by Logan Byrne
“We have to get somewhere safe,” she huffed as we ran.
“And where is that?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. Her words didn’t exactly make me feel secure.
Tents and buildings burned as the two dozen or so masked people ran through our camp. The screams intensified, and I couldn’t do anything to stop them. I couldn’t control the mark, and I knew that Mirian would be furious if I even attempted it and was successful. These people had to be with Kiren, and they couldn’t know I was here.
“Lexa!” I heard, from somewhere to my right. It was Blake, Charlie, and Faus. They ran over. Faus was holding tightly onto a backpack that was slipping from his small grip. Blake hugged me, asking me if I were all right.
“Mirian said we need to hide. They can’t see us or else M.A.G.I.C. will know,” Britta said.
“Then we need to hide. I know a place, right on the edge of the camp. We can get there quickly if we run,” Blake said before shifting. Charlie did the same, dropping to all fours, his paws as massive as his ego. “It will stop them from recognizing us,” Blake said, his voice still the same as always.
I nodded and we all ran, skirting around our campmates as they ran around yelling and asking for help. Younglings hid behind boxes, shivering, and as I ran past one of the boxes, the same girl that I saw my first day in class was there. I wanted to stop and help her, but the others pushed me along. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she held herself in the fetal position, hoping that the masked men wouldn’t find her.
“We’re almost there,” Blake said, but then a masked man stepped out of a tent right in front of us. Blake roared, his claws out. He lunged forward and slashed the man’s throat, blood spurting from the wound, before Charlie jumped on him and finished the job. I was shocked, but I kept my mouth shut. As far as I was concerned, this was war, and we needed to do whatever it took to survive.
We teetered on the outer wall of the camp, a clear but slightly opaque barrier right beside us that both protected the camp and charmed its existence so nobody walking could find it. Blake had led us to a small hole in the earth, like the kind of chasm I was stuck in before, and we all huddled up and just hid. I knew we wouldn’t be found, since we were too far from the main part of the camp, but there was still an overwhelming sense of “what if” plaguing my mind. It seemed like nobody or nothing was safe right now, especially not us.
“We should be helping them,” Charlie said, now shifted back into his human form.
“Mirian has always made it clear that the students need to be safe. We can’t let them see our faces,” Britta said.
“It won’t matter if I rip their throats out,” Charlie said aggressively.
“Down, boy,” Blake said. Charlie rolled his eyes.
Without any warning or sound above, the barrier in front of us began to glow, turning a bright shade of golden yellow, the color extending all the way up as it made the bubble glow. “It’s happening,” Britta said.
“What?” I asked, looking around.
“We’re moving camp. Chancellor Pote and the others must be moving us to a safer location,” Britta said as the light intensified around us. It enveloped us, becoming so bright I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face. When it faded the scenery had changed, like we were in a completely different ecosystem.
We peeked up over the ridge. Smoke was rising from most of the camp, but there were no masked men, at least living ones, in sight. “Is it safe?” Faus asked, pushing his glasses up his nose.
“I think so,” Charlie said, hopping up.
“Charlie!” Blake said. His recklessness could cause us all harm.
A horn rang. Britta said it was the sound for safety. The others hopped up on the ridge, Blake holding his hand out to help me. We all got up, brushing ourselves off, before we walked back where we came from, passing the body of the dead man. The little girl from earlier was gone.
People were bloodied and some were being tended to, while others lay on the ground. Mirian, Pote, and some of the others were standing around, shaking their heads. I wished I could be a fly on the wall to hear what they had to say. They looked frazzled, like they couldn’t believe what was happening. When they noticed us coming, Pote asked, “Did they see you? Any of you?” in an almost demanding tone.
“No, I don’t think so. One did, but he’s dead now,” I said.
“Good,” Pote said, brushing back her blonde hair and exhaling deeply.
“Who were they, and how did they find us? I thought this camp was a sanctuary,” Britta said.
“They’re duskhowlers—sent by Kiren Nightstorm himself, at least so we think. We don’t yet know how they found this camp, but somebody must’ve tipped them off to our location. This place was charmed so thoroughly that nobody could just wander upon it. You had to know where it was,” Mirian said.
“What’s a duskhowler?” I asked.
“Duskhowlers are a group of very bad, dark people, mages mostly, who want to instill a new world order just like Kiren does. They’re like an elite fighting force who terrorize and instill fear into anybody who doesn’t agree with them. They’re the worst of the worst,” Mirian said.
“A few of them got away, I saw it, but they won’t be able to access our new location. I’m not sure how long this place will be safe without knowing who leaked the information. We need to organize a force to do reconnaissance if we can,” Pote said.
“I’m not sure that’s feasible, Chancellor. Our teams are down, and the others are rebuilding. We just don’t have the manpower right now. The attack crippled us,” Mirian said.
“We can go,” Charlie said fearlessly.
“No, you’re far too young,” Pote said, without even giving it a second thought.
“Consider it our third trial,” Charlie said.
“I don’t know,” Pote said hesitantly.
