by Viola Grace
The scent of other familiars was heavy when they reached their destination. Freddy could smell the scent of animals and even one or two spectral projections. She didn’t catch the scent of anyone like her, so she settled in to see what was happening.
Over a dozen mages were gathered with their familiars. When Freddy’s mage arrived, a bubble expanded to encapsulate them all in a concealment spell. Duelling with familiars was against the law.
Freddy was the reigning champion. Her position as a penal familiar was a source of pride for her mage. It meant that she couldn’t be sold or traded, so she was exclusively loyal by the curse that bound her.
When her mage took a seat to watch the battles, she pulled Freddy into her lap. A few folk snickered at the sight, but no one remembered what Freddy would become. It was the magic of the demon zone. It took a strong-willed mage to remember that the power had ever touched them.
Freddy sat on her mage’s lap for an hour before someone had a winning familiar that they wanted to try against the champion. It was an eagle. Freddy hated eagles, the fight was over too soon.
When Martha sent her the command, Freddy got up, stretched and hopped down, trotting her tiny body into the centre of the arena, her nose twitching at the scent of blood laced with magic.
The crowd laughed at her. It was fine. They always laughed, until they screamed and tried to run through the barrier.
The eagle’s mage threw it skyward. There was no time like the present. Freddy pulled power from the demon zone and took on her body as a hellhound.
It wasn’t expanding her form; she wrapped the Chihuahua in demon energy, and she gained a barrier of magic that suspended her and removed physical limitations. She literally became the power from the demon zone, and that energy was limitless.
The eagle landed with its talons embedded in power, and it screamed as the shock ran through its veins.
Lazily, Freddy rolled to her back to knock the eagle loose, and when it was down—twitching—she picked it up in her mouth and carried it back to its mage. The human was doing its own share of shivering in pain, so being with its familiar was best for both of their recoveries.
With her opponent dispatched, she walked to the centre of the space, and she howled slowly, letting her energy return to the zone.
She trotted back to her mage and was scooped up and returned to the purse. From there, she was carried and then dismissed back home.
Freddy sighed. At least she didn’t have any bruises or damage to explain. The slices and damage to her back from the talons were easy to deal with. At least she could reach it this time.
She got to her feet in her grandmother’s garden. It was the spot she felt safest, and yet, it was still weird to get up from the ground, wearing the clothing and shoes she had had on earlier.
She found her phone and texted Imara that all was well. She was inside the house and headed to the shower by the time she got a response.
We are on for tomorrow. Put the time in your phone. See you at Ritual Space. Already have a few candidates lined up.
Freddy smiled as she peeled the bloody mess of her shirt from her back. For the first time in a long time, she was feeling upbeat after coming back. That one little text had done wonders for her mood.
Her shower started off with red, transitioned to pink, and finally, the water under her feet ran clear.
When she was clean, she wrapped one of her black towels around her and padded to her bedroom. Her parents’ door was closed, as it always was when they were out of the country, and the careful padding of her feet made almost no sound in the empty house.
She spent a lot of time alone. When her job was done, there were only friends or silence. She really needed a hobby.
Chapter Three
Freddy drove the forty-five minutes from her family home to Ritual Space. Her left arm was in a sling, but she managed to steer just fine for the short journey. It was with a heavy sigh that she parked in the lot and relaxed. This was when she found out what her friends had in mind for her.
The small door in the wall of fencing swung open, and Adrea was framed in the space.
“Come on in. This is going to be so weird.” Adrea was grinning.
“What did you do?” Freddy walked toward her cautiously, her bound arm was tight against her.
“Oh, it wasn’t me. Imara’s familiar suggested this, and it is absolutely hilarious.”
“Mr. E suggested it?”
Adrea led the way into Ritual Space, and the peculiar scene explained her uncharacteristic snickering. The master of Ritual Space had crafted a cross between an obstacle course and a medieval fair.
Imara was standing next to a tray of seeds, and her kitten was perched on her shoulder. Freddy wandered over to her.
“Imara? What is this?”
“Well, around that corner are twenty candidates—most are cousins on my mother’s side, but I will explain that later—and they are going to be put through a series of tests and events... and so are you.”
“Wait, so these are your relatives?” Freddy blinked.
“Most of them. It is part of the plan.”
“What plan?” Freddy felt helpless.
“My plan. We are going to separate you from your mage, so we need a different one, and we have to abide by the original curse, so we needed members of the Smith family.”
Freddy stared. “You are a member of that family.” Her voice was flat. She could hear it.
“More or less. I prefer to believe I am in my own family and I invite people to join me.”
Mr. E sat up on her shoulder, and he yowled proudly.
Freddy sighed. “Right. What kind of challenges are we engaging in?”
“Well, planting seeds. You can do it anywhere in the marked zones, but the positioning is up to you. It is an intuition challenge.”
“Ah. Right. That is important.”
