Made of Magic and True Grit

by Landry-Daniel Lié

  Chapter 8

  Vince

  I t became a routine after a while: Pinly woke to a bright yellow sun and the smell of fresh bread, cakes and biscuits from the bakeries before they opened, he then tried to find water to wash his face or his whole body if the source was big enough.

  This particular morning, he could feel dried tears from his eyes to his ears. He had cried in his sleep. The spell was wearing off and the nightmare in which he relived the horror of the attack was back.

  Pinly stood up on the roof and slid down a pipe to reach the ground. There weren’t many people in the streets yet; most were still asleep or just waking up. He did his usual walk past the bakeries, devouring the pastries with his eyes whilst eating bland eggs.

  It all happened in a few seconds. Pinly heard light footsteps approaching in his direction, louder and louder. A young boy came rushing out of an alley. Looking back, he failed to see Pinly; they crashed into each other, sending a red rag bag flying across the ground in a loud thud.

  Two more sets of footsteps rushed towards them. These were a lot heavier by the sound of them, hitting the ground with all their might. Two men rushed out of another alley further down. They held knives and shouted threats. The boy looked torn between reaching for his bounty or just running away

  “Damn it!” He cried before making a run for it.

  “You there!” one of the men shouted as he ran towards Pinly. “Don’t you touch that!” Pinly looked back at the boy, who was running for his life. Pliny’s heart pounded like a hammer trying to make a hole through his chest. He grabbed the bag and ran after the boy. Only then did he realise how heavy it was. It was full of meat. Pinly’s nose wrinkled at the smell of raw meat.

  “Thief!” The men shouted. Pinly ran at full speed to try and catch up, but the other boy was unbelievably fast. Meanwhile, the two men were catching up to Pinly, who clearly had overestimated his running abilities. He couldn’t start flying in the middle of the town square so despite his own rule to never venture into the dark and unpaved streets of the Maze, he had no choice as he followed the boy who unknowingly led him into it.

  “Wait!” Pinly shouted after the boy. The two men had stopped following after one too many turns. He stopped running too. He had lost sight of the boy and now regretted picking up the bag. What had come over him? Pinly was frightened, but it also felt good, exhilarating even, just to be able to help someone in danger; it was the most satisfying feeling. Except now he was no help to the boy, or even himself.

  Pliny turned into an alley, then another. He didn't know how long he had been in there or how he was going to get out. He wasn’t even sure he really wanted to — the men might be waiting for him with their long knives.

  “Psst” Pinly heard. “Psst, over here!” This time the direction of the call was clearer. It came from the boy, hiding behind a wall, just letting a bit of his face show. “Are they gone?” he asked.

  “They were gone a long time ago.” Pinly extended the bag, which had become completely red with blood. “Here, take it.”

  The boy approached and took the bag.

  “Thank you,” he said. Pinly felt good about himself for not throwing the bag away now that he had a good look at the boy. His clothes were filled with holes and incredibly filthy. His black hair had a slight grey dust tint. It was hard to tell which was dirtier, the clothes or the boy. The only thing that seemed intact were his bright emerald eyes. “What’s your name?”

  “Pinly,” he replied, the boy started laughing out loud

  “What kind of a name is that?”

  Pinly found his laughter irritating. “It’s a perfectly good name,” he snapped. “What’s yours, then?”

  The boy took a minute to stop laughing before he answered. “Vince.”

  “Pff. Well that’s a stupid name,” Pinly said.

  “Oh, alright, don’t be so sensitive. I was only joking.” He tapped Pinly’s shoulder. “Come with me.”

  “Where are we going?” Pinly asked.

  “To my house,” Vince replied.

  Pinly wasn't sure he wanted to go there, but for now Vince was his safest option. They took so many turns in the dark alleys that Pinly knew for sure he would have died in the maze if Vince hadn't found him. He was impressed that anyone managed to find their way in such a place.

