《Skybreaker》


 Prologue and Chapter 1

    Prologue


    I sprint through the night-steeped woods, heart pounding and lungs burning with the effort of getting away from who¡­ No. Whatever is hunting me. I run blindly, partially because of the darkness and partially due to confusion. I know my name is Myar, I am seven years old, I was born on April twenty-ninth and I have some basic knowledge of civilization. The memories of how I learned these things are lost in the new fog blanketing my mind. I sense that whatever is chasing me probably has answers, but I doubt it will share them and I won¡¯t like whatever I do manage to find out.


    Either way, capture isn¡¯t an option. My senses are dulled from whatever the people I escaped from did to me, leaving me clueless to what is going on. The ground changes, becoming solid and smooth as screeching, spinning lights bear down on me from the side. I stop, panting and confused. I realize what the lights are only when the car gets unavoidably close. Suddenly, I¡¯m flying through the air, spinning and flipping disorientingly as pain from the impact only begins to register in my side. I hit the ground fifty feet away, skidding even further. I jump up, hurt far less than I should be, and look back. The car is stopped and the driver is jumping out but I only barely glimpse him before the monster chasing me crashes


    through the trees. It is huge, the size of a semi tractor, and covered in black¡­ fur? I don¡¯t have time to figure it out because the creature sniffs once, twice, then swivels its head toward me. I turn, sprinting across the last stretch of highway before plunging into the trees on the opposite side. The woods seem strangely less foreboding here, less like grasping hands trying to drag me back into the creature¡¯s gaping maw.


    As I sprint, clarity of thought seems to, albeit slowly, come back to me. I wonder about some of what happened, how the monster seems exclusively focused on pursuing me. I contemplate how I survived the crash and resolve that it must have been the way the car hit me. I become aware of the fact that I have been running faster and further than I should be able to at seven when all of my exhaustion comes back in a rush.


    I pass out, waking to a man carrying me through the woods. He is definitely on the tail end of middle aged, with a weathered brown face etched with slight lines and accentuated by a jutting brow. His eyes are a deep brown, like freshly turned earth, and his hair is a salt-and-pepper gray. He wears simple woodsman¡¯s clothes and seems to be going somewhere specific. I try to speak, but it only comes out as a weak grunt. He looks down at me, smiling and instantly earning my trust with it. He says nothing as I drift in and out of a haze of exhaustion, still not entirely willing to trust this seemingly kind stranger. We walk for a long time, eventually coming upon a clearing. I look around briefly, seeing only a small hut and a well. I conclude that if this man meant me harm, he would¡¯ve done it already. Reassured, I finally relax and give in to deep, dreamless sleep.


    Chapter 1


    Ten Years Later


    Freezing water is splashed on my face, waking me up enough to register Tamarin trying and failing miserably to parody ¡°Happy Birthday¡± to the beat of a rock song. I groan, wondering how he manages to make something sound that awful without even trying. I hop out of bed, fully intending to tackle him, but he has me in a hug almost instantaneously, still singing terribly. When he finally stops, it is because he forgot that the pancakes were cooking and the house was filling with smoke.


    ¡°You almost did as well as I do with those pancakes, Tam,¡± I joke as I throw the charred food out the door. I follow them, going to milk the cow and do my other chores. As Tam remakes breakfast, I contemplate that day ten years ago when I escaped¡­ something and he rescued me from the forest. I finish my chores and walk in with a few fresh greens, eggs, and milk for our breakfast. I pour the milk and wash the eggs and greens, still thinking about that day I remember so clearly. I hand everything to Tam and set the table. I am so lost in thought I almost don¡¯t hear Tam¡¯s question.


    ¡°So, Myar, what do you want to do today?¡±


    ¡°I definitely want to spend time in the ring.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a couple hours in the smithy.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡±


    We decide on working in the smithy before it gets too hot and start with that.


    As we walk toward the low stone building, I reminisce over my first weeks here and the training I did. Tam and I have a traditional lifestyle, pretty much devoid of modern technology save books and a beat up old truck. I¡¯ve never asked why Tam lives like this, but I do know my presence changed a lot, and I get the feeling that if I questioned him about it, he would just change the subject. That¡¯s how it always is if I ask Tam about anything about his past. Tam probably would¡¯ve just had the hut, garden, and barn. Now we have a training ring, a smithy, and an obstacle course. I built most of those structures early in my training, when Tam was focused more on building my strength than on any form of technique. I was miserable just placing the cornerstone, when I didn¡¯t even know I was building something I would enjoy for years.


    I step into the smithy and as Tam gets the fire going, I ready my tongs and hammer while I contemplate what to make. I look around the low, muggy room and determine that, given how little time I have, I¡¯ll make a small dagger that I can hide easily. I dump a small amount of iron and crushed chicken bones into a crucible, holding it over the fire until it has all melted together. Then I pour it into a mold, only letting it cool to the point where the metal is solid enough to keep its shape. I take it out of the mold to twist and fold the malleable steel, continuing until it is too solid. I reheat the dagger and repeat the process for hours, stopping only when the metal has a blue tinge. I temper the new steel, heating and cooling it repeatedly to give it strength. Finally, satisfied by my work, I step out of the forge and get ready for lunch. I pick a head of lettuce and walk into the house.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Tam greets me, not looking up from his cooking.


