by Rain Oxford
“Quiet down!” he barked at Sven, who hadn’t made a peep since the jailer had arrived.
“Sorry.”
“What did I say about talking back to me?!” the jailor screeched. Sven put his hand over his mouth in apology. “Now you’re not even going to answer me?!”
Sven’s face was full of confusion and fear, and just like that, the darkness I had been pushing away since I realized something was wrong with me came rushing back. I aimed my invisible staff at him. Punish him, I thought. I imagined something embarrassing like his pants falling or otherwise damaging to his reputation like his gold disappearing. Instead, dark red magic shot from my staff into him.
He jumped back. “What was that?!”
“Bill!” a feminine voice screeched from outside.
His eyes widened with fear. “Oh, no, my wife!” He hid behind his desk, but when the plump, older woman slammed open the door, Sven pointed to the jailer. She went around the desk and took hold of the man by his ear.
“I told you to take out the trash this morning and do you know what I came home to?!”
“I took out the trash,” he squeaked meekly.
“Are you talking back to me?!”
“No, my darling.”
She let him go. “Then you’d better get home and take out that trash before I get there or you’re going to be in the stocks for a month!”
The man ran out of the room, tripping a few times, and his wife followed slowly. I dropped the spell over Merlin and myself. “How is your chest feeling?” Merlin asked.
“Fine,” I lied, still irritated by the jailor. It was actually stinging quite a bit, but I didn’t want Merlin dwelling on it. It wasn’t crippling pain, after all. Sven pushed the door to the unlocked cell open and I checked to make sure the exit was clear.
As we walked, Merlin told me a story about Gmork and himself making chocolate cake for Gmork’s mother. It should have been a nice offer, except they accidentally used salt instead of sugar. Unwilling to tell them that it tasted horrible, Gmork’s mother pretended to enjoy it and managed to choke some of it down. Only when Gmork and Merlin tried it themselves did they discover their mistake.
This completely obliterated my bad mood and we made it to the end of town without getting caught.
* * *
Sven took the news of being a Sjau enthusiastically and without a drop of skepticism. I explained everything, from growing up in a house of sorcerers to how we got here. Sven didn’t seem bothered at all by me having light and dark magic. If anything, he was more confused about Merlin being a wizard from another world.
“And you’re sure I’m one of the Sjau?”
“Yes. If you’re willing to accept a wizard’s help, I’ll have Magnus send a golem to take you to the castle.”
“Oh,” he said, frowning. “I thought… maybe I could go with you?”
“I’m not going back to the castle yet; I have to warn Houda.”
“Yes, but I might be able to help you. I’m really not good at traveling on my own.”
“You made it from the other land to here alright, didn’t you?”
“Yes… I did… the rest of the crew didn’t. We had a storm, and someone asked me to take the wheel. I told him it was a bad idea, but he insisted. I crashed us into an iceberg.”
“There aren’t any icebergs around here.”
He blushed. “I know. But maybe I can help. I have money.”
“You have money and yet you dress like that?”
He shrugged. “I said I have money, not that I have clothes. Please? I really don’t want to be alone again and you’re the first person I’ve ever met who doesn’t hate me yet.”
“What do you think?” I asked Merlin in his mind.
“He has dark magic, but I will reserve judgment until we know him better. He may be able to help us, since you’re not using magic.”
“Alright, you can come with us until we get---” I didn’t get another word out because Sven suddenly hugged me, while simultaneously jumping with excitement.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
I finally managed to push him away. “As long as you don’t do that again. Sorcerers don’t hug people.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
* * *
We walked for a good portion of the day on the road, only meeting a few people in passing. One raven followed us, which wasn’t as good as zero, but was better than twenty. Although Sven wasn’t very bright and he tripped over every rock and stick, real or imaginary, on the road, he didn’t do anything to warrant getting burned by the residents of the previous town.
A while before nightfall, we came across a man and his horse at a crossroads. I wouldn’t have given it a second thought if it wasn’t for the fact that the horse was leaning against a tree. Before he saw me, I put my hood and mask up. “Is your horse okay?”
The man shook his head. “I don’t know. He just broke down. I tried kicking him, giving him water, and feeding him.”
“How long have you had him?”
“I just got him today. He only had one owner before me. I should have just borrowed him.”
“Borrow?” Sven asked.
“Yes, they have another shop in the north so that you can borrow him here, take him up north, and give him back there.”
“That sounds convenient,” I said. “Where did you get him? Do you know if they had a passenger ship?” Since Bloodbath was gone, we were going to need another way back to Magnus’s castle after we found Houda.
The man pointed down the road to the east. “There’s a place called ‘Town of Certainty’ that way, but I’m pretty sure they don’t.”
“Town of Certainty?”
“I think so.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, some people call it ‘Valley of Certainty’, and some call it ‘City of Certainty,” so I’m not certain, but it certainly is a town… or valley… or city. The best person for you to talk to is the magic shop merchant.”
