The Sartious Mage (The Rhythm of Rivalry)

by B. T. Narro

  I quickly morphed the floating Sartious shell into flat circles and directed them over each puddle of fire before it spread.

  Exo lowered his wand, his tormented eyes full of shock. “Impossible,” he muttered. He drew the knife from his belt and ran toward me.

  I was ready, though. I’d gathered more Sartious Energy, and Bastial as well, using both to form my own fireball. Without a wand, the process was extremely dangerous and difficult because the fire came directly from my hand. I had to focus enough energy to form and expel the fireball instantly, and the smallest mistake would lead to terrible burns.

  I felt my hand sting from the heat when it happened, but any burn was worth it. My fireball struck him in the chest, knocking him back so hard he flew the opposite way he’d been running. His head slammed into the floor when he landed, motionless.

  I quickly checked around the room for any fire I might’ve missed. It had all fizzled out. Then I looked to make sure no one was hurt. Everyone seemed to be fine. Lisanda had come back into the room. She was holding her shoulder but didn’t seem to be hurt otherwise.

  She carefully peeked down at Exo. “Is he dead?”

  I went over to check, grabbing his knife when I was close.

  “He’s still breathing,” I said.

  I cut the gags around Kalli and Sannil, starting to remove their ropes next. “Grab his wand and mine, will you?” I asked Lisanda.

  She brought them over to me, still holding her shoulder. “How did you cast without a wand?” she asked.

  My father spoke for me as I cut his ropes. “He’s learned to absorb enough Sartious Energy into his body that he doesn’t need the pellets within a wand—Jek, what are you doing with Lisanda Takary? I assume that’s who this is?” He motioned with his one free hand while I removed the ropes from the other.

  “Yes,” I said regretfully. “I’ll explain everything.”

  My sister removed the last of her ropes from her feet. She took the knife from my hand, pushed Lisanda out of the way so hard the Princess fell, and stomped toward Exo’s fallen body.

  “Kalli, don’t!” our father yelled, kicking the remaining ropes that were holding him against the chair in order to stand.

  “You saw what he did!” Kalli yelled back, bringing the knife up to her shoulders, ready to heave it down into Exo’s chest.

  “Stop this instant!” Sannil was desperately firm.

  I hadn’t heard him yell like that in years. It sent an old panic through my bones. Kalli stopped and turned to glare at our father. Her anger was palpable.

  “Are you going to do it then?” Kalli asked Sannil, holding the handle of the knife to him.

  He took the knife but then immediately set it on the chair behind him. “We’re not murderers, Kalli,” Sannil said. “We’ll tie him up.”

  I was curious what Exo had done to them that had made Kalli so furious. Whatever it was, it was my fault. I couldn’t bring myself to ask. Not until I figured out how to let them know how sorry I was for whatever had happened.

  I tried, but I couldn’t find the words.

  Lisanda ended up asking instead, “What did he do?”

  Kalli glared at her, clearly insulted by the question. “What do you think he did? He works for your father, doesn’t he? Shouldn’t you know of his reputation?”

  I had a dismal thought. I ran to the window behind the chairs, but it was too dark to see anything outside.

  “I decide nothing on the affairs of tracking and apprehension,” Lisanda told Kalli, matching her harsh glare. “You’re wrong to accuse me of anything.”

  “Pass the blame,” Kalli said, “just like every other Takary. Unless the problem affects one of your own, nothing is done to help.” Kalli bent down over Exo, roughly flipping him to his side so she could bind his wrists together with rope.

  “Kalli,” I said, trying to calm her before she continued to blame Lisanda for this.

  The Princess replied before I could say anything else. “And what would you do if you were me? You know nothing about my life. I can’t control Exo.”

  Kalli twisted the rope around Exo’s legs. “I would at least try to convince the King to imprison his deranged mage after all the damage he’s done.”

  Kalli rarely got this mad, but when she did, the only thing that helped was time.

  Still, I tried to calm her. “Kalli, please.”