    ¡°I brought lettuce.¡±


    ¡°How is that dagger going?¡±


    ¡°I just finished it,¡± I reply, noticing the surprise he quickly masks at my speed. I sometimes wonder about this, that surprise at something I have done and will do for years. I go to the stream behind the house to wash the soot off of my face and hands. I look at my reflection, seeing the normally olive tones of my skin darkened to match my hair, my hazel eyes stark against the soot. I clean up, taking a long time because of how much soot there is.


    By the time I walk in the house, Tam has already set the table and served food onto my plate. I dig in, contemplating Tam¡¯s somewhat hidden trepidation and excitement. He obviously has some grand surprise planned; something he thinks I will love. I don¡¯t think he will tell me until the last minute, so I prepare for combat training. I grab my swords, check that they are sharp, and march out into the secluded clearing where we practice our fighting.


    I am much better than Tam, probably because of his old injuries. He¡¯s never actually told me about them, but the way he performs specific tasks in ways that don¡¯t use specific muscles is telling. He usually blocks and parries my attacks, then points out flaws in my technique. My training is extensive, involving pretty much any type of weapon and no weapons, including espionage and basic interaction. I used to try to get Tam to crack and tell me why he decided I needed to know these things, but I have long given up.


    Today I will train with the more traditional blades of my shortswords and daggers. I wrap the handle of the now cooled dagger in a long strip of leather and tie it off. I start with weapons I am familiar with, still working to perfect my form, before I start with the new knife. It is instantly familiar, although I haven¡¯t practiced with it. I have always been that way, better at using something I have made than what Tam buys or makes himself. I am so lost in thought, daydreaming about my past, that I don¡¯t hear Tam correct me. Normally this would be cause for a lot of hard running, but Tam too is lost in his own world. I stop, stunned by how distant he is today. After about five minutes of waiting on my part, he notices me staring at him. He looks at me briefly before seeming to come to a decision.


    He sits down on a log near the ring and motions for me to sit too. His face is grave as he begins, ¡°There is a lot that I need to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± I say, deeply unsettled by his tone and the implication that he¡¯s been keeping secrets from me.


    ¡°Your past, mostly, but some of your future too.¡±


    ¡°My past.¡± It is a statement, not a question, and I can¡¯t keep the bite of anger from my tone. I am angry, mostly at him for keeping secrets, but also at myself for not searching harder for answers. Tam sighs, suddenly looking every year his age and then some, but he pushes on.


    ¡°You were born far from here, on the U.S.-Canada border, in a military hospital where your mother worked. She died during delivery, and no one knew who your father was. You were sent to an orphanage on the Canadian side of the border, but after three years there, you disappeared without a trace. We-¡±


    ¡°We?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Yes, we, but I¡¯ll get to that later. We searched for you for two years, but after spending so much time without even finding evidence, the search was called off. I was one of a few who disagreed with that decision, but I was the only vocal one. I had a disagreement with my higher-ups and that led to me being isolated here. That isolation was my salvation because, eventually, I found you.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Why did everyone want to find me?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t allow me to tell you.


    ¡°And you still obey their rules because?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say you don¡¯t want to know what happens when you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Did you work for a gang?¡±


    ¡°In a way, but the group was less of a gang and more of an organization. I helped keep it going when we were limited heavily by our opposition. As of now, that is all you need to know.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t let my loose tongue harm you, Myar.¡±


    We sit in tense silence, both pondering Tam¡¯s words. I move to get up, but Tam stops me by saying, ¡°We leave tomorrow at noon.¡±


    I¡¯m shocked, not remembering ever not living here, and scared. I try desperately not to show it, knowing how many secrets he kept from me. I stride away, speechless and angry.


    I go most of the rest of the day without speaking to Tam, and he acknowledges my silence with his own. We both are tense, wanting to go back to normal, but not willing to give an inch. We go to bed earlier than we usually do, partially because of our argument and partially because we are leaving, possibly forever. I am the one who breaks the silence, and I break it only because of something Tam mentioned years ago. My query is hesitant, but my curiosity gets the better of me and I have to ask, ¡°Are these mysterious higher-ups the reason you trained me with two swords instead of with a shield and sword?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    His reply is simple, but his guarded tone keeps me from pressing further. The day continues as it did before, almost like my tenuous offer of peace never happened. It is infuriating to be on this precipice of knowledge, of answers, and have no way of getting to them.


    We both pack only essentials, not that I have much that isn¡¯t an essential, and all of our weapons. My pack was a gift for my birthday last year, when I turned sixteen. It is a large hiking backpack, navy blue with forest green accents and inner lining. Tam had sewn custom sheaths into the sides for my swords before he gave it to me, and I think back to how mysterious he was about why I would need it. At the time I was annoyed with not knowing, however resigned to it I was. Now, however, I wonder if Tam knew we would have to leave and got the pack for the trip.


