by J E Mueller
Lee looked at me and continued. “My magic is centered at my core. The fire inside me came to meet yours, and was then drowned with water and smothered with earth and a lack of air. While I cannot do great things with my gifts, I can control this much.”
“Excellent, Lee. You’ve come a long way with your gifts and understanding how they work,” Lela said, with approval. It appeared to me that she may have helped him with it when he was younger. That hadn’t occurred to me before, but I was happy to hear that at one point in time he was not completely in control.
“Now it’s your turn, Key,” Lela continued. “What you feel, your magic, is within your control. If you can expect contact you should be able to control when or if the fire moves outside of you. Try again, and try to lessen the amount that escapes. When a kettle whistles you remove it from the flame, you don’t give it more heat. When you come in contact with someone you’re giving your fire a way out. Withhold it.”
Lee offered his hand and I just started at it.
“You really were able to combat my fire, simple as that?” I asked instead, wanting to be reassured. It seemed like it should at least hurt in some way.
He smiled. “One person’s nightmare may be an easy feat for another. Magic’s crazy like that. You cannot significantly hurt me. Yes, your magic is hot, and yes it is almost unbearably so, but it doesn't leave a burn and the feeling is gone the instant you remove it. I’ve got this.” He offered me his hand again.
This time I took it and tried to concentrate on withholding my magic, but without success. It felt as if it had a mind of it’s own.
Lela offered different suggestions, but time and again nothing worked. Finally, I sat down feeling quite frustrated with the world.
“I hate magic.” I declared.
“You’ve tried, felt, and learned at your worst,” Lela pointed out. “It can only go up when you’re at your best.”
“And if that doesn't work?”
“If you fall off a horse every day for a week does that mean no one can ride or that you need to do something different?” Lela asked in reply, crossing her arms.
“I hate magic, I grumbled, laying down as wisps of color started to light the sky.
“Maybe it’s not about holding it back, but directing it?” Lee offered. “Ordering it to go to a different place, leaving no magic in your hand?”
“I really don’t want to keep trying right now,” I said, feeling tired and defeated. “Maybe later.”
Lela nodded. “There are many options, but you’ll need to be willing to explore them and try them. Not just once, or twice, or even three times, but over and over until you know for certain it won’t ever work for you.” She started walking back towards the village.
Lee offered me a hand up and I accepted it.
“This feels like such a waste,” I complained with a yawn as we walked back. “Why couldn’t we do this when I was rested?”
“We had to test what your fire was actually capable of. Which is a lot. It just doesn't have a large adverse effect on me thanks to my magic. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could make it take a physical form, like summoning a fireball.”
“You have an odd obsession with fireballs.” I yawned at him.
“I just think they’re neat.” He shrugged, not bothered by my remark.
“That sounds like it’ll take more control than I’ll ever have. What we tired tonight I put all my effort into and it did nothing.”
“You tried one thing and it’s clear that it wasn’t the method for you. Forcing it to back off wasn’t the answer. Redirecting it is now the goal and it still has a chance of working,” Lee replied. “And that’s really all fireballs are. They are directing your magic into a physical form with aid of an element. Your element is fire, and a strong fire at that.”
“Didn’t you say only demons could direct cured fire elsewhere?” I watched him carefully, expecting him to realize it wasn’t a likely answer.
“Yep. Your fire is based off demon magic, and part of that is in you, and possibly within your control. And I could be wrong about the whole demon part. Not every curse is the same, and what we know yours is all based on second and third hand information that took days or even weeks to get to your family. Who knows for certain what went on? You may end up in full control of this.” Lee was optimistic as usual.
“So I could be part demon?” I questioned.
“Nah, maybe tainted, making the curse more powerful but giving you more control. Curses are odd, and even when cured no one has firm answers about their origins or inner workings.” Lee shrugged.
Too tired to care, I ignored everything we had just discussed in favor of watching where I was going. I was tired enough that I would likely run into something, or worse – someone.
When we finally returned I collapsed onto the sofa and Lee sat yawning in the chair.
“We should seriously set some daily practice time aside,” he said between yawns.
“How did it go?” Juni asked, coming from the other room while holding a small box.
“Terrible,” I supplied.
“It went well,” Lee said over me. “She learned a lot and is disappointed that the first method wasn’t the perfect solution.”
“So slow progress then? Okay.” Juni handed me the box. “This is for you. Go get some sleep.” She headed into the kitchen.
Puzzled by the gift, I opened the box to see a small stone talisman with the runes for balance cut into the otherwise smooth surface. Someone had turned it into a necklace.
“What is it?” Lee asked, coming to sit next to me.
I moved over and put on the necklace, “This is nifty,” I said, showing him. I hadn’t had a gift like this in a very long time. Maybe a friendship bracelet as a kid, but nothing as seemingly random as this.
He smiled. “Mother used to make those all the time. Haven’t see her make one in a long time though.” He laughed a bit. “They’re said to bring luck.”
“Why balance, though?” I rubbed the engraving with my thumb.
“You’d have to ask her, but if I had to guess, I’d say just to bring some balance into your life. You’ve had a lot of bad luck. Maybe this will help bring some good luck?”
