by Halle Dean
"Mason found you?"
Warner nodded. "The knights came to Milvona two weeks ago. He was the one who told me that Melody was alive and that Edric would let her go if I did as he wished."
"And Edric wishes for you to kill me." Warner nodded again. After a moment, she thought of something else. "Why did he go out of his way to find you to do it when he already had the knights after me? Does he not trust them with the task? Or perhaps he wants to cause as much emotional pain as possible before I die? If that's the case, he seems to know what he's doing."
"Ah," Warner mumbled, looking distressed.
"I'm only speaking the truth." Sophie crossed her arms. "My closest friend since childhood—not only that, but the man I was going to marry—turned on me, killed my family and several of my friends, tortured and very nearly strangled me, and... and then ran away, leaving me traumatized and—and alone… for five years. What do you think would be worse for me than bringing you back into my life?"
Warner was staring at the ground. "Nothing," he said hopelessly. "Nothing could be worse."
Sophie felt a twinge of sympathy at the tone of his voice, but didn't take back anything she'd said. She wasn't going to let her emotions get the best of her. She wanted so badly to believe him, but he might have been using some form of magic to persuade her. He had used it on the knights only a short while earlier.
Would I not simply believe him if he were using persuasion magic? she reasoned. But she didn't know exactly how that kind of magic worked; it hadn't been in her magic book. She wondered what other magic Warner could do. I still cannot believe that he kept such an important secret from me, she thought. I absolutely cannot trust him.
Nine
Anywhere But Hestia
"If you won't be sleeping," Warner said after a while, "then we should keep moving." He stood up and stretched his arms above his head. "I don't want to keep Melody waiting. If we have minimal delays, it should take only two days to reach Hestia."
"Hestia?" Sophie jumped to her feet. "No. We can't go there."
Warner looked at her in confusion. She looked almost afraid of the idea. "Why not?" he asked. "It's directly on the way."
"We may be noticed."
"Your magic energy will be replenished by then," he said. "You can use disguise magic. And my bandages have persuasion magic if you feel you need them."
"Oh," she said. "That explains why I didn't know it was you before. Even if you cover your face and muffle your voice, I should have known."
"Which is why I used them," he said. "Mason would have known who I was fairly quickly as well."
"But he knows that you're on the same mission as he is, does he not?" she asked.
Warner shook his head. "Edric told the knights that I was there to relay knowledge. I see now why he hadn't told them the truth."
"I still don't understand why he needs you to find and kill me," she said. "The knights would have caught up eventually."
And I wouldn't have been allowed to have any fun, other Warner chimed in.
"Well, they won't catch up to you now," Warner assured her. "It was a foolish move on Edric's part. And once we reach Hestia—"
"We can't go there," she reminded him.
"What is the problem?" he asked.
"There isn't one," she mumbled. "Hestia is—We cannot go there."
"If you have no justification for avoiding the town, then that is where we are heading," he said. "Otherwise, it will take much longer to get to the castle." Sophie shifted from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable, and Warner sighed. "Why don't you want to go to Hestia?"
"I can't tell you."
"Then we are going," he decided.
* * *
Sophie was obviously upset about Hestia, but she stopped resisting. She ceased speaking at all, seeming to be deep in thought. Warner had hoped that she would tell him what was wrong if he refused to give in, but his plan appeared to be failing. She still followed several steps behind him, but didn't jump every time he glanced back. The sun had come up and was high in the sky by the time either of them spoke again.
"Will we be resting soon?" Sophie asked after a few hours.
Warner stopped and turned to face her, looking around the forest. "Yes," he said. "We should eat something."
"What would we eat?" she asked. "There aren't many edible plants in this forest. What are you planning to do, catch rabbits?"
Warner scratched the back of his head. "If you wish," he said. "Though, it's simpler to pull food from The Void."
"Oh," she said.
"What do you want to eat?" he asked, sitting down on the ground.
Why are you asking? other Warner wondered. You only have bread and apples.
"Anything," Sophie said, also taking a seat. "I haven't eaten in days."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Warner sighed. "It's no wonder that you're exhausted."
"I was focused on escaping," she mumbled.
"Are you not focused on escaping now?" he asked, a slight feeling of hope intruding where it shouldn't have been.
Don't be ridiculous, other Warner scoffed. Being resigned to her fate is not the same as loving you.
"It doesn't really seem feasible at this point," she sighed. "Even while you slept, I couldn't leave. If I did manage to get away, I imagine you'd find me fairly quickly."
"That is true," Warner agreed. He waved his hand and half a loaf of bread, a flask of water, and two apples shimmered into existence in his lap.
"How did you learn to do that?" she asked.
He shrugged and tore the bread into two pieces. "I tried it," he said, handing her one half of the bread. "When I learned that it existed, I imagined sending things in."
"And that worked?"
"It did," he said. "It was actually quite easy to vanish things into The Void. It took longer to be able to retrieve things. Do you remember when your white shoes went missing?" He held one of the apples out to her.
