Reigning Magicks

by Candace Osmond

  Ashlynn’s chest filled with a strange sense of pride at the thought of the Seers finding a place in the world. How times must have changed since her kingdom’s rule. While Seers were sought after for their powers, they were also looked down upon by those who thought themselves above the Travelers. Those like her very own people.

  “How did you find her?” Cian asked, breaking her from her daze.

  “Fedelm came to me as a child,” Ashlynn told him, “and gave me an enchanted flower that would lead me to her one day. When I needed her.”

  Cian said nothing, but she saw surprise in his eyes.

  “The flower led me to a cave where Fedelm had a fire burning. I asked her for the means to bring peace to my people. To stop the arranged marriage my parents were forcing on me. With a drop of my blood, the Seer performed a ritual unlike anything I’d ever seen, manipulating the fire in her hands as if she were immune to its burn. The flame produced a stone. One that would grant me a wish, should I perform the correct ritual.”

  “A wish?” Cian asked curiously and stood from his chair.

  “Yes, the ritual I performed was actually quite simple. But the power of the stone is what brought me here. I expected it to bring peace to my people, but instead…” she shook her head, at a loss for words. How could it have gone so awry?

  “Well, then,” Cian started and came to stand next to the wooden stool she sat on. “Looking for old texts about time travel would have been an impossible task. But, books about the Seer and the ritual you described?” He smirked, and Ashlynn’s heart raced with promise. “That I can do. Come on!”

  He grabbed her hand and hauled her off through the large house, her heart thumping wildly in her chest in response to his very touch. The feeling was foreign to her. The sensation of an erratic heart and a spinning head. No man had ever done that to her before. Then again, both her heart and mind had been for her people. Always.

  In an attempt to distract herself from obsessing over the way his large hand encompassed hers, refusing to let go as they sped through the corridors, she cast her gaze to the walls. To everything around her. Taking in the somewhat familiar belongings of the Travelers and how they mixed with the unknown landscape of a modern home. The handwoven rugs, alive with vibrant colors, sprawled across smooth wooden floors. Large paintings of gypsy caravans and long winding roads, how they anchored the space they hung in and acted as a constant reminder of the people they once were. How they never remained in a single place for too long. Never settling. Ashlynn wondered then, how Cian and his family had come to own such a lavish home. What events led a prestigious line of Travelers to settle.

  Cian stopped at a set of double doors, dark and wooden, carved with intricate markings whose meaning she couldn't even guess at. But it was beautiful.

  “This is my father’s study,” he told her and pushed open one of the doors. “If there’s anything about the Seers, it would be in our archives.”

  “Should we be entering here?” Ashlynn asked with concern. Never would she even dream of stepping a foot inside her father’s study without him present.

  Cian brushed off her concern with ease. “My father doesn’t care too much about what I do, as long as I’m on track to take his place.”

  Ashlynn followed him inside, noting to herself how he spoke of his father’s expectations with an odd tone. One tinged with regret.

  The room was large and filled with dark leather furniture, a grand wooden desk planted in the center of a large window. Heaps of paper and strange objects covering its surface. The scent of tobacco and sandalwood filled her nose and immediately put her at ease.

  Her eyes scanned the floor to ceiling bookcase, noting the titles on the spines. “What are we looking for? These all seem very new and not at all what we’re looking for.”

  Cian stopped in front of a section of the bookcase near the middle and thumbed through the titles, seemingly searching for one in particular. Finally, his hand touched a thick book, bound in emerald leather, and wrapped his other hand around a small pendant he plucked from inside his shirt. Eyes closed, he hummed words too low for Ashlynn’s ear to make out and the space around them seemed to vibrate heavily. The bookshelf shifted perspective, like the way sunlight glistens on the surface of water and then disappears.

  “My word,” she said with a gasp and peered her head inside. A dark hallway lined with coarse stones led to the top of a staircase. “Where are you taking me?”