  “Why are you defending her?” My sister turned to me. “Do you know what this son of a whore did?” She kicked Exo’s unconscious body in the side.

  Sannil grabbed her. “Kalli, enough.”

  She kicked Exo again as Sannil dragged her away. “You, too, Father? You both should be on my side!”

  I hated to see Kalli this way, but I hated even more knowing it was my fault. I tried to find the right words, something to say to let them know how sorry I was. But I needed to know what I was sorry for first.

  Kalli stopped struggling against Sannil. They each grew limp. With heavy breaths Kalli sank to the ground, and Sannil fell to a chair.

  I helped my sister back on her feet. She squeezed me tightly in a hug that I gladly gave back.

  In Kalli’s embrace, I finally had the strength to whisper, “What did he do?”

  “He killed all of them. Every damn animal,” she whispered loudly. “Said he couldn’t stand the noise, but that’s because he didn’t let us feed them.”

  We stepped back from each other. “Even Rubble?” I asked, devastation building in my chest.

  “Every cat,” Kalli replied. “Every animal.”

  My head was spinning, my heart trying to jump into my throat. I needed to sit down. I stumbled over to a chair. This was my fault.

  Kalli pointed a finger at Lisanda. “Your family is sick to have such a man working for them.”

  “It’s not my decision,” Lisanda snapped back coldly.

  Even in my stark dismay, I still understood Lisanda’s frustration. If her father controlled who she married, he surely controlled everything else. For all I knew, Lisanda could’ve tried everything in her power to get Exo discharged.

  But I didn’t have the strength to defend her. My head was stuck in my hands from shame.

  “Kalli, that’s not going to help,” Sannil said with a calm voice.

  There was a sudden silence. I could feel eyes shifting to me, but I still couldn’t lift my head. It took all my focus to keep from falling forward on to the ground.

  My head became heavier, starting to slide through the gap between my hands. All my strength was gone. I felt as if life should be over. I just wanted to close my eyes and slip away.

  But there was too much to do.

  “I was just going to stay one night,” I murmured through my hands, forcing my head up and taking a breath. “I was slightly worried we might be followed, but I never thought they’d find the farm without me leading them to it.”

  “Exo threatened Drent,” Sannil said. “Exo must’ve known you worked with him.”

  “But Drent doesn’t even know the exact location of our farm,” I replied.

  “He knows the general area. Exo visited three other farms before ours,” Sannil explained. “He told us this when he came to our door asking about you. I can only imagine what happened to those farms.”

  “Why shouldn’t we kill him?” Kalli was leaning over Exo with her arms crossed. “He doesn’t deserve to live.”

  “You’re not a murderer, Kalli.” Sannil spoke as if he was reminding her of something she already knew. “We’ll chain him up in the pigsty. He can sit in the blood of the animals he slaughtered until guards come to find him. Then he can explain the situation to them.”

  Lisanda looked at me for a breath, her eyes tired and heavy. Then she turned her glance toward Sannil. “And if no guards come for him?” Lisanda asked.

  My father shrugged. “Then he can live off pig’s blood until they do.”

  Chapter 18: Beds

  After we chained Exo in the pigsty, Lisanda bathed while I prepare
d food with my family. It gave me the chance to give them a brief version of what happened that led me here, while I apologized profusely throughout. I made sure to leave out Micah Vail and Goreng and Giant, as I wasn’t sure Lisanda was supposed to know about them.

  When I was done, Kalli said, “The way I see it, this is the Takary family’s fault.” She clearly didn’t care that Lisanda easily could hear us in the bathroom nearby. “Not yours.”

  It was kind of her to say, but I wondered if her blame was just misdirected because she couldn’t hold a grudge against me. She’d never been able to before, but I’d also never done anything that had resulted in the loss of our farm animals.

  “What’s next in this plan of yours?” Sannil asked me, holding back a judgmental look, although it still came out in his tone. He knew I wasn’t the best of planners.

  “I was going to ask you to deliver a message for me while I hid in the forest with Lisanda,” I said. “But now I don’t feel comfortable putting you or Kalli in any more danger. I’ll figure something else out.”

