A Slave to Magic

by Lana Axe

  Kwil stared down at his feet. “I couldn’t leave you to suffer at your father’s hands,” he said. “You would have come for me. But if you want me to go on without you, I’ll respect that.”

  “We’ll find Seela together,” Nera replied. “After you’re settled, I might have to leave. I don’t think she can teach me music.” She managed a weak smile, hoping her friend understood. “It wouldn’t be the end of our friendship, you know. You can come see me play, and I can marvel at your great feats of magic.”

  Kwil laughed. “It’s a deal,” he said, throwing an arm over her shoulder. They’d come through too much not to remain friends, even if their separate paths meant they couldn’t always be together. For now, he would enjoy her company and not dwell on what was to come.

  A servant stepped out of the manor and approached the travelers at the tree line. “Master Rili asked me to bring you some food for your journey.” Extending two bundles toward the pair, she nodded before turning away.

  “Thank him for us,” Nera called after her. Peeking inside the bundle she saw fresh bread, dried fruit and strips of meat. “It’s better than eating pinecones,” she said with a smirk.

  “That’s probably all we’ll find on our own,” Kwil replied, taking a pinch of bread. Having snuck out the previous night without dinner, he was already famished.

  “I wonder why he wouldn’t give more details about Mistress Seela,” Nera said.

  Shrugging, Kwil replied, “Maybe she practices dark magic. That would certainly make her an outcast.”

  Her eyes wide, Nera asked, “Would you want to study with someone like that?”

  “I don’t have to learn anything evil,” he replied. “If she can teach me what I need to know, then I’m willing to learn. Besides, just because someone knows dark magic doesn’t make them evil.”

  “What does it make them?” she asked.

  “Well read?” he replied, a little uncertain. “It doesn’t matter,” he added. “No one else is going to teach me. We don’t know why she lives as an outcast, but I imagine we’ll find out.” Slinging his pack over his shoulder, he marched through the trees.

  “Wait!” Nera called after him.

  He paused to look at her. “What is it?”

  “Do you know which way to go? Have you been to the Dark Forest before?”

  “Not exactly,” he replied. “But my former mistress used to love scary stories that took place there. Didn’t you ever read those as a kit?”

  “I was never allowed to read anything interesting,” she responded.

  “Well, I saw a map in one of her books. It lies southeast of here.”

  “And you think that’s reliable?” she asked, crossing her arms. “Maybe we should go back and get better directions.”

  “The Dark Forest is a place of magic,” Kwil replied. “I can sense its pull as we get closer. Trust me.” He gave a crooked smile and cocked his head to the side.

  Sighing, she said, “All right. Just don’t take us near that cockatrice.”

  “It’s that way,” he said, pointing the opposite direction. “I don’t think it’ll bother us.”

  Wrapping their cloaks tightly around them, they tried to block out the cold. It was a windy day, and the exertion of walking still wasn’t enough to keep them warm. After an hour, Nera could bear the silence no longer.

  “This is turning into a long, cold trip,” she said. “I can’t play my lute and walk, so you’ll have to entertain me.”

  “You want to see some magic?” he asked.

  “Only if it involves getting warm,” she replied. “Talk to me. Tell me a story or something. Maybe one about the Dark Forest.”

  Kwil thought for a moment. “There are ogres living there, you know.”

  “I don’t want to hear that story,” Nera replied. “Are there any nice stories about where we’re going?”

  “There’s one about a little girl and a bear,” he said. “But the bear eats her at the end, so I guess that isn’t exactly nice.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Nera said. “Tell me about your father. You said you’ve dreamed of your mother, but you didn’t mention him. Do you ever see him?”

  “I don’t,” he admitted. “To be honest, I’m not sure if he ever saw me. I don’t think slave breeders care to keep families together for long.”

