by Tacori Bean
I shook my head, “I think we both just brought up memories she has been avoiding for a long time.”
“What do you mean?”
I gazed up into his curious eyes and smiled as he ran his fingers through his messy dark hair, “It is clear that Ozara has been away from her family for a long time since serving Evnock. She should be home with her family after what she has been through, but she is here making sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
“You mean she is being strong for the rest of us.” He whispered, staring off in her direction.
“She faces her own battles just like the rest of us, but she is strong. Be patient with her. She has been through more than any of us could fathom and it will take time for her to open up to anyone again.” I smirked, “Just don’t let your feelings for her cloud your knowledge of her vulnerability. Let others see her strength even if you have seen her without it.”
He said nothing. Only stared into the distance with a blush creeping onto his cheeks, his eyes so full of admiration and longing, and watched her until her silhouette disappeared behind the setting sun.
~21~
THE MIDDAY LIGHT peeked through the trees. I quickly stepped back as the black blade came inches from my face. Sweat dripped into my eyes and loose pieces of hair escaped my braid. I collected myself back into my basic stance.
I swung my sword, putting weight against it when he blocked my attack. As I was about to remove my sword to strike, he sidestepped and thrusted the handle of the blade into my shoulder. I stepped back grasping my already aching shoulder as he came towards me, and I fell backwards to the ground.
“Good match.” I offered a smile up to him.
Asmund laughed and held his hand out to help me. I grabbed it, but before I regained my balance he let it go and I fell back to the ground.
“Never take mercy on an enemy.” He quickly took a seat beside me.
Even though the moment brought a smile to my lips, I was silent.
“You know, I saw you and the others training yesterday. You did good for your first time fighting.” Trying to change the direction of the conversation, he complimented.
“I was too focused on what I would do after defeating my opponent to fight properly… Truth is,” I tried to look at him, but he turned away from me before I could meet his glare.
My eyes wandered down to my hands, “I-I don’t think I could kill someone in a fight…”
He never hesitated, “That’s because you have good values for human life.”
Finally his dark eyes met mine and I found myself being lost in their endless depth. The rest of the world faded away around us, leaving only the pain-filled, black eyes with silver specks scattered like stars within them.
“What I mean by that is that you are kind and gentle.” His voice retrieved me from my thoughts. “Gentleness is the strength of those who are truly strong. I must say it is a strength that compliments you well.” He smiled before standing and offering his hand.
“But we have been at this since sunrise.” I complained, “How long is this going to keep going on for?” I mocked a scowl.
“Until you beat me.”
I smiled up at him, placing my hand in his, “You’ll have to give up eventually…”
“I’m willing to die on this hill if that is what it takes.” A smirk crossed his face as he helped me up.
“I take that as a challenge.”
˜˜˜
The sky was orange with the sunset when I finally beat Asmund.
“I win!” I exclaimed.
Asmund laughed, “Hardly… I slipped.”
Returning the smile I offered my hand.
He grabbed it and pulled me down next to him.
“Never take mercy on an enemy.” I could hear the laughter in his voice.
Before I had time to enjoy the moment between us he cut it short and looked up at the darkening sky, “You should head back to town. Your guards will be searching for you if you do not return before nightfall.”
“Why don’t you came with me? It is safer for you in town than out here alone.”
He shook his head, “In my situation, it is safer out here.”
“How so?” I inquired.
His eyes met mine but quickly looked away, “I’ve made my fair share of mistakes in the past. I’ll be taken away if anyone finds out I’m here.”
I desperately tried to meet his eyes again, “Taken away? Why?”
His voice was not even a whisper as the words escaped his lips, “Because… I killed my father.”
My eyes went wide as I stared at him.
“I don’t know if you're brave or a fool for still sitting there. I’m dangerous to be around.”
My eyes diverted to the ground in front of me, “I want to know what happened, before I judge whether you're dangerous or not.”
Shock covered his face before he nodded, “A-After the relic chose me as a host, my father wanted me to learn how to control the magic it possessed. I wasn’t born a magic user, so the power was uncontrollable to me. It overtook me and I lost consciousness…” He trailed off.
By heavens… ‘undeveloped magic is uncontrollable to a magic user born without magic’ My mind recalled.
Asmund cleared his throat, “By the time I awoke, my father was gone and I was banished to the forests, where I’ve travelled and lived since…”
“Then it wasn’t your fault, Asmund. You couldn’t have done anything to control your magic or change what happened.” I placed my hand on his broad shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
He stood up and grabbed his sword from the ground, looking back at me with a shadow crossing his face as he spoke, “I could have rejected the relic, then none of this would happen.” Anger filled his voice as he dropped his head and started back into the forest.
“I won’t tell anyone.” I called after him.
Stopping, he looked back for only a second, “Good.”
~22~
A BLAST OF warmth came over me as I stepped inside Piper's cottage. Wafting the herbal aroma throughout the cottage, the fire crackled and popped in the living room.