“They have a magic shop?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting.” It was possible the shop would have something that could help me get rid of the ravens or at least fend them off. “What we’re really looking for is a person.”
“I think you’ll find lots of persons there.”
“A specific person. Do you happen to know Houda Ameri?”
“Oh, everyone knows her. She’s the court magician at King Laman’s kingdom.”
“King Laman?”
“Yes. He’s such a nice king; everyone loves him. Be careful, though. He’s got two sons. The first one and crowned prince is Fred Erikth Egreat, who is loved by everyone. Laman’s second son is Jaff Ryba Rethon. He’s a little monster, and I’m pretty sure he’s not the king’s real son.”
“Why does this even strike me as weird anymore?” Merlin muttered to himself. “And why would the king have a magician?”
“Entertainment. She could make all the fantastic illusions the king desires and there’s no risk of danger.”
“Anyway, the kingdom is a day north. Follow this road and it will take you right to it. You can’t miss it.”
“I appreciate your help. Can we help you get your horse back on the road?”
“I don’t know. This is my first horse, so I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“Sven, come here and hold out your wand.” He held up a thick, dark brown stick. “That’s not your wand.”
He studied it for a moment. “You’re right.” He laughed awkwardly. “Oops.” He tossed it to the ground and rifled through the apparently numerous inner pockets of his robe. “Oh, no,” he said, sticking his fingers all the way through the pocket. There was a hole on the bottom.
“Don’t tell me your wand was in there.”
“Okay.”
“Where is it?”
“You just told me not to tell you.”
“So much for him helping us on the magic end,” I said in Merlin’s mind. He nodded solemnly
. I pointed my staff at the horse. “Move,” I said. A spark of red magic shot out of the crystal and hit the horse in the butt. The horse neighed, galloped forth until he got to the middle of the crossroads, and then stopped. “Well, that didn’t help.”
“Try giving him a push,” Merlin suggested.
I stepped over to the man and pushed him towards the horse.
“Push the horse,” Merlin said with a groan.
“Oh, right.” I pushed the horse to try to turn him around. “Help me push him,” I said. The man and Sven both got behind the horse and pushed on his back end to help me turn him. Soon, the horse neighed again and let us turn him around. “It worked. Get on and I’ll try again to get him going.” The man got on his horse and I aimed my staff at the animal. “Move.” Red magic shocked the creature once again and he took off at a full gallop.
“That was a strange man.”
“Oh well. At least we know where to go.”
* * *
We traveled until nightfall before finding a good spot to make a fire and sleep. Merlin hunted our dinner. “Do you think it’ll snow here?” I asked when he returned.
“No, probably not. The leaves have turned, but not many have fallen yet.”
“When we’re done with the quest, can we go north to visit the snow? Akadema rarely gets cold.”
“Mokora is pretty far north of Akadema. You might get some snow from the safety of the castle.”
Chapter 13
My father taught me to read when I was very young because my mother wasn’t expecting it until I was older. Since my brothers weren’t forced to learn to read, I didn’t think it was fair that I had to.
I was probably about five years old when I ran up to my father. He was sitting at a table by the window in the main room of our cabin. My mother wasn’t in the kitchen, which was the only reason I dared to disturb my father. “Gibus is trying to---”
“Quiet,” my father barked, not even looking at me. He was writing something in a book and there were blank scrolls all over the tables.
“But Thad is---”
He made a flicking motion with his hand and I was suddenly silent. Although I could breathe and move my mouth, no sound came out. Frustrated, I sat down at the table, took one of the scrolls and quills, and started writing. He hadn’t taught me to write, but I knew what the words looked like and sounded like. When I was finally done, I held it up for my father to see.
He gave it the barest of a glance. “That doesn’t make sense. Try again.”
I scratched it out and restarted.
Just like before, he barely glanced at it. “Not good enough. Try again.”
I didn’t have time. I stood up and tried to leave to find Mother. Father grabbed my arm firmly before I could take two steps away and forcefully sat me back in the chair.
“Try again.”
I worked harder at writing the message than I ever had at reading. When I thought I had it, I held it up for him to see.
He sighed. “Go and tell Gibus that if he drowns his brother, I’ll turn him into a fish and toss him into the sand.” I pointed to my mouth. “If you want to get your voice back, you’re going to have to break the curse on your own. How else are you going to learn?”
* * *
I felt Merlin crash into me before I heard the explosion. Somewhere in the chaos, I heard a raven caw, quickly followed by a much more sinister hissing. I reached for my staff and tried to make sense of everything. It was dark; the fire had died. The forest coverage wasn’t very thick, but the smaller moon was almost dead and the large one was completely dark. “What’s happening?” I asked.
“Sven nearly roasted me,” Merlin growled.
I saw Sven at that point, as he was ducking low to the ground, searching for something. He jerked up. “Ayden! I’m glad you’re awake. Something has us surrounded!”
I listened and heard nothing. “Maybe you were just having a bad dream.”