  Cian returned the pendant around his neck back inside his shirt. “The archives. They contain our oldest texts and remain hidden from the world. We can’t risk other clans, or even the common people finding these.”

  His hand once again reached for hers and she happily accepted it. Warm and inviting. Her skin felt good against his. But she quickly shook the thought away. This man, this stranger…what was wrong with her?

  “Very well, lead the way,” she told him.

  Together, they carefully stepped through the old stone hallway, submerging themselves in darkness until Cian stopped at the top of the stairway. A torch sat in a nook in the wall next to their heads and Cian snapped his fingers, causing a small blaze of fire to take light. Then, one by one, the fire jumped from each torch that lined the descending stairs, illuminating the path for them. He peered back over his shoulder, fishing for her admiration.

  Ashlynn smiled. “Impressive. Your magic comes very naturally.”

  “I would hope so,” he replied and took the first stair. “I’ve been practicing since I was five.”

  “Five years old?” Ashlynn confirmed. “I was forbidden to practice magic until I was of age. My parents forbade it. Said I had other things to learn first.”

  “Yeah, I remember reading something about that,” he said. “You must have been about ten years old before your first circle.”

  Ashlynn didn’t reply. She had been twelve and cursed her parents for every day they withheld her magic from her. The stairs were never-ending as they hugged a central tower and spiraled downward. Being surrounded by stone and firelight made her feel at home.

  “This is quite the structure,” she pointed out.

  “It’s a little over the top, if you ask me,” Cian replied with a laugh. “It’s what’s left of an old castle belonging to my mother’s side. It was attacked by the Scots back in the mid-1800s and crumbled to nothing but a pile of stone. All that remained was the underground system we now walk through. We built our home on top of it.”

  “Cian, when did your family decide to settle here?” Ashlynn asked. “I mean, Travelers are not well-known for putting down roots and staying in one place for too long.”

  They rounded the last curved and stepped down from the staircase to find a spacious room full of chests and shelves. Cian snapped his fingers once more and a string of flame danced around the room, catching fire to every candle and torch. He turned to her then.

  “Early 1900s,” he told her. “After the Travelers had kept a long-standing peace with the Scots. One high clan decided to stay put and adapt with the new world. Others followed soon after. There are still small, rogue clans who continue to travel, scour the world in caravans. And there’s a festival each year around the solstice, where we come from all over to meet the Seer and remember the old ways.” He chuckled. “I love it.”

  It sounded wonderful, but all Ashlynn could think of was her part in all of it. How her disappearance had forced Gwen to marry Brigacos in her place. Their daughter eventually married a traveler, a gypsy prince, changing everything. A union of clans had never been heard of before. Those events led to this future, and the life Cian now lived.

  The thought of it all made Ashlynn’s head spin and she searched for something to brace herself as her knees weakened. Cian lunged to her side and slipped his arm around her back. The nearness of him caused her head to spin even more.

  “Ashlynn,” he said with concern. “Are you okay?”

  Face and hands slick with sweat, she nodded, but still allowed herself to rest
in his embrace. “I believe…with everything that’s happened…I just –“

  “I get it,” Cian told her with a nod. “I can’t imagine how you must be feeling. Lost in this strange world with no one.”

  He led Ashlynn over to a small stone bench and she smiled up at him as she sat. His arm still around her as he remained bent over, almost as if he were afraid to let her go.

  “Well, that’s not quite true, is it?” she said and tipped her chin as she gazed up at him. “I have you.”

  Cian’s eyes sparkled in the candlelight, crinkling at the outer edges with a wide smile. “Yeah, you do.”

  Silence hung in the sliver of space between them and Ashlynn’s hands tingled with the urge to reach up and pull his face down to meet hers. To touch her lips to his. With bated breath, she slowly leaned forward, stretching her neck. And for a moment, Cian seemed to welcome her advance, inching forward.

  A quick moment.

