by Candy Crum
“You’re no better!” Cathillian argued, wiping the mess from the front of his face where it had run down his forehead. “You didn’t even notice she was casting!”
Elysia shrugged. “I was taking in the morning. Perhaps we should all take lessons on keeping our guard up.” She looked over to Arryn, smile still on her face and winked. “Nice one.”
“Thanks. So, uh… You guys planning to let me go any time today? Or should I plan to forage on—” she looked to each side of her “—these lovely ferns here? I'm sure they're delicious.”
With only a wave of Elysia’s hand, the vines unraveled, and Arryn was freed. Cathillian made his way over, and Arryn put her finger in the air.
“No! No, you just stay right there, sir.”
Cathillian gave a devious smile. “Aw, but I just wanted to help you up.”
Arryn knew better. She shook her head. “Nope. Not with that on your hands. You just stay right over there, shit head.” She looked up, thinking over her witty retort for a moment before laughing hard all over again. “Oh, damn. You’re not living that one down.”
“Jerk,” Cathillian said, waving his hand a bit. A few clumps of mud lifted from the ground and hit her directly in the side of the head, sticking to her hair and rolling down onto her shoulder.
Arryn sat there, shocked for a moment before jumping to her feet. “Oh, you’re gonna die now, bitch!”
The two had grown up together as best friends. Always arguing. Always sparring. Always playing pranks. It wasn’t unheard of for one to attack the other, especially when there was a single step taken too far.
“Arryn!” Elysia said, stepping between the two. “It’s such a beautiful morning. You should walk with me to the river. We’ll clean that mess outta your hair.”
“Can I come? Because I have far worse than a little dirt in mine,” Cathillian said, looking to Arryn. “Besides, she wants to kill me, and I can’t pass up the opportunity to show her up.”
He winked, earning an eye roll from Arryn.
“After that speech you gave, I assumed you were one with all of your surroundings, son. Right? I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Elysia said with an exaggerated smile before turning to walk away.
Arryn bit her lip to keep from laughing or slinging another insult his way.
She loved Elysia like a mother, though she’d never been raised to think of her that way. Elysia showed Arryn the love and affection that any mother shows her children, but Arryn was more like a friend of the family, and Elysia was her godmother.
“That wasn’t the first time I’ve caught you wandering off alone,” Elysia said. Though her words might have suggested that she was irritated or upset, her voice was as warm as it usually was. “You know how I feel about that.”
Arryn didn’t answer right away. They walked in silence as Arryn tried to pull larger globs of mud from her hair, but instead only pressed them in further. Her nose scrunched as she pulled her hand away and saw just how dirty it was, knowing her hair was even worse. She wiped it on her brown, leather pants.
“I know how you feel about it, and I’m sorry,” Arryn finally responded.
“I don’t need to tell you that large beasts lurk in the woods, even in the peaceful Dark Forest. They, too, find their way in. They aren’t quite as deterred by thick walls of thorns and brush as humans. There’s never a shortage of food sources here because of our people. It attracts animals of all kinds. You know better than most why I fear anyone wandering off alone. Everyone travels in pairs.”
Arryn absolutely knew why Elysia had such an issue with traveling in solitude.
Her son, Cathillian, was always quite the rebel when he was a child—from what she’d been told anyway. He liked to wander off alone and be an adventurer.
One day, ten years ago, that didn’t work out so well for him. If it hadn’t been for Arryn’s mother, Elayne, Cathillian would have been killed by a large lycanthrope. It was because of that day that Elysia owed Arryn’s parents a life debt.
“I never go far,” Arryn said. “Sometimes, I just need to be alone, ya know? I connect with nature way differently than all of you. You wake up, and you’re bonded. You’re bonded while you eat, while you play, while you sleep. For me, I have to walk through nature. It’s hard to do that while so many eyes are on me.”
“You underestimate yourself. You always have,” Elysia said, reaching for Arryn’s hand and giving it a light squeeze.
