Force of Nature

by Shawna Logue

  Maybe that’s what this was: just another normal magical creature, or at least normal for my world. A normal world which now revolved around wizards, shapeshifters and leprechauns. A world where a few months ago, I was just as oblivious as Maria, and yet in just that short amount of time, the oddities were now the everyday.

  Despite becoming a part of this new world so quickly, and accepting the weird and unusual as normal, I did not feel like I fit in with my fellow supernatural friends. My “gift” was completely unheard of in the magical community. I was a freak who happened to be beneficial to other wizards, like the one who tried to steal the Philosopher’s Stone last January. Wizards who planned to steal me if they failed to retrieve the stone. Wizards like Merlin. The wizard who got away.

  I shuddered. Connor had warned me about playing with force lines. He had said I would act like a beacon, drawing unwanted creatures to me. Merlin was probably looking for me, and now that I had saturated myself with magic, I was all too easy to find. The creature that flew by had definitely seen me. Was I being overly paranoid? What should I do if Merlin had sent him to find me? I jumped up out of my seat at this thought.

  “We have to leave,” Maria said in a rapid, hushed voice, snapping her phone shut.

  This startled me. I had been about to say the same thing. Her look was determined though, but I couldn’t tell if she was still feeling the fear I had seen on her face earlier. I threw some money on the table, knowing it was more than enough to cover the bill, and we both rushed outside, sensing each other’s urgency.

  I was surprised at Maria’s ferocity. This was a side to her I hadn’t seen before. I didn’t have time to question it though, because she clearly knew where she was going, and I had no choice but to follow. The streets were crowded with people on their lunch breaks, and I cursed at them silently for impeding our path.

  After a minute or so of pushing our way through the crowds, Maria stopped abruptly. I had just enough time to stop myself from smashing into her. She was looking up at something, and her phone had flashed into her hand. She was talking frantically to the person on the other end of the line.

  “Yes. I see him, but he doesn’t see me,” she whispered quickly into the phone. “Yes, I think I can meet him there. Got it. We’ll be fine. Love you too.”

  I wasn’t really paying attention to her anymore. As she spoke, I had followed her gaze. About a half a block away, on the opposite side of the street, perched a fierce-looking gothic statue. It was far too unnatural for the modern building it sat on, and as I examined its chiselled face and stony wings, I could see that the gargoyle was moving. He was slowly scanning the crowd, searching. Thankfully, he hadn’t noticed me yet.

  Or Maria for that matter. How could she see him? I didn’t have time to answer my question, as she was pulling me down a side street with unusual speed.

  “Run, Alex!” she called as she started to sprint down the street. I acted automatically, my legs eager to respond to the adrenaline. There were fewer people here, so the running was easy. Her little suitcase practically flew behind me as I ran; my speed was too fast for its tiny wheels. Maria turned down an alley to my right, and as I caught up to her I stopped, stunned.

  Subconsciously, I had wondered how Maria knew I was in danger, but who was this stranger we were running to? What was he doing in the alley? Was he here to help me? My level of confusion skyrocketed.

  “Maria!” The man picked her up in a quick embrace. The man was tall and lean. Perhaps it was due to the shadows of the alley, but his features all seemed accentuated and hard. Despite the strong definition of his face, he still looked striking.

  “Alex! Hurry! We have to go!” Maria was frantic now, and perhaps she caught my confusion, because she added with hasty exasperation, “I’ll explain later!”

  The man’s face fell when he saw me, and as I ran towards them he turned to Maria and spoke with a low, calm voice. “I didn’t know there were two of you, Maria. I’m not sure I can take you both…” His voice trailed off at the end.

  I barely heard the grating sound of the beating wings of the gargoyle before the tall man pushed both me and Maria hard to the ground. In the brief instant when his hand had connected with my arm, I felt the familiar spark of a power transfer.

