Hidden Mage

by Sophie Stern

  “I’ll help you find her home,” Felix finally said. “I can guide you through the island.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It’s not a safe island,” he warned her.

  “I don’t care.”

  “How did you finally find it?”

  “I used my thieving skills to find a map that led me here.”

  “Incredible,” Felix shook his head.

  “What?”

  “You are.”

  “Me?” Tabitha blushed. She wasn’t used to being charmed like this. Not by a guy like Felix.

  He was tall, dark, and handsome. He was everything she’d ever liked in men, but there was something else, too. Felix was kind of a mystery. Everything he said held weight. Every word was carefully considered. She thought he might be hiding something, too. Nobody just had a secret cave for fun, after all, and she wanted to find out what it was.

  “You,” he repeated.

  “I’m not incredible.”

  “Don’t argue with me, witch.”

  When he called her a witch, it didn’t bother her. It didn’t hurt her feelings because he wasn’t saying it in a way that was mean. Tabitha could tell when someone was being cruel, and this guy wasn’t.

  He was just being...

  Well, himself, if she had to guess.

  “Why do you call me that?”

  “Witch?”

  “Yes.”

  “Because you’re adorable,” he said. “And you are a witch.”

  “How could you tell?”

  She hadn’t used any magic since she’d arrived. She didn’t really have any left, which was unfortunate. How was she supposed to fight Ursula if she had nothing left in her energy stores?

  “Your hands,” he told her.

  “I held them up when I saw you,” she realized. That had been a stupid mistake. Had Felix not been a good person, it would have caused a lot of problems. It still could, in fact.

  Tabitha wasn’t exactly in the habit of showing all of her cards at once, but there was something about Felix that just seemed...familiar.

  She couldn’t explain why, but she felt a comfort with him that she’d never felt before.

  Safe.

  She felt safe.

  Somehow, Tabitha thought that Felix wasn’t going to hurt her.

  Perhaps that wasn’t true. Perhaps he was going to betray her or turn her over to the witch. Maybe he even worked for her. All Tabitha knew, though, was that when he’d been buried deep inside of her, she’d felt a connection unlike any other.

  And she’d felt like a damn queen.

  Chapter 10

  The next morning, Felix rolled over and looked at Tabitha.

  She was so soft, lovely, and sweet. He could spend all day looking at her if he wasn’t careful, but he was going to be careful. He still didn’t know exactly where she had come from or what she planned to do when she found Ursula.

  Only, she wasn’t going to find Ursula because Ursula had been dead for six months.

  Apparently, Felix had killed her right after her last big huzzah.

  How perfect.

  When Tabitha woke up a few minutes later, she looked over at Felix and smiled.

  Fuck.

  That smile went straight to his cock. He needed to watch himself because he was far too close to just saying “fuck it” and telling her everything. He didn’t like lying to her. He didn’t like leading her on this infinite quest, but he wanted to know the rest of what she knew.

  She’d mentioned a monster.

  What was she talking about?

  How could she know that something lurked on the island?

  And why didn’t he know about it?

  After a quick breakfast of nuts and chocolate, which he’d stored in the cave, the two of them got ready to leave.

  “First things first,” Felix said.

  “What?”

  “You need some shoes.”

  He still wasn’t sure why she had taken her shoes off. He didn’t know why she’d left them on the boat. He understood that she was more comfortable without them, but he’d never met anyone before who just made a random choice like that.

  It was as though Tabitha didn’t even care about being safe. Didn’t she know that something could bite her feet? Didn’t she know she could get a splinter? Only, she seemed more carefree than that.

  Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was a witch. Maybe she thought she could use magic to get rid of anything bad that might hurt or affect her. He didn’t know, but he was going to ask.

  “We could go back to the boat,” she said.

  “That’s the opposite direction of where we’re going. If we want to get to the castle before sunset, we need to go now.”

  “How far did we run in the rain?” Tabitha shook her head. “That storm really came out of nowhere, huh?”

  “It did, and at least a mile.”

  “A mile? Damn. Thanks for carrying me.”

  “It was nothing,” he said. “Put these on.” Felix held out a pair of soft moccasins. They were comfy and warm, and they would protect her feet on their journey.

  “You really are prepared for anything. You’re like a Boy Scout.”

  “A what?”

  “Oh yeah,” Tabitha looked up at him. There was something strange on her face, something he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Then he realized that it was pity.

  Why did she pity him?

  “You don’t know about a lot of stuff, huh? At least, not stuff about the outside world.”

  That was true, but the realization stung a bit.

  “Perhaps,” Felix said vaguely.

  “Well, a Boy Scout is someone who kind of like, trains to be ready for anything. There’s this saying that a Boy Scout is always prepared. I get that vibe about you.”

  “Vibe?”

  “Yeah. A feeling. You know, it just seems like you’re always ready for anything that might happen. You’re pretty smart, Felix. I like that about you.”

  She liked him.

