We walked silently through the town, slowly to allow me to get a good look at what everything was like. Everything was so different to Orllandris, and it was clear to see just how different and strict their society was. Even with Miss Annette walking with me, I was still met with disapproving stares. Many turned to their groups and began gossiping.
“...sapphire hair, strange coloured eyes...”
“...it could be she's one of those people...”
“...Annette Seileine is with her, what IS she thinking?”
Annette glanced back at me and for a moment I thought maybe she was worried.
“You need not worry, my lady, I am used to being an outcast. The only other in my town who was similar was my uncle, and he passed away last year from heart failure,” I reassured her. She said nothing for a moment but then sighed rather sadly.
“I do not understand how Mages such as yourself can be so hated, especially when you are so gifted. But, I am...glad you arrived here. It is a very nice and welcomed change to this boring lifestyle. Perhaps...perhaps you could show me what you can do?” she asked, a small childish twinkle in her eyes. I couldn't help but give a small smile.
“Find me somewhere where we will be uninterrupted and I will show you the wonders that my uncle has helped me to control over these years,” I said. She smiled back, looking relieved.
“Is it true that all Mages share moonstone eyes?” she asked after another short silence.
“Yes. Regardless of what age the power makes itself known to a person, it will alter the eyes and occasionally other parts of the body such as hair colour or even small markings,” I answered.
“Ah, it seems there is much you will have to teach me about your kind.”
“There will be plenty of time to learn while we travel, my lady.”
As we travelled towards the outskirts of town, there was an open field that seemed to act as a training grounds. There were maybe 30 young men aged 16 to 21, each of them doing vigorous exercises. All except one who was lounging on a tree branch smoking a cigarette. Annette slowed down and so did I and Liandri, she looked sad again.
“Before we go on, I think you should see this,” she said quietly. After a minute or so or waiting, a man who appeared to be in his 50s appeared from over the hill, dressed in clothing that made me assume he was this General Andreas. He was very stern looking but it was also clear to see straight away that he had a sharp and quick mind. He walked slowly, almost leisurely but not quite, until he was only a few feet away from the young men. At the first sight of him, they all snapped to attention and I will bet that they were all hardly breathing. He ignored them though and walked straight over to the one in the tree who didn't even notice that he was even there.
“And just what do you think you are doing, young man?” the General said in a demanding voice. The young man looked up and then fell off the branch in shock before snapping to attention like the others had, except he looked even more terrified.
“Well? What do you think you're doing?!” the General barked at him. He flinched and went pale as a ghost.
“I-I-I...I-I was j-just...” he stuttered but it was clear that whatever he said wouldn't be believed.
“...Do you believe I am a stupid man? That I have all young men go through this training process for nothing? Well, if you do, then you are incorrect!” Andreas barked. “Surely the Great Shadow War was proof enough that all young men need the necessary training so they are able to protect their towns and people from such disgusting and destructive creatures! WE are the ones who protect this world, and we cannot do it if we are not prepared!”
At this, he rammed his fist into the young man's stomach and caused him to collapse to the ground in a heap. Andreas walked around him in a slow circle and then proceeded to repeatedly kick him in the stomach and stamp on his arms and legs with his boots. This continued for around 10 minutes and I was surprised that the young man hadn't died. I glanced over at Annette and she looked as if she might break down into tears. I was so very tempted to run over and protect him, but I knew far too well what happened to Mages if they were found out. They were hunted down then killed mercilessly.
Eventually Andreas stopped and just stared down triumphantly at the bloody barely breathing mess that was the young man. He then turned to the others who were staring with expressions of mixed horror and awe.
“Let that be a lesson to you gentlemen! We do not slack off when our people are at risk. If you cannot protect yourselves from me, then you do not stand a chance against the monsters that want to harm our people. Am I understood?”
“Yes sir!” they all shouted. He nodded and then left without a word. He happened to glance in our general direction, but the moment he saw me his eyes locked onto mine, and I knew that he knew what I was. His gaze remained on me for a moment and then he left, undoubtedly to gather his men to kill me. I looked over at Annette who looked as if she were about to faint.
