Sorceress' Blood

by Carl Purcell

  “This is the second floor of the Tower and this is your room. I will come for you in the morning and you may begin your tutelage in magic. Good night.” The man let go of her hand and left the room. Ashley was cold, dirty and she could feel both dry sweat on her skin and mud caked in her hair. She sneezed and then she lay down under her blankets and went to sleep. There was nothing else she could think of doing and there was nothing else she'd been allowed to do. She didn't take long to fall back into her deep sleep and was thankful that she was at least a little drier and a little warmer. She dreamed of Ashley the Flying girl, a fantasy that was so distant and silly by then. Ashley the Flying girl had perhaps never existed and she had never won any battle over the world. There was only Ashley the Cold, Dirty and Tired.

  When she was awoken early the next morning, too early for her still weary body, the first thing she was told to do was shower. She was thankful that she would be able to wash the dirt from her body and for some hot water. But the water was only sometimes lukewarm and mostly colder than the morning air. She looked around for shampoo or soap and only found a small grey bar of unscented soap. Ashley had mixed feelings of gratitude and desperation when the water abruptly shut off while she was only half done. She dried herself and dressed in the new clothes she'd been given. Ashley noticed the shoulder of the jumper had a crest stitched on that she'd seen on Lord Edward's shirt.

  “Hurry up!” Ashley heard her instructor call through the door. Ashley, fully dressed at that point, rushed to open the door and step out next to her instructor. Now that she could see him clearly in the daylight and with wakeful eyes she noticed that he was a giant of a man. Ashley looked up at him and it was like looking up at birds or aeroplanes. But while both those things could be interesting and fun, looking at her instructor was only ever frightening. He was dressed as he was the previous night, hood and all, but now he was wearing gloves as well, and there's wasn't a centimetre of skin visible on him. Ashley also noticed that nowhere on his clothes was the crest that was on her jumper and almost everybody she'd seen since she'd arrived in China had one. She was going to ask him where it was when her instructor spoke first. “Are you going to stare at me all day or are you ready?”

  “What?”

  “The correct answer is 'Yes sir.' and you will address me with more respect from now on,” he reprimanded and Ashley decided it would be safer just not to say anything and remain quiet. “Well?” It wasn't safer, and when she spoke she did so the way a mouse sniffs at delicious, yellow cheese hanging off some alien, metal contraption.

  “Yes sir.”

  “Good.”

  Everything in the Tower was the colour of blood. The second floor was a maze of corridors lit by high hanging lanterns. Ashley wondered if they had fires in them or electricity. She could never smell smoke but she never saw a light switch, either. When she was taken by her instructor up a flight of stairs to the third level of the Tower they went through a door she hadn't seen before. The Tower didn't seem to make sense. Everything worked because it worked and everything was because it was. The third floor had the same uniform red and silver as the second floor. Lanterns hung from the roof, casting away all shadows; doors slid open to reveal more red-painted wood and more silver, polished and shining under the warm glow of the lamps. This floor was mostly one big open space. The room was cluttered with a huge collection of unusual objects. Ashley looked around and saw books sitting open with no words, statues of dogs looking curiously at statues of frogs, a suit of armour rusting at the shoulders, a ventriloquist dummy, half a piano and more things than she could count or name if she had an entire day, and even more things were piled beneath what she could see.

  Ashley was reminded of a time she'd gone by a house having a garage sale and they had tables overflowing with old toys, clothes, books and even furniture that they were trying to sell. Of course, Ashley couldn't buy anything but she liked looking at what they had. That same compulsion drove her to walk over to the mountains of random objects in this room and look over them.

  “What are you doing?” Her instructor asked but it didn't sound much like a question.

  “This is not ‘walk off and do what you want’ hour,” he said without waiting for an answer. “Now stand in the centre of the room.”

  “Yes sir.” Ashley did as she was told.

  “Now, let's begin by seeing what you're capable of doing. One of the most basic magic spells is telekinesis. Pick something you like and bring it to you.”

  “Anything?”

  “I'm not going to waste time repeating myself, so don't you waste time asking me to. Just do as you're told.”

