by Rain Oxford
I considered how my relationship with my father was perfectly normal for sorcerers, and if I was a sorcerer, it wouldn’t bother me. He was, however, just a sorcerer. He cared about me in his own way, and it wasn’t his problem that I didn’t see things the same way. Mason had a great relationship with his father, which I often envied. I would never have that.
And then I realized that it didn’t matter. I had Merlin and many trustworthy friends. I even had a goat that adored me and a dragon that didn’t eat me when I summoned him. Merlin would do what was best for me and he didn’t lie to me unless he had a very good reason to. How could I be envious of Mason or anyone else when I had more than many people?
My father smirked at me, as if he knew exactly what I didn’t say. “Was there anything else, son?”
“No.”
“Good. I see that Merlin has taught you well.”
I went outside to join Shaerl, who was sitting in a chair on the porch. I sat in the chair next to her and we silently watched two hatchlings wrestle in the yard. When they weren’t biting and clawing, they would use the boulders to hide and ambush, run, shoot fire, and even ram into each other head first. I wondered if my grandmother was going to say something, but eventually, I realized she didn’t have anything she needed to discuss.
I did, though.
“Has a Sjau ever had a Sjau child?” I asked.
“No.”
“You didn’t allow my father to be with Livia because she was a Sjau, right?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t get that. He was still the seventh born son and he could have had sons with her. My life would have been different if she was my mother. Maybe they were meant to be together.”
“It doesn’t work that way.”
“You don’t know that. I can’t imagine living with someone I hate.”
“Your father did his duty and made the Rynorm name proud. Now that you are old enough to be without a mother, he can be with whoever he wants.”
“Ilvera Dracre was hardly a mother. I don’t know what plot you were---”
“I wasn’t plotting against anyone. I was protecting Livia.”
“From my father or Ilvera?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t understand, but for some reason, I remembered her telling me that she was supposed to be a Sjau. The death of her older sister broke the line, however, and she was born without Sjau magic. Every Rynorm had strived for Sjau children in order to have their power in the family. Then I thought of Merlin and Nimue, and how miserable they both were by being separated. “Were you protecting Livia from love?”
“I was trying to.”
“Your husband wasn’t the man you wanted to marry, was he?”
“Kalage is a good husband.”
“That wasn’t my question, but your avoidance answers it anyway. Who did you love?”
“Koufax Niblock. My mother introduced me to him when I was just a girl, right around the same age as Livia and Kille were when they met. I was supposed to learn about Sjau from Koufax. My mother realized I loved him before I did, and she ordered him to betray me. Instead, he told me what her plot was and that he couldn’t break my heart. Then he did break my heart by telling me I had to go home and pretend to hate him.”
“I take it that didn’t last long?”
“I thought I would hate him for real for siding with my mother over me, but eventually, I realized he was trying to protect me. I confronted my mother. I was young and impulsive, full of anger, as any scorned sorceress was. She punished me severely and swore if I ever set eyes on Koufax again, she would kill him.”
“Did she have that power? He’s a Sjau.”
“I don’t know, but I thought she did at the time. Besides, he had an alliance with our family and I couldn’t risk damaging it. By the time I recovered a couple months later, I was engaged to Kalage.”
“Why was she against you being with Koufax?”
“She said that if a Sjau had seven children, it would break the dragons’ spell and there would never be a Sjau born again.”
“Why not just stop you from having seven children?”
“I couldn’t control Koufax through marriage. My mother wanted a Sjau grandchild.”
“Well, that obviously didn’t work out. What happened?”
“The dragons told her that if I married Kalage, a Sjau would be born in the Rynorm line once again. She thought Kalage was the seventh son, but he wasn’t; he had an older sister.”
“So you were forced to marry him for nothing?”
“No. The dragons were right; you were born and you are a Rynorm.”
“How could you prevent your son from marrying who he wanted when you knew how hard it was when it happened to you?”
“Because my mother was right to do what she did. Caldaca needs the Sjau and I would not be responsible for their extinction. I tried to reason with my son, but he was even worse than me at that age.”
At that point, Yuri and Merlin joined us. The dragoness was now dark blue and looked gold when the light flickered across her.
“Merlin explained a lot of things to me,” Yuri said. “What it comes down to is that I don’t have to be perfect to be a king; I only have to do my best, and that means listening to the advice of others but not always taking it.”
The dragoness, still on Yuri’s shoulder, hopped onto his head and chirped at the two older hatchlings, who stopped playing immediately and turned to listen to her. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to roar or speak. After a moment, both other dragons took off in the opposite directions like their tails were on fire.
Yuri shuddered.
“What did she say to them?” Shaerl asked.
“Something about the snow. I still don’t understand her very well, but I got a sudden chill. It’s gone now.”
“So, what are you going to do about the kingdom and the other immortals?” I asked.
“I’m going to return to my castle, help my parents defeat the opposition, and then ask my mother to bring in a lot of dragons. It’s her kingdom, not mine, so until it is, it’s not my choice.”
I didn’t agree with the decision, but it was his to make.
“I will get together a kit for each new dragon guardian to make sure that they can properly care for their hatchlings,” Shaerl said.
