by Luka Petrov
“Come, Ed.” Her voice was nothing short of sweet despite the sadness that was barely hidden away. She wasn’t as greatly affected but they knew each other on good terms, a bond could have formed but they weren't given the chance. There was so much the two of the girls could have learned from one another. And a team could have been formed but an early death had come for her rather than for me. The Demon Lord would always taunt me even when I can no longer bear the punishments placed on me. But I had to follow her for now, that would ease the hollowness in my own heart.
I listened not because it was a command but because I trusted the mages who were before me.
If I stayed at the place where they buried her or rather what remained of her then I would only allow the sadness to control me. I wanted to avenge her- to avenge everyone that suffered because of the Demon Lord. The very creature that I had avoided because of the threat he had posed to me. But I realized then and there I couldn’t do that any longer.
I had to deal with the problem.
And with that in mind, through the fog of my grief, I realized that we had walked past her burial site. Passed Gilmore Graveyard, we had made our way through a clear that had fewer people around to give us the space we needed. The smell of the graveyard was enough to clear my mind from the fog of grief. I had one to usually to steel my feelings, but it was to no surprise even this would get to me.
She was a close friend.
And she was not the first to go.
But that all was paused as I came to realize that my surrounding area began to feel familiar. As if I had not been here for a long time. Each tree trunk that was passed along with tree trunks hit home for a reason or two that I had to want to explain. A memory flickered in my mind as if it was nothing more than a recording, an old shared in laughter between friends. It felt like a lifetime ago, but it wasn’t that old. I just had been away for too long.
“Where are we going?” I asked dubiously albeit I knew where each step I took led me to. I was familiar with the crunch of the leaves and twigs underneath my boot. The forest was no stranger to me as one might think. I enjoyed nature to some degree for magic was stronger here. I could feel the magic tingle from the tips of my fingertips, but I could not appreciate due to the loss of a friend.
Not that I would admit to that. And perhaps she knew that because she threw me a glare though it was softened around the edges to show me her worry. She tugged at my hand more and I knew that we were close to the area. If the smell alone didn’t give it away or the familiar appearance of the place.
“Just follow me.” Her voice said softly as if the pasture had listened to our small chatter. We made it outside Gilmore on the south side, where there was pasture where farmers allowed their cattle to roam.
And so I followed her, silent as each step seemed to bring my mood up. Though I kept silent as usual until we reached our destination. The area was a small clearing that had a lake. We had come here with Agnes from time to time. A getaway that was eerily beautiful and where we, from time to time, practiced our strength.
“Her favorite flowers.” I mused and there was a thick knot in my throat that kept me silent as I saw rose buds and lavender bushes. Not that I didn’t want to speak but memories flickered in my mind and that made it all too painful to continue. And the ache in my throat continued as if I would be rendered to tears because I felt a sting, but I would allow myself to descend as deeply as one would like to believe. We made our way down to a stream, where the current subsided.
I had to let go and avenge her and perhaps Yves knew that because from her bag she pulled out a wreath. It was made with not just pine but strung with flowers that he had seen Agnes pick from time to time. Her favorites that I had no idea if they held any sentimental value to her.
“Goodbye, Agnes.” Yves finally said, her fingers raised with the wreath and I knew what she planned to do. It was a way for us to send her off when we knew that her body laid beneath the dirt. Yves was not one to waste time, so she was quick to cast the most basic of spells and a spark of fire flew towards the wreath.
I was quick to follow.
“Goodbye,” I whispered in a hushed tone that held the last of my emotions for this moment until it was released with the wreath. There would no longer be any questions only the answer to their avenge between them.
I had wanted to grieve for her, but I knew I couldn’t wallow in such sentimentality for too long. Instead, I sparked the last of my emotions into a final burst of fire towards the wreath. Finally, it was set ablaze and we threw it towards the lake. It turned into ash as it floated down into the deep waters. That was all that was left of her. Her memories were the last thing she left behind and even I knew how memories would come and go. Faded as time would let memories be nothing more than a forgotten moment.
She was gone.
“Are you okay?” The question was for me and I had to blink a few times before I gave a curt nod that felt stiff on my shoulders. I was back to my usual habits, but I knew that this was better suited for me.
There was no time to waste now.
There was a persistent thought that if I allowed myself to wallow in grief that this was what the Demon Lord had designed for me. He had only taken from me and now was the time to strike back. I could not let my friends take the brunt of my mistakes. My guilt had eaten me far too much now and it was my turn to protect them.
“Of course.” I blinked any tears that might have stung my eyes though I’d never shed them in fear of my weakness displayed. I cleared my throat and stood a bit taller. I did not need to wallow any longer. I gave a decisive look towards Yves, a grimace on my face. “Let’s go find, Cecily. We’ll need her since we’re going to take down that Demon Lord.”