  Vince seemed to know most people they crossed paths with. He had a nickname for many of them— he called one of them Squirrel, before Pinly could ask why he had earned that nickname, the boy had climbed up to a roof with an agility he wished he had. They had walked for so long that the bag of meat had stopped dripping with blood, but the smell was only getting stronger. They finally arrived at Vince’s place, which he introduced with a proud, “Tadah!”

  It looked like an abandoned house; the windows were broken and the façade was covered with dead roots. Pinly had to suppress an urge to fix it with magic.

  “It’s not much, but it’s mine… and my brothers and others'.” As Vince finished speaking, a little boy with long, unruly brown hair ran out and grabbed his leg. “Here we go!” He grunted as he dragged the extra weight into the house. “That’s Matt.” He patted the little boy’s head.

  The inside of the house was a little less dirty than Pinly thought it would be. Two other boys sat at a wooden table.

  “Leo and Dave.” Vince pointed at the boys, who ate porridge out of the same bowl using oversized wooden spoons. They barely acknowledged Pinly, and Matt let go of Vince to join them. Leo had an abundance of black curly hair, bright brown eyes and ebony skin. Dave looked a lot more like Pinly than Vince, with sunkissed skin and dark brown eyes.

  “And you guys are all brothers?” Pinly found it strange that they looked nothing alike.

  “Well, not from the same parents, obviously, but we chose each other. That’s stronger than blood if you ask me.”

  “Where have you been? We've been waiting all morning!” Dave said.

  “Alright! Since when do I answer to you?” Vince replied as he and Pliny continued into a small kitchen. “They can be annoying sometimes.” Vince sighed. Pinly smiled, as he knew all too well what Vince meant.

  There was a boy, slightly older than they were, standing by a wood-fired oven. This boy also looked completely different from the others, sporting long black hair and blue eyes.

  “Where have you been?” the older boy complained before snatching the bag of meat off Vince.

  “Are you guys going to get off my back today?” Vince said before turning to Pinly “That’s George, a right pain in my behind. George, this is Pinly.”

  “Nice to meet you, mate. That’s a nice name.” George said. Pinly smirked at Vince before shaking George’s hand.

  “Thank you. Nice to meet you, too.”

  “Pinly helped me get this. I almost got caught today, they ran after me with knives and all. They've never been so hostile. It’s only meat,” Vince said.

  George sighed. “You don’t need to do that, you know. It’s too dangerous.” He put the bag on the counter. Vince shrugged and they left the kitchen. The two boys went up creaking stairs to the first floor. The place was old and dusty, the floorboards cracked and the walls damp. It felt like it was all going to crumble at any given minute. Vince pushed a door open at the end of the corridor. Inside, there were three large mattresses and five bedsheets, along with a mirror in the corner and a pile of random objects he had probably looted over time.

  “This is the bedroom.” Vince waved proudly at it all.

  “What about the other rooms?” Pinly asked. They had passed several other doors in the corridor, all shut.

  “We don’t go in them, you’d fall through the floor,” he replied. Pinly nodded, determined to never make that mistake, although he could just hover over it. Vince walked towards one of the broken windows. He opened the frame regardless and climbed out of sight.

  “2What are you doing?” Pinly went to the window and looked up at Vince. He was climbing on the roof.

  “Ju
st follow me,” Vince replied. Pinly sighed his discontent before doing as he asked. Soon Vince's dirty feet disappeared out of view and it was his turn. Pinly climbed on the window ledge. Vince was waiting on the roof, his arm extended for Pinly to grab, and so he did. High up in the sky the sun showered them with warm light. The sky was bluer than it had been in months. Vince lay down comfortably. Pinly sat next to him. They stayed like that for a minute before Vince broke the silence. “Where are you from?” he asked.

  “Far… I’m not even sure where it is anymore,” Pinly replied, realising how far he’d gone.

  “What’s it like over there?” Vince asked with his eyes closed, as if he was going to imagine Pinly’s home.