I found Piper studying one of her scrolls in the kitchen and sat down across from her.
She looked up from the scroll and smiled, “How has your day been?” She questioned, getting up to take water off of the stove for tea.
“I didn’t realize learning to fight would be so painful.”
She let out a small laugh and handed me the cup of tea, “This should help.”
I gave a smile my thanks and took a long sip from the cup, letting it warm my freezing core, “Can I ask you something?”
Setting her cup down, she sat across and removed her scrolls from the table, “Of course.”
“What was the Mystics’ magic like?”
Her eyes went wide, “W...Why do you want to know?”
“I-I just… the Mystics have become such a big part of my life. I want to understand the magic that Calvin is trying to obtain.”
She cleared her throat, “Not much is known about their magic besides that it was wielded through their hands. Like I’ve told you before magic users like myself use mixtures to carry our magic from one place to another. Whereas Tristan uses magic writings in his book, he has to then cast his magic. Then there are magic users like you, Milku, and August whose magic is channeled through their being and used without mixtures or writings. In many places you are labeled as witches or beasts because of this, but it is only in fear of your amount of power. Leaders of the regions still believe only hybrids and beasts can hold such power, and it would always be used for evil. You have met Tristan and August. Not all hybrids and beasts use their magic for bad.”
“So, what about the Mystics?” I set her back to the original topic.
She nodded,“The Mystics’ magic was similar to the magic you possess. When it comes to their personal magic it is different between each Mystic. Legends say that different Mystics have come and gone for centuries, and each
one has held a different magic ability. The only magic ability that has not only been recorded but was shared between them all was transformation.”
“By using some of their magic energy, to transform.” I interrupted.
“Exactly.” She smiled, “There are no records of any magic user being able to use transformation magic. Mostly because they have no other being to transform into. Metronites are an example of transformation, they share a life force with a wolf which grants transformation, but it is not done with magic. The Mystics’ life force was much different than users now. Intertwined with every magic users life force, is of course their magic energy. The Mystics, however, held animal spirit magic within their life forces, meaning they kept a spirit of an animal within them that they could transform into when needed. Althea kept the wolf spirit, Emerson the panther, Fredrick had the hawk spirit, Nova the fox spirit, and Azguard the spirit of the deer. Besides these, they had what we call a Mystics’ true form. Their relics, which held their magic, would activate in their greatest time of need. In this form, it is said they have so much raw magic flowing through their veins that their eyes glow from the intensity and their large angel wings would show.”
“Have you ever heard of an instance that a magic user couldn’t use their magic?” I asked hesitantly.
“A few times… It usually springs from a traumatic experience or self reliance of the user's magic.”
“It isn’t permanent.”
She shook her head, “Not unless the magic user makes it permanent.”
I almost slumped in my chair as a wave of relief washed over me.
“Any particular reason for the question?” She inquired with a small laugh.
“No, just curious, is all.” I smiled back.
Piper removed our empty cups from the wood table and went to the water basin outside the back door.
“By the way,” She called from outside, as I wandered to the doorway, and leaned slightly on the frame.
“Damon stopped by earlier and was looking for you.”
I hadn’t spoken to Damon since I retrieved my sword from the guard tower. A fear settled in me that day that he was furious with me, even though I knew it wasn’t true.
“Why was he looking for me?” I questioned.
“You will be leaving tomorrow for Tuhe, a large kingdom west of here. Basil, Tristan, Ozara, and Damon will accompany you to speak with King Valor about the war.”
“Why would we go to Tuhe? We have the power we need to hold our own in the war.”
“Damon believes so too, but would like to know if Tuhe and Evnock have formed an alliance because of the war. If that were to happen, we would have no chance against them.”
~23~
I COULDN’T TELL if the uneasy feeling in my stomach was nerves or the sickness of the waves making the boat rock beneath me. Either way it had made this trip feel like days rather than hours.
I took a hesitant seat on the deck next to Basil.
“I was surprised you wanted to come.” I looked over at her.
Her white hair was pulled back into a long, thick braid that hung down to her waist. She was shorter than me but not by much. There were bags under her tired ice blue eyes, and she began to fiddle with a necklace after I spoke.
“I-I really just needed to get away. I can’t keep seeing my mother the way she is... It puts too much to think of on my mind.”
I could tell she wasn’t complaining, but that the physical and mental toll put on her mother after losing both Basil’s brother and father, was too much for Basil to watch. It made her think too much in times when she should not need to think at all.
“Is the necklace your mother’s?” I asked.
Her ice blue eyes met mine before looking away, “My father’s actually… It is a creekstone from his home town in Resmen. My mother gave it to me and his holster to Zephyr when our father did not return from the war.”
“Your father… was he a guard?”
She nodded, “It is because of him that I also want to become a guard when I am old enough for the academy. I am grateful for Sir August and Sir Damon’s teaching, so that when I am old enough, I can be guaranteed a spot in the academy.”
“So that’s why they have been so busy…” I mumbled.
