by Tacori Bean
A man about Damon’s height and build appeared.
His chestnut brown hair was pushed to the side of his tan, dirt covered, defined face. His almond shaped, cognac eyes were illuminated by the lantern he held, but it did not matter how much light shone on them, the blood red ring around his pupil still made chills run down my spine.
“I was just headed on night check... I was expecting you back sooner.” The man, Damon called August, commented.
“Good, and I’m sorry I didn’t return sooner.” Damon apologized.
August’s piercing gaze met mine and the red ring around his pupil increased in size, “Who’s she?” He asked.
“This is Lady Journey. I found her near the river being attacked by a cipheron,” Damon handed him the beast from his shoulder, “She needed a place to stay and who am I to not offer one. Besides she got wounded by the beast, I figured I should bring her to Piper.”
“Why didn’t you just take her to one of the other kingdoms, or left her there? We don’t take kindly to strangers.” He mumbled loud enough that I could hear him.
“No, you don’t take kindly to strangers. She wasn’t even in the territory. She could have been killed by bandits!”
August looked at me and then back at Damon and sighed, “Fine she can stay, but she is your responsibility.”
Damon smiled at his friend and watched him walk away from us.
Avoiding his gaze I caught up to him, “Thank you for your hospitality, August.”
“It’s Augustus, and don’t get any ideas.” Harshness lingered in his tone.
My head snapped up and met his cognac eyes, the red ring encasing his pupil, spreading to cover more of the dark surface.
“Damon may not sense your magic but I do. If you hurt any of the people here I won’t hesitate to kill you.” He walked back into the darkness.
Magic?
“Lady Journey!” Damon called from behind me.
“Coming.” I said, following him along the cobbled path away from the village.
~~~
“You can stay with Piper, one of the medics here in the kingdom.” Damon offered, leading me off of the cobbled path and onto a well- worn dirt one.
“Okay, but doesn’t she live in the main town?” I inquired.
“No, she lives in the surrounding forest of the kingdom, near the outer hills. She regenerates energy from the plants, so being in the forest is better for her than staying in the town center like the others.” He explained.
“So she really likes plants?”
“I guess you could say that.” He chuckled.
We walked further from the town the only light came from the almost full moon. But soon enough we reached a heavily forested area and the place began to brighten slightly.
The canopied trees had lanterns and lights hanging from the top branches, making it bright enough to see.
A two story cottage sat at the end of the dirt path, the dark wood supports matched the surrounding trees. Illuminating the flower patched ground, vines and lights hung down from the roofed trees. A woman came out of the house as we approached.
“Damon? What are you doing here at this time? Shouldn’t you be back at the guard tower with August?” Her small voice asked.
“You're not wrong, but I need a favor.” Damon began, “ This is Lady Journey, she was attacked by a cipheron and needs some help with the claw mark on her cheek.”
Piper nodded as she led me inside the dim cottage and sat me at a small desk. She removed the cloth and looked puzzling at the cut on my cheek.
“Damon, this isn’t a new wound. In fact it should be completely healed up soon.” Piper said, holding a mirror- like object up to my face.
I looked between the mirror and blood-stained cloth. The confusion painted on Damon’s face, displayed my own puzzling thoughts.
“I’ll put some cream on it to make sure it doesn’t get infected, but there isn’t much else I can do for it.” She said, grabbing a small container from the shelf behind her.
She opened the small lid and got a small amount of a white cream on her finger. As she began to apply it on my face, the cream began to glow green. I jumped slightly but then sat still, at the touch of her steadying hand.
“Finished.” She clarified and put the cream back on the shelf.
“Great, but one more thing. Could she possibly stay with you for a while? She is new to the realm and needs somewhere to stay. I doubt that August would let her stay in the tower.” Damon said.
“Oh! Um, yes, of course she can stay.” Piper responded.
Damon bid us farewell and left the forest.
Piper held her hand out to me after Damon left, “I'm Piper.”
“Journey.” I said hesitantly grabbing her hand.
I watched her as she took my cloak to hang it up.
Her satin skin was flushed pink and covered with freckles. A long, sleeveless green dress hung loose on her tall, thin body. Wooden earrings cuffs lavished her pointed elf ears. Her honey blonde hair was pulled back revealing her soft and gentle face, a braided twig headpiece hung softly onto it. She looked at me with doe, forest green eyes that were intimidating enough to pierce the soul of any creature she met, yet held a gentleness in gaze.
“Thank you for letting me stay.” I mumbled quietly.
“It’s no problem at all. Let me show you to your room.” She assures, leading me up the stairs.
“Here you go, you’ll have to excuse the mess. I’ll be across the hall if you need me.” She opened the heavy, wood door.
“Thank you again.” I muttered walking in, as she closed the door behind me.
The room was large, and the tan walls were covered with growing Ivy. Across from the large window, covered by sheer curtains, a small bed sat up against the side wall. A desk sat below the window with journals and plant clippings spread out on its light brown surface. The dark wood floor was covered with an animal-skin rug, and plants dotted the room.