  His eyes shifted from the meat he was cutting, looking at nothing in particular. Then his hand let down the knife.

  “What are you going to do now with…with what happened to the farm?” I asked, incapable of giving a more specific statement about the dead animals I was responsible for. “I don’t think it will be safe to stay here.”

  I hated to say it, but I couldn’t let them remain in danger. I despised myself so much, making sure they could hear it in my wavering voice.

  “Jek, don’t blame yourself for this,” Kalli put her hand on my shoulder. “You were just trying to get what you were owed. Anyway, Father has been preparing to move for about half a year, isn’t that right?”

  Sannil nodded. “We’ve been saving the money you’ve been sending from Drent’s shop, Jek. We’ll be fine. My sadness is more for the poor animals than anything else.”

  I was so relieved I felt as if I had taken the first real breath since coming in the farmhouse. It made me realize there were worse things than never being cured of my darkness, such as being responsible for ruining the lives of my family. Whatever they needed, I was going to help.

  “Where are you moving?” I asked.

  “Farther south,” Sannil answered. “Farther from trouble.” I knew he was referring to The Nest to our northwest.

  “Heard about the war, I assume?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Sannil replied. “But I’ve always wanted to move south ever since…” He gave a look toward the closed door of the bathroom, lowering his voice. “We can discuss that later. Is it the best idea to leave her alone? What if she goes out the window?”

  “I barred it with Sartious Energy,” I explained. Truthfully, I didn’t think it was necessary, but it was still worth my time and energy just to be safe.

  Sannil kept his voice low. “I don’t like this, Jek. I think you should take her back.”

  Before I could argue, Kalli did it for me. “Father! They’ll just throw him in prison…or worse!”

  Sannil took a long breath, looking at my sister and me with fatherly eyes, the same eyes I usually looked toward for answers in past dilemmas. I felt hopeful waiting for his suggestion, expecting to hear a fresh idea that would encourage me.

  But to my disappointment, his eyes went back to the meat he was chopping.

  “Give me the night to think about this,” Sannil muttered. “Tomorrow morning we’re leaving the farm before anyone else comes.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  “Into the forest with you.” His eyes stayed on the knife. “I’ll have more figured out by then.”

  “Good,” Kalli said. “I want to see this through. I think you did the right thing, Jek. You deserve the cure.”

  Lisanda pulled open the door to the bathroom. Each of us turned quickly. Kalli had given Lisanda a light blue dress with long sleeves and a high collar. Kalli had worn it until she was twelve, when it became too small for her. It fit Lisanda nearly perfectly, with just a little too much space around the waist.

  Her hair was wet and dark, giving off a shine from the lamps around us. She scrunched her nose and sniffled, standing in the doorway nervously.

  “Come in.” I waved her toward me.

  I’d told Sannil and Kalli how Lisanda had been cooperating recently, although they still warned me that I shouldn’t trust her. I understood their worry and decided it was easier to keep up an appearance of mistrust with Lisanda than to convince my family that she could be trusted.

  “Stay with Sannil and Kalli while I bathe,” I told Lisanda. Then I turned to Kalli. “Watch her, will you?”

  My sister gave a mean stare to Lisanda and then turned her glance to the door, demonstrating how she was in between them. “She won’t be going anywhere,” Kalli said.

  “I wouldn’t run,” Lisanda complained. She stopped me with her hand on my arm as I passed. She went to her toes to whisper, “I thought you trusted me now?” Her breath on my ear sent a chill down my neck. I noticed my father and sister stopping their preparation of food to watch.

  I wasn’t stupid enough to wholeheartedly believe she wouldn’t run under any circumstance, but I was far closer to that than not trusting her at all. I took her hand to ease her into the hallway outside the bathroom.

  “It’s just precautionary,” I whispered. “Try to be nice to Kalli.”

  “She’s rude,” Lisanda replied in an aggressive whisper.

  “Offer to help with the food,” I suggested. I walked into the bathroom before Lisanda had a chance to reply. I could hear her sigh as I went.

