by Logan Byrne
They covered the sun, hundreds of them swarming us, as I stayed on my knees and tried to gather strength as oxygen refilled my lungs. They descended, Charlie valiantly trying to shoo them away before they began to claw him. He whimpered as their talons grazed his fur, drawing spurts of blood.
“Charlie,” I whispered, looking up to the skies.
As they came for me, I felt it, the hope fleeting from my body as I realized I wasn’t strong enough to fight them all off. It was over. We were going to die.
6
The harpies swarmed me and pecked me with their razor-sharp beaks, cutting into my skin, as I struggled to crawl towards Charlie. He looked at me desperately, still in his jaguar form, as they continued to attack him without relent. “Charlie,” I whispered, reaching out for him.
My hand wavered in the air, trembling, before a flash of light filled the air. Charlie winced, trying to cover his eyes, as I looked around for the source. It was…me.
My hands were glowing, a light as intense as the brightest star, as tiny pebbles began to float around my feet. The harpies flew backwards, abandoning their attack, as I pulled my elbows close to my sides. With my fists raised towards them, I felt a surge of power flow through me, as if lightning had struck me ten times over.
I screamed as the buildup of energy shook the ground around us and the salt deposits around the lake began to crack and shatter under the pressure. With one giant thrust, I expelled it all, the blue energy slamming into the harpies, their bodies being obscured from view.
Just as quickly as it had happened, the flash was gone, and the harpies were flying back to their nests, no longer interested in fighting us. “Lexa, your eyes,” Charlie mumbled, looking up at me.
“What about them?” I asked, looking at my hands still glowing blue.
“They’re glowing,” he said, before passing out.
I looked at the lake, putting my hand out, and the water began to ripple. I focused on the strange feeling I’d been having since we landed here. My mark was acting like sonar. I felt it growing closer.
Something burst out of the lake, a giant mound of earth coming up with it, enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool. It came towards me, and when I turned over my hand, the crystal was floating there, settling gently onto my palm. The glow faded from my hands, and I was normal again.
“Charlie, I have it!” I said, turning around with a gigantic smile on my face. He didn’t move, his eyes closed. I rushed over to him, dropping the crystal by his side. “Charlie, don’t act like this, don’t try to tease me like this.”
I began to cry, my eyes filling with tears, as I tried to shake him and wake him up. His body was covered in cuts and gashes, blood staining his clothes and skin. “Charlie, please wake up.” My tears fell, wetting his skin, but he didn’t wake up. He didn’t say he was pranking me, didn’t show any sign that it was all for fun.
I looked down at the crystal, picking it up, before remembering what Pote had said. It healed people and gave them immortality. I felt Charlie’s neck, his pulse faint, before I gripped the crystal and begged it to help. “I don’t know how any of this works, I don’t know if you’re a spirit or present or anything, but please help my friend. He doesn’t deserve to die, especially because of me. If you’re going to take anybody, take me! Please!” I yelled.
Sniffling, I pushed the crystal against Charlie’s chest, and it began to glow. “What?” I mumbled, as I watched as the cuts and gashes begin to close up, the blood that had spilled being sucked back inside as it disappeared.
Charlie’s eyes shot open and he gasped for air, then he looked frantically around before focusing on me. “What happened?” he asked.
“It saved you,” I said, showing him the crystal.
“I just remember you, that’s it. You were looking at me, your eyes were glowing, your entire body was glowing, and then you were gone,” he said.
“You were hurt, Charlie. You almost died,” I said, sniffling, before grabbing him and hugging him as tightly as I could.
“Well, I’m going to die for sure if you choke me like this,” he said.
“I needed that sass,” I said, my forehead against his, before I took out my wand. “Let’s get out of here.”
“About damn time,” he said, wrapping his arm in mine, and I took us back to the camp.
•••
“How did you get it?” Pote asked, leaning over her desk, staring at the crystal sitting atop the rough wooden surface.
“We almost died, at least I did. Lexa saved my life,” Charlie said.
“I just did what I had to do,” I said, shrugging it off.
“No, you don’t understand. I was dying, my body was giving out from the injuries from the harpies, and you brought me back. You healed me,” he said.
“The crystal healed you, I just pressed it against you,” I said.
“Yeah, but without you getting the crystal while I was down, I would’ve died there by that lake. You saved me,” he said, giving me a hug.
“I just can’t believe it’s real,” Pote said, hovering her hand over it.
“I thought you knew it was,” I said.
“We thought it was, we wanted it to be, but there was no knowing for certain. It needs to be destroyed,” she said, calling for some mages to come to the tent.
“Wait, after all that, you’re going to destroy it?” I asked, in absolute shock.
“It’s too powerful, you know this. Merlin wanted to destroy it, so we’re just carrying out with his mission and wishes. This could fall into Kiren’s hands, and we cannot allow that,” she said.
Five mages entered her tent, dressed in robes, before circling the crystal and pulling out their wands. “Wait, there has to be another way,” I said, panicked. I knew the crystal was powerful, too powerful for some, but I saw what it had done for Charlie. We could use this in the camp, to heal the diseased and injured. It wasn’t about immortality, but healing.