Arryn returned the gesture, working up the courage to speak candidly. “There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask, but never did because I didn’t want you to think I was an ungrateful brat.”
Elysia turned to look at Arryn for a moment. “Never be afraid to talk to me. Ask away.” Elysia smiled, and it was warm, motherly.
Arryn sighed.
She could feel the energy pulsing through Elysia’s hand. It was something her godmother had taught her to do. Sense energy in all living things: plants, animals, and people alike. Once a person could do that, they can sense the magic of others.
They can also sense their true nature.
Arryn nodded, taking a breath before beginning. “Why’d you do it? Take me in, I mean. You owed them a life debt. That only meant you needed to save my life. Hell, you could’ve sheltered me for a few days, maybe even a week or two, and then set me loose like we’d never met. You didn’t have to take me in and raise me to adulthood. You definitely didn’t have to teach me your magic or your ways.”
Arryn absentmindedly kicked at a rock as they walked, narrowly missing it. Having forgotten she was barefoot, she was grateful her depth perception was shitty that early in the morning.
When Elysia said nothing right away, Arryn continued. “You guys hide nothing from me. I’ve seen things you don’t let outsiders see. Even other visiting druids don't get to know those things. So—why did you take me in the way you did? Why take in an outsider if you hate the outside so much?”
There was a pause as Elysia contemplated her words. “It’s not that we hate the outside world. In fact, we used to trade with the people of Arcadia. But Adrien became an insatiable, twisted human being. There was no real reason for us to trade with them because we were self-sufficient. So, we don’t hate them. We just have no respect for people that are ungrateful to the land, animals, and even the other people that they take from in order to have the lives that they do.”
Arryn nodded. “I guess that makes sense. Still, why’d you take me in?”
“You were so young then. Do you remember the day we met for the first time?”
At only the mention of it, Arryn’s mind immediately began to swim with the memories of that day. Her parents had taken her on a trip to find a place to hide her if the worst were to happen.
In other words—if Adrien, the tyrannical Chancellor of Arcadia, happened to catch on to their plan to liberate the Arcadian people and order them to be killed.
Christopher, Elayne, and Arryn had traveled over the course of a couple of days and had wandered close to the edge of the Dark Forest when they heard a scream followed by a terrible growl.
They turned their horses and were fast to rush to the aid of the person that was in trouble. That person turned out to be a young boy that Arryn would later come to call her best friend.
It was Cathillian.
He ran from a terrible beast. A large, brown lycanthrope. Half wolf, half man, yet larger and far more powerful than both combined. Its elongated face was pulled back in a terrible snarl, and its long teeth were covered in slimy, foul drool that glistened in the sunlight poking through the canopy of trees above. The monster sprinted at impossible speeds on its thick, hind legs, rushing forward with his long, powerful arms outstretched, and its claws ready to tear the boy apart.
“Stay here. Christopher, protect Arryn,” Elayne said before running to the boy. “Run past me! Get to the horses!” she called out while still moving toward him.
They met in the middle, and he continued past as she’d told him to
do. Arryn waved him over, but was terrified to speak. She didn’t want to break her mother’s concentration.
“That thing’ll kill her!” the boy said as he finally made it to the horses. “We need to help her!”
Christopher shook his head. “You’ve never seen her throw a fireball.”
Arryn’s heart filled with pride, and she ignored the boy’s worries as she focused on her mom.
Elayne had stopped in her tracks, taking a quick breath as she circled the beast. Arryn could see her mother’s eyes turn pitch black just before she placed her hands in the center of her chest, focusing her power as she pulled them down to her sides.
Arryn had seen her mother’s fire during training. It was stronger than any she’d ever seen, and now was no different.
A large ball of fire then appeared in each hand, bright red with a hot, blue spark in the center. She let loose one of the fireballs, and it hit him in the chest.
