The Nine Bishops

The woman stood with an attitude of such confidence and ferocity that it sent a chill down Mika’s spine. She looked exactly as old as Mika’s book had said. Her eyes were the same ice blue, her height the same as Mika’s, and she had blonde hair streaked with blue. She was dressed in extremely fine clothing: blue silk robes over a perfect white silk gown. Her expression was as cold as the atmosphere she’d created around her. Mika was standing before one of the most powerful mages in Seemos: Bishop Frost.

The woman looked around, seemingly annoyed to find herself the center of attention. She appeared to be seeking out a particular person, and after looking around for a few seconds, she settled her eyes in Mika’s vicinity and said: “Oh, there you are.”

After first thinking the statement had been directed at her, Mika was embarrassed to realize it was intended for someone who was now walking up behind her.

Nik.

“Joker, how dare you make me wait!” Bishop Frost told him, ignoring Mika’s presence. “My time is precious.”

“You’ve only been waiting for a mere minute. Show a little forbearance,” Nik responded.

“Isn’t that word a little big for you? Remember who you’re talking to,” Bishop Frost said, with disdain.

“Oh yes, Lady Frost, I’m sorry to have offended you,” Nik said sarcastically, giving her an exaggerated bow. Bishop Frost didn’t catch the sarcasm and stood even more proudly.

“That’s better. Now, can we get this over with? I don’t want to be in this vile place any longer. Can you believe that these mages live and breathe so closely to Filth? I can smell the Filths’ stench from here, and it is quite foul,” she complained.

“Do you even know why you are here?” Nik asked.

“All I know is I was supposed to come here to meet you and kill someone. Which, by the way—who is it I am supposed to be killing?” she asked casually.

Nik let out a sigh. “Let me get you up to speed, since you are clearly uninformed. You are here to face off with the victor of the Selection of Sixteen to retain your spot as one of the Bishops,” Nik explained, as though it were her first time hearing this.

“Oh, right, maybe the Archbishop did say something about that. So, who is the victor?”

“She is standing right in front of you.” Nik motioned toward Mika with his arm, not looking back at her.

“That’s the victor? You’re kidding,” Bishop Frost said, after regarding Mika for a second.

“I’m not kidding. And for your information, this fight was supposed to be public. However, due to some strange circumstances, the magic that was broadcasting the events was undone. That’s the reason I’m here.”

“Well, it appears that I ought to win quickly, so neither of us has to waste time. But really, you must be joking about that girl over there. Was the competition really that pathetic, Joker?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t been watching,” he responded. “Guess you are going to find out for yourself.”

Mika felt hurt by that remark. Did he really not watch? She had been hoping that Nik had been paying attention and cheering her progress from afar.

“Are there any rules I should know about?” Frost asked.

Nik turned around and looked at Mika for the first time.

“Just one: Live.”

And then he was gone.

Now, no one stood between Mika and Bishop Frost. A strange silence swept over the city. Mika wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen. But the intense intermission was short-lived.

“You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?” Bishop Frost asked. Mika stood silently. She’d had the same sensation, without knowing why.

“It makes no difference, I guess,” Bishop Frost said. “I’ll try to make your death painless.”

Once again, the air grew heavier around Mika.

With her cracked ribs, it was agonizing to stand. But she knew what was happening: Bishop Frost was setting the conditions for the fight. When she attacked, which was imminent, Mika was going to be at a severe disadvantage. The only thing she could do was temporarily heal herself.

Mika created an internal cast around her ribs with ice, which she hoped would keep them from breaking further, though the pain would remain. But doing so slowed her down. She felt stiff in all the areas she had protected, so she only reinforced her ribs because she knew she’d need mobility for her impending fight. Mika would have to go all-out now, and there could be no holding back.

Looking around, she noticed that the crowds that had pressed in on the barrier earlier were now beginning to run to safety, holding themselves tight to preserve their body heat. It was unbearably cold, cold enough to freeze to death. Fortunately for Mika, having mastered ice magic, she could feel the intensity of the magic, but it had no direct effect on her.

“I’m impressed that you are able to survive such conditions. Unfortunately for you, your death can only be painful now,” Bishop Frost told her.

Mika knew Bishop Frost was a master of all formulations. She would have to be ready for anything, but there was one thing Mika knew she could do for certain, and that was fight.

Bishop Frost pulled her right hand into a fist and held it up to her mouth. Then she opened her palm and blew in Mika’s direction. Mika felt the clear air around her being displaced by a thick shroud of fog filled with tiny particles of ice. The visibility around her was reduced to the point that she could only see about half a meter in front of her. Mika spun around in all directions but couldn’t see Frost anymore.

Something flew into her: a thin needle of ice. The kind Mika had been accustomed to using herself. The icicle shattered as it struck her ice shell, but the impact rattled her body and sent a shot of pain through her ribs. Suddenly, Mika felt a barrage of icicles coming at her from all directions.

She grimaced in pain as she absorbed the attack. She could feel her armor beginning to crack. She dropped a knee to the ground and quickly created a thick ice wall to surround her. A barrage of thousands of icicles crashed into the wall, chipping away at its layer of protection. I’m pinned down.

Since she couldn’t see where Bishop Frost was, it was too risky to mount a counter-offensive. But she wasn’t sure how much longer she could shield herself from the barrage of icicles coming from all directions. It was only a matter of time.

Staying low to the ground, protected by her ice wall, Mika thought quickly about her options, and finally came up with a plan.

