by Luka Petrov
We both knew this, and I had hoped that my memory served me right about the fact of whether Cecily would be at her training grounds back at Draererth. That was the only place that I would think she would go. She may be a young mage, but she was diligent even when she had a very boisterous talk.
“Tomorrow.” I decided as I had looked out the window and saw that nightfall had fast approached without a warnings glass. Though I would not say: We were going to get Cecily and Archmage McAllister. We needed their help, whether they were willing or not. We would need to storm the tower were the Demon Lord’s headquarters laid.
The morning had come for a new day and we had risen from our slumber. We left the inn with little words shared between us as we walked through the city. Cobblestone and dirt beneath our feet and there was nothing more than laughter among the people around me. As if they didn’t know that the Demon Lord was near and ready to kill. The prickling of dark magic was hard to ignore even if I wanted. I could taste the iron in my mouth and the dark pull that yearned to destroy me.
Luckily, I would combat that soon. As we neared the opposite end of the city, we entered into the Enchanted Forest. This time on our way to Draererth. I knew the way well, ever since I traveled it the first time with Hamon, it was a brisk jaunt from Gilmore.
We neared the manicured lawn and the barrier had been disabled ever since we left in the thick of night, escaping as the Demon Lord tumbled each tower with explosions. “Wow!” Yves said, astonished. “Draererth is nearly flattened. Why do you think Cecily would come here? Why wouldn’t she go to her own village and be with her family?”
“Because we are her family now,” I replied.
As we came toward the dueling squares and the target ranges, I could smell it. Of brimstone and fire, the scent of magic that was used for explosion. I picked up my pace. Dark hair, moving in the air at the target range. There she was! I hurried before Cecily would decide she had enough practice. My heart raced, it was not hard to find her, but I wonder if she would be easily convinced. She was different from Yves in terms of personality.
Cecily was arrogant as she was explosive with a mouth to match even at the young age of thirteen. She was nothing short of a disaster that had just waited to happen among us. However, I would not let that happen. I finally rounded the corner of the outer gates and I saw her by herself. There was a fierce look in her eyes as she stared at the explosions that happen by the wall.
Not strong enough.
The thought was clearly written on her face the way the corner of her lips curved into a frown and as her brows knitted together. She was pissed from her own lack of power. For the fact that this was the best she could produce but others would see her as a prodigy in the art of explosive magic. However, she knew that this was nothing. She had seen me reach higher, so this felt nothing more than a gentle push. She craved for more but not in a way that would make her like the Dark Lord. She was merely ambitious, and I knew that I could offer her power, more of it. I would use that as bait to real her into our cause. Into this team. The team that she was a member of, and a valuable member. But so much had happened since we were split up from the bounty hunters. I knew she would respect me from power alone, but she was unpredictable.
That said I knew that I would have to call out to her. To grab the attention that was focused solely on trying to conjure a more powerful spell, but she had only managed to break the highest form of a low-tier explosive spell. She was still struggling but I could help with that. I cleared my throat, to signal that I was near, but she snapped her head towards me. Instantly, alerted and her mode was maxed to high tension.
The fire that burned in her eyes that raged showed that she had a little capacity of forgiveness of whoever interrupted her. But then she saw me, and she relaxed...to some degree. Her frown remained and that was offered to me. Nothing more as she waited for my excuse as to why I was here.
“Cecily.” I greeted; my head bowed down as a sign of the formalities that I was raised with. Polite to the very end as old habits were hard to get rid of. Even if my comrades and old friends hated it...I truly believed to show them respect even when they didn’t want it.
She could see that, and she appreciated the sentiment, but she made no signs to return it. Not that I held any expectation, that would be foolish of me. That best I could expect was a wry response from her, an expletive outburst that suited her personality. Luckily, she was keen to remain true to herself.
After all, Cecily was an apprentice mage that was not one for formalities or lies. Instead, she was one found it easy to discern from truth and lies. Which is why she had been alone, but I know that there was more to this than that.
A blessing and curse in disguise.
“Look what the cat dragged in.” She drawled out and she controlled the snide remarks she made the best she could. We had not seen her in a while, and I felt bad since I left her in my search for the magic spell book and the Magi Staff. Discarded despite the fact she was a friend, so I knew to some degree that this was my fault but not entirely enough since she understood me. However, the grimace on her face never really left though she tried to replace it with a more carefree look. The only reason she was so displeased was because of the intrusion. Nothing more and that was easy enough to hand if given time. “What are you both doing here?”
The question was mostly pointed towards me. Yves had no idea that Cecily would be here, or that I had an inkling of knowing where she was. I knew Cecily knew I knew where to find her, and she was not pleased that it took us this long to get to her. I had more important things to attend to, however, now I realized that nothing was more important than my friends.
“How convenient of you, to finally get here to find me. Edward, you knew once the spell wore off where I would go. I would go to the only place that I knew as my home. Why did he take you so long? Let me guess, you need something now?” Cecily retorted, and rightfully so. I deserved every foul word she could send at me.