"That was your fault?" she asked, snatching the apple from him in annoyance. Her fingers brushed against his and made his skin tingle, but she pulled away quickly. "Why would you practice on my belongings?" she asked.
He shrugged guiltily. "I didn't do so often," he defended. "I just wished to hide your shoes until we returned to the castle. I, uh…" He tried to hide a smile. "I enjoyed watching you fret. I thought I would be able to return them to you when we returned to the castle, but I couldn't."
"I cannot believe that you would do that," she murmured, taking a bite of her apple. But Warner noticed she was fighting a smile. "I wasn't allowed to walk through town without my shoes on," she protested.
"I was well aware of that," he admitted. "The point was that you had to let me carry you."
"You could have asked," she mumbled.
"You would have denied me," he said.
"True," she agreed. "I was stubborn."
"You still are," he said with a small smile. "If your magic hadn't run out in my house then I may never have found out who you were."
"Yes, you would've," she disagreed. "You are more stubborn than I am."
"That's not even slightly true," he said. You just have to put yourself in danger and I'll do whatever you say, he thought.
Pathetic, other Warner taunted.
Be quiet! Warner thought back. I'm tired of your commentary. "I doubt I'll discover why you wish to avoid Hestia," he pointed out.
Sophie looked down and took another bite of her apple. Warner regretted mentioning Hestia. They both ate in silence for a while. Warner had wondered if she would object to sharing his water flask, but she didn't say anything about it. He watched her take a drink and noticed her bracelet peeking out of her sleeve once again. He imagined what life might have been like for them if things had gone as planned. He cut off his thoughts; there was no point in thinking about 'what ifs'.
"I'm finished," Sophie said, holding up her apple core. Warner waved his hand and the remains of the fruit vanished. Sophie raised her eyebrows. "Do
you dispose of all your garbage in The Void?"
Warner shrugged. "Only until I find a place for it in this world."
She tilted her head curiously. "Is The Void a different world?"
"In a way," he said. "It doesn't look like much of a world, but it's not somewhere you can reach from this world. Unless you can do magic—"
"Wait, you have been there?" she interrupted.
He nodded. "It helps me travel quickly," he said. "Once I'm there, I can emerge anywhere in this world, provided I can picture it."
"That's impossible," she argued. "You can't survive in The Void."
"Not for long, no," he said. "But I'm never there for more than a moment."
"You shouldn't be able to be there at all!"
"I've been told that before," Warner shrugged. "But it's not any more difficult than using The Void for other things. Though, I can't bring other people—or even animals—with me. I've tried. It doesn't work."
I can, other Warner asserted.
No, you can't, Warner thought. Be quiet.
"It's not possible for living beings to enter The Void," Sophie said. "You can't go there."
"You keep insisting that I can't do things that I clearly can," he pointed out. "I can't use telekinesis on living things. I can't go to The Void."
"You shouldn't be able to!" she exclaimed.
"I shouldn't be able to do a lot of things that I can do," he said. "That comes with using magic."
"You are different," she said.
"I know that," he snapped, startling her. "Not everything has to do with him. I can do magic on my own."
Yes, but you never use the right kind, other Warner complained.
"Warner, that's not what I meant—"
Warner stood up and she jumped at his sudden movement. "Are you done resting?" he asked. "In a few hours we'll reach a more open part of the forest. Then you can sit in a wagon and you won't have to walk."
"I—yes," she said, getting to her feet. "That is good."
"In the future, let me know when you're hungry," he told her. "As much as you don't believe it, I truly do care what happens to you."
Pa-the-tic, other Warner drawled. Warner growled in irritation. Be quiet!
Sophie didn't say anything, looking down so he couldn't see her expression. He turned and started walking, listening to make sure he could hear her footfalls behind him. "Warner?" she said after a few moments. He didn't stop walking, but glanced over his shoulder, prompting her to continue. "I know that you care."
He almost stopped walking, but decided against it. Instead, he just said, "Good," and pulled the hood of his cloak up so she wouldn't notice his smile.
Ten
The Magics Society
Barry sat beside George at the end of the long table in the Magics Society's meeting hall. The other members had gone home, leaving them alone to discuss the most important matters. It seemed prudent to keep certain knowledge secret. It was especially important to hide the kind that may involve the fate of the entire magical world.
"Do you have any new knowledge?" Barry asked.
George shook his head. "I'm beginning to believe that I've found as much as I can with long distance seeing magic," he said. "If we're going to learn more, we will need to find the culprit."
"And we still have no idea who the culprit in question is," Barry said, exasperated.
"Ahh, quite the contrary," George said, his wrinkled face lighting up. "Though we ruled out the death of the king being the cause, we have just discovered his daughter still lives."
Odd, the voice in his mind said pensively.
Barry ignored the voice and sighed in annoyance.
"How is this not new knowledge, George?"
"It is new," George shrugged. "I only learned of it this moment."
"At last, something to go on!" Barry exclaimed. "Where is she?"
"That, I am still unsure of," George said. "I can't seem to set my eyes on them."
"She's with someone?"
"Yes," George nodded. "Warner Munday."
Munday? the voice said. How interesting.
