by T Ariyanna
“Can't you do any better? What the hell was all that training for anyway?” Cy yelled as Arion struggled to make a sturdier shield. He backed away until he tripped over his own feet. He caught himself with his left hand, and it scraped across the stones, leaving a smear of blood on the road.
Something clamped down on his leg. He kicked out desperately at the foot that held him still, staring up at the man. He reached down toward Tome, tearing Arion's pocket to get it out.
“No!” he screamed as the man held Tome and shook it violently. It opened, flailing in the air as it was shaken.
“You think you can do magic like we can? Huh, you inbred freak?” The man chortled with laughter, and the crowd joined in with him. He grabbed onto the other half of Tome, and ripped it into two. Throwing one half behind him, he held the other half by the torn spine and waved it in Arion's face. Black ink dripped from the spine, and Arion's eyes welled up with tears.
He ripped his eyes away from the man, and noticed the other half of Tome behind him, quivering on the ground. It was still alive! Arion chuckled to himself, and said, “You really shouldn't have done that. He's mine. He knows how to survive.”
The man stared at him with incredulity, his mouth hanging open. He moved his lips to say something, but a scream erupted from his throat before he could. Tome had reforged himself, despite the man's grip. Upon fitting its pieces together, Tome had sliced through the man's hand where he held the book. Arion kicked his leg out from under the man and dove for Tome, now whole on the ground in a pool of blood and amputated fingers.
Arion ran past the man, who was holding the gushing stub of his hand and spewing profanities from his mouth. “You little shit!” he finally managed to say through the pain. “Screw the Magicern! I'll kill you myself!”
Using Tome, Arion created a shield so thick he couldn't see through it. He braced himself through wave after wave of magical attacks from the man. Sweat beaded his face, and his arms grew sore with the effort.
With a guttural roar, the man heaved a spell at Arion. He peeked around the edge of his shield, expecting a giant icicle. All he could see before having to hide again was a cloud of magic, ever changing in size and shape. It hit his shield hard, pushing him backwards. Arion shoved it back with a yell, and pounced to his feet. He grabbed the shield by its rim, ignoring how the magic bit into his skin, and threw it with all the strength he had left.
Arion watched in horror as the spell he had sent back hit the man, freezing him in the middle of his next attack. Arion's shield collided next, breaking the man into pieces. He dropped to his knees as the shards of the man hit the ground, shattering into powdery snow.
Everyone was silent for a moment, but whispers came from the crowd surrounding him. They stared at him with a mixture of fear, and pure hatred.
Arion ran without another thought. He pushed his way through the swarms of people with as much strength as he could muster, finding his way back to the entrance. As he pushed himself harder for the last stretch, he knocked into something and tumbled to the ground.
Looking up through the tears, he saw Holten's light blue eyes full of concern. “Are you okay, son?” he asked, reaching for Arion’s arm.
Arion jerked out of his reach, his eyes widening in terror. He shook his head and covered his eyes. Holten's fingers clutched at his coat as Arion darted for the archway.
He lost his breath when he exited the city, and crumpled to the road. He clutched his chest, sucking down as much air as he could. It scratched his throat as he breathed, and his stomach churned.
Arion crawled to the side of the road, out of sight if anyone was to look for him. He fell to his hands and knees, and heaved until there was nothing left to come up, coughing up blood and vomit.
There was no sound left but the pounding of his blood in his veins. He stared at his hands for a long moment, and clawed at the drying blood until he made himself bleed. He only stopped when Cy took control, and forced his arms to his sides.
“Come on, kid. Let's just go home,” Cy whispered, sounding defeated.
Arion nodded, and got to his feet with the help of Cy's strength. They trudged home in sorrow along the road, far enough off the main path that there was no chance of being spotted. They walked in silence, Arion's guilt replaying the scene of the man bursting into pieces again and again.
“How long are you going to sulk this time? It. Doesn't. Get. Us. Anywhere. So just snap out of it already!” Cy yelled.
