Julian’s eyes widened. So many things she wanted to see, especially the vast expanse of water her mother claimed lie beyond land. “That’s incredible.”
“Are you looking for something in that direction?”
“Yes, a girl.” Julian paused. There weren’t words to describe the feeling in her belly, and she was sure the woman would think her mad. Humans didn’t believe in magic, even if it was all around them.
“Where is this girl? Maybe I can help.” She smiled kindly, while concern flashed inside her eyes, just as it did when mother sensed the dragon lords coming.
“I don’t know, but I need to find her.” Julian shook her head. How could she explain it?
“What’s your name, dear?”
“Julian.”
“Julian. A beautiful name. My name is Glenrys.”
“Well met.” Mother had said that was the proper way to greet someone. It occurred to Julian that she’d never properly met someone before. She’d only ever known her mother, and sometimes briefly, her siblings. But babies didn’t talk, and there wasn’t any real meeting them when all they did was cry.
“Well met,” Glenrys replied. “Let’s see if we can find someone to help you.” She glanced back down the road, the way the warrior people had gone.
“All right.” It couldn’t hurt.
Glenrys lay a hand gently on her back, turning her to walk the length of the road, further into Elmhurst. Tall and short homes rose on either side of the street, as well as a short building with open doors, and horses outside and in, penned up in cages.
Her brows pulled together. She couldn’t imagine living in a small box was any kind of life, but then again, some of the horses were outside grazing in a large wooden pen. A small one, a baby perhaps, even chased around a larger horse. Maybe they weren’t always confined inside.
They walked passed a stone forge, with molten flames inside a pit, and hot coals burning red. A tall bearded man with gloves pulled white-hot iron from the forge and doused it in water. Steam hissed up into his face, reddening his cheeks.
“What is that man doing?” Julian asked.
Glenrys glanced at the man. “That’s the blacksmith. He’s making a few new blades for the guards.”
“Guards?” Julian tilted her head. “Were they the ones on horseback with armor?”
“Yes, that’d be them.”
“What are they guarding?”
Glenrys laughed, as if Julian had told a joke. When she was done wiping her eyes, the woman raised her brows as if surprised Julian had been serious in her question. “Well, us of course.”
“Elmhurst?”
“Yes. They keep us safe from crime, and protect us if war ever reaches us.”
“War?” Julian’s eyebrows furrowed.
The woman’s eyes widened. “Great battles between kingdoms.”
“But why would the kingdoms fight?”
Glenrys twisted her wide jaw back and forth as she thought. “For land, resources, their rights… many things.”
“Hm.” Julian looked to the sky. Her mother had told her of the great dragon wars centuries passed. She didn’t imagine the people of the six kingdoms ever had anything to fight about. They had grass and trees and food and water. They had so much light, and so many beautiful things. Why bother fighting about it?
Glenrys glanced at Julian with confusion in her eyes until they reached the end of the lane and three men and one woman on horseback came into view. They stood next to a large building with a set of five steps to reach the door. It was the only building with windows on top and not just the bottom.
At their approach, the men smiled and nodded to Glenrys while the woman raised an eyebrow at Julian, curiosity clouding her clear green eyes. She had the same thick brown hair and wide jaw as Glenrys. The guard had to be her daughter.
“Mum, who is this?” the woman asked. She swung down from her horse, jostling and clinking her armor and sword against each other.
“This is Julian.” The older woman raised her brows meaningfully. “She’s wandered into town and isn’t quite sure where she’s going. She says she’s from the mountains.”
Julian nodded. That basically summed up most of their conversation.
“Julian, this is my daughter Helga.”
Helga glanced back at the other guards. “Where is it you’re headed?”
“South.” That’s all Julian could really explain.
“South,” Helga said. “Anywhere specifically?”
“I’m not quite sure yet. I’ll know when I get there.”
“You’re heading to Ithrendel soon aren’t you?” Glenrys raised her brows. “You might be able to find her somewhere to stay in the city.”
Helga nodded and again exchanged glances with her comrades. “Yes, we are. I’m sure we have room for her.” She smiled tightly, not quite meaning her sincerity.
Julian shifted from foot to foot. On one hand, she didn’t need anywhere to stay, but on the other, if they rode on horseback that’d get her farther much quicker. If she needed to go past this Ithrendel she could simply continue without them, or if the magic girl appeared before the city, she could disembark.
“I’d appreciate the ride,” Julian said.
“Excellent. Why don’t you come with us?” Helga motioned back towards the building. “We’re just getting our things and then we’ll be on our way.”
“All right.” Julian said her goodbyes to Glenrys and joined the guards. Hopefully the magic girl would appear along the way, or else she might be in for a long walk, yet.
* * *
As the sun began to lower toward the distant mountaintops, Julian loaded the last of the goods into the back of the wagon. Bags of fresh apples, boxes of salted meat, and a few cages for chickens occupied the back of the trolley.
“We’re just about ready to go, Julian.” Helga wiped the sweat from her forehead. Even with the sun setting, heat still covered the open road. “You should say goodbye to my mother before we head out.”
