Transformed (Ancestral Magic Book 2)

by Michael DeAngelo

  “Magistrate!” a nearby guest cried.

  With attention divided, none in the crowd could see Adelia’s eyes glowing orange. As she drew her hand back, the man beside her reached out and grabbed her arm. At once, her magic—the flame and the arcane overflow that affected her eyes—was extinguished.

  She took in a deep breath as though she had just ascended to the surface after being submerged underwater. Orson’s grip was still upon her, and when she looked at him, he nodded, confirming his identity.

  Another slap of that switch resounded, and the girl collapsed to the stage.

  “That’s enough!” a cry from the stage resounded.

  “Get her to safety,” Orson said again. That time, though, he gave her a light shove in Merlin’s direction.

  No sooner had the former cat grabbed his companion did another transformation take shape on stage. One of those stern, solemn men who remained quiet while the switch struck them could be restrained no longer. He shoved the guard closest to him away as the first clumps of fur tore through his skin. His muscles and flesh split and ripped, and the guests on the stage panicked.

  Prudence tugged on Merlin’s arm, but he stood fast. He pulled her the opposite way, urging Adelia to the other set of stairs.

  As the transforming man on the stage cried in agony, that wail turned into a mighty roar. Lucinda rolled off the magistrate and understood why those folks had been taken and why they were paraded about like beasts.

  “We’re not monsters!” Orson insisted. “We’re just different!”

  His words had little merit, as his companion on the stage completed his transformation. Having grown two heads taller and just as broad, with an elongated snout and deadly claws, he was a shadow of the man he used to be. Once more, he bellowed out a mighty ursine roar and dared any of those guards to come close.

  Merlin ushered both girls off the stage before Adelia wrestled from his grasp and turned about. Prudence pulled him along toward the closest exit, but he remained where he was, unwilling to leave his friend behind. The magistrate’s daughter gasped, but she left the lad there, moving with the crowd until she was safe, deeper within the palace.

  As those other prisoners on stage moved to placate the bear, he shoved them aside with abandon. More than one of those few began their own transformations then, while their companions looked on in regret and disappointment. Orson grabbed the little girl and stepped back, but worry was already etched on his face.

  And then the guards arrived.

  “Don’t just gawk,” Adelia heard. She turned to see Reya standing before her, a sword already in her hand. “Get out of here, and I’ll meet you in the shop later.”

  The lieutenant wasted no more time on orders. She leapt upon the stage, along with dozens of other guards, and worked to steady the situation. While many focused on those bears who had given into the madness, Reya worked to separate those who had not yet given into their savage side. The other guards piled atop those men who had changed, working futilely to subdue the animals.

  Adelia and Merlin caught up to the sorceress who accompanied them there. “I think we’ve overstayed our welcome,” Lucinda said. She motioned for Adelia and Merlin to follow her, though most of the others had charged from the building. That ballroom was empty, except for those who were on stage and the burly man on the floor.

  A wicked smile crept across the face of Ivan Romsford, the magistrate of Sungarden.

  Chapter Eight: Morning

  She had never been quite so enraptured by sleep. Even after the terrible things she had seen and her near explosive reaction, that reverie was unlike any she had ever felt.

  When the pile of straw reverted to its true form, the illusion was ripped away without pause. Adelia awoke with a start, her eyes wide and her hands extended to cast any magic that would come to mind.

  “One good thing about that,” Lucinda began, “it has a way of preparing you for the rest of your day.” When she saw the young lady sink back into an uncomfortable position, the sorceress laughed. “Over the years, I’ve grown accustomed to that transformation. I always seem to wake up just before the pleasant part ends.”

  “You seem wide awake now,” Adelia grumbled.

  “As do you, dear.”

  The aspiring mage climbed to her feet and brushed the stray fragments of hay off her dress. Gone was the exquisite one they had acquired from the seamstress, tucked away safely in her pack. Adelia wore her mundane dress instead, the familiar fabric just as important to her. She looked around and noticed their other companion was out of sight.

