Curse of Magic

by Michael Brightburn

  “Oh, I really couldn’t. You see it was, uh, my father’s, then my grandfather’s before—”

  The man grunted and pulled the second bag from his belt, slamming it down on the table and causing glimmering crowns to spill out.

  “Right away.” The vendor swiped up the two bags and loose coins and stowed them away under his cart then grabbed the framed spell with alacrity and all but shoved it at the man. “Transaction complete. Pleasure doing business with you. Come back anytime.” He looked past him at the next customer, the hooded man. “Next!”

  The tall man grunted and walked away, the framed spell tucked under his arm.

  When the line moved up, I stayed in place, watching the man walk away.

  That was a lot to pay for a single spell. I didn’t know how much he’d paid, but even the crowns that had spilled out would have been a lot.

  And something told me he wasn’t the kind of man to spend so much without reason.

  Curious, I Pulled from myself so I could see the colors of magic. As soon as I did I gasped, nearly blinded.

  There were three distinct sources of magic in the immediate area.

  First was the tall man himself—strong, but not so blindingly bright.

  The second was the cloaked figure in front of me now speaking with the vendor. Stronger, but still nothing compared to the third source of magic.

  A source far stronger than any I had ever seen.

  Far stronger than even my father.

  This was beyond anything that seemed possible.

  That source, that blindingly bright emitter of magical residue, was the spell the tall man now removed from its frame and stuffed into his sack as he walked swiftly away, discarding the frame to the ground.

  A spell. How could an inanimate object have so much magic? It was impossible.

  But there it was, emanating more magic than I’d ever seen, so strongly I could actually feel it, not just see it.

  “Come on!” someone grumbled angrily from behind me. “Don’t got all day. Keep it movin.”

  I realized I was frozen in place.

  Sienna took my arm and moved me forward as the cloaked figure whispered to the vendor.

  I needed to follow that spell, but my attention was split as this man now drew my attention as well, for the magic around him was growing.

  It was nothing compared to the spell, but still strong.

  Two powerful sources of magic in one place, especially in one like this, both at a spell vendor, was suspicious, and I wanted to find out what was going on. But that would take following both of them, and I was but one person.

  I turned to Vi, as she would be best for the job. “Follow that man,” I whispered to her, gesturing at the one who had taken the framed spell and was now almost lost in the crowd. “Don’t let him out of your sight.”

  “What if he’s going somewhere far?”

  “Then follow him. If he hands off the spell to someone else, keep following him. Magic leaves a residue I can follow. So I can trace that spell wherever it goes, but his magic is weaker and I won’t be able to trace him for long.”

  “How will you find me if he leaves the city?”

  “I can ask the trees where you’ve gone,” Sienna said.

  “Now go,” I urged. “Before he gets away.”

  Vi growled at me, but did as I said and followed after the man before he could disappear into the growing crowds.

  I turned back to the vendor, who was now staring wide-eyed at the cloaked man in front of me.

  I stepped closer, trying to hear what he was saying to the vendor, but couldn’t quite make out the words.

  I didn’t know what was going on, or why was there so much magic coming from him.

  What was he saying?

  Not only that, but how did this vendor have something with so much magic in it, just out in the open?

  The ability to see magic was rare, but surely someone should have spotted it before now.

  He seemed to have been lying about it being passed down through his family, so maybe he picked it up from somewhere recently, hadn’t known what power it contained.

  I glanced the direction Vi had gone, but both she and the tall man were out of sight now. I could see the trail the spell had left, though.

  She was a lycanthrope, and could handle herself, but I still didn’t like sending her after someone with so much magic.

  Especially when I didn’t know what or who he was. If only I’d practiced more, I might be able to identify what kind of magic he possessed, but I’d feared too much what my magic could turn me into, and so was far from adept at manipulating it. I had few things I knew how to do, and before yesterday, I hadn’t done any of them in ages.

  The cloaked man suddenly turned and moved away—quickly, but not so quickly as to draw attention—leaving the vendor staring blankly out into space.

  I moved up to his cart. “What was that man saying to you?” I demanded, though kept my voice low.

  He focused on me, blinking slowly, but not moving, not responding.

  “There’s something wrong,” Sienna said. “He’s…”

  Bloody gods. “Enthralled.”

  It couldn’t be. There was only one kind of person who could do that.

  “Come on,” I hissed at Sienna, and grabbed her arm, pulling her after me.

  “You lied!” I heard the little girl who had been with us shout at the enthralled vendor. “I want my money back!”

  Then we were out of earshot.

  Like the cloaked man, we moved quickly, but didn’t run.

  Alva stirred as she was jostled on her little throne on Sienna’s shoulder. “What’s going on?” she grumbled.

  “Something unusual is happening,” Sienna answered.

  “What kind of something?”

  “That’s what we’re finding out.”

  The cloaked man was making his way through the crowds quickly, but still not moving quick enough to draw the attention of the groups he passed through.

  I didn’t think he knew we were following him, but if he were to turn around it would be obvious.