“Come on, my lady, You need to sit down,” I said, taking her arm and leading her away. I then leant closer. “We need to leave.”
She looked up at me, confused.
“Wh-what? Why?” she asked.
“He's knows.”
Her eyes widened at this, as if she didn't quite believe me. She went into deep thought as we kept walking, clearly thinking through our options.
“Tonight then. We cannot leave before I dine with Captain Morgan, it would look far too suspicious. And besides, your horse still needs to rest,” she said when we were near to her manor house. She lead us around to the back where the stables were.
“Poppy!” she called out. A young girl of 14 with hazel eyes and dark hair in a short plait came running outside, dusting off her hands.
“Yes my lady?” she asked.
“Please take Lysette's horse and tend to her. Take her to the back stall and keep her out of sight, do not allow anyone to see her under any circumstances and say they will feel my wrath if they dare disobey my orders. Do you understand?” Annette said to her. Poppy nodded.
“Yes my lady. Not one person shall lay their eyes on this magnificent horse or even know she was here,” Poppy said, gently taking Liandri's reins from me. I was a little reluctant to let her be taken away, but I trusted this girl and Liandri would call if anything was going wrong. Annette then led me through the manor house and up to her bedroom. Goodness, her bedroom was the size of my entire house. The sheets on her huge double bed were undoubtedly made from the finest silk and were in shades of amber and gold, the bedposts carved from the finest mahogany and her giant dressing mirror crafted from the finest glass. She went straight into her walk in wardrobe and dug out a huge traveller's bag.
“This...belonged to my grandfather. He was a Mage like you, but thankfully he managed to live his life in its entirety and not have it stolen from him like so many of you have. Will this be big enough?” she asked. I took it from her gently and looked at it inside and out.
“...Yes, this is perfect. It's the same size as my own pretty much. Pack lightly. The only clothes you'll need are comfortable and practical ones like what I'm wearing. And don't bother packing food as we'll get it in other towns...but bring money, I'm almost out. Otherwise we'll have to do small jobs in towns to get more money which means we'll be at risk,” I said, handing the back back to her. She nodded and then started moving around her room like a whirlwind, grabbing the odd cloak here, a pair of boots there, and some small comforts such as her hairbrush and hairclips. With her bag packed and kicked under her bed and her travelling outfit prepared just inside her wardrobe, all that was left to do was dine with Captain Morgan.
“Oh God, why won't he stop staring at me already?!” my mind continued to yell as I desperately tried not to lean over the table and smack Captain Morgan upside the head. I'd extremely reluctantly gone with Annette to dine with Captain Morgan as she mentioned how it would be less suspicious for us if I went with her instead of remaining at the manor house until she returned. So it was myself, Lady Annette, Captain Morgan and three more of his men, Andrew, Drake and Roland. And unfortunately I had to sit opposite Captain Morgan. I was certain something was up with him as he insisted on my sitting opposite him the minute we approached the table. And now that we were seated and waiting for our tea to arrive, his gaze on me never faltered, as if I were some exotic animal who would fade away forever if he blinked even for a second. It was annoying because it felt like I couldn't move or speak or do anything. Annette, who was sitting to his right, looked at me apologetically like she knew my pain. Well she at least was out of his field of sight.
“So Lysette, you come from Orllandris I hear?” Drake said, being enough of a gentleman to try and start a conversation with me rather than just staring at me. I nodded.
“I do. And I do hope I'll be able to return to my home soon. I don't have any friends there and my only family member who actually cared about me died last year, but that town is my home and I can't really see myself living anywhere else,” I said, shifting about a little in my chair and trying not to scratch at my wrists again. It was bad enough General Andreas knew I was a Mage, but if they knew I was a Child of Eternity as well, then all Hell would break loose. Perhaps literally.
“I've got some cousins who live there, lovely town they say it is. They also say that they can't wait until it goes under General Andreas' rule,” Roland said. I nearly choked on air just as the tea arrived. It took me a minute to compose myself fully before I felt confident enough to pick up my cup without my hand shaking too badly to spill any of the contents. Andrew clearly noticed my discomfort about this news.