“Even if it doesn't work, I love it.” I tucked it into my shirt. “I’m going to bed.” I yawned as I got up.
Lee jumped to his feet and offered me a hand up.
I stared at him, puzzled, but accepted the help up anyway.
He smiled happily to himself and went to bed. It was only in that moment I realized I hadn’t put my gloves back on. I didn’t even remember taking the second one off, but must have during the course of practice. For a moment, I stared mystified at my hands. It was clearly past time for bed.
Chapter 17
The next morning I awoke to the sound of a knock on the door. I glanced out the window in the guest room and saw that i was nearly midday. Instead of answering the knock I buried my head under the pillow. There was no way that I had gotten enough sleep. Hearing the door open, I pulled the pillow down tighter.
“Time to get up,” Lee called into the room.
“Liar!” I called back, yelling through the pillow.
“There are things to get done today. Come on, I’ll make some breakfast,” Lee tried to persuade me.
“It’ll still be breakfast if it’s the first meal I eat,” I replied, not budging.
“Do I have to drag you out of bed?”
“Fight me!” I was not ready for morning to be here.
I heard the door close. I glanced out from under my pillow but Lee was still there, arms crossed. He had tricked me! I didn’t know he was capable of such a thing.
“We’re both tired, but there are things to be done so come on,” he said as sternly as he could.
I grumbled. “Fine. Get out, I’ll be there shortly.”
“Promise?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, now go,” I assured him. I had actually taken the time to put on some nigh
t clothes and would need to change, so my insistence was real.
“Good, thought for a moment you'd be more difficult,” he said and left.
I probably would have but I was wearing nightclothes. That would get awkward fast. I changed quickly and joined him in the kitchen.
“Why the sudden rush?” I yawned as I took a seat.
“The committee is readying everyone for a second attack. They’ve been inching closer. We don’t know what will happen so you might want to be awake for it,” Lee explained, starting some tea. His cheerful demeanor was gone.
“Well.. shit.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Our riders will not likely reach the palace until tomorrow… We can defend ourselves until we receive aid, but we may run low on food if we don’t get help soon. We can’t just keep evacuating the fields and not letting our people go out and hunt. Supplies can only last for so long.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I offered. There didn’t seem to be many options available.
“I can’t think of much you could help us with honestly,” Lee said, bringing over breakfast. “There are going to be a lot of the same people using their magic to push them back further. Aside from advising people, there’s not much I can do from a distance either.”
I picked at my food for a moment. “I know problems like this happen, but I’ve never been somewhere while it was actually happening.” It made me prefer traveling even more. Avoiding large scale problems seemed worthwhile, but since I was here, I would do what I could to aid the villagers. Hopefully, it would be as simple as staying back and not touching anyone.
“Me neither,” Lee confessed. “We’re kind of out of the way, and keep to ourselves. Aside from the Order most people don’t even know we’re here. Even then, I think that most of the Order has forgotten about us.”
“I had never heard of this place before, so it’s possible,” I agreed. Not that I took travel advice from anyone there.
“Why don’t you hang out with Tella today? I’m sure she’d love to see you since this nonsense is kicking up again.”
“Seeing me could make things worse,” I said with a sigh. Would the sight of me remind her of what had happened? I couldn’t help but think that it would.
“I don’t think so. I saw the way she looked up to you yesterday. She’ll be happier seeing her rescuer again.” Lee sat down with his food. “My mother is worried that you’ll run again too, so stick around, okay?”
“I’ve already said that I won’t run off.” I shook my head. “She probably won’t believe me if I say so again, so no matter. Where’s Tella today? Still at the baker’s?” I got up, ready to go find her.
“Yeah,” he replied picking at his food. “She’s not the only one who’s concerned, though.”
I paused. “What’s got you worried, then?” I asked. While part of me was surprised, I knew I shouldn’t have been.
“I’m worried that you’ll rush off when help arrives,” Lee admitted. “You can wait until after this has cleared up to leave. How long has it been since anyone’s seen you? Even if you were to randomly run into someone you may remember, do you think they’d know you? Either way, I accept that you’ll be traveling again soon. I just worry that you’ll jump the moment you can and leave before it's safe or reasonable to do so.”
“I suppose that is a valid reason to worry.” I nodded, trying to be reasonable, “I’ll think about what you have said.” I headed towards the door. “I’m going to find Tella. I will see you later.”
“Okay,” he said, only half convinced as he finished what he was eating.
The day went by quickly. I helped Tella get a lot done, and in truth she was excited to see me. I didn’t realise how glad I was to be wrong about her reaction to me. Her mother hadn’t held back any information and today's ongoing events worried her, but she didn’t close up. She wanted to talk.
“Do you think we’ll get help in time?” she asked bluntly as we worked.
“I do actually.” I didn’t lie. “Do you learn anything about the king and queen out here?”
“Yeah! Bunches,” she confirmed.
“And don’t you think they’ll send help right away? Aren’t they good about protecting their own people?” I asked, hoping that my reasoning would become clear through my questions.
