The Price of Magic

by Gavin Neale

  Abby shivered, watching as Daphne walked to her own circle, placed her platter outside the outer circle and then took her place so that all of the six inner magic circles were occupied and bound their occupant to the world where they came from.

  Abby knew that all she had to do was wait but that didn’t stop her looking round at everybody else. It was because she was looking away that she missed what Daphne did next – but the result was all too clear: the black powder leapt into a furious flame that first surrounded them and then rushed towards each circle. Despite knowing that this was supposed to happen, Abby screamed in terror as the flames rushed towards her.

  Abby’s scream rang loud in her ears but she was still isolated and protected in her magic circle. Once it dawned on her that she was not burning alive and there had been no temperature change at all, she looked around.

  Fire was burning fiercely along the lines of black powder that Pedir had set out, the flames rising almost to waist height. Abby didn’t know if it was magic or the flames, but something had lifted the blue gems into the air and they were now shining brightly as they absorbed the heat given off by the flames. The shining gems were sending out a constant stream of steam that rose high into the air to form billowing clouds that soon began to pour rain heavily between the six inner magic circles and the outer one.

  Abby’s talisman had been lifted by the same forces as the magical gems and was hovering in front of her. The length of leather was bathed in flame outside the magic circle, but it somehow crossed the barrier formed by the magical circle that surrounded her. A short length protruded inside the circle, as Daphne had told her it would.

  ‘Hail, Abigail Arwen Cromwell, delegate and blood kin of the council.’ Nora, Daphne, Pedir and Einion spoke the words in unison. It sounded like all four of them were standing next to Abby, despite the magic-infused fire and artificial storm that surrounded them. ‘We recognise you as a delegate to the Guardians of the Peace Accords that govern the separation of the magical realms. Lay your hand upon the talisman and receive your gifts.’

  Being careful not to break the magic circle with her hand, Abby carefully laid a finger on the part of the friendship band that was inside the barrier with her. The connection spoke to her; she could feel where the others were. She knew she could talk to them.

  ‘Hello,’ she said nervously.

  ‘Hello, dear. I’m afraid that was the easy part,’ Daphne said. Her voice was strained. ‘Take a deep breath.’

  Abby sucked in a huge breath as if she were about to dive into a swimming pool and waited. The only effect she felt was the metal clasp of the friendship band getting hotter but she could not say whether that was due to magical effects or the fire.

  Things were a lot harder for the three magical practitioners. The spells and charms they had prepared so carefully were working as expected but there was still a huge amount of magic flowing through the circles, charms and the practitioners themselves. The action of the four elements of magic helped shape the links between the four Guardians and the two delegates they were binding.

  As the controller of the spell, Daphne was focused entirely on the workings of the magic, despite the chatter running through the minds of Pedir and Nora. Thankfully Einion was a steady, quiet presence, who merely revealed where he was located without any of the emotional chatter or random thoughts that might pass through the mind of a magical practitioner.

  Pedir, as ever, was fascinated by the world around him. He focused on the moment as only an elf could but he experienced every emotion that touched him, whether it was his own or from Nora and Daphne. Having an elf in your brain was always an illuminating but tiring experience; they couldn’t help reflecting their heightened experience back at you. Unless they were extremely skilled, an elf could create a feedback loop that would destroy someone’s mind in seconds.

  Nora was doing her usual stoic job of quietening her mind. Daphne had been surprised when Nora had wondered how much easier Chris would have found working these spells. Daphne believed implicitly in her friend’s account of his talent but, having never witnessed it for herself, she found it hard to accept. This was the first time she had felt Nora’s unfiltered reaction to the memory; the two old witches spent enough time in each other’s heads through living together without adding a magical connection. Nora let go of the thought on an out-breath but Daphne decided she would ask her about Chris later.

  Daphne held the location of her three partners firmly in her mind and instinctively reached out to begin the binding of Abby and Rhiannon. Daphne gathered in her power and focused on Abby’s talisman, her magical sense gripping onto the familiar magic stored inside the rune Einion had placed on the simple silver clasp. As always, Daphne felt slightly in awe of the dwarf’s ability to manipulate magic despite not having any magical senses or the ability to use magic himself. To control magic using only theory, measurements and the tools he made was a remarkable skill.