  My hands burned with new scrapes from hitting the pavement, but I pushed against them anyway, leaping back up. Instinct kicked in, and as I turned to face the man, I saw the recognition in his face, combined with a curiousity that was somewhat masked by the frantic situation. He held both slender palms toward me, and I slammed my hands against his in response, the power flowing out of me in a slow, steady stream.

  He called to Maria, who was just getting up, and she seemed to sense what was going on. She lunged for the man just as I heard the wings of the gargoyle approach as he swept down for another pass.

  The second her hand clasped around the tall man’s arm, I ceased to exist.

  Chapter Five

  I don’t know how to describe not existing. I’ve tried to put it into words before, and nothing ever seems to fully explain the complete void that you become. The closest thing I can say is that one second, I’m in the alley, aware of the gravelly sound of the gargoyle's wings, of the humming of the nearby cars idling down the street, of the faint trickling of water travelling down the drainpipe. I can smell the acrid smell of the alley, mixed with the fresh linen smell of the laundromat around the corner. Closer to me, I smell Maria’s light, floral perfume mixed with the deliciously musky spice of the strange newcomer. I can see the crumbling brick of the old building beside us, and the foreboding shadow of the gargoyle as he plummets down toward us. I can see Maria’s face, creased with fright and worry, and I can see the focused, calm face of the man who I am pouring my energy into. I can see my hands in front of me, trembling with energy.

  And the next second, there’s nothing.

  I cannot see. Everything is silent because sound waves don’t exist here. It’s not that there is nothing to smell, it’s that I can’t smell at all. My fingers no longer tremble, because I have no fingers. I have no body. Somehow, despite thinking all this, I’m aware that I have no mind. I want to gasp for air, but I have no lungs, and there is no air anyway. I can’t even describe it as blackness, because it’s not black. It’s nothingness.

  Finally, I slammed back into the ground, hard. My fingers were still touching the man before me. Maria’s grip on his arm loosened slightly, but she didn’t let go until she fully caught her balance. Her face was relieved. My other senses take a moment to catch up.

  The sounds were different. I could hear birds in the distance, and a fresh, earthy scent dominated my nose. I heard several gasps at our sudden presence, though I still hadn’t processed where that was. My vision became blurry before I could look around.

  As soon as the man’s fingers left mine, my knees buckled. My body was drained, weak from the sudden power transfer. As I hit the ground, I was aware that it was softer than it should be. My hands felt sticky as they braced my fall onto the dewy grass, and I knew that the scrapes I had felt earlier were probably worse than I had initially thought. I could smell the rusty, salty smell of blood, which only added to my dizziness.

  I was fairly certain someone had caught me before I my body fully impacted the ground. The arms had scooped me up easily, as though I weighed little more than a feather. I braced myself, expecting to pass out, but instead I remained in a stupor, not quite conscious but never completely blacking out. I couldn't seem to focus, and I found myself fighting dizziness as I was carried away. I pushed my head into the stranger, calming as I inhaled the scents around me.

  I had thought we must be have landed in a forest, so I was surprised when suddenly we were indoors. I hadn't noticed a building, but then again, I wasn't looking that hard. But the light had definitely changed, even though the sounds hadn’t. Where was I? Should I be worried?

  I was slightly aware of being placed onto a soft surface. A couch perhaps? Whatever it was, it
was luxuriously comfortable, and I felt my eyelids droop heavily in response to the softness. Someone was bandaging my hands, and they instantly felt soothed. I was aware of Maria talking to several people; their serene voices questioning her about what happened.

  “It was Zarek,” Maria said, and I heard her audience gasp in recognition.

  “Zarek? Are you sure?” a woman asked. Her voice was quiet and did not betray any emotion.

  “I'm positive. He must have found out I was in Vancouver. I just thought-” she cut off, and I heard several people shuffle in response.

  “Maria!” I heard Justin's familiar voice call. I assumed he must have been hugging her, because he said several more things but they were muffled.

  After a few moments, someone cleared their throat. I opened my eyes just enough to see if anyone was trying to get my attention.

