“Why don’t you just use magic to start it?” Reina asked, sitting down next to him.
He gave her a dark look. “I, um, er, don’t want to alert the Red Wizard to our position by using magic.” The Gold Wizard no longer sounded slick and practiced, but instead stumbled over his words, looking embarrassed. He tried again, only to have sparks go out without catching the moss alight. “This is, er … well, it’s just difficult moss. Hey, stop staring at me and do something useful, or I’m never going to get it done.”
He accidentally missed the knife blade and crushed his finger with the stone. With a yelp, he dropped both and sucked on his hand. “This is hopeless. It’s not the right kind of flint. We’re better off without a fire anyway.”
“Well, how about you let me try it a moment and you unpack.”
“Fine, but it’s pointless. It’s not going to work.” He got up, still rubbing his hand, and stomped off.
Reina heard him shoving things inside the cart this way and that. She ignored him and created a small bed of moss and shredded bark between two pieces of wood, just like she did at home. She clinked steel against flint and within moments had a small tendril of flame. She fed it with the sticks Austyn had gathered, letting it grow until it consumed the larger pieces of wood. The whole task was ridiculously easy.
“Oh,” the Gold Wizard said as he turned around. “Well, then, looks like the moss was, er, finally warmed up enough to work.” He turned away again to produce a cooking pot from the cart. “I’ll, um, just get some water for this.”
Austyn grinned at her and leaned forward to whisper, “I don’t think the Gold Wizard is very good at making fires, but don’t tell him, or it might hurt his feelings.”
Reina giggled.
After his display with trying to light the fire, Reina had her doubts about the Gold Wizard’s cooking, but the end result that he scooped into bowls for them to eat, though looking rather brownish, didn’t taste bad. He seemed in a jollier mood after dinner, more like the storyteller they had so often looked forward to seeing at the village festival.
“Well, now, I suppose you two youngsters want to know the story of the Child Warrior prophecy, don’t you?” He waved his hands dramatically in the air, and a tattered piece of parchment appeared between them. “Here is the one and only copy of the prophecy, given to me by the former Gold Wizard, just hours before the Red Wizard killed him.” He turned it to face them; runes scribbled in black ink reflected in the firelight. “Within these runes lies the secret to the Red Wizard’s destruction.” His eyes flashed.
Austyn stared at it with wide eyes, and Reina had to admit it was impressive, seeing the actual prophecy.
“What does it say?” she asked.
“Um, eh, em, urm…. “The Gold Wizard cleared his throat. With some fancy hand motions, he made spectacles appear in a flash of gold sparks, rubbed them clean, rubbed his eyes, and put them on. Then he met their eyes as they stared at him in expectant fascination. “I shall read: The Child Warrior, with the, erm, medallion of bravery and the, eh em, sword of ch—chivalry, shall overcome with, um, heart, the magic of the Red Wizard.”
Austyn frowned. “But it doesn’t make any sense!”
“That, young man,” said the Gold Wizard as he refolded the paper and took off his spectacles, “is the nature of prophecy. It is by, um, nature, obscure.” He tucked both into his robes.
“Can I see it?” Austyn asked.
“What good would that do?” asked the Gold Wizard, giving him a stern look. “You can’t read, can you?”
“No, but I always wanted to learn. Please.” Austyn fluttered his eyelids and gave a sickeningly sweet smile. Reina struggled not to roll her eyes.
The Gold Wizard flushed. “Reading runes, is um, er, a very tricky and complicated business. I don’t have the time now to teach you such an, er, circumstantial activity. Perhaps after you learn to use your magic and have defeated the Red Wizard.” His face brightened with eagerness. “Hey, how about a magic lesson!”
Austyn’s face sagged in disappointment, and Reina didn’t think he’d be up to it. She knew how he loved to draw lines in the dirt and pretend they were runes. Little did the Gold Wizard know how heartlessly he had squashed Austyn’s eager interest.
“He’s tired,” she protested. “You can teach him tomorrow.”
The Gold Wizard didn’t look pleased. “It is, er … really important, little girl, that your brother learn to use his magic.”