They had just barely made it home before Arion couldn’t control himself any longer. He locked himself in the basement, trying to be alone, but he could never be alone.
Cy rammed against the inside of Arion's head, but the boy barely felt it. He wrapped his arms tighter around his legs, pressing his forehead into his knees. He clenched his hands and felt blood drip down from his fingernails biting into him.
The pain was a release for him, and he was able to breathe again for a moment. You deserve this, he told himself, a tear rolling down his cheek. It followed the trail left by the many before it, and landed on his arm. It soaked into his coat and he watched until it dried, leaving a faint ring of salt behind.
“You don't deserve this. Now stop feeling so sorry for yourself.”
“No. I killed someone, and I...” He cut himself off, unable to say the words aloud. I liked it, he groaned to himself, slipping into the safe parts of his mind, where not even Cy could hear him. “What am I?” he croaked, burrowing into his arms.
“Come on, kid. What do you want from me?”
“For you to go away!” His voice broke. He forced himself to cough, and it felt as though his lungs were being torn out of his chest. He held himself together as he rattled in his coughing fit.
“You're just having a panic attack. You just need to calm down, and you'll be fine. It's not that hard.”
Arion shook his head. He had been trying to calm himself down, and Cy telling him to do wasn't going to make it magically work.
When he stopped hacking and retching, he slumped onto his side. His arms splayed out beside him, and he stared at his own blood caked under his fingernails.
“How do I live with myself now?” he whispered.
It was a long moment before there was any response. Cy softly said, “You did what you had to do. It was him, or us. It's called self-defense. Everyone does it. It just got out of hand, that's all. You had to do it.”
“But why did I have to enjoy it?” he growled.
“Maybe you didn't. You could’ve just been glad you could get away safe. You're blowing this whole thing out of proportion, trust me. You're fine.”
Arion nodded mindlessly, letting that idea set in. He had taken so much abuse in his life, from his father and from Kraven, and anytime he had given any back, it only made him more fearful. Up until now, he just rolled over and took the beatings, like he was supposed to do.
But now, he had power. He had magic to protect him. And he was allowed to use it. He didn't have to be afraid anymore.
Now, it was them who had to be afraid.
Chapter 10
“Uh, you wanna remind me why we're going to the village full of people who don't like us? I'm sure Kraven is really missing us by now.” Cy whined as he paced in Arion's mind. “We survived the summer, and then some. You even got to have another birthday! So we had that little hiccup in Centric after all that, but still. Why do you wanna go and throw that all away?”
“Why are you so worried? He won't be a problem anymore. Self-defense, remember?” Arion raised his hand and sparked his magic around his fingers. It raced in and out of his skin before fading away.
“Self-defense. Uh, yeah. Right,” Cy muttered.
They arrived in town moments later, and they drew the eye of nearly everyone they passed. They ignored the gazes, knowing it was nothing new for them.
They had avoided the town as best they could since Arion had faked his death. There had been plenty of vandalism done to his house, but no one had been brave enoug
h to come after him directly. He longed them to come, now that he had found his power from his visit to Centric.
It was nearly noon. Arion went straight for the school, and his tree at the edge of the yard. He waited there patiently, creating a small tornado for old time's sake.
The bell rang and children spilled out of the doors. He watched the masses scatter about the yard, until the last stragglers made their way outside. The very last to exit was a girl walking at a snail's pace, a book clutched in her hands.
Her dress was wrinkled as she shuffled through the schoolyard, her braids coming undone. Light blue eyes sparked as she read every word, and her freckle filled face was flushed.
Arion smiled, and hid his blush as he watched Kaitlyn wander into the middle of the yard. Other children ran around her, close enough that the air coming off of them blew her dress in every direction.
Arion stepped around the tree and started towards her. Before he could take more than a few steps, Kraven was at her back, pushing her into the dirt. Kaitlyn’s book flew from her hands and skid along the ground. She cried out, reaching for it, but Kraven held her back by her dress. She turned to glare at him.
