by Mac Flynn
I squinted at the ball. “How can you tell? And how can I create a healing spell?”
He smiled at me. “It’s a matter of practice. Do you see these lines in the magic?” He pointed at the swirling lights within the ball that looked like . I nodded. “What do you see?”
I tilted my head to one side and furrowed my brow. “I see lines.”
“Look closer and tell me what you see.”
I leaned in closer to the light. “I see. . .I see-” The lines warped and transformed into a bird with a long tail.
My eyes widened as I watched the beautiful creature, something akin to a peacock but with the grace of a swan, fly around in circles. Its tail encircled the whole of the central glow, and its body itself created the lines. It leisurely flapped its wings to continue its motion, but as it passed by it turned its bright yellow eyes on me. I felt a soft warmth from that look.
I looked up at Tristan with my mouth agape. “What is it?”
“We create spells through the magic granted to us by the elfennau,” he reminded me as he nodded at the bird. “That is one of them, or at least a manifestation of the elfennau that grants protection magic to the user.”
“You mean magic is alive?” I asked him.
“That would depend on who you ask,” he told me. “Some believe it is, while others see the elfennau as less sentient than the users, like animals. Others still believe they are nothing more than wayward magic attracted to athrylis.”
I looked back to the floating bird. Its golden feathers glistened in the dazzling light of the ball. I raised my hand up and the bird itself flew upward. It spread its wings and the protection magic burst outward in a small, warm explosion of light. As the light faded so, too, did the bird until nothing remained.
I looked to Tristan who’s gaze lay on the sky above us. “Will it always be the same bird?”
Tristan looked at me and nodded. “For you it will be, though others have a slight variation on the manifestation.”
“Like what kind of variation?” I wondered.
“Some of the elfennau look more akin to hawks, and others have a bundle of plumage on their head. Those variations,” he explained. “However, they are all considered the same elfennau, and the ancient name for that creature is Cadwa.”
I stared down at my hands and a thought struck me. “How come I didn’t see the Cadwa before? I’ve seen the spell a couple of times, but I don’t remember seeing any bird.”
“That’s because your eyes were shut to the wonder,” he revealed as he softly smiled down at me. “Seeing the elfennau now shows how far your abilities have advanced.”
“So how does this help me figure out how to perform spells?” I asked him.
He looked ahead of us and nodded in that direction. “Look at the elfennau now.”
I followed my gaze and my breath caught in my throat. The strands were no longer mere threads, but were creatures that floated through the air. There was a frisky stallion and a slow turtle, and another looked like a badger. One of the creatures was the Cadwa. The elegant creature floated past me and tickled my nose with the tips of its wing.
I wrinkled my nose, but my face was aglow with my wondrous smile. “They’re so beautiful.”
Tristan studied me with his own soft smile. “Beautiful indeed.”
I blushed under his compliment, but cleared my throat and looked around us. “So which one is the white magic?”
His smile turned into a mischievous grin. “That is for you to learn.”
“Is there a manual I can look at before I start grabbing all of the elfennau?” I wondered.
He chuckled. “That would be a feat that I would be most interested in seeing.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Why?”
“To do so causes too much elfennau to flow into your body,” he revealed as he looked me over. “That causes a great deal of strain on the body, and many athrylis have died in the attempt.”
I winced. “Has anyone succeeded?”
“Some legends say that Treon succeeded, but beyond those stories there are none that I know of,” he admitted.
“Then I think I’ll keep with one,” I suggested as I looked over the strands. “So I still have to guess which one is the white one, huh?”
“Guessing would be foolhardy and take quite some time,” Tristan pointed out. “All you need to do is wish for healing and the right elfennau will come to you.”
I sighed, but held up one upturned palm. “Here goes nothing.”
I focused my thoughts on the idea of ridding myself of the curse that weakened me. One of the strands, a creature that resembled a snake, turned away from its path and slithered toward me. The color of its light was slightly green and its eyes were of a jade hue. The creature slipped into my hand and I felt a cool sensation run through my body. The chill wrapped around the mark on my forehead, and I felt it fight for a moment before the cold faded.
I winced as I was struck by another aching pain in my body. Tristan grabbed my shoulders to keep me from falling forward. I wrapped my arms around me and clenched my teeth.
“What happened?” I choked out.
“You attempted to cure the curse and despite your best efforts the curse repelled the elfennau,” Tristan explained.
I sat up and sheepishly smiled at him. “Remind me not to do that again.” I took a deep, shuddering breath as the pain began to fade. “I think I’m all right now. So what other powers are there? I mean, besides healing and protection.”
Tristan stood and offered me his hand. “Perhaps that is a lesson best learned through books, at least until your curse is broken.”
“Agreed,” I replied as I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet.
“Lord Tristan! Chris!” I heard Chloe shout. She came running through the hedged arches and into the courtyard. In her hands was a towering basket of fruit. “This just arrived!”
“From whom?” Tristan asked as I walked up to admire the wonderful assortment.
Chloe plucked a card from her pocket and handed it to him. “The delivery man didn’t say, but the card says it’s from ‘Harry.’”
