by Jenn Nixon
“I’m not really trained, not like Rune. He’s going to help me with that, too.”
“Knowledge is power,” Zorin said with a half-smile, grateful she seemed ready to put in the work required to master her elements. “Have you tried creating a fireball?”
“No, not yet. Why?”
“It’s usually the first iteration of fire that a caster evokes.”
“No way,” Cyndra said, glancing down at her hand. “You’re saying I just skipped over it?”
“Your power is immense, Cyndra. The control you’ve already gained has—”
“Dampened my elements,” she replied softly. “It’s still there…”
“Yes, it is.”
“Is it enough?” Her eyes were full of worry as she gazed up at him. “I don’t want to be the reason you…”
“It’s enough.” Zorin held her gaze despite the heat creeping up his cheeks and the pounding heart beneath his chest. He wouldn’t tell her he wanted more. Confess he missed it. Say he needed it to feel normal. He didn’t dare say another word, unsure what would come out of his mouth.
“Okay,” she said, biting her bottom lip as her eyes dropped. “I’m going to try making a fireball.” She walked back to the middle of the clearing ready to get to work.
Zorin stood transfixed watching her evoke the fire in her hand and shake it out every time it crept up her arm. The determination in her eyes matched her fierceness.
Finally, Cyndra spun around with a small round flame floating above her palm, and met his eyes, beaming with pure happiness. The heat slammed his cheeks and his heart thumped. Even without the energy and fire, Cyndra lured him with her kind smile, her curious eyes, and her courageous spark of life. He was the moth to her flame.
“Small…but I did it,” she approached, heating the area with her power.
“Well done.” Zorin glanced back, hoping Rune had woken, only to see the caster curled up on his side now, surrounded by a fresh ring of grass.
“Hey,” Cyndra called.
“Hmm,” he said casually as he turned back.
“Thanks.”
Zorin nodded.
Her shoulders dropped. “We can’t keep doing this.”
“What?”
A loud clap echoed from behind. Zorin spun his head to see Rune pointing in the direction of the mansion. Four wraiths were floating in the middle of the field between the lighthouse and woods.
“They’re not very smart, are they,” Cyndra grunted and sparked the flame to her hand.
The mirror-wraiths screeched. Zorin flexed his wings and balled both hands, daring the creatures to approach.
Are they taunting us? Rune came alongside.
“It does seem like it,” Zorin replied and clenched his jaw.
“Do they communicate?”
Zorin shook his head. “Not that I know of.”
Do you want to try?
“Can anything bad happen by talking through the bond?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t recommend it, not after learning about the memory loss due to the Shield.”
“Yeah, good point,” Cyndra said, sighing and extinguishing her fiery hand. “Well, they’re not coming any closer and I’m fried.”
Rune laughed.
“Anyone hungry?” Zorin asked.
Both nodded.
“I will go on a hunt, see what I can find. You prepare the side dishes.”
“Sounds like a fair trade to me.” Cyndra nodded, bumping her shoulder into Rune’s. “I think we can manage.”
Rune grinned and rubbed his hands together. I know what I’m going to make.
“Me too,” Cyndra added as she linked her arm in his and walked toward the door.
“Don’t—”
“Leave the perimeter, got it. Happy flying,” she said, giggling as Rune tugged her into the lighthouse.
Zorin went in the opposite direction of the mansion, toward the side of the island he rarely visited and only patrolled from a distance. Normally, he didn’t have enough strength to glide there, hunt, and glide back, given the meager wildlife on the island. Now, with two casters near, he could hunt for hours, on the furthest edges of the land. Keep his hunger for nourishment and power satisfied.
He darted toward the abandoned town and lifted into the air when the wind picked up. He glided over the field leading to the large forest surrounding the town, which reached the coastline to the south. As the wind brushed past his body, relaxing his muscles, Zorin tried to clear his mind, shake off the new stirrings inside.
The flight over the former gas station and along the overgrown road leading to the next patch of woods normally eased his mind and gave him plenty to look at as opposed to the woods and fields that covered most of the north section.