Julian smiled. “All right.”
Heading back down the road, Julian slowed as she approach the corner. Voices drifted on the breeze, the same familiar timber of the guards Helga worked with. She stopped and peeked around the corner. Helga had sent them off to fetch the last of the supplies, not to loiter in alleys.
“That girl is as crazy as your ex-wife, Jordan,” one of the men said, a growl of a laugh rumbling in his beard-covered throat.
The other, a younger man, flashed his teeth in a wide grin. “Don’t remind me. She even has the look of the crazy old bat.”
“Wasn’t your late wife younger than you?”
“No, she was a few years older even now when she passed.”
“Why do you think the Lieutenant agreed to bring the little loon to Ithrendel?” Their laughter ceased as he scratched the back of his head.
“I don’t know, maybe she feels bad for her.” He shrugged.
“Could be.”
Julian pressed her back to the wall and leaned back away from the alley. Her heart raced and her brows furrowed. So she was right, they did think her crazy. But crazy or not, they were still taking her with them. It would be the fastest way across the country. All she needed to do was slip off before they arrived, and she’d find the ashen her mother needed.
“Julian!” Helga’s voice called down the road.
Her heart jumped as she leapt from the wall. “Coming!” She took off back down the road as the sun dipped lower, sending shadows across the town.
Flames burned in her belly, the beast she’d never accept returning to torment her. Julian shifted for the thousandth time. After several days in the back of a bouncing trolley, she was ready to be done with her mission. The closer they rode to Ithrendel City, the capital of Salander, the more intense her beast fought.
Heat coursed through her limbs, a constant irritation she couldn’t ignore. Chickens squawked behind her and crates slammed against her side as they rolled over another bump.
Julian sighed and turned once more, shifting to look ahead between the trees. She started as enormous gray stone walls appeared behind the treetops. Beyond the walls, turrets rose: the castle. Her heart sped with excitement. She’d never seen a castle before, nor had she been to a real city. As Helga explained along the way, the city housed thousands of people. The houses spread around the walls as well as inside up the hill before the castle.
She kneeled on the wooden floor, holding a chicken crate and the edge of the trolley for balance. The fire inside her grew stronger with every step the horses took. With every inch of land they crossed, claws scratched her insides. She wanted that girl. She wanted her power. Whoever she was, Julian needed her – no – the beast needed her.
Swallowing, she shook her head. She wished she had cold water to splash over her face, to tame the heat inside and quell the dragon for even a moment.
“You see the towers?” Helga rode up beside the trolley, her bun a mess in the wind, and her eyes wild. “That’s the royal castle where King Brae and his son Prince Emeril reside.”
Julian nodded. She understood their titles from her mother’s teachings, though their names meant nothing to her. Should she know this king and his son? Were they known for something in particular?
“We should arrive within the walls shortly.” Helga smiled and kicked her heels. Her brown stallion trotted up to join the others at the front of the trolley.
Julian sat back on her heels as they crested the hill and hundreds of wooden and cobblestone homes came into view. They rested halfway down the hill on flatland before sloping up again to the castle walls on the hill. She’d never seen something so magnificent, so daunting in all her life. She couldn’t wait to explore it.
The trolley slowed as the dirt road shifted to cobble. The bouncing didn’t lessen any, but the new sights and smells were enough of a distraction. Something tart drifted on the breeze, like fresh baked goods. Children and their parents walked the edges of the road, some with mules, others with dogs, or horses. Most had dark brown hair, while others had haloes of dusty orange.
She’d never known such a color was possible on a human. Then again, she had very little knowledge of humans to draw from.
As she settled back down to watch the town go by, the fire inside her shifted. Where it had come from directly south for days, now it came from the east. Her heart sped as she glanced back and forth at the road. She hadn’t seen anyone she’d assume was an ashen, then again she’d never seen one either.
Julian crouched on the ever-moving floor, holding herself steady with the wooden slats.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” the driver called back. He narrowed his dark eyes with suspicion.
“N-nothing.” Her cheeks flushed.
“Sit down,” he barked. “You can’t be standing in a moving trolley.”
Julian glanced back at the road. She needed to find the magic girl as soon as she could, especially with her so close. She bit her lip. She only had a moment to decide. Julian inched toward the back of the trolley.
“Helga!” the driver shouted. “Your little loon is trying to jump ship!”
Her heart chilled. Hooves beat the cobblestone as Helga rounded the trolley; her once kind green eyes now sharp like knives.
“Julian, what are you doing?” Helga snapped.
Julian cursed herself for not being quicker. She was so wrapped up in all that was new, she missed her chance to flee unnoticed. Slowly, she lowered herself back to the floor of the cart. Helga continued to narrow her eyes and twist her mouth back and forth while she thought.
Several minutes passed, and Helga remained at the back of the pack, her eyes never leaving Julian.
She sighed. There’d be another chance. They couldn’t keep their eyes on her at all times, and even if they did, Julian still had her magic.