  Good thing he had that hood on that blocked much of his vision. He’d have to turn around almost completely to spot us.

  Still, he was no longer emanating magic, so if we lost him, there’d be no trail to follow.

  He was headed in the same direction the tall man had gone, following the trail of magic, though it didn’t appear he was actually following it.

  Were the figure and the tall man working together?

  I wasn’t sure what had just happened.

  The tall man had paid a ridiculous sum for that framed spell, then this person, whoever he was, had enthralled the vendor, though for what purpose I didn’t know.

  What that implied sent a chill down my spine. For it meant he was something beyond dangerous: a Whisperer.

  Perhaps the only thing more feared than a Dark and the prospect of everlasting shadow over your home or kingdom.

  It was brazen of him. To use his magic out in the open like that.

  For a Whisperer wouldn’t simply be exiled—they’d be executed.

  Even the most powerful and power-hungry of rulers employed them at their peril, for you could never be certain you weren’t being manipulated by one. Or that they wouldn’t make you kill yourself, for that matter.

  And if it ever got out that a king or leader was using one…

  People didn’t like being controlled, but they liked it even less when they weren’t sure who was doing the controlling.

  As we followed the figure through the crowd, I wondered if I would be immune to his powers.

  I’d never encountered a Whisperer, only other mages who had some ability to charm or entrance—especially before Elaria was formed—and I’d always resisted those.

  This was different.

  I stayed as far back as I dared while still keeping him in sight. I didn’t want to lose him in the crowd. If I did, I might lose him forever.

&
nbsp; He turned down an alley and finally looked back in our direction.

  I had to force myself to keep moving forward, to not react.

  It was a quick glance, and there were many people between us, so I only got a brief glimpse of the face before he disappeared into the alley, but… was he only a boy?

  A Whisperer so young? And able to control someone like he had controlled the vendor?

  Though his age would explain how he was still alive, how he hadn’t been caught yet. He might only have recently come into his power.

  I picked up the pace toward the alley he had turned down.

  I stopped just before the alley, the building on this side a multi-tenant house. There was a woman on a small second-floor balcony hanging laundry out to dry.

  I had Sienna stay back, then pressed myself against the building and poked my head around it to peer into the alley.

  And felt a blade press into my neck.

  23

  “Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you.”

  I stared at the boy as he held his blade to my neck and saw it wasn’t a boy at all, but a young woman.

  She had been waiting. She had known we were following her.

  Observant.

  “I have five birds behind you,” I said, drawing her attention, distracting her with the nonsense phrase, then moved swiftly, grabbing her wrist and slamming it against the building, causing her to drop her weapon.

  I spun fully into the alley and twisted her hand behind her back as I slammed her into the building, pressing all my weight against her as she struggled to get free.

  Her hood fell from her head as she did, revealing a bundle of golden-brown hair bound tightly at her neck, but she didn’t scream. I got the impression she wanted the attention even less than I did.

  Despite me telling her to stay back, Sienna moved in front of us, blocking the view from anyone who might pass by. Alva turned in her throne to watch.

  I hoped she didn’t attack.

  Luckily even with her new outfit, the sun had made her lethargic.

  I was taller than the Whisperer, so while anyone passing by would see me facing the wall, with Sienna standing in front of us, they wouldn’t see the girl I had pinned against it.

  I realized she was muttering words and I reached around and slapped my hand over her mouth.

  No reason to test my resistance against a Whisperer, if she truly was one.

  I used my other to feel up and down her body. She started struggling harder, though silently.

  Finding no other obvious weapons, I spun the woman around to face me, pinning both her slender arms against the building. “What are you doing?”

  She glared up at me and started to Whisper under her breath again.

  “God’s be.” I pulled both her hands in front of her, wrapping my hand around both her wrists so I could use the other to cover her mouth. “You’re a Whisperer.”

  She made no response.

  “Nod if you are.”

  She didn’t move.

  “Shake your head if you’re not.”

  Still, nothing.

  She wasn’t struggling against me, just glaring at me. I removed my hand from her mouth. “What are you—”

  She started Whispering again.

  I pressed my hand back over her mouth.

  This could get frustrating. Maybe I should let Alva attack her.

  “Sienna, see if you can get anything from her.”

  Sienna turned to me, then looked at the girl.

  The Whisperer’s eyes flicked to Sienna, then to the vampire on her shoulder, then back to me.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ll be able to help with her. She’s closed off. But… I don’t feel she’s a bad person. She wants… something. To hurt someone, but… someone who deserves it.” Her face fell. “I’m sorry, I can’t get anything else.”

  “Dammit,” I growled, and Sienna cringed away.

  “I’m sorry,” she said again meekly.

  “No, I’m not mad at you. You did good,” I reassured her. “Thank you.” I returned my attention to the woman I had pinned against the wall. “Look, I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to know what you’re doing here. Why you enthralled that vendor. Who the tall man was.”

  Her eyes narrowed at this, and I tested lowering my hand from her mouth.

