by Candy Crum
"So, when I approach an animal, the magic is similar to healing magic, right?" Corrine asked.
Her mistake last time was that she had pushed her influence on the animal, forcing it into submission. That approach always caused intense pain for the animal, but once it submitted, the power could be lifted, creating a subservient animal while no longer causing it pain.
"Allow your magic to grow, and focus on the animal with the best of intentions. The magic will draw them to you, even without you pushing any toward them. The animals of the Dark Forest are naturally curious about us, so you shouldn't have to use much effort. When you do use your magic, focus on the animal as you would if you were about to heal them. The magic feels similar, but it is different. I'll guide you once we get to that point," he said.
It sounded complicated, but Corrine had faith that the Chieftain wouldn't let her down. She knew he would help her through it.
Corrine heard something off in the distance, and she opened herself up. Her eyes flashed green as she began to search the area. Soon, she felt several life forces not too far away, but they felt very small.
Without warning, she broke into a run, the Chieftain and Christopher calling for her to come back. Before long, she could hear whimpers and whines. Reaching out, she could even feel fear, and she wondered what she was about to find.
She rounded a large rock, and her eyes widened as she saw a large wolf lying dead on the ground. Surrounding her were six small wolf pups. Corrine’s jaw dropped as she rushed over, knelt next to them, and reached out to touch them.
They were very sick, and one, the seventh pup, had already passed. They weren't more than a day old, and she wasn't sure how they had survived for that long.
"Corrine, are you okay?" the Chieftain asked as he, too, rounded the rock.
In her arms were two tiny wolf pups, their eyes still closed as they whimpered against her, nuzzling her as they searched for milk. She looked up at the Chieftain with wide, bright green eyes.
"They're all alone," she said.
The Chieftain and Christopher both looked at her with sadness on their faces as they knelt next to her. The Chieftain pointed to the mother. "There is a lot of blood behind her; far too much to be normal for birth. It seems she suffered complications, and bled out."
"There are lots of wolves in the villages," Christopher said. "Have any recently had pups?"
The Chieftain thought for a moment before nodding. "I don't think there are any directly in the village, but I do know of one wolf inside the barrier who has had pups recently."
Corrine's face lit up. "We have to take them with us! They'll die without our help!"
The Chieftain nodded. "No worries, little one. We’ll take the pups with us, and the mother, too. We'll see to it that she's cremated, and her ashes are scattered. She died bringing life into this world, and she deserves a ceremony."
Corrine giggled as the little black wolf pup in her hand nuzzled up to her neck and began licking her. "You won't find milk there, little one, but we’ll find you some soon."
The Chieftain placed a hand on Christopher’s shoulder. "Those pups need milk right away; they have nearly reached their limit. If you would, please escort Corrine back to the village. Elysia should be able to help locate the mother wolf. She will keep them safe."
The tiny black wolf in her hand continued to root around her neck, grunting and whining as he did so. The others seemed to be very lethargic.
"That one right there is a fighter," Christopher observed as he removed his shirt and began wrapping the pups in it.
Corrine nodded and smiled as she laid her head gently down on the wolf’s. "Yes, he is. I'm gonna keep him. I think I'll name him Reaper."
Christopher shared a look with the Chieftain before turning back to Corrine. "Reaper? His mother did die while giving birth to him, you realize."
She shrugged. "And he's the strongest out of all of them. He's also the biggest. When he's full-grown, I have no doubt he’ll be powerful. He deserves a strong name. Besides, if you were dying, and someone gave you a strong name, wouldn't it make you want to fight even harder? Or should I call him Fluffy? Would you fight to live for a name like Fluffy?"
Christopher opened his mouth and then closed it again, unsure of what to say. He was stunned by the logic.
"Reaper it is," the Chieftain said. "I can't say I can argue her points. Perhaps we should name them all."
Corrine walked away, smiling as she cradled the little boy up to her chest, her pinky in his mouth to soothe him.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Leaving Roger wasn't nearly as emotional this time as it was the last. Arryn knew she would see him again, and she knew the Dark Forest would be better for it. By the time they left, their entire cart had been filled with strong, impressive weapons. She wasn't sure if there would be enough, but there was certainly plenty to get them through the upcoming battle.
They simply didn't have the time to stay with Roger any longer.
As they moved south, Arryn stopped in at the farmhouse, wanting to visit the old woman. The farmland looked wonderful, and seemed to be thriving in only the short amount of time since they had left.
Roger hadn't taken much out of the bag of coins, which Arryn still felt guilty for, but she also felt guilty for spending someone else's money. In the end, she felt it was a fair trade. Every one of them was too goodhearted to take from another, so only a small amount was taken.
The old woman almost seemed offended that Arryn hadn't taken more, but when she spied the massive cart full of weapons, she realized she had just got a good deal on the steel.
Though her son was gone forever, Elsie took solace in knowing that his killers would never take anyone else from their loved ones ever again. Arryn had seen to that.
Instead of cutting to the west, Arryn and Cathillian continued to ride south.