  Frowning, she replied, “You’re right about that. I’ve seen toddlers auctioned off.” Even as a child, Nera felt slavery was wrong. With her own eyes she’d seen humans inspected like cattle and sold to the highest bidder. Children were ripped away from their parents, and husbands were taken from their wives. How could her people justify such behavior? Her father had told her that humans do not feel love the same way Gatans do. But that wasn’t true. To look into their eyes as they were separated from their families was all the proof she needed. And then there was Kwil. He was completely devoted to her, even though he was no longer her servant. If only all Gatans could see humans the way she did. Her heart heavy, she said, “I guess that didn’t turn out to be such a nice subject either.”

  Kwil paused in his walking and turned to face her. “Maybe my father was some magical creature,” he said, attempting to lighten the mood. He seriously doubted it was the case, but it was worth a shot to cheer his friend. “Maybe he was a unicorn.”

  Nera laughed. “Maybe he was,” she replied, grinning.

  Walking again, Kwil said, “You could have magical parents too, you know. Maybe you were adopted.”

  Still smiling, she replied, “They stole me right out of my crib. My dragon mother was devastated.” Laughing, she added, “Maybe Mistress Seela can teach me how to breathe fire.”

  They both laughed and continued joking back and forth until the sun had nearly disappeared from the sky. Choosing a suitable place to spend the night, they dropped their bags and settled in.

  Kwil prepared a fire and fed the flames with magic to increase the heat. “That should keep us warm till morning,” he announced.

  “Will it keep predators away?” Nera wondered. There were bears in this area, and the cockatrice wasn’t far enough away for her liking.

  “I can take care of that,” he said proudly. Walking in a circle, he placed a ring of magic around their campsite. “This will protect us,” he said. “No one can enter this space without my permission.”

  “Unless it’s a wizard,” she pointed out. Someone with greater magical knowledge could easily break his spell. She hadn’t had much interest in her studies at the College, but she’d seen enough duels to know that wizards often tried to best one another.

  “I don’t suspect a lot of wizards will be walking around here tonight,” he said dismissively. “Most of them have nice homes to go to. Bandits might be more likely.”

  “You’re probably right about the wizards,” she replied. “Bandits usually stay closer to the road. It’s easier to rob merchants that way.” Scooting close to the fire, Nera took out her lute. “Do you mind if I play a while?” she asked.

  “I’d enjoy it,” he replied.

  She plucked softly at the strings and hummed along with it. When she finished, she strained her ears to the night. “It’s so quiet,” she commented. “No owls, no wolves, nothing.” The silence was unnerving, so she played another song to ease her mind.

  Kwil lay back on the ground and stared up at the stars, falling asleep to the sound of Nera’s lute. His dreams filled with visions of music, and all the colors that accompanied it. A vision of his mother also appeared, her soft voice singing along with the strumming of the lute.

  Nera played late into the night before finally drifting off to sleep, her lute still clutched in her hands. Images of travel came to her mind, the cold wind blowing as she walked. Fear and panic overcame her as she realized she was alone. Kwil was nowhere to be found. She called for him, but he did not respond. The snow grew deep beneath her feet, and the gusting wind blinded her. She was lost in the Dark Forest with no one to help her find her way.

  Sinking to he
r knees in the snow, she wondered where Kwil had gone. Had he been hurt or had he simply abandoned her? How would she survive? Looking up to the sky, she saw the silhouette of a dragon, its massive wings fanned wide. It was her mother come to fetch her and return her to the nest. Standing, she held her arms wide, ready to embrace the dragon as it descended toward her. As the creature alighted beside her, she awoke, finding herself still in the forest, Kwil snoring softly near the fire.

  Sitting up, she stared into the fire and tried to recall all the images of her dream. It was silly to imagine a dragon as a parent, but it was far better than reality. Dragons were free, as she was now. Smiling to herself, she realized how much she and Kwil truly had in common. Reclining once more, she settled in for the night, welcoming the dream dragon’s return.

  Chapter 14

  The following day was bitterly cold, but otherwise uneventful. The two trudged on, attempting to keep their spirits high despite the freezing weather. Kwil worked on a spell to keep his body warm, but he failed in his attempt to share it with Nera. Attempts to teach her the spell ended in failure as well. Either she didn’t have the skill, or she didn’t have the drive. Kwil gave her an extra portion of his own food to help her keep warm as they walked.