“Go,” Pote said.
The mages started to incant an ancient-sounding spell, maybe Latin or Gaelic, faint purple beams of light emanating from their wands as they surrounded the crystal and lifted it from the table. I watched as it started to fade, the hue disappearing as if it were a ghost, before it began to crack and crumble, the entire thing falling to ashes on the table. The incantation stopped and the mages left as the ashes of the crystal started to melt away, leaving no trace behind on the desk.
“I can’t believe you did that,” I said, my palm against my forehead.
“I know you went through a lot for this, both of you, but this is for the best. Imagine if Kiren got a hold of this. We would never be able to take him down, and he would rule with an iron fist across both realms for the rest of time. Would you like to see that happen, or even take that risk?” Pote asked.
“No, I wouldn’t,” I said, knowing that I’d rather die than have that ever even come close to happening.
“So where was it? You said something about harpies? I don’t know of any nests in Morocco,” she said.
“That’s because we weren’t in Morocco, at least not for this,” Charlie said.
“We started there, before learning about the myths in Africa that it was located outside Nairobi, at a place named Lake Natron. It’s a lake with red water so toxic that it could kill you on touch. The gases were the hardest part, though,” I said.
“It was buried there? How did you get it, then?” she asked.
“We were being attacked by the harpies, they were clawing us and pecking us, and then Lexa turned into a god,” Charlie said.
“Charlie,” I quipped.
“I don’t follow,” Pote said.
“Her eyes began to glow, and so did her hands and her entire body. The mark, or whatever it was, looked like it filled her entire being. She looked like she descended from the cosmos or something. It was amazing,” Charlie said.
“I don’t know what happened, it just triggered itself, I guess. Maybe it was because we were under a
ttack, or I was under high stress from seeing Charlie being killed in front of my eyes by a bunch of bird-people, but I was overcome with energy and it scared away the harpies,” I said.
“Amazing. How did you get the crystal then?” she asked.
“I just, I don’t know, felt it nearby. I put out my hand, and kind of summoned it. It must’ve been buried very deep beneath the surface of the lake, probably to avoid being found, and it burst out of the ground before coming to me as if I’d called it,” I said.
“There have been talks about this sort of power from the mark before,” a man’s voice said from behind me.
“Mirian!” I cried, smiling, before running over and giving him a hug.
“Hello, Lexa. I heard the news and came as soon as I could,” he said, rubbing my back.
“It was here, Mirian. We destroyed it,” Pote said.
“As it should be. I know the temptation to be immortal is strong, but no being should ever command that much power. Merlin himself said it should be destroyed, and luckily because of Lexa we were able to finish off the work he started. He would be proud of you,” Mirian said, with a smile.
“Thank you, I’m happy to help the resistance in any way that I can,” I said.
“By the way, that reminds me,” Pote said, pulling out a small velvet bag from her top desk drawer. “Here’s your payment, with a little bonus.”
“T—thank you, I don’t know what to say,” I said, opening the bag to see a mound of gold coins inside.
“There will be more jobs in your future, I’m sure,” she said, with a wink.
“Lexa, may I speak with you outside, please?” Mirian asked, before guiding me outside the tent.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No, not at all. I overheard you talking about what happened to you, the glowing and the power surge you experienced,” he said.
“Any idea what it was?” I asked.
“I believe it was a rare form of the mark coming out to aid you. Here, take a look at this,” he said. From inside his robe, he pulled out a small book, before flipping through the pages to a silk bookmark.
There was a picture of a man, the same glow around him, drawn on the tattered yellow parchment. “While doing my studies, I came across this, and I knew it was something to look deeper into. I’ve kept it on me ever since, waiting to talk to you about it, but the timing has never been right given what you’ve been through.”
“So it happens with other mark-bearers?” I asked.
“The only notes I’ve been able to find about it say that it’s a sort of defense mechanism that appears whenever the bearer is under a great deal of stress. The mark, since it is a spirit inside you, senses the danger and amplifies your powers for a short time so that it may deal with the threat at hand,” he said.
“Do you think it means my powers are growing?” I asked.
“If you gave out as much as Charlie makes it out to be, then I think Kiren is going to be in for one hell of a fight,” Mirian said, before closing his book and sticking it back inside his robes.
“Oh, something else happened. Well, I learned about something, and wanted to pick your brain about it,” I said.
“Anything,” he replied.
“What do you know about the crystal wand?” I asked.
“Oh,” he said, laughing a little, a rare emotion for him. “That’s just a legend.”
“Are you sure? The Oxinora was a legend, and it turned out to be real,” I said.
“It’s a story told to child mages to pique their interest in the art of magic and make them shoot for something high. They all play in the yards thinking they’re the owner of the wand and are the most powerful witches or wizards in the world,” he said, smiling.
“They were just so sure of it,” I said, shaking my head.
“Who was?” he asked.
