Taking Rank

by Hana Steven

  He ruffles my hair before looking back to Poseidon, “So what has you and your brother out here?”

  “Erik has been bugging me to take him on a trip,” she replies. “We picked up a quest to verify and deal with some bandits in Ashford. It seems they are smart enough to not attack the couriers or enforcers that go through.” She takes on a thoughtful look before continuing, “Either that or they don’t actually exist and are just a rumor made up by travelers.”

  “We took the same quest,” I announce as I put some more wood on the fire.

  “You’re taking a little kid through a place that might have a large group of armed bandits!?” Erik exclaims. “Are you trying to get her hurt?”

  “Sylphy can take care of herself,” Kyota answers, rummaging through his pack.

  “Yeah,” I agree. “I bet I could take you in a fight.”

  Erik just looks at me like I sprouted a third head.

  Poseidon gives a chuckle, “How about a duel then?”

  “What’s a duel?” I ask, unfamiliar with the term.

  “It’s a fight between two people or groups,” Kyota explains. “There are rules that both sides must agree to, as well as officiators who determine which side wins or when a rule is broken. If a group breaks the rules they automatically lose.”

  “What rules?” I inquire.

  “For a duel between you two,” Poseidon says before trailing off in thought for a moment. “How about no dangerous attacks and the first one to concede or be incapacitated loses. If Kyota or I think you are taking it too far we will intervene.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Erik declares.

  “Sure, but no weapons either,” I suggest. “I don’t have a weapon, after all.”

  “Okay,” he agrees.

  “Okay,” Poseidon says. “Go over to the other side of the clearing and stand facing each other with some distance between you. When I say ‘go’ you can start.”

  Erik puts down his bow then we head over to the clearing. Erik takes up a stance and I mimic him.

  “Begin!” Poseidon calls out.

  I channel my magic into my Kitsune spell as I push off against the ground toward Erik. Wind swirls up around me, stirring up leaves to surround me as I rush toward the teen. When my spell is complete, the wind dies suddenly, revealing me in my three-tailed glory.

  Erik’s mouth opens as I am revealed. All thought of attack or defense is apparently gone, as he just stands there as I run right into him, knocking him to the ground.

  I leapfrog over him before turning around and casting the Vine Snare spell Beth and I designed. Vines erupt around Erik, strapping him to the ground and making it hard to move.

  I walk up to him and ask, “Give up?”

  “Why do you have ears?” is his response.

  I giggle then answer, “You have ears too, dummy.”

  “Not animal ears,” he retorts. “And don’t call me dummy, ya little squirt.”

  “You’re the one tied to the ground—by me. Do you really want to be insulting me?” I ask, trying to be as cute as possible.

  Poseidon chuckles, “She’s got you there, little bro.”

  “Fine,” Erik declares with a huff. “I give. Now, can you let me go? And would you please explain the ears and…tails.”

  I step back and release the snare. Erik pushes himself up off the ground then dusts himself off.

  “I have fox ears and tails because I used a spell,” I explain. Posing like one of the girls from Beth’s comics, I continue, “Now I’m an adorable little kitsune.”

  Erik stares at me for a moment then gripes, “I can’t believe I lost to a freaking magical girl.”

  “Yeah…now that you put it that way, I’m not letting you live this down,” Poseidon teases.

  Looking over I see she and Kyota are preparing dinner.

  “I want a rematch,” Erik declares, looking at me.

  Gale jumps between us and gives a loud yip while looking at Erik. Over our link I get feelings of fun and anticipation.

  “I think you have a new challenger,” I interpret for her.

  “Your fox?” Erik questions, looking down at her.

  Gale yips again before heading over to where I started.

  “I thought you didn’t want me to hurt her?” Erik asks me, confused.

  Gale yips a few more times.

  I giggle, then translate, “I think that was ‘bring it on.’”

  Gale gives one last agreeing yip.

  “Fine,” Erik agrees with a sigh. “I’ll try not to hurt her too much, and I wouldn’t mind a proper warm up before our rematch.”