  “It’s in the middle of a forest. A lot smaller than here, but the people are nicer.” Vince laid there with a smile on his face as if the images of Pinly's village were coming to him, as if he too, longed for a place where people were nice, where there was no need to steal food. A real home. “The trees are high and green, the food is abundant…” He thought about the last feast he had. “There is a lake not too far from my house. We use to spend all our free time in it…” He stopped himself before telling Vince how they turned it into a hot spring during cold weather, since that involved using magic.

  “Who is ‘we’?” Vince asked.

  Pinly’s eyes filled with unshed tears, but Vince couldn’t see it as he still had his closed.

  “Me and… the other kids.” He didn’t want to mention his brother for fear of bursting into sobs. He wiped his eyes. “But enough talking about me, where are you from?” .

  Vince giggled, finally opened his eyes and sat up. “Enough about you? You barely told me anything…”

  Pinly shrugged. “There's not much to say, to be honest,” he lied— there was so much to say, he could spend days talking about it.

  “Well, I stopped asking myself that question a long time ago. I was left in an alley where George’s mother found me. They took care of me, so I guess I’m from here,” he said.

  “Where is she?” Pinly asked.

  “She was burned alive.”

  Pinly gasped in horror. “Why?”

  “They accused her of being a witch.”

  Pinly’s inside turned upside down when he heard that. Who knew what they would do to him if they knew he was a fairy?

  “She was so gentle, it shouldn’t matter if she was a witch… She was nice.” Vince put his head on his knees, his eyes focused on images only he could see. Even without knowing her, Pinly knew for a fact she had been burnt wrongly. There was no way a magical being would have been burnt alive by humans; it just didn't make sense. They could have hurt her whilst chasing her, but all a witch had to do was to wave her fingers and the flames would disappear.

  He put a sympathetic hand on Vince’s shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Vince nodded. “So where are you headed?” he asked.

  The question took Pinly by surprise; he wasn’t expecting Vince to care about that

  “Out of town. I've been trying to find my way out for weeks now, but it's just impossible. I've never been in such a big place.”

  “Yes, unless you know the city well or someone helps you, you’ll need to fly to find your way out.” Vince giggled. Pinly smiled, as Vince didn't know just how possible that was. “I’ll show you out.”

  “You will?” Pinly sighed with relief.

  “I have matters to tend to tomorrow, and hopefully you can help me with them. Then, right after that, I’ll take you out of town.”

  “Thank you, thank you!” Pinly couldn’t believe his luck. He had been in a rush to leave town before, but didn’t mind waiting another day this time. Even if he didn’t know what Vince was up to yet, he was willing to help him if it meant being able to leave Chavo.

  He and Vince spent a good part of the afternoon chatting on the roof. Pinly told stories about adventures he had with his brother, but was careful not to reveal too much. Most of the stories made Vince laugh until his sides ached. In return, he told Pinly stories of things that happened to him in the city of Chavo, including how he met the rest of his uncommon family, how Matt only ever said very few words to very few people, how Dave was found abandoned under a pile of rubble and how Leo had just turned up one day, dirty and hungry. Pinly commented that he might not be hungry anymore, but was still dirty, and they laughed.

  “Get down here!” George’s voice resonated through the thin walls of the house.

  “It’s time to eat!” Vince celebrated. “Race you downstairs.” He rushed off the roof, and moments later Pinly heard Vince's feet land in a soft thump on the floor below. He, on the other hand, was not as comfortable on his feet, so he took his time to get down, feeling like he could fall off at any moment until his toes touched the sturdy ledge.

  “You do know what a race is, right?” Vince said, tapping an impatient foot on the dusty floor.

  “I’m not used to climbing on that roof,” Pinly replied. “It’s dangerous.” Vince led the way downstairs, where everyone else was waiting impatiently.

  “Mate hurry up, all we've done today is wait for you,” George complained.

  “Alright, DAD!” Vince replied sarcastically.

  “Watch it, mate.”