I sat on the plaid green comforter and stared at the pale moonlight casting shadows from the trees onto the floor.
I wonder, how I got here? Does this have anything to do with that book Grandma Al gave me? If so… what does it mean for me?
Something told me that, that day would change everything.
~3~
IT HAD BEEN years since I hadn’t watched the sunrise. Perhaps because I envied the sun. It rose every morning to bring warmth and light, and then it set in the evening the same as it rose, but yet still different. The sun always brought me more comfort than sleep, but that morning sleep brought more comfort than the sunrise.
I rose from the soft bed, the room bright from the sun’s rays that shone through the almost bare trees.
So it wasn’t a dream...
I quickly changed and left my room to find Piper.
I knocked on the door to her room, but no answer came. After knocking again only to be left in silence, I walked downstairs to the living room.
“Not here.” I mumbled passing through the living room and kitchen.
I went through the kitchen to the back door that was cracked open. Beyond it a few feet was a pathway carved from the foliage.
As I followed the pathway, I began to hear the soft hum of the harp. I peeked through the trees where the noise came from. Piper sat on a stump by the small lake in the clearing, her cloak pushed away from her arms as she played the harp gracefully. She began to sing softly though her voice spread throughout the trees.
It was silent as if every creature stopped to hear her angelic song. The plants seemed to hear her as well, for the trees swayed as the grass blew in the wind to the melody of the song.
Inching forward, I pushed further into the foliage. I stepped on one of the tree roots to get a better view, and suddenly Piper’s song was over.
She rose from the stump and looked my direction, “Journey?”
Cautiously stepping out of the cover of trees cautiously, I looked down, afraid of meeting her piercing gaze.
“What are you doing this far in the forest?” She inquired, her voice soft and gentle.
“I was looking for you. I didn’t realize that you would be playing the harp.”
She was silent.
“Why did you stop?” I asked suddenly.
“I felt you step on the root. I-It broke my connection.”
“W-What do you mean?”
Silence.
Her gaze would not meet mine, “What are you really doing out here?”
“I can explain. The problem is I don’t know if you would believe me.”
“It would help to ask me first.” My tone was harsher than I meant.
She took a deep breath,“...Do you… Do you believe in magic?”
~~~
The warmth and humidity of the greenhouse surrounded me. I sat on the chair by the desk waiting for answers from Piper.
“Here. It’s mint tea.” She said handing me a cup before sitting in another chair.
The greenhouse was covered in various plants that couldn’t survive the cold weather. I studied the journals that laid on the desk behind me. Drawings of plants and notes of their abilities. Bookshelves sagged in the middle from the weight of all the old books and scrolls that sat on their shelves.
“So, do you care to explain this whole magic thing?” I asked Piper when I caught her watching me.
“Well… I didn’t say anything because I know Kocala is the only realm with large amounts of magic users. I didn’t know your thoughts on magic and don’t want to cause problems between the humans and magic users.”
“You keep using the term ‘magic users’ as if they are something I should know about. Could you please explain?” Harshness still lingered in my voice.
“Right… Magic users are like humans but we channel the energy in a certain being and change it to our liking. Whether it is enhancing the ability or drawing out the defect of it.”
I stared at her blankly.
“Like when I create healing mixtures. I use the plants that you see here but when I mix them, I use my magic to enhance their healing properties.”
“That’s how your cut healed so fast. Though it healed faster than normal, the cream that I put on it last night was enhanced by my magic. Making it stronger than just the plants mixed together.” She explained.
I reached up and felt my cheek. She was right the skin was almost completely healed and it was a decent explanation as to why the cream glowed when she touched it.
“So what were you doing out here?” I questioned further, the mint fragrance from the tea filling the air as I set it on the desk.
“I was regenerating my magic energy.” She responded rather proud.
“I don’t know what that is, and how you were playing the harp?”
“When magic users use energy from their component, some of their magic energy is taken. Kinda like we give them our energy so that we can use theirs. The problem is that our magic energy is intertwined with our life force, so the weaker our life force gets, the weaker our magic is and vise versa. That’s why we have to restore our magic energy.
Magic users regenerate their magic energy automatically, just very slowly, but when a magic user is near their magic component it regenerates faster. So for me since I’m a plant mage that means I regenerate magic energy from plants. To do that, I have to be completely at peace so I can connect to the plants and ask for their energy. That’s why it broke my connection when you stepped on the tree root. I could feel the roots pain.”
My cheeks burned with red from my mistake.
“No need to be embarrassed. You didn’t know. Besides I can always regenerate the rest later.” She comforted.
“So... can you regenerate it anywhere there is nature?”
“Yes...but I still have to be at complete peace and it is faster here because the Mystic Tree gives off magic energy. The tree also strengthens our bond to our components and makes our magic stronger.”
I looked at her puzzlingly, “The Mystics Tree?”
“It is the heart of Secret Hollow and the product of the Mystics’ union.”
