by Rain Oxford
“We have to save that egg before Caldaca is completely destroyed, and we don’t have time to travel by sea. We need to know where Baltezore is now. Do you have bat carriers?” I asked the king.
“At the south end of the kingdom, there is a messenger who keeps magic bats.” He pulled a scroll, bottle of ink, and quill from his pocket. “This has my royal mark on it. Write the message you need on it and take it to the messenger. Tell him I sent you and he will have it rushed for free.”
“You carry that with you always?”
“I am a king; I never know when I may need to send orders.”
“That makes sense. Thank you.” I took the scroll and quill and started writing.
Mason,
I need you to transport yourself and the large mirror to me. The small one was stolen by Sven. Also, be careful, because he might be watching you now.
Ayden
“I need to get this to him as soon as possible.”
“What about magic failing?” the king asked.
“We’re doing everything we can to stop it. You shouldn’t turn away people who are losing magic, you should be helping them. If you’re responsible for them, you need to provide what they can’t get for themselves.”
“I don’t want it to spread.”
“It doesn’t spread,” Dessa insisted. “It’s not a sickness. Magic itself is fading.”
“Very well. Once Cazma has been put to death for this curse, I will allow other magic users back into the kingdom.”
My uncontrollable groan turned into an outburst of frustration that made several of the king’s advisers back away. “It wasn’t a curse! Cazma didn’t do this to get back at you. This is a result of Caldaca losing magic. Are there any mages left?”
“In the outlying parts of the kingdom, yes.”
“Send a few advisers for them and the rest of you start searching the castle for anyone trapped.”
Merlin and I left and returned to the town surrounding the castle. The rock wall had collapsed on several of the shops near it, but other than being scared, no one outside the castle had been seriously injured. Of course, Merlin warned that if they weren’t seen by a mage, their wounds could become infected.
While we followed the road to the south end of town, I tried to shake the dust off my robe. I felt itchy. “Are you injured?” Merlin asked.
“No, just… squirmy. Are you?”
“I am unscathed. You are most likely sensing the disturbance in magic. Whenever there is a sharp drop of magic energy, I feel like my skin is too tight. I have to say, I am impressed, Ayden. I have seen you grow leaps and bounds since we met. You just ordered a king around, not because you thought you were better than him but because you were confident. You knew what to do, while he did not, so you took control. You led him out of the dark, so to speak. The only thing standing in your way is you.”
I thought the appropriate response was to thank him for his praise, but instead I blushed and kept my mouth shut.
We didn’t need to ask for directions because the messenger’s shop was open and the sound of wings flapping and bats squeaking spilled out.
Merlin stopped outside the door. I knocked, even though it was open. It was a very small shop. Two of the walls were covered in small cages of bats, a third was covered in cages of birds, scrolls hung on the last wall, and a table in the middle of the room was covered in maps. The only light came from the street torches, so I could barely see inside.
Only when he moved did I see a man standing in the shop. “Good evening,” I said. “I’m seeking the kingdom’s messenger.”
“You have come to the right place. I take care of the carrier bats. Everyone calls me Batman.”
Merlin made a strange sound but otherwise remained silent.
“Also, my associate is testing different types of birds to see if any of them can transport messages easier during the day. Everyone calls him Sparrow.”
“That’s… nice. I’ve been sent by King Flourisho with a message for your fastest bat.”
“I will deliver it immediately… but the bats aren’t feeling well.”
“Are they sick? Have you tried a healing potion?”
“Well, we don’t know what’s wrong. They keep getting confused about where to go.”
“The fading magic must be affecting their sense of direction like it is the quakes. Can you transport the letter by itself?”
“From what I’ve read and my mother has said, it doesn’t work that way. I can transport myself, anyone with me, and anything we’re holding or wearing.”
“Send me with the letter.”
“It’s not safe. If anything goes wrong, you wouldn’t have magic to defend yourself with.”
He didn’t argue, although I knew he wanted to. He was a monstrous wolf, more intelligent than most people I knew, and I would undoubtedly have been killed by my mother without him, but on Caldaca, magic ruled.
“How long will it take the bat to get to Mokora?” I asked.
“My fastest bat will be there and back by sunrise… if he makes it at all.”
“We can take the opportunity to get some sleep,” Merlin advised. “You need enough sleep to think and focus.”
I nodded. “Let’s hope the bat makes it.” I wrote Mason’s name on the outside of the scroll as Batman took a bat out of its cage. When he set the bat down on the table, I handed him the scroll and he tied it to the bat’s back. It was a larger bat, about the length of my arm, with golden-red fur around its neck. “I need you to go to the castle of Magnus Vobristum on Mokora. This message is for Mason Minof. It’s extremely important that you get to him as soon as possible.”
The bat took off through the door.
“How is that enough information?” Merlin asked.
I shrugged. “He’s a trained bat. All trained bats know how to find a person or place.”
“What?” Batman asked.
“I’m talking to my wolf.”
“Then why did we not use one to find Dessa?”
“Messenger bats are rare and expensive. Batman, is there an inn where Merlin and I can spend the night?”