    This line of thinking gets infuriating quickly, and I shove the whole thing down under the thought that Tam will tell me later, whenever later is. We leave as planned and the ride starts without a hitch. Sometime around three we stop to stretch our legs and use the nearest convenient bush. We¡¯re still in the forest, and even that hasn¡¯t changed much since we left, so wherever we¡¯re going must be a long way away. Going so far scares me a little, because I¡¯ve never really been outside of our little stretch of woods. I do my best to nap, but I¡¯m still not used to riding in a car. I doze off for a while and wake up when we stop sometime around six for supper. We eat a plain, carefully rationed meal of cheese and bread, both fairly recently made, and a rabbit I manage to catch. It passes silently because Tam still seems scared to elaborate on what he already told me. We only drive for about an hour more before stopping for the night. Tam finds a clearing about fifty feet off the road that we can put our tent up in.


    The night passes uneventfully and we both are well rested when we wake up the next morning, around dawn. It is drizzling slightly as we get back in the truck, and the clouds are heavy with more rain. The monotony of the seemingly eternal drive and the dreary weather start to get to me, making me restless. Tam picks up on my anxiety and softens a little. He pulls over, explaining, ¡°Your training can¡¯t stop just because we¡¯re on the road.¡±


    I am surprised, but grateful for him providing a way to be productive and dispel some of my restlessness. We get out and Tam scuffs out a small circle in the dirt of the road. He looks to me, impatient, ¡°Are you going to just stand there or are you going to get your knives out?¡±


    I jolt into action, drawing the two daggers attached to my belt and getting into a fighting stance. The next few minutes are a blur of attack and parry, give and take, all in the name of getting the upper hand in the fight. Tam¡¯s injuries don¡¯t affect him nearly as much in a knife fight as they do with swords, and these are the times I can tell he was once a master swordsman. The fight is quick, ending with my dagger at Tam¡¯s throat. He concedes defeat to me with something like pride in his eyes as I help him up. It dissipates quickly, and Tam¡¯s back to his normal all business self. ¡°Time to move on. We should be in town late tomorrow evening.¡±


    The thought of finally meeting other people scares me more than I like to admit. What if they don¡¯t like me? What if they think I¡¯m weird? What if everyone just ignores my existence? I push these thoughts down and think of my training with interaction and how to act around people. I¡¯m struck by another thought, and I voice it. ¡°What¡¯s our story for how and why we¡¯re in town?¡±


    His reply is surprising, ¡°We¡¯ll mostly tell the truth and leave out your training.¡±


    ¡°How far are we from town?¡±


    ¡°About one more day of driving, maybe more if we run out of fuel and have to hoof it. It¡¯s directly north of here about 300 miles, but the drive is longer because of the curve of the road.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the town called?¡±


    ¡°Lands End.¡±


    The name seems ominous to me, but I keep that thought to myself with Tam being very confident in the town¡¯s safety. I can tell by the way he says the name, like he¡¯s starving and the town is a bowl of his favorite hearty stew. We drive in silence until nightfall, when we are both so tired of being in the truck that we just set up our tent and pass out inside. I wake up several hours later, although I¡¯m not entirely sure why, and sit up at the same time Tam does, looking haunted and nervous. He looks at me and we converse silently with that glance. My eyes ask questions and his betray the answers. He definitely knows what we woke up to and why. I don¡¯t get to ask more because a bone chilling screech pierces the night.


    Tam starts and I almost yelp in fear, but Tam regains his composure and signals to be quiet, arm myself, and follow his lead. I do so and Tam creeps outside, silent and stealthy, stalking something I have yet to see. We continue in this fashion for about half a mile, making it to a small clearing. Tam stops, searching for something and, apparently satisfied, starts to tromp around and talk like it is normal to be on a hiking trip through the woods at three in the morning-miles from civilization. He makes a subtle gesture that most people would think accidental, but I know Tam well enough to know it is a signal to follow his lead. We walk in circles around the clearing long enough that I¡¯m contemplating going back when the bushes rustle. It happens again, and Tam takes that as his chance to execute his plan. He starts walking with purpose now, straight back to our camp.


    The bushes along the sides of our path rustle some more. Whatever it is doesn¡¯t want to reveal itself. I feel a bolt of fear go through me. This thing in the bushes is enough to warrant Tam trying to counteract it. Tam has been unflappable for as long as I can remember. One year, the summer I turned fourteen, a forest fire swept through our area. I panicked and kept trying to create a firebreak, but Tam sat in the house the whole time. Later that day I saw the fire, but the wind had blown it far from our home, never coming within ten miles of our little patch of forest. Seeing him so edgy inspires more fear than the actual creature in the undergrowth.


    We make it back to camp unscathed, but Tam clearly doesn¡¯t intend to go back to sleep and ignore the creature stalking us in the bushes. He stays silent and doggedly gets me to climb a tree and watch for enemies. He stays grounded just beneath the colossal pine. The brush rustles again, in multiple places this time, and I realize we have multiple attackers. I look down at Tam and see him shift his stance slightly toward the other creature in the woods. It is small, almost imperceptible, but I can practically hear his voice telling of the strategy. ¡°When you face multiple ambushers, the best action is pretending to notice only one, to look as fully as possible like an easy target.¡±


    He does look like an easy target, even to me, and I know it¡¯s a trick. Our pursuers seem to think so as well, because the one that Tam supposedly doesn¡¯t see creeps out of the bushes. It is dark in the clearing, but I can tell whatever it is isn¡¯t a normal woodland creature. It is huge, with a large doglike muzzle, indigo eyes and dark fur, but that is all I can see of it. I move to climb down the tree, but the soft scrape of Tam drawing his sword stops me. He has never drawn the two-handed greatsword for anything other than practice before, and that fact heightens my terror.


