by Lisa Daniels
Callie slammed into the door, her hand twisting the knob and pushing it open. The tiger entered just behind her before she could slam the door closed. She leaned against the door, her head resting against it with her eyes closed, her hand on the lock.
“What in the good grace of Gandromea is going on?”
“With your birthday only a week away, it has become increasingly more difficult to mask you.”
Callie spun around. Her back against the door, she found herself looking at a tall man with short, white hair. His muscles weren’t too big, but his clothes clung to his body as if to emphasis them. He watched her with his yellow eyes, and Callie felt like a mouse trapped by a cat.
But for some reason she wasn’t afraid.
“I take it you are… um…” Her mind tried to latch onto the name that the man on her horse had used.
“Caden. It is an honor to finally get to talk to you, but unfortunately, you cannot stay here any longer. The fact that,” his thin lips seemed to disappear as an unpleasant look passed over his handsome features, “that woman found you, I knew that I should have taken you away. But you were so….” He watched her for a moment longer. “I am sorry. It would have been easier if I had taken you out of here last year. And I definitely should have taken you away yesterday after the nobleman.” The detail in her mind clicked. The exotic male voice from the day before belonged to the man in front of her, and it was clear that he had known her for a lot longer than just a day. His eyes watched every little reaction that passed over her face, but he continued, “I am sorry that you won’t get to say good-bye, but the town’s people know that you are leaving in the morning. You do have time to write a note, and then—”
Callie stepped forward, all questions going out of her mind at the idea of leaving the village without an apothecary. “I’m not leaving.”
Caden blinked. “I can no longer protect you from what is coming.”
“I don’t care. I don’t know you and I don’t need protection. I’ve made it this long on my own—” She noticed that his eyebrow rose at the words, but he didn’t say a word. With impossibly smooth strides, he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the door. In a single fluid motion he pulled the door open. There was a sound like thunder, and he pointed toward a small line of torches that were visible in the distance.
“They are coming for you. If you still want to stay, I will do my best, but I can tell you now that neither of us will make it out alive. And death is not what they have in mind for you.”
Chapter 4
A Hard Choice
Callie stood still, staring at the dim lights moving along the road she had run down just yesterday. “Why? I mean, how do you know?” She couldn’t pry her eyes off of the lights, but Callie saw the stranger watching her.
“You are a mystic.”
That allowed her to pry her eyes from the sight to look at the man. “I can’t be. I was born not too far from here in Falstone, and I am a citizen of Sumaria.” The stranger shook his head. “Look, I don’t know much about mystics, but I know that they can use magic, and I have… never…” Callie’s memories came flooding back. The basket weaving itself back together. The collection of roots and plants appearing unharmed. Then there was a memory that began to force itself into her mind, a memory that she had largely tried to forget because she had never had an explanation for it.
“I am sorry that it is coming so suddenly. I should have shown myself sooner, but I didn’t…” Again his voice trailed off as if there was something he didn’t want to consider.
Callie furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand any of this, but I feel certain that I can find some way—”
He shook his head, “The Tale of the Mystic and the Fanatics.”
Callie looked at him and tilted her head to the side. “You were in the troupe.”
The stranger nodded.
“Your name wasn’t Caden then.”
“It was, but I couldn’t use it and keep you safe.”
“You gave me that book. You know I had a—” Cutting herself off before she could admit having a crush on him, Callie tried to organize her thoughts. She ran a hand along her forehead. “You gave me that book as a way of letting me know about where I came from, but you never told me.” Callie knew she should feel hurt, but at that moment she couldn’t process everything, let alone figure out how she felt about it.
“I know it is a lot to take in, and it is compounded by your current situation. But right now, I need for you to decide if you want to take a stand now, knowing what they will do to you. Or we need to flee.”
Callie stepped out of the way as he closed the door, closing off the sight so that it was no longer a distraction. “I want to stay.”
Caden’s expression didn’t show any feelings as his eyes watched hers. “If that is what you want, I will try to take down as many as possible.”
His hand began to turn the handle. Callie quickly reached out and stopped him. “No, you don’t have to stay. I will face them.”
Caden’s eyes flashed, and for a second she felt afraid. “I have not left you in nearly two decades. I will not fail in my duties now.”
“What?” Callie felt certain she had misheard him. Realizing there wasn’t time to try to figure it out, she tried to pull him away from the door. “I want you to run. I will face them.”
Callie shivered at the way his eyes passed over her, and she could tell he was working out a strategy to deal with her. Half expecting him to simply pick her up and run out the back door, she braced herself for a fight. After all, if she could use magic, there must be some way to get out of this. The mystic in the story had managed it.
To her surprise, Caden took a deep breath. “Even if you don’t mind them slowly draining you of magic and life over the next 150 years, what good will it do your village? To never hear from you again? To lose the only place with medicines, herbs, and books that could keep their village going? How long do you think the village will last as people slowly die out? And how do you think Proseus will feel as the people he tries to help die? You won’t even be able to send instructions to help him as he struggles without any chance of success. Is that the state you want to leave them in?”