Arryn had a mission of her own. Ever since her father had been back in the Dark Forest, she had wanted to retrieve something of his, something he had long forgotten.
Well, until recently that is.
Shortly after her own arrival in Arcadia, she had wandered the city until she found her childhood home, which had been preserved just the way it was the night they had left.
That had all been Celine's doing, of course, but it was incredible all the same. Behind the front door, Christopher had always kept his three most favorite swords, ready if he ever had need of them.
That of course, had been good placement for them if he had been answering the door, but if a group of power-hungry, evil, horrible Hunters broke into your house in the middle of the night to assassinate your family, well, it would have been good to have them located in other places as well.
All the same, Arryn planned to retrieve them.
She couldn't wait to see the look on her father's face when she handed them over.
As they came to the city gates, four guards stepped out and greeted her. Two of them were guards that she and Cathillian had trained themselves. Their faces lit up as they stepped forward, and they placed an arm over their chests, saluting in the druid way.
Arryn felt honored that they would remember and show such respect to her, especially after everything that had happened.
"Arryn!" Danny said. "What are the two of you doing here?"
She smiled and pointed to the wall. "I see we still haven't learned our lesson, now have we? No archers?"
Danny shook his head and smiled, looking at her with an amused expression. "Hey, now… Don't give us too hard of a time. A lot has happened, but all good things. We have a lot of trained men now, and Amelia is working on getting ranged fighters on the wall. Mostly magic, though, I think. That’s what she says whenever students bring it up, or she speaks to us about it."
Arryn laughed. "All right, then. I guess I won't give you too much shit. Did you say Amelia has students?"
He nodded. "As the only mental magic user in the city, she’s teaching a mental magic defense course at the Academy. She h
as also initiated self-defense courses for adults as well. Absolutely anyone with the will to learn is now able to attend. As long as they give back to the city in some way, their tuition is forgiven."
Arryn looked over to Cathillian, and he smiled. She did as well. "It seems she learned quite a lot in the Dark Forest," Arryn said.
Danny nodded. "She's the same. She works just as hard for us as she always has, but she's different, too. Whatever she experienced out in the woods with you guys definitely affected her."
"So, do you guys need to pat me down and frisk me? Or can I go inside?" she asked.
Danny laughed. "Are you asking, or offering? Because if you're asking, feel free to go inside. If you feel like you need a good frisking, I'm your man."
Cathillian cleared his throat. "That depends on if you want to keep your hands and face or not."
Still smiling, Danny looked over to Cathillian and said, "You know I love you, man. But, I have to say, I'm way more afraid of her than I am of you."
Cathillian raised his left brow. "Who did you think I was talking about?"
They all laughed, and Danny took a few steps back, waving them through. "Welcome back to the city, Arryn and Cathillian."
The druids waived to their friends as they made their way inside. Arryn was surprised to see the trees still stood and looking over at Cathillian, it seemed he was just as surprised.
The cobblestone road had been rebuilt around them—now there was an adequate circle of space around each tree that would allow them to grow and expand even further. The road wound outward a little around each one, only to come back in, and then round out again at the next tree. It was beautiful. The way it was set up, it looked as though you could do figure eights around the trees.
Arryn loved it.
As they traveled through the streets, she smiled at how different things were. When she had been in the city before, she had seen children playing together, and the men and women working together, but she could sense the tension.
Now as she traveled through, she saw the beautiful gowns on the little noble girls, right alongside the clean, but cheaply-made dresses the Boulevard girls wore. They all ran around the street together, kicking a ball back and forth, not a care in the world. It wasn’t at all tense as it had been before.
Off in the distance, Arryn could see the Academy, and she looked over to Cathillian. "I had plans to go straight to the house, and then maybe stop at the Capitol building before leaving, but I think I'd like to stop in at the Academy. What do you say?"
He only smiled and nodded, and she knew he would have agreed to anything she asked. For the most part, that was just how he was with her. Without a doubt, she knew he would follow her to the ends of the earth if she had need of him.
They made it to the Academy, and dismounted. Cathillian asked Chaos to stay outside, but Snow followed Arryn inside. As soon as they crossed the threshold, the familiar smells hit Arryn.
She could also smell the fresh wood and paint, even from the main floor. "They must be redoing that room I blew apart. That little rat bastard still pisses me off when I think of him."
Cathillian laughed. "Consider me shocked. Just don't look at my face, because you'll see I'm a lying asshole."
She laughed as she led him up the stairs. Turning right would take them toward what had once been Talia's office, and left would lead them toward the classrooms. They headed down the classroom hallway, and Arryn could hear grunts and sounds of fighting underneath them. It traveled through the halls on the bottom floor.
She began to worry, but then she heard a loud, "Stop!" and she knew it was a training class.
"Good for them," Cathillian said. "I really think she did take a lot from the Dark Forest. I can sense children and early teens down there."
Arryn's magic was strong, but she didn't have the ability to tell someone's age by their life force. Only a general sense of old or young.