    Tam swings as the creature pounces from the side, sinking the blade deep into its neck. He quickly reverses the move when the other monster springs in his direction. He manages to hit the thing, but it definitely isn¡¯t a killing blow. It turns around and charges back towards Tam as he fights off yet another of them. The woods seem to boil, pouring what I can now see is some kind of monstrous wolf into the clearing. I desperately want to drop out of the tree to fight at Tam¡¯s side, but I learned to do what he says to the letter, no matter what, a long time ago. The near instantaneous planning skills Tam possesses mean that everything happens for a reason.


    If the massive pack of wolves intimidates him, Tam doesn¡¯t show it. He adjusts his stance and prepares to take them on by himself. It looks like a death sentence. Tam takes what looks to be a practice swing, and the clearing is lit brightly by a wall of flame separating us and the wolf monsters. The terror must have muddled my mind, because it looks like Tam just summoned a massive wall of flame. Tam still looks unfazed, looking through the flames like his eyes are already adjusted to the bright light emanating from them. The heat hits me like a blow, nearly knocking me out of the tree from the sheer temperature. Tam watches as the monsters charge, running themselves into the inferno with no regard for the danger. Eventually the monsters put out the fire by suffocating it in their numbers, and Tam quickly becomes a whirlwind of flashing steel underneath the press of the wolves. I¡¯m climbing down the tree, trying to help in any way I can, when the same screech that woke us comes again, closer and somehow angrier. I instinctively jump out of the tree, not wanting to be completely vulnerable to this new enemy. I¡¯ve barely jumped when the claws sink into my back and shoulders, cutting deep and keeping me in the air. I scream in agony and look upward at my captor, almost screaming again in terror. It is a new monster, a bat with a long toothy beak, large enough to hold me in its huge talons. The monster screeches again, and I see another go for Tam. I manage to break through the haze of pain long enough to call out his name. He turns, successfully knocking away the bat thing, yet that leaves his back open. A wolf monster capitalizes on the opportunity, jumping at Tam and clamping its jaws around his side. I scream out, but the monsters start carrying me away, and the horde starts to dissipate. I keep screaming, pulling my sword out of the shredded pack hanging off my back, finally managing to damage the bat thing enough that, with one last slice along my back, the monster opens its talons. I fall almost fifty feet, the tree breaking my fall, everything consumed by one thought. I want, no, need to get to Tam, to try and help him.


    I make it to his side, inspect the wound, and all my will to do anything drains away. Tam opens his eyes and looks at me. I see a kind of gallows¡¯ calm in his eyes, and it nearly breaks me. He speaks, a final message.


    ¡°Know that I loved you, Myar. You were¡­ my son. You must go¡­go to Lands End¡­find A¡­¡±


    Then he¡¯s gone. The eyes that held so much love, so much compassion, were empty, without him behind them. I am almost completely silent, unable to make a sound from grief. It is too much to handle. I do the only thing I can, run. Run from the grief. Run to the town important enough that Tam¡¯s last words were telling me to find it. Time becomes meaningless as I run, jumping over brambles and fallen logs. I feel nothing, just a sort of hollow emptiness, completely without emotion or pain or anything. My mind wanders, thinking of Tam, but I let the emptiness take over again. Sometime later, I¡¯m not sure when, I feel grass, mowed grass, beneath my feet. I must be in the town. Now that I¡¯m actually thinking things like pain and exhaustion register and I collapse, falling into blackness.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    Sensation comes back in stages, and I drift in and out of consciousness. Pain is first, starting simply as agony throughout my body, but after some time it localizes to my back. Once I¡¯m not as focused on the pain, I can hear things. From what it sounds like, two people are arguing, but I pass out again before I can make sense of their words. When I next wake, I can smell herbs all around me as well as the earthy post-rain smell I love. It is soothing and this time I fall asleep peacefully. When I next awaken, I can feel the sun shining on my face. I feel much better and open my eyes. The sun is the only lighting in the room, and it takes a long time for my eyes to adjust to the light. I look around at all the herbs hanging from the ceiling. As I look around the strange room, I see that it is a strange combination of semi-modern decor and medieval healing herbs. The wallpaper is faded pastel flower print and the floor has deep green carpet. The sheets of the bed I¡¯m laying in match the walls.


    Suddenly, I remember what happened in the woods. I try to sit up, moving too quickly and causing a wave of nausea to wash over me. I fall back, then sit up again, more slowly this time. I still feel weak, but I manage to make it about halfway to the door before I collapse. The sound seems to alert whoever healed me to my being awake because I can hear hurried footsteps from my place on the floor.


