by J E Mueller
“Do you have high hopes of coming out of this alive?” I asked Zarek honestly. I was worried about him. We were just becoming family again. But the world doesn't stop spinning just because we were working on solving one issue.
Zarek shrugged. “We’ll have to see how good of a plan we can create. In the long run, I’ve had a will drawn out for some time.” His face looked tired, expression sober. “I’ve set things in motion to make for a strong following and wonderful core. Jameson will be livid, even more so since it’s him who has to stay behind. He needs to carry out my wishes.”
“Do you think he’ll actually stay behind?” I wondered aloud.
“Yes.” Zarek nodded. “He’s a man of reason and knows we both cannot go blindly into the night with our crazy ambitions and haphazard dreams. One of us needs to be reasonable and stay behind. Since it’s me this cult wants, it will be me that goes. While he won’t like it, and we’ll fight like no other for it… He will stay.”
We sat in silence for a moment, thinking over all the different things that could happen.
“I hope your fight isn’t heavy hearted and that it gets resolved quickly.” I said while hugging him, surprising myself at how physically affectionate I was becoming. “We’ll make it work.” I wouldn’t let him go into this mess alone.
“I do hope so. I can see Sandra summoning me back from the dead just to kill me herself for my stupidity.” He laughed lamely. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got a fiancee to make very angry.”
As I left, I mentioned to one of the guards that Zarek needed Jameson. My heart was with him, and I hoped they’d work out whatever solution was best for them.
Heading back to Juni’s, I thought a lot about what had happened in recent days. The entire month was a wash of events that had my mind spinning. I was no longer the same person and I wasn’t sure at what point I had changed. The tipping point seemed to be around when the ridiculous kid accused me of being a demon. I vaguely wondered what had happened to him, but didn’t care enough to find out.
When I entered the house, Juni was crocheting in her chair and humming to herself. She looked up as I entered and sat on the sofa.
“This has been a crazy month,” I said to her, letting my thoughts spill out a little.
She nodded as she continued her work. “They say change is either slow, something that creeps up on you and takes over before you’ve noticed it’s come, or it’s quick, vigorous, and takes your breath away. I’m glad to be home, and while I’m not happy with some of the changes in our lives, I’m glad to see most things are changing for the better.” She smiled. “It’s all what you make of it.”
“I wonder how different things would have been if my mother had actually sent me off to learn about my abilities when I was younger,” I mused. All the recent family time made me think of her more often.
“The nice thing is we can wonder, but we’ll never know,” Juni replied. “It’s good because we can wonder, and take control of where our path is heading. It’s over and we can make the journey worthwhile now.” She paused. “I’m sure she tried her best. I’m sorry her call wasn’t the right answer for you, but I see no reason to believe this isn’t where you should be now.”
“Thank you Juni.” I smiled, glad things were actually now going fairly well.
She offered me my half started crochet project and I gladly took it up once more.
Lee joined us a short while later. “What did I miss?” he asked, coming into the quiet room.
Juni yawned. “Not much. It’s nice not having anything to catch up on.”
“For the moment,” Lee agreed. “They’re working on putting an end to this senseless fighting.”
Juni paused and sighed. “And you’re going to play a part, I suppose? Likely Key is as well?” She turned her attention from Lee to me and back to her son again.
Lee shrugged. “I was brought up to help with the planning process. My gift is more useful than ever here. With all of Key’s new magical progress she’s an even greater asset.” His voice grew soft, “I’m sorry Mother. I can’t just back out of this. I don’t want our village going through this again. I don’t want anyone else going through this either.”
“Please come back safely,” Juni replied softly.
Lee went over and hugged his mother. “I owe you a nice vacation.”
“How about a nice time being at home with no nonsense?” Juni swatted his arm jokingly.
“Now that might be asking too much,” he teased. “But I’ll do my best.”
Chapter 26
That night I dreamt of battles and bloodshed. I watched helplessly as teammates got injured, and, in the end, waking in a cold sweat. Glad my nightmares weren’t a sign of the future, I took a few deep breaths. I looked around for a moment.
Lee was on the other guest bed, where he had fallen asleep while talking with me. Still asleep, he held his pillow tightly, lost in his own dreams. His presence was reassuring. Hopefully this conflict would be resolved soon and I could work on my own life in peace. It was hard to say what possibilities could be on the horizon if we were to survive this anti-magic nonsense.
Instead of worrying I tried to empty my mind and fall back asleep. It would be interesting to see what was decided after last night's conversations.
Finally morning came and I was eager to see how Zarek’s conversation with Jameson had gone. I set out on my own shortly after breakfast. Lee decided to catch up with the other council members and work on fulfilling duties. I found Zarek where I had left him in the makeshift barracks the night before. He looked tired and was sitting sitting at his desk while others slept. When he saw me come in he nodded for me to wait, finished his paper, and came to join me at the door.
“Let’s walk and talk. Let the night shift sleep,” he said softly, nodding towards his team.
