by Katie Cherry
“Sure, Thaddeus. No problem,” she replies. “I’m always happy to help.” The Princess may get on my nerves, but there’s one benefit to spending so much time with her, she muses. She can be my backup when I leave to rescue Nathan. It’s foolish for me to go alone, and I doubt mad King Alexander would spare me any other warriors- if he’d even let me leave at all! Crystal and I could get away for a while, I’m sure of it.
Thaddeus looks relieved as he leads her up the stairs to Crystal’s ‘room.’ “Thank you. It just wouldn’t be good for the Princess to be alone- both because of her track record for frequent kidnappings and because… well, it’s never really good for anyone to spend too much time alone.”
“Yes, that’s very true- on both accounts,” Angela acknowledges. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on her.”
Thaddeus nods his thanks, relief clear on his tired face. “Well, here we are,” he says, gesturing to the door before them.
Leaning forward, Angela takes note of the Phoenix on the door. “That’s cool,” she comments.
“Yes… remind me to tell you the story behind it another time,” he smiles. Then, opening the door, he ushers her inside before locking it once more behind her. Taking a deep breath, Angela turns… to find the bedroom empty.
“Crystal?” She peers into the massive closet, but she isn’t there either. “Crystal? It’s Angela!” When there’s no response, panic flutters in her chest. Dropping the bag, she races through the Princess’s many rooms, finally bursting into a room that smelled of food. A man stands there, watching her with wide eyes. “Where is she?” Angela demands. His quivering finger directs her to the final room- the balcony.
<<
I can hear someone shouting at me. The words are muffled thanks to the distance between us, but I know they’ll soon find me. Lifting my face from the towel, I stand and walk towards the balcony, dropping the towel beside the pool. I’ve just reigned in my tears, but they soon start up again as I quicken my pace. Whoever’s here will undoubtedly set ever more restrictions on me, and I just can’t face that right now. I fly past my cook, Steve, without really seeing him. My gaze is focused on the one obstacle between me and relative freedom.
My hands close around the handle of the door, and with a desperate yank, it flies open. Staggering onto the balcony, I collapse to my knees, and once again the floodgates burst open wide. My face is coated in tears within seconds. Blinking them away, I stand and walk to the railing on the edge. Just a few inches away is the open air. Air, untainted by the stifling stench of control. Air… freedom… just out of reach. So close…
“Crystal!” The sharp voice is like a physical blow. I stagger back from the railing- only now noticing how close I had been to toppling over it. Pulling the hand that I hadn’t realized I had stretched out back to my chest, I turn to face the intruder.
“Angela.” I’m a little surprised. I figured dad would send Thaddeus or someone from the council to talk to me.
“Crystal, I know you’re distraught, but jumping won’t help anyone- it certainly won’t help Nathan.” Her bright hazel eyes shine with restrained anger as she glares at me, her hands on her hips. She thought I was going to jump? To commit suicide?
“Angela, why…”
“I know you feel trapped and powerless,” Angela interrupts, “but I can help you with that.”
I pause, thrown by her words. “Wait… what? How?”
She gives me a small smile and relaxes her stiff stance. I guess she thought she’d talked me out of suicide. “I’ll teach you how to use magic.”
My eyes widen in surprise. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that. “What… magic? Are… are you serious?”
She sighs impatiently. “Of course. I’ll need backup for when I go rescue Nathan, and the more useful you are, the better.”
I frown at the word ‘useful,’ but shrug it off. She’s right, after all. “…Okay, makes sense,” I say. “But how are you going to teach me to use magic? What… what if I can’t use magic?”
She laughs a little, then gestures for me to sit. She joins me on the cold stone, sitting cross-legged directly across from me. “Crystal, you can use magic. Everyone has access to magic. It just takes a little skill and a lot of practice to get very good at it. The more you practice, the easier it becomes, and you can advance to more difficult aspects of magic as your tolerance for it increases.”
“My tolerance for it?”