  By the middle of the third day, the forest began to change. No longer were the trees a familiar silver. Instead, they were deep brown, some of them black in color. Dark red and purple leaves littered the forest floor, and unseen creatures scurried beneath them. Long, thorn-covered vines descended from the treetops. Despite the lack of a leaf canopy, the light of the sun barely reached through the forest. The trees were densely packed, their dark coloration absorbing the majority of the light.

  “I don’t like the look of this place,” Kwil said, taking in his surroundings.

  “Is it different from the stories you read?” Nera asked.

  “No, it’s just how I pictured it,” he replied. The entire area was dark and foreboding. With every step, he expected something to jump out and grab him, exactly as it had the characters in the stories he had read. If any of those stories were true, all manner of strange creatures lived within the borders of this forest.

  “If it’s what you expected, why are you so nervous?” Nera asked, making note of his rapid breathing.

  “It’s one thing to see it in your mind,” he said, “and another to actually walk in it.” A shrill cry rang out, the young man crouching in response. “That sounded close,” he said, swallowing hard.

  “That was miles from here,” Nera said, her ears turning to face the sound. “Come on.” She stepped forward, gesturing for him to follow. “I’ll keep you safe,” she promised, grinning.

  “What manner of creature makes that sound?” he wondered aloud.

  “Let’s hope we don’t find out,” Nera responded.

  Pressing deeper into the Dark Forest, Kwil sensed a change in the air. Not only was it denser, there was a strong presence of magic, and it was not friendly. “Something is nearby,” he said, his voice cracking slightly.

  “What?” Nera asked. “A person? A creature? A trap?” She swiveled her head in all directions, taking in her surroundings. Yes, the area looked ominous, but she felt nothing out of the ordinary.

  Kwil shook his head. “I’m not sure. I think we should be on our guard.” The uneasy feeling would not leave him. It might have been the stories he read about the forest, but it felt more real than any tale from a book. There was something in these woods that didn’t want him there, and he could feel its eyes staring at him.

  “Look!” Nera shouted, startling Kwil. She pointed to a long, thin strip of a glistening substance covering the ground. “What is that?”

  Kwil knelt next to the silvery strip and said, “It looks like something left a trail.” Leaning down, he could smell its putrid odor. Clamping his hand over his nose and mouth, he nearly gagged. Moving back to Nera, he said, “Whatever made that trail has to be the nastiest thing I’ve ever smelled.”

  “Let’s hope we don’t run into it then,” she replied, urging him forward. “Do you sense anything of Mistress Seela?”

  Unfortunately, he did not. He could not discern the source of the magic he felt, only its presence or absence. As far as he knew, only ancient objects put off such sensations. The feeling in this forest was much different than he’d had near the stones, and he couldn’t tell whether it was really a creature watching him or his own mind inventing trouble.

  Not paying attention to his feet, Kwil caught his boot against a leaf-covered root and fell hard on his knees. His hand landed in another trail of shiny slime and stuck to the ground. “It’s sticky!” he yelled, disgusted. Nera gaped open-mouthed as Kwil tried to free his hand. Reaching down to add her strength to his, Nera helped him pull free.

  “Thanks,” he said, looking down at his hand. The putrid slime coated his palm, bringing dirt and debris with it.

  “I hope you know a spell to wash that off,” Nera stated. “Otherwise you’ll be sticking to everything you touch.”

  Kwil searched his mind for a spell that might work. He hadn’t bothered to learn a spell that could replace a bath, so he tried several before one finally had some effect on the slime. The remaining residue he wiped against the trunk of a tree. It was then he caught sight of the creature leaving the trails. “It’s a slug,” he announced, pointing to a large black mass stuck to the side of a tree.

  Nera moved forward to inspect it. It had no visible eyes or parts, only a globular body that moved slowly along its way, putting off a foul odor as it went. “That’s disgusting,” she said, stepping backward. A shriek sounded from behind her as she collided with something unseen. Spinning around, she came face to face with a snarling monster. It stood only half her height with pale gray skin and a long pointed nose. It bared its sharp, yellowed fangs at her, hissing a warning.

