by Ash Night
In my mind, I pictured my sadness as a small ball that grew with each memory of the old man.
The time he let me and Liam skip school the day my cat died and we went to the beach. The master had done everything to make me smile that day. He’d insisted that Penny wouldn’t want me to cry and would want me to celebrate her life. That night, we had a bonfire on the beach and told stories about our favorite pets. Master Cisco had had quite a few.
The day I had a huge test and the master had assured me that I would ace it even as I was freaking out. He’d framed the A+ I’d gotten and told me it would always have a place on his ice box because Liam never got any A’s on anything. Liam had just laughed and agreed with him, not even pretending to be annoyed.
Then there was the day I met Liam. Liam was sitting at the breakfast table, eating a mountain of scrambled eggs. Master had said he had found him wandering the woods, half dead and delirious from eating poisonous Julip berries. He had hoped I would be able to get the boy to talk. It took months of stopping by every day to visit before he even said one word to me. But from it, my most beautiful friendship blossomed.
The ball inside my mind expanded. Focusing on the already-groggy guard, I imagined pushing the ball outward, willing him to sleep.
Withing moments, he dropped to the ground like a lead weight.
I didn’t even have time to feel triumphant as a searing, blinding pain ripped through my body, causing me to drop to my knees. My vision blurred and I struggled to keep my breakfast down. Cam clamped a hand over my mouth, muffling my scream. His other arm was wrapped around my waist, holding me up.
“It’s okay, Sunshine. This feeling of pain is perfectly normal. Not bad for a first try. You did great.”
“I— Did it work?” I struggled to form words through the pain.
He smiled. “Congratulations, you’re a dirty, filthy Sealbreaker.”
Laughter forced its way out as tears streamed down my face. The pain was already subsiding. I was starting to feel the way I had when Cam had first showed me magic. The forest around me was alive with energy, beckoning to me as if to say welcome home.
“Just don’t put Liam or I to sleep like that. You’d most likely kill us.” He chuckled, his roguish smile toying with me. Was he serious? Did I just kill someone? My shocked expression made him laugh again. “I was only joking…Well, half.”
The relief that washed over me was almost palpable. “Good, but…”
As if sensing my impulse to check on the guard, Cam grabbed my hand and tugged me to my feet. “He’s fine. Now c’mon, let’s go!”
A smile crept onto my face. Running with my unlikely hero in this moment, with such abandon, felt so right. I had thought running away with Liam was a freeing feeling. That paled in comparison.
I was finally, truly free.
My happiness was short-lived once we came to Master Cisco’s home. The bright yellow front door, which was always so comforting, unlocked my sense of dread and I suddenly found myself unable to move.
“Sunshine, if it’s too much,” he placed a hand on my shoulder, “we can wait outside.”
“No,” I replied, steeling myself for whatever I would find inside. “Liam’s going to need me.”
Cam removed his hand, his voice full of strength. “Yes, he will.”
Counting to three, I opened the door. The kitchen, as familiar to me as my own, greeted me. Cam quietly shut the door behind me. Roofy, a small black Cocker Spaniel, jumped up to paw at my legs. I bent down to pet him.
“Hey, Roofy, good boy. I’ll be going away for a while, but I promise to bring you back plenty of treats.”
Roofy barked, his stubby, wagging tail ready to fly off. He took off at the sound of Liam’s voice, his claws clicking on the tiled floor. “Roof, come!”
My friend’s voice sounded like he had just finished crying and was on the verge of tears again. I followed his voice to Master Cisco’s study. The heavy mahogany door was ajar, foreboding. A scorch mark marred the door, as if someone had tried to burn it before entering. Why would someone do that?
As kids, we had never been allowed inside. This room was a mystery. The thought of going inside was exhilarating, overpowering my sense of dread for a moment.
Wall-to-wall shelves filled with books captured my attention the instant I saw them. This room alone could put the town library to shame. An imposing desk, carved from the same wood as the door, sat in the center of the room. It was shiny and spotless. I wondered if I could see my reflection on its surface.