“Magic, unlike Gifts, is taxing,” she explains. “See, Gifts are a part of you. They use energy from your body. Using them is as easy as breathing. Magic is…” she hesitates for a moment. “Magic is how we use energy around us and focus it to obey our will. Our bodies become… a filter, of sorts. A magnifying glass. If you take in too much energy- magic- it can be overwhelming to your body, although everyone does have a little magic inside of themselves to use as well. Commonly you get headaches, nosebleeds, or dizziness, although sometimes you can get seriously sick and weak. If you continue using the magic past that point, you could end up fainting, going into a coma, or dying.” She pauses, taking in the look on my face. “But that’s rare, and for most spells, you can release the magic and end the spell at any time. You’ll never get to that point, don’t worry. We’re going to be starting you off easy.”
I take a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds, and release it gradually. Once the last bit of air escapes past my lips, I draw in another breath and look back at Angela. “Alright. How do we begin?”
She smiles at me and takes my hands in hers. “Close your eyes,” she murmurs, “and focus on what you can feel around you.” I do as I’m told. At first, I just feel the usual things- the breeze that plays with my hair, my nose as it begins to itch, the hard stones beneath me. Then as I turn my focus onto Angela’s hands as they grasp mine, I notice a warmth that isn’t normal body warmth. This is… almost electric. I instinctively tear my hands out of hers and rip my eyes back open. I stare at my fingers, which look the same as always. Breathing heavily, I look back up at Angela.
“What the heck was that?!” I demand.
“I was letting you feel my magic,” she patiently explains, reaching a calming hand towards me. I flinch away from it. “…It’s nothing to be afraid of. Crystal, you have a similar magic inside of you. Everyone’s magic has a distinctive feeling to it, although it’s hard to perceive at a beginner’s level. Now that you know what to look for, you can focus on finding it inside of yourself. …It’s something you have to do before we can continue.” Just as she finishes speaking, I hear Thaddeus yelling up.
“Angela! Your dinner is ready!”
She looks at me with worry in her eyes. “Don’t worry,” I laugh dryly. “I have my own chef. I won’t starve. Go ahead. …I’ll be here when you get back,” I chuckle sarcastically. As if I had a choice. I can’t leave my room anyway.
She nods slowly and stands. “Alright. Try and get in touch with your magic while I’m gone, okay? The sooner you can use magic, the sooner we can go and rescue Nathan.”
Yes, of course, everything’s about you and Nathan, I internally sigh. “Of course,” I respond, standing as well. “I don’t want to leave him in there any more than you do,” I point out. I expect a witty retort, but she just turns and walks away. I watch her go, her perfect hair swinging in time with her flawless model catwalk. Bitter jealousy suddenly wells up in me, and I struggle to swallow it back down. Nathan deserves a perfect girl like her anyway, I tell myself.
The thought doesn’t ease my pain.
<<
Angela hesitates before leaving Crystal’s bedroom, fingering the soft strap that still held the mysterious box to her back. Looking down at the duffel bag filled with curious, yet-to-be-explored items, she sighs. I really don’t want to draw undo attention to the box. It’s best kept secret… at least until I can figure out how to open it and find out what’s inside. Despite this, she finds it difficult to release the box, even after she pull
ed it over her head. Holding it in trembling hands, she finally crouches and places it beside the bag. She couldn’t shake the feeling of its importance.
Standing, she takes a deep breath before unlocking the door with magic and relocking it behind her. Walking down the stairs, she pauses and places a hand over her stomach. It’s tight with anxiety. Taking a shuddering breath, she struggles to relax. Crystal will get the hang of using magic… surely the Dragongirl will be able to learn quickly enough to help me save Nathan. …I just have to believe that he’ll be there to save. I have to believe that Patrick would rather keep him alive than let him die. If I can’t believe that he’s still alive… I… I don’t know what I… She crumples to her knees, fighting back tears; choking on them.
Finally, gasping, she stands, quickly wiping the tears off of her face. With a surge of sheer will, she forces the tears to stop flowing. Coaxing a smile to her face, she throws back her shoulders in a stance of confidence. Everything will be fine. There can be no room for doubt. Thus renewed in her belief, she continues down the stairs and into the kitchen.
