I did not know where Floarea had gone, but I no longer cared to be involved in whatever trick she was trying to fool me with. Despite that, I walked across the bridge and approached them. The first two people were together; when I stood before them I noticed they had no face.
Abruptly everything changed. I was no longer in the forest, but inside a hovel with food set on the table and young girls’ laughter filling the rooms. A woman sat, peeling away a potato. She smiled as she watched the two children run out of the house. A man came in after them and closed the door, which had been open from the beginning. He kissed the woman, who I assumed to be his wife, and walked into another room. The song he began to whistle had a strange familiarity to it. I recognized the song, but it quickly ended when the man shouted from the other room.
“Fire!”
Running out to the wife, the man grabbed her hand and bolted to the door. The door went up in flames before they were able to touch the doorknob. As the man tried to push his wife out of the window, pieces of the ceiling began tumbling down.
The woman backed out of the window and clung to her husband. They staggered into the corner of the room as sparks of fire jumped about them. The smoke filled the air and the sparks came closer to them. There was a scream…
“Mama, Papa!” I cried out.
It was too late, though; I was standing by the river again and my parents’ figures were gone. I looked for them, but there were only three figures remaining. What was happening? How was I able to see my parents’ death when I had been gone during the incident? My body shook uncontrollably, yet I felt I needed to approach the next figure in case it held more answers.
Once again the scenery around me changed, and I was inside of my home. The arrangement of chairs and the empty space for a fire was impossible to mistake. I looked down at the floor and raised my brow when I did not see my feet. I attempted to move my hands, but I could not feel them moving. Aunt Ilena entered into the room as I contemplated. She said nothing to me, as if she could not see me.
Glancing into another room she yelled, “Dyanna! Dyanna Hale, if I find you playing with your doll again…” She stomped into the room, but I could not move to see what was happening.
“Please, might I play for an hour longer?” Dyanna asked.
Even though I couldn’t see her, I could hear the fright rising in her voice. It bothered me that I did not recall any of what they were saying.
“I think that is quite enough for today,” she said.
There was a silence, and then I heard faint sobbing.
Aunt Ilena spoke again. “It is time for your lesson.”
The furniture in the hovel began to fade away. I watched in horror as the house became completely empty, but there was murmuring from the other room. A white flash, a shriek, and a thud onto the ground…
The forest returned again and another figure had vanished.
Around me everything was still. The forest was quiet and the water in the river was silent. I began moving toward the river, wanting to believe there was a way to escape the insanity. The scenes... visions, I could not bear to see anymore. People I had cared about were coming back to haunt me, and I did not desire to know who the last two figures were. They represented separate persons with different environments, and for all I knew next I would gain insight into the future. Staring down at the ring on my hand, I wondered if Alaire was one of the figures. Had I lost him? Would he soon be lost from the world forever? The questions tempted me to turn around and look at the figures.
Ignoring my conscience, I approached the next figure and experienced the change in setting.
There was a long bridge, leading to a dirt path, and there were trees in the background. Past the trees there appeared to be smoke rising, but the people walking toward the bridge were not curious about the rising fire. A group of ten or more men were leading the way, wearing uniforms and holding extended, thick swords. Though I could not see their bruises, it was impossible to ignore the way they staggered toward the bridge.
Following not too far behind them were two women, one who I recognized to be Dyanna. Her hair was long and she wore a navy blue dress, which I had never seen before. The sun beamed down on her face and brought out the color in her sapphire eyes, but she frowned at the men. There was only one other woman walking with her, who I could not recall having seen.
“Roderick tells me you aren’t from here,” the woman said, though her accent did not sound Romanian. She was older than Dyanna by several years, but both looked too young to be involved in whatever violence the men were starting.
“No, I lived in Transylvania before I came here,” Dyanna said.
The woman studied her. “Maybe I haven’t paid attention enough, but I do not believe I’ve heard you speak about your family before. When everybody else tells stories, you remain quiet.”
“I can’t talk about my family when I have none. I’m not even certain my sister is alive,” she sighed.
Dyanna vanished from sight, and I advanced to the fifth and final figure. The scenery switched to a cozy room. There was a dark desk that a man sat by and a black crow perched on a nearby bookshelf. I had no control of where my focus went to, but before I was able to determine where I was I saw his eyes. Léal sat in a wooden chair with a quill in his hand and a dull yellow paper underneath his arm. He moved away his arm, centered the paper on the desk, and began to write.
Dearest Celestria
Miss Hale
Celestria Hale
He contemplated over the last two words he wrote, and then he drew a strike through them as well. Léal crumbled the paper and threw it at the wall.
The room was dark, save for the light from the candles burning in the corners. I tried to reach my hand out to him, but once again I was unable to see part of myself. I reasoned it was from the lack of light, yet something felt out of place. Léal glanced up toward me, as if he could see me.
“Who’s there?” he asked. His words were firm but gentle; he sounded as he had when we last spoke.
I opened my mouth to speak, but could not.