  As Erik readies himself, Gale crouches lower to the ground.

  “This should be interesting,” Poseidon comments quietly. I glance her way but turn back to the duel as she says, “Begin!”

  Erik hesitates to cast a spell or make any other action, giving Gale plenty of time to close the distance.

  In a blink, she crosses half the distance between them while simultaneously casting a Wind Blast. The spell flies just over Erik’s left shoulder, causing him to move out of its way.

  While he is still off balance from the spell, Gale covers the remaining distance and pounces. She lands square on his chest, knocking him to the ground.

  Erik recovers quickly only to come face to face with another Wind Blast.

  “What is with these two?” Erik exclaims, dropping his head back to the ground. “I give. Now, would you please get off me?”

  Gale hops off and rushes over to me, tail wagging excitedly.

  “Good girl!” I praise, giving her ears a good ruffle.

  Poseidon chuckles then calls out, “Now you’ve lost to a ‘magical girl’ as well as a little girl’s pet fox.”

  Erik groans, “Can we please not talk about it?”

  “Fine by me,” Poseidon agrees. “I would rather talk about why you taught a young girl such a powerful spell as this transformation,” she continues, looking to Kyota.

  “I didn’t teach her that spell,” Kyota denies. “I taught her my Draconian and Nekian spells, but she came up with that one all on her own.”

  “Do you really expect us to believe that this little twerp created that spell!?” Erik gripes as he heads over to the fire Kyota and Poseidon are tending.

  “This ‘little twerp’ did create this spell. I also just beat you in a duel,” I remind as Gale and I fall in after him.

  “Sylphy may be young, but she has quite the talent for magic,” Kyota informs them.

  “So this little girl really did create that spell on her own?” Poseidon asks for clarification.

  “Yes,” I answer. “And my name is Sylphy.”

  “Sorry,” Poseidon says. “It’s just hard to believe that one as young as you is proficient enough to be crafting spells like that on her own.”

  “She is a fast learner,” Kyota explains. “Although, she usually isn’t this talkative around new people.”

  I falter as I realize he’s right. I guess I got so used to being around the Arbors that I let my guard down without realizing it.

  “Don’t worry, Sylph,” Kyota says. “It’s normal to not be scared speechless by every new person you meet. Besides, I think it’s more that you know you can beat Erik if it comes to it.”

  I nod, accepting his explanation, and continue over to the fire.

  “We’ve got dinner covered,” Kyota states. “You kids relax.”

  “Cool!” Erik cheers, tossing himself down on the ground with his hands behind his head.

  I choose to sit myself down more elegantly. Pulling my Chat Tablet out of my bag, I begin to write a letter to Beth describing my day. I tell her about taking on my first quest, our trip so far, and even tell her about meeting Erik and Poseidon as well as Gale’s and my duels.

  I barely hit the send gem and put the tablet back when Kyota calls me.

  “Dinner’s ready,” he says.

  I get back to my feet and grab a bowl of goulash, a sort of stew that is comprised
of noodles, tomatoes, ground meat, and assorted vegetables.

  The simplicity is nice after Susan’s intricate dishes. I quickly devour my food and go back for another bowl.

  “Missed the camp food, huh?” Kyota chuckles.

  “Yeah,” I reply. “It just has a different feel to it.”

  When we are finished with dinner I dig out my book. I’m now on the second Drake Riders book, and read while the sun is high enough to allow it.

  In the morning, we continue down the road, Erik and Poseidon joining us since we are working the same quest. Gale continues to explore the woods around us while Erik tries to impress me with his knowledge of the plants and animals found around here.

  As the sun nears its highest point, Kyota speaks up.

  “Since she is wandering around, do you think Gale could find us a good place for lunch?” he asks me.

  “I don’t know if she will understand what I’m telling her, but I’ll try,” I respond. I then focus on my mental connection with Gale and send her images of food, a campfire, and a clearing, along with a questioning feeling.