“Hey Lysette, are you alright? You look a little shaken...didn't you know that the General was planning to include Orllandris under his rule?” he asked. I managed to take a small sip of my tea before I had to put the cup down in fear of dropping it.
“N-no...I did not know that at all. I'm sure news of it must have been sent to my town to see if they would agree to it at first before force was needed, but it is clear that the news arrived after I had already left...” I said, trailing off the end of my sentence. Our table was silent for a moment as the news sank in.
“You do not need to worry Lysette. Your town will be safer under his rule, it will be made stronger like ours and so many others,” Morgan said after a while. I had no doubt that the town would be safer, but that wasn't what my problem was. I hadn't been the only Mage who had been taught by my Uncle, many others had come to our small town so he could pass on his wisdom to them, to have him help them practice and learn how to harness the strange power they had suddenly been gifted with. I had planned to do the same in his place once I had returned, but if Mages went to the town in search of me while Andreas was in control, especially knowing that I was a Mage myself and now probably knowing that I came from that town...any other Mage entering would be massacred. Slaughtered like animals at a butchers. The thought of being the cause for the deaths of so many who had done no wrong made me begin to panic slightly and feel as if I might throw up.
“Are you sure you're alright? Think about it! Your town will be safer from Shadows and Demons and even those disgusting Mages,” Roland said. I nearly did throw up just then. I clutched my stomach and leant forwards, bringin my knees to my chest to try and keep myself together.
“I...I'm sorry. I...haven't been feeling that well for a few days. I guess it's only just hitting me now,” I said, forcing myself to give a small laugh. Thankfully I had paled a little to make my lie more believable.
“Then perhaps...you should return to Annette's home and rest if you are feeling poorly. It was stupid of me to have not noticed earlier that you did not look as well during our first meeting when I invited you to join us,” Morgan said. He then turned to Annette. “My lady, please excuse me while I escort your protector back to your home. I will then escort you home personally later on after my return.”
“That is fine with me. Just don't be too long,” Annette said with a small sweet smile at him. He bowed and we both stood up to walk out of the restaurant and into the dark cloak of the night.
We were about halfway to Annette's home with no other people around and no light except from the moon when Morgan suddenly turned on me and grabbed me by the wrist. It was so sudden and at that moment, both of the marks decided to flare up painfully.
“So you think you can just weasel your way into our town and earn the trust of a lady like Annette do you, you disgusting piece of inhuman filth? Yes, I know what you are. The General informed me himself before our little arrangement this evening. And I personally will have you killed for daring to enter our town,” he hissed, his face an inch away from mine, filled with irrational hatred. But I barely heard him. I couldn't feel anything past the searing pain in my wrists, the fires that were burning in my veins. He noticed the agony on my face and briefly looked down at my wrist which his hand was clamped around to see my hand shaking.
“Look...at my wrist...see...what is burned into my skin,” I managed to whisper through the pain. He looked at me, clearly confused, before reaching out with his other hand to undo the cuff on my left sleeve and peeling it back to reveal the Heavenly mark, now glowing ever so faintly. He stared at it for what seemed to be an eternity before dropping my hand and stepping back from me, shaking his head repeatedly.
“Do you get it now? Right now...all I want is to be free of this. Please, I'm begging you...let me go free so I can remove these chains. If you kill me now, then my spirit is doomed for eternity,” I pleaded. “You can come and hunt me after. Heck, I'll hand myself over to you and paint a target on my chest!”
Morgan just stared at me and in that moment I didn't see a soldier or a Captain, all I saw was a young man who had clearly lost something dear and precious to him. It was clear in his grey eyes and the crystalline tears that now poured silently down his cheeks.
“...Please...I need to. And I need Annette to come with me. She's the only one who knows how to break these binds,” I said, so close to throwing myself at his feet and begging like a small child, something I had only ever done once before when I had begged my Uncle to let me keep an abandoned puppy I had found on the street. Morgan remained silent for a moment longer before speaking.