Callie squirmed. “Couldn’t you help them?”
“I will be dead.”
“I told you to run. You can come back and help them once they take me.”
He shook his head, “I am not a mystic, so even if I could be a traitor to my Order, I could not save your home or the village.”
Callie bit her lip. “You could try.”
There was a low growl from Caden. “I will be dead long before they reach you. I will not run. I will not betray my station. And I want you to take the time I buy you to consider how much the village will suffer for your pointless sacrifice.”
“How dare you call my actions pointless?” She stood as tall as she could manage, but she knew that she was still a full head shorter than Caden. “You do not know that I will lose.”
“Without my help, you have no idea how to use your magic.”
Callie opened her mouth to protest his words, but suddenly things started to click in place. Every time she had used magic, the voice had told her what to do. Every time she had been in danger over the last day, the voice had calmed her and made sure she stayed safe. “You are the voice.” It was almost an accusation.
“I will be dead before they reach you, and without training, you will not stand a chance. Apprentices never survive on their own. It takes years of training to be able to fight. That is not what your magic is meant to do.”
Callie leaned against a table. “What am I supposed to do?”
Caden looked at the door, then back at Callie. “You are supposed to make a decision because I cannot do that for you. I would prefer that you escape from here and return to a place where you can learn after your powers fully reveal themselves. If my life will buy you that, then I will gladly give it.”
Callie scowled, “Why are you s
o bent on sacrificing yourself? If you think I’m being absurd, listen to yourself.”
“You said you want to stay. If my life will convince you that is the wrong decision, then it will have been worth it. I will leave you with everything you need to return home to Solona, and the Order will know where to send my replacement. I apologize that I cannot break the connection, so you will feel my death, but I think that will work in my favor.”
Callie’s eyes went wide. “I’ll feel your what? No, I won’t let you go. I don’t want you to go running off to die just to convince me to do what you want me to do.”
“If you are resolved to stay here, I won’t have another choice.”
Callie glanced at the door. “But why? Why are you so bent on protecting me?”
“I cannot tell you that right now because I either need to go face them, or I need to get you out of here. These are my only options. And you are out of time.” His hand turned the knob as if to emphasize his words.
“I don’t understand.”
“You don’t have to. You made your choice, and I accept what it means for me. There is no more time to waste. Pay attention to the connection because now that you know what you are, you should be able to feel it. If you aren’t prepared, it will hurt you, so when you feel—”
“No!” Callie was horrified and finally found her voice. “I am not going to stand by and feel you die because—” She took one look at Caden’s resolve and knew there was no way to convince him to run without her. Dropping so that she sat on the table, she looked at the ground. “What if I agreed to go with you? Can I still help the village?”
Caden looked at the door. It was obvious he was dealing with an internal conflict. “I think you are just trying to stall me.” His yellow eyes flashed as he looked back at her.
“No, if I agree to run now, I want a guarantee that I will be able to keep helping the people here. Proseus has not been doing this long enough to be an apothecary, and I know that he will run himself ragged trying. With his constitution, it will kill him.”
Caden released the doorknob and folded his arms across his chest. His eyes continued to flick toward the door as he spoke, “I know of a way to ensure that your instructions will reach him, and I may be able to supply an apothecary for them within a month or two. Proseus will be able to fulfill his training, and the village will be alright. Not as well off as if you were here, but better than they would be without anyone.”
“I don’t want you to just supply them with someone who can’t do the job right.”
A small smile flickered across his handsome face, and Callie found herself wishing that it had lasted a little longer. She was so distracted by the smile that she almost missed what he was telling her. “I know a couple of good apothecaries who need a change of location because they are about to lose their villages. I can even let you decide which one I bring in for the position.”
Callie wanted to protest having to determine who would live and who would be forced into service, but she also knew that apothecaries didn’t have it nearly so bad when they were forced into service. They just lost their abilities to experiment because they were monitored much more closely. Finally, she nodded. “Alright, but I want to start learning about them tonight.”
Caden narrowed his eyes. “Are you trying to trick me?”
“No, I am serious. I will leave the village if—” She closed her eyes, unwilling to talk about the other option. “I will leave with you, but I want to start finding the replacement immediately.”
“How do I know that you will follow through?”
“You can drag me away if I don’t.”
He blinked at her for a minute, clearly not expecting that response. “You swear that you agree to being forcefully removed?”
“Yes, but first, I need to—”
“We don’t have time for you to do anything else. There are men moving around to the back along the other road, and they will have the path blocked within minutes. We must be out before that happens.”
“I have a horse.”
He gave her a look of pity. “Your horse is gone.”
“No, I have another because—”
He shook his head, “He let it go before hunting you down in the village.”