  “What about her?” a man asked, gesturing in my direction. I closed my eyes again, hoping no one had noticed. I wasn't sure why I didn't want them to know I was awake, but I felt as though I wouldn't be able to hold my own in a conversation at this point anyway.

  “I think she'll be fine. She just needs to rest.” Despite only hearing him speak briefly in the alley, I was sure that this voice belonged to the man who had transported us away from the gargoyle.

  “How did you manage to take them both?” the woman asked, and scepticism betrayed her otherwise smooth voice.

  I heard the man suck in a deep breath before responding, slowly and smoothly, “I’m not entirely sure, but I think she's a mana well.”

  The room fell silent at this, and for a moment, I wondered if everyone had left. Then, the woman spoke again. “Don't be ridiculous, Jachai. Mana wells aren't people.”

  “I know that, Lahela,” he mocked, emphasizing her name in a perfect mimic of her sneer. “But that's the only thing I can think of to explain what happened in the alley.”

  It was Maria's turn to speak now. “What did happen in the alley? Something was going on with Alex before you transported us here, wasn't it?”

  He sighed. After a minute of silence, he finally spoke. “When I pushed you both down out of the way of Zarek, I felt a small surge of magic from your friend. I couldn't be sure why at the time, but when she got up, she seemed to know what to do. That girl had more power in her than I have ever seen, even in you Lahela.”

  The woman snorted in disgust.

  “She has no control of it though,” he continued, quieter now. “If I hadn't been careful, I would have phased us clear to Japan. I truly had to focus on our destination.”

  “This is all well and good,” Justin's voice spoke calmly, “but we still have to deal with Zarek. Someone must have hired him. I can't imagine why he would go after Maria unless there was something in this for him.”

  This last sentence jolted me. This creature wasn't after Maria. He was after me! Maria had nothing to do with any of this. But how could I jump into the conversation without giving away that I had been listening the whole time? I fluttered my eyes open dramatically, and stretched, grimacing as my muscles cried out in response.

  Everyone turned to look at me. Maria was at my side in an instant. I could see now that we were still outside, but under a large gazebo. Vines tangled up the side and through the ceiling, but were sparse enough to let some light through. I was to one side of the round platform, lying on an outdoor wicker bed. There were sheer curtains on the bed, but they were pulled back enough that I could see my company. Across from me were two large wicker chairs that completed the set.

  Aside from Maria, I recognized the man from the alley, Jachai. There was another man there, whom I assumed was older only due to his long, snow-white hair, but his face seemed just as ageless as Jachai's: thin, angular, and devastatingly handsome. He wore a long hunter green cloak around his shoulders, but he did not seem out of place against the backdrop of the forest. Set against the bright white of his hair was a thin gold circlet, and I could make out that it was two golden branches twisted together. His whole demeanour was regal.

  The woman, Lahela I presumed, was also striking. Her steel eyes penetrated into me as my gaze fell on her. Her hair was a vibrant red, falling in tangles of curls all the way down her back. She too wore a cloak, hers a rich, dark blue. Something seemed similar about the three of them. Perhaps they were all related?

  Then I noticed Justin. He was standing behind Lahela, but showed no sign of acknowledgement to her. His eyes never left Maria, even though she now focused on me. I hadn't see Justin since before the incident on New Year's, and though it hadn't been that long, I was surprised at how much weight he had lost. He had always been quite fit, but now, especially standing next to these other three, he looked defined, his face full of angles that mirrored his companions.

  I noticed that Justin wore a blue cloak as well, which struck me as odd. My first reaction was that I fallen into some strange cult, but then I remembered Maria sitting beside me. She wasn't the kind of person who would be involved with a cult. I looked at the three strangers, then back to Justin, and finally saw the similarity.

  Their ears. Lahela, Jachai and Justin all had the same slender, pointed ears. I assumed the older man had them as well, but his hair concealed them from my view. I heard myself gasp as the realization hit me.