  “Where is Merlin?” she asked.

  “It’s like I’ve told you before,” Lucinda said. “You can change what something feels like and what it appears to be, but underneath, it’s the same as it ever was. Merlin still has feline tendencies, and he was awake before I was, just gazing out into the street. I sent him to gather us some breakfast.”

  “With more money we don’t have, no doubt,” Adelia muttered.

  “Do I detect some sass?” the sorceress mocked. “I shouldn’t be surprised, I suppose. You do have some fire in you after all.”

  Adelia arched her eyebrow as she considered that statement.

  “At the ball when you were up on stage,” Lucinda said. “You don’t recall?”

  “I… I felt magic ready to push through me, but I didn’t—”

  “They were flames, dear,” the plump woman assured her. “Gaston told me you were having trouble with them, but it seems you do have what it takes to produce them. As for extinguishing them, well, let’s just say we were lucky Mister Blythe was there to placate you. Whatever he said stopped you from making a truly awful mistake.”

  The sage’s apprentice made her way across the room to sit beside the window. “He didn’t say anything. He touched my shoulder, and it was as if all that anger faded away.”

  “Why did it make you so angry, seeing those people like that?”

  “How can you ask something like that? They were people, lined up like monsters and terrified. They didn’t want to hurt anyone—they were the ones being hurt.”

  “As I told you before, my dear, Sungarden isn’t exactly fond of things they don’t understand. Often, the things people fear are the same things they lash out at. I’m just glad nobody else noticed your magic in all of the confusion.”

  They were only afforded a few moments to ruminate before they heard the footsteps on the walkway outside. “Finally,” Lucinda said. “All this talk of magic and bears has left me famished.”

  When the door opened, however, it was not Merlin who stood before them. Lieutenant Reya had deep lines etched into her forehead and beneath her eyes. Her shoulders slumped, and she had to expel a huge sigh before she could step inside the apothecary’s shop.

  “Well, that was an intriguing affair last night, wasn’t it?” Lucinda teased.

  “To say the least,” Reya replied. “It took hours to escort them to the prison, and we’re lucky no one was hurt too badly. I spent a long while there just talking to Orson, trying to understand why he didn’t tell me.”

  “I think last night’s events demonstrated quite clearly why he couldn’t confide in anyone.”

  “He would have had nothing to worry about from me,” Reya said. She stared off to the far side of the room, her gaze landing behind the counter. “I didn’t get much rest last night. By the time I found myself lying in my bed, too many thoughts clouded my mind. These shifters…these werebears…they’ve been living here for years. Some of the other guards had known about it for days, and none had bothered to tell me a thing.”

  “It seems there are plenty of secrets in this city,” Lucinda said.

  “What of the little girl?” Adelia asked. She rose from her spot at the window and stepped toward the lieutenant with her brow furrowed. “She may be a shapeshifter, but that didn’t mean she should have been beaten in front of all the nobles of the city.”

  “You’re right, and that guard…that torturer…was
relieved of his duty. My captain, Darwin, was as in the dark about all this as I was. Unfortunately, there were some whirlwind changes that occurred last night. Pietro, the man with the stick, was pardoned, and Darwin was demoted. He was told his services as captain were no longer required.”

  “What?” Adelia snapped. “By who?”

  Reya could see by the look on Lucinda’s face she had already pieced together who was responsible. “We have worse monsters than werebears in Sungarden,” she said. “And unfortunately, one of them happens to be our magistrate.”

  “So he knew about them before they were brought on stage,” Adelia surmised.

  “He didn’t just know. He arranged it.”

  “Because he was trying to incite fear,” Lucinda added.

  The lieutenant nodded. “All so he could get away with what he just announced this morning: these people have been added to the list of those who are to be executed.”

  “But they haven’t done anything!” Adelia exclaimed.

