Chosen Sister

by Ardyth DeBruyn

  “You shouldn’t have dragged that poor, little child into this! It’s bad enough as it is. You could have killed him! Why didn’t you ask for my help?”

  The Gold Wizard mumbled something indistinct. Reina stepped into the room quietly. The wizard’s face had turned bright red, and he glared at the fire as Eleia cut away the leg of his pants.

  “You could have been killed as well.” Her voice was cold, unlike the warm tone she had addressed Reina and Austyn with. “What good would all your father’s sacrifice have done if you had died?”

  “I’m doing what my father wanted—helping the Chosen One.” The Gold Wizard’s voice turned sullen, like a little boy. Reina suppressed a giggle.

  “You don’t trust me either.” The Gold Wizard stuck out his chin. “I can do it—I don’t need your help. Everyone always tells me to believe in myself, and yet none of you believe in me, do you?” He glared at her. “And I did ask for help. I went to the Green Wizard, since he lived closer to the children, but the Red Wizard had already gotten to him.” The Gold Wizard’s voice broke. “He was ripped to shreds,” he whispered.

  Eleia’s face softened, and she murmured something under her breath that sounded like a prayer for the dead. Then she looked back at the Gold Wizard. “Perhaps you are right, Dwayne—I will let you try on your own this time. I will trust you, and your Chosen One, as it seems you have chosen well.” She looked up at Reina and smiled. “Come in with that water, child.”

  Reina walked to the fireplace and put the pot on to heat before turning to the two of them. “Who are you, really, that you could have helped us?” She glared at the Gold Wizard. “And why don’t you want her to help? It’s been horrible so far!”

  Eleia laughed. “Don’t think badly of Dwayne, child. His father and I were good friends, and I suppose we have always been a bit hard on him. Really, I think Merlyn was always too hard on him, but considering the grave circumstances, I admit I have been too. That, and he has funny ideas about what’s proper for a woman—and being a wizard, I don’t fit into that.”

  Reina’s mouth dropped open. “You’re—the Blue Wizard!”

  Eleia winked at her. “I don’t put much stock in titles. I prefer the true name to the fancy title.”

  Reina shook her head in wonderment. Eleia wasn’t any closer to her idea of what a wizard should be than the Gold Wizard. She glanced at him, but he looked rather sulky, so she turned back to Eleia, who now wound a bandage around the Gold Wizard’s foot.

  “What about the Red Wizard? Does he have a name too?”

  “Yes.” Eleia voice grew quiet and serious. “His name is Samayl, and he’s a very dangerous person.”

  “So the Gold Wizard was right about his death magic?”

  The Gold Wizard glared at her for suggesting he might be wrong.

  “Yes, he is right about that, and about other things, too—although not everything.” Eleia’s eyes sparkled with mirth.

  “Nobody can be right about everything.” Reina started feeling a little sorry for the Gold Wizard. He couldn’t help that he wasn’t very good at his job.

  “No,” agreed Eleia, dabbing at the Gold Wizard’s cheek. He winced. “Now, Dwayne, you need to rest as well. Don’t give me that look. Drink the tea and sleep. You must heal, and your body needs the rest after all you’ve been through.”

  She got up, went behind the curtain, and came back with blankets. She made a bed on the floor next to the couch. The Gold Wizard grimaced and drank his tea. Eleia helped him lie down, and Reina sat in the rocking chair he’d vacated. Once he was settled, Eleia walked to the counter over in one corner and bustled around. Reina tended the fire until the old woman walked over to her and offered her a thick slice of bread spread with butter and honey.

  “Oh!” Reina’s stomach rumbled. “Thank you.”

  Eleia laughed. “I’m making something for supper, since I’m sure those two will be quite starved when they wake—or at least Dwayne should, if he’s much like he was when he was younger. You ought to rest as well—you’ve been through a lot.”

  Reina took a bite, savoring it. “I’m too awake to sleep. And other than thinking Austyn would die, it wasn’t too bad. The Unicorn Sword protected me.”

  “The what?” Eleia narrowed her eyes at her.