“The way I see it, you have nobody to help and we’re all just sitting around. We’re all trained and ready. If we’re good enough to infiltrate M.A.G.I.C., then we’re good enough for a simple reconnaissance mission,” he said.
“Mirian?” Pote asked.
“I say we give them the chance if they want it. Charlie is right, we have nobody else, so if we want a chance at any information, we need to send who we can. I think they’re ready,” Mirian said.
“I’ll grant it, but you’re not to engage them whatsoever, do you hear me? We will work out a location to send you to, so be ready to leave whenever that’s ready. It could be in an hour, or it could be in two days,” Pote said before walking off with Mirian quickly following behind.
“What did you just get us into?” Faus asked.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Blake said, much to Charlie’s amazement.
“We better get packing,” I said. The others agreed.
I sat in my tent that night. I hadn’t had any word from Mirian or Pote but I packed my bag just in case. Right now I could be sitting in my crappy little motel room, listening to rats in the walls, but no—now I was running for my life, about to play magical spy or something. How did my life end up like this? It suddenly all seemed like a very bad dream.
Tired, I lay back, trying to get some rest since I could be woken up at any point during the night or morning to get going. The last thing I needed was to be exhausted out there in the field. I wasn’t even sure that I was ready for something like this. This seemed bigger than joining M.A.G.I.C., like some kind of extreme squadron mission, and here I was, a girl weeks into training going out to do the same thing. It was mad.
As I closed my eyes, I did something I didn’t normally do—asking my parents for guidance in my head. I was sure it was stupid, more of my conscience talking to me instead of actual spirits or ghosts, but I found it helped me think through tough situations under the guise of them being my pathway.
I felt the glow of their love coming over me, my stress lessening as they told me they loved me and believed in me. I felt my consciousness drift in and o
ut, losing control over my muscles as my mother embraced me and guided me into sleep for the night. My father looked on, smiling, before brushing my hair back with his hand and kissing my forehead goodnight just like he did when I was a girl.
Please stay with me during this trip, I thought.
7
“You are not to engage with anybody at any time. If you do, it could prove catastrophic for all of us here. They’d love to find some of us to get information,” Pote said before sending us off on our mission.
“It’s okay, we won’t snitch,” Blake said.
“I’m afraid it isn’t as easy as that. They have, well, methods for extracting information. These are methods you should hope never to experience,” Pote said, obviously alluding to torture.
“You can use this to communicate with us if you need to. The frequency is already set,” Mirian said, handing Faus a walkie-talkie. “Good luck to you all.”
“Do you know where to drop them?” Pote asked a guard standing nearby. He nodded. He was our teleportation guide to the spot, since our camp was so far away from anywhere they were now.
We walked over towards him and stood around him, each of us grabbing on to him. I closed my eyes, leaving the camp behind, feeling my body warp and twist through space and time. When I opened them again we were in a forest that was sort of like the one we were in before.
“You’ll find a camp a few miles in that direction,” the man said, pointing in front of him. “Be careful, and radio when you need pickup.” He left, the five of us standing there like deer in headlights.
“We better get going,” I said, clipping my backpack in front of me. “Night will come on us sooner than we know.”
“So what do you guys think we’re going to find out?” Charlie asked as we hiked through the hills in the general direction the guy had given us earlier.
“Probably stuff we aren’t supposed to know, but they know they have to let us find it out,” Faus said.
“Why’s that?” Britta asked.
“Because they can’t go in, for whatever reason, so somebody has to do it. I guess they trust us enough to let us know whatever it is we’re going to find out,” Faus said.
“We really just need to know faces, who they’re working with, and if we can find any sign of Kiren in the camp,” Blake said.
“Kiren isn’t going to be anywhere near here. He wouldn’t dare step foot outside for this very reason,” Charlie said.
“Maybe so, but somebody there will probably have answers and might slip up and say something we can use against them,” Blake said.
“And what happens when we do find it out, if we even do? Kiren owns everything and everybody, so it’s not like he’ll be dethroned,” Faus said.
“There are still a few people in higher places who oppose him, even if it’s in private. We can plan a coup,” Britta said.
“Let’s just remember to stick to the main points, if nothing else. We need to know if they know where our new location is, and anything else pertaining to us. Kiren is a cherry on top,” I said, trying to keep the peace.
“Lexa is right, we need to stay focused on the mission,” Blake said.
“Taking your girlfriend’s side?” Charlie asked with a chuckle. “Classic.”
“Charlie, don’t start that stuff,” Britta said.
After hiking for a few hours with no real end in sight, we stopped and decided to settle for the night, finding an alcove where we could set up a fairly secluded camp. “I wonder how far away we are,” I said, taking a map out of my backpack.
“We can’t use magic here, so nobody use any. We’re going to have to light a fire the old-fashioned way,” Faus said.
“Why no magic?” Charlie asked.
“We were dropped off so far away because they think the woods are enchanted to alert them whenever magic is used out here. They didn’t know exactly how far the enchantment stretched, so they dropped us off way out here to be safe. We’re more than likely in range now, though,” Britta said, turning on a flashlight while Faus worked on the fire with Blake.