"Oh, wonderful," Barry said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's fantastic." He sighed. "We will never get our hands on her. She's as good as dead."
"That may be what we want," George said calmly. "If she is disrupting the flow of magic, it might be best if he kills her."
"We don't know if that will fix it," Barry said. "We must find her and test her."
"I think he's placing anti-seeing spells around them," George said. "I saw them before, when I was trying to discover why he was absent from today's meeting. They vanished before I could properly identify her, but this time I got a better look. I'm certain it's the princess with him, but they disappeared again before I could locate them."
"That brat is too powerful for his own good," Barry grumbled. "We should have done away with him when we had the chance."
As if you had the chance. Barry continued to ignore the voice.
"We've never had that chance, Barry," George said, rolling his eyes. "Too much power and in such a fragile state. It's a wonder he's not disrupting the flow of magic."
"We've put him through extensive trials," Barry said. "Our only problem concerning him is how to get the girl away from him."
George sighed. "That is something of an inconvenience for us," he said. "We will have to go along with whatever Warner's plans are, at least for the moment. He'll be back here eventually. Who knows? This could all work out in our favor."
Eleven
Keeping a Secret
Sophie was glad when the forest started to thin out, despite that meaning they were closer to Hestia. Perhaps she was worrying for nothing. If they hurried through, there was only a small chance that they would run into the Smiths. She opted to not think about it and enjoy sitting in the wagon that Warner had brought from The Void. It was nice to not have to walk, and being pulled along reminded her of when they were younger.
"Is this the same wagon?" she wondered aloud. "It looks similar."
"No, Sophie," Warner said, sounding amused. "That one broke, remember?"
"Oh, yes," she said. "Don't laugh. It wasn't funny then and it isn't now."
"If you say so," he shrugged.
She crossed her arms. "You won't break this one?"
"Not while you're sitting in it," he promised, smirking back at her.
She wished that he would stop smiling at her. At the same time, she wished he would smile more. She was very confused about her feelings. As much as she had tried to forget about him over their five years of separation, she never could. There was too much between them.
"Perhaps… is there memory erasing magic?" she mumbled, mostly to herself.
"There isn't," Warner responded. "I've searched for years. It doesn't exist."
"Oh," she said. She cringed at the idea of Warner forgetting about her. I should keep my mouth shut, she thought. Neither she nor Warner spoke again for the rest of the day and far into the night. When it got to be around midnight, Sophie finally spoke up, suggesting that they stop and rest.
"You can sleep in the wagon," Warner said. "I don't need to stop."
"Liar," she accused. "You need sleep. I can see it."
"I'm perfectly all right," he said.
"No, we're stopping," she persisted, climbing out of the still moving wagon.
"Sophie!" he protested. "Be careful." He caught her arm as she fell, helping to keep her upright. She was startled by his sudden closeness and stiffened at his touch. He released her at once. "I'm sorry," he said, looking away. "We—we'll stop."
"That's… um," she said, taking a few steps back. "Yes. Good. You must sleep."
"Very well," he sighed.
By the time he finished drawing his magic circle, Sophie realized how drowsy she felt. Despite her racing mind, her body wasn't able to handle being awake any longer. Warner brought out the mattress again, and she fell asleep almost as soon as she lay down. She dreamt of her parents and
her life as a very young girl. For the first time in a while, she didn't dream of Warner at all.
* * *
When Sophie awoke, she wasn't sure where she was for a long moment. Trees were passing by her on either side. She sat up and looked around.
She realized she was in the wagon as Warner pulled it along. The trees had begun to thin out considerably. They were very close to Hestia. She tried not to think about that. Instead, she wondered how long she had slept and when Warner had moved her into the wagon.
"Good afternoon," Warner greeted, glancing over his shoulder. "There's food in the wagon for you."
"Thank you," she said, finding more bread and apples beside her. "Did I sleep for a long while?" Warner nodded, looking forward again. "You slept too, didn't you?" she asked. He didn't respond and she frowned. "Warner!" she scolded.
"I tried!" he defended. "I managed a few hours. It isn't easy for me to sleep well. Besides that, we need to keep moving."
"But—"
"It's not a problem, Sophie," he said. "If I truly need rest, I will stop. I promise."
"If you don't take care of yourself, you will collapse," she mumbled.
"Just as you did the other night when I had to carry you?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to raise an eyebrow at her. "How do you fall asleep while walking?" Sophie crossed her arms. "Oh, don't cross your arms at me," he said. "You know I can take care of myself. Better than you can take care of yourself, at least."
"I can take care of myself!" she insisted. "I've survived the past five years without your help."
Warner turned around and kept walking, not saying a word for a long time. His feet were dragging slightly and his head tilted downward more than normal. Something was clearly bothering him, but Sophie wasn't sure what exactly it was. She was about to ask him what was wrong when he sighed.
"Sophie," he said softly. "I'm sorry."
"I know that," she said. "You've said so several times."
"No," he said. "That was for… everything else. This time it's for leaving. I didn't know what was happening and I knew you must hate me, so I left. But I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have left you all on your own."