  Nera suppressed the urge to scream, not wanting to give the creature the satisfaction. Instead, she backed away, taking a few slow steps in Kwil’s direction. The monster slashed a clawed hand at her, growling low in its throat.

  “What is that thing?” she whispered.

  “It looks like an imp,” Kwil replied.

  “Can you fight it off?” she asked.

  Kwil stared into its coal-black eyes, hoping it would not attack if they remained still. “I don’t know,” he replied. “I think they can cast a spell or two, but I don’t know much more about them.” He hadn’t spent much time learning about creatures of magic. Instead, he had focused his attention on memorizing spells and casting them properly. He could only hope that one of the spells he was good at would suffice to defend them if the monster attacked.

  Nera flinched as the imp unfurled its leathery wings. “It’s about to strike,” she whispered to Kwil. “Do something.”

  Stepping in front of his friend, Kwil did his best to look intimidating. He straightened his back and poised his hands to defend himself with magic. His heart racing, he found it impossible to focus on a single spell. Which one would be enough to stop it? Was an imp resistant to anything? There was no time to dwell on his lack of education. The monster shifted its weight, the muscles in its thighs tightening.

  As the creature leapt, Kwil blasted a stream of silver sparks, knocking it to the ground. Its body fell limp, rolling over twice. Nera and Kwil took the opportunity to run, dodging limbs and pushing vines aside as they tried to put distance between themselves and the creature. They hadn’t run far before they heard its shrill cry behind them.

  “I hope you have something stronger for the next shot!” Nera called to her companion. “That thing’s mad now.”

  Kwil looked back to see how much time he had to think of another spell. The imp was gaining ground, its wings helping it glide easily between the trees. Jumping to the side, Kwil narrowly avoided a stump that was partially hidden beneath the leaves. His heart pounding in his ears, he knew he had to think of something. He couldn’t keep this pace much longer.

  Nera’s agile legs carried her
with ease over the obstacles in her path. Kwil was trailing behind, so she slowed her pace, hoping to keep stride with him. Grabbing his arm, she tried to drag him faster than his legs were able to go. “Don’t you have a spell that can make you run faster?” she asked.

  Kwil shook his head. Such a spell would be quite useful right now, but he had yet to study any spells that could change his physicality. The imp was drawing closer, swooping toward the pair as they continued to run. Scanning his memory for a spell that might protect them, Kwil’s mind went blank. He did not know how to create a shield, nor did he know any way to make either of them less susceptible to the monster’s claws. His mind distracted by his shortcomings, he found it difficult to concentrate on any one spell.

  The imp swooped low, its screeching voice announcing its impending attack. Nera ducked, narrowly avoiding its razor-sharp claws. It hissed and spat as it darted to the side, readying itself for another try.

  “It’s coming again!” Nera called out. “Try any spell!” She didn’t care what he threw at the imp, as long as he was trying. Maybe he could at least slow it down.

  As it drew near, Kwil could almost feel its hot breath on his neck. The thought of heat gave Kwil an idea. His most successful spells involved heat, and he had completely neglected them. Chiding himself for not going with his strengths on the first try, he stopped dead in his tracks.

  Nera paused as well, waiting to see what her friend would do. She would not continue running without him.

  Reaching deep into his magical stores, Kwil focused his mind to heat. A fire burned inside him, his midsection growing uncomfortably hot. Despite the burning from within, he kept his thoughts focused and his hands steady. Squeezing his eyes shut, he projected fire at the imp. The creature tucked its wings, rolling to the side and narrowly avoiding the brunt of the flames. Only a small portion of its face had been singed.

  Opening his eyes to see his failure, Kwil immediately tried again. Shouting the incantation, he forced the heat to expand, conjuring a flame in the palm of his hand. But the creature was too fast. Before Kwil could unleash his spell, the imp leapt for him, sinking its teeth into the young man’s shoulder.