  Abby’s talisman felt different; the charms and blood magic they had used gave it a distinctive signature which meant Daphne did not need to invest as much of the magic flowing through the spell into the talisman as she would have to for Rhiannon’s. Daphne felt a sense of pride as she brought Abby’s talisman into the binding spell and Pedir echoed her pride back at her for a moment until he brought himself under control.

  Having placed the binding spell, Daphne uttered Nora’s full name amid the rest of the magical phrases. Then she allowed Nora to maintain the binding spell on Abby’s talisman whilst Daphne reached out for Rhiannon’s talisman. The dwarf jewellery was well made; interestingly, Rhiannon had woven some strands of her hair round her iron ring, somehow fastening them to the edges where the copper had been attached. This simple addition helped establish a similarly unique identity. Soon Daphne had bound Rhiannon’s talisman as well and she was nearly ready to finish the spell.

  Abby stood for a very long time with her finger resting on the talisman. She dared not look round her and she did not need to. She was already aware of the location of the Guardians and suddenly she could feel Rhiannon as well. Abby knew that all of them were dry, despite the downpour that separated them. Rain was falling from the cloud that now loomed overhead, yet somehow she was able to focus on nothing but the feel of leather and metal against her skin.

  Her mind stayed locked on this, even as magic began to swirl around her. The smell of vanilla filled her nostrils but, before anything could go wrong, Pedir uttered a single word in Elvish. Abby’s talisman twisted in her hand and she watched in fascination as it crawled like a caterpillar and fastened itself round her right wrist. As the talisman locked into place, the magical elements – fire, water, earth and air – were sucked into the glowing gems that fell, now faintly glowing, onto the burnt grass.

  The spell circles all broke and the six of them were standing in a giant ring of debris but still safely inside the original magic circle that Nora had set up using the stone circle, which had held easily against the torrent of magic that it had contained.

  Pedir unfolded himself from his cross-legged position, using his staff to lever himself up, and quickly made his way to Daphne. She was breathing heavily but was otherwise okay, if somewhat tired.

  Abby had fallen to her knees when the magic circle was broken but she stood up and felt no different. She hurried over to Rhiannon. ‘Do you feel any different?’

  ‘No,’ the young dwarf replied. ‘But we are not magical practitioners. There is nothing else for the spell to latch on to. It has to work entirely through our talismans.’

  ‘Oh…’

  ‘I don’t understand how it works either – I’m no runesmith. Touch your talisman, think of who you want to speak to and ask.’

  Abby felt foolish, but she touched the clasp attached to her new friendship band and concentrated on Einion. ‘How does this work?’

  ‘There’s no need to talk,’ Einion said with a laugh. ‘Once you
feel my presence, all you have to do is imagine yourself asking me the question and the talisman does the rest.’

  ‘So it’s like a magical mobile phone?’ asked Abby, thinking each word carefully.

  ‘I don’t know what you mean. Why don’t you ask Nora?’

  Abby hesitantly concentrated on Nora and asked, ‘Do these talismans work like a magical mobile phone?’

  ‘That’s not a bad analogy,’ replied Nora. ‘But we have work to do. Help Pedir clear up the stones whilst I see to Daphne.’

  Abby walked towards Pedir. He seemed to be inspecting her very carefully. ‘Would you help collect the stones?’ he asked and held out a small leather bag and a pair of what looked like gardening gloves. ‘You must not touch them. Put on the gloves and place all the stones in the bag.’

  ‘Is it safe?’

  ‘If you wear the gloves,’ Pedir said. ‘And I need to find out if you can follow instructions before we go to the Land of Fairy.’

  ‘We?’

  ‘Yes, you are to help me with a mission. I’ll explain as we clear up.’