Then in a whisper, “Hello?”
Léal stood up and came toward me, and I was unable to back away. He approached me and stared into my eyes. I raised my brow, for no one else before had been able to see me. Why did Léal take notice of my presence? How could he notice me when I was incapable of seeing myself? The questions ran through my mind as he stood before me, breathing and waiting for a response that would never come. He extended his hand to me and…
“Sir?” A woman opened the door.
Léal dropped his hand while she shook her head at the pieces of paper scattered on the floor.
“How is she?” Léal asked.
“She is better, sir. She needs rest and time, but she has improved since she first arrived,” the woman replied.
He smiled and then placed the quill onto his desk.
“What of these papers, sir?”
Léal laughed, though he sounded uncomfortable. “Clean this up and leave the letters in my room. I shall attend to them later when I return from speaking with our guest. I expect Alaire is with her already?”
“Yes, sir, he has been with her ever since the accident,” she said. She picked up the papers Léal had written on, and he slowly walked out of the room.
I tried to call out to him as he entered into the hallway. However, the walls surrounding me were fading. I watched Léal as he continued on with a sense of pride. The gray jacket and black pants he wore were all that remained colorful. The writing on the letters vanished, and slowly a bright light shined into my eyes.
***
“Celestria, welcome back,” Floarea said from behind.
I realized I was in the forest again and standing on the other side of the river, as if I had never walked across the bridge. I turned around to look at her, and she began to ramble about the history of the river. However, I was incapable of hearing anything she said because of a voice in the wind calling out to me.
“Celestria?” It was a man’s voice.
“Léal?” I whispered.
“No,” Floarea interrupted, “there is no one else here except you and I. Now you should return to Emeria. She will need your help by the end of the night.”
“What happened? How did I see those people? Are they…” I gulped, unable to speak the final word. It was a mental game, I reasoned with myself, yet I could not explain how I had heard Léal. I did not know how we connected with one another when the others had not noticed my presence.
“As I told you, they are people you have lost. Their souls linger, but only you can tell in time whether they are dead or alive. Now go,” Floarea responded.
I walked away from the River of Souls after several minutes passed. I was unaware of how long I had been there, but it was bright yet again when I returned to Aldemund’s tent. Yearning to sneak in, I attempted to find a way inside. Nevertheless, there was someone else inside he was speaking to, and the sounds of their outbursts were loud and furious.
“I do not care for your excuses. When I tell you to do your job, I expect you to do exactly that!” Aldemund yelled.
Kneeling down, I crawled toward the tent to hear more as he walked away from the other person with him. It was difficult to see either of them; the tent’s thickness only allowed me to see their shadows from the candlelight.
“Maybe because you have become hopeless! If you want to fight somebody, you can do it yourself,” a woman shouted. She sounded like the woman who had been with the white haired man.
“Jacquette,” he growled, “I asked you to kill the man, not ‘fight’ him. I thought you had changed, but when you have the chance to kill Dark magicians—and there have been many chances—you never do.”
“There are five of them, Aldemund. Why do you fear five magicians when they will never join together and overcome us?” she asked.
“We are no longer certain there are five. Heed my warning, I have already encountered two Dark magicians and they’re dangerous. They’ll do anything to win a fight,” he said.
There was a pause, and then I heard movement. Someone walked out of the tent; I quickly squirmed to the right so I would not be noticed. What was Aldemund saying? Were there more or less than five Dark magicians?
Once I was sure that Jacquette had walked away, I stood up, looked at the tent once more, and ran. I ran as fast as my feet would allow me, and the people I passed said nothing to me. They laughed and carried on as they had before. When it got to the point where I could not recall where I had left Emeria, I heard women talking. Emeria’s voice was one of the various, and it sounded like she was happy. I followed the noise and found her sitting with a group of adult women.
“Well, look who it is,” one of the women said with a warm smile.
I greeted her and sat down between Emeria and a woman in a plum colored dress.
The woman next to me begged me to talk about the ring I was wearing, mixing it up with what she thought was a wedding ring. Emeria noticed my discomfort with the subject and instead started a conversation about her father.
“The real reason Grefin never comes here isn’t because of the memories,” she said with little emotion, “At first it was that, but now I know he’s bluffing when he uses that excuse.”
There was a different tone in her voice while she was speaking about Grefin, yet no one except me raised their brow when she did not refer to Grefin as her father. Though I knew nothing of their relationship, I thought it odd that they would be distant from one another. Then again, I knew very little about father-daughter relationships.
One of the women’s high-pitched voices broke my thought concentration. “Then why is he at home?”
“He doesn’t like how the magical world has changed. I overheard him speaking with one of his friends and he said, ‘everyone fears the Dark magicians, but during the past few months I’ve seen men turn into beasts.’” Emeria sighed, clutching a thin stick in her hand.
“He’s saying his own allies have turned,” I remarked, rubbing my chin.
