by Ash Night
School didn’t teach us much about why our magic was banned. We were basically told magic was banned because it was dangerous and nothing more. Liam had never hurt anyone. How dangerous could it really be?
“Come to think of it, why am I just learning about this now?”
Mom rested her hand on mine. “Your dad and I thought you were old enough to handle it so we decided that the next time you asked about our magic, we would tell you about Kalden. You and Liam are so curious about magic. You’re always studying herbology. I’m really proud of you, Serena. I just don’t want you getting hurt. After Cisco told us about Liam’s Seal being broken—”
My heart skipped a beat. “You know?! How long have you known? You aren’t going to tell anyone, are you?” My head spun, and for a moment, I worried I was going to be sick. If anyone found out, Liam would be forced to go to jail, possibly even be killed for his crime. “He was seven, and it was an accident!”
“Honey, honey, calm down. You’re a white as a sheet.” Dad hugged me tight. I hadn’t realized I’d been shaking. There were tears in my eyes. “We’ve known since you started hanging around Liam. Cisco just wanted us to know you were safe, that’s all. Liam is like a son to us. We would never tell anyone.”
Mom nodded. “We both love Liam very much. As far as we’re concerned, he’s family.”
Taking a few deep breaths, I managed a smile. “Okay, that’s good. I was worried for a second. Master Cisco made it very clear that no one could know…”
“We’re aware. The penalties for breaking your Seal are severe. Liam was young so his punishment probably wouldn’t have been as harsh but, because of the reason his Seal was broken, since it was in a moment of anger, and because of how much time has passed, the Sacred Seven would most likely make an example of him if anyone were to turn him in now. He would most likely face the death penalty.”
“How can they do that? To Liam, of all people! He hasn’t hurt anyone since he got here.”
Dad sighed. “There’s no denying his history of violence, sweetie. He hasn’t hurt anyone here, but he has in the past and, given his tendency to get into fights and that one time, well… He did break a kid’s nose…”
“He was defending another kid from being bullied!” I exclaimed. “There was a reason for that!”
Mom shrugged. “The Seven don’t see it that way. All they would see is a kid with a broken Seal and a history of fighting. In this day and age, that’s enough to justify jail time at the very least.”
“But that isn’t fair!” I sighed. “But nothing is with them, I suppose.”
“Got that right, sweetheart,” my parents replied in unison. We laughed at that. It helped release the tension of our conversation. After we finished eating and I helped Mom with dishes, I said good night to both of them and headed upstairs to listen to music and read for a little while before bed.
Flipping to my favorite violin piece in my Lyric Codex, I pressed the little play button drawn on the page and the music started. After setting it to automatically flip to the next page once that song was done, I got lost in a book about a human prince who had to save a human princess from an evil fae king.
Humans were fascinating creatures. They existed, though I had never seen one. Apparently, they thought fae and wood nymphs, like myself, weren’t real. In any book I’d ever read, only small children could see them. I wondered if that were true. At any rate, we certainly weren’t as small as they pictured us. We were probably around average human height. They were thinking of pixies.
The only real differences between us and them, aside from our ability to use magic, were that we lived hundreds of years. Master Cisco had lived among humans for a while and said that it was a miracle for a human to live more than ninety years. Some managed to live a little longer, but that was rare.
Reading, I felt, was the only way I was going to experience anything. My parents loved me, but they were ridiculously overprotective. I loved them to death, but I wished they would ease up on my leash. I wasn’t allowed to travel to other towns or villages. I’d never been anywhere. Liam had tried to cheer me up by saying his hometown of Syiel, a big capital city on the other side of the Pelacona Ocean, wasn’t that great, but I yeaned to see other places.
For now, reading would have to do. My savings from working at the bakery since I was seven was enough for me to travel for quite some time, but I felt obligated, as their only child, to stay close to home. I somewhat envied Liam. He had no ties to this place. No blood ties, anyway. He considered himself an orphan. His parents were alive, but they had never been like real parents to him, though I didn’t know anything about them. Like his time in the forest, he never talked about them.