  “Yes sir.” Ashley turned her head and looked around the room at all the things she had to pick from. She saw a statue of a kitten toppled over on top on a pillow. The statue was small enough that she could hold it in her hands if she wanted and it was a friendly looking thing. She focused on it, just as she had focused on the fence the night before, and held out her hands. “Come!” she demanded and the vision she'd had in her mind became a reality as the kitten statue flew across the room into her hand. Ashley caught it, then dropped it and shook her sore hand. The statue had come too fast and too hard to her already bruised hand.

  “You're not completely hopeless after all.” Her instructor told her. “Now blow it up.”

  “What?” Ashley looked at her instructor with a surprised expression that said all the things her instructor did not want to hear. She didn't believe he'd said it. She didn't want to do it; she was questioning his authority. Without looking, Ashley's instructor grabbed the first thing his hand touched. He gripped the cracked teacup and then flung it at Ashley. Ashley screamed and ducked, the tea cup shattered against the wall behind her.

  “Now, blow the statue up and, when you've done that, you can put the cup back together.”

  “I don't know how.”

  “You don't know how? Aren't you the magical prodigy? Aren't you the special little girl who can do anything? The Sorceress could breathe a hurricane and destroy an entire forest when she was your age and you can't even make a little statue explode? Aren't you supposed to be her descendant? What a waste of time you are. But I have to do as I've been told, and now you do too.” Ashley stared, wide eyed, at her instructor. She had tried as hard as she could to hold back her tears but her throat was too sore and his words were too cruel. She couldn't help it. Tears began to pool in her eyes. They became a torrent down her cheeks. She clenched her fists and bit her lip. She didn't want to make any noise. “Now what do you say to me?” Ashley kept quiet. She shut her eyes and cried silently, where she stood. “I said what do you say to me!” Ashley shook her head. She thought that if she opened her mouth all she'd do was sob and that would make him even angrier. People didn't like it when she sobbed and she'd be in more trouble. “Answer me!” Ashley knew she had no choice. She opened her eyes first and then she opened her mouth. The words got stuck in her throat and she only a hoarse croak emerged..

  “Answer me, you little brat!”

  “I hate you.”

  “What?”

  “I hate you!” Ashley screamed. The lanterns flickered. “I hate you!” She screamed again and she screamed it at her instructor. “I hate you!” She screamed it at her mother. “I hate you!” She screamed it at her father too, because neither of them wanted to know her. “I hate you!” She screamed it at him for all the time's he'd hit her and told her that no one loved her and that she was only worth the money he was paid to look after her. “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” Ashley didn't know any other words any more. The rusting suit of armour fell over. The shards of the tea cup shattered into dust. The kitten statue flew off the ground and struck the instructor's leg. “I hate you and I want you to die!” One after the other the lanterns went out and fell to the floor. Then Ashley cast the spell she'd been told to cast and her instructor exploded into a million, bloody, unrecognisable pieces. Ashley was alone in the darkness. Finally she let herself fall onto the flo
or and sob. She didn't want to be there any more. She didn't want to learn magic and she didn't want to stay in China. She just wanted to find Rebecca and go away to somewhere safe like Rebecca had promised they would. Ashley's sobs became louder but no one heard her and no one was coming to pull her out of the darkness and away from the Tower. The room began to smell of death but Ashley couldn't bring herself to get up and she had nowhere to go even if she could.

  Hours passed and Ashley cried until she ran out of tears and then she just lay there. She didn't make a sound. She didn't move until, finally, there was a light. A lantern hovered off the ground and started glowing warmly. Ashley wiped her eyes, then her cheeks and sat up, looking towards the light. She saw the familiar face of Lord Edward looking down at her.

  “You are a powerful thing, aren't you? I'm surprised anyone so young could have so much talent.”

  “I have the Sorceress' blood in me,” Ashley explained. She pulled her knees up to her chest and watched Lord Edward. He wasn't coming closer and that was good. He wasn't like Lord Sebastian was at all and his sorcerers weren't funny like Benjamin was. She didn't like Lord Edward or his castle, or his Tower or anything about this place.