  She liked him, and she was paying him a compliment. He waited to see what the negative side of that compliment would be. Maybe she’d follow it up with an insult about his appearance or maybe she’d mention the fact that he had terrible morning breath, but after a moment, it was clear that Tabitha was done speaking.

  There was no other negative comment.

  She didn’t want to say anything else to him.

  “What is it? You’re looking at me like I’m crazy.”

  “I’m just surprised you didn’t say anything mean.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Because Ursula had been a cruel-hearted bitch who deserved to die.

  Because she’d colored Felix’s understanding of relationships.

  Because she’d stolen everything from him, including his ability to relate to other people.

  “No reason.”

  “Not buying it, but I’ll let it slide.”

  Tabitha stood up, shoes on, and offered Felix her arm.

  “Shall we go?”

  “We shall.”

  They left the cave carefully. Felix took care to move the boulders back into their appropriate places. He didn’t want to reveal this cave to anyone. It was his own secret place. As Tabitha called it, this was his Fortress of Solitude, and he didn’t want to make any sort of mistake when it came to this place being found.

  “You’re strong,” she commented, watching him.

  “Thanks.”

  “You work out a lot, huh?”

  “Not as much as you might think.”

  He’d always been unusually strong. He never thought much about it, and he didn’t usually show off his strength. Felix had found that when people knew too much information about him, they liked to use that against him. So, if someone knew he was strong, they might ask him to do something like move something for them that he didn’t want to move.

  If they knew he was clever, they might try to get information from him.

 
The two of them took off out of the cave and back into the forests that covered the island.

  “There are a lot of trees. Should I be worried about ticks and stuff?” Tabitha looked around, carefully watching the ground.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “The witch put a spell on the island,” he said.

  He wasn’t actually sure if it still held or not. He just knew that her power was stronger than he’d given her credit for.

  Now that she was dead, he thought her spells and magic might eventually fade. Maybe the bugs would come back. Maybe the insects would start being free to roam once more. Only, they hadn’t come back yet.

  And Felix still couldn’t leave the fucking place.

  That was what bothered him most of all. Why couldn’t he leave? Why couldn’t he go anywhere? He wanted to. Desperately.

  He wanted to find out where he’d come from. Even if he never found his real family or his true heritage, he at least wanted a chance. He at least wanted the option of finding out where he belonged, of discovering where he deserved to be.

  “She sounds like such a bitch,” Tabitha said, “but that’s one spell I can get on board with. I hate the idea of bugs crawling on me.” She shivered, and Felix looked over at her.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t let any bugs hurt you.”

  “Why Felix, did you just make a joke?”

  He laughed and nodded.

  Yes, he supposed that he had.

  How strange.

  Chapter 11

  By the time noon rolled around, they were halfway to the mountain castle, from what Tabitha could guess, and it was a guess. The map she had was useful, but it was still old and outdated. Apparently, it was older than she’d thought because there were a lot of things she didn’t recognize now that she and Felix were trekking across the island.

  They stopped for a little while at a small creek. They sat down to rest and dipped their toes in the water. She smiled, leaning against him. It felt nice. Everything about this just felt...

  Well, kind of wonderful.

  Even though Tabitha had grown up around other mages who understood what it took to live a good, long, and happy life, she’d never experienced anything like this. Felix was offering her something wonderful: something she just couldn’t stop enjoying. The way he made her feel was incredible.

  And she wanted more.

  She felt happy and content around him. Despite the fact that they were journeying toward a hidden castle so that Tabitha could do a murder, she didn’t feel anxious or sad. She felt comfortable.

  Peaceful.

  “So, tell me what you like to do,” she finally said, breaking the silence.

  It felt like a date.

  Everything about this felt like a date, and not like a revenge mission. She still wasn’t sure how she was going to kill Ursula, which was pretty fucked up considering she was going to see her before suppertime, but somehow, she knew that she’d figure it out when the time came.

  “What I like to do?” Felix seemed a little surprised by her question.

  “Yeah. For fun.”

  The look on Felix’s face told Tabitha everything she needed to know.

  “Seriously? You don’t know what you like to do?”

  “No one’s ever asked me before.”

  “That’s messed up. What kind of crazy childhood did you have?”

  She knew instantly that it was the wrong thing to say, because Felix’s face fell. Okay, so the dude hadn’t had the best upbringing. She wouldn’t ask him about it anymore. Not everyone was lucky enough to have parents who loved them or even parents at all. She understood that.

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” he said. “I just don’t like to talk about it. I’m...well, I guess I’m kind of an orphan.” He pressed his lips together tightly, but she was caught up on what he’d just said.

  “How is someone kind of an orphan?”

  In her mind, either you were or you were not an orphan.

  She didn’t really understand how someone was “kind of” anything like that. Were his parents alive, or were they dead? Had he been abandoned?

  “I don’t know where my real family is,” he said.