“I can get you to the docks to get a boat across the ocean, but that's it. You two will be on your own from there onwards,” he said bitterly before turning and beginning to carry on walking. But I recognised that pain in his eyes, and I just had to know what caused it.
“Who did you lose?” I asked. He stopped mid-stride and didn't say anything for so long that I thought he wasn't going to answer me at all.
“...My little brother. I was 15 when it happened, those bloody marks appearing on his wrists. He'd started crying and screaming in the middle of the night, screeching that he didn't want to die. He was only 10...10 ****ing years old and he was going to be stolen from me! We tried everything to break those binds, everything! But one night...he just stopped breathing, his eyes went empty and that was it. He was gone. Forever. The next time I saw him was 2 months later when I was walking through the forest. I'd come across a small figure lying wounded near a river, but when I got closer I saw it was him. He was crimson with horns and claws...he'd joined the minions of Hell...and I...I'd never known he had so much darkness lurking in his heart. He never told me anything about it...I could've helped him. If I had just been able to get him to open up and tell me...I could've helped him...I could've stopped him from going to the flames of destruction. Instead he'd kept it all bottled up and it caused to him to be in agony for the rest of eternity. I'm such a terrible older brother...” he managed to get out, his shoulders shaking as the memories caused his tears to flow faster, dripping down his neck and dampening his shirt collar.
I wasn't sure how to react to this. Part of me wanted to go over to him and comfort him because I knew his pain, while part of me was also screaming at me to keep away from him and give him the space as I doubted that he would want comfort from a “disgusting piece of inhuman filth” such as myself. Instead I found myself walking closer and pausing just in front of him, our gazes locked yet him giving no hint as to whether or not I was allowed to go any closer. But he gave the answer himself because he sort of collapsed into my arms meaning I had to catch and hold him to stop him from falling. So there we stood for a short while, his face buried into my shoulder and no other sounds than his muffled weeping. In those moments he wasn't a soldier who was determined to protect his people or even a young man just beginning to be fully moulded into an adult. He was nothing more than an older brother who was mourning the loss of his beloved younger brother.
The rest of our walk was silent and uneventful. His eyes were still red from crying but the iron will and determination had returned to them. The only other time we had spoken was when he had asked when Annette and I were planning to leave town tonight, saying he could meet us in the next town shortly after. Instead of leaving straight away like he had intended to when we reached the manor house, he followed me around the back and into the stables to see Liandri. Poppy's eyes had widened at first but didn't say anything when I gave her a look saying it was alright. Liandri seemed wary of Morgan at first seeing as he had tried to take her away, but was kinder towards him when she realized he was no threat to her.
“She's absolutely magnificent,” he said, stroking her muzzle gently.
“Isn't she just? We grew up together. I was 4 years old when she was born, and she's been my closest friend ever since then,” I said, running my fingers through her mane lightly.
“Wow, you are lucky. I don't think I've got any of my childhood friends left here. They all either moved away to other towns or were...killed in the War.”
There was a pause.
“...S-so...what's it like being...being a Mage?” he stuttered. I glanced over at him but he was staring at Liandri.
“Well...I'm honestly not sure how to answer that. It's both incredible and a burden. Being able to use spells...there's nothing like it. But it would be even better if we weren't being hunted to extinction. We're different, I understand that, but he can be of help. People only seem to see us as a danger and forget how we helped your armies and saved so many of your wounded with our powers. It's...it's painful. It hurts so much in the heart that people don't care about all the good we've done,” I said, having to control myself enough to stop myself from ranting. There were few moments went I got so angry about it all and this was about to turn into one of them if I didn't bite my tongue. He glanced at me for a brief moment and it seemed like he regretted asking in the first place.
“I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-”
“It's alright. You couldn't have known.”
There was another silence before he moved away and started heading towards the door, pausing when he was in front of me.
“Well then...I'll see you and Annette in Grimsel soon,” he said. I nodded. He looked as if he were about to move away but instead leant forwards and kissed the top of my head lightly.
“May the light in your heart shine through,” he said softly before leaving. I stared after him, shocked. I had not heard that charm be used in a good while. It was a good luck charm, a blessing to those who were in times of darkness and in the midst of a struggle. How he knew it, I had no clue, but it gave me some hope for the long road ahead.