Emeria nodded. “Yes, and it took me a while to realize what he meant. Grefin never answers the door anymore because there have been magicians banging at the door with threats.”
The women gasped, and the one with brown curls exclaimed, “Oh, no one would ever do that!”
“Yet they have. You can choose to be ignorant about the facts, but ladies I have no purpose in lying,” Emeria replied.
“Why do you think this has happened?” I asked her, curious to hear her account.
“Because every magician thirsts for power, and if they cannot have that then they might as well take several people down with them.”
The woman beside me tugged on my hand again, and I turned to look toward her. She stared at the ring I wore, though I glanced at it for a moment. In that moment I saw a shadow, one that was approaching from behind. When I glimpsed at it, without entirely turning around, the shadow appeared to be that of a man. It was difficult to be certain because of the hood over his face. I debated on whether to run with Emeria or to stay put, but the man’s appearance did not look welcoming.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Drip of Blood
There was not another thought in my mind. I stood up and got into a position to sprint, but the man grabbed onto my shoulder and forced me to fall on my knees. When I tried to look up at him, I felt more pain from his firm grip. He clutched my shoulder in the same place where Aldemund had burned me, and despite the work Roana had done, I could feel the agony returning.
“Vorbiþi românȩste?” A man's voice asked.
I remained silent; if he thought I did not speak Romanian then perhaps he would not bother to quarrel with me. He waited, however, and after a while I accepted that he would not leave until I answered him.
“Yes,” I said. Judging from the horror in the other women’s faces, I had apparently angered the wrong man.
“I have seen you sneaking around,” he paused and continued with, “now I must know if you are a traitor. And don’t bother lying to me; I work for Aldemund.”
“Who I am is of no importance to you,” I responded.
The man snarled and suddenly slapped my cheek. A tear leaked from my eye; I was in shock as to how to react. His voice was unfamiliar and his attitude was unnecessary when I had done nothing wrong.
“Fight me. Come on, I know you want to,” he teased.
I remained where I was, since his hands were firm against my skin. I dared not move in fear of what he might do. The women reflected the sickened look that must have shown on my face. Did Aldemund know I was in Belsgar? This man acted like he knew I was a Dark magician, and that alone could have destroyed me. There were too many White magicians in the area for me to take a risk and use my magic.
“Please leave her alone,” Emeria begged.
“Silence, I wish to fight her,” he snapped. To me he said, “I believe I know exactly who you are.”
His hand released my shoulder, and then he pushed me. I fell to the ground and lay with my face in the grass. When I looked up Emeria was kneeling beside me, attempting to help me up. I forced myself off of the ground and wobbled where I stood. The man was a stranger with chestnut hair and a green tunic. His tunic was designed with outlines of crescents, and his pants were ghostly white. For whatever reason, he was prepared to kill me.
Emeria spoke my thoughts, “Run.”
We ran past the women and the original place where we had planned to stay. Muta saw us, but we could not stop to grab him. Instead, he somehow seemed to sense there was trouble and before long I saw he was close behind us. Although there were several times I turned my head, never once did I see the man following. It appeared we had lost him, and I stopped to breathe so I would not collapse.
The day suddenly turned into night with the full moon rising. Emeria said there was a spring nearby, and she wanted a taste of water. I remained where I was, since there was nothing left in me to move another step.
As I took deep breaths, Muta crept up toward me. All the same, I saw him coming closer and I did not bother to scare him away. There had never been a time I was close to an animal, but I liked the idea that humans and animals could share a bond with one another. Thinking of such a bond reminded me of how Alaire and Vinur had been close.
I sat, leaning against a sturdy tree, and listened to an owl in the distance. There were a few trees surrounding us, but other than that it seemed we had found an isolated place. Muta rammed his head into my side, and then there was the sound of a bird chirping. Both the cat and I heard it, and when I looked up there was a gray dove flying above me. In its claws it held a piece of paper which dropped onto my lap. As soon as the paper landed, the dove flew away into the night sky, full with stars.
Staring at the paper, I did not know what to do. I considered waiting for Emeria to return before I read it, but I was unable to hold back my curiosity. There was a white ribbon tied around it with the letters “G DV” scribbled onto it, and I realized it must be from Grefin. I untied the ribbon and opened the folded paper.
Celestria,
I have information that I know will be of great importance to you. It is essential that you and Emeria return immediately. Alas, I feel uncomfortable telling you about it within this message, but I promise to reveal everything upon your return.
Please do not stay in Belsgar for a moment longer.
While this will not be reassuring, A has not attempted to leave his bed. The last few nights he has refused to eat, drink, and sleep. Roana is here to help, but I’m afraid his condition is because of your absence. This is critical.
Return promptly.
-Grefin
The message itself was short and simple, but it was Alaire’s condition that caught my full attention. Why was Alaire refusing to eat and sleep? He had not been so bad off when I left, yet I wondered if perhaps what Grefin said was true. His health was failing because I left.
Cursed With Power (the Magicians Book 1) Page 20