She nodded in agreement; we both knew that we would need her help. Even if her magic was similar to her personality: explosive. Not that was enough to turn me away from her. We just had to find her, and it was clear that Yves had no idea where from the expression on her face. She looked concerned as her eyebrows were knitted together and a small wrinkled was formed in between.
But I did.
“Do you know where she is?” Her doubt vocalized for me to hear as we walked back towards the town.
If memory served me correctly Cecily was an interesting student who spent, her free time near the other side of Draererth at the dueling squares and the ranges. The walls of the place were scored with burns from explosive and forest life had ceased to exist. The area alone smelled of brimstone and danger, the smoke was, for lack of better words, horrific. But she savored that place as most mages do because of the privacy she was able to gain.
Her training grounds.
“I have...an idea.” I mused as I guess that she would be nothing short of aggravated that I would show someone her private space when she would see us there as nothing more than intruders.
Already the image of her face full of fury was conjured in my mind, her broody eyes ablaze with anger and distrust for me. But there was no other choice.
We needed her.
Now.
I had been guiding by emotions that night previous during the wake of Agnes’. It was a shame that Cecily was still missing. She did not even know of Agnes’ death. That broke my heart, she did not even know that her dear friend had passed. So before we looked for her, Yves and I returned to the room at an inn. The room that Val had rented for us. He had paid it for two weeks, and we thought it was best to go to the inn where no one asked any questions. The room was dingy at best with the faint scent of wood and musk. Very lived in but it was good for its price, and at the moment, the price was free. A small place that was obscure and would have very few prying eyes on us. Needed in case the Demon Lord had decided that he needed to have watched over us.
Where we could rest and discuss our plan prior to searching for Cecily and then Archmage McAllister.
We needed Cecily. She was a force to reckon with. If she was not in the mage class, I would have sworn she’d be a rogue. It was
obvious from her demeanor that she would take the rashest decision instead of a decisive plan. Up until this point, my complete focus was on being the strongest mage of the century much less the world. Now, all I wanted to do was protect my friends before I lost any more. We needed to get Cecily back on our team and we needed to save Walter. I would not have any more of my friends die because of me. This was that end of that.
I had lost a teammate and a friend to the grips of death.
I had lost Walter to enslavement and that prickled me under my very bones. I had been informed by the Purcell’s that he had taken my place as Lord Abraxas’ eternal servant and since the Demon Lord knows that it is not me that he has, he has become more aggressive on his dealings with Gilmore. I could imagine him in my place, and I knew that meant he would be the Dark Lord’s slave. My mouth twitched at that thought as I had to grind down my teeth against one another as to not twitch involuntarily. Walter had given up everything for me. As I had only ran from my duties.
And my father-
My gaze hardened and I knew that the path that I had run from all this time was now for me to walk on. My father risked his life to save us, and now he had paid the ultimate price. I could not even express my guilt about that right at this moment. To explore the immense regret I had for my dad coming and helping us escape would send me over the edge, and I would be left sobbing in the fetal position for the remainder of my days. I could not go there. Not yet.
And thankfully I wasn’t the only one to walk it.
“Ed! Get yourself together. We have to find Cecily and Archmage McAllister to defeat The Demon Lord. We’ve come so far already. We have the magic spell book and the Magi Staff. We are almost finished with our goal of defeating the Demon Lord and rescuing Walter.” Yves’ perseverance sent me into a state of anxiety and nervousness that came over me as I heard her voice. Her pensive stare that was narrowed into a glare meant she was worried. For me. She was going to get me out of this. She would be strong, for me. I needed to calm her worry, because I did not want her concern to be on my conscience.
As always.
I had to laugh to ease the tension. I channeled a bit of Cecily’s positive outlook while I still remained with the resolute morals that were placed within me. I gave her a firm look like a smile curved onto my lips. A gentle look that she rarely saw, and she knew it was to ease her.
“Have faith in me.” Short words the came from me and did little to ease her worries.
And she made that clear with just the level of her gaze. Despite our closeness in age, she had a sense of maturity that made it hard to deal with. Especially now when it was obvious that I tried my best to ease the tension that had formed within the room we stayed at. Though one could not see the tension it was palatable within the air. Perhaps that was the gift of a mage or the fact that Yves made it painfully obvious.
“I would like to but-” There was steel to her tone and I knew I had to use more than mere words to convince her. She was someone who was wise beyond her years. The fact that I had not shown her the plans I had drawn up would only continue to breed insecurity.
I beckoned her close to me for a brief moment. My hand was like an open invitation to her before I tucked it into my Bag of Holding that contained my much-needed item. And the old book that was worn around the edges and the binding seemed loose for lack of better words. The pages were yellowed, and some had minor tears but not enough to render it unreadable.