Arryn watched as the lycanthrope howled in pain as the flames exploded, burning his skin and fur all across his shoulders, chest, and torso. As he was distracted, she threw the other and hit him in the same spot.
The lycanthrope hit the ground, rolling around and flailing at his burning fur in an attempt to put it out. The damp ground would soon extinguish the flames if Elayne didn’t react soon enough.
Fortunately, she was an incredible magician. She’d studied long and hard, and she’d even taught Arryn well.
The boy tried to voice his worries several times, but Arryn couldn’t be bothered. She was completely hypnotized by the event. She’d never seen anything so terrifying, yet exciting in all her life. It had never occurred to her that magic could be used in such a way.
She studied her mother’s movement as her flat hand extended in front of her while she gathered water from under the surface of the ground. Then she closed her fist, several ice shards bursting from the wet ground and piercing the body of the lycanthrope.
The beast howled as the painful ice ripped through him, his blood soaking into the ground below him, but the cries quickly stopped as his life faded out.
Arryn smiled and cheered as her mom began to turn back toward her captive audience, but the sound of quick footsteps filled the area and interrupted the celebration.
A beautiful woman clad in deep brown, leather clothing with a bow and quiver on her back was riding toward them on an unnaturally large, black, Shire horse. It had been Elysia.
“Mom!” Cathillian had yelled as he darted past Elayne.
The woman stopped her horse, the large animal kneeling to let her climb off. She examined the body of the lycanthrope before coming to stand before Elayne.
The woman had flawless, porcelain skin and ears that were slightly pointed at the top. Her blonde hair was long and hung in a braid slung over her left shoulder that nearly reached her stomach.
Words were spoken, but Arryn couldn’t hear anything from where she sat. Soon, the woman looked directly at Arryn before smiling and making her way over.
***
Elysia watched as Arryn lost herself in thought. It wasn’t uncommon, but that memory was a particularly hard one, or so she imagined. It was the day her parents sought out asylum for the girl in case they died.
Not something easily forgotten, though Elysia had certainly done her best to teach Arryn healthier ways to deal with it—use the past as a way to push forward.
“Do you remember that day?” Elysia asked again. Her words brought Arryn back to the present.
Arryn nodded. “Sorry. It’s impressive just how clear I can still remember that day. I remember seeing everything that happened, but I was too far away to hear anything you guys said. So, this whole time, I’ve never known why you took me in.”
Elysia smiled, remembering the moment she’d laid eyes on Arryn. It was the first time she’d seen an outsider in quite some time, let alone three of them, and she held hope that the world away from the Dark Forest wasn’t all bad.
“At first, I thanked her. I knew she wasn’t like the others I’d met in the past, so I told her if you were ever injured, poisoned, sick, or in any other danger, you were welcome into the Dark Forest. Mother to mother, I told her I’d protect you with my life as payment for her risking hers for my only child.”
Arryn continued. “But that only explains why you didn’t turn me in to the Arcadians. Not why you kept me with you for ten years after,” Arryn said. “I don’t know if you personally knew Adrien or not, but your father did. You know how awful he was. He could’ve hunted me down and come to the Dark Forest. You risked a lot to keep me here.”
Elysia shrugged. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Your mother told me what had happened in Arcadia, and that you might be in danger. She was strong, and it made me curious. I turned my attention to you, curious to see if you had the same potential. When I came to stand near you, I reached for your hand.”
Arryn stopped walking. “You were searching for my potential for magic.”
Elysia nodded and smiled. “I wanted to know how powerful you were and, more importantly, what kind of person you were. I don't know a damn thing about physical magic, other than what it can do, but I wanted to know if you’d be tainted by it like Adrien had. Your mother hadn’t been.”
A howl in the distance followed by several others caught their attention for a moment. Elysia knew the first one well. It had been Luna, the wolf familiar of one of the warriors, Nika, followed by some of her pack.