I knew why she was acting like this, but that didn’t grate my nerves any less. With a twitch of my lips, I looked at Cecily. I wondered how much to tell her but if I lied now then that would only make this situation far worse than it had to be. I had to figure out what to say and how to say it. Cecily would agree that much I knew but she was such a rash decider that if I wasn’t smart about my words then Cecily would run to the Demon Lord herself and give me up. That was her rogue nature.
“We need your help.” I pleaded and for the first time, I felt humbled. I never pleaded like this because I believed so foolishly in my own strength. There was never a time for me to ask since my magic was second to no one. Even more so I never had a time where I needed help- until now. For the first time, I truly needed help although many didn’t know this. Not since I had my encounter with the Demon Lord.
He had left a sour taste in my mouth. Where the capture and death of my comrades and father weight heavy within my battered heart. I would never lie to her about what happened and would remain utterly truthful. Walter wasn’t just my friend, but I also knew that I needed time to process what had happened only days prior. I had still been under the process and this only made it worse for me. Not that I would admit to that. “I knew we needed you, but I felt we needed to get the maps, the stones, all to get the Magi Staff. You were on my mind, but we didn’t have time to come and get you.”
Especially when Cecily was there before me. She looked as haughty as ever as she rolled her eyes at my claim. She had seen my power and new the strength that it had. If we needed her help when she knew something was up. And she would believe the words of me who had abandoned her all this time in my selfish quest to be the strongest. “If you have all of that stuff and are capable to have gotten the Magi Staff, then why do you need me? Why now?” Cecily asked.
Cecily looked down and then up at me again, “Aren’t you trying to be the best mage-” She drawled out with a semi-sneer towards me that I could almost tolerate. She arched up one eyebrow, it was obvious t
o me and everyone around that this girl decided to test the limits of the bond we shared. And I kept my opinions in check, I had enough patience to wait for as long as I would have to. As long as she would cooperate.
Luckily, I didn’t have to. Instead, Yves would speak up for me as she could not keep her mouth shut from the weight of accusations on me. Always on the right side of justice even if that meant she would have to hear another snarky reply from Cecily.
“We need to defeat the Demon Lord with your help,” Yves claimed with a steel blade in her tone as she spoke. There was no quiver and no moment of hesitation. Her pride was set aside so that I would be accepted by her classmate. I knew this meant a lot since she usually gave the cold shoulder to her more robust friend but even then, she would not let her leave. The two were the same in age and she hoped that she would have more leverage.
But that isn’t always the case.
The impassiveness remained within Cecily’s gaze followed by a flicker of annoyance. Her lips twitched but she was amused as she had yet to send either of us away. As if she had missed this type of conversation or wanted to prove it to Yves that she had changed greatly. Cecily went to flaunt the power that she didn’t have as much as she trained for it. It was all for nothing.
However, the power she planted was for me.
“I’m busy. I am not as strong as the best mage here.” She looked at me with a pointed glare. She made it clear that she hated to be around me because of my natural gift with magic. While hers was hard earned and this was how far she could go. That being said she could respect me, she held herself in high regard, but did not realize the true gift she had. The very gift that we needed for our team. Her ego fell as it rises with no remorse and that made her tired. She did not realize that our team needed her indomitable spirit to defeat the Demon Lord. I wish she gave herself the credit she deserved. Value was not only about magic ability; it was also about no taking no for an answer.
While my magic only grew. Hers had slowed in progression. So I wasn’t surprised that Cecily had acted like this. It was a proverbial backhand slap to her when we asked for her help when she thought that the best mage of the century walked among them. But power does not come from just one person, I knew this after all my last showdown especially. I needed people I could trust with my back turned. And I needed Cecily for this. With a swallow, I cleared my mind and fought for her.
“I could give you power, teach you spells as I’ve taught Yves,” I explained to her and I saw her blink in surprise. This made me look away in guilt. Of course, this was unexpected. Not just because I offered to help but also give her spells. Spells were always hard to have and obtain but I could make this easy. By this offer, I felt as though I was patronizing Cecily, but this offer was out of respect.
But the response I hoped for was not given to me. I could see that after her shock had passed over, she still weighed the pros and cons for me. I could read her like an open-book due to her expressive face, but I wonder if she did that to gain trust rather than to appear foolish as I had always thought her to be.
But I was not allowed to dwindle on these type of thoughts for too long.
“What for? You’ve never been the type.” There was suspicion laced in her tone as she narrowed her clear gaze towards me. A mage had to always be suspicious against another, this was the norm and even I couldn’t fault her for that. “And why in the world would I help you, aside from the spells that you could offer me?”
I had to pause as I racked my brain for reasons as to why. But I knew that’s because Cecily thought little of my evolution. Perhaps if I explained to her in great detail what happened then she’d be more obedient. But the answer that appeared in my head was not the one I wanted to say. Though it would aid in the much-needed laughter that was to come between us.