  “You do, do you? Well that is what they say. One day you might be even stronger than The Sorceress and wouldn't that be something? But if you go around killing your teachers then how could you possibly get better?” Ashley didn't have an answer. “How does it feel to kill someone, Ashley? How do you like being a murderer and a criminal?”

  “I didn't want to, but...” Ashley paused and thought. She didn't want to kill anyone. Did she have any other choice? Did it matter? “I couldn't help myself. I think he deserved it anyway.”

  “Children from troubled homes always end up being the burden on society.”

  “What?”

  “Never mind.” Edward sat down where he was.

  Ashley saw a door behind him and when the lantern lit the ground she saw the shards of the broken tea cup. Was he upstairs? Did he watch her? Ashley couldn't explain how he'd gotten there and she realised that he was being very nice after she'd killed one of his sorcerers.

  “I've been doing some reading about you, Ashley.”

  “About me?”

  “That's right. I know when you were adopted and I even know the name of your parents and how old you were when they abandoned you to the care of the state. I know that the man who adopted you lied about who he was. Did you know he'd been to jail for robbing a bank and running over a policeman in his escape?”

  “No.”

  “I know things that you can't read on government files, too. Like that he hits. I know that the kids at your school hit you too, and that's why you don't go. That's why you were out walking alone when you were nearly run over.

  “How do you know?”

  “Do you have to ask?” Edward grinned. “Magic!” He paused a moment to take in Ashley's reaction and then continued “You're so young and already you're skipping school. Isn't it good you have people like me to take care of you? I'm taking care of Rebecca too. I've given you new clothes and I've given her food and soon she'll be making friends. I think she likes it here.” Lord Edward's voice was soft and calm but it didn't sound like it really cared. Ashley thought it almost sounded as if he was making fun of her and any second he'd start laughing. He didn't, though. He kept on talking in that smooth, false way as if it were an art he'd perfected over years of practice.

  “Does she?”

  “Yes. But you don't, do you?”

  “No.”

  “No. I know you don't because, just like Benjamin, I can see in your mind. I know you want to leave but where would you go? Do you think Rebecca could take care of you? She can't even take care of herself any more. You both have to rely on me now.”

  “We would be okay.”

  “I don't think so. It's a dangerous world out there and the Thralls are looking for you. They want to kill you. But maybe you deserve to be killed as well.”

  “That's not true!”

  “It's okay. Just relax, Ashley. I already said that you're safe here. I'm your friend, remember? I'm not going to hurt you. I don't think I could stop you from leaving though. But do you really want to take Rebecca away from a place where she is safe and happy?”

  “Is she really?”

  “She is, Ashley. She really is.”

  “I guess not.”

  “It's late. You must have been lying here in the dark for a long time. Did you fall asleep?”

  “I don't know. I don't think I did.”

  “Well maybe you did and maybe you didn't. But I'll tell you what. I'll forget this ever happened if you do too. Tomorrow you can start fresh and maybe you'll learn to be happy here as well. What do you say?”

  “I...” I hate you. “... guess so.”

  “Good.” Lord Edward made no sign of knowing what she'd thought. Suddenly all the lanterns that had fallen on the floor lit up and moved themselves back into their place on the ceiling. Ashley realised for the first time that none of them were hanging by anything. Just like everything else in the Tower they floated and glowed because that is what they did.

  Lord Edward escorted Ashley down to the second floor of the Tower and through the maze until they got to the door of her room.

  “Good night, Ashley.” Then he was gone. Ashley silently went into her room and went to bed. She wished Rebecca was there, even just to say good night. At least she was happy. Then Ashley fell asleep and drifted through the night without dreaming and without thinking of Ashley The... Ashley the Whatever-She-Was. She couldn't remember. Something starting with F. It didn't matter any more.