“Quit calling me ‘little girl.’ My name is Reina.”
“Well, now, Reina—”
A piercing screech split the air, ending their argument. Reina recognized it all too well, and from Austyn’s white face, she could tell that he did too.
“Harpies!”
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Chapter Five: On the Run
The Gold Wizard shoved them away from the fire. “Quick, out of sight! I’ll handle them!”
Reina seized Austyn’s hand, and they dashed under the wheels of the cart. The horse, still tied to a nearby tree, stomped and shook his head. Reina peeked out between the wheels, looking for a better place to hide. The grove wasn’t very big, and endless open fields spread out on all sides around them. In the distance, off to the southeast, stood the woods. Why did we wander so far from them? She longed to hide in the soft, damp moss again. Austyn trembled next to her.
Six harpies, black, twisted shapes against the evening sky, swooped down toward their fire and the Gold Wizard.
“Well, now,” shrilled the first harpy, circling him. “Did you think you could use the medallion and not have my master feel it? You’ve done him a favor and found the Child Warrior as well as giving away your own location. Hand over the child, and perhaps your death will come quickly.”
“So, you think that’s a good deal, do you?” the Gold Wizard asked. His lack of concern at the harpies circling him both impressed and worried Reina. What will we do if they kill him?
“Better than my master would give you, if we brought you back alive.”
The Gold Wizard nodded. “I suppose it is in that case, but I shall decline, all the same.” He waved his staff, muttering some strange words under his breath. Gold light blasted wildly from the end of it. It missed the lead harpy, though, only blasting off the tail of the one next to her. Feathers filled the air.
The harpy shrieked, “My tail, my beautiful tail!”
“Drat,” muttered the Gold Wizard. “It was supposed to be your not-so-beautiful head.”
“Get him!” yelled the lead harpy.
They dove at him. He swung his staff, moving surprisingly fast for an old man, although it didn’t make his aim any better. The harpies dodged back and forth as the staff swirled around his head. He clunked one on the head, and it fell to the ground, but this action opened him up on the other side. A harpy grabbed his shoulder and began pulling at him.
Another dove at him, but he ducked, and its claws knocked off his hat. The Gold Wizard’s long white beard flapped in disarray. He tried to swerve and hit the harpy that had a hold on his shoulder. He managed to shake it off, hitting it with a thud, but two others grabbed his hair in its claws.
“Yowch!” he screamed as they tried to lift him up by the hair. To Reina’s utter amazement, his entire head of hair, including the beard, came off in the harpies’ claws. They screeched in surprise, flying in opposite directions, which ripped the wig in half.
Reina gaped at the Gold Wizard. He had the face of a young man, maybe twenty at the oldest, with short, black hair plastered to his head. His expression was grim. He used the harpies’ distraction though, twisting his left hand in an outward motion while he twirled the staff in his right, muttering strange words again.
“Hah, found you, sweetlings,” cackled a harpy behind the children.
Austyn made a half-yelling, half-sobbing noise and clutched Reina tighter. She turned and threw a rock at the harpy, but it hopped to one side, cackling. It clawed at them again, and Reina dra
gged Austyn backwards.
“Children!” bellowed the Gold Wizard. “Here!”
Gold light again began to surround him, flashing with bright specks of rainbow colors. Reina dragged Austyn out from under the cart. The lead harpy swooped at them, but Reina reached the flashing colors surrounding the Gold Wizard. He grabbed her hand, and a huge bang shook the ground. Smoke surrounded them, making her and Austyn cough.
If she could have stuffed her fingers in her ears, Reina would have, because one of the harpies gave a blood-curdling scream. The smoke cleared just enough that she caught sight of another harpy, now a ball of fire, falling from the sky. She gasped, which made her breathe in smoke and start hacking again.
“Drat, drat, drat,” muttered the Gold Wizard. “That wasn’t quite what I wanted to do. Lemme see….”
He started muttering something else, and sparks showered down on them. Austyn whimpered.
“Hey!” yelled Reina. “You’re gonna set us on fire!”
“Sorry. Let’s try this.”