The books called out to me in much the same way the forest had after I’d broken my Seal. I guess that would make sense, considering books were just dead trees with letters printed on them. The nearly overwhelming presence of magic in this room was intoxicating, and I felt slightly heady.
“Ya know, your eyes light up at the sight of books. I assume it’s any number of books, not just large quantities like this. Which is good ‘cuz I highly doubt we’ll find large quantities like this just anywhere,” Cam said, standing beside me. He was scanning the shelves with his eyes, almost as if he was just as excited to look around as I was.
A honey-colored door caught my eye and a lead weight dropped in my stomach. I was at the doorway sooner than I wanted, despite the rocks that had replaced my shoes.
Liam was sitting in a chair stolen from the kitchen, his head bowed in silent prayer as he gripped the master’s hand in both of his. He’d never looked so small, so scared. Instead of aging forward due to fear, he’d seemed to have gone back in time. He was seven all over again.
Master Cisco was lying in a king-sized bed, a huge pillow underneath his head. His eyes were closed. They slowly opened when I entered the room. He smiled tiredly, his eyes shining. Roofy licked his shoulder before snuggling back into the pillow.
“My dear Serena, you broke your Seal. Naughty girl.” He chuckled. “Magic looks good on you.” Coughing spasms shook his fragile frame.
Liam whipped around to look at me and I weakly smiled. He stood up and hugged me, lifting me off my feet. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispered in my ear before setting me down and resuming his place in the chair.
“Sadly, I no longer have the strength to break mine. I wish I…had more time.” Liam flinched at his words. Another coughing fit wracked the master’s body. “But my time is up and I don’t know if I could endure the pain in my frail health. A cruel twist of fate. Had I only joined my friends in breaking their Seals all those years ago when they joined Kalden… But I am a scholar, not a fighter…”
“Old man, give me your hands.” Cam stepped forward, dropping Liam’s backpack where he had been standing.
Liam glared at him. “You are so rude. Most people say please when making a request.”
Ignoring him, Cam grasped both of Master Cisco’s hands in his. “This is my way of saying thank you for healing me and for believing in my father all those years ago. We all need a friend like you.”
“Your father was a Fae among Fae. I have never had the honor of meeting another living being like him in all my three thousand years. Until meeting you. I’ll be sure to pass on to him that you are doing well and that you’re following in his footsteps. You have big shoes to fill, my boy.”
“Thank you. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready.” With that, Cam took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A soft white-yellow glow surrounded him. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. The master’s face lit up and tears filled his eyes.
“For three hundred and twenty years, I have been denied this feeling. It feels so wonderful. Thank you so much. Words cannot express my gratitude.” His voice cracked with emotion.
Cam smiled. “Your expression says it all. That is thanks enough.”
Master Cisco turned to me and Liam. “My children, at this very moment, a letter is being sent to a dear friend of mine. She will take care of my worldly possessions, the animals, and my body after everything is said and done. Serena, help yourself to any books in my stud
y. It would be a shame if you didn’t get to read any of them. I’m just glad Liam is old enough to care for himself because Goddess help us if Liesel had to care for him too.” He chuckled. “I kid, of course. Liam, you are an amazing son. I couldn’t have asked the Goddess for a better child had Ellie given one to me.”
“You—You’re the best father ever,” Liam replied, tears streaming down his face. “I’m so sorry for being a little shit and getting in so much trouble. I—”
“You were a kid, my boy. Kids do foolish things,” Master interrupted. “I’d have much fewer stories to tell Ellie so thank you for enriching my life with a little harmless mischief.”
Unable to find words, Liam just sniffed and nodded. Master Cisco looked to me.
“Lovely Serena, I know I’m asking a hell of a lot, but could I trust you to look after Liam? He’d be lost without a girl like you to keep him in line.”