“...sapphire hair, strange coloured eyes...”
“...it could be she's one of those people...”
“...Annette Seileine is with her, what IS she thinking?”
Annette glanced back at me and for a moment I thought maybe she was worried.
“You need not worry, my lady, I am used to being an outcast. The only other in my town who was similar was my uncle, and he passed away last year from heart failure,” I reassured her. She said nothing for a moment but then sighed rather sadly.
“I do not understand how Mages such as yourself can be so hated, especially when you are so gifted. But, I am...glad you arrived here. It is a very nice and welcomed change to this boring lifestyle. Perhaps...perhaps you could show me what you can do?” she asked, a small childish twinkle in her eyes. I couldn't help but give a small smile.
“Find me somewhere where we will be uninterrupted and I will show you the wonders that my uncle has helped me to control over these years,” I said. She smiled back, looking relieved.
“Is it true that all Mages share moonstone eyes?” she asked after another short silence.
“Yes. Regardless of what age the power makes itself known to a person, it will alter the eyes and occasionally other parts of the body such as hair colour or even small markings,” I answered.
“Ah, it seems there is much you will have to teach me about your kind.”
“There will be plenty of time to learn while we travel, my lady.”
As we travelled towards the outskirts of town, there was an open field that seemed to act as a training grounds. There were maybe 30 young men aged 16 to 21, each of them doing vigorous exercises. All except one who was lounging on a tree branch smoking a cigarette. Annette slowed down and so did I and Liandri, she looked sad again.
“Before we go on, I think you should see this,” she said quietly. After a minute or so or waiting, a man who appeared to be in his 50s appeared from over the hill, dressed in clothing that made me assume he was this General Andreas. He was very stern looking but it was also clear to see straight away that he had a sharp and quick mind. He walked slowly, almost leisurely but not quite, until he was only a few feet away from the young men. At the first sight of him, they all snapped to attention and I will bet that they were all hardly breathing. He ignored them though and walked straight over to the one in the tree who didn't even notice that he was even there.
“And just what do you think you are doing, young man?” the General said in a demanding voice. The young man looked up and then fell off the branch in shock before snapping to attention like the others had, except he looked even more terrified.
“Well? What do you think you're doing?!” the General barked at him. He flinched and went pale as a ghost.
“I-I-I...I-I was j-just...” he stuttered but it was clear that whatever he said wouldn't be believed.
“...Do you believe I am a stupid man? That I have all young men go through this training process for nothing? Well, if you do, then you are incorrect!” Andreas barked. “Surely the Great Shadow War was proof enough that all young men need the necessary training so they are able to protect their towns and people from such disgusting and destructive creatures! WE are the ones who protect this world, and we cannot do it if we are not prepared!”
At this, he rammed his fist into the young man's stomach and caused him to collapse to the ground in a heap. Andreas walked around him in a slow circle and then proceeded to repeatedly kick him in the stomach and stamp on his arms and legs with his boots. This continued for around 10 minutes and I was surprised that the young man hadn't died. I glanced over at Annette and she looked as if she might break down into tears. I was so very tempted to run over and protect him, but I knew far too well what happened to Mages if they were found out. They were hunted down then killed mercilessly.
Eventually Andreas stopped and just stared down triumphantly at the bloody barely breathing mess that was the young man. He then turned to the others who were staring with expressions of mixed horror and awe.
“Let that be a lesson to you gentlemen! We do not slack off when our people are at risk. If you cannot protect yourselves from me, then you do not stand a chance against the monsters that want to harm our people. Am I understood?”
“Yes sir!” they all shouted. He nodded and then left without a word. He happened to glance in our general direction, but the moment he saw me his eyes locked onto mine, and I knew that he knew what I was. His gaze remained on me for a moment and then he left, undoubtedly to gather his men to kill me. I looked over at Annette who looked as if she were about to faint.
“Come on, my lady, You need to sit down,” I said, taking her arm and leading her away. I then leant closer. “We need to leave.”