Tristan studied the front of the card before he flipped it over to its blank back. “And there was nothing more?”
Chloe shook her head. “No, My Lord.”
“What does the card say?” I asked him.
“Only that he means to apologize for his rudeness with this basket,” Tristan told me.
I plucked out an apple and studied the shiny skin. “I wouldn’t have expected this of him.”
I raised the fruit to my lips, but Tristan snatched the apple from my hand. I spun around to face him and found a cloud on his brow. “Nor would I,” he agreed as he sniffed the apple. His lips curled up in a snarl. “Poison.”
Chloe’s eyes and my own widened. “Are you sure, My Lord?” she asked him.
He nodded. “Yes. Don’t touch any of the others and-”
“What a fine basket!” a voice spoke up, and we turned to see Maddock walk up to us from the house. He noticed the dark looks on our faces and his own good humor fled. “What’s happened?”
“A basket of poison, courtesy of Harry,” I told him.
Tristan handed him the letter. “This note arrived with this basket of poisoned fruit.”
Maddock read the contents and looked up at Tristan. “Perhaps we should pay Harry another visit.”
“I agree,” Tristan replied as he turned to Chloe and set the apple back among its deadly brethren. “Place the basket in the kitchen, but don’t touch any more.” She nodded. “And take Christine with you.”
I frowned. “But I’m coming with you.”
“You are in no condition for further travel today, and this will be a dangerous venture,” he pointed out.
“But-”
“For once I must agree with Tristan,” Maddock spoke up as he moved nearer. “Your pale face tells truer tales than any words you may speak.”
My heart sank. “So what am I suppose
d to do? Just sit here and wait?”
“There is the library and your studies,” Tristan reminded me.
I bowed my head. “All right, but what are you going to do?”
“We will have a chat with Mr. Harry and see what he meant with his ‘gift,’” Maddock explained as he grinned up at Tristan. “Between the two of us this should be a rather safe chat, though I can’t say the same for Mr. Harry.”
Tristan cupped my chin in his fingers and raised my eyes so I looked into my eyes. “We will return as soon as we can.” I pursed my lips, but nodded. He looked to Chloe. “Watch over her carefully until we return.”
She nodded. “I will.”
“And don’t let the basket out of your sight,” Maddock instructed us. The men hurried away, leaving us holding the basket.
Chloe set a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. “I’m sure they’ll return very soon. Why don’t we go inside and fix something to eat?”
I could only nod my head and let her guide me back to the house. Chloe cleared the island and set the basket on the lonely top. We began fixing a little something to eat, but our thoughts were ever on the two absent from the house.
It was ten minutes later that we heard the knock on the front door.
27
Chloe and I glanced at each other. Our faces told the same story. The guys were back, and we almost dreaded to know what news they brought.
Chloe wiped her hands down her apron and gave me a shaky smile. “I’ll answer it.”
She left the room. My ears strained to hear every fall of her feet as she walked to the door. She opened the entrance and there was a pause.
“Can I help you?” Chloe asked our visitor. My heart sank. It wasn’t the the guys.
“I was wondering if a Miss Maddy lived here,” the familiar voice of Katherine answered.
“There’s no one by that name here,” Chloe replied.
My heart quickened and I flew out into the hall. “That’s me, you silly!”
Chloe turned to me and revealed Katherine standing just outside. She had a small vial in one hand and a quizzical expression on her face. “Your name was Maddy, wasn’t it?”
I nodded. “Y-yes, of course. What can I do for you?”
“I was thinking about how little I was able to help you, and I looked into some of my books from my academy days,” she explained as she held up the vial. “I thought maybe I could find something in them to help you, and I believe I have.”
My pulse quickened. “A cure to the curse?”
Her smile widened and a strange glint slipped into her eyes. “Not quite.” She popped the vial and threw the contents into Chloe’s face. Chloe’s eyes rolled back and she dropped to the floor.
“Chloe!” I shouted as I rushed to her side. She was still breathing. I shook her shoulders, but she didn’t awaken. “Chloe!” A shadow fell over us. I whipped my head up and glared at Katherine. “What have you done to my friend?”
She tapped the mouth of the vial against her shoulder as she grinned down at me. “Well, I had intended to come here after your friends left and make you to go to sleep, but this little cat brat got in the way of that plan.”
“Why were you going to do that to me? Why do that to anybody?” I questioned her.
Her eyebrows rose up. “You don’t know yet? Do I have to spell it out for you, cursed one?”
My eyes widened and my heart stopped. “You’re. . .you’re the one.”
She nodded. “Yes, I’m the one who’s been playing with those piles of mud, so I guess that makes me the one who’s cursed you.”
I stood and glared at her. “How could you do this? Why?”
She shrugged. “I wanted to test out a theory about the golems and their ability to absorb magic. It worked out better than I thought when one of them found that legendary portal created by that dierth.”
“But you destroyed so much! All those golems and the forest!” I protested.
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You’re really going to try to convince me to suddenly care about all the variables in my experiments?” She leaned her head back and laughed. “You really are too stupid, aren’t you? However-” She walked toward me and drew another vial from her pocket. I stumbled back deeper into the hall. “Since you saw me in the woods that day I’m sorry to say that I have to inconvenience myself by getting rid of you.”