  “The Unicorn Sword.” Reina stuffed the rest of the bread in her mouth and stood up. She drew the sword. It glimmered in the firelight.

  Eleia’s eyes widened, and she bent over it, looking at it closely.

  “You want to hold it?” Reina offered it to her.

  Eleia chuckled and shook her head. “Oh, no. It wouldn’t do for an old woman of my varied experiences to hold it—it is a sword for the young. The sword wouldn’t like that at all. I’m sure it would do something unpleasant if I tried to touch it.”

  “You mean like how it stung the Gold Wizard?”

  Eleia glanced over to where he lay sleeping. “Dwayne tried touching it?” She laughed and had a far-away look in her eyes, as if remembering something. “Yes, I suppose it would have a similar reaction. The sword, like a unicorn, is picky, and will only come and touch certain people.”

  “Why? I don’t understand.”

  “Did your brother touch it?”

  “Yeah.” Reina thought back. “It didn’t hurt him, but he said it was too heavy and wouldn’t hold it for more than a minute.”

  “This is a very special sword. Only a person who has three special and important qualities can wield it. The sword says so, right here.” She ran her finger above the runes written on the blade.

  “You can read them?” Reina leaned forward eagerly.

  “It says Courage, Chastity, and Charity.”

  Reina’s hopes of being able to understand the sword fell. “What does that mean? It makes no sense.”

  Eleia smiled. “Well, you understand courage, right?”

  “Yeah, that’s being brave.”

  “Well, chastity means being pure of heart and body, and charity is love, the kind of love that pours forth goodness to others. Only a person with all three of these qualities can use this sword.”

  “And I have all that?” Reina had never stopped to consider herself.

  Eleia put a hand on her shoulder. “The sword wouldn’t have picked you if you didn’t.”

  And for the first time since the medallion chose Austyn, Reina felt special. In wonderment, she ran her hand down the Unicorn Sword. “It picked me,” she whispered.

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  Chapter Fifteen: A Space of Peace

  Austyn woke the next day pale and feverish. Eleia insisted that he stay in bed. The Gold Wizard walked with a bit of a limp, but otherwise seemed fine. He grew restless, until Eleia sent him outside to work in the yard. After several hours of fitful sleep, Austyn became fretful. Reina sat by him, trying to distract him.

  “Eleia read the runes on the Unicorn Sword for me,” she told him. “They say, Courage.” She pointed to the one for courage. “And … umm, what were they?”

  Eleia smiled from where she swept the hearth. “Chastity and Charity.”

  “Yeah, which means purity and love,” Reina finished. “It says what a person must have to carry the Unicorn Sword.”

  Austyn traced the runes with his finger. “Courage,” he whispered, his voice wistful. “I wish I could read. I want to learn all the runes and what they mean.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think the Gold Wizard reads so well.” Reina moved her sword back and forth in the light, looking at the symbols. “Maybe after we defeat the Red Wizard, you can find someone else to teach you.”

  “That would be nice,” he whispered and snuggled deeper into the blanket. “Tell me a story.”

  And so she did.

  Austyn’s recovery proceeded slowly. The Gold Wizard tried to insist that he practice magic, but Eleia refused to let him. “He needs rest, Dwayne, and I won’t let you jeopardize his health for your foolhardy crusade.”

  “But isn’t the Red Wizard real
ly bad? It’s important to defeat him.” Reina didn’t like her carefree attitude about their mission.

  “Of course, it is, sweetie. But it would be pointless to let your dear-heart of a brother get hurt because you were in a hurry, wouldn’t it?”

  Reina nodded. “I know, but I just thought you ought to take the mission more seriously.”

  Eleia put a hand on her shoulder. “When you’re as old as me, and have seen as many young heroes as I have, you’ll understand, sweetie. Now, come help me milk the goats and let your brother sleep.”

  Reina liked Eleia’s company as much as the Gold Wizard seemed not to and enjoyed doing chores with her. Eleia talked constantly about the animals, nature, and how the whole world worked together.

  “Magic’s just a part of everything else,” she said as they weeded. “It’s the power inside you to see the world changing, to see something that isn’t there yet, and to make it so. Not so different from growing a garden or weaving a basket, or raising a child.”

