Mark of Fate

by K. T. Webb

  “Legacy, I did not want to go with them. It felt like I had no choice.”

  “I know, Noble. I need you to fight against them. You are stronger than they know. The wild magic is in you the same as it is in me. Embrace it. Find the light inside yourself and burn them down with it,” Legacy said through gritted teeth.

  Noble took a ragged breath and closed his eyes. His boyish face contorted with frustration as he searched within himself for the connection to the pure wild magic. Legacy knew he would find his light; it was there just as it was inside her and Honor. She willed him to see the connection and push the light outside of him. It did not take long for his skin to begin to glow; for a fraction of a second, Noble looked as he did the last time they were together. He smiled to himself just before three shrouded figures screamed from his body, leaving him to collapse on the forest floor.

  Legacy rose to her feet, “My brother is descended from the chosen ruler of the Kingdom of Man. We have the strength to fight the darkness, and we will end you.”

  “You cannot have him,” the darkness roared. “We need him.”

  They were beginning to sound desperate, but they were far from beaten. Legacy could feel her own strength waning as she fought to push some of her individual light into the boy she had grown to love. He was lying on the ground, helpless against the three monsters looming above him. She was not strong enough to save him on her own. Legacy fought to push the negative thoughts from her mind. She could not let the darkness consume her light. If the Shadow Mages’ presence had power over her, they would destroy her without thought.

  “You are nothing. You cannot stop what we have started. We will devour all of Alderwood, and what is left will bow to us,” the darkness insisted.

  Legacy steeled her resolve and pushed again. Her brother began to stir on the ground. Hope flooded into Legacy as she brought all her focus onto him. The Shadow Mages were spectators in a moment that could be the last Legacy had with her brother. Her strength was gone, she lay on the ground, staring at him, silently pleading for forgiveness. Her eyes met Noble’s, and she saw a flicker of desperate recognition. He needed her, but she could not fight the Shadow Mages alone. Legacy fell to her knees and the enemy pounced. The last thing she saw before the darkness took over was Noble’s limp body rising from the ground. It was over.

  The Shadow Mages were upon her before she could regain her senses. They were trying desperately to gain entry to her soul. Legacy had no fight left in her. They were like hungry wolves fighting over a fresh carcass. It was as though Legacy was watching everything happen from outside of her body. She watched her body being tossed and pulled as her enemies tried to get her to relinquish control. Then came the sudden sense that she was no longer lost, and the reason appeared in the form of Noble. He had risen to his feet.

  “Leave her. I am the one you want. I am the one you have wanted from the start. Leave my sister alone!” Noble demanded.

  She could do nothing to stop him. Noble made his decision and got what he asked for. In an instant, the Shadow Mages abandoned their attempts to overtake her and returned to their preferred vessel. Legacy had a strange sense of slamming back into her own body just as a bright blue light flashed through the forest. Noble, under the control of their enemies, screamed in response to the sudden illumination.

  Legacy tried to regain control of her own limbs. She watched helplessly as Noble fled into the welcoming darkness. The intense heat seemed anxious to claim her as well as it came closer and closer to her from behind. She turned toward the heat source, narrowing her eyes against the same blue fire she had seen countless times in her sleep. Legacy suddenly wondered if she had somehow fallen asleep in the middle of the Forest of Illusane. That was far from what she should be doing, she needed to wake up. Noble needed her.

  “Noble?” she screamed when she realized she was alone in a circle of fire.

  It was not a dream. Her visions were coming true. Legacy wondered if Evander would come crashing through the flames to save her or if Nikita would suddenly appear. Would she need to borrow moisture from the forest to extinguish the fire?

  Legacy fought to remember the details semi-consciousness had robbed from her immediate memory. She recalled Noble had been struggling to reclaim control over his body. The Shadow Mages were expelled from him, which left them to attack Legacy. Noble stopped them. He bravely took a stand and welcomed them back into his malnourished body to spare his sister’s life. Then came the light, the pained scream of the Shadow Mages, and Noble’s fleeing form. After that, she remembered nothing. Maybe nothing had happened after that, Legacy had no idea.