She looked up at me, confused.
“Wh-what? Why?” she asked.
“He's knows.”
Her eyes widened at this, as if she didn't quite believe me. She went into deep thought as we kept walking, clearly thinking through our options.
“Tonight then. We cannot leave before I dine with Captain Morgan, it would look far too suspicious. And besides, your horse still needs to rest,” she said when we were near to her manor house. She lead us around to the back where the stables were.
“Poppy!” she called out. A young girl of 14 with hazel eyes and dark hair in a short plait came running outside, dusting off her hands.
“Yes my lady?” she asked.
“Please take Lysette's horse and tend to her. Take her to the back stall and keep her out of sight, do not allow anyone to see her under any circumstances and say they will feel my wrath if they dare disobey my orders. Do you understand?” Annette said to her. Poppy nodded.
“Yes my lady. Not one person shall lay their eyes on this magnificent horse or even know she was here,” Poppy said, gently taking Liandri's reins from me. I was a little reluctant to let her be taken away, but I trusted this girl and Liandri would call if anything was going wrong. Annette then led me through the manor house and up to her bedroom. Goodness, her bedroom was the size of my entire house. The sheets on her huge double bed were undoubtedly made from the finest silk and were in shades of amber and gold, the bedposts carved from the finest mahogany and her giant dressing mirror crafted from the finest glass. She went straight into her walk in wardrobe and dug out a huge traveller's bag.
“This...belonged to my grandfather. He was a Mage like you, but thankfully he managed to live his life in its entirety and not have it stolen from him like so many of you have. Will this be big enough?” she asked. I took it from her gently and looked at it inside and out.
“...Yes, this is perfect. It's the same size as my own pretty much. Pack lightly. The only clothes you'll need are comfortable and practical ones like what I'm wearing. And don't bother packing food as we'll get it in other towns...but bring money, I'm almost out. Otherwise we'll have to do small jobs in towns to get more money which means we'll be at risk,” I said, handing the back back to her. She nodded and then started moving around her room like a whirlwind, grabbing the odd cloak here, a pair of boots there, and some small comforts such as her hairbrush and hairclips. With her bag packed and kicked under her bed and her travelling outfit prepared just inside her wardrobe, all that was left to do was dine with Captain Morgan.
“Oh God, why won't he stop staring at me already?!” my mind continued to yell as I desperately tried not to lean over the table and smack Captain Morgan upside the head. I'd extremely reluctantly gone with Annette to dine with Captain Morgan as she mentioned how it would be less suspicious for us if I went with her instead of remaining at the manor house until she returned. So it was myself, Lady Annette, Captain Morgan and three more of his men, Andrew, Drake and Roland. And unfortunately I had to sit opposite Captain Morgan. I was certain something was up with him as he insisted on my sitting opposite him the minute we approached the table. And now that we were seated and waiting for our tea to arrive, his gaze on me never faltered, as if I were some exotic animal who would fade away forever if he blinked even for a second. It was annoying because it felt like I couldn't move or speak or do anything. Annette, who was sitting to his right, looked at me apologetically like she knew my pain. Well she at least was out of his field of sight.
“So Lysette, you come from Orllandris I hear?” Drake said, being enough of a gentleman to try and start a conversation with me rather than just staring at me. I nodded.
“I do. And I do hope I'll be able to return to my home soon. I don't have any friends there and my only family member who actually cared about me died last year, but that town is my home and I can't really see myself living anywhere else,” I said, shifting about a little in my chair and trying not to scratch at my wrists again. It was bad enough General Andreas knew I was a Mage, but if they knew I was a Child of Eternity as well, then all Hell would break loose. Perhaps literally.
“I've got some cousins who live there, lovely town they say it is. They also say that they can't wait until it goes under General Andreas' rule,” Roland said. I nearly choked on air just as the tea arrived. It took me a minute to compose myself fully before I felt confident enough to pick up my cup without my hand shaking too badly to spill any of the contents. Andrew clearly noticed my discomfort about this news.