“Here, look.” I showed her the magic spell book that I had obtained since the beginning of my adventure. She knew that I had gotten it when I rescued her from the Spider Queen, but she did not know that I had been able to actually do all of the twelve spells. I knew her gaze would lock onto it. Be it because it was something, she had no confidence in. I had obtained it yet was unable to perform a single spell from the book, until now.
I edged it closer to her but kept a solid hold over it. My fingers spread across the leather binding without a question or issue that she got to see it. I saw her face twitch, gently, in wonderment, with what I had in hand. I saw Yves look it for a second longer before she raised her gaze to mine. There was no threats or doubt, just curiosity.
As there should be.
“The twelve lost spells, what about them? Not even the highest mages were able to master them all much less 2 at most. And you’re going to try to learn-” Yves spoke with such knowledge despite the fact I had never shared the book with her. Sure she had peaked glances and to some degree, she had heard rumors but one look that I allowed inside was all she needed. That said, she looked oblivious to my intentions and I knew that she would say the same prior to them.
I had to interrupt her; ignorance was a foolish look that she did not need to have on her face. “I’ve learned all of them.” These words shook her whole foundation as she gawked at me.
How would not one feel shocked? The fact that there had never been someone of my caliber shook the very ideologies she held about magic. But she knew better than to hold others a candle to me. I was far more gifted than any mage before me.
“When?” The question burned on her tongue with a fever and I couldn’t help but feel like she was jealous of me.
Though that wouldn’t be a surprise. She was just as keen on becoming the best, just as I was. And I don’t doubt that she wouldn’t be able to use a spell or two, but she was more versed in elemental spells. The spells in this book were for only one reason: destruction and deception. Exactly what I needed for this exact time.
I could see the narrow stare still trained on me. She was by no means surprised that I learned these spells. It was just how I learnt it that left me to question her.
“It took a lot of practice; what did you think I was doing this whole time? Every night I practiced. Most of the time the night ended in complete and utter failure, but after a while, I started to master them” I scoffed at her and kept my emotions locked away. A glimmer of mirth reflected from my eyes as I tried to hide away the truth of these spells despite her desire.
That was enough to dissuade her. I could see her visibly relax and she slumped against the wooden chair that she had been seated on since we arrived in this room for a discussion. She turned my words in her head that much was obvious before she gave a helpless shrug. The more she would think of it the more confused she felt.
She would rather agree with me.
“I suppose you were trying to be the best mage in history.” She said in a dry tone that stung my pride. I knew very well that she wasn’t wrong, not initially. I had been keen on one thing: magic.
But now my morals and goals had shifted towards my friends rather than the selfish desire that gave me no happiness. But that could not be helped that she didn’t realize that even if I could see the change in me. About my new goals and how I no longer wished the claim of being the best mage.
“Not anymore.” My tone soft as to not offend her when I spoke but I could only feel her gaze flicker over me. She could see that I had changed, but to give her the benefit of the doubt, how would she know I changed. Ever since I heard that Walter took my place as the Demon Lord’s servant, I had not been the same. Having Agnes and my dad both die as a result of me running from my responsibilities just solidified my metamorphosis. Despite this, I knew that she wanted to apologize.
But I didn’t need her apology.
And she knew that, so she switched out for more invasive questions meant solely for my lease.
“Then why did you learn-” Yves asked once more as confusion settled over her features and eased out any tension or stress. Only her helpless curiosity that often rendered her annoying at times.
So I had to cut her off and a reminder just what exactly my plans were. She had forgotten our original intentions at the sight of the beautiful book that laid on the table in the middle of our room. Not that I could blame her, we were mages before anything else.
“We have to save Walter, Yves. And avenge those who have been harmed and lost.” I said in a grim tone
and that sobered her instantly. I could see that any previous emotions that were present in her gaze were now polished over as if she had already been summarized.
My tone had no room for argument as I watched the young girl before me. And she nodded, she would follow me since she was my comrade through thick and thin. She knew my thought process was when I reminded her of our original agreement. Thankfully Yves was quick to come to an agreement even if it was unsaid. Or even have a helpful design for the art that needed to be created.
“Then we’ll need her,” Yves said softly, and I nodded at her. “We will need Cecily and Archmage McAllister.” A silent agreement that we would go to great lengths to ensure that they would have the gather the archmage and our dear mage apprentice that we currently had yet to come into contact with. Once we would have our team assembled, we would be ready to descend onto the hidden tower of the Demon Lord.
Though there was no promise to if we could get her. We hadn’t seen Cecily in weeks. Where in the world was, she? That was the dread we would carefully carry between us. If we didn’t have then we would lose. That much was obvious to me.