by J. M. Briggs
“I…” Slavko stirred in his arms, shifting closer to his chest. The boy made a contented sigh. “I’m sorry, but I have my son to worry about and the harvest. These creatures have all but destroyed the supply of food for winter as it is. I have to focus on making sure we’ll make it through the winter.”
Merlin nodded in understanding but looked pleased. “That is something that we can help with. While our magic exists to defend the realm, it can be used for a great many things. While not my strongest talent, I do know how to encourage plants to grow.”
Dobiemir stared at him. He’d heard the words, but… “Are you sure you aren’t a god?”
Morgana laughed and tossed her long braid over her shoulder. “I suppose it depends on what you consider a god. Many would think of us as such.”
“Morgana,” Merlin scolded, without any real sternness.
“Immortal and with great power.” Morgana turned towards the doorway. “Close enough for most. I’m going to go and check the fields for any clues. We need to understand what these things are.”
Merlin sighed as she left, shaking his head. Then he turned back to Dobiemir and said. “We aren’t truly immortal. At least, we don’t think so. It is a test neither of us have any interest in performing.” Then Merlin said down on the bench. “Now, I know that this must all be very alarming, but I need you to tell me everything you know about these creatures. Are there any habits they have, anyplace they’re seen most often? Anything could help.”
“I- I’m not sure.” Closing his eyes, Dobiemir tried to focus on the memory of that first Shadow creature. “The first time I saw one, I was in the woods. It attacked me, so I climbed a tree. It was pitch black. The world dimmed, and it got cold, just like you saw. After a while, it just moved off and left me alone. I’ve seen a few since then. They just seem to patrol areas.”
“Interesting,” Merlin said slowly. “They may be looking for something or merely scouting the area.” He hummed softly to himself for a long moment. “Tell me, do you have any local legends with something like this? Anything in your area that is similar to the creatures?”
“No,” Dobiemir said. “I mean, there are the stories about spirits of course, and the gods, but nothing like these Shadows.”
“Who is the chief deity in the area?”
Dobiemir blinked at the odd question but pushed on. “Lately the Christian god has gained followers. Some are blaming the missionaries for the creatures. They’re saying it is a punishment for not honoring their gods.”
“Which explains your question to Morgana and I,” Merlin said. “But is there anyone specific?”
“There are several local gods who watch over the valley,” Dobiemir said. “Svetovid, Lada, and Veliona are well known throughout the whole area.”
“Anyone that stands out?”
“Well, some stories say that Belobog visits the area. He is probably the most famous,” Dobiemir said. “He is thanked for the good things that happen. He’s a god of light and good.”
“I’m familiar with him,” Merlin said. Dobiemir almost asked what that meant. Merlin and Morgana had such power, had they met a god? “Though… I’ve not heard anything from him recently. That could be the problem.”
“Wait, you think this is Belobog’s doing? But why? He’s one of the friendliest gods to humanity!”
“I’m not sure,” Merlin said calmly. He held up a hand and motioned for Dobiemir to be silent. He quickly obeyed: he owed them that much. “But gods can become ill. It is an ugly but very real thing. If Belobog is in the area then checking on his condition would be a wise first course of action. If we are to understand what these creatures are, then we must learn their source.”
“You said that you’ve seen them before?”
“Yes, but not until we came to this area,” Merlin said. “Thankfully, they are only in this region.”
“Then why did you come here?”
“Morgana is rather talented at scrying,” Merlin explained. “It is a form of magic that allows her to see or at least become aware of problems in other places. She routinely checks for troubling signs and caught a glimpse of these creatures. It was simple enough to learn that we needed to come east.”
“Where are you from?”
“A good distance to the west,” Merlin said. “I fear that in truth our first homes are long gone.” The man’s eyes glazed over and a wistful smile appeared on his features. It made him look younger. Then the older mage shook himself. “I understand your worries Dobiemir. Truly, I do. But you are a mage, and you can help your homeland. Please, consider letting us train you to use your magic. You’d be much better equipped to protect yourself and your child. There are many things that we can help you achieve.”
“Why do you need me?” Dobiemir asked. “You both have so much power! I’m just a farmer.”
“You are a mage, and thus you should be trained,” Merlin replied. There is something in the tone of his voice. Dobiemir didn’t think it was much of an explanation, but it was enough for Merlin.
“Father?” Slavko called.
Dobiemir looked down and smiled. The boy was waking up and rubbing his eyes. Slavko began to sit up, and Dobiemir let him, though he stayed close. The boy’s coloring was far better than it had been in weeks. Slavko spotted Merlin watching him and blinked in confusion.
“How are you feeling?” Merlin asked kindly.
“I…” Slavko twisted around to look at his father. “I’m feeling much better, Father.”
“Good,” Dobiemir said. Putting an arm around his son, he smiled. His muscles almost protested the movement. It had been far too long. “That’s good, son.” Slavko’s gaze returned to Merlin. “This is Merlin,” Dobiemir said. “He’s… he’s a friend.”
