by Phil Gabriel
“I trust you, Scott-Sensei. You won’t give bad orders.”
Damn, I hate it when people trust me.
This spell was much more complex than the Schrödinger spell I had just taught her. I could see her trying to follow the patterns and weaves, but it went too fast for her to follow.
“Akiko, pick up the ring and put it on your finger,” I said.
She had a lot of difficulty moving the ring, until I showed her how to use a portion of the ring’s energy to power her grasp.
“Put your hand in mine.” I held out my right hand, and she placed her ring-bearing hand on my palm.
Covering her hand with my other, I chose the terms of her geas. The temptation to trap and use her was strong. I ignored that inner voice. Once my own period of slavery ended, I had taken a vow to bind no one. Instead, I chose the most liberal geas I knew, taken from a Wiccan I had once dated:
“As ye harm none, do as you will!”
The flash of magic was so bright, even a few of the plain human customers around us looked about for the source of the light.
Akiko was even more solid than before, and even more mature. She couldn’t seem to stop looking at the ring on her hand.
I cleared the screen on my iPad, releasing the circle of protection. The noise rushed back around us, filling up the silence.
Akiko’s eyes darted back and forth, as if seeking something.
“The pull is gone, no more pull to school!”
“Yeah, you’re independent now. Congratulations.”
“What is my obligation? Do I have to serve you?”
“No, you are a free agent, not a slave. No one can bind you now. Go check on your brother; help him any way you can. Just remember you can’t reveal yourself to him.” Didn’t want her putting her kid brother into a psych ward.
“But I want to learn more magic. I study very hard, help you.”
“You can come back after you check on your little brother. We have lots of time,” I said.
“How do I find you, Scott-Sensei?”
“We are connected by the ring, you can use it to find me wherever I go,” I said.
We both stood, and Akiko gave me the deepest bow I had ever received from a Japanese.
“Arigato-gozaimasu,” she said. “This is the best White Day gift I ever receive.”
“White Day?” I asked.
“Hai, today March fourteen. Is White Day in Japan. Man give woman gift: white chocolate, jewelry. You give me these, and my freedom. Best White Day ever!”
“I’m happy you like the gifts, Akiko,” I said while frantically wondering what peculiar Japanese tradition I had stumbled into. I hoped that it wasn’t anything like the Italian tradition of proposing through a gift of gold. A cheap bracelet, purchased on a whim, had forced me to leave Naples twenty years ago. That strega was still looking for me.
With the connection through the ring, Akiko could find me anywhere in the world. That suddenly sounded ominous.
“Good luck with your brother, Akiko. I’ll see you soon.”
“Hai. Very soon, Scott-Sensei.”
She looked back once as she walked away, as if she couldn’t believe she was finally free. I blinked, and she was gone.