  Now, the fire surrounded her, and smoke restricted her lungs. If this was not her dream and Legacy was finally facing the flames she had feared for so long, she knew more than she ever had before. In the Forest of Illusane, Legacy was unafraid. She found she did not feel the need to panic and she would not wait to be rescued. Legacy stood to walk through the flames only to have a handgrip her from behind.

  “Legacy! Thank goodness I found you. What happened?” Evander pulled her into his arms.

  “Noble was here, the Shadow Mages were inside him. I must help him, Evander. Take my hand.”

  He had seen that look in her eyes and knew exactly what she would be trying to do. Evander must have walked through the flames to reach her, but he was still nervous about risking her life by walking through the fire again. Before he could object, Legacy charged the blue flames. A gentle caress covered her exposed skin when they crossed through the blaze. There were no burns, the smoke began to smell like a bonfire rather than a suffocating end to her world. On the other side of the fire, she found a clear path that led toward a distant opening in the trees. Noble was nowhere to be seen. The Shadow Mages had him in their grasp again.

  “The dryads are showing us the way out,” Evander told her.

  “Yes, I see that. But what of Theon, Justice, and Silverleaf? And what about Noble and the Shadow Mages who hold him captive?”

  “You need not worry about us, my Queen,” Theon’s voice startled her.

  Legacy turned to see their friends waiting for them at the side of the path. The group hug she rushed into felt like nothing she had ever experienced. The relief of being reunited with her travel companions was short-lived as she remembered the one person still unaccounted for.

  “Did you see my brother?”

  Justice hung his head before speaking, “Only briefly. We saw him yelling outside the dark cloud that seemed to be trying to attack you. Silverleaf sent his fire to stop them.”

  Legacy looked to Silverleaf. “That was you? All this time, I have seen those flames in my nightmares and thought it would bring my death.”

  Silverleaf laughed, “My fire cannot hurt those who are connected to the wild magic. The Shadow Mages did not come by their connection naturally, so they screeched when I wrapped you in the fire. I fear they fled, taking your brother with them. Evander is connected to Legacy in a way I have not seen often, so his connection to her protected him from harm.”

  Legacy looked to the path that would lead to their freedom. There was no way she could walk out of the Forest of Illusane, knowing her brother was still trapped inside with the enemy. She would never forgive herself. With another look at her friends, she knew what she would have to do.

  “You all must leave these woods. I will stay and search for my brother until my dying day if I must. I cannot leave him here.”

  Again, Silverleaf released a small chuckle causing the other four to stare at him incredulously. Legacy wondered if he had been away from others for so long that he did not know how to interact with them appropriately. He clearly did not understand this meant she may never see anyone ever again. Legacy would become a prisoner of the forgotten forest.

  “You will not be staying here, Legacy. Not alone. I will remain beside you at all costs,” Evander insisted. “I must insist you both stop throwing yourselves on your swords and listen to what
I have to say,” Silverleaf was still smiling. “The curse ends when I leave these trees. The wild magic cursed the Forest of Illusane to protect me. As long as I walk these woods, the forest will be erased from space and memory. But, the moment I leave, it will be free.”

  Legacy furrowed her brow. “So, when you leave, no one will be trapped in this forest?”

  “Correct.”

  The thrill of happiness pinged through her, knowing her little brother would not be doomed to walk through the Forest of Illusane for eternity. The Shadow Mages came to the forest to find Silverleaf, but since Legacy found him first, they had no reason to remain in the woods. The Shadow Mages would seek to bring war upon the people of Alderwood before Silverleaf could be restored as the ruler of his kingdom. If this was true, their only option was to leave the forest and return to Pallisaide as soon as possible. They had to warn the others before their enemies arrived.