“You have to believe me! There is something there!”
“Merlin, do you sense anything?” I asked.
“Yes, but---”
He was cut off as a massive, black cobra rose up behind Sven, easily matching the sorcerer’s height, with the rest of its body disappearing into the woods. The cobra’s flared hood was wider than I was tall.
I aimed my staff at the serpent. “Attack.” Too late, I felt that this was not what I wanted. My magic felt like fire inside me as it forced its way into the staff. Blue fire struck the snake from my staff and the snake instantly burst into ash. However, it felt like my insides were half burnt, never mind the sting in my chest. I coughed, winced from the soreness of my throat, and gaped, because I was coughing up smoke.
* * *
We got on the road immediately after the snake attack. “I guess my mother has upped the ante.”
“I have my doubts,” Merlin said. “The snake had the same powerful aura as the entity that has been there since before the ravens. I believe the snake was what kept the ravens from doing more damage.”
“Then why attack us?”
“I have a theory.”
“Have you considered going after your mother?” Sven asked.
“Yes, and I would be dead faster than a hemophiliac at a vampire gathering.”
“You vanquished that serpent pretty easily.”
“And I’m sure I’ll be paying the consequences soon, so just drop it.” Unfortunately, I knew what those consequences were; I was already trying to hold back irrational anger. I was angry that the snake interrupted my sleep, I was angry that I didn’t know what my mother’s plan was, and I was angry at Sven’s loud breathing.
Merlin tried sending me peaceful thoughts, but it wasn’t working. Then he told me about the time he accidentally made his apprentice, a prince next in line for the thrown, disappear for five days. Merlin had to tell everyone they had just missed him or that he went the other way. The king thought his son was out hunting and the queen thought her son was at the tavern for five days. When Merlin was finally able to find him, the prince had been wandering the forest, asking where his shoes were. Since the prince was wearing his shoes, he was very lucky he wasn’t put away. Fortunately, the disorientation only lasted a month or so, and he was actually still brighter than his parents during that month.
That went a long way in improving my mood.
* * *
When the sun was high in the sky, we finally reached the kingdom. The city that surrounded the castle was guarded by a tall, stone wall. The gate to the kingdom was open, though, so there weren’t any problems getting in. Although I expected it to be nicer than any of the towns we had seen, it was pretty average. There was still dirt everywhere.
Merlin had to remind me to cover my face and hair.
“Why do you hide your face?” Sven asked.
I rolled my eyes. “So people don’t know I’m the curse breaker in case the fliers got this far from Mokora. I told you that.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
“Who should we ask about Houda?”
“An innkeeper is always a good person to ask,” Sven suggested.
“That is the first person I would ask,” Merlin agreed.
We located the inn fairly easily. It was a nicer place than the inns I had stayed at before, probably because the patrons were wealthier. The tables actually looked like they were created with care and there wasn’t broken furniture, mud, and spilt ale on the floor. There were even a few nice paintings on the wall.
The woman behind the bar was tall and shapely with curly black hair and a well-fitted dress. As we approached her, I could feel her power. “You realize she is a sorceress, right?” Merlin asked.
“Yes. That shouldn’t be a problem.” We had to wait a moment for her attention. As soon as she was done speaking to an old man, she turned to us and smiled. “A room for two? One or two beds?”
“Do you have a room for three?” I asked, pointing to Merlin.
“That’s a very large wolf.”
After a moment, she shrugged. “Unfortunately, our largest room only has two beds.”
“It will be fine. I have slept on the floor for many years and I have slept in worse places on more than one occasion.”
“We’ll make due with two beds,” I conceded.
“He’s not going to chew on the furniture, is he?”
“Merlin? No. Sven might.”
“It’s not our cheapest room, either,” the innkeeper continued.
Sven pulled out a coin purse and dumped a few dozen gold and silver coins on the bar. “Is this enough?”
“Put that away!” I hissed. “Do you want to get us killed?!”
Instantly, the innkeeper had a wand in her hand, which she waved around the room. Everyone except the four of us froze. “I don’t want trouble here,” she warned. “If you’re robbers, you’d better leave now.”
“We’re not robbers,” I insisted, shoving Sven’s gold back into the sack.
“It’s not enough?” he asked, despondently.
“There’s something wrong with him,” the sorceress said.
“I know. We just stopped in town to find someone and we’ll be off without any problems. We don’t want trouble any more than you do.”
“Then why do you cover your face and hair?”
“Because he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s a curse breaker,” Sven said.
I rubbed my eyes with frustration right before I felt her magic brush over me. My hood and mask were pushed out of the way by her energy. It was strange, because my mother’s magic always felt like it was scraping my skin when it touched me. The innkeeper’s was definitely dark, but it wasn’t abrasive.
After a moment, she nodded. “Alright, you can stay the night, but keep your identity hidden. The king would have a fit if he knew there were such things as curse breakers. Although I’m not saying I believe you, there is definitely something different about you.”
