by C. A. McHugh
Kira’s heart fluttered. Why would he lie to protect her?
“But—” the other man began, but Master Tyrrus cut him off by stretching his arms out wide.
“Do you doubt my abilities as a Master?”
“No, but—”
“Perhaps I should give you a little demonstration of my power.” The air around them crackled with magic, and sparks danced along the Master’s fingertips. A blast of icy wind blew Kira into his robes and stung her cheeks. The men on the other side toppled back. Then, as quickly as it came, it all stopped.
“You were saying?” Master Tyrrus’s voice hung heavy with challenge, but no one answered him. He reached his hand behind him and cupped it around the back of her head, leading her forward. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I think Madame Baker is anxious to know where her daughter is.”
No one dared speak to her as he walked her back to the bakery, but their eyes all remained on her. Master Tyrrus may have claimed credit for the spell that stopped the horse, but how many of them actually believed him?
Although he tried to hide it from her, Kira still caught a glimpse of the woman who’d been trampled. Blood pooled around her, and her entrails bulged out of her stomach. It looked like something she’d expect to see when the butcher was slaughtering a hog, not out in the middle of the street. She didn’t recognize the woman—she must have been passing through the town—but Kira shared her feelings of fear and desperation. The only difference between the two of them was Kira had lived.
But only because she broke a law that carried a death sentence.
Tears streamed down her mother’s face when they arrived. But instead of taking her into her arms and hugging her tightly, she retreated as though Kira had the plague, pressing her back against the doorway.
“May I have a word with you in private, Madame Baker?” Master Tyrrus asked, closing the door behind them.
“Yes,” her mother choked out, “of course.” She led them into the back room with the oven.
The heat of the giant fire seemed welcoming after the cold stares that had followed them from the outside. Her doll sat perched on the table where her mother rolled out the dough, a splash of flour whitening her dress. Kira grabbed it and hugged it close while she waited to hear what Master Tyrrus had to say.
“Has your daughter ever done anything that seemed strange or out of the ordinary?”
Her mother’s mouth opened and closed several times, her voice stuttering until she finally said, “What do you mean by strange?”
“You know exactly what I mean, woman, so don’t play naïve with me.” His voice resonated with the same power it had in the alley. “If you won’t give me a straight answer, then I’ll have to discover the truth for myself.”
A flash of magic flew from his fingers toward her. Kira closed her eyes, burying her face into her doll’s hair so she wouldn’t see the spell hitting her. Her body stiffened in expectation of the pain that awaited her.
But her heart didn’t stop beating when it hit. Her breath still moved in and out of her chest. A tingle raced along her skin like a warm summer shower. Her muscles relaxed, and she looked up from her doll. A blue light was fading around her, and Master Tyrrus stood in front of her with his mouth hanging open.
“By the goddess,” he whispered, “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“Like what?” Kira asked, curiosity replacing her fear.
“Please don’t tell anyone,” her mother begged before he could answer. “We don’t have much, but if word got out, we’d lose everything.”
The door from the front room banged open. Her father’s massive frame blocked the light from the windows and cast an ominous shadow across the room. “What happened with Kira? Is she hurt?”
Her mother ran to him, looping her arm through his. “She’s fine… for now.”
They all talked about her, but none of them came near her. Her mother refused to even look at her. Kira sat on the floor and held onto her doll, thankful to have the attention away from her.
Master Tyrrus hadn’t forgotten about her, though. He pointed his finger at her. “Your daughter has the Gift.”
“Stop talking such nonsense.” Her father’s dark eyes narrowed, and his face tightened. “You know such things aren’t allowed.”
“They aren’t, and yet I know what I’ve seen today. Your daughter has one of the strongest Gifts I’ve ever come across. If she’d been born a boy—”
“But she wasn’t,” her father snapped.
“And why did you choose to ignore the law?”
The fight vanished from her father’s shoulders, leaving them limp and hanging. “I know what the law dictates, but I kept praying we could hide it and keep our only child alive.”
Her mother laid a comforting hand on her father’s shoulder and cast a pleading glance at Master Tyrrus. “Mariliel gave us Kira after years of barrenness. We did not want to squander her Gift.”
Master Tyrrus waddled to the chair beside the table and collapsed in it. He wiped the sweat from the top of his balding head. “By law, I’m supposed to destroy her, but like you, I have no desire to squander Mariliel’s Gifts. She could become the most powerful mage of her generation if the law didn’t forbid it.”
Her parents exchanged glances, but said nothing.
“Come here, Kira.”
She looked to her parents for permission to go to the Master Mage, but they remained quiet. She got to her feet slowly and inched toward Tyrrus. Would he continue to show her mercy, or was he reeling her in for the kill?
“Tell me, child—would you like to learn more about magic?”
“But the law—”
Master Tyrrus shushed her father with a wave of his hand. “I’m speaking to the child, not you.”
Kira hesitated. If she said yes, she’d be admitting to using magic. But if she said no, what would he do? She studied his face for any signs of malice, but saw none. In truth, he had a gentle face with puffy cheeks and merry eyes. She nodded.