  “That doesn’t matter,” Reya said. “With enough fear, you can convince people to agree to anything. But this horrible news is what brings me to you today. These people have no more hope in this city, except for a few strangers.”

  “You want us to help free Orson and the others,” Lucinda said. “But if we’re caught using magic in Sungarden—”

  “You’ll be in just as much trouble as them.” Reya held her hand to her forehead and groaned. “I can’t just stand here and do nothing.”

  Each of the women was jolted alert when the door swung open once more. Merlin was there, in the same clothes he wore the day before, though they weren’t as snug a fit. He carried a basket in one hand and clenched another between his teeth. Each was filled to the brim with sweet-smelling pastries and a stopped bottle of milk.

  Merlin pulled the basket from his mouth and took in a steadying breath. “I’m sorry it took so long. That nice woman at the tailor’s shop was talking with a guard. Apparently, someone stole money from the shop and left stones in its place. Four horses, gifts for the magistrate’s daughter, also went missing last night. I had to hear more before I came back here.”

  An impish grin crept to Lucinda’s face as she considered the transformed feline’s words. “It seems you’ll have to arrest us, Lieutenant,” the sorceress said. “We are the ones who are responsible for those missing things.”

  Chapter Nine: A Grizzly Escape

  The lieutenant’s brow fell heavily upon narrowed eyes. She prodded the rearmost prisoner, that plump woman in purple, and urged her forward. Lucinda grumbled under her breath but obeyed her captor.

  A draft blew through the stone corridors, setting the torches in the sconces wavering. Adelia, leading the way, tried to bring her arm up to rub her shoulder, but she forgot she was restrained. Bowing her head, she proceeded along until she rounded the next corner.

  She would have walked into the guard there if he hadn’t pressed his hand against her chest.

  “And what do we have here?” he said. His eyes settled on the armored woman who appeared before him, and he offered a wry grin. “Ah, Lieutenant. What did you bring us today?”

  Reya scoffed. “Thieves and squatters—and worse, supporters of those bears that tried to overrun our city.”

  “These cells are getting awfully full,” he said, though his smile proved he cared very little about that.

  “As I understand it, they won’t be for very long,” she replied.

  Those words provoked a wicked grin from the man. “Do you need any help getting them back there?”

  She arched any eyebrow. “These people know better than to test my patience. Who is on watch tonight?”

  “Dale’s back there. We’re running shorter shifts, though. The cells are strong, but who knows just how hard those monsters can hit?”

  “With luck and a little bit of time, we’ll not have to worry about such questions.”

  “How right you are. I’ll be back in the morning. The magistrate wants all hands on deck for when we bring them to the block.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  That guard gave Adelia a little push as he made his way past them. The aspiring mage had to rein in her emotions and remember the plan. Lucinda couldn’t keep quiet, though.

  “You work with some delightful people.”

  Reya pushed her forward. “Makes you wonder how I didn’t see the signs Sungarden was going down the black path.”

  “We’ll turn it around,” the sorceress offered.

  “For some people.”

  A few more twists and turns in the prison led them to a collection of cells and an annexed chamber beside them. Those small cells behind the bars were filled with folk, just as the guard had said. Everyone inside them wore their emotions plainly on their faces: disbelief, anger, fear. One man grabbed the bars and peered out at the approaching guard with an eager gaze.

  If Reya spotted Orson or cared to acknowledge him, she didn’t show it. She urged her prisoners forward, until they passed that side chamber. The lieutenant looked inside and spotted the temporary warden. He leaned back in his chair, reading a parchment with some manner of intent.

  “Dale,” she said.

  The guard nearly tipped from his seat. He collected his bearings and rose from the chair, offering a nod to the other officer. “Lieutenant,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting anyone else down here for a few hours.”

  “Relax,” Reya bade. “I’m only here to throw a few more lawbreakers behind bars. Could you open up one of the cells?”

  He nodded. “Of course.” He stepped forward before he realized he didn’t have the keys in his hand. A quick quarter-turn had him facing his desk once more, and he scooped the set from beside the parchment.