    A woman walks into the room, about Tam¡¯s age. The thought sends a new spike of grief into my heart. I try to speak, but only manage to croak out his name, too low for her to hear. She looks down at me with kind blue eyes, sympathetic for my obvious distress. She is short and somewhat plump, with an open and honest face and graying hair tied in a bun. Ridiculously strong for her age, she crouches and picks me up. I am carried back to the bed and, for the first time, she speaks.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get far before you get better, you know. I refuse to let my patients hurt themselves further, no matter how they get here.¡± Her voice is soft but firm, with a hint of an accent I can¡¯t place. She hands me a glass of water, and I drink greedily, hoping to help my voice. She leaves before I can say anything, and my slight movement exhausted me so much I soon fall asleep. When I next wake, I have a guard in the form of a girl about my age, tall and lithe and obviously strong enough to stop someone as weakened as me. She¡¯s facing away from me, and my dedication to getting Tam comes back with a vengeance. I sit up, and the rustle of the covers alerts her that I¡¯m awake. I still feel nauseous and I can feel the wounds on my back twinge, heavily numbed. Nervousness floods me that I have to talk to someone, and hopefully make them my ally before I can make it back to Tam. She turns quickly, long brown hair flying out behind her, facing me with a sword drawn.


    I yelp, startled by the blade pointed at me. I look closer, inspecting the sword and its wielder. She seems to be about my age and her grip is startlingly steady on the hilt of the shining steel blade. It is unexpectedly high quality judging from the ripples on the steel. It¡¯s slightly curved, and it doesn¡¯t have many of the normal accessories and characteristics, so it has to be custom made. The young woman facing me with such obvious contempt is definitely skilled with a sword. I briefly wonder what I did to warrant such hatred, but I dismiss it as the futility of guarding someone nearly comatose from injury. I try to make peace, but before I can she starts interrogating me.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Who sent you?¡±


    ¡°What do they want?¡± The questions are rapid-fire. ¡°Why did you show up on the doorstep of the only healer in town?¡±


    She steps forward with every question, making me flinch every time. I raise my hands in surrender, finally getting a chance to talk.


    ¡°My name is Myar and I would prefer to have a civilized conversation,¡± I say, sarcastic, ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Not important.¡± her reply is scathing.


    I decide the best course of action probably involves pacifying the person pointing a sword at me, which seems easiest to accomplish by answering her questions. I don¡¯t want to give up too much though, so I keep my answers vague. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sent, I was traveling through the woods when I was attacked and, since I ran from the attack, the nonexistent people who sent me don¡¯t actually want anything.¡± I¡¯m angry now, thinking of how this girl is standing between me and helping Tam. I stand up, mostly through sheer determination.


    ¡°Now, I have to get back to the person I was traveling with, to see if he¡¯s okay.¡±


    She¡¯s stunned by my proclamation and I study the first stranger I¡¯ve talked to in ten years. She¡¯s pretty, I guess, with petite features, amber eyes, and a thin-lipped, intimidating expression. Her arms, corded with muscle, are tanned from time in the sun. She¡¯s about my age, but she moves with a confidence that comes from experience. She opens her mouth to speak, but the old woman walks in. She sees me standing, unaided, in the middle of the room and says, ¡°Well, you¡¯re determined to be somewhere.¡±


    The unnamed woman walks up to me and gently takes my arm, leading me into a simple, unadorned kitchen. She has me sit down at a scarred wooden table and brings a bowl of soup out of a pot simmering on the stove. It¡¯s chicken noodle soup, but it tastes like the chicken was smoked before it was put in the soup. It¡¯s good and I know I¡¯ll need my strength to get back to Tam. I try to thank the motherly woman but she waves it off. She sits across from me, scrutinizing my hands, which I desperately try to keep from shaking. I fail, and she looks at my hands again before meeting my eyes.


    ¡°Where are you so desperate to go?¡± Her voice is gentle but firm.


    ¡°The night I was injured I¡­ I left someone behind,¡± I can¡¯t keep my voice from breaking. I know Tam was killed by his injury, but some small part of me hopes I saw wrong, hopes he somehow survived. The older one ponders this for a minute, then seems to come to a decision.


    ¡°Evaline, take our mysterious patient to where he says he was attacked and help him look for his friend.¡±


    My guard, leaning against the doorway, is not pleased with this proclamation. She pushes off the frame and eyes me, still seated. I take note of her name, put it in the back of my mind, just like Tam taught me. However little I like having my dour guard help get me there, I see the opportunity to get on her good side.