  After a moment, I get a reply of excitement. I wonder if that means she got my message? I think to myself.

  We keep traveling for a while before I get another thought from Gale. This time I get an image of an unfamiliar clearing with a pond and a big tree in it.

  “I think Gale found a clearing,” I announce. Pointing off to my right I add, “She’s off in this direction.”

  “How do you know she’s over there?” Erik questions.

  “I just do,” I respond.

  “It’s an affect of their familiar bond,” Kyota explains. Turning to me he says, “Lead on, Sylphy.”

  I nod then head off after Gale. We head off of the road into the woods. We weave between the trees for several minutes before breaking out into a large clearing.

  The clearing is easily bigger than the area the Arbors’ house and barn are on. There is a big oak tree at the far end of the clearing, and a good sized pond on the left hand side. Tall grass and flowers fill the remainder with a few berry bushes scattered here and there.

  We make our way over to the pond. As we draw near I can see a little spring running past the tree and feeding the pond. Cattails and lily pads line the edges of the pond while I can see the occasional fish breaking the otherwise still surface.

  Gale trots up to me and I get a sense of curiosity and confusion from her. She yips then heads off only to turn back and yip again. Taking the hint, I follow after her.

  “Don’t go too far, you two,” Kyota calls out as I leave.

  “I won’t,” I holler back.

  Gale leads me over to the big oak then just sits looking up into the branches. Following her gaze I see nothing but branches and leaves. I’m about to ask what she is trying to show me when I see some movement.

  Watching carefully, I see a small head glance around from behind a branch before quickly ducking back out of sight. Curious, I move closer to the low lying branches where I saw the figure. As I get close enough to reach out and grab one of the branches, I notice several little figures hiding among the leaves.

  Suddenly one of the smaller figures, only a couple inches tall, darts out onto an open branch. The small humanoid figure looks like a cross between a bug and a little boy; shiny dark-brown plates cover most of its body while some areas look to have skin, two drooping butterfly wings adorn his back while two very human-like eyes open wide at the sight of me.

  The figure stumbles on the branch and falls off the side. Instinctively, I reach out a hand to catch the little fellow. He lands flat on my palm. At first I fear he hit too hard, but a moment later he pushes himself up onto his hands and knees. He looks around at my palm before looking up at me, terror clear even on his half bug features.

  “It’s okay,” I whisper, moving my hand up to the branch.

  As soon as my hand is near enough to the branch another figure appears and pulls the boy back onto the branch and away from my hand. This figure is taller, maybe five inches, and distinctly female; she has a slightly more bug-like appearance, two small additional arms, and pretty blue wings fluttering behind her slightly.

  I give the two a smile then turn to head back to the others.

  “What has you so focused?” Kyota asks from a few feet away. “I’ve been trying to get your attention for a while now.”

  “Nothing,” I answer quickly, not wanting to upset what I think are Fairies.

  “I know you better than that. ‘Nothing’ would never keep you from hearing me call you for lunch,” he retorts.

  “It’s nothing big,” I promise.

  “Really? Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I don’t want to upset them,” I answer, then clamp a hand on my mouth as Gale lets out a whine.

  “Them?” Kyota asks, looking behind me. He must notice something because he gives me a grin and asks, “You found some new friends, huh?”

  I nod, then say, “Please don’t tell the others.”

  “I won’t,” he promises. “Now come on, we have lunch ready.”

  I nod then follow after him. I only make it a few steps before I feel a tap on my cheek. Looking to my shoulder I see the female fairy from before. She is holding out what looks like a small ball of cotton maybe an inch wide. Holding it out toward me, she gives a little bow.

  I take the little cotton ball and she flies off toward the tree.

  “Sylphy?” Kyota calls, noticing I fell behind.

  “Coming,” I announce.