I nodded as we headed out. “How’d it go?” I didn’t want to waste time starting with small talk.
“As well as you’d expect.” Zarek sighed, slowly leading the way away from his crew. “We yelled, we discussed, and then finally talked. There’s nothing easy about being young, in love, and in charge of your province’s defense. We’ll figure out a better way of handling things as time goes on.”
We walked for a while in silence before he continued. “Jameson will stay behind and keep things going here. If I don’t return I don’t know how he’ll handle it, but he has all the information I could give him. We’ll have to keep him updated as the planning goes on. Will you be joining the fight, then?” He glanced over at me.
“I’ve been dealing with this problem since it came here…” I motioned around me. “It’d feel wrong if I didn’t see it through until the end. I don’t know how much help I can be aside from casting my magic shield, which I can’t do for long. It only worked before as a last ditch effort.”
“We’ll continue to improve your sword fighting, then. You can easily get on a better level than those we’ve been fighting.” His confidence was contagious.
“My favorite.” I shook my head, not certain I could be much better, but it would be worth the effort. “Whatever helps will be good in the end.”
“We’re meeting again to plan in the early evening. I’ve been making varying drafts based on different scenarios I came up with. Hopefully Lee can point us in a more direct path.”
“His magic sight only lets him see the future a week in advance. So you’ll have good guess for that length.” I explained, not sure how long term the plans were that he was attempting to craft.
“Probably gets a little more wobbly towards the end of that.” Zarek nodded, trying to recall what he already knew about magic, “The near future is likely sharper with less changes likely, but a path can easily vary a day or more out. Good to keep in mind. We’ll take everything into consideration.”
“Who would've thought we’d be at this point a little more than a month ago,” I mused as we looped back around to head back. It was odd having a conversation like this with a fam
ily member. I had been so certain they wouldn’t want anything to do with me, and yet here we were.
“I still can’t believe you came back, and now we’re planning a battle together. Heh… time really does make fools of us all. Sometimes I’m glad to be wrong.” Zarek nudged me. “I’ll be able to convince you and your boyfriend to come to my wedding right?”
I thought to correct him, but decided against it. “Get out of this alive and I’ll even wear a pretty dress.”
“Fantastic. You’ll have to do the honors of giving a speech. Sandra and David made everyone give one at theirs. Got to include you in such a lovely tradition.” He winked.
“Everything about this sounds terrible, but if it’ll help you get home I’ll do it.” I agreed nudging him back. “Go make your plans. I’ll see you this evening.”
Zarek nodded and continued on his way back. Pausing for a moment, I decided I’d check the side of town that was attacked when I was last here.
They were replacing the fence around the town with a proper wall. A makeshift fence was in the place of the areas still waiting to be covered. In the distance I saw where my final fight had taken place. The scorched grass was dead and had turned into dirt. It had been a night I’d never forget, no matter how much I tried. Probably for the best, since it had gotten me here.
I saw Leila heading my way and waited for her to reach me. I hadn’t seen her since we first started practicing with my magic, and it seemed odd how far I had come since then.
“Rumor was the girl on fire was back.” She smiled, finally reaching me.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been on fire here,” I replied, amused.
She motioned towards the scorched ground, “It matters not. The mark you left earned you a title. I see things are finally coming together for you.”
I nodded. “Things are falling into place, but all of it is revolving around the same problem.”
“Some problems have the opportunity to teach us much. Use it,” Lela encouraged, not wanting me to waste the chance.
“More people will die from this senseless ignorance and hate. I wish there was a way around it.” If I was involved it seemed death would be certain however, even without my involvement, lives would likely still be lost. War was not for me.“Do you think we’ll be able to put an end to this?” It would be interesting to get an outside opinion.
“For the time being,” Lela replied. “Hate will always return. It’s how it is handled at its beginning that matters most. It can bloom into pain or bloom in understanding. We’re past that point here. Hopefully we will do better in the future and not let it blossom in such a way.”
“Hopefully,” I agreed, looking around at the remaining damage in the area. “Any glimpses into the future that show what path we should take?”
“Aggie has mentioned some, but it’s hard to say what is best.” She paused looking suddenly tired. “You’d have better luck gathering all those who can see the future together and seeing what they believe the best path is. Each will give you a different answer, but that doesn’t mean any are wrong. The best path will vary based on each person’s beliefs.”
“That may actually be a good plan. Gathering opinions never hurts.” I thought about it for a moment. “Do you have any thoughts from a non-vision standpoint?”
“None worth offering. While we all have our own opinions about this situation, not all are important. My only concern is that there will be those in my own home that may not want to allow non-magic people to reside or even visit here. Hatred and mistrust goes both ways. Some will let the actions of the few change their judgment of the whole. One bad apple shouldn’t mean the tree needs to be chopped down, but I’m never surprised when someone readies the axe.”
“I didn’t think of that.” I nodded. “We could be just as bad as them, then.”