  She didn’t immediately start Whispering, so that was an improvement. “What game are you playing?”

  “Game? I’m not playing any game.”

  “If you’re not with him, why’d you come after me?”

  “Is that man after you? You were standing behind him, not the other way around.”

  She glanced at Sienna again, then back to me.

  “Look, I’m not with anyone. Except them,” I gestured at Sienna and Alva. “I have one more friend. She’s following that man. But I’m not with him. I just want to know what he’s up to. Why he paid so much for that spell.” I wasn’t going to tell her how much magic was coming off it.

  “As do I. But now you’ve made me lose him.”

  She tried to free her wrists from my grasp.

  I placed my hand on her chest, pressing her hard against the building. “You’re not going anywhere until you give me the answers I want. Why were you Whispering to that vendor?”

  “There are no Whisperers. They’re not allowed.”

  “There are no rules against them in Silaris.”

  “No. But there are pretty much everywhere else. And not having a law against them doesn’t mean they would be safer here than anywhere else. No one likes them. They’re dangerous.”

  Was that pride I detected in her voice?

  “I saw what you did to that vendor. You enthralled him. That’s something only a Whisperer can do.”

  “Not necessarily. And anyway, what do you know about Whisperers?”

  “Enough to be certain that you are one.” This wasn’t true, I was only mostly certain.

  “Let me go.”

  “Not until—”

  “I’m not telling you anything. Why should I trust or believe you.”

  “You’re still alive. I could’ve killed you by now, if I’d meant to.”

  “Or you only mean to kidnap me.”

  “Why would I want to do that?”

  She didn’t respond.

  “I feel something,” Sienna said.

  “What?”

  She leaned in, whispered softly into my ear, “Show her who you are. I think it will make her trust you.”

  I studied the dryad.

  She nodded.

  Show her. But did I want to? It was a risk. I had no idea who she was, other than a Whisperer. That alone made her very dangerous.

  And what could I show her? Blinding her? Casting some area in shadow?

  “No,” Sienna said to my unasked question. “What you fear.”

  I knew at once what she meant.

  But I couldn’t do that.

  Then I did.

  Without the Whisperer’s permission, without her telling me I could, I reached into her with my magic, and Pulled.

  24

  She gasped, her eyes going wider than the vendor’s had, her mouth falling open.

  I’d barely Pulled from her, but even that little bit was enough to nearly undo me.

  My mind clouded with darkness and rage, and it took all my effort to push it away.

  I felt so powerful. I could do anything, defeat anyone.

  If I just pulled a little more, Orathar would be nothing but a gnat to me. Just a little more and—

  I reached out for Sienna with my magic, and Pulled from her, hearing her gasp as well.

  I Pulled hard, so much so that she collapsed to the ground, Alva squeaking in surprise as she tumbled from her throne.

  But I needed the dryad’s power, I needed it to stay sane.

  I kept taking power from her until the darkness was drowned out by her light.

  “You’re…” the Whisperer said, limp against the alley wall, “you
’re a Dark.”

  I took several ragged breaths, trying to control myself. How had I ended up on my knees? And how did she know a Dark could Pull? “Yes,” I said hoarsely, getting to my feet. “And you’re a Whisperer.”

  She nodded slowly. “I am. Six armies, I can’t believe you’re a Dark. I can’t—”

  “That man, the one you’re following.”

  She blinked rapidly, shook her head. “Right. Greagor. I knew where he’d be, but not where he’s going. I can’t lose him. You said you sent a friend after him?”

  I nodded, getting my composure back.

  I checked on Sienna, who was unsteadily getting to her feet, Alva having climbed back into her throne. I gave her an apologetic look, but she just smiled weakly at me.

  Alva’s face flap was back and she looked very confused, but I didn’t have time to enlighten her.

  The Whisperer made no attempt to run now, only stood there and stared at me. “You’re really a Dark. Together we—” she stopped herself. “Sorry. I need to find Greagor. You can come with me,” she added hopefully. “I can explain on the way.”

  I nodded stiffly. My limbs felt heavy, my joints like they were mills filled with rocks rather than grain.

  How easy it would be to become a Dread. Just that little Pull, just enough to let her know what I was, had almost undone me.

  It was strange how such a small thing, like Pulling from someone without their permission, could make such a difference.

  I picked up her blade from the ground and held it out to her. “Let’s go find Greagor.”

  25

  I was reluctant to Pull from myself again, but at least if I overdid it I would only become a Shade, not a Dread.

  Aw, the small comforts of life.

  Having no choice, I Pulled as we left the alley so we could follow the trail of magic.

  What I could see of it continued straight down the main road.

  I hoped Greagor and Vi hadn’t left the city. They had only a small head start, but our encounter in the alley had widened it.

  “What’s your name?” I asked as we moved through the crowds. They had grown much denser since we’d left the tailor’s shop, the city really waking up and in full swing now.

  “Trin,” she said, adjusting the hood she’d once more pulled over her head. “What’s yours?”