  He nervously cleared his throat, retrieving his arm from around Ashlynn’s back and pulled away, leaving her wanting and flushed with heat. Since arriving in this strange new world, she’d experienced emotions unlike anything she could have ever dreamed of. Now, with her desire for this man she barely knew growing with every passing second, Ashlynn fought to control her rapid thoughts. No boy from her kingdom had ever stirred her heart this way.

  She sat and watched from the stone bench as Cian combed the vast collection of dusty texts, plucking certain ones from their place on the shelves. When he was done, they carried the books back to his room in an awkward silence. Ashlynn had no idea what to say to explain her actions and, worse yet, she had no idea what was running through the man’s mind. The sooner she found Fedelm’s ritual, the sooner she could get home and forget all this confusion.

  No matter the pain it caused her to think such a thing.

  They entered Cian’s bedroom and set the books down before stacking the ones they previously read in neat piles in the corner. Ashlynn watched admiringly as he moved about the room, the way his lithe muscles flexed under the thin cover of a white shirt. The way his wavy dark hair seemed to move with a mind of its own. She had never met a man quite like Cian before.

  Lost in his beauty, Ashlynn gasped when he spoke.

  “Are you alright?” he asked her.

  Her mind raced to collect her thoughts. “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, you’re staring at me.”

  Her cheeks flushed red but, instead of turning away in embarrassment, she gave him a bold smile. “You know, you’re quite pretty. For a man.”

  Cian let out a loud hoot of laughter, holding a hand over his stomach as he bent over. His laughter was infectious and soon Ashlynn found herself joining in. Sounds of their merriment filled the room and drove out the awkward silence that hung there only moments before. Cian wiped tears from his eyes, remnants of chuckles still evident in the way his wide mouth curved at the sides, and then poured two more glasses of wine. He walked over to where she stood and handed her a glass.

  “Let’s crack these books open, shall we?”

  Ashlynn took a big sip and then smiled, telling herself that the awkwardness must have only been felt by her. She’d been overthinking his response to her actions. “Yes, of course.”

  Hours passed as they worked their way through the large pile of ancient books and documents, carefully considering every word on every page. At times, Cian would find something useful and Ashlynn would watch over his shoulder as his fingers trailed down the page while he read the words to her. But she could hardly focus when she was so close to him. His intoxicating scent, the enticing way his lips moved when speaking, it all made her heart flutter and her fingers ache to touch him.

  The endless wine wasn’t helping with her willpower, either.

  After a while, Cian closed the book he was working on and looked up at her from the chair near his desk. “What if we don’t find it?”

  “We must,” Ashlynn replied from the bed where she comfortably laid amongst the books she was reading. “I have to find a way back. If not a ritual to create the wishing stone, then some other answer. Some other way to send me back to where I belong.”

  She sucked in a deep breath, unsure of those last few words. Where did she belong, really? In a world where everyone was bent on thwarting her advances to rule her people? Or in this new place, where magick had led her? Where this man stirred every known emotion in her body.

  “So long as it’s after my sister’s marriage to Brigacos,” Ashlynn added.

  Cian nodded in understanding. “Yes, wouldn’t want to go through all of this just to end up marrying the Scot, anyway. Right?”

  “Correct,” Ashlynn replied and gave an involuntary shudder. “I cannot bear the thought…”

  “I get it,” Cian told her, blowing out a deep breath. “I really do.”

  She quirked an eyebrow, hearing much more than sympathy in his tone. “How so?”

  Cian swiped a hand through his wavy hair and rubbed the back of his neck. “My parents have made arrangements for my own marriage. To a rival Traveler clan. Our bloodlines are the only two that have yet to join in union over the centuries. I’m supposed to marry their daughter in two weeks.”

  Ashlynn noted the tinge of pain and disgust in his tone as she stared at him in surprise. “You mean, after all these years, centuries, clans are still forcing their children into unwanted marriages for the sake of peace?”

  “I’m afraid so, Princess,” Cian replied with an empty sigh of defeat.