Arion barreled toward Kraven as the bully bent down to grab Kaitlyn's hair. Arion rammed into him, and Kraven stumbled from the surprise.
“Leave her alone, Kraven. I'm not going to tell you again,” Arion growled. Arion turned to help Kaitlyn up, and her wide smile had his heart nearly leaping out of his chest.
“I thought you were smart enough not to show your face around here, freak. Guess I was wrong.” Kraven towered over Arion, his face bright red. He could nearly see the smoke furling out of his nose.
“You sure you wanna do this, kid? There's no going back once you do,” Cy interjected.
Shut up and stay out of this, Cy. This is my fight. Arion spat at him.
“So you going to run like normal, or what? I tell ya, I've missed my punching bag.” Kraven burst into maniacal laughter.
Kaitlyn pulled on Arion's sleeve desperately. “Don't,” she begged.
“It's alright, Kait,” Arion soothed her. He patted her hand before prying it from his arm.
“Oh, is it, freak? You so sure about that?” Kraven asked.
He swung first, aiming for Arion's face. Arion raised his left hand to catch it, and stopped it before it even reached his hand.
Green sparks shot between his hand and Kraven's, and the bully yanked it back with a yelp. “What the hell?”
“I'm done taking your beatings, Kraven. You can't touch me.”
“Wanna bet?” Kraven swung again, putting his whole body into the punch. His fist came within inches of Arion's face, and he pressed his hand to the other boy's chest. Arion gave a little shove, and Kraven was sent rolling onto the ground.
Kraven stared at Arion, a mixture of fear and anger filling his face. He looked around at the gathering crowd, and pushed himself up, brushing the fall off like it was nothing. He charged for Arion with a roar, but Arion sidestepped him easily. He grabbed Kraven's arm, sending a shock of magic into him. The bully screamed and convulsed, falling to the ground when he was released.
Kraven clutched his arm, though there were no marks left behind. He glared up at Arion's smug face. “I swear I'll kill you, freak. Just you wait.”
Kraven glared at Arion, but was unable to do anything else. With the last shock that Arion had sent into his arm, he had paralyzed it.
“Keep on trying, Kraven. I'll be waiting.” Arion scooped up Kaitlyn’s book, dusted it off, and tucked it into her arms. He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the group. The crowd split to let them through, tripping over each other to get out of the way.
“Are you okay?” Arion asked softly once they were far enough away from the others.
“Yeah, I think so. What was all of that, Arion?”
“Self-defense,” he said simply.
“Are you sure that was a good idea? They'll be all over you now that they know for sure you have magic. I don't think you should come back to the village. It's not safe.” Kaitlyn pulled him to a stop near the edge of the village. She glanced up at his home looming on the hill.
“What do you mean? I can handle myself now. Besides, you really think Kraven's that stupid?”
“I don't think it's that he's stupid, Arion. It's…”
“What? It's what?”
“You don't belong here, especially after all that. They don't want you around, and if you keep trying to come back, they're just going to gang up on you more and more until the whole town wants your head! I can't watch you make yourself a target!” Kaitlyn looked away, her face growing red.
“I can bring you food to your house, if you promise not to come back,” she whispered after a long moment. She glanced up to see Arion's hurt expression, and jerked her head away again.
Arion shook his head. “You can't. Without me around, Kraven'll just keeping coming after you. Especially if he finds out that you're helping me. No way. I'm staying around to protect you.”
“I can handle myself, too, you know. I'm a big girl now. Besides, he won't hurt me. I know it. Just promise me you'll keep yourself safe, and I'll do the same.” She held her hand out between them, taking a small step backwards. It was a rigid gesture, but her shoulders shook.
Arion took her hand slowly, and she let out a breath. “If he even touches you again, I swear I'll…”
“No, Arion. You worry about your Mom. I can handle Kraven on my own. Now, get on home, before they come after you again. Go!” She shoved him when he didn’t budge, and he stepped away. He turned and left her standing alone, running along the dirt road without looking back.