  “What did these ones do?” he asked.

  “Oh, you know, the usual: stealing, squatting, conspiring against the royal house.”

  Dale looked the folks over and arched his eyebrow. “I’ve not seen these people before. They dress like—”

  “False nobility, yes,” Reya interrupted. “And the sooner they’re behind bars, the sooner no one else will fall victim to their twisted words and schemes.”

  “Right you are,” the guard agreed. He passed the three companions and unlocked the gate before leading them inside.

  Reya gave Lucinda a light shove for good measure. “Perhaps you’ll be granted leniency, but I suppose not. Though Romsford is not a king, what you’ve done is treason all the same. Such crimes are not easily forgiven.”

  “We can’t change who we are,” Lucinda pressed. “It’s a shame Sungarden can’t accept us for that.”

  The lieutenant sneered at that comment before she slammed the door shut. Her features softened, though, when she saw the worry apparent on Merlin’s and Adelia’s faces. She grew further solemn when she spotted Orson in the adjacent cell. Reya turned and headed back into the chamber, and Dale was quick to follow her.

  When the sorceress was content with the distance between her and the guards of Sungarden, she inched toward the bars that separated the cells and gripped them, looking at the other folk they shared the prison with. Weary, dejected gazes shot back at her, and she couldn’t hide her misgivings.

  “Surely you’ve all heard whispers just at the end of the hall,” she said, her voice gentle and quiet. “The rumors about the morning are more than that. The magistrate paraded you around at his daughter’s birthday so he could coerce the other citizens into fearing you.”

  “What’s she talking about, Papa?” the little girl—the youngest of them—asked.

  Her father held her tight and turned her away from the recent arrival.

  “I’m not telling you this to frighten you,” Lucinda said, “but it’s important for you to know. You’re all going to be executed tomorrow, no matter what you think.”

  “But we’ve done nothing wrong,” one of those prisoners protested. “We didn’t hurt anyone; we never used our curse to cheat anyone—”

  “Fear
is enough,” Adelia coldly revealed. “The magistrate knows that, and he used it to justify his hatred. He doesn’t care about anything except keeping what he doesn’t understand out of his city.”

  “Well, why not just throw us out?”

  “And risk you coming back for vengeance?” Lucinda scoffed. “No. The hangman’s noose or the chopping block is the only release you’ll find.” She paused while she let that horrible news take root in the minds of the captives. “That’s if you wait for the magistrate’s justice. There is no hope for you here.”

  “Where would you have us go?” Orson asked.

  Dale shared his regrets about the “tenants” holed up in the cells. It was as if he thought calling them that somehow absolved the guards of any moral misgivings for what would happen the following morning.

  “What would you do?” Reya asked. “Turn them loose on the streets?” Even pretending she considered them monsters left a sour taste in her mouth.

  “No, but… They don’t have to die, do they?”

  Reya shook her head. “Well, it doesn’t matter what we think. The magistrate’s already made up his mind, and even voicing a different opinion may be hazardous to your job.”

  “So it’s true then? Darwin isn’t the captain anymore?”

  The lieutenant waved her hand. “I’ve already said too much. My own thoughts laid bare—that could cause a problem for me, and for you. My best advice is to keep your head down, Dale. That way, no one can take it off your shoulders.” When she heard that set of keys land on the desk once more, she blew out a sigh and spun about on her heel. “There is one more thing. But we can’t talk about it here. We’re too close to the prisoners.”

  “Well, what is it?” Dale asked, and he was quick to approach the other guard.

  Reya’s eyes landed on the keys on that desk but only for a moment. “Come, walk with me,” she whispered. He did as instructed, but he turned back again, like he had before. She lunged for him and grabbed his shoulder, leaning in close. “It seems our wildfolk may not be the only ones in the city. There may be others.” She made sure to keep quiet while in front of the prisoners and led Dale down the length of hallway, until they turned that first corner.