  19

  A Trip to the Land of Fairy

  Abby moved round what was left of the spell, picking up the scattered blue gems and placing them in the bag. She had no idea how they felt because the gloves were too thick; she dropped the first few gems numerous times until practice made their slippery shapes more familiar. Pedir walked quietly behind her, picking up various other bits of debris left over from the spell. Abby really wanted to ask why she was needed on a mission; she had no idea what was in store for her.

  ‘I won’t lie to you, Abby. There is some danger but if you stick with me you will be safe in the Land of Fairy and we should not be there for long.’

  ‘Why are we going?’ Abby wondered whether something to do with the binding meant that Pedir knew what she was thinking.

  ‘We’re going to try to rescue Thomas whilst the others formally approach the Ruined. Hopefully, with their leaders distracted, we’ll be able to grab Thomas and get out before they realise we are there.’

  ‘But why do you need me?’

  ‘Because I am a stranger to Thomas and I look similar to the creatures that kidnapped him. I can’t step between worlds in a hostile camp, carrying someone who might resist. We will have to persuade him to come with us. I need someone with me that he knows.’

  ‘I don’t know him that well,’ Abby said, as she bent over a gem. She picked it up and examined it closely. ‘He’s my neighbour, not my friend. What if he won’t come?’

  ‘Abby, Abby…’ Pedir waited patiently for Abby to stand up and face him. ‘If he doesn’t come with us, we will think of something else. This is the best opportunity so far but there are no guarantees and none of this rests solely on your shoulders. You are only a delegate to the council. Let the elf with a few centuries more experience take the blame if things go wrong. We Guardians act collectively; we are a team.’

  ‘If you’re sure…’

  ‘Abigail, I am very rarely sure. In my experience, it is those who are most sure that you have to watch most carefully. All I need you to do is to follow my instructions exactly whilst we are in the Land of Fairy. Do you think you can do that?’

  Abby looked at the elf; for some reason she felt she was being examined even more closely than when Nora interrogated her. But the elf was smiling. ‘I think so.’

  ‘Good, then let’s get this finished. I want to give you something and we need to get in position for when the others meet the Ruined’s leaders.’

  It took some time for them to finish clearing up but finally they had collected everything so all that was left behind were scorched shapes in the grass. Pedir and Abby joined the others who were gathered around Daphne.

  ‘Are you ready to go, Pedir?’ Nora asked.

  ‘Yes. I have to give Abby something when we get back to your workshop but then we can go. Are you okay, Daphne?’

  ‘Nothing that a good night’s sleep won’t sort out,’ Daphne replied. ‘I’m certainly well enough for a diplomatic meeting. Shall we get going? How long will it take for you to get into position?’

  ‘We will have time. You go ahead and we will make our own way. The less time we are in the Land of Fairy, the less chance there is for us to be discovered too early.’

  ‘Aye. Well, if you’ll escort Rhiannon back, I’ll step across with these two.’ Einion sounded as if he were dreading the trip.

  ‘Agreed.’

  ‘No time like the present,’ Nora said, helping Daphne up. ‘We should meet back at the workshop when we are done.’

  ‘See you there,’ replied Pedir.

  Daphne reached down and took Einion’s hand and, with a curt nod from Nora, the three of them vanished.

  ‘Do I need to worry about them?’ Rhiannon asked, looking out of the stone circle to the collection of eyes around them, their owners hidden in the trees.

  ‘No,’ Pedir said quietly. ‘I’ll lead the way and you bring up the rear, Rhiannon. Just keep an eye on Abby. Leave the woods to me.’

  Pedir led the way out of the stone circle, breaking the final magic that had been protecting them with a small gesture of his hand. The journey back to the workshop turned out to be uneventful. Abby and Rhiannon were told not to look, and whatever creatures that lurked among the trees seemed to vanish as Pedir approached. Rhiannon wished Pedir and Abby a safe journey and returned to the dwarf camp, where she promised that she would be ready to assist in any way she could.

  Pedir disappeared in the woods by the workshop but quickly returned with a worn travelling pack.