  Before I could speak, I turned to Maria, searching her face for any sign of recognition. Did she know what Justin was? Looking back at Justin, I hissed, “Does she know?”

  He looked shocked, and somewhat uncertain. “Does she know what, Alex?”

  I looked back at Maria. I had wanted to protect her by not saying it out loud, but his answer gave me no choice. “Does Maria know she's engaged to an… elf?”

  It was Maria who started laughing first, followed quickly by the four elves. After a while, they all calmed down, clearly unaware that I hadn't found the situation quite so amusing. I looked seriously to Maria.

  “Alex, you can see that?” she asked, stifling a giggle.

  “Yes,” I answered, unsure of where her questioning was leading. “Can you?”

  “Actually, no,” she giggled, “but I can feel it.” She must have caught my raised eyebrow, because she added, “Justin told me who he was the first time I touched his face. It didn't feel how it looked. Not to mention his ears continued on past where I could see them end,” she laughed.

  “I can only change myself visually, not physically,” Justin mused quietly, clearly enjoying some private joke with Maria. “I'm surprised you can see through it, Alex. Have you always been able to see me this way?”

  I thought about the memory of Justin versus what I could see now. “Um, no. This is the first time. It probably has to do with what happened at New Year's though…” I trailed off, not wanting to get into that story right now. Thankfully, my stomach chose that time to growl angrily at me, preventing anyone from asking me for details.

  The older man spoke. “Jachai, please take Alex and get her something to eat. Also, see that she has somewhere to stay. I don't want anyone leaving tonight until we sort out the Zarek matter.” He turned to me, adding, “I hope you don't mind staying with us for a little while?”

  “We aren't scheduled to be home until tomorrow anyway!” Maria chirped, clearly excited at this new development.

  Jachai reached one long slender hand to me and gently raised me up, his hands gracefully supporting my elbows. He was careful not to touch my bandaged palms. He nodded once to each Lahela and Justin, before bowing slightly to the older man. I felt my face flush as I realized I was probably breaking some sort of Elven rule of etiquette by not doing the same. I looked to Maria for some sort of hint as to what I should do, but she was already looking at Justin, and didn't catch my glance. Jachai didn't seem to notice either. He continued to lead me out of the gazebo and into the woods.

  Chapter Six

  Jachai did not speak to me as we walked along the unseen path through the dense forest. It seemed as though the roots and bushes parted at his approach. His pace, thoug
h appearing effortless, was so quick it forced me to half-jog in order to keep up. I was far too exhausted to keep up this speed and stumbled several times along the way. He seemed to barely touch the ground with his feet. He looked back only once (I’m guessing to ensure I was still following); upon seeing my lack of speed, he slowed his pace. A few minutes later, the woods opened up to a clearing, though I’m not sure it could even be called that.

  The woods ended abruptly on three sides, the thick forest cutting smoothly off as though a cookie cutter had sliced a chunk out of it. On the side of the clearing farthest from us, though still quite far away, was a sheer drop, and I could see a massive waterfall roaring down the other side of the canyon. Apart from where we stood, the waterfall was the only other break in the forest.

  Jachai whispered something I couldn't understand and the air in front of me shimmered like looking at pavement on a hot, summer day. Slowly, the waterfall and the rest of the ravine were obscured from view as a large stone building appeared before us. No, it was more than just a building, it was a castle.

  “What is this place?” I asked, awestruck.

  Jachai still did not speak; he only looked at me with an amused and curious expression before turning to walk with graceful speed towards the massive, ornate wooden doors. His step was light, as though he was proud to show off this place to me, the newcomer.

  As I approached, I couldn't help but notice the magic of the building. Force lines were all around it, interlacing into a grid, protecting the building. These lines weren't the electric blue colour I was used to; they were a rich, lush, green colour, and were less constrained than what I was used to seeing. They almost looked like vines, entangling the entire edifice. Despite my burning curiosity, I refrained from trying to pull energy from them. I felt a strange sense of respect for the structure. Not only that, but I was worried they might be holding the building up.