  “We have to go,” Legacy explained, “We may be able to buy time if the Shadow Mages do not know the curse ends when you leave. If we can get ahead of them, we may reach Pallisaide in time to crown you King of the Kingdom of Earth.”

  With renewed vigor, the group rushed along the brightly lit path that led out of the woods. Legacy felt the difference in the warm air that awaited them and wondered how she had survived those past few days in the Forest of Illusane. It had been clammy and warm during the day, but by nightfall, the chill of darkness struck her core. Her body struggled to reconcile the intense sunlight of the outside world. The closer they got to the edge of the wood, the more concerned she grew. Something felt off, she was sure there was something different in the air of the outside world. Legacy shook her fears away, it was the darkness of the woods and the evil of the Shadow Mages getting to her. There was nothing to fear. How could there be anything to be afraid of if they were leaving the forest?

  As they crossed the edge of the woods, the air immediately warmed. Birds chirped overhead, and green grass grew between bursts of wildflowers. When they had gone into the woods, the seasons had not yet changed entirely from winter to spring. Legacy immediately wondered if they had once again been tricked by the Forest of Illusane. Had they been allowed to leave the forest only to end up in a completely foreign location? Silverleaf seemed undisturbed by their surroundings. Instead, he was in awe of the sun overhead and stopped to look at each flower. Theon, Justice, and Evander stood next to Legacy, each trying to reconcile the Alderwood they had left just days before the place they now saw.

  “This cannot be right,” Evander exclaimed as he whirled around to get a look at the forest they came from.

  The others followed his lead. Legacy’s mouth dropped open. The Forest of Illusane was nearly unrecognizable. The oversized trees were still there, but they no longer appeared foreboding. Now, the tree spirits played freely, chasing one another through the sunlit wood. All manner of animals seemed to have materialized from nowhere to take up residence in the once lost forest. Legacy closed her eyes, counted to five, then opened them once more. Her mind was whirling from the changes around her.

  “Is this what it is like to go mad?” Legacy sighed.

  “Oh, no, dear Queen. You are far from mad. The Forest of Illusane has claimed the sanity of many who stumbled upon it since the curse was cast. I believe what we see now is these woods showing their true form,” Silverleaf said with the simplicity of ignorance.

  “You do not understand, Silverleaf. When we went into those woods, Alderwood had yet to fully transition from winter to spring,” Justice explained. “Now, it appears as though summer is in full swing.”

  There was no denying what Justice pointed out. So many questions were left unanswered. Had time passed differently outside of the forest? How long had they been gone? Legacy tried her best to push those questions aside. There would be time to sort out the details later; the change in the Forest of Illusane would undoubtedly alert the Shadow Mages to their freedom. If they were weakened at all by Silverleaf’s brilliant blue flames, they would not need long to rally.

  “We have to return to Pallisaide,” Legacy announced. “If we have been missing for an extended period of time, we must return and prepare everyone for the battle that will be coming our way.” An agreement passed between the five travelers. They would set out immediately and would not rest more than absolutely necessary. Time was of the essence and reaching Pallisaide before the Shadow Mages would be imperative to their cause.

  In the three days since escaping the Forest of Illusane, the rescue party had covered more ground than they had in one week on horseback. Legacy felt as though her legs would burst into flames at any moment. Aching muscles, red-rimmed eyes, and a short temper had pushed her to the edge. Silverleaf did his best to offer natural remedies as he found them. Various roots relieved some of the discomforts when chewed, but the aftereffects often left them tired and disoriented.

  Conversation ceased by the end of the second day. It seemed everyone understood that the less they said to one another, the more likely they would continue to be friends when they were back at Pallisaide.

  Legacy tried to fight her feelings of hopelessness, but the fatigue made that difficult. If the Shadow Mages created a portal to take Noble, what had stopped them from returning to the city in the same manner? Silverleaf continued to assure her that the powerful light of his flames had depleted their enemies enough that they would be too weak to attempt any such magic until they fully recovered. Despite his assurances, Legacy still felt the rope around her throat tightening the longer it took them to return home.