Zorin wanted to bring Cyndra here, let her scavenge what others left behind, knowing she’d make good use of anything she found. Her resourcefulness served her well. How she managed to survive this new world and keep her giving nature and sense of fairness intact, he didn’t know, enticing him even more.
Zorin sighed and shut his eyes for a moment. No matter what he did, he couldn’t shake Cyndra from his thoughts. If she wasn’t near, her power was, impossible for him to resist.
Needing a distraction, Zorin eased back his wings and descended to the ground, ready to hunt for himself and the casters, so they were all strong enough for the next part of their journey.
Cyndra sprinkled a pinch of salt on her vegetable medley of two minced string beans, a carrot, and broccoli and cauliflower stems, hiding her jealousy at Rune’s amazing looking tomato soup and mashed potato. Glad they didn’t have to dip into the rest of the produce and meat from town, Cyndra put the broccoli and cauliflower flower heads into the icebox for another meal, excited to see what Zorin would bring back.
You know what I miss most from home? Rune asked as he stirred the soup and moved the potato dish to a cooler side of the stove.
“What’s that?”
Music. My guardians had an old tablet from their teaching days, all their music stored on it.
“I don’t have anything like that, only a music box back at the shop. Didn’t have any solar panels when I was really young so I mostly read or played outside,” Cyndra said, picking up her dish and putting it on the table. “Any bread left?”
Rune shook his head.
“I miss chocolate.”
Rune tilted his head.
“Last time I had it I was a teenager. Super rare. It’s the best, sweet candy, tastes like heaven.”
What is it made out of?
“Don’t know.”
“Cacao, it’s a tree,” Zorin said, coming down the stairs from the service room holding a dressed pheasant and a handful of mushroom and wild onions. Rune’s eyes lit up as he neared the table and plucked the bird from his hand. Zorin set the rest down on the table. “I ventured to the far side of the island.”
Cyndra picked up an onion and sniffed it, then pinched off the roots. “Good haul. I’d give you four dollars for this back at my shop.”
“I would never take your money,” Zorin replied, frowning.
“No, not what I mean,” she said, shaking her head. “The kids in the village, they hunt and sell half their game to me so they can use the dollars to trade for more important things that I don’t get in my trade shop. It’s…my job I guess, it’s how I…”
I worked for a baker in the next village over. He paid in foods, which made my guardians happy. Rune handed a knife to Zorin and motioned to the table. I can stuff the bird and sear it on top of the stove.
“That sounds wonderful. I have pepper to go with the salt, some powdered garlic though it’s a little stale, I think.” Cyndra went to her bag and pulled out the rationbars from the side pocket while she fished for the container of spices.
Zorin, already done with cutting, picked up one of the lemon bars and sniffed it. “How long has the government been supplying the mainland with food?”
“As long as I can remember, why?”
“It’s a good sign they are taking care of the people. Had they done the same for casters, perhaps none of this would have happened.”
History makes us all experts, Rune projected with a shrug as he collected the cut mushrooms and onions and returned to the stove.
“Problem is, the history everyone knows is missing part of story,” Cyndra added and set the spices down before returning to her seat. “Are the regular people going to start remembering too?”
“That’s a very good question,” Zorin said, rubbing his mouth.
Hesitant about what else to say, Cyndra gazed down at the journal and opened the cover. She read the beginnings of her grandmother’s note again, overcome by a dozen thoughts about what they needed to do next. Zorin’s hand slid across the table. Her fingers tingled.
“You don’t need to strengthen your energy to try unlocking it with me,” he said, dipping his head down again, trying to meet her eyes.
Cyndra pulled her hand back and tried to wave him off casually. “Not yet, maybe after we eat?”
“A better idea,” he replied with a half-smile.
When the scent of the cooking pheasant hit the air, Cyndra’s stomach growled, loudly. Rune glanced back with wide eyes and started laughing. Zorin’s half smile turned into a full one when she blushed.