“Hey Lysette, are you alright? You look a little shaken...didn't you know that the General was planning to include Orllandris under his rule?” he asked. I managed to take a small sip of my tea before I had to put the cup down in fear of dropping it.
“N-no...I did not know that at all. I'm sure news of it must have been sent to my town to see if they would agree to it at first before force was needed, but it is clear that the news arrived after I had already left...” I said, trailing off the end of my sentence. Our table was silent for a moment as the news sank in.
“You do not need to worry Lysette. Your town will be safer under his rule, it will be made stronger like ours and so many others,” Morgan said after a while. I had no doubt that the town would be safer, but that wasn't what my problem was. I hadn't been the only Mage who had been taught by my Uncle, many others had come to our small town so he could pass on his wisdom to them, to have him help them practice and learn how to harness the strange power they had suddenly been gifted with. I had planned to do the same in his place once I had returned, but if Mages went to the town in search of me while Andreas was in control, especially knowing that I was a Mage myself and now probably knowing that I came from that town...any other Mage entering would be massacred. Slaughtered like animals at a butchers. The thought of being the cause for the deaths of so many who had done no wrong made me begin to panic slightly and feel as if I might throw up.
“Are you sure you're alright? Think about it! Your town will be safer from Shadows and Demons and even those disgusting Mages,” Roland said. I nearly did throw up just then. I clutched my stomach and leant forwards, bringin my knees to my chest to try and keep myself together.
“I...I'm sorry. I...haven't been feeling that well for a few days. I guess it's only just hitting me now,” I said, forcing myself to give a small laugh. Thankfully I had paled a little to make my lie more believable.
“Then perhaps...you should return to Annette's home and rest if you are feeling poorly. It was stupid of me to have not noticed earlier that you did not look as well during our first meeting when I invited you to join us,” Morgan said. He then turned to Annette. “My lady, please excuse me while I escort your protector back to your home. I will then escort you home personally later on after my return.”
“That is fine with me. Just don't be too long,” Annette said with a small sweet smile at him. He bowed and we both stood up to walk out of the restaurant and into the dark cloak of the night.
We were about halfway to Annette's home with no other people around and no light except from the moon when Morgan suddenly turned on me and grabbed me by the wrist. It was so sudden and at that moment, both of the marks decided to flare up painfully.
“So you think you can just weasel your way into our town and earn the trust of a lady like Annette do you, you disgusting piece of inhuman filth? Yes, I know what you are. The General informed me himself before our little arrangement this evening. And I personally will have you killed for daring to enter our town,” he hissed, his face an inch away from mine, filled with irrational hatred. But I barely heard him. I couldn't feel anything past the searing pain in my wrists, the fires that were burning in my veins. He noticed the agony on my face and briefly looked down at my wrist which his hand was clamped around to see my hand shaking.
“Look...at my wrist...see...what is burned into my skin,” I managed to whisper through the pain. He looked at me, clearly confused, before reaching out with his other hand to undo the cuff on my left sleeve and peeling it back to reveal the Heavenly mark, now glowing ever so faintly. He stared at it for what seemed to be an eternity before dropping my hand and stepping back from me, shaking his head repeatedly.
“Do you get it now? Right now...all I want is to be free of this. Please, I'm begging you...let me go free so I can remove these chains. If you kill me now, then my spirit is doomed for eternity,” I pleaded. “You can come and hunt me after. Heck, I'll hand myself over to you and paint a target on my chest!”
Morgan just stared at me and in that moment I didn't see a soldier or a Captain, all I saw was a young man who had clearly lost something dear and precious to him. It was clear in his grey eyes and the crystalline tears that now poured silently down his cheeks.
“...Please...I need to. And I need Annette to come with me. She's the only one who knows how to break these binds,” I said, so close to throwing myself at his feet and begging like a small child, something I had only ever done once before when I had begged my Uncle to let me keep an abandoned puppy I had found on the street. Morgan remained silent for a moment longer before speaking.
“I can get you to the docks to get a boat across the ocean, but that's it. You two will be on your own from there onwards,” he said bitterly before turning and beginning to carry on walking. But I recognised that pain in his eyes, and I just had to know what caused it.