My frantic mind grasped for excuses. “B-but you can’t do that! Everyone will know that an alchemist killed me and they’ll suspect you!”
She raised the vial to her grinning face. “Oh, this is a special potion. It’ll make you go insane and kill yourself. Isn’t that smart of me?”
A flicker of familiar light floated through the wall to my left. The protection phoenix, Cadwa. I reached out for the elfennau just as Katherine uncorked the vial. She threw the contents at me as my fingers brushed against the feathers.
Cadwa’s brilliant light burst outward and enveloped me in its beauty in the form of a thin wall. Katherine’s potion splashed against the wall and slipped to the floor.
Katherine stepped back and glared at me. “Damn it. You’re an athrylis.”
The protection barrier dropped and I stood straight. “I am, and-”
Katherine sneered at me. “Only if you catch me.” She turned and raced toward the door.
I took a step toward her to pursue, but my shadow was faster. The darkness beneath me slipped across the floor and latched onto Katherine’s shadow. She cried out as she fell face-first onto the floor. My shadow stretched upward and morphed into Tristan.
Katherine yelped as he grabbed her ankle on the way up and lifted her off the floor. He hung her upside-down in front of her and looked down at her with unmistakable hatred. “You filthy human,” he snarled. “You dare to touch my bride?”
“Let me go! Please let me go!” Katherine pleaded as she thrashed in his hold.
“I should gut you while you swing here,” he snapped. His golden eyes were more red than yellow, and in their depths was a hint of cruelty that left me not with fear, but with sorrow and pity.
I ran up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I pressed my face against his back and shut my eyes. “Please stop! Don’t hurt her?”
Tristan stiffened and his voice was cold. “Why?”
“Because it won’t change what happened!” I countered. I looked up at him and shook my head. “It won’t help those golems, it won’t help me, and it won’t help you.”
There was a long, torturous pause before Tristan opened his hand. Katherine dropped hard onto the floor. She scrambled back away from him and hit Chloe’s feet. The sudden stop made her start and turn around.
“Awaken her or I will not heed my companion’s words,” Tristan threatened her.
Katherine reached a shaking hand into her coat and drew out a vial. She held it out to us. “T-this is it.”
“Administer it yourself,” he commanded her.
Katherine scooted over to Chloe and lifted her head. She poured the drink into her parted lips. In a moment Chloe coughed on the medicine and her eyes fluttered open. She sat up and blinked at the group around her. “W-what happened?”
“N-nothing,” Katherine replied as she stood and took a step back toward the door. “I’ll just be-”
“The cure to the curse,” Tristan reminded her.
She winced. “I-I don’t really have one.”
“That would be very reckless of you,” a voice spoke up from behind her, and we all looked to see Maddock in the doorway.
Katherine half-turned to him and shook her head. “B-but I don’t have one! I didn’t know the golems would create that kind of curse! I swear it!”
Maddock studied her for a moment before he pursed his lips and looked past her at us. “I think she’s telling us the truth.”
“I am!” she insisted.
My blood ran cold at Maddock’s pronouncement. I looked up at Tristan. “But then how are we going to cure the curse?”
He
shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“There is the alchemy at Laethion,” Maddock suggested.
Tristan pursed his lips. “Even by magic, the strain may prove to be too much.”
“What other choice do we have?” Maddock countered.
Tristan returned his attention to Katherine. “What sort of potion did you administer to the golems?”
She shrank back from his question. “I. . .it’s a potion of my own making.”
“What are the ingredients?” Tristan snapped at her.
Katherine bowed her head. “Some herbs, some soil, and . . .and my blood.”
Maddock’s eyes widened. “Your blood? In a potion? Don’t you know the laws against that?”
She shot him a glare. “I do, but what do I care? My blood is too weak to sustain even me. What could it hurt to give it to a pile of mud?”
“It hurt the Harlipren,” I reminded her. “And me.”
Maddock crossed his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow as he stared hard at the floor. “Blood alchemy. The worst kind for the origin of a curse, but that explains the terrible curse itself.”
Chloe climbed to her feet and looked around. “But there has to be something that can be done for Chris! There has to be!”
I felt a terrible ache in my body and clutched my hand over my chest. No cure, no chance to return home. Heck, no life here in this world.
A light caught my attention. It was the snake elfennau. The creature hovered beside my face and rubbed its cheek against mine. I reached up and brushed my fingers over its smooth body. A warmth entered me, and at the same time a strand of its light floated over to Katherine. She appeared completely oblivious as it wrapped itself around her neck.
Maddock’s eyes widened. “Of course! Blood magic!” He hurried over to me and grasped my hands in his as he looked me in the eyes. “You must extract some of her life force into your own.”
I frowned and shook my head. “I don’t understand. Can she still help me?”
“Nobody’s extracting anything from me!” Katherine refused as she turned to flee. Tristan’s tendrils rose up from her own shadow and wrapped around her ankles, pinning her in place. She thrashed and pulled. “Let me go!”