“Sure.” He pointed out the door to the right. “Follow the road until you see Grudge’s inn, which has a crest on the door.”
“Thank you.” We followed the road and soon came upon the inn. Inside, there was a bar to the left and five tables to the right. Across from us was a set of stairs. There wasn’t any sign of damage, which surprised me.
“The epicenter must have been to the north, because the south end of town is mostly intact,” Merlin said.
We approached the bar, where a woman with long, dark red hair, a blue velvet robe, and silver dress was wiping out a mug. “Good evening. Do you have any rooms available?”
She glanced at Merlin, but didn’t seem concerned. “Yes, but if you’re looking for trouble, you’d best go elsewhere.”
“Why would I be looking for trouble?” With my hood up, she couldn’t see my blond hair, but she could see my blue eyes, so she shouldn’t have assumed I was a sorcerer.
“I’ve never met a curse breaker before. It sounds like a warlock to me.”
“I am not a fake.” If people knew I was half sorcerer, half wizard, I would be an outcast if not hunted outright, but warlocks were liars and I wouldn’t stand for that. Even my brothers never called me a warlock.
She smirked. “Obviously not. Are you really the only curse breaker?”
Merlin and I had discussed this question several times without coming up with a good answer. I was a sorcerer with sorcery and wizardry, but few people would accept that. However, the problem with making up a new type of magic was that people wanted to know what my strengths and weaknesses were, how I could help them and if I was a threat. I was fine with saying I was the only one of my kind, but Merlin said that it would be too suspicious.
“I don’t know any other curse breaker, but we could be confused with wizards, so I can’t be sure.”
She nodded. �
�How are you different than a wizard?”
“I can break curses better because I can manipulate sorcery.”
Her eyes widened, and I expected her to tell me to get out. “I have met your kind before.”
I blinked. “What?”
“About twelve years ago, I was working here with my father. A woman named Romi passed through the village and spent a few days in the inn. We thought she was a witch because she was able to drive off a necromancer who had been bothering us. She was such a nice person. Then, one day, a sorcerer moved into town and cursed my father. Romi turned the sorcerer to stone and broke the curse on my father.”
“What happened to her?”
“A mob of villagers killed her for using both wizardry and sorcery.” As if in anger, the crystal on my staff glowed dimly. Merlin growled in warning. “I mean you no harm,” the innkeeper said. “None of us knew she was a curse breaker. I didn’t agree with them killing her; I liked her and wanted them to let her go. I was too young to help her, though.”
“Stop it,” I whispered to my staff. Slowly, it stopped glowing. Since a Sjau was born at the moment of another Sjau’s death, I suspected Zelli was born as a result. “If there is a problem here, it’s not going to be me or Merlin who causes it, so can we have the room?”
She nodded. “If your purpose really is to break curses, I would be a fool to turn you away. I suggest not exploring the town, though.”
I had worse problems than a mob, but I didn’t need anything making my quest harder. After I paid the woman, she showed us to our room. It was very simple with two beds, a chest, and a table with two fat candles. I waited until the innkeeper left before lighting the candle with magic.
“I am having serious doubts about you being a curse breaker. In fact, I am having serious doubts about this entire world. Get some sleep because Mason could send the mirror at any moment.”
“You’ll wake me up when he does, right?”
“As long as you have gotten a few hours of sleep.”
I kicked off my boots, got into bed, and fell asleep quickly.
* * *
I was kneeling in front of a dark cave at the base of a mountain, which I immediately recognized. “Oh, no, was I almost killed again?”
“No, this is merely a dream,” Merlin said, appearing beside me. He was in his person form, so I knew it was true. Despite his hundreds of years of experience, he looked no older than my father due to his immortality. He was also around the same height and build as my father, with a kinder face. Like his wolf fur, his hair was primarily medium brown, mixed with light and dark brown. His eyes were the same gold color as his wolf eyes.
Although I had seen him this way in person and several times in dreams, it was still odd for me because I was so used to seeing him as a wolf.
“What’s going on? Why are we here?”
“You are here, because you have not upheld your promise,” a deep voice said from the darkness of the cave. It was Cennuth.
“We’re working on it!”
“Are we too late?” Merlin asked.
“No, but you are running out of time.”
“You could help by telling us where to find Baltezore.”
“We do not know where he is.”
“Do you mean that you don’t know where he is, or that no dragon does?”
“No dragon or wizard can tell you where he is. You must save the egg of Vokirex from Baltezore.”
“I know, but you’re not helping by---”
His deep growl sent a shiver down my spine. Merlin put his hand on the back of my neck and pushed my head down in a bow. “Do not incite Cennuth,” he warned in my mind. “I have scars that will never heal because I disrespected him.”
“And you wonder why I’m considering siding with his enemy?”
“Baltezore is my enemy.”
“Cennuth is demanding that we save the world and he refuses to help.”
“He taught me magic and healed me from Blue’s curse,” Merlin reminded me.
“We will do our best,” I said to Cennuth.