<<
Returning to my bedroom, I head into my walk-in closet. Flipping a switch on the left, I watch as the hidden drawer of jewels emerges from its spot in the wall. Unlocking it using another finger scanner, I reach in and pull out the large feather I had hidden there. I hold it up to the light, once again briefly admiring the shimmering blue-green colors before drawing it to my lips. “This message is for Zeke,” I murmur, just as he had instructed me. “Zeke, it’s Crystal. The Village needs more strength- as do the Sohos, I hear. Please come and join us in the Village. Bring everyone! We can help protect each other from Patrick’s attacks. …Um, end message,” I finish. Quickly lowering the feather to the ground, I hastily back up a step.
The feather then seems to light on fire, just as Zeke had warned me. The feather is swallowed up in light, then suddenly vanishes. Blinking away the afterimage of the feather, I turn and close the drawer that had held it before stepping out of the closet. Assured that I had done my part, I head towards my snack room to get something to eat, although I’m not sure how much I’ll actually be able to stomach.
In order to save Nathan, I’ll have to learn how to use magic- something that I doubt I’ll be able to do, despite Angela’s assurances to the contrary. Taking a deep breath, I shake off my doubts. I can and will do this. …I have to.
It’s for Nathan, after all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Release
Zeke walks up the steps leading to his house, his head lowered dejectedly. He stops and slowly lifts his head to face the open sky as it glitters with stars and sighs heavily. Oh, what I would give to join those stars in the sky! So free and without a care. What I would give to be unshackled from the worries of the world and the stresses of war and leadership…
“Zeke?” The sweet, familiar voice lifts his spirits only slightly.
“Kate,” he responds affectionately, finally lowering his face from the sky. “What are you doing up so late? The sun set a while ago.”
“I could ask you the same question,” she softly reprimands. “Why are you still up?”
He blows out a puff of air tiredly. “How am I supposed to be able to sleep when we are on the losing end of a bloody war? We’re losing people left and right…” Kate comes up and places a soft, pale hand against his sun-kissed cheek, causing the words to die in his mouth.
“Hey. Don’t lose hope, okay? There’s always a chance. Crystal’s still fighting- we need to do the same.”
He chuckles quietly. “You’re right, as always. I’m sorry my dear… it’s just… I don’t know what to do. How am I supposed to lead anyone in a war? I have no experience for such things!” he bemoans, gently moving her hand from his face to his chest. “My heart has no taste for such vile bloodshed. I am not a warrior… I can barely even lead at all! I’m not a born leader, warrior, public speaker… or anything, really,” he finishes, his voice growing even quieter towards the end.
“Well, someone had to step up to the plate,” she murmurs in return. “Which makes you brave, if nothing else.”
He smiles down at her and leans his forehead against hers. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispers, leaning in for a kiss.
Just before their lips touch, a feather appears in Zeke’s hand in a flash of light. “Ah, saved by the feather,” she chuckles before taking a step back.
Sighing, he lifts the feather up to his face. He hesitates. “Kate? …What if it’s just more bad news?”
“Then we’ll deal with it- like we deal with everything,” she assures him.
He nods, once again thanking his lucky stars that he had her to help him. “Open message,” he murmurs to the feather before holding it to his ear.
Crystal’s voice comes through clearly. “Zeke, it’s Crystal. The Village needs more strength- as do the Sohos, I hear. Please come and join us in the Village. Bring everyone! We can help protect each other from Patrick’s attacks.”
Zeke is silent for a moment before looking up at Kate, who smiles encouragingly at him. “Well, there you go,” she chuckles. “You got your answer for what to do now.”
<<
The first thing he hears is voices loudly arguing. They sound muffled by something… probably a door, he slowly realizes. Why… is it so hard to… think? He groans to himself. And… move? Why can’t I move?! Where… A loud bang startles him and he’s finally able to force his eyes open. His bleary gaze takes in a tall boy about his age as he storms towards him from the stone door that had been thrust open so hard it left a dent in the wooden wall. Letting his eyes explore the room, he finds that the walls are made of both wood and stone, as well as the floor. He’s lying on his back on a stone table with his hands tethered to it, as well as his ankles. No wonder I can’t move, he realizes bitterly.