Callie frowned, “How do you know?”
“I saw him. Now, come on.” He grabbed her hand and started to hurry her to the back door.
Callie was very aware of the feel of his hand on hers, and a shock of pleasure went up her arm as she watched his determined steps going through the hallway. It was only when they were about to go past her room that she pulled away. “Wait a couple of seconds. I have to get a couple of things.”
“Callie, we don't have—”
The apothecary disappeared into her room and grabbed the book Alexis had given her and the fairytales that Caden had given her many years earlier. Grabbing a few other objects and shoving them into a traveler’s bag she had thought she would never get to use, Callie hurried back out into the hallway. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Caden’s head whipped around and looked at her. “I mistimed it. They are already moving in, closing off our escape. I’m going to shift, and I want you to lean as far against my back as possible. Make sure you keep your head down and your eyes closed.”
“What are you talking about? I’m not—” Callie began to protest but she suddenly stopped as Caden began to change, his tall, lean body shifting into the long, sleek form that she had analyzed just outside. When he was done, the tiger looked at her, his yellow eyes telling her to get on his back. Without thinking about it, Callie pulled up her dress and climbed on the tiger like he was a pony. The feel of his fur under her hands was softer than any fur or hair she had ever felt, and she felt guilty about holding onto it as he charged toward the door.
“Head down,” the voice spoke in her mind.
“I need to open the door,” Callie began to protest, thinking she would need to dismount to open the door.
“Down!” The voice was commanding, and her body did what it was told. Seconds later she heard a loud crack and felt something hitting her, and instinctively, she knew it was the door.
“Good. That took them by surprise, and they aren’t ready for us. Make sure to hold tight and stay down. They may be surprised, but they will start shooting before we are out of range.”
Callie squeezed her eyes shut, wondering what she had gotten herself into by agreeing to leave. Hoping that she wouldn’t regret it, she began to realize just how much was about to change. She knew next to nothing about Solona, and now suddenly that was where she was going. She had always wanted to travel, but she had never thought it would be permanent. If Callie were honest with herself, since her fathers had died, she had stopped imagining marrying anyone from the village. In fact, she had largely been living day to day, not entirely sure what she was going to do with her future.
The way the muscles moved between her legs was nothing like a horse. Feeling that she might slide off if she didn’t hold on, Callie’s fists bawled up and she clutched at the soft fur.
“It’s alright. I promise, you will not get hurt, and I won’t let you fall.” Caden’s thoughts entered her mind, and Callie was aware that she must be pulling on his fur.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” She let her fists relax.
“I am not hurt. Just relax and we will be through this within an hour.” The voice almost calmed her down.
“An hour?” Her eyes opened and she almost lifted her head.
There was a roar beneath her as the thought went through her mind, “Down!”
Callie pushed her face into the fur just as she heard something go over her head.
“Hold on tight.” The thought was commanding, and her body immediately complied. Suddenly the muscles beneath her bunched up, and she felt them release like a bed spring. The steady rhythm of Caden’s movements suddenly changed, and it felt like he was flying. With a little gasp, Callie tried to press further into him just before
she felt a shock go through her body. Too afraid to open her eyes, she tried to block out the sounds of screaming and crunching that she was certain was bone breaking. Her stomach lurched and Callie was glad she had not eaten dinner yet.
Callie lost all sense of time as the tiger continued at a rapid pace that felt much faster than she would have believed possible. Before that night, she had thought that only horses had been able to sustain long distances at such speed. Then again, she had never seen a tiger before that day.
A white flash and a mangled boar passed over her mind, and it was then that she realized Caden had been the one to stop the boar. He had saved her from the archer, and he had stopped the nobleman. Surely all three of those incidents couldn’t have been connected. Could they? It didn’t make any sense because the noblemen were not organized and only cared about entertainment. And even if the archer was somehow related to that incident (which was highly unlikely as there had not been enough time for the nobles to hire someone and locate her), there was no way that the boar could have been related. It had been rabid. Callie’s head started to hurt from trying to figure things out.
Almost as quickly as he had started running during the initial escape, Caden slowed down. Callie felt nauseous from the sudden shift in speed. He spoke into her mind in a tender voice, “Are you alright?” Without waiting for her response, Caden began to move a little faster.
“I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” Callie didn’t want to lie to him after everything Caden had just done for her, but at the same time she didn’t want to inconvenience him. “If you are tired, you can stop and I’ll—” She fought back against the urge to vomit.
“Here. I’ll adjust.”
Callie felt Caden shift from a slinky walk to something a little more like a human gait. She could still feel his fur, so she knew he hadn’t shifted. Daring to open her eyes a little, Callie realized that she didn’t recognize anything around her. It came as a completely new kind of shock. Of course, she knew that the world was different away from the village, but up until that time she had never experienced it and had relied on her imagination to create places.