  Ashley woke up the next morning without being told to. The air wasn't as cold and even though there was no window she guessed that it was later in the morning because she wasn't as tired. But she had no way of knowing for sure. She was completely separated from the world in this place. She had decided, against her better judgement, to give the Tower and China a second chance. While she wondered who would be teaching her now and what she would have to do, she sat with her blankets wrapped around her and waited for something to happen. She was getting hungry and the idea of leaving her room had occurred to her but she didn't trust the twisting corridors and impossible nature of the Tower enough to go exploring. She would, almost certainly, become lost forever. So she sat and she waited and when she got bored she started making the wooden chest open and close with her magic. When she'd done it so many times that it was as simple and effortless as using her hands, she tried making it happen without saying a word. Open. She commanded with her thoughts but nothing happened. Her mind was split between what she wanted to do and making the command. Open. Not even a little bit of movement. Open. Open. Open. Still nothing. Magic either worked or it didn't, she guessed. She could do it. She had to focus and had to need it to happen just like before. Now, you stupid box, open up! She was disturbed by a knock at her door.

  “Are you awake?” Ashley didn't recognise the voice.

  “Yes.” She answered and watched the door. She felt nervous and on guard but she didn't know what she was waiting for or what she'd do if it happened.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Yes.” The door opened and an old Chinese man with thick white hair and a full beard came in. Ashley almost laughed at the sight of him. Immediately she thought he looked like Santa Claus, right out of a book. This Santa Claus was much thinner, however, and was wearing a grey robe buttoned at the neck. His long sleeves made it look as if he had no hands, just two bowls of rice at the end of his arms. Whoever he was, he wasn't much taller than Ashley and age had wrinkled his skin. He seemed to be smiling at her with a friendly, cartoon character grin. Ashley was too much in awe of his appearance to say anything, but she could still feel the tickle of a laugh in her throat.

  “Are you hungry?”

  Ashley nodded. The old Santa Claus man put one of the bowls down in front of Ashley and then he sat down and began to eat from the other. Ashley p
icked up her bowl and after a few failed attempts at using the sticks she'd been given, she put them on the floor and ate with her hands.

  When Santa Claus had finished his food, he set the bowl down with the sticks sitting neatly across the top. He eyed Ashley for a moment, smiling, and then finally spoke.

  “They told me about you.”

  “What?”

  “They told me who you are. They told me you have a gift. That's why I'm going to be teaching you now. I have a gift too.”

  “What sort of gift?”

  “I'm very good at what we call kinetic magic. Moving things, lifting things, throwing things – all with magic. They said you're very good at that.”

  “I can't do much else.”

  “That's okay. You'll learn to do lots with time. But for now I think we'll focus on what you're good at until you really know what you're doing.”

  “Did they tell you about the last man who taught me?”

  “Yes, they did.”

  Things went quiet. Ashley waited for him to say something else. Anything else. She didn't even know why she brought it up. Was it a warning? Was she sorry? She looked away from Santa Claus and tried not to feel too awkward.

  “Are you finished?” Ashley nodded. Ashley's bowl lifted off the ground and floated over to the old man's bowl. His sticks parted and the bowls stacked with a soft clink. Santa Claus picked up the bowls and stood up. “They always try to tell us that magic isn't a toy to play with. But I won't say anything, if you won't.” And he gave Ashley a wink. Ashley stared at him, unsure of how things would be. She had the definite feeling that the world was somehow against her and that the Tower, in all its cold mystery, felt more like a prison than the home she'd been promised.

  However, Santa Claus was not like Lord Edward or the man all in black that found her in the village. He was friendly and a little bit strange but in a harmless, friendly way. Ashley liked having him as a teacher more than any of the others who had come before. He never pushed Ashley and he was always kind to her. When Ashley needed to rest, they rested and when she was hungry they ate. Santa Claus was more like a friend than a teacher and Ashley saw herself become stronger and more in control of her magic than she thought she could ever be. She had always been told that Santa Claus was a lie and that's why he didn't bring her presents on the day everyone else called Christmas. But now part of her wondered if she was standing right there next to the real Santa Claus – a funny little man who had jumped right out of the pages of a story book. Ashley always remembered him fondly and the time she had with him as one of the happiest of her life.