  “It’s so hard for Austyn to do.” Reina sighed. “He doesn’t seem to try much. I wish so bad that I had magic; I would work so hard at using it if I did. Why can’t he see what a huge gift it is?”

  Eleia chuckled. “Who says you don’t have magic, sweetie?” Reina made a sour expression, and Eleia laughed louder. “Don’t you mind Dwayne and his silly ideas about what’s appropriate for whom. You’ve got a different gift than your brother, but you’ve got it all the same. You wouldn’t have that sword if you didn’t.”

  “But I don’t feel any magic unless I’m near Austyn when he’s using it.”

  Eleia gave her a sympathetic smile. “We all have our crutches, sweetie, and you’re holding onto your brother as much as he’s holding onto you. When both of you can stand apart, that’s when your gifts will shine. But you have to let go of him.”

  Reina frowned. “He’s so young. What if he got hurt … or killed?” She whispered the last part, not even wanting to say her deepest fear out loud. “He’s not ready to be on his own.”

  “It’s like a mother bird pushing her little ones out,” Eleia explained. “They can’t fly until you let them go.” She gathered up the weeds they had pulled and walked over to the compost pile, leaving Reina sitting by the garden.

  Reina looked down at her hands. Somewhere in there was magic? But if she had to let Austyn go, send him out on his own to find it, was it worth it? She sighed. Part of her wanted magic, to become a hero and win glory and honor, more than anything. But she knew she’d feel terrible if anything ever happened to Austyn.

  “Why?” she whispered. “Why did he have to be the Child Warrior?” If he wasn’t, she could have…. Reina pushed the thoughts away. Austyn was her brother; she loved him. So what if that meant waiting longer to follow her own dreams? She had promised to look after him—it was her duty as a sister.

  Reina got up and poked her head into the cottage. Eleia sat by Austyn’s head, coaxing some medicine into him and talking to him in a low voice. Reina smiled. This place was peaceful and beautiful. A new longing filled her—a longing to let Austyn stay here in the safety of this little valley forever and be a normal boy. It just didn’t seem fair! He didn’t want to be the Child Warrior. He shouldn’t have needed to endure their mad race to safety or been ripped to shreds by harpies like that.

  Determination swelled in Reina. He’d bravely endured it all so far; she would keep doing the same. She would set aside her dreams and longings and see this through to the end. She’d have time enough to become a hero in her own right after she helped him defeat the Red Wizard.

  She went back outside so as not to disturb them. The Gold Wizard paced up and down across the little footbridge in the middle of the valley. She shook her head. He had way too much energy. Even being a woman with a cross tongue and twinkling eyes, Eleia came closer to Reina’s long-ago idea of what a wizard should be. Eleia was patient and wise—two things the Gold Wizard wasn’t. But he looked so worried and restless, Reina decided to distract him.

  She found two sticks and walked up to him. He turned and looked at her, apparently a bit cross, even though he obviously wasn’t doing anything else.

  “While we’re waiting, you should help me practice my sword fighting,” she told him. “Who knows what else we might run into on the way to get the sword. And keeping busy will help you think better.” Or at least that’s what Papa had always said.

  The Gold Wizard sighed. “I suppose. I’m certainly not coming up with any good ideas on my own.”

  He took the stick. “Okay, so you hold it at this angle and focus on your opponent’s shoulders. By watching how the shoulders shift, you’ll know when he’s turning.”

  Reina had only thought to distract him from pacing and herself from worrying, but she found the Gold Wizard actually knew what he was doing when it came to sword fighting. If she ever had to fight without the Unicorn Sword, his lessons could save her life.

  “Of course, magic is better than wasting time sword fighting,” he said. “With magic, you can defeat many more people with smaller losses.”

  Reina almost asked him to teach her magic, but she didn’t want to press her luck and have him remember that even sword fighting wasn’t a proper occupation for a young girl. She thought about it, though, and came up with a plan. That evening, sitting by the fire, she asked him to explain more about magic.

  “Austyn can’t practice yet, but you can tell us about how it works.” Reina sat on the couch, with Austyn laying his head in her lap. He seemed to be getting better.