“Who did you lose?” I asked. He stopped mid-stride and didn't say anything for so long that I thought he wasn't going to answer me at all.
“...My little brother. I was 15 when it happened, those bloody marks appearing on his wrists. He'd started crying and screaming in the middle of the night, screeching that he didn't want to die. He was only 10...10 ****ing years old and he was going to be stolen from me! We tried everything to break those binds, everything! But one night...he just stopped breathing, his eyes went empty and that was it. He was gone. Forever. The next time I saw him was 2 months later when I was walking through the forest. I'd come across a small figure lying wounded near a river, but when I got closer I saw it was him. He was crimson with horns and claws...he'd joined the minions of Hell...and I...I'd never known he had so much darkness lurking in his heart. He never told me anything about it...I could've helped him. If I had just been able to get him to open up and tell me...I could've helped him...I could've stopped him from going to the flames of destruction. Instead he'd kept it all bottled up and it caused to him to be in agony for the rest of eternity. I'm such a terrible older brother...” he managed to get out, his shoulders shaking as the memories caused his tears to flow faster, dripping down his neck and dampening his shirt collar.
I wasn't sure how to react to this. Part of me wanted to go over to him and comfort him because I knew his pain, while part of me was also screaming at me to keep away from him and give him the space as I doubted that he would want comfort from a “disgusting piece of inhuman filth” such as myself. Instead I found myself walking closer and pausing just in front of him, our gazes locked yet him giving no hint as to whether or not I was allowed to go any closer. But he gave the answer himself because he sort of collapsed into my arms meaning I had to catch and hold him to stop him from falling. So there we stood for a short while, his face buried into my shoulder and no other sounds than his muffled weeping. In those moments he wasn't a soldier who was determined to protect his people or even a young man just beginning to be fully moulded into an adult. He was nothing more than an older brother who was mourning the loss of his beloved younger brother.
The rest of our walk was silent and uneventful. His eyes were still red from crying but the iron will and determination had returned to them. The only other time we had spoken was when he had asked when Annette and I were planning to leave town tonight, saying he could meet us in the next town shortly after. Instead of leaving straight away like he had intended to when we reached the manor house, he followed me around the back and into the stables to see Liandri. Poppy's eyes had widened at first but didn't say anything when I gave her a look saying it was alright. Liandri seemed wary of Morgan at first seeing as he had tried to take her away, but was kinder towards him when she realized he was no threat to her.
“She's absolutely magnificent,” he said, stroking her muzzle gently.
“Isn't she just? We grew up together. I was 4 years old when she was born, and she's been my closest friend ever since then,” I said, running my fingers through her mane lightly.
“Wow, you are lucky. I don't think I've got any of my childhood friends left here. They all either moved away to other towns or were...killed in the War.”
There was a pause.
“...S-so...what's it like being...being a Mage?” he stuttered. I glanced over at him but he was staring at Liandri.
“Well...I'm honestly not sure how to answer that. It's both incredible and a burden. Being able to use spells...there's nothing like it. But it would be even better if we weren't being hunted to extinction. We're different, I understand that, but he can be of help. People only seem to see us as a danger and forget how we helped your armies and saved so many of your wounded with our powers. It's...it's painful. It hurts so much in the heart that people don't care about all the good we've done,” I said, having to control myself enough to stop myself from ranting. There were few moments went I got so angry about it all and this was about to turn into one of them if I didn't bite my tongue. He glanced at me for a brief moment and it seemed like he regretted asking in the first place.
“I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-”
“It's alright. You couldn't have known.”
There was another silence before he moved away and started heading towards the door, pausing when he was in front of me.
“Well then...I'll see you and Annette in Grimsel soon,” he said. I nodded. He looked as if he were about to move away but instead leant forwards and kissed the top of my head lightly.
“May the light in your heart shine through,” he said softly before leaving. I stared after him, shocked. I had not heard that charm be used in a good while. It was a good luck charm, a blessing to those who were in times of darkness and in the midst of a struggle. How he knew it, I had no clue, but it gave me some hope for the long road ahead.