“I apologize that they have not been able to teach you and Sir Tristan. Even though I am too young to fight in the war, they insisted on helping me prepare for the academy.”
“I understand where their hearts are at now, thank you, Basil.” I smiled.
She hesitated before offering a shaky smile back to me.
“Are we there yet?” Ozara complained, staring out at what seemed like endless water in every direction.
“We still have a bit to go.” Damon called from his place at the helm.
“Why does it take so long?” She began to pace.
My heart jumped when I saw Tristan rise and join Ozara at the end of the deck, “Because Tuhe is much farther from Secret Hollow than it is Evnock. It is also to the west of Secret Hollow, meaning we have to sail against the natural breeze of the ocean.” Tristan answered Ozara’s rhetorical question.
Ozara glared at him while he held up his hands in defense with a goofy smile coming to his face.
Her bobbed hair flung around as her glare met my watching eyes, “Remind me why we brought beasty here.”
“Only my father was a beast, therefore I’m a hybrid, not a beast.”
Ozara sighed a scowl, “Sure thing, beasty.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the bickering between the two as Basil and I approached him.
“Shouldn’t you be thanking him…” Basil began with a snide tone, “He is the one who cared for you when Piper had you bed-stricken-”
“Basil I don-”
Tristan walked in front of Ozara and held up his hand, silencing us both, “That is quite enough fooling around, Basil. Ozara owes me no thanks and I expect nothing from her.” Ozara's eyes softened at Tristan as his words continued.
“Learn to speak respectfully to those in authority over you before you speak at all.” Tristan corrected, not one spot of anger or harshness in his tone. Basil hung her head before apologizing to Ozara.
With the awkwardness that hung in the sea air, we settled again. Basil and I returned to our seats and Tristan persuaded Ozara to sit and relax until we arrived at Tuhe’s dock.
“Basil, would you have happened to have read a book about how to enter Althea’s Realm, in Yaffu’s library.” I finally asked.
She thought for a minute before slowly nodding her head, “I do believe so, why?”
I ignored her question, “Do you happen to remember when the portal to enter Althea’s Realm could be opened?”
“The book spoke of Althea entering it during the… Dark Season, I believe is what you call it. After Althea left, the portal was only able to be accessed during the Dark Season.”
“That soon!” I stood as my blood ran cold and left my body trembling uncontrollably. “We have to get back to Secret Hollow…” My voice was barely a whisper.
Tristan was already beside me trying to get me to calm down.
“It’s alright, Journey…” He tried to soothe.
I shook my head, “N-no it’s...not.” I stuttered, “Secret Hollow is in danger. Calvin could be attacking it right now.”
Before anyone else could say a word, Damon, oblivious to the entire situation, called from the helm of the ship, “Prepare to dock!”
~~~
We unboarded at the stone docks that led into a large marketplace packed with people.
I began to walk forward but felt like I was in a feverish state. I swayed with my steps, my mind was fogged, and my eyes were blurring. A hand was placed on my shoulder and I looked back at Tristen’s lime green eyes and kind, reassuring smile.
I managed to return the smile and kept my thoughts on moving through the crowd.
Booths lined the perimeter of the large area, people moving about them. I was glad for t
he noise, as it drowned out my own thoughts, and the overcrowded space made me able to focus on winding through the people.
Despite the shouts and other noise, one deep voice rose above the rest, “Somebody grab the pup!”
A young boy with oversized wolf ears and tail ran through the crowd straight towards us. He changed into a small black wolf, ran under some of the people, and continued through the panicked crowd.
I looked back after the pup as guards pushed their way through the people. Basil, without hesitation transformed into a stunning white wolf and ran after the small black pup.
“Basil!” Damon yelled after her, trying to grab her as she ran off.
She easily caught up with the wolf pup and grabbed the scruff of his neck in her muzzle before trotting back to us.
The guards stood by us and waited until Basil and the boy changed back to their human form.
Basil handed the boy to the guards. His black hair dripped with sweat and stuck against his pale skin which was covered in a mass of freckles. A pair of mismatched eyes were almost hidden by the long black locks. He stared at the guards with one brown eye, and one blue.
“Thank you for your help.” One of the guards nodded as another took the pup.
Basil ignored him, “What is going to happen to him?”
“He’ll be taken to king’s court and charged from there.” The older guard holding the boy spoke.
“I just ran into the woman. I didn’t steal anything!” The boy's high-pitched tone defended
Basil’s worried eyes found mine, “We can’t leave him… look at him, he’s starving.
What Basil spoke of was true, it was a miracle the small boy was alive, let alone able to still transform into his wolf.
“If there isn’t any evidence, can’t he be released to his parents?” Damon stepped up beside me and looked up at the towering guards.
The guard’s face became sober, “He has been on the streets for years, if he has parents, they forgot about him a long time ago.”
“I can take him!” Basil cried. “Please... my mother and I can care for him, to where he won’t end up back on the streets.”