I knew that flattery was never the way to go but some couldn’t hurt. Not too much at least.
“Who else could do explosive magic like you?” I countered with her and I knew she had an ego; it was evident when she glimmered with a sun above. I knew how to handle Cecily and all she had to do was help me to shower underneath these thoughts. The look in her eyes made it clear that she was very willing.
“None are like me.” She grinned to herself that had spread wide enough to show teeth, pleased that regardless of how weak she viewed her own powers that she was still the best. Her hand lifted and at the center of her paw laid a small ball that would indicate her power for explosions. But then there was the usual steel in her gaze as the laughter never left her mouth. “Though I wonder what had happened to render you this fearful...”
She did it, she had accepted me.
But the question was a loaded question, I wasn’t ready to answer. There was a sting in my throat, and I refused to take another time to explain the cruelty of what happened all those days ago.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t hesitant myself. I could feel the tremble in my heart as I wondered time and time again if this was something that I was able to do. But I balled up my hand into a fist, the feelings of resentment that I had for the Demon Lord could not be quenched with doubts. That creature had taken too much from us then I had no answers aside from his death.
I had to get rid of him.
I knew that was near impossible, but my other hand reached over to grab the staff that I carried with me. I had carried it outside of my Bag of Holding because I wanted to feel its power in my hands as we walked to Draererth. A sign to the school that I would seek out its vengeance on the Demon Lord. The Magi Staff, an item that would amplify my powers to an almost abnormal degree.
“Cecily,” I started. “We must get you up to speed now that you are back on our team.”
“What’s that?” she asked. “I thought we were going to storm the Demon Lord now. Isn’t that why you wanted me back on your team?”
“Well yes. But first we must get to Archmage McAllister,” I explained.
“Who?’ Cecily asked.
Yves chimed in, “Archmage McAllister. We rescued him while we were in the Abyss.”
“You guys were in the Abyss?” Cecily shouted.
“Long story, and we don’t have time to get through it. We will be heading once again to the Dragon Tomb. We believe that the archmage is there. He used to have the magic spell book and the Magi Staff, but he was banished to the Abyss. Again, long story,” I explained further.
Yves made sure to note, “Now that we know where the Dragon Tomb is, we can get there much faster than the last time.”
“Thankfully,” I mused.
We left Draererth and began our trek to the Dragon Tomb. We hiked to the forest until we reached the point where we descended into the valley where the Dragon Tomb laid. We once again followed the path, which soon turned into a dirt-packed road soon, which then turned into paving stones. Once again, we trailed through the swampy area and found our footing on the paver stones on our way to the Dragon Tomb. I smelled that familiar stench of sulfur and was quickly reminded the turbulent trials we endured here and felt accomplished that we emerged from this very tomb, victorious.
“Well, we are at the Dragon Tomb,” Yves stated. “How do we go about finding the archmage?”
“Wow! This is the Dragon Tomb. You guys went here?” Cecily said in amazement. “I missed all of this. Because someone couldn’t let go of their mission to come and find me? I would have loved this!” Here jab did not make me feel any better about my previous choices. All I had to do was focus on that I was a changed man.
Circling the Dragon Tomb, we came across a familiar figure. “You again?” I shouted to the strange man cloaked in a mossy patchwork of foliage cape.
“Ssshhh!” Cecily hushed. “He looks like a mercenary with that camouflage clothing on. He’s going to kill us.” Cecily mad a good point, if we hadn’t already been through this.
“Relax,” I replied. I turned to our strange friend. “Can you help us once again?” I asked.
“Depends, what you need and what you are wil
ling to pay for it,” the stranger answered.
“We are looking for an archmage who doesn’t have any skin left on his body. We suspect he probably found a healer close by, did you see anyone fitting that description or know of a healer close by?”
The stranger replied, “I definitely did not see a live corpse without skin roaming around, that is for sure.” He paused for a moment and then said, “But, there is a cleric who has a healing house close by to hear. Perhaps your skinned archmage went there.”
“Where is it?” I asked, knowing what was coming next.
“Twenty silver,” replied our price-gouging stranger.
“Ugh, can we spare that?” Yves asked.
“I did cut you a deal last time because I thought you were poor,” the stranger replied. “Hey—there were three of you last time, but you had a different girl with you.”
“Right,” I replied, lowering my head in sadness as the stranger reminded me of our lost teammate. Pain returned in my chest as I uttered out the words, “The other girl you saw us with, died.”
“Died?” The man asked.
“Died?” Cecily asked. “You’re not talking about Agnes, are you?”
This was killing me inside going over the painful details. I turned to Cecily, “Sorry, I didn’t tell you before. I didn’t really want to go into it. Letting you know that Walter was enslaved to the Demon Lord was hard enough. I did not want to go into the details of Agnes’ death.”
“She’s dead,” Cecily attempted to confirm, still in shock.
“Yes,” Yves replied, mournful.
“I thought she was lost just like I was,” Cecily justified.