“Of course! They want to keep their kingdom strong, and it can only stay strong if it works together.” A light appeared in Tella’s eyes. “Oooooh! So by helping defend us they are helping us to be accepted by the realm. Yeah. I don’t know why I was worried.” She nodded to herself.
“It’s okay to worry. There’s a lot that can still happen, but we will continue to defend ourselves. In the end, those bad guys won’t win. We’ll get the aid we need and the king won’t just push back. He’ll see to it that this ends.”
Tella’s eyes widened with joy. I hoped everything would play out exactly as I wanted it to. I didn’t want to see her be disappointed.
By sunset I got her to relax as where we sat outside of Juni’s home and made bracelets out of beads and charms. Tella knew how to make different braids with yarn, but quickly got bored with it until she learned that I didn’t know them all. By the time Lee got back, Tella – while wearing gloves – was braiding ribbons into my hair.
“You look like you’re having fun.” He chuckled as he walked up to us.
“Isn’t she pretty now? Her hair was so messy,” Tella stated matter-of-factly.
I rolled my eyes. “Having a ponytail isn’t messy, it's convenient.” It was the truth.
“I can make you pretty every day,” Tella insisted.
“Only if you remember to wear gloves,” I agreed with some reluctance.
“Can I call you Aunty Key?” Tella asked surprising me.
Lee started laughing hysterically. Tella either ignored him or just didn’t understand why it was funny.
“Why do you want to call me that?” I asked, “Key is easier to say.” And didn’t imply anything.
“Because you're nice, and fun, and you saved me and you are like family now.” Tella replied.
I smiled, “As long as you know I’m not your actual aunty.”
“Why can’t you be?” she asked.
I blushed and Lee laughed harder. This was not a conversation I wanted to get into at this moment.
“That would require marriage, and I’d have to leave my fun travels behind,” I replied simply.
“Or Aunty Juni could adopt you!” Tella supplied.
I cracked up a bit at that. “Lee and I would make terrible siblings.”
“Yeah, he’s always gotta be right.” She nodded in agreement, giving him an irked look. “It’s annoying.”
“Yes, it’s true.” I smirked.
“This conversation took an unexpected turn.” Lee sighed. “And I’m not always right.”
“Uhh-huh.” Tella and I said in unison as Lee headed inside.
“It would be pretty cool if you were my aunt.” Tella stated happily.
“I can be pretty cool and not be your aunt,can’t I?” I smiled at her.
She nodded happily as her stomach growled, “Do you think Aunt Juni has dinner done?” she asked
“Go check, I’ll gather everything up,” I replied, putting everything back into the box Tella had found.
Walking inside, I set the box down and Tella bounced out of the kitchen.
“Dinner’s almost done! Going to find Mommy!” She dashed off.
I nodded to myself. Running magic was pretty useful. I went into the kitchen where Lee was still laughing and Juni was having a hard time repressing a chuckle.
“I see everyone’s up to date on Tella’s wonderful ideas. I’ll be out here then.” I shook my head and went back into the living room. Lee laughed harder.
I sat down in the chair when Tella came dashing back in. “Mother’s almost here!” She announced.
“That’s good. Go and set the table.” I instructed her so that I could avo
id the kitchen myself.
As she went skipping off she did so, and Lee came to sit in the living room with me.
“See? Knew she’d be glad to see you.”
“Mmmhmm.” I nodded, picking up my crochet project. It looked terrible, but I’d figure it out.
“She has some great questions doesn't she?”
“That she does. I wonder what could inspire such wonderful questions.” I eyed him wearily.
“I might have suggested that it would be pretty cool if you stayed here for a while.” Lee shrugged, “The rest was all on her.”
“It’s not fair to get her hopes up,” I pointed out.
“Then it’ll be good to tie up loose ends and let her know you’re leaving soon. She’ll miss you a lot,” Lee replied as he sprawled out on the sofa.
Juni appeared in the doorway. “Time for dinner.”
I looked up and smiled at her. “Thank you for the gift, Juni. That was really kind and not necessary.” I hadn’t had a chance to really thank her for the necklace yet.
“You could use some luck and balance in your life.” Juni waved it off. “Come and eat.” In that moment her sister, Aiko and her nephew Marc, arrived just in time for dinner to be served.
As soon as everyone was full we went out into the living room. Juni sat in her normal chair, and her sister took the only other one in the room. Marc and Lee sat on the floor playing cards. Tella sat with me on the sofa and was trying to show me more things to do with yarn.
It was nearing time to get to bed when Tella yawned loudly. “You’ll be here tomorrow, right?” she asked me urgently.
I nodded. “Yep. Go get some sleep.”
Aiko nodded at her kids. “Come on, let’s go.”
Marc got up and pointed at Lee, “Best three of seven tomorrow. This wasn’t a fair match.”
Lee just laughed.
“Let’s go.” Aiko ushered her kids to the door, smiling. “Thanks for everything today, Juniper.”
“Of course, sister.” Juni waved her off. “You’d do the same for me. Sleep well.”
“Are you going to be here all week?” Tella asked me. She clearly didn’t want to leave just yet.