I nodded tearfully. “Yes, of course. Liam is my best friend. I promise to take care of him.”
“Good, he’ll want more of that delicious walnut bread… I’m looking forward to my mother’s homemade Snowsweet pie. I can almost taste it now…” The master’s eyes grew glassy and his grip on Cam’s hands slackened. The soft glow disappeared. Cam smiled sadly and folded the old man’s hands on his chest, passing his own hand over the master’s eyes to close them. The master looked peacefully asleep.
Liam was shaking, his fists pressed to his eyelids. He flinched when I tried to put a hand on his shoulder. “I need a moment…alone…”
“Okay, we’ll be outside if you need us,” I said, tears streaming down my face. Cam led me out of the room, keeping a firm grip on me as I struggled to stay upright.
He turned to me. “He said you could help yourself so hopefully scanning the shelves will help take your mind off things”
“He didn’t cough once after he felt your magic. The coughs were wracking his body just moments before. Why?”
He smiled. “I didn’t want him to feel any pain in his final moments so I ratcheted up the spell a notch or two. He felt magic the entire time. Not enough to break his Seal…until the end, of course, when I knew he wouldn’t feel it. When he mentioned his mother’s Snowsweet pie, he officially didn’t have a Seal anymore.”
I nearly knocked him off his feet as I hugged him as tight as I could. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Hugging me back, he chuckled. “You’re welcome.”
“Any burns?” I asked.
“Nope, you can check if you like.” Cam held his arms out so I could inspect his wrists. No burns.
Sighing in relief, I pushed him playfully as I wiped tears from my eyes. “Okay, show-off, help me find some good books.”
He nodded, grabbing the ladder and rolling it over to a random shelf. “You look on the bottom. I’ll take a look up top.”
An hour later, I had collected a sizable stack of books. Cam was climbing down the ladder, a similarly sized stack under one arm. He grinned. “Think you got enough books?”
“Almost,” I replied, half paying attention to his question while flipping through a book. Books were the perfect way to distract me. There was one thing I realized while glancing at all these titles. They were all books on magic. How had Master Cisco gotten ahold of one, much less all, of these? The Seven would have had his head if they had found this room. Books on magic were a highly treasonous crime. Shortly after the Sealing, books containing spells or even ones that spoke of magic in a good light were ordered to be destroyed.
Anyone who thought absolutely all books about magic were gone was an idiot, but finding so many of the banned books in one place was nothing short of a miracle.
The book I was currently reading was about cool party tricks to impress your friends. Not exactly mystical or foreboding, but it was one Cam would like. He liked to show off, after all.
Setting that book to the side in what would be my ‘keep’ pile, I cracked open another one. This book was extremely old, its yellowing pages like wrinkled, brittle bone. All that was written on the first page was a handwritten inscription.
Entries included in this book are all true accounts. May this book survive the destruction. Blessed be those who fight to stop this madness. Magic is a right, not a rule.
Chills went through me. The journal was evidently older than the inscription. three centuries, at least. Carefully turning the page, my eyes fell on a date. The first journal entry. Written nearly four thousand years earlier.
As suspected, the journal entry and the message at the beginning were in different handwriting. The inscription was in straight, blocky lettering while the journal entry was in curly, more feminine, script.
Nox was exploring the forest today. Mother had strictly warned her not to go past the marked trees but since when has that stopped us? The only reason I didn’t go is because Darius came calling. He is such a delicious boy. I could see myself with him forever. He stopped by the manor at dawn. He couldn’t have come through my window at a more reasonable hour? Wind mages! Of course, he has a bit of demon in him.
Why must Father disapprove? He frowns whenever Darius’ name passes my lips. But then again, Father’s default disposition has always been stern. I know he loves us and wants the best for us. I just wish he would let up on the reins a little.
- Vex
“Hey, Serena, what’cha readin’?” Liam asked. I jumped at the sound of his voice. I’d been completely absorbed in the story and I hadn’t noticed him walk in.