“Then if you---”
Chapter 12
There were two green eyes above me, almost glowing in the dim light. I shrieked until I realized it was Mason. Thoroughly startled, I pushed him away and winced when he hit the floor with a pained grunt. “What are you doing here and why did you have to scare me to death?”
“Calm down, Ayden. I was trying to wake you without waking everyone on this island. I got your letter.”
“Where is the mirror?” I asked, shaking slightly. Cennuth had been trying to say something, probably important.
“I couldn’t bring it; it is too big.”
I ignored him, more worried about Merlin. “Merlin?” I asked. He was still asleep in his bed… unmoving. “Merlin!” I got up, went to him, and shook him gently.
“What’s wrong with him?”
He was breathing. “He’s having a vision. We need to find Baltezore, so if you can’t bring the mirror to us, we’re going to have to go to it.”
“You know you can’t be transported. It’s too dangerous.”
“I met my uncles and one of them made Thad’s protection tattoos stronger. I should be able to make it. I just won’t do it more than necessary. The likelihood that my mother is watching is pretty low.”
Mason rolled his eyes and sighed. “I’m not going to argue with you. I’ll let Merlin do that when he wakes up, because you know he’s going to put your safety first.”
“You’re right, he will. Transport us to the castle now. If it’s your magic, the chance should be even less that she sees me.”
“I really don’t like this.”
“If anything goes wrong, you can blame me. I just can’t stand sitting around, not getting any closer to stopping the black star.”
“I don’t care whose idea it is, I care whose bones Merlin will be chewing on if you get hurt. I think you need to wait until Merlin can tell you what he thinks.”
“I know what he would say, but he wants me to be safe. I promised I would save the egg in exchange for Merlin’s life.”
“Then hang on, because I only learned to do this last winter.” He pulled his wand out of his pocket. A moment later, white magic poured out of his wand and wrapped around me and Merlin. I felt the ground under my feet disappear.
And then darker magic engulfed me.
* * *
I recognized my mother’s power and tried to fight it as Shaerl had explained, by envisioning myself as heavy as a rock. While I did, I also focused on transporting myself to the castle. Fight her, I thought to my staff. My magic struggled against hers to both transport me and make me heavy. Alas, it was easily crushed by hers.
I crashed into the stone floor, groaned with pain, and struggled to breathe. I was in a dark room on a dirty stone floor.
My mother stood over me. She was a tall, thin woman with straight black hair, cold burgundy eyes, and prominent cheekbones. Everything about her warned of danger. “Did you really think you could hide from me?”
“Longer than this, yes. You can’t kill me, Mother; you don’t have the other Sjau.”
She laughed cruelly. “Everything is going according to plan. I have been in control every step of the way.”
“I always thought there was something wrong with me. I blamed myself for your hatred of me. Now I’ve gotten out in the world and I’ve seen other parents, even sorcerers, and I’ve realized… it was you who was to blame. You never cared about me because I have only ever been a tool for you. You never gave me a chance to be a good son. And worse is that for my entire childhood, I never knew why I was different, but you did.”
“You think I owed you an answer? You were born for the sole purpose of making me more powerful.”
There was no reasoning with her, and arguing would just waste my energy. “Did Merlin and Mason make it through?”
“They did… this time.” She reached out to touch me and I scrambled back. “We don’t have to
do this the hard way.” Her voice was gentle, almost caring, but I knew what came next. The kyanite ring on her thin, pale index finger glowed a moment before my wand and staff shot into her hands. “You won’t need these.”
I searched around me with my hands and my blood turned cold. “What did you do with my bag?”
“I don’t have your bag.”
That wasn’t much of a relief. Whether it made it to the castle or was left behind at the end, my most dangerous two possessions were in the hands of Sven and my mother.
I was in the basement of her house, which I had only seen twice (once as a child and again when she summoned me to inflict a curse). The only light in the room came from two fat, half-melted candles on an old wooden desk that was covered in scrolls and books. Two walls of the basement were lined with bookshelves, although they weren’t covered with books alone. Potions, strange ingredients, and odd utensils also cluttered the shelves. Under the stairs were crates.
After setting my wand and staff on the desk, she pulled her wand from her pocket and pointed it behind me. I wasn’t willing to turn my back on her long enough to see what she’d done. “Empty your pockets.”
“You know I don’t carry anything except my wand in my pocket.” Whether she hated me or not, she had taught me a number of lessons over the years that I wouldn’t forget… mostly because her way of teaching usually involved bloodshed and fire.
She smirked. “Good. It’s too bad, really. You retain the lessons I beat into you well. If only I had beaten the wizardry out of you. If you were a good son, you could be working for me instead of dying by my hand.”
“It’s your fault because you knew what I was and never told me. If you had explained to me why I was different, I would have asked for the raven’s curse. I would have done anything for your respect when I was little.”
“You can’t blame this on me; Sven is one of you and he turned out right. I wish he was my son instead of you.”
“Oh, I do, too.”
“Well, you will have plenty of time to make wishes while rotting in a cell. Get in.”