“She's smart. You need to listen to her.”
“Fine,” he grumbled, but his mind was uneasy.
“Is it? Because I can see you're already planning on going back tomorrow to check on her. And the next day. And the next day. Kraven hates us for a reason, the magic, remember? He only picks on her because of us. You understand that, right?”
“I don't care. I'll kill him before he lays another hand on her.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“This is idiotic! But do you ever listen to me? No, ignore the demon in your brain, that's the best idea ever!”
“Shut up,” Arion hissed. He had climbed his tree and huddled closer to the branches, watching the doors of the school closely. Any minute now, and…
The sound of the bell split the air, and Arion shifted his weight to look closer. Kraven and his group were the first out the door, the rest of the kids running around him, filling the edges of the yard. Like the day before, Kaitlyn was the last one out, and Kraven already started for her.
Arion loosened his grip, and hung one foot in the open air. “Wait!” Cy overtook his body, and held him still.
“Let. Me. Go,” Arion growled.
“Don't you trust your girl? Even a little? Just watch.”
“She's not mine,” Arion mumbled defenselessly, pouting. He settled back against the tree and glared at Kraven.
Kraven plucked Kaitlyn's book from her hands, and tossed it over his shoulder. She dove after it, but he caught her by one of her braids. Arion gripped the branch he was steadying himself on tighter, nearly snapping it with his magic.
Kaitlyn grabbed her braid, and yanked it out of Kraven's hands. He let go as she did, and she was sent onto the ground from the force of her own strength. His group of friends surrounded her, their mocking laughter reaching Arion's ears. She pushed herself into a sitting position, holding her arm. Tears glinted on her face as blood dripped onto the ground.
Arion dropped from the tree in an instant, storming into the circle of bullies. He stomped past Kaitlyn, who lunged at his legs, and grabbed Kraven by the front of his shirt. He stared up into the mocking face, fighting against the magic building in his hand.
“Arion, please don't,” Kaitlyn squeaked behind him. She was standing now, and pulling on his coat with all her might. He tu
rned to glance at her, her blue eyes begging.
“Please, Arion, please!” Kraven mocked in a high-pitched voice. He broke into chortles, and Arion whirled around only to be hit with Kraven’s punch. He fell to the ground, his arm twisting and snapping underneath him. He cried out as loud as he could. He had nearly forgotten what pain felt like.
He glared up at Kraven, his eyes burning. The bully was staring down at him with triumph clear on his face, and like before, Arion felt like the prey being hunted by a pack. Fear washed over him, mixing with his pain, and he lost the grip on his magic. It faded from his hand, and he felt just as helpless as he always had.
“Cy,” he breathed as Kraven took a step toward him. He tensed his whole body, preparing for the worst.
Kaitlyn punched Kraven in his jaw, and blood flew from his mouth. He spun on one foot and collapsed onto the ground, his jaw at an odd angle. The group of kids surrounding them let out a wave of gasps as Kaitlyn shook her hand.
“Whoa,” Arion and Cy said in unison.
Kraven’s friends quickly gathered him and disappeared to the edge of the schoolyard, sparing the bully any further embarrassment. He looked more stunned than hurt as they led him away.
“Damn hard head of his. Ow.” Kaitlyn flexed her hand a few times, then turned on Arion. She grabbed his sleeve and yanked him to his feet.
He opened his mouth to thank her, but she slapped him across the face. He put a hand to his cheek out of shock rather than pain. Turning back to her slowly, he saw the tears flowing freely down her face.
As the tension built up between them, the teachers called for the children to gather back into the building. They gathered a number of stares from adults and children alike, but no one approached. Kaitlyn and Arion were left in private.
“You're such an idiot!” Kaitlyn screamed when they were alone. “He could have killed you! Don't you realize that? He's been bringing a knife to school! A knife, Arion! Can you protect yourself from that? Or heal a stab wound?”