“Told ya I was hungry.” She rolled her eyes and reached for her water bottle. “Smells really good, Rune.”
“You two enjoy the meal. I want to patrol the rest of the island, make sure the wraiths are behaving.”
You went through all this trouble…and you’re not eating?
“I had a snack in the forest. I’m…full,” Zorin lied.
Cyndra narrowed her gaze. When he pressed his lips tight and rose from his seat, Cyndra turned back to her book and feigned reading while Rune asked him once more to stay.
“I promise, I’m not hungry,” he said truthfully this time.
Annoyed by his riddles, Cyndra flipped the pages absently, reaching the end, seeing a new page had unlocked. She lifted her head, finding only Rune, and sighed as she glanced back to read the new information on dual-casting.
Halfway through the page, Rune set down two plates overflowing with food. Hunger struck and Cyndra set the book aside ready to eat. When she was three-quarters done, she leaned back and sighed. “Don’t remember the last time I was this stuffed.”
Thanksmas, two years ago, we had a turkey, almost six pounds.
“No way.” Cyndra grinned and picked up an onion to pop in her mouth. Was it good?
A little dry but yeah, pretty good. The legs were better.
“I like the wings,” she said. Rune covered his eyes and chuckled. “Omigod, shut up, that’s not what I meant.”
Sure it’s not.
Cyndra shook her head, blushing.
Either way, I’m glad we’re staying, Cyndra. I mean it. We both left something behind. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to, but…
“I’m going to unlock the rest with Zorin, soon,” she said, spinning the book toward him. “Another page appeared just from us sitting across from each other.”
Your bond is powerful. He may be a siphon the way he is now, but he was born a caster.
“Ours is just as strong,” she said, masking the truth of what his words meant. Zorin was a caster. He needed the bond of the crystal. According to the journal, those who denied the connections became people like Mergan, selfish, manipulative, practically the opposite of what a caster should be.
Seventy-five percent, he replied.
“Eavesdropper.” Cyndra gasped loudly for effect as she swatted his arm. “Stop trying to compare powers, we’re on the same side, derp.”
I think it’s kinda fun, gives me a goal to aim for.
“You’re a weirdo.”
Just like you, Rune stuck out his tongue and trilled.
“Well, you did most of the cooking, so I’ll clean up. The water is lukewarm, but you should try the shower.”
Do I smell? He crinkled his nose.
Cyndra shrugged. “Asking the wrong girl, I’m usually stinking enough to offset anyone else.”
Rune smiled and shook his head. I’m really glad we’re friends.
“Me too.”
He tapped the table and went over to the pile of folded clothes, pulling out a simple white shirt, matching the one he had on beneath his vest, and disappeared into the lavatory. Cyndra picked her pheasant clean, ate a few crumbs off Rune’s plate, then collected the bones, and put them in the empty pot. She squeezed out some water, added a pinch of salt and pepper, and then put more wood in the stove. They’d make use of the bird stock one way or another.
After Cyndra cleaned up the rest of the kitchen, she went to the widow’s walk, uncertain of the time from this vantage point, and looked toward the mainland. Although she didn’t miss the cramped trailer where she lived and worked, Cyndra missed some of the people. Milo and Mavi would love this island. Kyle would be overjoyed at all the water.
She turned toward the ocean side of the island. In her books, she read the water was once full of boats and ships, moving people and goods across the world, something that seemed so foreign despite the remnants decaying and littering the vast majority of the Southzone coastline. Some people said the shipping graveyard was as horrifying as the darklands. Cyndra had seen the yard. She didn’t want to see the darklands.
Something moved in her peripheral.
Zorin swooped down toward the sandy beach. He rose back up, then tucked his wings behind his wide shoulders, and dropped head first into the water like a falling star. Gasping, Cyndra clutched the railing and watched the ripples of water, waiting for him to reemerge. Minutes passed. Just when the worry filled her gut, Zorin’s head poked out of the water. He dipped under again for a moment, then swam toward the shore. Once on the beach, he vanished behind a large patch of trees.