  Now it made sense to her. The way Cian had pulled away despite how he seemed to show an attraction to her. Ashlynn hadn’t imagined it. He wanted her just as much as she desired him. But moral obligation and loyalty to his family stood in the way.

  “Tell me about her,” Ashlynn spoke quietly and let her gaze fall to the books on the bed.

  Cian stood from the desk and sauntered over to where she was, dropping to the bed and sprawling out next to her.

  “Her name is Serena,” he began. “Daughter of the Cineal clan from up North. They’re older than our family, at least…they hold more power, anyway. They have never liked the carefree manner in which my parents rule our clan, and her family has butt heads with mine for years. Tensions have been building and, in an attempt to avoid some sort of silent war, our fathers agreed to join our clans.”

  “Don’t you have a say?” Ashlynn asked him.

  Cian’s pained gaze met hers. “Did you?”

  She had no response. But Ashlynn expected more for the future. Something better. Better ways of creating peace aside from the forced union of clans and families. If three hundred years made no difference to the way the magical world operated, then what hope did she have of living the life of her choice if she did return home? Her father would eventually just marry her off to some other clan in a foolish and lazy effort for peace. Ashlynn pulled herself from the bed and sat up, burying her face in her hands.

  “Hey,” Cian said, concerned, and reached across the bed to gently touch her arm. “What’s wrong?”

  Ashlynn tore her tear-stained face from her lap. “What am I doing?”

  “What do you –“

  “Here. What am I doing here? The power of the wish sent me to you, and I’ve done nothing but try and find a way home since the moment we met. But…for what reason? What do I have to go back to? My father will never let me rule by myself. Not before he marries me off to some strange clan in favor of his own politics. I’m nothing more than a tool in his arsenal.”

  She returned her face to her hands in a half-drunken fit of tears. “I’m a fool.”

  “Hey,” Cian said and slid closer, their bodies all but touching, and pulled at her hands. She glanced up and met his eyes. “You’re no fool. We’re the children of powerful people and have been raised to do as we’re told. We’ve been given a responsibility we didn’t ask for. You’re not foolish, you’re…amazing.”

  Ashlynn watched in shock as Cian’s face turned crimson. H
e pulled away, seemingly embarrassed by his own words. But she didn’t want him to pull away, didn’t want him to take it back. She leaned forward and pinched the collar of his shirt between her fingers, pulling him closer before slowly pressing her trembling lips to his.

  At first, Cian froze in her grasp, lips unmoving. Like kissing a stone carving. Ashlynn reigned her lips back, hovering a hair from his. Waiting. She wanted him to pull her in but expected the opposite. He was promised to another and Cian didn’t seem like the type to betray. But, to her surprise, he returned his mouth to hers in a heated and passionate kiss.

  Fire coursed through her body, igniting everywhere his hands touched. Her head, full of a hazy cloud of wine and emotions, spun around in circles. Cian shifted, moving his body atop of her. In that moment he no longer seemed the kind, helpful friend she’d spent the day with but, rather, a hungry and sexual man. A gorgeous man who threatened to dissolve all her willpower.

  Cian pulled away harshly, ripping the very breath from Ashlynn’s chest, and thrust himself away from her body. He paced the floor in front of the bed as she sat up, head swimming from the brief encounter.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, still pacing.

  “For what? It was I who advanced on you.”

  “I should know better,” he replied and stopped to look Ashlynn in the eye. “I should have more control than that. It was wrong for me to take advantage of you that way.”

  “Take advantage?” Ashlynn shook her head. “Cian, I wanted you to kiss me. In fact, I’ve wanted nothing more from the moment we met in the woods.”

  “You’ve been drinking,” he told her, grasping at straws. He took a few clumsy steps to the door. “We should get some rest. I’ll, um, I’ll go get some more blankets and pillows. I’ll take the floor. You, uh, you take the bed.”

  “Cian, don’t be ridiculous, the bed is large enough for the two –“

  “I’ll be right back,” he interrupted and then left the room in haste.