Merlin smiled at him approvingly. Dobiemir wanted to tense, suddenly very worried about what he was in for now, but Slavko was breathing easily. The boy was sitting up and honestly looked bored just sitting in bed. It was more than he’d had since the loss of his wife.
13
Semblance of Normal
Wanting to be normal was such a cliché that part of Alex’s brain rebelled fiercely against it. As a child who had loved all sorts of books, she’d always wanted magic and grand adventures to be real. She’d disliked the notion that you grew up, got a job, and that was it. Sure marriage and kids were an option, but only a lucky few would get to really go out and see the world.
Now her life was exciting, and she had magical powers, but there was a bubbling pit of resentment beneath it all. At least it could make for some useful writing fodder. Tapping her fingers softly on the edge of the desk, Alex blinked her eyes and fought back the urge to sleep. She was back in class: everything was as it should be, and that should have been a relief.
This was normal and reasonable, and so much harder than she remembered, which was stupid. She’d been in class since learning she was a mage. That had been Halloween of freshman year, and she was junior now. This shouldn’t be this hard. Resisting the urge to shift in her seat or tap her feet, Alex focused on the professor at the front of the room.
What class was this again? She’d checked the room number on her schedule, and it was one of the usual English lecture halls, so she wasn’t in the wrong place. But really, which class was this? It was one of the upper-level classes. She’d been excited to have more of them now and be done with the basic stuff.
Now, there was just a nervous tension. There were things to do. Nicki had been working on designing some kind of scabbard for Cathanáil. Merlin and Morgana had been over to discuss some of Avani’s family spells with her. Yet, they didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. More Red Caps could attack at any time, or Arthur could do something much worse. They were in a holding pattern, and she was supposed to pay attention in class.
Reaching up, Alex rubbed a knot at the back of her neck. It helped a little, but the nervous twitch was still there. Others around the classroom were also having trouble focusing. She saw a few videos playing
on tablets and laptops, a few discreet headphones, and not so subtle checking cell phone maneuvers.
Alex’s eyes jumped to the doorway. The room had two of them on the right side of the lecture hall. There were three large windows on the left side that were open to let in some air. She’d chosen a spot in the back and could see the whole room. Nothing was out of place, and Alex sighed, holding back a groan. She wanted to focus, wanted to get back into the swing of classes and wanted something else to work on. The first essay would either be a blessing or a nightmare, depending on what happened next with Arthur.
Turning her attention to the students, Alex eyed all of them carefully. They’d done the whole stand up and introduce yourself thing that some teachers still liked to do when classes had started on Monday. Not that she remembered their names. No one was out of place though. No one was paying her any attention, so hopefully, Arthur didn’t have his fingers in someone’s head as a spy. Still, the thought was distressing, and she took in each of her classmates carefully, trying to memorize something about them.
It wasn’t working. She was in the back. They were all just backs and clothing, nothing that would be distinct. Alex held back a groan. She was being ridiculous. This was paranoia and nothing more. Still, she was bored, and her eyes fell on a girl with long black natural hair pinned up with small buns. It was really pretty, and Alex stared at the small ribbons holding everything in place.
There was a flutter, a strange sensation right between her eyes that made Alex bring a hand up to rub at the spot of skin. It wasn’t painful. The girl she’d been watching shifted in her seat and shook her head a little. Nothing else. But then, Alex caught strange almost echoing words.
‘God, this book is so boring.’
The words were clear as a bell in her mind. Alex hadn’t thought them, but there they were, fully formed. Holding back a yelp, Alex dropped her eyes and gripped the edge of her desk. The flutter faded quickly, and she focused on counting her breaths. The professor was still talking and no one was looking at her. At least she hadn’t drawn attention to herself like she had the first time she’d met Merlin.
Glancing around, Alex checked that no one was watching her. She started to reach for her phone before hesitating. Class would be over soon and this wasn’t an emergency. There was no need to alarm the others just yet. Pulling her hand back, she folded her hands on top of the desk and her open notebook. The urge, the itch to contact the others was there, but this wasn’t dangerous.
She hadn’t been paying attention. That was the bottom line. Alex swallowed and risked a glance at the girl she was sure she’d heard the stray thought of. The girl looked fine and was writing something in a notebook. The boy next to her had a video playing on his laptop and was slumped in his chair. Everything was normal. No harm done.
As the worry faded, guilt and frustration took its place. She had to be careful. There were reasons why none of the mages drank alcohol. No matter how much Alex had wanted to explore that fabled oblivion in the aftermath of her parents’ deaths, the dreams of her past lives and, well everything: a mage out of control was a danger. Gritting her teeth, she stubbornly looked back towards the professor. He was pacing across the front of the classroom, talking about the first few chapters of the book.