After reading a little more, I stopped my music and crawled into bed and set my book on the nightstand. The urge to keep reading was strong. An exciting part was about to happen. But if I wanted to get up early, that would have to wait. I drifted to sleep, dreaming of Kalden Crossfire coming to our bakery to eat sweet rolls.
In the dream, he had kind eyes and his magic was warm.
The sunrise greeted me. It was barely peeking over the horizon when I woke up. The sky was a beautiful shade of purple streaked with pink.
Stretching, I chuckled, thinking about my dream. Kalden and Liam had had an eating contest and Kalden had won. That was surprising. No one I knew could eat more than Liam.
The bare hardwood floor was cold as I jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed. Skipping down the steps, I tiptoed into the kitchen and gathered the ingredients for the apple cinnamon bread.
Flour…sugar…baking soda… I mentally checked off each dry ingredient as I added it to the first bowl. I did the same with the wet ingredients and then combined them. After letting the dough proof, I divided the mixture between two loaf pans and popped them into the clay oven. Washing my hands for the second time, I set the timer for five minutes before the recipe said they were supposed to be done and ran upstairs to grab my book.
Forty minutes, and fifty pages, later, the timer dinged, causing me to jump out of my skin. I got the pans out of the oven, checked that they were baked to perfection, and set them on a wire rack to cool. Liam had walked in when I had my back turned and was leaning against the counter, giving me another scare.
“Hey,” he said, laughing at my reaction. He dipped his pinkie in the honey pot on the counter and tasted it, pleased. “Something smells good.”
“Why are you so quiet in the moments where it would help if you were loud? And then loud when you should be quiet?”
He shrugged and tore off a small piece of bread, bouncing it from hand to hand as it cooled. Once it was cool enough, he grabbed a knife, slathered honey on the bread, and took a bite, closing his eyes to savor the taste.
I smiled. “Well?”
Nodding, he swallowed and opened his eyes. “Perfection, as always.”
“Thanks.” I blushed. “Would you like to bring the rest to Master Cisco after your game?”
“That would be great! I can run it over to him before the game starts. He’ll love it.” Liam’s eyes shined with gratitude. I was happy I could do something nice for him today.
He knew I didn’t really like soccer and I had been bored out of my mind the one time I had gone to a game, so he banned me from going to any more of them. I was secretly happy to be let off the hook, but I felt bad about not supporting him. He had told me I didn’t make him cheer me on in the library as I read so we were even.
Tightly wrapping the bread in wax paper, I put it in a brown paper bag and set it on the table. He untied a bag of coins from his belt. “How much do I owe?”
“Nothing, you know that.” I playfully swatted his arm.
He smirked. “Fine, but I’m buying the next time we go to a bookstore.”
“You’d be better off paying for the bread.” I giggled.
“Great, then I’ll pay for the bread. No take-backs.” He took my hand and pressed a handful of gold coins into my palm. I could tel
l it was more than enough.
I smiled and kissed his cheek as he tied the bag back onto his belt. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
Hugging me, he smiled and grabbed the bread. “See you later, Roseheart.”
“See you later.”
After he left, I took my time cleaning up. A thought crossed my mind and I wondered if Liam knew that my mom and dad knew about his broken Seal. Magic was hard to sense if the one casting it didn’t want anyone to know they had it.
Liam was very careful about keeping it hidden. It was the only way he knew how to control it. When we were out in the forest, he had a hard time controlling his magic once he let it loose. It was the reason he stuck to frost spells. Frost wasn’t likely to hurt me. I knew he was dying to try more powerful spells, but as far as I knew, he never practiced without me there.
Once the kitchen was clean, I wandered aimlessly in the forest alone. Spotting some tracks in the dirt, I decided to track the deer who made them. I followed the tracks to a beautiful meadow, spent a few minutes chasing the butterflies, and then set to making a flower crown out of wild flowers for my mom.