She ignored them and turned back to the conversation. “It’s just Luna playing with the others,” she said, reassuring Arryn. “Anyway, nature spoke to you, even though I knew at the time you had no idea that was happening. If the worst happened to your family in Arcadia, I didn't want you to be adopted and raised by some asshole Arcadian only to let your pure heart be tainted. I wasn’t about to let you die. That is why I permanently took you in. Because I saw a great life for you here. A life your parents would be proud of and would rest in peace knowing you had.”
Elysia saw the look on Arryn’s face and knew what was about to happen. She opened her arms as Arryn rushed forward. She held the girl tight and ran her fingers through a clean section of her hair, smiling as she thought of the earlier dispute her son and the Arcadian girl had and the others they had on a daily basis.
They never allowed for boredom, that was for sure.
Elysia was about to speak when she felt a shift in the energy around her. Her body stiffened, and Arryn pulled back.
“What is it?” she asked.
Elysia closed her eyes before whispering the name of her horse, her familiar, “Chaos.”
Within moments, the rapid fall of hooves echoed through the trees. Chaos was a solid, obsidian-black Shire. His mane and tail were incredibly long, as was the long hair around his ankles that hung like bells around his hooves. His gallop slowed before coming to a complete stop next to Elysia.
“Get on,” Elysia told Arryn. Chaos knelt and allowed both women to climb on before he stood.
“What’s happening?” Arryn asked.
“We’re going to the river. Someone’s passed the border and is inside the Dark Forest.”
CHAPTER TWO
Talia took her time as she made her way through the Academy, looking over every square inch as Amelia, the former Dean of Students and current Chancellor of Arcadia, showed her around and gave her a bit of the history on the building.
She’d heard about the great Academy her entire life, but she’d never been there. All she had to go on were stories and descriptions, but it was obvious everything had changed.
She narrowed her eyes as she looked to where a large statue of the past Chancellor had once stood.
“Is everything alright?” Amelia asked as she looked Talia over.
“What used to stand here?” Talia asked. Most of the rubble had been cleared, but there were still scars from where the damage had taken place.
“Ah,” Amelia said, her sweet voice suddenly turning cold. “A statue. Th
e former Chancellor, Adrien, had it erected in his honor.” She shook her head then added, “He was a real son of a bitch. Anyway, now that he’s gone, the sculpture is, too.”
Talia stared at the area for a moment longer before looking to Amelia. “Now that you’re Chancellor, will you put another in place? One of you perhaps?”
Amelia laughed. “Oh, no. I’d never do something like that. I always hated looking at it. The monstrosity was a gigantic reminder of whose thumb I was constantly under, that everyone was under. It wasn’t a good life to live. Fear and insecurity don’t have a place in the Academy—not anymore! I’m sure we’ll put something there in time, but for now, it sure as hell won’t be anything quite so selfish and pathetic.”
Talia forced a smile as she continued following her tour guide. She’d heard terrible things about the Chancellor from several people, but she wanted to know how Amelia felt in particular. “Was the Chancellor really that bad?”
Amelia stopped, clearly thinking of a proper response before turning back to Talia. “I’ve never seen or met anyone like him. He was charismatic and intelligent, well-spoken and powerful.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound so bad,” Talia sighed. “In fact, it sounds like everything a Chancellor should be.”
Amelia gave a sad smile, her eyes telling Talia just how much she was holding back. “You’re very right. That’s everything a person in power should be. However, he was also cold, cruel. He was a vengeful man, and he killed a lot of innocent people. Children even!”
“It sounds like Arcadia went through terrible times with him,” Talia said.
Amelia nodded down the corridor. “Let’s move on,” she said, obviously wanting to leave the old site of the statue. After a few steps, she spoke again. “I still have trouble sleeping because I know I helped him—even if I had no idea what he was doing, what he was trying to accomplish.”
“Well, it seems like the city has a brand-new chance. If things go right, this city will get everything it deserves,” Talia said. “I can assure you of that.”