She’d read it, Alex knew that she had. But she couldn’t remember a single character or word. Well, she suspected that the word “the” was probably in there. You could usually count on the word “the” to show up in a book. Alex inwardly groaned. Clearly, she was going to need more coffee in the mornings if her brain was fighting this badly against school.
Taking a deep breath, Alex opened her eyes a little wider and read the notes on the board. It helped, and she typed them into her tablet. Maybe a notebook would help. She’d heard that physically writing things down helps memory and focus. This wasn’t the time to start failing. She’d kept her grades decent even while dealing with the reality that she was a mage and then Arthur’s betrayal. It was important. It had been important to her parents that she have a college education. They’d lectured her and her brothers about it for years. There was a reason that their life insurance policies had been so large: they’d wanted to be sure she and her brothers went to college no matter what.
Alex wasn’t sure how Morgana had dealt with that money. There was a probably an account somewhere with her share, and the rest had been sent with her brothers. Maybe all of it had been sent with her brothers. She needed to check on that.
Her eyes jumped back to the girl she’d accidentally mind read. Still nothing. No signs of discomfort. She seemed to be focusing on the professor without any trouble. The boy next to her was still watching a video. At least she wasn’t the only one struggling.
Telling herself to breathe, Alex made a point of dropping her eyes to her desk. It was an older model and honestly a bit too small for modern college students and all their gear. Listening to the professor’s words, Alex did her best to ignore what had just happened. Maybe she was wrong and was just imagining things because of how tense she was.
But Alex didn’t believe it. That was too easy, too normal, and her life just wasn’t that way. Normal wasn’t her. Still, she stayed in her seat and didn’t look back at the girl. Time passed slowly, but finally people began to pack up and give their professor a hint. Some more reading was put up on the board, but Alex didn’t look at the words. She told herself that she’d check the syllabus later. Everyone stood and made for the doorway. Alex lingered despite the urge to get out and let the crowd clear out a little first. The professor nodded to her and Alex tried to give him a smile in return.
The long corridor of the building was full of noise. Students’ shoes against the wooden floors echoed off the brick walls. Someday they’d probably switch the floors out with tile or carpet, but it hadn’t happened yet, no matter how much abuse the floors took. Then again, Alex inwardly told herself, college students quickly got over wearing heels and dressing up within the first few weeks of freshman year. Jenny didn’t even bother with it that much anymore despite having an impressive shoe collection.
Catching sight of Bran in the flow of students, Alex maneuvered her way past the people chatting in small groups and through the press of bodies. Some were in a hurry and others were just in her way. Finally she was close enough to call out his name. Bran turned quickly, scanned the crowd and stepped out of the flow of traffic when he caught sight of her.
“Hey, Alex,” he greeted as she reached him. “You okay?”
“Why are you in this building?” Alex asked. “Do you have classes here?”
“Yeah, I’ve got an introduction to literature class in here.” Bran shrugged a little. “You’re right that this isn’t my usual area. Well, not since freshman year 101 science lectures. They usually keep us locked away in one of the science buildings.”
“Introduction to literature?” Alex repeated. “I thought you’d finished your general education requirements.”
“Most of them, but it seems that I made a mistake in one of my classes. I read most of the books already in high school so it shouldn’t be a big deal. Though, it’s been a while since I wrote a non-scientific essay. Literature is all about symbolism and other…” he trailed off while Alex gave him a look. “Right… sorry, shutting up now.”
Chuckling, Alex nudged his shoulder with her own. “It’s not your thing. I get it.” Sighing, she leaned against the brick wall and watched more students go past. “How’s your day going?”
“Fine, nothing special,” Bran replied. He was studying her intently. “What happened, Alex?”
“I think I read someone’s mind during class,” Alex confessed softly. “It was strange, and I wasn’t trying to. I was struggling to focus and then suddenly it was like… I don’t know, I slipped.” Alex struggled for the words but then nodded. “Yes, slipped into a head for a moment. I heard something very clearly and then pulled out. I’m pretty sure she was okay though.” She shook her head and a shaky laugh escaped her. “It
was unexpected. I wasn’t trying to. Feels weird to have suddenly pulled that off without even trying.”
“...Good,” Bran said. He looked a touch overwhelmed by her sudden rush of information but recovered quickly. “Well, we do know that Merlin and Morgana can alter memories. To do that, they’d have to get into someone’s head.” Bran looked torn with a smile trying to creep over his face. “What was it like?”
“Weird, but not bad,” Alex said. “It wasn’t clear, like it always is in the movies.”
“That makes sense,” Bran said. “People don’t think in clear sentences. It’s a jumble of different electrical signals that cascade into each other.” He finally gave into the smile and grinned at her. “Honestly, I’m surprised that you even got words. I would have expected something visual.”
“All I know is that I don’t want to make it a habit,” Alex said. “Though…” she trailed off thoughtfully. “It could be useful. I’m sure that Arthur will try something again, but if we could read his mind then maybe we could learn something.”