His inspection of the room is cut short by the boy’s face as it takes up the majority of his view. “Do you know who you are?” he asks.
What a silly question, he chuckles to himself. “Yes.”
“What is your name?” he presses.
Frowning, he replies. “…Nathan Anderson.” The moment the name leaves his lips, the haze in his mind vanishes. He gasps as his memories suddenly come flooding back and strength re-enters his limbs. “Crystal!” he gasps, struggling to sit up. “You… you didn’t…”
“No. She’s gone,” Hunter sighs. Nathan relaxes back onto the cold stone, releasing his pent-up breath.
“Wait… why am I alive?” Nathan realizes. “I was poisoned…”
“Patrick decided you’d be worth more to us alive than dead,” he sighs, sinking into a chair near Nathan’s knees.
“…Why?” He dares to inquire.
Another sigh from Hunter. “Because you’re the first person to lose their Gifts due to the work of a magician,” he begins, “And because he wants to use you as a secret weapon against the Dragons.”
“Never!” Comes the immediate response.
“Yeah, obviously it won’t be a voluntary thing,” he smirks, standing. “I’ll be back when your arm is healed a bit more,” he announces, waving a careless arm in the general direction of Nathan’s injury.
The next thing Nathan knows, the crazed Dragon child is gone. Breathing deeply to try and keep himself calm, Nathan begins focusing on wiggling out of his restraints.
<<
Hunter stops for a moment outside of the boy’s door to collect himself before facing Patrick once more. When he steps forward, he suddenly finds himself face-to-face with a man a little taller than himself. Leaping back, Hunter yelps, “Holy… why, by the Great Eye! You scared the…”
“I am not interested in hearing a description of your surprise,” the man interrupts. “I assume you know who I am?”
Hunter nods hastily. “Yes. Of course. My apologies, Dexter,” he says, scrambling to bow. “I’ll take you to Patrick.”
“Good,” Dex
ter replies, his hands behind his back. Hunter’s stomach clenches into a knot as he takes in Dexter’s intimidating look. Despite being much older than Hunter, he was still quite powerful, and that knowledge and power shone through in his dark grey eyes and stiff, military posture. Gulping, he leads the way down the hall towards the Conference room.
“Patrick?” Hunter calls as he pushes open the door. “Dexter is…”
“On his way, I know,” Patrick interrupts, not bothering to turn around. “I’m just quickly bringing Bryce over to join us since obviously that foolish boy, Nathan, disrupted his first portal to get here.”
Dexter’s dark grey eyebrows raise a little at the news and his thin lips quirk into a small smile, knowing that he had stumbled in upon a bit of information he knew Patrick didn’t want him to know. “Why, what’s this?” he chuckles in his distinctively low voice. “What have you screwed up this time, Patrick?”
Patrick spins around so fast he nearly falls. “Dexter! I… um… I wasn’t aware that you had already arrived!”
“Clearly,” he laughs. “Maybe you should listen to your next in command before just assuming what he’s going to say,” he says, winking at Hunter. Warmth blossoms inside of him. No one had ever stuck up for him like that before. “Now then. What’s this about a boy named Nathan interrupting Bryce’s arrival?”
“Oh… it’s nothing, really,” Patrick stammers, scrabbling to cover his mistake.
“Obviously not. Unless you want to dig yourself into a deeper hole, Patrick, I suggest you tell me what you’re attempting to hide.” He orders, eyes set like flint as he folds his arms impatiently.
Patrick flinches. “Well… I’ll let Bryce tell you what he knows first… and then I’ll tell you what happened from there,” he decides with a gulp.
“Fine, fine,” Dexter sighs, unfolding his arms. “Get Bryce over here, then.”
“Yes, of course,” he hurriedly assures, bowing sloppily. “Right away!”