“Just people I spoke to, the ones who talked to me about it. It’s hard to believe it’s just a story,” I said, disappointed.
“I know it is, the outcome of the story is disappointing for every mage, but it’s there to inspire and encourage the young ones. It’s told to show them that they don’t need a mythical wand to be the best mages that they can be. All they need is to work hard and study, and those principles are worth more than any wand ever could be,” he said, patting my back. “I should get going, though. I don’t want M.A.G.I.C. wondering where I’ve gone. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay, thank you for coming. I’ll see you soon,” I said, before walking away.
“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked, as he packed his bag to go back to the precinct.
“Mirian just told me that the crystal wand isn’t real. He said it’s just a story told to young mages to get their hopes up or something. I don’t know, I sort of tuned out when he said it wasn’t real,” I said.
“Obviously it wasn’t real, Lexa. Why would there be something that powerful out there for somebody to get their hands on? Merlin wouldn’t craft something like that, would he? The guy seemed like a stick in the mud,” he said.
“But it’s supposed to help people fight darkness, at least I think it is, right? I guess I just fell in love with the idea of getting it and harkening in a new era of change in the realm. People would get hopeful if somebody found that,” I said.
“I know. I’m sorry it isn’t real, it would be a cool thing to go find. I better get going, though. I’ve been gone a while and people are probably starting to ask questions. Are you going to be okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thank you for spending your vacation time with me out in the field. I couldn’t have done all this without you,” I said, grabbing him and giving him the biggest bear hug the world had ever seen.
“I was more than happy to do it. I’ll see you soon, okay?” he asked.
“Count on it,” I said, smiling, before he walked out of sight towards the portals.
I looked around the camp, hearing kids laugh and scream as they ran around chasing one another. The sounds of hammers clanking against hot steel rang loudly as camp guards sparred against one another in one of the training areas.
I just couldn’t let the thought of the crystal wand go. Everybody had said that the Oxinora wasn’t real, that it was just a legend to tempt people, to test their integrity and character by seeing if they would try to command the forces of death. But that legend had turned out to be true. I found the crystal, and even used it to revive Charlie. Now they were trying to tell me that the crystal wand was just a myth, but to me it couldn’t be, not after what I just went through. I was going to find it, and I was going to be worthy enough to defeat the golems and wield the wand that would bring in a new era.
I would be the owner of the crystal wand.
7
“You’re back!” Rosie yelled, grabbing onto me and hugging me as tightly as she could. I couldn’t help but smile, laughing a little it, as I hugged her back and felt a true sense of happiness. That feeling seemed to come seldom lately in my life.
“It’s good to see you, how have you been?” I asked.
“Oh, great. Chancellor Pote has me assigned to a job here. I’m working with their tech team, and I’m loving it. I heard you completed your job, right?” she asked.
“I guess you could say that. I did what I set out to do, yes,” I said, leaving out the fact that Pote then destroyed what I literally risked my life to get, not to mention Charlie’s.
“I’m proud of you, I really am. I’m so glad you’re back in the camp, too. Are you staying? You know, long-term and all?” she asked, looking as though she was clinging to the proverbial edge of her seat as she anxiously awaited my reply.
“I guess I am, I haven’t really thought about it all that much, to be honest. I’m thinking it’s probably best to be here instead of where I was before, especially since Pote is giving me more freedom, which I should’ve had in the first place, but that’s a discussion for another day. Have you heard from Lisa or Zark yet?” I asked.
“No, there’s been nothing on the scanners from them, and they definitely haven’t been here. I think they just went their separate ways. I can’t say I blame them, they both always seemed like loner types,” she said.
“Maybe they ran off together and are madly in love,” I said, laughing.
“Those two? No way, imagine the power struggle there. They’re both way too dominant to ever let the other get a leg up,” she said.
“I really like catching up with you, I always find myself laughing,” I said.
“Are you leaving now?” she asked.
“I want to go into town, into the realm, to look for something,” I said.
“Can I come with?” she asked.
“Are you allowed?” I asked.
“It’s not like I’m five, Lexa. If you can leave, why can’t I?” she asked, shrugging.
“Well, I’m a trained witch who can teleport in and out at will. You can’t,” I said.
“I’ll stay quiet and out of trouble, I swear. I just need to stretch my legs a little,” she said.
“Fine, but hoods up at all times and don’t be seen,” I said.
“You’re the best! I’ll be right back, just let me get my jacket,” she said, before skipping off towards her tent.
I wanted to hear more about the wand from people who weren’t trying to cage me in. They meant well, Pote and Mirian, but I knew they wouldn’t just delve into any information they had about the crystal wand. They didn’t want me running off on an unsupervised adventure like that, and I couldn’t say I blamed them. They did feel a responsibility to keep me safe, after all.
Rosie came back three minutes later, her hood up and face covered below the nose by a veil. I covered my face as well, before pulling out my wand and taking us into the realm. The cobblestone streets were darkened with water as rain fell from the sky and people ran around, splashing in small puddles as they tried to retreat to warmth and dryness.