  Vince clenched his fists. “Or what?”

  Pinly wanted to say something to try and calm them down, but before he could, George took off chasing Vince around the table. Matt, Leo and Dave laughed and cheered them on as the two older boys started to wrestle. Pinly realised it was all fun and games when they started laughing too. George let go of Vince.

  “Who’s the best?” He curled his arms in victory.

  “You are!” Leo and Dave replied.

  “Next time I’ll get you.” Vince panted as he sat down. Pinly sat next to him. In the middle of the table was the meat they had stolen earlier, now cooked and steaming hot. They began to eat, each tearing a piece. They didn’t have much but Pinly couldn’t help but envy what little they had: a family, something he had been robbed of. These boys were a reminder to why he was on the road. Something clicked in Pinly’s head. He had to get this back. He had to find Lion. How long was he going to run? Where was he running to anyway? This had to stop.

  “So, Pinly, right?” George asked. Matt, Dave and Leo giggled.

  “Funny name, right?” Vince asked the younger boys, who nodded. Pinly elbowed him in the ribs. “Ouch, what was that for?” He complained.

  “Don’t listen to them,” George said. “Are you staying with us? You’re more than welcome to stay here.” He took a big bite off his serving.

  Pinly thought about it for a second, If george had asked him before, he probably would have said yes but his plans had changed “Thank you, but I can’t stay…” he replied

  “Pinly is heading out of town,” Vince broke in.

  “What are you after out there?” George continued his interrogation, his mouth still full of meat. Pinly stayed quiet, thinking up a believable lie.

  “Whatever is left of my family,” he said, which wasn’t a lie but wasn’t the whole truth either. In fact, not only was he now after Lion, but he wanted revenge too. The yearning consumed him from deep within; he’d had many nights to think it over.

  Vince came to his aid. “Stop pestering him with all your questions, it’s obviously personal!”

  “Alright, I respect that.” George shrugged. “Good luck, anyway.” He gave Pinly a sympathetic smile. “If I was you, I’d do the exact same thing, but…”

  “But your family is here,” Vince broke in. “Me and the rest of the ugly bunch.” They all laughed. The meagre feast in front of him was the first meal with meat Pinly had had in weeks, and he was more grateful than he meant to show. He moaned in appreciation with every bite.

  “You’re enjoying that, aren’t you?” George asked. Pinly stopped chewing when he realised the noises he made were audible to everyone else.

  “That’s embarrassing,” Pinly said, but he kept stuffing his
mouth. “I haven’t had a decent meal for so long. Thank you for having me, guys.”

  “Don’t be silly, mate,” Vince said. “This meat is here thanks to you. Eat to your heart’s content.” He pushed the plate of meat closer to Pinly.

  After the small feast, they went back to the roof, this time with George, Dave, Leo and Matt with them too, soaking up the sun and telling more stories. They laughed the afternoon away. When the sun gave way to the moon, the boys went inside. They arranged the three mattresses. The inseparable Leo and Dave lay on the first one, George and Matt on the second one, then Pinly and Vince on the last.

  Pinly fell asleep, but the nightmares came back and they were extremely vivid. He could see himself running towards his parents while they fought the silver soldier. He saw the soldier strangling his brother, but it didn’t end there as it usually did; this time the silver soldier dropped Lion and came back for him. He glared at Pinly with his bright green eyes before raising his sword, and as he was about to strike Pinly down, the nightmare ended. Pinly woke up jumping, covered in cold sweat.

  “NO!” He screamed. “No…” He started crying.

  “It’s okay, P.” He felt Vince's hand tap him gently on the back and began to cry even louder. “P” was also the nickname his brother had given him. He felt stupid and weak again. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t cry anymore, but it felt like pushing his tears down had only managed to make the heartache grow and now the pain was too big not to come out.

  Matt, half asleep, stood up and went to give him a hug., The little boy, who rarely spoke, opened his mouth and said, “It’s okay.”