“I don’t have an apprentice at the moment, and I would love the opportunity to take you on as one and teach you what I know.”
Her breath caught. He wasn’t going to kill her. He was going to teach her more spells!
Her mother stepped forward. “Master Tyrrus, surely you jest. If you tried to teach her magic, both of you could be executed.”
“Only if they found out she was a girl.” He winked at Kira and pinched her cheek. “I’d be willing to take that chance, though, if it meant her Gift wouldn’t be squandered. Would you be willing to let me make Kira my apprentice and take her with me?”
Her parents exchanged another glance, their gazes locked in a wordless conversation. At last, her father replied, “You promise to keep her safe from harm?”
Master Tyrrus stood. “Upon my life.”
“Kira, do you understand what you would need to do if you went with Master Tyrrus?” Her mother took the doll from her again, this time more gently. “You’d have to pretend to be a boy for the rest of your life. That means no more dolls, no more dresses, no more ribbons.”
Kira stared at her doll. As much as she loved playing with it, she couldn’t ignore that thrill that came from unleashing the magic inside her. It was far better than playing dolls with the other children. She was about to embark on the sort of adventure the bards sang about.
Her heart squeezed tighter, though, as she looked at her parents. She’d have to leave them behind, too, and go with a stranger. They trusted him to take care of her, and they were willing to let her go so she’d be able to learn how to use her Gift. They loved her enough to let her go, and she didn’t want to hurt them by staying here any longer and risking another magical accident like today. If she went with Master Tyrrus, they’d be safe.
She wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and hugged her. “Yes, Mommy, I understand. Thank you.”
BONUS: Epilogue to The Tears of Elios
Kira awoke surrounded by a dense fog. She reached
her hand up, watching it disappear in the swirling white eddies. Her breath quickened. She bolted up from the cold ground beneath her and called out the name of the last person she remembered seeing. “Galen!”
“Kira,” his voice responded to her left.
She crawled toward it, unable to see more than a few inches in front of her. The metallic taste of panic filled her mouth even though her mind reassured her she wasn’t alone in this void. “Please keep talking so I can find you.”
“I’m—”
His voice ended in a grunt as she collided with something firm. A pair of hands grabbed her arms, pulling her back toward the ground. They tightened around her. The urge to break free overwhelmed her until the sound of soothing words filled her ears.
“Kira, I have you.”
Immediately, she remembered when he’d held her after one of her visions, and her pulse slowed in time to the steady beat vibrating through his chest. The familiar scent of his leather jerkin filled her with peace. She dug her fingers into the sturdy material and tucked her head under his chin. “Thank the goddess you’re here.”
“I was just thinking the same thing, although I’m curious to know where here is.” He ran his fingers through her hair, combing out the ever present tangles. “And I’m wondering why you disobeyed my orders.”
Anger burned her cheeks, and she pushed off of him. “If you’re going to lecture me for saving the ritual—”
“I wasn’t going to lecture you.” He caught her hand and pulled her back to him. “But I still want to know why you put yourself in harm’s way when I took every precaution to ensure your safety.”
“Because I finally understood what the vision meant. Don’t be cross with me—it’s a good thing Ranealya and I arrived when we did to stop Elisus.”
Galen squeezed her in his arms again. One glimpse into his mind showed the barely contained rage toward the high elf simmering. But Galen would never allow it to break free. Instead, his mood changed into something darker. “I’m sorry you were forced to become part of this.”
“Why?”
“Because we all knew the ritual would cost us our lives. It was a price we were willing to pay to save the others.” He trailed his fingers along her cheek, lifting her chin. . “I never wanted you to have to make the same sacrifice.”
“But I was willing to make it.” She clasped his hand in her own and gently kissed him. “Don’t you understand? I’d rather be here with you than anywhere else.”
He murmured something in Elvish. She caught the word Ruheshi before his lips captured hers.
She yielded to him, savoring the way his mouth teased hers, the way her body fit so perfectly with his, the way his hands instinctively reached for the laces of her dress. For a few brief moments, she forgot about everything that had occurred that day—the battle, the fire, the death, the pain. Right now, she was in his arms, and everything was perfect.
“Hello,” a voice shouted from the void.
Kira jumped, ending the kiss before whomever it was stumbled upon them with her dress already half-undone. For the first time since awakening, she was thankful for the dense fog.
Galen moved in front of her, shielding her from the person approaching them while she tightened her laces. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword. “Who’s there?”
“Galen, is that you?” A dark figure lumbered toward them, but the tension eased from Galen’s shoulders. “Where the blast are we?”
As he came closer, Kira finally recognized the voice. Lohman, one of the humans who’d been part of the ritual.
Galen released his sword. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“You mean you don’t know everything?” The words came out more teasing than sarcastic, followed by a chuckle. “At least we’re still in this together. Have you seen any of the others?”
“Kira’s here.” He reached for her hand, holding it like he had when they cast the ritual.