Placing her hand on the ground, she created a slick surface all around her, extending it well beyond her line of sight. Then she created a platform behind her, from which she was able to push off as hard as possible, like a skater out of a starting block, to slide toward the spot she’d last seen Frost.

Skimming across the ice at high speed, her uncontrolled slide carried her outside the fog, crashing first into the unsuspecting Bishop Frost’s legs and then carrying her on to a collision with one of the square’s historic statues, which brought her to an abrupt halt.

Free at last of the fog, Mika could clearly see where she was now. Bishop Frost had been knocked to the ground. Mika quickly got to her feet and saw her opponent doing the same.

“You are going to pay for that,” Bishop Frost snarled.

But Mika was already on the offensive. She had been saving this attack for a moment like this. It was her most powerful Projection and Incantation magic. All around Bishop Frost, replicas of Mika began to form, from the ground up—animated ice sculptures that looked just like her. Soon there were enough of the clones to surround Bishop Frost. She had used the same technique against Tobias Zan, but only mildly. Here, Mika need to go all-out.

In perfect synchronization, all the Mikas put their right hand on the left shoulder of the next, creating a chain in which Mika put herself into the place of a clone. Frost wouldn’t be able to tell which one the real Mika was. There were limitations to this plan; the clones didn’t think for themselves, and Mika could only control one at a time.

She sent them in turns to engage in close-quarters combat with Bishop Frost, each with their own unique weapon, so it would challenge her fighting style. One by one, the clones ran in to engage Bishop Frost, who had fashioned long ice claws on each of her fingers to fight with. They were no match for her, but the magic had bought her some time.

When the last of the ice clones had been shattered, Mika was again exposed to Bishop Frost’s direct attack. She wasn’t expecting the first volley—a pillar of ice that shot at her with great speed, which sent her flying into the sky like a firwork. Mika somehow landed without further injury—on ice. She shakily stood up and saw, to her amazement, that she was the sea. I just flew half a dozen kilometers… Mika realized.

The water in the bay had frozen over, thanks to the cold radiating from her body.

Moments later, Bishop Frost came crashing down in another giant block of ice, breaking through the icy surface of the bay. As she emerged, the water around her instantly froze over again. Now they were fighting on the ice, the sea beneath their feet. They were distant from the center of Monsoon, out of sight of anyone.

Mika, without clones to foil her opponent, was an easy target now. Bishop Frost closed her hand in a fist, and ice boulders began to form in the air around Mika. Bishop Frost flared her hands open, commanding the ice boulders to explode in thousands of fragments. Icy shrapnel flew everywhere, some of it piercing her ice armor and wounding her. Feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins, Mika charged at Bishop Frost with her own weapon of choice, a small, short sword.

Despite being gravely wounded and losing blood, Mika fought neck-and-neck with Bishop Frost, fending off her claws. She felt herself fading, slowing down, the longer the fight went on. She had more magic to draw on, but she was completely spent and knew most of her efforts would have no real effect on Bishop Frost. The fight with Lancel had already expended much of her energy, and now she was suffering more injuries.

Bishop Frost seemed to be toying with her, smiling as she fought on. Suddenly, the two were locked in a clash of weapons, their weight equally distributed. The war of wills created a brief pause in the fight, during which they stared into each other’s eyes.

“Wait. I do know you,” Frost said, starting to laugh as she jumped back, giving Mika time to catch her breath. The two stopped fighting briefly.

“This all makes sense now. After all this time, here you are. I should have known immediately, but my, how time has flown by. I’d almost forgotten about you,” Bishop Frost said.

“What are you talking about?” Mika said, panting and perplexed, desperately trying to stay on her feet.

“You look just like them, too. Plus, your magic strain is ice. How could I have been so blind before?” She paused. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m talking about your parents.”

Mika hadn’t imagined for a second that in the heat of battle she would be talking about her parents. Just hearing those words almost made her let her guard down. But she resumed her fighting stance, despite her pain and exhaustion.

“What do you know about my parents?” Mika demanded.

Bishop Frost laughed again. “I’m the one who killed them.”

The words cut deep into Mika’s heart. The answer to a question she’d been asking for so long had been answered with a cold directness that chilled her. Mika had always known her family had been betrayed, but now she knew for certain who had carried out the order.

Bishop Frost saw the effect her cold response had on Mika and, enjoying the young mage’s rage, continued to pour salt on the wound.

“Your mother did her best to defend you, too, but she was no match for me. Your mother was the only one worth something. I have her to thank for my power. Your father, on the other hand, was so weak. He couldn’t do anything to defend himself. You Ar—”

“Shut up,” Mika screamed. She’d heard enough. She dropped her short sword and raised both hands, projecting as much ice as she could at Bishop Frost. Her opponent welcomed the attack and absorbed the ice blast Mika was sending at her.

Mika knew this would have little effect, but it was the best she could do.

Frost didn’t look the least bit fazed. In fact, instead of trying to deflect the attack, she seemed to be absorbing its energy, feeding herself more power.

Once she realized what was happening, Mika changed tack. Though she’d assumed Frost’s strain was ice, it seemed to be something a bit different than her own. So Mika took a risk. She tried something no mage could do. All the ice Mika had projected suddenly began to melt. Bishop Frost’s confident smile faded when she looked into Mika’s face to understand what was happening. The last thing Bishop Frost saw in Mika’s eyes was a fiery red.