A gentle breeze ruffled the tall grass and I saw a deer, a young doe, hop away, only to stop and lick at something lying in the grass. I expected to see a young fawn when I snuck over for a closer look.
Instead, I saw a sleeping boy.
Chapter Three
The boy was sleeping peacefully on his back, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. His orange hair ruffled in the breeze. One arm was tucked behind his head while the other rested gently on his stomach. His chest rose and fell evenly with each breath. A glint on his wrist caught my eye. Shadowsilver cuffs.
The deer licked his cheek. His nose wrinkled and he laughed in his sleep. I stifled a laugh of my own as I cautiously ventured closer. What kind of crime could he have committed to warrant the use of Shadowsilver cuffs? Those were usually meant for only the harshest of criminals. Was he a runaway?
I scanned the edge of the forest, half expecting Shadow Knights to jump out of the trees any second and surround us. But that was a silly thought. The doe was still here. If Shadow Knights were here, she would have run. Shadow Knights, for whatever reason, didn’t have the best reputation with animals. Most forest creatures got along well with animals. Maybe Shadow Knights were human.
Deep blue eyes met mine when I looked back at the boy and I froze. “Um…”
The boy laughed and flipped to his feet. Just like Liam… I thought curiously.
“Boy, if I had known this meadow was full of pretty girls, I wouldn’t have slept so long.” He smiled at me.
“What are you doing out here?”
He shrugged. “Takin’ a nap.”
That’s nice, but that’s not exactly what I meant. I meant out here. We’re the only village for miles.”
His smile transformed into a boyish smirk. “Startin’ a war.” As I stood there in shock, the boy asked a question. “The government took your magic away. Doesn’t that piss you off?”
“I…I’ve always wanted it. But how can wanting something I’ve never had piss me off?”
His eyes flashed. “Then it should piss you off even more.”
I laughed as his stomach growled loudly, completely contradicting his attempt to sound cool. “My name is Serena Roseheart. Would the war hero like a sandwich?”
“Name’s Campbell. Campbell Crossfire. But you can call me Cam. And I ain’t a war hero…yet.”
My breath hitched in my throat. “C-Crossfire?”
He chuckled while scratching the back of his head. “Um…yeah. That’s the reaction I usually get. Although, it’s usually from older people. Not many my age know of him.”
I blushed, realizing my mouth was hanging open. Closing it, I tried to think of something to say. “Ham and cheese sound good?”
Cam laughed, a sincere, full-bodied laugh. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. “Sounds great.”
Walking beside him, I couldn’t help but notice the way he walked. Despite having just met me, and add to the fact that he was wearing Shadowsilver, he looked quite comfortable. It was hard not to stare. He had the same calming effect on me that Liam had, but I couldn’t register any magic coming from him. Not that that meant much since he could easily be hiding his magic.
Even so, it was odd. Due to my upbringing, I was a naturally cautious person but I had had no problem inviting a complete stranger to lunch.
Cam noticed me staring at his wrists and looked ashamed. “I’m sorry. I forgot to explain about my cuffs…”
“They’re a lighter color than the art pieces I’ve seen,” I said casually. “They’re very pretty.” Most Shadowsilver was used for art like decorative pottery, glassware, or even architecture. It was very expensive. Only the upper class could afford it. It was a glossy black color, whether it was in glass or metal form.
Cam’s cuffs were a lighter, almost purplish black. Unlike the human version of handcuffs, they didn’t have a chain linking the two, although they were linked with strong magic. Once they were placed on someone, there was no way to get them off, at least not that I knew of anyway. They had the appearance of a chunky bracelet. From what I’d heard, they were extremely heavy.
He managed a small, timid smile. “That’s because it’s activated Shadowsilver.”
“Activated?” My eyes widened. “But that must have hurt like crazy!”
“It doesn’t burn as badly as before…” he murmured. “It’s been about a week. I’m used to it.”