“I’ve never heard of the Mystics. Who are they?” I inquired.
“The Mystics were a group of five warriors that banded together to protect our world from evil. They were like normal magic users, but they were stronger which caused them to have more magic energy and be able to have more than one type of magic. Unlike normal magic users who use spells and writings to use their magic, The Mystics used their hands. There are people who use their hands even now, but that kind of magic is outlawed and punishable by death, because of its symbol of power. Rumors say the Mystics were so powerful because they had animal spirit magic intertwined with their life.”
“You lost me again.” I cut her off.
“Right... You see, the Mystics. Fredrick the Protector, Nova the Warrior, Emerson the Peacekeeper, Azguard the Destroyer, and Lady Althea were all unique beings with one main thing in common. They all had animal spirit magic. Basically, they had an animal spirit intertwined in their magic, that made them stronger and gave them special abilities including being able to transform into that animal and use it’s abilities like speed and strength. Their main magic abilities are ancient so it’s extremely rare to find someone with those types of magic. Not to mention they were set apart by their large angel wings that would sometimes show.
According to scholars they all had tough pasts and that brought them together to form the Mystics and expel evil from our world.” She explained.
“What kind of past?”
“The Mystics have been around for centuries… I only know pieces of the stories from the previous Mystics, and even that is not much. In fact not much is known about any group of Mystics throughout the centuries, but anyway.”
“Fredrick was drafted as a young boy into the guard academy. He didn’t know he was a magic user until he met Althea. His main magic was defense magic, which was the ability to create shields and barriers by taking energy from live beings in the air. It is said he didn’t like his magic very much so he mainly used combat in fights.” Piper paused, seeming to recall the stories.
“Nova was abandoned at a young age and taught herself weaponry magic. Which is a magic that allows you to turn ordinary things into weapons.”
“Emerson was very different from the other Mystics. He was quiet and stood away from a fight. His main magic was mind magic, the ability to alter one’s mind, emotion, and thought process, destroying them from the inside out. Sadly his father used him to destroy many people when he was young which made it incredibly hard for him to regenerate his magic because he was never at peace. Many magic users regenerate magic in their sleep but books written by scholars say that Emerson was haunted by the screams of his victims. They say despite that he was a gentle soul and had a good heart.”
Though I had never heard about the Mystics or their stories, I couldn’t help but feel connected to them.
“Not much is known about Azguard other than he lost his creation magic in a tragic accident. He was known for his destruction magic. With one thought, he could destroy energy with his mind. He was said to be a very brutal person and terrorized many people and kingdoms.”
“Their leader, Althea, watched her kingdom be destroyed by evildoers. After distancing herself from the kingdom, she began to learn healing magic. Unlike other healers, who can only heal humans, Althea was able to not only heal any living being, but restore any damage of physical things.”
Her eyes wandered, “The Mystic union is when they all combined their strongest magics as a symbol of their partnership. The binding created a beautiful tree that changes through the significant colors of the five members. That binding was broken when Azguard’s magic was changed. Since his magic was absent, the Tree turned black from the lack of magic stabilizing it. Now when the tree turns blackㅡwhat we call the Dark Seasonㅡthe magic energy is taken instead of given, to stabilize the Tree. So any magic users in the area would become ill, but since Alth
ea sealed his powers away, somewhere far from here, it is bearable.”
“But wouldn’t sealing his magic away kill him?” I covered a gasp with my hand.
“Yes, it was a price they had to pay to protect the people.” She said quietly.
I quickly averted from the grave subject, “Why make a town?”
“To my knowledge, they didn’t. This was their home, only after they died did a king build his kingdom here.”
“Wait… they’re gone?”
She looked down at her hands, “Yes. After Azguard was killed, the binding was completely invalid. Therefore the Mystics’ Tree was absorbing all of their magic. They were losing too much of their magic energy and very soon Nova and Fredrick had passed. Before Emerson died, he used the last of his magic to give Althea immortality, begging her to finish what they had all started. After he passed, all that was left was Althea. She was the only Mystic that had outlived the others, but she took the Mystics’ magic, knowledge, and their memories and embedded them into relics, and hid them in places only she knew of, in hopes one day she could reincarnate the Mystics. But it turns out that being the only immortal in your group was hard on her, because about one hundred years ago she went crazy and pulled away her own relic. It killed her and no one knows where her relic is.”
“So since then no one has found any of the relics?”
She nodded. “If it weren’t for the tree, The Mystics would have been completely forgotten about.”
“Where is the tree?”
“It is in the center of the town. The locals don’t like to visit it but instead just leave it in peace. I could take you to go see it if you’d like.” She offered.
“I would love to.”
She stood and offered her hand to me. I grabbed it hesitantly, my sleeve falling down my arm.
“Nice bracelet. Must be an incredible story behind it.” She said helping me up.
I’m starting to think that too.
~4~
AFTER COMING BACK from the greenhouse, Piper grabbed her cross-body bag and led me through the forest to the heart of the town.