Wondering if she could sense his energy from here if she concentrated, Cyndra shut her eyes and lifted her left hand from the railing, evoking the element to her fingers. As the sensations rose up her arms, she caught the calming and exhilarating energy that swirled inside Zorin. It made the hairs on the back of her neck sizzle.
The metal beneath her feet vibrated.
When she opened her eyes, he was jumping off the railing, wearing the knee-length shorts she made and glaring with his intrusive eyes.
“Why are you tempting me?” he said through gritted teeth. “You have control, don’t you?”
“I didn’t mean—” Cyndra stepped back and crunched her hands into a fist, trying to shut it down. He ran his hand down his face and turned toward the ocean. She wanted to tell him that she missed sensing his presence. Sharing her power. That she wanted to strengthen their bond even more. She changed the conversation instead. “I’m glad you like the shorts.”
“I do, they are comfortable. Thank you.”
“You already thanked me.”
“Where’s Rune,” he asked what she was thinking. They couldn’t go two minutes alone together without it getting awkward.
“Should be done showering by now if you—what the shit?” Cyndra blinked at a speedy black dot zipping over the bay. It was too high to be a boat and too big to be a bird. “Zorin?”
“Caster power.”
“What?” Shudders darted up her spine.
The shiny, eerie faces of two mirror-wraiths caught a ray of dim sunlight as they reached the shore of the island. They shifted swiftly toward the mansion. A person dangled between them, unconscious and twisted in their smoky fabric tendrils.
“Shit!” Her hand heated instantly. Zorin extended his, offering to take her. She shook her head knowing she’d only slow him down. “Go, Zorin.”
He dove into the air.
Cyndra ran to the lighthouse door and dashed inside, almost tripping on her way down to the living area. “Rune!”
She picked up her sai from her backpack on her way to the next set of stairs and called his name again.
What’s wrong? he asked as the dampness of the shower hit the air.
“Mirror-wraiths are taking another caster to the mansion,” she replied, bounding down the stairs and hearing him right behind.
Outside the lighthouse, Cyndra searched for Zorin, seeing nothing but puffy clouds of pink, orange, and dark blue cluttering the sky. Rune, faster than her on her best day, was halfway into the field by the time she reached the edge. She didn’t try to catch up, saving her strength to cast her element when she got closer.
A mirror-wraith shrieked and altered its direction directly toward Rune. Cyndra evoked her fire, felt flames curling around her fingers and saw them encasing her sai. The wraith closed in on Rune from the side. She had to do something.
Zorin shouted in the distance.
Rune jumped over a huge log, tucking and rolling when he landed. Cyndra aimed at the wraith, just as it floated over Rune’s head and threw her sai at its face. The weapon tumbled over in the air, carrying her flames and ripped through the back of the mirror-wraith’s cloak.
It wailed and slinked into the shadow of the woods.
Cyndra slowed to a jog to pick up her sai near the tree line. Rune, tense and worried, stood a few feet from Zorin. The gargoyle was on his hands and knees, shaking, grunting, and panting for breath. She’d seen the signs before, even experienced them.
Keeping her energy tamped down as much as she was able, Cyndra slowly approached, more worried about calming Zorin’s panic than anything else.
Even with the extra height of the lighthouse, Zorin knew he wasn’t fast enough to catch the wraiths. Their ear shattering shrieks blistered into the woods as they slinked through, knowing he could only follow from above. They emerged from the trees, fifty feet apart. The moment it took him to find the caster gave the wraith the advantage and it zipped toward the mansion grounds.
Zorin glided to the edge of the woods, folded his wings halfway, and aimed for the caster. Cyndra and Rune’s power floated on the wind, drawing the lonely wraith’s attention. Knowing they’d drive it back, he focused on his target, now twenty feet from the rock wall and barrier.
Tucking his wings all the way, he plummeted toward the ground, stretching out his hand, reaching for the young man tangled in the wraith’s demon-like grasp. “Caster!”