I'd been sitting next to Kairn all week, and yet my stomach still did turns when I thought about him. Something about him just made me nervous. I couldn't describe it. I hadn't had much real conversation with him yet. So far we'd just been taking lecture notes. I knew that today was going to be different. We were going to actually do magic today. Don't get me wrong. It was definitely exciting, but this was supposed to be a partnered activity. That made me feel a little bit uneasy. Both from what I knew of Kairn, and from what I knew about my own feelings.
Professor Malus began class promptly as usual. Her expression was completely serious. She drew a large circle on the board and underneath inscribed the word Hallow.
"Who knows what a hallow is?" She asked the class. Most of us in the class were first years and had no idea. She waited for a few tense seconds before calling on the dark-haired boy next to me. "Kairn, can you share with us?"
"Of course," He said smoothly. His voice was rich, like dark velvet. He proceeded to explain, "A Hallow is the magical phenomenon that allows us to do magic. It is a small piece of the luminous ether that we conjure into our plane of existence. Within its confines, we can affect change."
"You are correct," Professor Malus said, writing out instructions on the board. "Today you are going to be creating your own hallows, with the help of your partner of course. It much easier, in the beginning, to combine the power of two for this task. It requires great concentration. A single lapse in focus can cause it to dissolve, with two mages there is less of a chance of losing the hallow altogether." She described the process matter of factly. We would simply press our hands against each other while envisioning a small golden bubble. It was hard to imagine that this would actually work.
After examining and making a copy of the diagram in my notes, I turned to Kairn. Time to get this over with. I was not ready to take in the full force of him head-on. This was the first time, he had looked at me directly. He was staring at me now. His dark eyes seemed to uncover me, peering deep into the depths of my inner self. It was unsettling. I got the feeling that he could consume me with that stare if he wanted to. He was the first to speak.
"Esther," He said, for a moment, I thought that was all he was going to say. "What a unique name."
I was caught off guard. "Um, thanks I said." Nobody had ever complimented my name before. In fact, kids at my old school had made fun of it for being old fashioned. It made the rumors about me being a witch all the worse.
"Did you inherit it?" He asked, still staring at me intently.
"I think so," I said. He had somehow already uncovered something raw about me. "It was given to me at birth, but I never met my parents, so I can't be sure." My name was the only thing I had that was all mine.
He didn't flinch as so many did when they heard my story. Most people tended to see me as damaged goods after I told them, would he be the same way. It didn't appear so, but I wasn't sure. Perhaps he was not surprised because he had a worse secret than mine. I shivered and hoped that he couldn't see.
"You must be from a long line of mages," He said seriously.
I laughed and he cocked his head to the side. "Why do you say that?" I asked.
"I don't ask to flatter you,” He said still stone-faced. "It's that," He said pointing toward my hands.
"Holy mother, what is that?" I gasped. My hands were glowing. There was crackling luminous energy coming from them. The intensity radiating from my palms was palpable, and I found myself blushing. I couldn't help but think it had something to do with him. I rubbed my hands on my legs hoping it would dissipate. It calmed down somewhat, morphing into a gentle glow.
"How long have you been doing magic?" He asked me.
"This is actually my first time, doing magic," I admitted.
"Well that's interesting," He said. I could feel the blush moving from my cheeks to my neck. Was he judging my magical outburst? "Should we get started?" He asked.
"Alright," I acquiesced. I put my hands up, palms facing him. I closed my eyes and began to visualize the golden bubble just as Professor Malus had described it. Then I felt Kairn put his hands against mine, and I felt an immediate jolt of electricity in the pit of my stomach. His hands were the exact temperature of my hands. Touching him was such a strange sensation. It was like the sound of two radios that are playing the same station. There was some kind of resonance between us. It was entirely disconcerting. It grew stronger the longer we were connected by touch until it felt like a deep pulse was passing between us. I opened my eyes in shock at the sensation. Did he feel it too?
When my eyelids opened something was blocking my view of him. A large golden bubble was hanging between us. Professor Malus was walking around the class. I realized that we were the first to create a hallow. She walked over to our table.
"Well done, both of you." She said, her face registering some level of excitement. "I've never seen such a well-formed Hallow on a first attempt." She left us alone just a moment later after another group appeared to be having difficulty.
Our hallow disappeared a moment later. We must have both lost focus when she was speaking.
"Well, that was..." I breathlessly grasped for words.
“Something." He finished my sentence. We were still touching and though the hallow was gone, I could still feel a current passing between us. There was deep power behind it. Was it coming from him? I hadn't felt anything so intense before. I knew then that whatever he was bound to must indeed be powerful.
12
Nobody was home when I got back to Halewick House. I thought about starting my homework, but I needed a mental break. The last hour with Kairn had left me with frayed nerves. What was that power that passed between us? Was it something dangerous? Could it hurt me? The questions swirled around my head, as I sat down in a soft green armchair in the parlor. Luna, the black cat came and curled up in my lap. She nudged my hand with her head for me to pet her. I obliged and she suddenly got up and hopped out of my lap. Fickle Cat.