  ‘I can’t take this with me but there’s something you will find useful that I want to give you. Hold this.’ He handed Abby his staff, reached into his pack and produced a long, dark, hooded cloak. ‘This is an Elven travelling cloak. It is very useful for avoiding prying eyes. It won’t make you invisible but you’ll be much harder to see, particularly in dark places like the Grand Forest.’

  The tall elf threw the cloak across Abby’s shoulders and fastened it around her neck. He turned and pulled out a second cloak from his pack and fastened it round his own shoulders before taking back his staff. ‘Watch carefully.’

  ‘Okay.’ Abby watched as Pedir raised the hood of his cloak, picked up his pack and walked into the trees. She tried to keep him in sight but, after a few steps, his outline merged with the trees.

  Abby thought about this for a moment and then slowly touched her talisman, thinking about where Pedir was.

  ‘Do you know where I am?’ Pedir asked, using his own talisman to talk to Abby without revealing his location.

  ‘I do,’ Abby said with a giggle. ‘But only by cheating. I can’t see you.’

  ‘Using your talisman is hardly cheating. Put up your hood and come meet me. We have work to do.’

  Abby looked round her. ‘Do I need anything else?’ She thought about her wooden sword and other useful tools from the camp.

  ‘No, all I need is you, Abby.’

  ‘Okay.’ Abby walked towards the trees using her talisman to guide her but she still nearly fell over Pedir before she saw him resting against a tree.

  ‘Are you ready?’ asked Pedir and Abby nodded once. He took her hand and they stepped across to the Land of Fairy.

  Abby felt a brief sensation of cold. When she opened her eyes, they were standing in a vaguely familiar jungle, deep in the shade. She stood, surprised for a moment at the speed of transition, then her senses caught up with where she was and Abby fell to her knees as the pain hit. The winds of magic flowed through her and the power that the Land of Fairy contained scraped against the injured magical senses that Abby had not used since she left four years ago. Her teeth were filled with a sharp stinging pain as if she had eaten ice cream that was too cold, and her head ached. Abby drew breath to scream but Pedir clamped his hand round her mouth as he urgent
ly whispered in Elvish. There was a horrible pressure in her head and the forest wavered in front of her eyes but, as Pedir continued to whisper, the pain receded a little.

  ‘Abigail?’ Pedir asked, his voice sounding strained.

  ‘Yes, Pedir?’ was all that Abby could manage in reply.

  ‘Did you not know?’

  ‘Know what? I don’t understand.’ The pain receded a little bit more but it still hurt and Abby was unable to stop herself from crying as a wave of sadness overwhelmed her. She could hear whispering but couldn’t make out the words. From the tone of voice, she didn’t want to. She groaned in pain and curled up into a ball, careless of the elf’s arm still wrapped around her. Neither she nor Pedir noticed the red blur come streaking out of the trees. It was only when Florian spoke that Pedir realised that the pixie had joined them.

  ‘What are you doing with that human?’ hissed Florian, as he perched on Pedir’s shoulder. ‘Anyone could hear her.’

  ‘I can’t deal with them and heal her. Can you hide us or create a distraction?’

  ‘You want me to put myself between you two and whatever heard her?’ asked Florian, clearly upset at the prospect.

  ‘There is no time to argue. It’s now or never.’

  The whispering got louder in Abby’s ears and, with Pedir distracted, the powerful magic of the Land of Fairy started to confuse Abby. She could hear voices like the girls from school, speaking their words with their accents, but there was an inflection in the teasing that added yet another type of pain to the various others the flow of magic was already inflicting.

  ‘Please make them stop,’ whispered Abby, tears streaming down her face as she lay in a tightly curled ball.

  Florian looked down at Abby; his first thought was not of sympathy but of jealousy. If anyone was going to inflict pain on a human child in the Land of Fairy, then by rights it should be a pixie. This was why they used to bring the talented ones back to the Land of Fairy all those years ago. The games that he could play and the power he could gain from even a little time alone with the human child… That thought shocked Florian and, feeling embarrassed at how quickly the old desires had come back, he shot away.