    Evaline begins to protest, ¡°Oriole, do I-¡±


    The older woman, Oriole, cuts her off in a sharp tone, ¡°Yes.¡±


    I¡¯m surprised by the fact that the older woman isn¡¯t my guard¡¯s mother, because they have a similar dynamic. I stay silent, perfectly willing to gather more information on the people I will have to spend time around.Oriole nods toward a pair of beat up sneakers by the table. I put them on and stand, walking toward the only other door in the room, what I assume is the exit. Evaline, disgruntled, follows me. I open the door and step out. The town is so small I can see the forest behind the houses across the street. I wonder, briefly, what made this town so special to Tam. The house I just stepped out of is bigger than most, with a second story and fenced backyard. I see a spot in the grass near the front door covered in blood. The amount there surprises me, and it¡¯s older than I thought, so I must have been unconscious for at least a day and a night. I turn to Evaline, intending to ask, but her dark expression stops me.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    I can see a spot in the brush near the house where I crashed through. I turn to it and march into the woods, doing my best not to let my steps weave. We trek for a long time in silence, making it to the clearing a few hours later. The truck is still there but the tires have been slashed to pieces. I look around for the monsters we killed, for Tam, but there isn¡¯t even any blood. Confusion floods my thoughts. Even if some woodland creature dragged off any bodies, there would be blood. There would be some evidence of the fight. Here it looks like someone lit a fire in an arc around a tree, slashed their own tires, and ran off. The charred ground is evidence I didn¡¯t hallucinate, but I haven¡¯t told the whole story yet, and there is one very disgruntled swordswoman behind me. I hear the soft scrape of a blade being drawn, so like what I heard that night, it cracks the dam I didn¡¯t realize I built against grief.


    I turn, slowly. Evaline is standing there with sword drawn, no longer disgruntled. Her expression now tells of wariness, of fear. I look around for attackers, for an enemy to fight, but there is no one. Evaline is looking at me like I¡¯m the threat and I reach for my swords. They aren¡¯t there. I didn¡¯t have them on when I was bedridden and never asked for them. I know she could kill me here, deep in the woods, and it would be a while before anyone noticed. I belatedly notice that I have a T-shirt and sweatpants on, clothing that isn¡¯t mine. With the shoes, clothes, and healing, I owe Oriole¡¯s household far more than I want to. Evaline stares at me a while longer, then asks me something so surprising I don¡¯t know how to react. ¡°Who¡¯d you leave behind?¡±


    I don¡¯t know if I could keep my voice steady, but I know Tam would want me to try. He always wanted me to solve my problems before they have a chance to get worse. I try to explain our relationship.


    ¡°His name was Tamarin. He was my mentor, the man who raised me.¡± I notice Evaline has gone as white as a sheet, like she¡¯s seen a ghost. I stop.


    ¡°What-¡±


    She cuts me off, ¡°We need to get back to the house.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, and not mine to tell,¡± she walks off without another word. I follow, stumbling a little. I¡¯m still not back to full strength. She walks faster than me the entire way back to the town, and when I do manage to catch up, she veers away before I can ask anything. I¡¯m brimming with questions, and Evaline isn¡¯t giving anything up, so I focus on walking without falling over. Eventually we make it back to Oriole¡¯s house, but I¡¯m too tired to even feel relieved. I walk in past the kitchen, through the doorway, and back to the bed, where I promptly collapse. I¡¯m asleep before I even hit the covers. When I next wake up, it¡¯s morning and Oriole is keeping vigil over me. My back hurts worse, so I probably pulled it during the hike. Oriole sighs, like someone has just told her bad news. She visibly composes herself. Her first words are eerily like Tam¡¯s on that day not even a week ago that feels like it¡¯s been an eternity.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot I need to tell you and some I don¡¯t, but I will tell as much as I can.¡±


    The proclamation is unexpected, but it makes me listen closer.


    ¡°I knew Tamarin, but I hadn¡¯t seen him in nearly a decade. He was a friend, and he did more for us in twenty years than most do in a lifetime.¡±


    Her words, her use of us, remind me that there was a group Tam worked for; people he was afraid of. It¡¯s hard to imagine this matronly woman being someone Tam feared, although it isn¡¯t a stretch to imagine her companion being like that.


    ¡°We arrived at the organization around the same time, and we became fast friends due to our shared inexperience. Times were hard, and we were the only two in our group of trainees. Tamarin was convinced there was a way to improve the group and its conditions without alerting our opposition. He was convinced there were people out there who could help us without expressly knowing who we were.¡±


    I can tell she¡¯s only telling me the bare minimum of what she can without sharing something specific. She notices my growing confusion and stops, then changes the subject.


    ¡°I can only assume Tamarin was training you, and I think you need something to regain your strength, so Evaline will help you continue your training.¡±


    I try to protest, but she sends me a look as immovable as a mountain. Oriole leaves without another word, and I only have more questions.


    The next day, earlier than I¡¯m used to, Evaline rouses me with a bucket of cold water. She storms into the kitchen as I splutter and cough. I get out of bed and rummage around for something to train in and eventually I find appropriate clothing, my swords included, in a trunk at the foot of the bed. I stumble out of the room, groggy. I blink away sleep as I eat the bowl of oatmeal on the table. If Evaline¡¯s anywhere near as harsh of a trainer as Tam, she¡¯ll be ready to make me run if I¡¯m not out there within minutes of her arrival, so I eat quickly. I walk out the front door and look around. The gate to the backyard is open, so I assume that¡¯s where I¡¯ll train. When I get to the yard, I¡¯m struck with a bolt of homesickness because of what I see. It¡¯s an obstacle course and training ring, almost as extensive as what Tam and I had.