“Thank you for your help,” I said.
“I am willing to help all dragons. I will also train you, Ayden, if you want to help Yuri. I’m glad you came to us. As always, you are welcome here.”
“How touching. Family reunions are the best. Oh, except for you, right Merlin?”
The man who appeared before us was… forgettable. I looked right at him and couldn’t say what color his hair or eyes were, if he was tall or short, if he was over or underweight. His clothes were black and fitted, not like anything we had on Caldaca. The robe he wore was black leather and clung to him. In his right hand was the paintbrush Hawk had designed. In his left was an unmarked, black leather book.
If I didn’t focus on his appearance, I could describe him easily; he was evil. He was emanating malevolence like any sorcerer, but it was strong enough to scare a dragon. At that moment, I would rather have faced my mother and Baltezore by myself! Either of them would have just killed me. This person wanted to make everyone suffer. I had no idea how I knew that, but I did. He wanted to hurt people, not kill them. He wasn’t after power.
“Go inside, Ayden,” Shaerl said. She was probably the most powerful sorceress on Caldaca, and she was trembling.
The stranger laughed. “Go inside? And miss all the fun? Wouldn’t you rather see your pretty little robe painted with your friend’s blood? I would so love to see it. I want to see how pale your skin gets when you’re drenched in your blood. I bet it would look like blood in snow. Oh, yes, there’s an idea. Snow will make this scene perfect, don’t you think?”
I shook my head, although I didn’t know what I was disagreeing to.
He scoffed. “Well, what do yo
u know about setting a scene?” He opened his book and started painting in it. “While I’m at it, is there somewhere you would rather die than here, Merlin?”
Merlin didn’t move; his eyes were wide with shock as he stared at the man. Obviously, it was another one of Merlin’s acquaintances, but I didn’t think it was a friend.
“Who are you?” I asked.
He stopped painting just as snow began falling. “Oh, where are my manners? You can call me the Painter.”
“That’s not very scary.”
“It’s not supposed to be. I’m not evil. I only want what everyone else wants; happiness, love, freedom… revenge.”
“Are you implying that Merlin wronged you somehow?”
He grinned. “Wronged me?” He laughed. “Wronged me?! He---” He cut himself off mid-shout, took a deep breath, and grinned again. It was a deranged grin. “He did much more than wrong me.” Now his tone was too calm. “He made me who I am today. I take it he didn’t tell you about me? I’m not surprised. What a shameful little secret. You must know all about his secrets, don’t you? You’re his apprentice. Did you think he always tells the truth?”
“I don’t know why you’re so mad, but I think you have the wrong---”
“Mad?” he interrupted. “No, I’m not mad. I’m excited. I’ve been waiting a very long time for this day.” He looked at Merlin. “Go on, Merlin. Tell me you don’t remember me. I’ll kill you a lot faster and less painfully. I want to hear you lie once more. For old times’ sake.”
“What’s going on?” I asked Merlin.
Slowly, Merlin nodded. “I remember you. I never forgot you for a day.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet,” the Painter said with false sincerity. “Maybe I shouldn’t kill you.” Then he laughed. “I’m only joking. I’m still going to kill you. I just…” he shuddered. “There are so many ways it’s just so hard to decide.” He looked at me. “Now there’s an idea. You can decide. What’s the worst way to kill Merlin?”
“Leave Ayden out of this. He has done nothing to you.”
“If you can’t keep your mouth shut, Merlin, I will shut it for you.”
“I’m not going to help you,” I said.
“Sure you will. You’ll take some persuading, but that’s the fun part. Don’t take my word for it; I’ll show you.” He pressed the paintbrush to the book again and Shaerl screamed. I had never heard such a sound of agony. Black lines formed under her skin, giving the impression that she was cracking from the inside out. Blood flowed from her nose, ears, mouth, and eyes.
“Stop!”
The Painter smirked. “Don’t tell me you’re giving up already. I’m only getting started.” At that point Shaerl passed out and the Painter stopped with a pout. “Never mind. I thought that would have lasted longer. Who’s next?” He looked at Yuri, who took a step back, cradling the dragoness against his chest. “I guess it’s as good a time as any to take my dragon back.”
“Why do you want her?”
“Isn’t it obvious? She’s the most beautiful dragon I’ve ever seen. I love beauty. That is why I want to use her blood as my paint. I can use magic paint, sure, but that’s not the same as painting with a dragon’s blood, and if I’m going to use a dragon to make art, it needs to be a beautiful dragon.”
“Please don’t.”
“Please don’t what?”
“Please don’t take her.”
“Why not?”
“Without her, I’m powerless. I have to protect my family and she’s now part of it.”
I thought the Painter would laugh. I was afraid he would kill the dragoness in front of him. Instead, he nodded. “Very well. I know what it’s like to lose your family. Right, Merlin? Besides, your begging amuses me. You can keep the dragon on two conditions. First, you give me the paint, and second, you tell me the worst way you can think of to kill someone.”
Yuri swallowed and looked at me, carefully avoiding eye contact with Merlin.
“You can’t do this,” I said to the Painter. “There has to be someone on Caldaca strong enough to stop you.”