Whoever this Vex was, she sure had a way with words.
“Sorry.” Liam chuckled.
I hugged him tight. “How are you?”
“Better,” he replied. “We talked about this day coming. Well, he talked about it. I mostly just listened. Tuned most of it out, actually.”
“He was a good man,” I said.
He nodded. “So, what are you reading?”
Excitedly, I pointed to the date on the first journal entry. “Look at this!”
“Wow.” He whistled under his breath. “That’s one old journal. Even older than the old man.”
Cam jumped off the ladder a few rungs from the bottom and walked over. “Find something interesting?” His eyes widened when he saw the entry’s date. “Wow.”
“This one is definitely a keeper,” I said, opening my Packing Kit and carefully placing it inside. Cam smiled and handed me another book titled Mastering Your Magic.
“I can’t wait to teach you more, but reading a few books on the subject won’t hurt.” He gestured to his huge book pile. “Got a few more for you to flip through to see if you want to take them along.”
“I have a big pile to go through too. Master Cisco was a really avid collector. I can’t believe he had all these back here.”
“Yeah, had a hell of a time opening the door, too.” Liam chuckled. “He really wanted to keep us out.”
“Oh, that scorch mark was you.” I sighed. “You are so destructive.”
He nodded. “Fire spells aren’t my strong suit, but I guess the adrenaline helped.” He shrugged. “The old man had a concealment spell placed on the door along with a binding enchantment, making it impossible to break into. Until this morning, that is. His health was directly linked to the strength of the spells.”
Cam’s eyes widened slightly. “Those both cost a fortune. With the ban on magic, finding someone willing to cast the enchantments, not to mention make a house call, means traveling to the Black Mist district. Not a very safe place for anyone, but the perfect place if you’re looking for shady people to get dirty work done.”
“I’ll have you know I don’t do house calls for just anyone, and I am not shady.” An old woman suddenly appeared out of blue smoke, standing on the desk. We all jumped. She laughed like she was a witch in a human child’s fairytale.
The woman looked to be as old as Master Cisco, if not older, her piercing blue eyes cold and unfriendly. She didn’t strike me as the type of person the master would hang out with. The master was su
ch a warm and friendly person, and she didn’t seem like she would tolerate him.
She wore a dark red silk cloak with the insignia of an orange maple leaf on her right breast.
“W-who are you?” Liam asked.
She sighed in exasperation. “Did the old bat forget to mention me? Figures. You’re friends for a few centuries, but his own children don’t even know who you are. Probably didn’t help that he always came to visit me, never the other way around.”
“Are you the friend he sent the letter to?” I asked.
She smirked, showing yellow teeth. “Yes, I am. The old coot wrote up that letter years ago, detailing what should happen when he finally kicked the bucket. I was the last person I ever expected to receive it.”
Liam flinched. “You don’t have to be so crass about it…”
She glared at him. “I’ve been around a long time, boy. Come talk to me after the smell of burning bodies doesn’t churn your stomach. There’s a reason he asked me to do this. I can get the damn job done without crying about it!” she snapped. Liam backed away, anger flashing in his eyes. I could actually feel the room getting colder as his magic flared.
His whole body tensed, though he would never hit one of his elders. His anger made me nervous nonetheless. Cam found it amusing. He was standing with his ankles crossed, leaning back against a shelf.
“I’ve had my magic since I was born. Got a tip that they were roundin’ up magic folk and Sealin’ it away so I ran and hid as deep in the woods as I could for as long as I could. That old fool…He didn’t want to leave when I asked him to come. Told me he wanted to make sure his people were safe. Sentimental and stupid.”
Tears appeared in her eyes for a moment but she blinked them back. This old woman was still trying to appear strong after losing an old friend. My heart went out to her. It couldn’t have been easy to receive a letter like that despite her outward stone-cold exterior. However, her voice did not waver. “Anyway, you three should leave. I need to prepare the body for burial.”