    Evaline¡¯s in the ring, ready to spar, and I stretch before hopping the fence. She attacks as soon as I land, but I¡¯m ready for her. I can tell she¡¯s going easy, and I almost laugh as I deflect the first few strikes. She quickly adjusts to surpass me, and after about ten minutes of intense fighting, I know I¡¯m outmatched. I go on the defensive, dodging and weaving with as little movement as possible. She¡¯s faster than I am, but not as strong, so I do my best to wear her down. It almost works but, much to my chagrin, I lose ground. My back pain rekindles, essentially ending the fight. I stumble, fall, doing my best not to cry out and failing. I feel the point of a sword at my throat and open my eyes to look down it, at its owner gazing at me appraisingly. She nods, removes her sword. It seems I¡¯ve impressed her. She has me face her in the ring once more, then shows me a route through the woods to run. Evaline is definitely less harsh of a taskmaster than Tam, but I am glad for the workout.


    We train for the rest of the week, having a varied schedule to keep from neglecting anything. I grow stronger, but the wounds on my back keep me from returning to what I was before that night. They close up quickly, but Oriole says they¡¯ve swollen and she can¡¯t get the swelling to go down. I¡¯m fearful that I might never be back to health, but one day, Oriole has an idea.


    She has me sit down on the bed in the healing room, which I¡¯ve used all week. She¡¯s holding a small knife and a belt that¡¯s obviously been bitten a few times, so that¡¯s concerning. Oriole says she wants to lance the wounds on my back, hopefully draining the infection and letting them begin to heal. I don¡¯t like the idea, but the concept of my back getting worse is far less appealing. I take my shirt off, bite down on the belt, and lay on my stomach so she can get at the wound. I feel the knife go in like a spike of fire, and I¡¯m glad for the belt to bite. She pulls the knife out and starts pressing the wound, aggravating it further. I vaguely hear a door open, footsteps coming to the bed, and Oriole¡¯s confused words.


    ¡°The wound seems infected, badly, but I can¡¯t get anything to come out. Myar, I¡¯m going to open a different spot, then try to get the other side.¡±


    I manage a weak, agonized nod seconds before I slip into the sweet relief of unconsciousness. I get a sensation of waking in a dark room, but it¡¯s fuzzy, like an imitation, so I know I¡¯m dreaming. A man wreathed in shadows walks up to me, and the darkness thickens, almost tangible. Thousands of tortured, indistinct whispers emanate from him, but one of the voices is definitive. I recognize it, a voice I grew up listening to. The dark man speaks, not out loud but in my mind. I can give him back, you know. I can return your teacher, for a price. His voice is dark and smooth, filled with lies and trickery. I try to speak, but the darkness suffocates my words, so I try to speak with my mind, like the dark man had. I will get Tam back, and your price will not be paid. The dark man seems surprised by my voice, and all too interested. You are powerful, lightling, but foolish. My price will be paid. It always iss¡­ The man¡¯s terrifying, oily voice fades off with a hiss, and I wake up with a start.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    I shake off grogginess and my memories of the dream, keeping it in mind for later consideration. For now, food is a priority. I feel like I¡¯ve been asleep for days, which is possible. I¡¯m tired of waking up scared and confused, but I¡¯m not surprised after the last couple of weeks. I manage to make some oatmeal without hurting myself, then find Oriole seconds after getting up to find her. She doesn¡¯t meet my eyes and seems subdued, and the pain in my back is worse, so I¡¯m assuming she couldn¡¯t help the wound. Oriole speaks very little, but her words are chilling.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help and the wound got worse, so now it¡¯s a waiting game. We can hope, but there isn¡¯t anything I can do anymore.¡±


    With that bleak statement she walks out, a shadow of her normal self. I decide that, if my situation is bad enough to leave Oriole so sullen, it won¡¯t do me any good to ponder it. I want to train, so I walk out to the backyard. Evaline is there doing sword drills I don¡¯t recognize. The movements for her drills are more showy, but deadly nonetheless. I go back in, find my swords, and carry them out to do my own drills. After I¡¯ve warmed up, I don¡¯t feel like doing my normal form and technique workout, so I offer to spar. Evaline accepts graciously. I know she goes easy on me, but my back hurts so much I can¡¯t be bothered to find it offensive. The pain almost makes me black out a couple times, and Evaline wins handily before walking off into the forest. I sit down heavily on a nearby log, glad for the rest. I glance over, then do a double take. Evaline¡¯s sword is spiked into the ground, which is inherently wrong, because no one skilled with a blade would leave it in such a damaging place. The way Evaline walked off, wordless and tense, only heightens my concern. She usually has something to say to me. That combined with my every instinct screaming danger convinces me to find her.


    I pick up the slightly curved sword, noticing how it doesn¡¯t really look like any recognizable sword design. I¡¯ll have to ask about where she got it later. I stow my own swords in hip sheaths instead of the more favorable back sheath because of the pain. I tromp into the woods, using Evaline¡¯s sword to push brush out of the way. I walk for hours, following a trail of broken brush and boot prints. Evaline seems to have a specific destination in mind, so it¡¯s hard for me to catch up and manage my wound. I almost lose the trail a couple times, having to backtrack to where I lost it. All in all, it¡¯s nearing sunset by the time I step into the clearing. The trail I walk off is higher than the clearing and I can see it¡¯s almost perfectly circular, with strange patches of destroyed grass and ground that look like someone either took a torch or a sledgehammer to it. Some spots have boulders and sand that are definitely out of place in the forest. Opposite from where I stand is a drop off, although I can¡¯t see how steep it is.