  On the evening of the third day, Legacy collapsed from exhaustion. Evander was by her side quickly, but she waved him off abruptly. She knew he only wanted to help, but she did not want anyone to help her. Legacy only wanted to make it back to Pallisaide before the Shadow Mages and knowing she was weakening only served to irritate her and remind her she was not there yet.

  Another dark thought had also begun to form in the back of her mind; the Shadow Mages only needed Noble to get into the Forest of Illusane and find Silverleaf. Now that the forest had been freed and Silverleaf was no longer a prisoner, would they find they had no use for the young prince? Legacy dared not speak her concerns aloud. Giving them voice would only make them feel more real.

  “We should rest for a few hours, Legacy. We cannot risk you falling ill while rushing to return home,” Evander glanced at his friends for support.

  “Evander is right, we can take the time to regain some strength. We will cover more ground if rested. Theon and I will build a fire,” Justice offered.

  “I will find some roots and leaves to make a stew and get you fixed up,” Silverleaf said and headed off on his own.

  Legacy was thankful for his power and knowledge. Without Silverleaf, they would not have made it as far as they had without taking a proper break. Her strength waned as the hopelessness gnawed a gaping hole in her chest. With every gesture Evander or the others offered as help, Legacy’s rage rumbled beneath the surface. She was unsure if her ability to hold it in would last.

  Anger was dangerous. If she allowed her emotions to take over, she would be no better than the Shadow Mages she was fighting so hard to destroy. They let their thirst for power destroy their humanity, every ounce of light inside them was distinguished forever.

  As if reading her mind, Evander whispered in her ear, “We will make it back in time, we just need to restore our strength. I know you’re tired, but you are far from weak. Please know I am here for you if you need me,”.

  Legacy nodded, “Thank you, Evander.”

  He carefully lifted her from the ground, cradling her in his arms as he brought her back over to the fire the others started. As Legacy laid against him, she watched Silverleaf approach them with some leaves in his hands. She did not question him as he brought one to her lips and gestured for her to open her mouth. The foliage was warm and soft with slightly ribbed edges. It tasted of fruit and summer; it was like nothing she had ever
eaten. Legacy chewed the leaf and swallowed it.

  “That will help with your sore muscles. I have some berries and herbs that must be heated in water before you can drink them. They will ease your body into a deep and restful sleep. You will all need some rest before we continue,” Silverleaf explained his actions as he weaved a makeshift pot from leaves and twigs.

  Legacy stared at the fire, watching Silverleaf arrange the items to keep them from catching the flames. The process was slow-going due to the construction of the container he made to heat the mixture. Once Silverleaf decided his swill was finished, he offered a small cup constructed with leaves to each of their group. Legacy stared at it for a few moments, wondering if it was the same liquid they were given before receiving their marks. The last thing any of them needed was to disappear into a vision quest when they needed to keep moving. Evander had never experienced the process, so he was happily sipping while the other three stared at their own.

  “I know what you are thinking. I assure you; I would not give you anything that would keep you from what we must do,” Silverleaf said as though he could read their minds.

  Evander looked at them in a confused stupor, “What? What did I miss?”

  Legacy shrugged at Evander. “We had to drink something like this before we received our marks. It gave us our visions and knocked us out cold for hours.” She glanced at Silverleaf. “Forgive us for being nervous.”

  Silverleaf nodded, “I understand. This is similar in the sedative elements, but the similarities end there. You will sleep, but it is unlikely that you will dream.”

  That was enough assurance for Legacy. She trusted Silverleaf, and the others followed her lead. Legacy took a sip and relished the flavor and warmth as it rolled over her tongue and down her throat. By the time she finished her drink, Evander was fast asleep. Legacy snuggled into his arms on the ground. Before long, sleep claimed her, and she welcomed it without hesitation.