masters. I was screwed to death either way you looked at it… and as a door of light materialized in front of me, I figured it was as good a time as any to bend over and get ready to take it…