“I am losing patience, Yuri,” the Painter said, ignoring me. Yuri pulled the bottle out of his pocket. “That’s it. Now hand me the paint; I won’t bite.”
Yuri crept closer. When the dragoness hissed, he put his hand over her head to try to hide her better from the Painter. I was certain it was a trick, but he didn’t have a lot of choice. Anyone who could do what he’d done to Shaerl was too much for Yuri. He stopped just out of reach, as if his feet wouldn’t move a step closer.
The Painter took it. Yuri scrambled back, still not able to look at Merlin.
“Now for the second part.”
“I heard of a…” Yuri swallowed. “Of a kingdom that was overthrown. They made the king and queen eat their own children before they were allowed to die themselves.”
The Painter laughed loudly. “Very clever! Good job. You can keep the dragon. Run along now before I change my mind.”
“I’m sorry,” Yuri said to me.
“You have to put your dragon first. I understand.”
Yuri ran. The Painter quickly lost his mirth. “On second thought, that’s not even close to the worst way to die, so I won’t use it. It might be fun on someone else, though.”
Shaerl stirred on the ground and somehow, she must have silently called to her family, because an instant later, her husband and seven sons spilled out of the house, armed with their wands and fury.
They reacted instantly by blasting magic at the Painter. Merlin and I ducked. It was over quickly, but when I looked up, the Painter wasn’t there.
A laugh towards the cabin told us this wasn’t over. The Painter was now standing in front of the door, completely unharmed. “You’ve insulted me. I thought the ‘great Rynorm family’ would at least be able to give me some exercise.”
“You do not threaten our family and get away with it,” Kalage warned. “By this time tomorrow, you will be dead.”
The Painter’s eyes lit up. “Is that so? That sounds like a bet. Now you’re making it fun for me again. Let’s see.” He glanced at the setting sun. “How about, by sunset tomorrow, I’ll be dead… or all of you will be.” He painted something in his book and a moment later, the ground rumbled. It was over quickly and there was no damage. “There now. None of you can get out and no one else can get in. That means your dragons, too. This time tomorrow, if you haven’t killed me, you will all sink into the ocean and drown. Except for Merlin. He will return to his crystal prison and be trapped for all eternity, without magic, knowing that he’s the reason you’re all dead. Bye for now.” He touched something in the book and vanished.
An instant later, he reappeared. “Oh, I almost forgot. Whenever you feel prepared to fight me, call my name three times. You get as many chances as you want and I won’t kill any of you. Good luck.”
He vanished.
An instant later, he reappeared. “Well, I mean, I won’t kill you, but I will hurt you. Really bad. So don’t call me unless you actually think you are ready to face me.”
He vanished, and this time, I felt the tension start to leave my body. The Rynorms focused their attention on Shaerl. Kalage picked his wife up gently and carried her inside. I hoped they had a healing potion, because I believed the Painter when he said we couldn’t leave. It was still snowing.
“Merlin, I think you need to explain.”
Chapter 17
“I made a terrible mistake,” Merlin said solemnly. We were alone in our room. Although everyone else wanted to know and had a right to know who the Painter was and why he was after us, Merlin insisted on telling me alone first.
“I thought you weren’t keeping anything from me anymore.” He had kept the fact that he knew my mother from me until I learned of my aunt. I was upset at first, but I forgave him, because he didn’t know me well at the time. Later, I learned that he had lied to me about how his mother died. Again, I forgave him, because that was his personal business. He was t
he one who told me he wouldn’t keep anything else from me. We were supposed to be able to trust each other. I trusted him more than anyone else.
But it turned out he was still lying to me.
“I should have told you about him. I did not know he was still even alive.”
“Who is he? How did you meet him? What did you do to him?”
“To be honest, if it was not for him, you would not be my apprentice today. When I escaped the cave, I told myself I would never do anything I would regret ever again. It was a promise I would break just a year later. I was trying to live a quiet life and reaffirm who I was. I needed to figure out where I fit in. I had a dream that this boy would be amazing. I saw him do extraordinary things to help millions of people. Save worlds, even. I thought it was my chance to atone for what I did to my mother and for not avenging her death.”
“You were desperate for forgiveness.”
“That I was. I just had not yet realized I was the only one who could forgive me. I went to him and observed him from a distance. He was a farm boy, not at all afraid of hard work, yet he was a dreamer, too. I knew he had some amazing power, but it was not power like you or I had. He had no idea what he could do. What I did know was that I had gone to him too early.”
“So you left?”
“No. I should have, but no. I was too eager to show him his destiny. You see, his father was a cruel man, and while his mother never hurt him herself, she never helped him, either. They were breaking him of the innocence all children are born with. He was a fascinating child; creative and clever. I went to him and explained what it was I had seen. I told him he would be magnificent, the greatest man I knew, and then I told him he was too young.”
“Oh. I can understand why he would be upset.”
“I wish that was the end of it. I said that when he was old enough, he would discover his power, and that he could come and find me. I promised to teach him. I had never seen a child so happy in my entire life, and I probably never will again. I should have guessed his power would be paint.”