Heat burned the tips of her fingers, but even as it did, the dragon reared its head again. Using her flames meant using the beast. She’d only ever used her powers when training with her mother, or when she had to for light.
No, she couldn’t use fire to escape, not unless it was her only option.
As the castle walls grew closer, Julian’s heart sped with worry. It might be much more difficult to flee inside the keep than it was down the dozens of streets. The lanes bustled with more trolleys, carts and people as the cobblestone smoothed out. Their progress slowed until they hardly crawled forward.
She leaned her head back to the sun, biting back a frustrated growl. She didn’t have time for this.
The wide gates to the city loomed ahead until the trolley finally stopped completely.
“State your business,” a city guard said.
Julian twisted in her seat to see what was happening, while Helga trotted around to speak with the man.
“Good day, we bring goods for Elmhurst families coming to the market tomorrow,” Helga explained to the tall man in gold armor, a strange twisted metal seal at his breast. It had to be the mark of Salander city guards.
“Ah, yes.” The man extended a scroll between his hands. “I believe I saw you on the registry.”
“We have our papers if necessary.”
“No need. Just let me verify your name.”
Julian looked between the guards and the back of the trolley. The gates stood wide open, the outer city stretching beyond. It was now or never.
Crouching as quietly as she could, Julian’s heart beat her ribs as she inched toward the back while also looking over her shoulder. No one moved, or glanced her way. She grinned and leapt over the back.
Helga’s messy bun whipped in her directly. Her green eyes flew wide. “Julian, stop!”
Her stomach twisted as she flew down the street, far from the guards in the bustle of people headed for the inner city. Shouting followed her as the guards pushed pedestrians from their path. Helga’s call rang again and again as Julian slipped between couples, families, and farm animals waiting patiently in line.
“Hey!” a woman snapped as she pushed by.
“Apologies!” Julian didn’t dare look back as sweat coated her back and her racing heart grew louder.
She dodged between dozens of people until she could leap onto a side street. Less people occupied it, and Helga’s shouts grew distant.
Catching her breath, Julian clung to the shadows on one side of the street, sneaking through the crack between houses, hardly enough space for her hips and torso. Her racing heart slowed as she emerged onto another street, and then another. Finally, she was free.
Julian wiped her clammy palms on her trousers, and swiped the back of her hand across her forehead. She leaned against the cool stone in the shadows of a blacksmith and closed her eyes.
The heat of magic, the burn of the dragon, was gone.
Her eyes flashed open. When had it gone? It had plagued her moments ago in the trolley. She leaned away from the stone wall and glanced in either direction, her pulse picking up speed.
“Damn it,” she growled. Again, she closed her eyes and searched. She pulled at the familiar magic, and the darkness in her belly. Nothing, but her own power.
Her hands balled into fists at her sides. Heat exploded inside her palms. This wasn’t fair. She was so close. What could have happened? She needed this girl more than she’d ever needed anything before.
She opened her eyes to stare at the dirt. Her fists glowed with fire inside her palms. Julian gasped and glanced down the street. No one.
She sighed with relief and took slow breaths. She had to remain calm. She couldn’t let her power get out of control, not around humans.
After a long moment of steady breathing, her glowing hands returned to normal, and the heat within them faded.
“That was close,” she whispered.
Julian looked up. She had no idea where the magic girl had gone, or whe
re to find her again. She had been so close. She couldn’t have gone far.
Shaking out her limbs, she reset her determination. She couldn’t fail. Not today. There was no other choice but to scour the city for clues.
Julian picked up where she’d left off. The burn of magic was gone, but she remembered where it had been. She took off down the street, away from the main road. It was all for the best, she needed to keep some distance between herself and the city guard.
Heading east, her legs took her while her mind flew in all directions, calling to the magic, searching for even a whisper of it. Nearly ten minutes passed, and a lump of dread sat in her chest, growing heavy between her ribs.
“Where are you?”
She stopped at an intersection. The houses had grown smaller and fewer between. No one roamed the streets. No children laughed. Only distant noise from the main road competed with the wind.
The magic girl had to have been around this place, but why? The homes were small and gray, some of the boards rotted and the stone foundations slid away.
Julian shook her head and continued more slowly. She kept an eye out for thieves or other criminals, something she’d overheard the guards speaking of on their journey. She didn’t want any trouble, or any excuse to use her magic.
Her chest burned faintly and she stopped in front of a dark gray home with thick curtains covering the windows.
It wasn’t the same intensity of the ashen, not even close, but someone magical resided inside that house. Maybe they could help her find what she was looking for.
Julian took one last look at the street before she approached the home. The small porch tilted sideways, the stairs uneven with the ground. They almost appeared to melt into the earth, as moss and weeds reclaimed the small structure.
The cold dread in her chest rose into her throat. She swallowed it, twisting her jaw back and forth as she hovered beside the steps. Warmth blossomed in her belly, the closer she stepped.
“Are you going to stand around outside all day?” the hoarse voice of a woman rumbled behind the door.
Through the Never: a Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection Page 37