“And thank Mariliel she showed up when she did. I thought we were done for until she stepped in.” He was close enough to where she could see the relief in his face. “I told Galen we should have used you, but he refused to even consider it.”
She looked up at Galen, silently asking why.
You practically died creating a new gate, and you want to know why I didn’t want you involved in this?, he answered in her mind.
She chewed her lip and turned away. He only wanted to protect her, but his concerns left her feeling as though he’d always see her as someone he needed to protect rather than his equal.
Lohman rubbed the back of his head, looking like he wanted to fill the silence that had lapsed among them. “Um, maybe we should look for the others. If we’re here, then they shouldn’t be too far away, right?”
“Good idea.” Galen continued to hold her hand as they followed Lohman deeper into the fog.
“Fergan?” Lohman called into the void, his voice echoing back with the same force. “Thoranus?”
“By Mariliel, are you trying to wake the dead?” Fergan replied from the distance.
A chill rippled through Kira. Were they all dead and caught in some dream of the afterlife?
Galen squeezed her hand, sending a slow stream of warmth up her arm. Does this feel like death?
She shook her head and continued toward the Highmounter. When they reached him, a gasp broke free from her lips. If it wasn’t for the reddish tinge in his hair, she could have sworn she was looking at Arlisle rather than his father.
Fergan stretched, moving with the power and grace of the warrior he must have been more than two decades before. “Ach, that feels good to not have me knee pain me for once.”
But Lohman look less relieved. The color drained from his face until he almost blended in with the fog. “What kind of magic is this?”
“An ancient and powerful kind,” Thoranus replied from a few feet away. “One that comes from the goddess Elios herself.”
Orin and Fairlin stood behind him, completing the group of casters and looking much like they had before the ritual.
“So Fergan gets to be young again and the rest of us don’t?” Lohman’s pacing matched the impatience in his voice. “Where are we? What happened? And don’t you dare give me some ‘this is the work of the goddess’ explanation?”
“Would you have me explain it in another way?” Thoranus answered.
A golden light filtered through the fog, growing warmer with each second until it chased away the chill that surrounded Kira. She blinked back as it became brighter. A dark shadow blotted the light. At first, it was like staring at the sun for too long, but as it came closer, it took the shape of a woman.
“You call on my magic,” she said, her voice resonating with power, “yet you have little faith in my abilities, Lohman. Why is that?”
Kira’s jaw dropped when the woman came into view. Her golden hair shimmered with its own light, and her face was the definition of Elvish perfection. When Galen and Thoranus kneel before her, she knew this had to be the goddess Elios herself and went down on one knee.
“I—I—” Lohman struggled for words before bowing his head.
Kira watched Elios through her lashes, unsure if she should regard the deity’s presence with fear or joy. A gentle smile from the goddess eased her hesitation and calmed her fluttering pulse.
“You used my tears to create a boundary that would protect your people, and behold, look at your work.” Elios swept away the fog with her arm.
They stood on the top of a tall peak towering over a green valley to the west. A wall of mountains stretched as far as she could see to the north and south. In the distance stood the second gate where the women and children waited for the Resistance soldiers who survived the battle to join them. Behind her, on the other side of the ridge, the remnants of the Elgean army retreated east toward Dromore.
Galen drew in a deep breath beside her. “It worked.”
The others seemed as awestruck as Kira was. She remembered little of the ritual other t
han the blue and green magic that swirled around them. But somehow, during all that, they’d created a mountain range that divided the land in half.
“Very good.” Fairlin stretched out his wings. “Now, if you’ll pardon me, I need to return to my queen.”
The fog closed in on them so quickly, Kira stumbled into Galen to keep from losing him. The only light that pierced the swirling clouds was the one that emanated from Elios.
“You’ll not be returning to Sylvania or Queen Mab.” Although the goddess’s words were calm, they dared anyone to challenge her. “You all wanted a barrier that would keep Anilayus and his descendants from destroying the other races—a barrier that provided both physical and magical protection. I have given you the physical part. It is up to all of you to provide the magical part.”
“But some of us are mortal.” Fergan ran his hand through his hair much like Arlisle did when he was trying to find the best way to say something. “How can we provide protection when we canna live forever?”
“You seven risked everything to protect your people, and in return, I have granted you all immortality so long as you continue to do so.” Elios walked in front of them like a general inspecting her troops. “I’ve given you the ability to control who crosses the divide you created. If you deem them worthy of passing, they will be shown the way to the other side.”
She pointed to a pass through the mountains that appeared below them.
“If you deem them unworthy,” she paused, allowing the fog to conceal the pass she’d just shown them, “then they will wander through the mist for the rest of their days.”
Kira shuddered as she tried to imagine condemning someone to die that way.
“As the guardians of the divide, this will now be your home,” Elios continued. “Time has no meaning here. You will stay just as you are, never knowing age or death. You can cross great distances with just a wish, traveling from the icy north to the shores of the Endless Sea in seconds. But you can never leave.”