“Correct. Now, if Adrea is ready, we can introduce you to the contestants who only know they have been granted a day in Ritual Space with the promise of something to take home.”
“Oh, wow. So, they don’t know why they are here.”
“Nope. We thought it was best. They all met the criteria that we discussed, and they match the stipulations of your curse, but beyond that, I didn’t fuss with it too much. You can talk with them, socialize with them, and make a few connections to narrow down the men for the next round.”
“So, this is a twisted game show.”
“No, this is a selection process that we don’t want to drag out. Adrea can keep you from being removed from this place, but once you leave the door, you are able to be pulled away. We want to delay that as long as we can.”
“You and me both.”
They walked into the maze of canopies and stalls manned by folk who were distinctly transparent.
Freddy blinked as they rounded the corner. Twenty men were standing or sitting around a large stone pit. Adrea clapped her hands, and all heads turned toward them.
“Gentlemen and lady, the Ritual Space has decided to let you plant something in its soil. The next half hour is for you to find the right seeds for you, and after you have chosen your five, you will wait until the others are ready, and then, as a unit, we will go out to determine who gets to plant where.” Adrea smiled.
One man raised his hand. “Why is it a competition?”
She gave a slight nod. “Because Ritual Space does things its own way. If you wish to leave, a portal can be arranged.”
He scowled and shook his head. “I don’t have much use for plants, but this will be interesting to watch.”
Freddy made note of him. He was willing to pipe up but still curious even if he didn’t need the herbs.
Freddy wondered if everyone here was a mage, and when Imara smiled brightly at her from the sidelines where she had crept up, she guessed that they had to be.
Adrea answered the question that Freddy hadn’t asked. “Now, as everyone
here is a master mage, you can use spells and intuition to find the seeds that you need. You have thirty minutes to go through the stalls and select five seeds. You can trade them out with the vendors at the kiosk if you find one you want more, so choose carefully. Go.”
Her softly spoken word was lost on everyone but Freddy. She turned on her heel and sprinted for the first kiosk she had seen. It was the one Imara had been leaning against, so that made it worth a look.
The thunder of feet behind her gradually faded as she reached the beginning. The spectre manning the booth smiled. “May I help you?”
“Yes, please. What are these seeds?”
“Apples.”
“I would like one, please.”
The spectre opened her hands, and Freddy cupped her fingers. A seed appeared in her palm. Oh, interesting. Manners mattered.
The seed turned gold against her skin.
The spectre smiled. “Would you like another?”
“No, this one is fine. Thank you very much.”
“Enjoy the day.” The spectre nodded. She was dressed in an outfit that would have placed her at the turn of the previous century, and she seemed to be delighting in the day out.
“You as well, madam. It is a lovely location.”
The spectre beamed at her and faded out again, almost transparent and waiting for the next customer.
Freddy went along to the next station, and she looked the seeds over. She nodded politely to the male spectre in the kiosk and continued on.
The nasturtium seeds caught her attention next, and she waited patiently while two other contestants picked their seeds. When they had left, she greeted the spectral clerk and smiled. “Good afternoon, what are these, please?”
“Nasturtium seeds. Excellent companion plants for driving away pests.” The man grinned.
“I would like one, please.”
The seed appeared in her hand. She thanked the clerk and went on to the next three kiosks, getting a broccoli seed, a pumpkin seed, and a mystery seed.
When she was done, she returned to the centre where they had started, and she waited. Adrea sat down next to her and nodded. “Good choices. Plants for health, defense, and doing what is right.”
“And a mystery seed and an apple seed.”
Adrea bumped her slightly. “Who doesn’t love a mystery, or apples for that matter?”
Freddy snorted. Across the way, three other men had come to have a seat in the open space.
Adrea got to her feet. “Well, time’s up.”
Freddy blinked. “Wait, what about the others?”
“Ah, they have been transferred to the outer edge of the property for their planting. Imara is supervising with Mr. E.”
“And all the spectres.”
Adrea shrugged. “Their families requested that they have a day out, so Imara obliged.”
“That is amazing on such short notice.”
“She is an amazing woman. As are you. Now, as for the other three with you. Let’s go.”
Adrea lifted her fingers and beckoned, and the three men jumped to their feet.
Freddy looked at the guys. There was a lithe but athletic redhead, a man with dark blonde hair and deep blue eyes, and the man who had spoken earlier with black hair and eyes that were a strange icy green.
Each of the men had one fist clenched around their seeds, and they followed Adrea where she led.
Freddy pattered along, and when she glanced back, the fantastical village was disappearing.
Adrea whispered grimly, “Never look back.”
Freddy looked to the other men around her, and they all blinked guiltily.
Adrea cackled. “Psych. Just kidding. You can look anywhere you want. The space is just being reclaimed.”
They were walking deep into a forest, and the path was getting narrower. Freddy bumped into the blond, and the redhead bumped into her.
“Sorry.”
Freddy paused, grabbed his hand and pried it away from her butt. “Apology accepted.”