But she wasn't running away. She almost seemed to be guiding me towards something, possibly her food bowl. I followed her into the kitchen and there was an envelope on the counter. It was written on the heavy parchment that seemed to be so common around here. It said my name on the outside in a fast scrawl. I opened it and found a note from Ligeia.
* * *
Esther,
I found something you aren't going to believe. It's out in the ruins. Come check it out when you get home. Just follow the path that leads out from the Fen. I'll be waiting for you.
~Ligeia
* * *
How long had she been waiting? What a strange thing to do, but I could use a walk anyway. I hadn't gotten out and explored much and it would be nice to get some fresh air. I went up to change clothes, something more appropriate for hiking. And the air was heavy, so I grabbed a rain jacket just in case. I crossed campus to the fen. It was even more beautiful now in the golden late-afternoon light, and without the distraction of throngs of laughing teenagers.
I followed the path that we had found during the night of the party. The marsh was creepy as ever. The hanging branches and tall snaking roots of the Cyprus trees cast strange shadows. Even the light was different here. Everything took on a greenish-grey tint as if I'd stepped into an old horror movie. Should I be alert for a swamp monster around the corner? Anything seemed possible. Farther into the marsh, the path disappeared until I was stumbling over rocks and roots and trying to avoid falling into the thick mud. I passed by the standing stones that I had seen that night. Somehow it felt like I was deeper in the marsh than I had been that night. I kept walking past the stones, following all that remained of the semblance of a path. How far did Ligeia go?
Eventually, I began passing more stone formations, until they were littered all throughout the marsh around me. Slowly the marsh began to fade out into a meadow. I noticed a large stone wall across the meadow with all sorts of strange engravings. There was nowhere else to walk. The path had ended. I was left
standing in front of the strange wall. I stared at it, trying to piece together the meaning of the strange symbols. I recognized many of them from Magical Correspondences. As tedious as that class was, I could sort of see the practical applications. There were some astrological signs interspersed with others I did not know. As I stared, I began to feel something behind me. Spinning around, I said, "Ligeia?"
I was startled when there was nobody there. The sound of crunching almost stopped my heart. There was someone out there, past the meadow. I tried calling out to Ligeia again, but I was beginning to think it wasn't her. She wasn't the type to play a joke like this. I stared into the woods beyond the stone wall, but I couldn't see anything. The sounds of movement got louder. I moved back closer to the formation behind me. Suddenly, appearing from the forest like a ghost was a wolf. It wasn't just any wolf. It was huge, with a coat of pure white fur and crystal blue eyes. It couldn't be.
My rational mind didn't want to believe it, but I knew it had to be one of the shifters. The wolf moved closer, strutting out into the center of the meadow. It had huge razor sharp looking teeth and I didn't want to think about its claws. Behind the wolf was more movement. There were more. There were at least five other wolves behind it, all varying shades, but all huge. The pack moved closer to me. The wolves behind fanned out around me and I was cornered. The wall behind me had at first seemed like a security, but now were trapping me.
Had I been set up? Or had the wolves gotten to Ligeia as well? I didn't even want to consider that. Was I going to be next? I pressed myself up against the wall as the wolves moved closer. My heart was pounding a mile a minute. Every part of me was on fire, as I processed the thought that I might die. I closed my eyes as I saw the white shifter lunge towards me. I was expecting to feel the sharp pain of teeth against my neck, but it didn't come. I opened my eyes. The wolves were staring at the edge of the woods. They had heard something. I didn't have to wait long to find out what they'd heard. A haunting cry pierced the trees. IT was not quite human, but it definitely didn't sound animal either. Then in a flash, I saw something out in the woods. A strange sound was edging closer. Like horse hooves?. The wolves appeared agitated, though they were still trapping me. Could I run past them without being seen? I was afraid that if I did, it would unleash their instinct to chase, then I would really be dead. I couldn't risk it. But what other choice did I have?
I spotted a small hole in their formation. If I ran lengthwise across the wall, I could slip around the back and run straight away from this. But then, what was that thing? Even the lycans were afraid of it.
I took my chance and darted behind the stone wall as fast as I could. It wasn't fast enough, because the white wolf immediately gave chase and followed me. I sprinted back toward the school as fast as I could. My blood was pumping so hard I could hear the drumbeat of it in my ears. The sound of a horse grew louder, and I ran faster. It wasn't enough, and the white wolf was gaining on me. I felt something grab my back. An arm snaked around my waist and pulled me up. I was on a horse. I turned to see who had grabbed me and nearly passed out. The creature behind me was certainly not human. He or it had large antlers protruding from his face, which I could not see as it was covered by a large mask. The skull of some kind of animal covered his face, but behind I could see dark eyes, and it filled me with terror. His arms which had grabbed me from the ground had swirling black tattoos all over. And his fingers ended in long black claws.
