heirtothedragonsfire | Nexus-Sages: January Writing Prompt

Large room, one desk, three chairs, two cabinets, a long bookcase, and one painting. Two large windows, one heavy wooden door with a modern lock. Four men: Three guns and a mage. One gun sitting in a wheeled office chair beside the mage. One gun at her head, one at Viatorus'. Total time staring Viatorus' aggressor in the eye? Three minutes and counting.

- Gods, she wishes V would stop fidgeting. He knew they would have guns.-

Right. Focus. The cabinet doors are glass, smashable. Windows also smashable. The books on the shelves? Too unwieldy, low impact. The foot space under the desk is accessible: A good temporary cover.

Too many flammable objects, so no fire. They're two floors up, so earth isn't an easy solution either. Knock-out spells are highly effective, but must be combined with a distraction. Breaking a window maybe? No, that would set them on edge. It would make it harder. There's too many of them to only focus on one at a time. At least initially. She needs to flip the tables, even the odds...

She has her hands free. That's all that matters. She can hear the rustle of skin against metal behind her. She can feel her captor's presence. She can gauge that distance. It has to be quick. It has to be one move.

Isidor's eyes flicker away to the mage, Viatorus' captor, now edgy, follows her gaze. She flicks her hands, the sudden shield rising, pushing outward between them and their captors and twisting. The guns at their heads are sent flying, the gun in the chair sent spinning into the mage. Bursting to her feet, Isidor grabs Viatorus and shoves him under the desk, firing a knock-out blast at the disoriented mage. Trusting that it hit, she rounds on the gun that had been aiming at her as he moves to get up out of the pile of books covering him. Another knock-out blast. Easy. Then the man beside the mage moves. She spins, throws the spell, and he's out.

Turning to the final captor, she finds a gun raised and ready. The surprise stills her and she watches as he moves to stand properly. Just as he does, he stumbles, tripping over his own feet and falling to the ground. She's quick to fire off a final knock-out spell before blinking at the lifeless form before her.

As she looks to Viatorus, her brother shrugs guiltily. "I got bored," he explains quietly.

It's only then that she spots the knotted laces of the man at her feet. After a beat, she smiles and then laughs, shaking her head at Viatorus. "I thought you were nervous..."

The door opens and Stathis walks in, taking in the mess around his nephew and niece. "Alright, you can get back to studying now," he tells Viatorus. Something that would usually be groaned at is met with relief as he brushes himself off and heads out the door.

Once he's gone, Isidor beams at Stathis. "How did I do? I did pretty well, didn't I? That first spell..."

"He..." Her uncle raises a finger to point sharply at the man with the knotted laces. "Would have killed you. You would have been dead. And then Viatorus." The smile wiped clean from her face, he lets that sink in a moment longer. "I'll wake this lot up and then we'll practice again. This isn't good enough."

Hanging her head, she nods and leaves to follow after her brother.

When she's out of earshot, Stathis looks around him, his hands on his hips. Quietly, he can't help muttering to himself, "But it is pretty damn good for a twelve year old..."