As they walked down the hall, they peeked into windows, fully aware they looked like creeps. They had made it all the way down to the end, but hadn't quite reached the door yet when it blew open, and Amelia ran into the hall with a big smile on her face.
"Arryn!" she said before coming over and wrapping her in a hug. "I thought I sensed you!"
Arryn looked suspiciously at the former Chancellor turned governor. "Were you just looking in my head? If so, you’ve gotten really good at it, because I didn't even feel you rooting around in there."
Amelia laughed and shook her head. "Not at all. I'm teaching a mental magic class, and it requires all of us to have a very open mind. I've been in your head more than a few times, so I just sensed you coming. I didn't believe it at first, but I guess I was right. Come inside! You have to see the students."
Arryn hesitated for a moment, remembering just how hated she was the last time she had been in a classroom. Talia and Scarlett had been working nonstop to brainwash the students into hating her.
After a few moment’s hesitation, Arryn finally acquiesced, following Amelia into the classroom.
As soon as she crossed the threshold, faces all over began to light up as students jumped up off the floor and crowded around her. Arryn's eyes were wide, and she looked around in obvious shock.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect this!" she said with a nervous smile.
"We've missed you!” Maddie said. "It might have been rough there for a while, but everyone here knows what you did; everyone knows they wouldn't have their free will, and maybe their lives, if it weren't for you."
There were several nods and cheers of agreement from the students, each of them struggling to get closer to her to shake her hand and thank her for what she had done for them.
"You save the city over and over, and if it weren't for you, I don't think my mom and dad would have the opportunity to take self-defense courses at night. I don't think my older brother, who was too old to attend the Academy, would be able to take night classes to learn magic," one of the students, a young woman about Maddie's age, told her.
Another student stepped forward. "Yeah, and if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be training in magic in here during the day, and combat training at night. I want to be a guard. I want to help defend the city."
Over and over, students shared their stories about how Arryn had changed their lives, and it was all she could do to hold back tears. She had never been so overwhelmed with gratitude before.
For a moment, her mind wandered. If my dad could only see this now. But then even more happiness radiated through her as she remembered all she had to do was go back to the Dark Forest, and she could tell him herself.
Everything her parents had ever wanted for her: strength, confidence, dedication, she had it all, and it allowed her not only to save lives, but to enrich them.
While she despised losing her parents the way that she did, she was aware that her pain was nothing in the grand scheme of things. Everything she had gone through was for a greater purpose—one she was happy to be part of.
Once everyone had said their piece, Amelia dismissed the class early and instructed them to continue practicing telepathy and meditation with a partner. They walked outside into the hall, and allowed the students to clear before speaking.
"Well, what did you think about that?" Amelia asked, smiling.
Arryn's eyes were still wide as she fell silent, shaking her head.
"Stunned to silence," Cathillian said. "Damn, I need to bring her here more often."
Arryn shot him a dirty look and reached out to punch him in the arm. It completely knocked him off balance, and he stumbled a couple feet, rubbing his arm in an exaggerated fashion.
"Ouch! How rude!" he said, then smiling. She knew he was faking.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head again. "You want to keep him? I'll sell him to you for cheap. In fact, you can just have him."
Amelia just laughed at the two of them. "I have missed the two of you. How have you been? Oh! Did the twins ever find you?"
"They are
kind of intense," Arryn said.
Amelia snorted. "You haven't seen them fight yet." She paused then looked at her with curiosity. "Or have you? Have you fought the dark druids yet?"
"Not yet, but we will soon. We went north to find a blacksmith that Arryn had met on her way home from the Frozen North. We needed weapons badly," Cathillian said.
"Are the twins really that impressive?" Arryn asked.
"I'm surprised I didn't die when I saw Bast do her thing; I have no doubt she's capable of a lot more. I don't know a lot about the places outside of the Arcadian Valley, but I know the world is still in ruin, even now. There are very few places where communities and civilizations have been able to thrive. Kemet is their home, but it's mostly desert. They would have to be extremely hard-working people to survive there," Amelia said.
Arryn gave a devious smile. "I have to admit, I'm pretty curious to see what they're capable of. I would challenge them to a sparring match, but after they told me how they channel their magic through their fists and feet to give them bone shattering hits, I don’t really feel that would be a very good idea."
Amelia shook her head, and mouthed the word ‘no’ in an exaggerated motion. "Absolutely not. I took back one of the bodies because I was curious to see exactly how much damage she had done. I had the medical examiner do an autopsy, and with the amount of strength she hit him with, it damn near liquefied his insides, and his spine was dust. I have a man in the cells who survived being punched in the back by her, and I have no idea how he did it. Fucking lucky is all I can say."
"Holy Bitch!" Arryn said. "Sounds to me like the matriarch blessed her—" she paused, obviously waiting for something as a large smile spread.
Cathillian sighed and shook his head. "Arryn… Are you serious? Don’t you dare say it."
"Hand over fist," Arryn said before busting out laughing. "Huh, huh? See what I did there?"