Lela smiled. “Exactly. Extinguish the flames before the fire catches.” With that she continued on her way.
With my brief exploration of the town complete, I headed back. When home was in sight, Tella came running up to me. The air around her full of magic.
“Key, you’re back!” She threw herself at me but then caught herself.
I laughed. “Come here,” I said hugging her. “I’ve practiced a bit, but don't surprise me, okay?”
Tella hugged me with all the energy a friend could give. “Why did you take so long to come back? You didn’t even say goodbye!”
I had no good reasoning for her, and felt bad for letting her down. “I’m sorry. It was a rushed decision. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
She nodded, “Okay, just remember to say bye next time. Things have been crazy around here, but you said us tough girls have to stick together right?” It was odd having my words quoted back to me.
“Of course. I’ll do my very best,” I agreed, smiling, “Now what are you running about for today?” I was relieved she had forgiven me so easily.
“Oh yeah! Lee asked me to find you!” she replied, all smiles again.
“Thank you. Where is he?” I wondered why he didn’t just use his magic to find me. Then again, he’d be using it enough in the near future.
She thought for a moment. “I don’t remember what they called the new meeting place. I’ll show you!” She grabbed my hand and started to pull me.
It wasn’t much further than the original city hall location. Lee sat outside on a bench and was talking with a small group. I recognized Colleen and Patrick but I didn’t know the third person.
“Oh good, she found you.” Lee said, standing up.
“Sorry, I got distracted.” Tella blushed. “But I found her!”
I wondered how long she had been distracted and how much time it had taken her to find me. Either way it amused me. “What distracted you?”
“Paula has a new cookie recipe and she asked me to try some!” Tella beamed with excitement. “She had used one of my suggestions. We’re going to see if any other ones work.”
Lee laughed. “Thanks for your help, Tells.”
“Bye!” she said, dashing away.
“I adore your cousin.” I said watching her zip out of sight.
“Anyway…” Lee said, bringing our attention back to him. “As I was telling these guys, we’re going to be helping with an ongoing mission to bring back peace to the area. I’m not able to completely fulfill my position at this time and will be taking a short leave.”
“Speaking of that, Leila made a good suggestion,” I commented.
Everyone turned towards me. “What did she say?” Lee asked curiously.
“It wouldn’t hurt to get a little extra support from those with visions of the future so that we can take the best path. Of course there will be many paths and opinions but knowing a few possible outcomes could help a lot.” I replied.
“Leila said that?” Patrick said with surprise, “Usually she doesn't want them all involved. I wonder what her reason is.”
“It sounded mostly like she was concerned about everyone starting to hate those without magic.”
Colleen nodded. “Oh yes, there have been whispers already. We’ve been doing what we can, least we turn into our own enemies.” She sighed.
“I like the idea of gathering them,” Patrick said, getting up “Of course they’ll all say they’re right but you know, there are many right paths. Getting this solved quickly will be the best for all of us.”
“Maybe it’d be best to ask them individually. That way they can’t argue with one another and we can freely choose what plan works best without it seeming like we picked favorites,” Lee suggested.
“Whatever works.” I shrugged. “Anyway, I feel like I interrupted you.”
“Oh yeah, that.” Lee laughed, remembering why he had asked me to join them in the first place. “So this is Jamie.” He motioned towards the person I didn’t know. She nodded. “Jamie has actual fire magic and may be able to help you learn how to create and control your shields.”
We looked at one another for a moment.
“That’s why I asked you.” Lee nodded. “You’re more on the same level.”
“I’m not sensing a difference,” I said with confusion.
“That’s actually the point,” Jamie explained, “Elemental magic feels different. I’ve gotten really good at telling the difference. You can’t really sense a difference because there is none. It’s cursed magic.”
“Oh,” I said, understanding. I had forgotten that some people here weren’t just gifted, and that those who were cursed also resided here.
“Long story short,” Jamie said, summing up her history, “I’m from a village about two weeks south of here. My father learned of a terrible deed my mother had done and shortly after I was born escaped with me to a place he had heard rumors about where they help teach kids to control their magic. After a few years he heard of this place and moved us here. I’ve spent a lot of time at the Order and have been learning as I go here. I had the basics down before I was ten, and have been slowly progressing through whatever new tricks I could learn.”
“Wow, learning from the start makes a huge difference.” It was nice seeing that it had worked for someone.
“It does,” she agreed. “We’ll have to go over what you already know and can do, but I’m sure we can give you a better advantage.”
“Thank you Jamie,” Lee said. “Whenever you’re able.”
“Does now work?” She looked at me.
“Yes.” I nodded, ready to seize the opportunity. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter 27
We parted ways with the group. For a moment I was unsure how I felt about not knowing of Jamie sooner, but I remembered Lee had said a lot of people had recently been out of town. It was exciting to have an opportunity to work with someone who truly understood the uniqueness of my situation.
“I’ve got a great place in mind to practice,” Jamie said, leading the way, “You were here for that battle recently, right?”