  The Gold Wizard leaned back in his chair and smiled at them. His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. “As I think I told you, there are two kinds of magic. The kind every wizard has, and the personal magic that is unique only to that wizard.”

  Reina leaned forward, eager to hear more. Austyn closed his eyes and smiled.

  “The magic that everyone carries takes focus. First you feel the power of the magic within you, gather it up, and tell it what you’d like it to do. You have to focus in your mind on what you want to happen and ignore everything else. It helps to use words to do so, but sometimes it’s better to use words from the ancient language, because they are more precise.”

  “What’s that mean?” Austyn asked, his eyes still closed.

  “Well, for example, we have one word for snow. Well, there are five in the ancient language, and each one is slightly different. It can affect what sort of snow you might create. If you have a vague picture in your head, who knows what you might get! Precise words and good focus help, or otherwise things go wrong.” The Gold Wizard blushed. “With practice, as your focus sharpens, your control of magic should also improve. Mostly the only limits on it are your imagination and your concentration.”

  “What about the other kind, the kind that’s unique to each person?” Reina asked.

  “Well, every person sees the world in a different way, so wizards think that individual magic is part of that. Because you see things in a manner that no one else does and can, you are able to change them like no one else. At some point, a wizard finds himself doing things that only he can do and realizes this is his personal form of magic.”

  Reina’s mind filled with questions. He had described Austyn’s special power—resisting the Red Wizard’s death magic—although she was unsure how he could know. She also wondered what sort of individual magic she might have, or if she even had any. “So, what’s yours?”

  “Erm, um…. “The Gold Wizard turned bright red. “Look, your brother’s asleep! We’ll finish this discussion later.”

  He got up and walked out the door. Reina stared after him, annoyed.

  “He always stops short of telling me anything real,” she complained, glancing at Eleia, who sat knitting. “Is it a bad thing to ask a wizard what sort of special magic he has?”

  “No, sweetie,” Eleia said, “but Dwayne has his own personal challenges, and sometimes it’s hard for people to talk about their struggles.”

  Reina wrink
led her nose. She didn’t understand what Eleia meant. “So, then, what kind of special magic do you have?”

  Eleia looked up from her knitting. “I can see people’s struggles, know what paths they are called to walk, the paths they long to walk, their hopes and dreams. Mostly, all I can do is offer them a little help in finding their paths.” She reached out and touched Reina’s hair. “It’s a small thing, a few words to comfort a struggling soul, and sometimes people don’t want to find the path that’s meant for them. They want things that aren’t on their road. In those cases, people tend to find my words a burden and a challenge. That’s the trouble with magic. It does so little, really.”

  Reina shook her head. “Magic seems so big and powerful. How can you say it does only a little? Look at what the Red Wizard has done to our whole country!”

  Eleia’s expression was sad. “He is one who rejected good paths for the one that brings the most grief. People have a way of doing that, but telling them so only makes it worse.”

  Reina’s eyelids grew heavy, and Austyn’s warmth next to her lulled her towards sleep. But still questions tugged at her mind. “What about me? What’s my path?”

  “Child, if I tried to tell it to you, you wouldn’t be ready to hear it. It is better if you find it on your own. That is always better.”

  Reina wanted to object, to say she would rather know now if she’d become a warrior or not, but she felt too tired. Behind her heavy eyelids, a vision grew: a unicorn. Its kind eyes fixed on her, trying to tell her something—but she couldn’t quite figure out what.

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  Chapter Sixteen: The Journey Resumes

  The days blurred, one into the next. Reina wasn’t sure how long they spent in Eleia’s valley. Austyn recovered and became his usual lively self. He tried to practice with the Gold Wizard, but when he could, he snuck away to sit with Eleia and talk to her. She explained what herbs did what, where their names came from, and the origins of various other words and how their runes depicted them. While Reina didn’t mind such things, she didn’t see how they would work towards the defeat of the Red Wizard, and so she usually wandered off to practice the stances the Gold Wizard had taught her with the Unicorn Sword until Austyn felt up to practicing magic again.