That still didn’t sit well with me. I wanted to ask more, but I didn’t get a chance. As we entered the village arch, people in the market stopped what they were doing as soon as they noticed Cam’s cuffs.
Some whispered to their friends while others made sure to give him plenty of room as we walked past. One mother even pulled her son back inside the house. It was like he was a deadly poison.
Cam’s carefree attitude was gone. He was as stiff as a statue, as if he was urging himself to move forward, his eyes not straying from the path ahead. Something told me he wouldn’t say so, but I could tell the negative attention bothered him.
“Why are they acting like that? They don’t even know you. That’s just plain rude.”
Cam let out a bitter laugh. “You think this is rude, you should have seen what the Fae did in my own village. An unripe pear to the back of the head hurts like a son of a bitch.”
I gasped. “That’s awful!”
He snickered. “Price I had to pay, nothing more.”
I quietly walked beside him until we arrived at my house. With the crowd gone, he seemed to relax a little.
“Thank you for inviting me to lunch,” he said formally. He grinned. “I forget my manners quite often.”
I laughed. “It’s okay. I’ll just forgive you now so you won’t feel bad in the future. Um, my mom and dad are home for lunch. Will that bother you? I can make the sandwiches quick if you wanna wait out here.”
“No, no, it’s fine. I can handle it. Besides, you don’t know how I like my sandwiches.” He chuckled as I opened the door. Mom and Dad were in the kitchen, pouring over recipe books. They were always trying out new breads or pastries. My mouth watered at the thought of their next creation.
They glanced at Cam’s wrists but said nothing. “Hi hon. You brought a guest?” Mom smiled politely.
“My name is Cam, madam. I was just passing through when I noticed your daughter and we got to talking. Serena invited me to lunch.” I didn’t miss the fact that he hadn’t given his last name.
“Nice to meet you, Cam. I haven’t seen you around before,” Dad said.
“Just passing through, sir. I live in the Apple Gate district. Mother was saying how she wanted to try some of this village’s delicious sweet rolls she’d heard so much about, and since I was headed this way anyway, I thought I’d make her day.”
Dad laughed warmly. “Well, my boy, you’re in luck. My wife and I run the bakery in town. If you stop by
later, we’ll have some made fresh. We always seem to run out by morning so we make another batch straight after lunch.”
Cam’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, sir! That would be great!”
“You kids have a good time and feel free to eat as much as you like,” Mom said as she finished stacking the books neatly in a pile on the counter.
“We were thinking of going out to lunch so we’ll see you later, sweetheart.” Dad ruffled my hair as he walked past. Once we were alone, Cam sighed.
“That went about as well as I expected.”
Rummaging through the ice box, I found ham, tomatoes, cheese, and pickles. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Your dad hates me,” he said as I passed him a piece of homemade bread.
“Um, he does not. My dad could never hate anyone, except maybe anyone in the government,” I told him as I buttered one side of my bread. “Now, where were those matches?”
“Matches?”
“I need them to light the stove.”
“Oh, I guess you would…”
Setting the pan on the burner, I walked away to look in a drawer. “Oh no, don’t tell me we’re out aga—” A small poof caused me to jump. Cam smirked as I saw the stove was lit.
“Um, how did you…”
Snapping his fingers, the flame rose a little higher and I could hear the butter start to sizzle. “Don’t worry, it’s just a little magic.”
I stared at the flame. It was so small, yet it could grow bigger at any moment. “You’re so controlled. Liam can’t even control his magic that well and he broke his Seal a little over—”
I gasped and both hands flew to my mouth. Why did I just tell him that?
“Oh Goddess! Please don’t tell anyone. I can’t believe I…” My stomach churned uncomfortably as I assembled my cheese and pickle sandwich and set it in the pan. Where had that come from?
Cam laughed. “Don’t worry, the secret’s safe with me. It’s simple. I never had a Seal in the first place.”