Wind rose, blowing away the smoke. Reina’s hair swirled, and she shook her head to get it out of her eyes. The fierce gale blew the harpies backwards. The wind threatened to blow Austyn away and he clung to Reina while she gripped the Gold Wizard’s hand. The Gold Wizard moved his staff in a circular motion, and the wind whirled in a tornado around them. It increased in speed until the Gold Wizard rose a few feet off the ground.
He tugged, pulling Reina and Austyn upwards, and they hung from him, now in the air as well. The harpies battled the wind, trying to break through it to attack them.
“Hold tight!” the Gold Wizard yelled.
The wind changed, rushing forward, and suddenly they raced across the meadow. The harpies, now screaming with rage, flew behind them, trying to catch up. The wind ripped the air from Reina’s lungs, her eyes stung, and she could hardly see. All she could make out was a dark blur ahead of them, getting closer and closer. They slowed a little as they approached it, and the harpies gained on them. One of them raked its claws across the Gold Wizard’s shoulder. Austyn screamed.
Then darkness closed in upon them, and trees whizzed past at a terrifyingly close range. They were again in the woods, safe from the harpies, but the Gold Wizard seemed to have lost control. Branches caught at them, and they headed straight toward a huge tree trunk. Reina screamed, trying to tear her hand out of the Gold Wizard’s grip.
Her yanking seemed to wake him up out of whatever trance the spell had put him in. He groaned, the wind ceased, and inches before crashing into the tree, they fell instead. The wizard landed first, Reina and Austyn on top of him. They rolled off onto the mossy ground. Reina hit a bush that scratched her down one cheek, making it burn. She struggled up, looking for Austyn. He had fared better and landed in a patch of ferns.
The Gold Wizard lay there for a long moment among the roots of the tree and then sat up with a moan, rubbing his head. He looked incredibly young, his expression dazed and his black hair standing straight up. Anger bubbled up inside of Reina. He wasn’t old or wise at all, but a young idiot!
“I feel terrible.” He stretched his other arm and yelped in pain. Reina noticed red staining the fabric and his bloody shoulder peeking through the tear. She felt a rush of sympathy and was even more annoyed. She didn’t want to feel sorry for him—she wanted to stay angry.
“You’re not old!” She stood up and shook her finger at him. “You lied to us!”
He grimaced and leaned against the tree trunk. “No, I didn’t lie about anything. I never said I was old—you just assumed.”
“But…” spluttered Reina. “You had a fake beard. You talked all old and everything. That’s just the same.”
The Gold Wizard smiled. “No, it isn’t. People expect wizards to be old. They want wizards to be old, because they think that makes them wiser and more powerful. If I looked young no one would believe I was a wizard, or at least not a good one. So I give people what they want, let them see what they believe a wizard is. I’m the same person I’ve always been.” He grimaced again and gingerly touched his shoulder. “This isn’t good.”
Reina found it even harder to stay angry. He looked so … innocent, childlike. She wanted to tell him she still considered that lying to people, but couldn’t find the words to articulate why he was wrong and she was right. However, he was wounded, and he’d just saved them. She searched her mind for more angry words, but before she could continue, Austyn came up to her and touched her shoulder. She turned. He shook his head, silently telling her to be nice, and the words dissolved unsaid.
“I’m sorry it bothers you, about my appearance,” the Gold Wizard said. He looked a little sickly. “But I did tell you the truth about the medallion, the sword, and the prophecy. That’s what’s important—defeating the Red Wizard and his monsters. Does it really matter whether old or young people do it? Every year, things get worse.” He gave Reina a stern look. “Even you can see it. How the farmers have less and less, how the harpies come more often…. “He looked like he might cry.
“All the children they take,” Reina whispered, finishing the sentence for him. For the first time since their leaving, all her fears for Austyn retreated, and she felt the great need for the Child Warrior, the importance of defeating the Red Wizard. She had to help Austyn do it, not just to protect him, but for everyone else—her parents, her friends, and all the other innocent people in the country. Determination rose in her: she would find a way to help Austyn kill the Red Wizard and yet protect him at the same time.