“It looks like we’re here,” I said, pointing to a large hill, almost like a small mountain, that wasn’t far away.
“I have to agree. Their camp is here,” she said, pointing to a circle on the map. “I’d say we have about four more miles before we get there. We should be fine with the fire at this distance since we’re not in a direct line of sight, but we need to keep a lookout for any of their scouts who might check on the forest. They seem like the scouting type.”
“I can stay up in the trees tonight to keep watch,” Charlie said. His shifting abilities were really coming in handy tonight.
“I just wish I could put a charm on our camp,” Britta said as she looked around nervously.
“It’s okay—we’ll be fine, I know it. They won’t be searching this far out. But we do have to figure out a way to sneak towards the camp tomorrow. I hope there’s higher ground to do it from,” I said. A flame sparked up next to me.
“We’ve got fire,” Blake said with a smile.
The mess tent had prepared us some meals that we put over the flame. It wasn’t anything special, more like gruel with a very spicy aroma, but it was better than eating pinecones and bark, which was our next option out here in the middle of nowhere.
We laughed, albeit quietly, and talked about magic, life, and the state of the world. It was so strange being in a situation where I had a sense of camaraderie, with friends, with people I actually wanted to be around. I was used to being around people because I had to, and not because I wanted to.
“I’ve got a question,” Charlie said, looking at me. “Where were you before you were here? In the camp, that is. You just kind of showed up one day.”
“Charlie!” Britta said, obviously annoyed he’d asked that question.
“It’s okay, Britta, really,” I said with a laugh. “I guess I should out myself and my past, because you guys deserve to know. I was a thief.” I took another bite of my meal. All of them looked a little uncomfortable, like I’d just admitted to being a serial murderer with a taste for flesh.
“Like, what do you mean exactly?” Charlie asked.
“Well, I lived in a crappy little hole of a motel room, and I stole things—small things, usually. I’m not proud of my past, but it made me who I am today. I did what I had to do to survive,” I said.
“Weren’t you a pilt?” Charlie asked, confused.
“Charlie,” Britta snapped, looking uncomfortable.
“I was, yeah, but not really. I didn’t know I had any powers, or that I could come to a place like this. I was just kind of out there surviving, and then bam, Mirian came along and changed everything. Weird how life works,” I said.
“What’s the most expensive thing you’ve stolen?” Blake asked.
“Probably an old watch that was like fifty shillings. I didn’t steal big things, only things that people wouldn’t miss if they were gone. Most people don’t even notice small things leaving. Those types of things are the best to take,” I said.
“That’s smart. You don’t want to draw too much attention to yourself,” Faus said.
“That was my thinking,” I said.
“So, are you, you know, done with that life?” Britta asked.
“Yeah, I think so. This M.A.G.I.C. thing seems pretty cool, and I’d make a much better salary than I would stealing stuff. Besides, I have a lot of experience with thieves and bad people, so I think I’d have an easier time than most dealing with them and figuring out their plans,” I said.
“Well, I’m getting tired,” Blake said, stretching and yawning.
“I’ll take the first watch,” Charlie said, shifting and climbing up a tall tree nearby.
“I can take a shift from down here,” I said, letting Britta and Faus take a breather and rest.
I sat next to the fire, fueling it with some sticks and branches that had been collected earlier, my knees up to my chest, feeling both a sense of happiness
and melancholy around me. Talking about my past almost made me miss it. Maybe it was a bigger part of me than I’d originally thought, and bringing up those memories after suppressing them my entire time at camp triggered something in me.
I’d lost my high when I gave it all up, forgoing the rush I got whenever I completed a job and sold my loot. It wasn’t to say that I’d never have that kind of excitement again, but it was different now. I had to say goodbye to my past, even though I knew I’d never forget it.
Faus, not one for sleeping too often, had relieved me earlier in the night, letting me curl up and get some much-needed rest. I awoke the next morning, yawning, a few pine needles stuck in my hair, before stretching and pulling a bottle of water out of my bag. “Everybody sleep well?” I asked.
“Charlie fell asleep in the tree without waking anybody else up,” Blake said, annoyed.
“I got comfortable and things happened. I already said sorry. It’s hard being a cat in a tree, you know,” he said.
“We’d better get moving if we’re going to make it there well before nightfall. We can’t camp out near them, it’s too dangerous,” Britta said.
I took a breakfast bar out of my bag and ate it as we began our hike towards their camp. Blake and Charlie walked a little ahead, sniffing the air periodically and trying to catch a scent that we could use, both to see if anybody was near and to find the exact direction of the camp. “I haven’t picked up anything,” Blake said two hours into the hike.
We climbed a massive hill, my thighs burning. When we got towards the top, under the cover of the canopy of trees above, we inched closer to a ledge. We immediately saw a camp below, the one we had to have been looking for this entire time. “Why couldn’t we smell it?” Charlie whispered.
“They probably enchanted this so it couldn’t be found. Whoever is inside can’t be tracked,” Britta said.