  Chapter 4

  New Magic

  Kyota and Poseidon made sandwiches for lunch and Erik picked some of the berries scattered around the clearing for dessert. While eating I have a thought: the little cotton ball the fairy gave me will probably fit behind the stone on my staff. Once I finish my sandwich I grab my staff and carefully pop the stone out from the little tangle of branches on its end.

  I set the cotton ball into the little hollow and pop the stone back in place. As soon as I do this, the stone starts to glow. The glow trails down my staff until the whole thing is glowing. My staff starts to change; the branches at the top begin to grow, entangling the stone in fresh green vines and small light blue flowers. The vines continue down the staff for several inches then transition into a smooth blue-grey bark that in turn changes into a dark, almost black, bark for the last couple inches at the bottom.

  “What the!?” Erik exclaims from beside me.

  “What did I tell you about testing new spells?” Kyota scolds.

  “I didn’t cast a spell,” I defend. “I just put this little cotton ball I…found…behind my staff’s stone. Then it started to glow and change all on its own.”

  “Really?” Poseidon questions.

  I nod, examining my staff. I can feel power in it now.

  “Can I see it?” Kyota asks, holding out a hand.

  I hand over my staff and he examines it closely for a few minutes before handing it back.

  “Did you ‘find’ that cotton where I think you did?” he asks.

  I nod.

  “Where did she find it?” Erik asks. “What is so special about it?”

  “Where she found it is something I promised not to reveal,” Kyota answers, keeping his promise. “As for what’s special about it, I believe it is a magical catalyst: an object that has a magic of its own and can be used to make powerful magical items or artifacts.”

  “So by putting it in her walking stick she, what…made an actual Staff?” Poseidon asks.

  “It looks that way,” Kyota replies. “I think she may be an Artificer.”

  “What’s that?” I ask.

  “An Artificer is a skilled craftsman,” answers Poseidon. “In this case we are talking about someone who can create magical items without needing to use magic to do so.”

  “So her staff is magical now?” inquires Erik.

  “Can’t you feel the power contained inside it?” Poseidon answers.

  Erik stares at my staff for
a moment then nods, “Now that you mention it, yes.”

  “So that cotton ball is pretty important?” I ask.

  “Yeah, it’s not something you will come across very often,” Poseidon tells me.

  Getting to my feet, I grab a handful of berries and head back to the tree.

  “Where are you going?” Erik asks.

  “I’ll be right back,” I answer. “There’s something I need to do.”

  “Ah,” he replies. “Need to go to the bathroom, got it.”

  He doesn’t get it at all, I think to myself as I shake my head at his assumption. I make my way over to the tree, then find a handy little hollow where one of the branches meets the trunk and deposit the berries.

  “Thank you for the gift,” I say just loud enough for my voice to reach the branches. “I will treasure it,” I announce, holding my staff close.

  I feel Gale coil around my legs and look down. “Shall we head back?” I ask her.

  Gale nods and I look up one last time. To my surprise, I see the female fairy and the little boy standing in the open. The female bows again and, with one of her hands, makes the boy bow as well.

  I giggle a little then say, “Try not to fall off any more branches.”

  The boy looks up at my comment but bows his head again almost immediately.

  “Bye,” I tell them and then head back to the others.

  I examine my staff closely as we walk. The flowers blooming on the end are now more numerous and there are also different flowers interspersed, as well. Some I recognize, sort of. There are miniature tulips, lilies, roses, and daffodils among others that I don’t recognize. The stone is still fully visible but is now wreathed in slightly glowing, star-shaped flowers that change color as I watch.

  When we stop for the night earlier than normal so we will reach Ashford early in the morning rather than as night falls, I begin to test what my staff can do. Kyota says magical staves usually either act like a focus, amplifying a caster’s spells, or can be used to cast a given spell without needing to expend your own Mana. I don’t feel like my staff has an embedded spell or anything, so I think it is the focus type.

  Using a dead tree as a target, I launch a Wind Blast without my staff, being careful about how much power I give it. The blast hits the tree, scraping off a little bark and leaving a few scratches on the wood underneath.