He circled his horse back, a large black animal that seemed to be made of shadow rather than flesh. I held tighter. He seemed to be heading straight for the shifters. They were running now, but he was faster. He rode up beside them and gave another bloodcurdling cry. It sounded like the war cry of a haunted battlefield. It made my blood run cold and I knew I would never forget that sound. The shifters began to howl and let them flee. I didn't look at him. I didn't dare. He rode back in the direction of the school. Before he reached the fen, he stopped. Was he letting me go? I was shaking, and I could hardly get down from the horse. It was the tallest animal I'd ever seen. I clambered off and tried to walk without appearing scared. Would he follow me? I turned around to look and he didn't move. He was glorious and terrible. He was the vision of an ancient and terrifying god. Or perhaps he was the horseman of death. It was more than my heart could handle. I almost threw up.
He watched me walk away. I could feel his eyes on me. When I got past the fen I glanced back one more time and he was gone. Like he was never there. I had goosebumps all along my arms and clasped my arms around myself firmly. I'd dropped my rain jacket somewhere in the forest when I was running. It was late when I got back. Maeve and Ligeia were frantic when I finally got inside the house. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was shaking hard. They asked me what happened, but I was having trouble getting my words out.
"Let's get her some food," Maeve suggested. I nodded weakly.
They walked me to the dining hall and I got a large bowl of soup. It helped a little bit with the cold that had seeped into my bones. I was still shaking, but it had subsided enough that I could at least speak. I also sipped on a large mug of chamomile tea. I told them everything, starting with the note, then the wolves, the strange ruins, and finally him. The creature, or man, or whatever he was. He had been achingly beautiful, but more frightening than anything I'd ever seen. He was like an angel of death or something like that anyway. There was something ancient about him and primordial. The antlers and the dark eyes, that seemed both human and animal. I described every detail and even his strange cry that seemed to break the hum of the forest. They were frozen still as I described my encounter.
"And he saved you?" asked Maeve.
"Yeah, I guess he did." I hadn't actually thought about it that way. At the time, I was too frightened to comprehend that he wasn't trying to harm me. But he didn’t. He scared away the lycans and brought me back safely to the school He could have done anything he wanted with me. He couldn't have taken me to oblivion for all I knew. He certainly seemed capable of it, but he hadn't touched me. Except for when he grabbed me and brought me up on his horse. I noticed that he had left a single tear in my shirt from where his claws had wrenched through the fabric.
When we got back, there were several ravens in the yard. It was a strange sight, but a familiar one. It was oddly comforting somehow. I knew now that this was somehow a manifestation of magic inside of me. It made me feel stronger. Ligeia asked if I wanted her and Maeve to stay with me tonight, but I was okay. I felt safe inside our house. I told her there was no need. By tomorrow morning I wouldn't even remember. Part of me knew that was a lie, but if it made it easier to sleep, I would believe whatever I needed to.
13
Despite the early hour, the dining hall was filled with people the next morning. I couldn't figure out why, until I saw who everyone was crowded around. The lycans were back and they were here for me. Why else would they be here this early in the morning? I tried to ignore them and go about my routine grabbing some toast and scrambled eggs from the breakfast line. While I was spreading strawberry jam on my sourdough toast, someone walked up to my table. It was Luke. His Light blonde hair and icy blue eyes told me he was the white wolf.
"What do you want?" I hissed. "Come to finish me off?" I was seething. Who did he think he was.
"No Esther, you've got me all wrong." He said. "I want to apologize. Really," He sighed.
"Go ahead," I said noncommittally.
"Can I sit down?" He asked.
"Sure, make yourself at home," I said with a hint of sarcasm. Still, If he was here to apologize for nearly killing me, I was all ears. This should be good.
"Look, what happened in the marsh was completely inexcusable. There's a reason that they keep us away from the school during the full moon. We are learning how to control it, but I struggled to maintain that control yesterday. For that, I am truly sorry." He stared at me with sincerity in those blue eyes.
"I accept your apology but don't think that means I'm over it. Yo
u guys almost killed me." I answered honestly. "I just need you to understand that."
He nodded solemnly. "If there's anything I can do to make it better, I will." He was almost begging.
"Tell me," I said, seeing the opportunity. "Did you see him?"
Luke gave a startled shiver. "You mean you can see him too? I thought it was only a shifter legend for the longest time."
"So you did see him?" I pushed excitedly for more information.
"Just the tail end of him when he grabbed you. Are you okay by the way?" He said, still giving me puppy dog eyes. I could see the resemblance between him and his wolf form.
"Yeah I'm fine, but you made it sound like there were stories. Can you tell me more?" I asked.
"Not stories so much as rumors. Shifters have claimed to see something strange in the woods for a while now. A beast who prowls the earth searching for predators to hunt."
"What kind of beast?" I pressed.
"Well nobody really knows, but I'm thinking we got a pretty good look at it yesterday." He said. His friends were staring at us. They were waiting for him. "What were you doing way out there anyway," he asked.
I tried to explain the strange situation. Ligeia hadn't written the note of course, but who had. I had a few guesses. "I thought I was supposed to meet a friend, but I was wrong." I left it at that.
"Hmm." He frowned. "Well, anyway, I never meant to put you in any kind of danger. I'm really sorry Esther." He finished.
"Thanks for the apology." I smiled. He wasn't that bad after all. The shifters seemed to be really high energy and overly emotional. I would accept his apology for now.
Unbound: Mage's Academy I Page 6