The Gold Wizard pulled a pouch from his robes. He wet a rag with a flask of something and then beckoned to her. “Here, let me wash that scratch on your face. We don’t want it to get infected.”
Reina approached and let him wash it, although it stung horribly.
“Now, are you able to wash mine?” he asked. “Don’t let the blood worry you … if we bandage it, it should be fine.”
“I’m not afraid of blood.” Reina frowned.
Even if he was trying to be nice and do the right thing, she didn’t appreciate the wizard’s patronizing tone, and none of his spells had gone exactly right yet. However, she washed his shoulder and bandaged it just as he described. While he might not be a good wizard, he was the only one they had—and the only one who knew where they were headed.
“Where are we going now?” She tied off the bandage.
“Erm, well, we’ll have to circle through the woods until the harpies get off our trail. Then we’ll still make our way to the Stream of Eternal Pouring and get the sword.”
“Do we go right now?” Austyn asked.
“I think it’s better if we make camp and rest for a day or two before moving on,” the Gold Wizard said. “I’m weak after using so much magic and wounded too. Plus your sister is scratched up.”
Reina glanced back the way they’d come but couldn’t see the edge of the woods. Thick trees surrounded them, and the fading light darkened them in shadow. It gave her an ominous feeling. She still didn’t like knowing that only a little way back, harpies flew around trying to find them. “I think we should find a better camping spot.” One further in.
The Gold Wizard stood up with a groan. “I agree. This way.”
Reina was tired. The woods got darker, and she had to take care not to trip on roots and rocks while she followed the Gold Wizard into the thickening darkness. Moonlight didn’t reach the ground through the branches overhead, and she and Austyn kept stumbling. She heard the Gold Wizard bang into some bushes and curse. Then he turned back to them.
“I don’t want to light a fire. We’re too close to the edge of the woods. We’ll just have to sleep here and find a better camp tomorrow.”
“But I thought the harpies can’t come in the woods,” Austyn said, sounding pitiful.
“They can’t, but other things can.”
Austyn whimpered. Reina drew him close.
“Don’t worry,” the Gold Wizard said. “I’ll protect us. We’ll be perfectly safe.�
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“Yeah,” Reina said, squeezing Austyn. “Remember, he used all that magic on the harpies. We’ll be fine.” She didn’t believe it herself, however; she thought the Gold Wizard had mostly botched the harpy business. The more she saw of his magic, the less it impressed her, although she still desperately wished she could learn it. For one thing, she was sure she could do a better job at it. Perhaps if the Gold Wizard showed off less and concentrated more, things would go better. But she didn’t mention any of this. It would only worry Austyn and start a fight with the Gold Wizard. He didn’t seem willing to admit he wasn’t the best.
The Gold Wizard parted some branches and lay down under a bush. Reina pushed Austyn in after him and then lay down so that Austyn was between them, keeping him warm and safe. Within minutes, she heard from their breathing that they’d both fallen asleep.
Although she was tired, sleep wouldn’t come quickly to her. She stared up through the tangle of branches, seeing a single star looking down through everything at her. It seemed to whisper hope to her. And even though she wasn’t the Chosen One, even though the Gold Wizard seemed incompetent, even though everything had gone wrong, she found herself happy to be here, out in the woods, on an adventure.
When she woke at dawn, stiff, cold, and annoyed, Reina had finished with adventures. She felt a wave of homesickness as she stood, staring at the endless trees. She longed to be by the kitchen fire, stirring a pot of oatmeal for her mother, watching her father put on his boots to go out to the fields. The trees looked cold and unfriendly compared to the memories of home.
Reina tried to ignore the lump in her chest and went to find wood. By the time Austyn and the Gold Wizard woke, she had a nice fire going. Of course they had nothing to cook, since they had abandoned their stuff when the harpies had attacked.
The Gold Wizard, however, surprised her by producing from his robes a large tin cup and some strips of dried meat. Reina heated water in the cup, and the wizard added the meat and some herbs to make a broth. While it wasn’t as filling as they would have liked, it was much better than nothing.
Chosen Sister Page 3