  There was so much sadness in those words that Tabitha’s heart felt pained. How did he not know what had happened to his family? How did he not know where they were? Damn. This guy’s backstory just seemed more and more tragic. There she was, thinking she was the one with the painful and mysterious past.

  “Why don’t you know?”

  “I was separated from them when I was very young,” he said. “I don’t even know how I’d begin to find them.”

  “You could start with their names?”

  “I can’t remember their names,” he said, and he whispered this. His words were so quiet that Tabitha almost couldn’t hear, but she could. She could hear.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “It still sucks,” she said. “My family’s dead, but at least I know where they are.”

  “That’s a terrible thing to say,” Felix looked at her sharply, but Tabitha just shrugged. She’d come to terms with what had happened. Her parents were gone, and they weren’t coming back, but knowing they were dead was very different from not knowing where they were at all.

  “It’s the truth, Felix.”

  “You must miss them every day,” he sighed. He wiggled his toes in the water, and Tabitha did the same. It was such a carefree sort of moment. It didn’t seem to match what they were talking about at all.

  When she looked around, all she could see was beautiful. She could see the trees and the lovely sky. The clouds were rolling by fast and bright and wonderful, but there they were: talking about their lost families.

  “Every day,” she agreed.

  “I miss my family, too. I can’t even remember them, but I miss them. Isn’t that stupid?”

  “No.”

  “How is it not stupid?”

  “It’s not stupid to miss your family, Felix. You still know they exist. You can feel it in your heart, can’t you?”

  He looked at her carefully, but then he nodded.

  “Yes,” he said. “Yes, I can feel it in my heart.”

  “That’s how I get through each day. My mom and dad are gone. My friends and relatives are all dead, Felix. It’s just me left. I keep their memories in my heart, and I guard those memories with everything I’ve got because I know that one day, they’ll fade away.”

  “I’m sorry for what happened to you. It’s not fair.”

  “It’s not fair,” she nodded, “but that’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”

  Revenge.

  It had guided her.

  It had wrapped itself around her like a bright blanket of light. She knew perfectly well that as soon as she found Ursula, she would know what to do. She would know how to kill the witch. She would know.

  All day, Tabitha had felt strong. She’d felt her power pulsing, coursing through her veins, but she didn’t know how. She hadn’t eaten anything new, and she hadn’t done anything new except...

  Well, except him.

  That would be crazy, though, wouldn’t it?

  It would be crazy to think that having sex with Felix had somehow replenished her energy.

  There had been rumors, long ago, that women who had sex with mythical creatures would be supercharged witches. It was something people always whispered about, but she’d never, not for a second, believed that it was something that could be true for her.

  Besides, she knew the rumors were that dragons carried the most power. That was why she suspected Ursula had a dragon. Ursula had been rumored to be wildly powerful, and when she’d slaughtered the mages, she’d brought shifters with her. Felix wasn’t a shifter, though. He was just an ordinary human.

  Wasn’t he?

  Tabitha looked over at him: normal hair, handsome face, soft skin. There was nothing about this man that screamed “wild” o
r “different” or “not a human.”

  Well, he at least looked wildly ordinary and normal.

  There was nothing particularly strange or unusual about him. He was handsome, yes, but he was just himself. He wasn’t magical. He’d told her that he wasn’t magical, and she couldn’t feel any magic on him.

  And yet...

  Felix didn’t know much about his past, apparently. He still hadn’t told her how he’d ended up on the island. He hadn’t explained how he’d gotten there or how he had his own private cave. Judging by the assortment of things he had, it had been a lot longer than a few days or weeks.

  If she had to guess, that had been his private cave for years.

  So, what was he doing here?

  If he didn’t work for Ursula, then he knew people who did. If he didn’t work for her, though, why would he still be on the island? Tabitha had a creeping fear that perhaps Felix didn’t exactly want to help her.

  What if he was only assisting her because he was leading her to her doom?

  Only, she didn’t think that was it.

  She thought it must be something else.

  Something terrible.

  Something...

  Well, there was something he wasn’t telling her. Maybe he didn’t even know what it was.

  “Anyway,” she said, finally clearing her throat, “the witch has to die.”

  “I understand your desire to kill her,” Felix said. “Do you think ending her life will make you feel better?”

  Tabitha’s jaw dropped.

  Was he serious?

  “How can you ask me that? You know what she did to my family!”

  Rage boiled inside of her, threatening to spill out. What the actual fuck? He was helping her, sure, but now he had the audacity to judge her, too? What the hell?

  “I understand.”

  Felix stayed calm. Too calm. She still wasn’t sure how he managed to do that. How could he be the kind of person who was just wildly relaxed when someone bothered them?

  “How?”

  He cocked his head, looking at her.

  “Tabitha, you aren’t the only person who has lost everything they’ve ever had.”

  Her heart felt like it was being stabbed. She knew he was right. He’d obviously lost something too: maybe everything. She just didn’t know what. What had he lost? What was so terrible that he was running from it? She had no idea.