  From behind the door I heard Lisanda ask to help. My shoulders slumped when I heard Kalli’s reply.

  “You can sit down and shut up is how you can help.”

  We had an excellent meal, although everyone’s mood was terrible. The air was so heavy with remorse, simply looking up from my plate to make eye contact with another felt strenuous.

  After the late dinner, my father went out to prepare for tomorrow by gathering supplies around the farm. I offered to help, but he told me to stay with Lisanda.

  I was somewhat thankful, as I could barely keep my eyes open from exhaustion. Lisanda was the same way, dragging her head around like it was dead weight while she helped us clear the table.

  When we were done, Kalli put her hands on her hips. “Lisanda, go upstairs so I can talk to my brother.”

  Lisanda turned to shuffle out of the room.

  Kalli called after her, “And don’t think you’re sleeping in any of our beds; we only have three!”

  “She can have my bed,” I said, unsure if it was loud enough for Lisanda to hear.

  Kalli waved me to the other side of the kitchen. “That’s what I want to talk to you about,” she whispered. “I know the Princess is pretty, but you have to stop treating her so nicely.”

  “Kalli, there’s too much you don’t understand about this. I was forceful and mean the first day, and it was a nightmare. She’s finally cooperating now.”

  Kalli frowned at me with a look of sympathy. Her eyes were a very dark brown, far different from my blue eyes. Her face was round with a strong chin. Her hair was dark like her eyes, but still with enough brown not to look black.

  Unlike Lisanda’s wavy hair, Kalli’s came down in twirls, falling over her chest. Standing close to my height, she was very tall and thick with muscle. We wrestled when we were younger, and I can say she was just as tough as she pretended to be.

  “I see the way you look at each other,” Kalli said. “It’s just plain wrong. She’s only trying to gain your trust, and you’re letting her manipulate you.”

  “You don’t understand what it’s like for us, what we’ve been through.”

  “You told me everything that happened. I think I have a pretty good idea that you’re both exhausted and you want to trust her. I can understand that. But that’s not a good idea. You have to keep your distance from her emotionally while you stay close physically.”<
br />
  Kalli hammered her fist into an open palm. “Never let her out of your sight. Don’t trust her with anything. If you give her the opportunity to run, she’ll take it. Then you’ll be left with nothing after all this except a vengeful king chasing after you.”

  I bit my lip, trying not to let anger come out in my tone. “I have it under control.”

  She turned her head and flipped up her palms. “Fine, fine.”

  “I need some rest.” I headed toward the stairs.

  “Jek.”

  I turned, holding back a glare. I loved my sister, but love tends to take a hiatus during moments of utter frustration.

  “Have the nightmares been just as bad this last year?”

  I took a slow breath, already feeling guilt for my anger toward my caring sister.

  “Worse,” I told her remorsefully.

  When I came into my old room, Lisanda was sitting on the side of my bed, barely keeping her head up.

  “You can lie down,” I reassured her. “I promised you a bed.”

  “Does your sister know?”

  “Yes.”

  Lisanda peeled back the covers. She let out a small gasp and coiled away to the other end of the bed. “Are those bloodstains?”

  “Don’t worry, it’s only my blood.”

  “How does that help?” She jumped off the bed.

  “They’re only stains. The sheets are clean.”

  Lisanda turned away from the bed but looked back at it over her shoulder. “From your attacks?” She straightened out to glance at me curiously.

  I nodded while yawning. “You can have the floor if you want.” I pointed to where a pile of sheets lay before a pillow. It was positioned parallel to the bed, where I was planning to sleep. “I’m so tired, I don’t care where I sleep. I’ll be up in a few hours after my nightmare anyway.”

  She sat on the edge of the bed looking between me and the floor in a moment of consideration. “When did these attacks start?”

  “Five years ago, when I was twelve.” I positioned my wand over her ankle. My other hand went to lift up the long dress covering her skin. “May I?”

  She nodded. I pushed up the dress and started creating a Sartious ring around her ankle.