There was a growl from the burly brunette behind him. “Tessor, knock it off. This isn’t one of your private jaunts.”
“I just bumped into her. She isn’t holding it against me, are you, pet?”
Freddy stopped in the centre of the small path, and she turned to the redhead. “I will never hold anything against you, and if you grab me again, you are going to feel my speciality, and I guarantee you won’t survive it.”
She stared at him and let the demon zone energy flow through her, just a bit. Adrea must have allowed it because the bright snapping green wrapped around Freddy like she was a holiday tree.
Tessor backed away stammering apologies. The seeds he had clenched in his left hand fell to the ground. The demon energy snapped toward them, but Adrea put out her hand and stopped it. The fire coiled in on itself.
“Ah, ah, ah. Reel it in, Freddy.”
The gateway in her soul snapped shut, and the green flames stopped. Freddy blushed. “Sorry about that.”
Adrea nodded. “Tessor, you are dismissed from this competition. Please return to the entryway where you will receive your parting gift.”
Tessor looked around, and when he turned back the way he had come, a clear path opened in the woods, and he walked away with slumped shoulders.
Freddy felt bad but then remembered the weird caress that he had given to her ass. That wasn’t appropriate, and she was right to do what she had, even if it meant flashing hellfire. Adrea knew what she was and hadn’t freaked out, but she also waved the flames away, which was a bit surprising. Adrea wasn’t famous for her defensive skills.
“Come along. It is time to get your focus back. You will need to concentrate on this if it is going to work.” Adrea beckoned, and they continued on the path through the woods.
Freddy didn’t know why she would need to concentrate, but the other two took the master of Ritual Space seriously.
The moment that they broke out of the thick walls of trees, the concentration requirement made sense. The ground had been churned up, and patches of dirt were ready and waiting in a weird polka-dot pattern across the meadow.
Adrea stood aside. “Choose one plot for each seed. If the ground accepts it, you will have all the fruit that that plant can offer.”
The brunette murmured, “How do we know if the seed is accepted?”
“You will know.” Adrea stepped back again, and she came close to melting into the trees.
Freddy looked at Adrea and had a hard time seeing her. She looked back at the men who were on either side of her, and she couldn’t see them at all.
Freddy straightened her shoulders and looked at the field. When she couldn’t decide, she opened her hand and whispered to her seeds, “Where do you want to go?”
She held her hand out toward the field, and as she swung it, her hand warmed up. “Right. That is very helpful.” She strode off in the direction of the heat until her skin was nearly burning. She took the searing pain as a sign to stop.
Now, she just needed to figure out which seed wanted to be planted there.
How hard could that be?
Chapter Four
With her right hand, she dug the hole, and then, she held the seeds out over the vacancy. There were no volunteers. She looked around her and paused. The world had fogged over. There were only her presence and the earth under her knees.
Freddy smiled softly and picked up a seed with her soil-black fingers. She set it carefully in the hole and covered it with a soft pat. “Do what you can, little dude.”
She got up and used her dowsing technique to find another spot to plant. Again, she knelt and placed the seed in the ground, covered it up, and whispered encouragement.
Freddy kept moving.
* * * *
Adrea watched the three move around the field. None of them could see the others. She was watching for a very specific behaviour, and when it began to emerge, she smiled. Two of the candi
dates were planting in the same mounds. That boded very well for compatibility.
It would be rude for Adrea to rub her hands together, but the inner chuckling was definitely appropriate. Blue was up near the gate, making sure that no one strayed into Ritual Space without permission. He was one determined bunny.
It seemed that Freddy’s match was the handsome and serious Symon Smith. The plants would tell, but Adrea was fairly confident that she was right. The ground under her feet was telling her that this was the way it should have been.
Symon Smith should have been Freddy’s mage. He might have turned out different if he was, and that wasn’t a good thing. He was a mage with strength and integrity. That strength may not have developed if he had access to the power that Freddy contained while he was young. Now that he was grown, it was the right time for him to blend his natural talents with hers.
Adrea sighed silently at the matriarchal position she had been wedged into. In some ways, she loved it; in others, it was a little hard to take when the folks she was mothering were older than she was.
When all of the seeds had been sewn, she raised her hands and removed the perception filter that she had placed over the trio.
* * * *
Freddy jumped in surprise when the fog lifted, and she was standing within two inches of the hulking brunette with the icy green eyes.
She stumbled on loose soil, and she blinked in surprise when she was caught with a hard arm around her back.
“Watch your step, miss. This place is full of holes.”
She blinked and smiled slightly, realizing that he was holding her up with the light touch on her back. She straightened quickly. “Thank you.”
“It was my honour. I loved your flame.”
She stared at him and blushed. “Thanks. Family inheritance.”
Adrea was standing ten feet in front of them, and the blond was a few metres to the right.
Adrea grinned. “Well, thank you all for your participation in this project. Please join me now and watch the progress.”