    Evaline is standing in the center of the clearing, although I can¡¯t tell what she¡¯s doing from here. I step into the clearing, walking carefully to avoid twisting my ankle on the rough ground. I still have a profound sense of something being wrong, and Tam drilled me into trusting my instincts too much for me to deny it. I have to look down to keep from stepping wrong, so I¡¯m fairly close to Evaline the next time I look up. I suppress a gasp when I see what Evaline is doing. She¡¯s doing something with her hands, moving them in some strange way, and the clearing is¡­reacting. Splintered and burned chunks of wood rise from the ground, slowly interlocking into a vaguely recognizable shape. It looks like a person, but made of wood and stone, a terrifying statue. I must have made some noise of surprise, because Evaline turns. I gape, my mind struggling to comprehend the evidence. I look around the clearing, taking a step back. I search for an alternative explanation frantically so I have a reason to deny what I just witnessed. Evaline tries to explain, ¡°Myar-¡±


    Her voice fades into the background as I see it. One of the wolfish monsters that killed Tam. It¡¯s on the far side of the clearing, in the woods near the bluff. My vision goes red. I start running across the expanse of churned ground with reckless abandon, focused solely on the thing that killed the man I called a father. It notices me and snarls, eyes an unnatural indigo color. I draw my swords and leap at it, but it dodges easily, stepping inside my swing and further into the clearing. It doesn¡¯t bite at me like I expect it to, instead stepping back outside of the range of my panicked backswing before attacking. Evaline¡¯s yelling at me from somewhere in the clearing, but I¡¯m too focused on the fight to comprehend. The wolf monster isn¡¯t fighting like the ones that attacked Tam did, in one all-out attack with no sense of self preservation. The fight is more like a sparring match than a battle against nature, with the thing stepping light and using every asset, like a swordsman. It scares me much more than an animalistic attack would, because it demonstrates a terrifying level of intelligence from these creatures. I manage to find an opening and swing, but my back explodes with pain and I cry out, faltering. The wolf monster jumps at me and knocks me onto my back, causing me to momentarily black out. When I¡¯m next aware of my surroundings The monster is standing on my chest and slavering on my face, close enough for me to smell its breath, like hot carrion and another, sweeter smell that I can¡¯t quite place. Evaline yells something and I feel a blast of wind as the monster is launched off my chest, flying a good forty feet before slamming into a tree. I look at it, at Evaline, then get to my feet as fast as I possibly can. I notice a large streak of white running through Evaline¡¯s hair and wonder vaguely how I never noticed it. Backing away slowly seems to be the best option, although adrenaline makes it more of a frantic scramble. She sees my fear, approaches me slowly, like I¡¯m some wounded animal.


    I find my voice, although the commands my brain gives my vocal cords are scrambled at best.


    ¡°What¡­How¡­ Nope. I refuse to believe that.¡±


    Evaline comes closer still, prompting me to step back again, tripping on a branch. My fear hurts her, I can tell, and she tries to mitigate it, albeit unsuccessfully.


    ¡°Look, Myar, I know this is confusing but-¡±


    I laugh madly. ¡°This is well past confusing, well past most normal descriptions. I might even put this level of weirdness past insanity.¡±


    She¡¯s taken aback, not as much as I¡¯d expect. Apparently, her position close to the town healer has numbed her to people acting crazily. I look at that streak of white hair again, proof of what I just saw. A stray strand blows in the wind and my eyes lock onto it, then behind it. My blood runs cold. Indigo eyes stare from barely five paces behind Evaline. It¡¯s too far for me to help, to close for Evaline to react. The perfect ambush. I try to call out, but the guttering flame of panic that started when the monster pinned me flares up, robbing me of my voice.


    I scramble to my feet, tripping on the rough ground. Evaline notices that I¡¯m looking past her and turns slowly, too slowly. The wolf monster leaps, crossing the distance between it and Evaline incredibly quickly. I blink, and suddenly I¡¯m blocking the monster¡¯s path, swinging my swords in whirling arcs strangely dissimilar to the entirety of my training. I manage to mortally wound the thing, slicing open a large portion of its stomach, but it uses the last of its energy to jump past me and knock Evaline back. Normally, something like that wouldn¡¯t even be of note, but the only thing back from Evaline is the cliff. I run at the cliff and jump without a moment¡¯s hesitation. The cliff is about a hundred feet straight down, something I observe as time seems to slow down around me. I tuck in my arms and legs moments before my sense of time returns to normal. I fall at level with Evaline and grasp her hand inches from the ground. With a bone jarring jerk and a strange thwap, like cloth in a strong wind, we stop. Evaline gasps, and for some reason I can hear her heart beating at a frantic pace. In fact, all my senses seem far stronger than normal. Evaline sees something behind me and her eyes widen. I try to turn around and look, but as soon as I do, we fall to the ground. The fall, small as it is, still results in a few scrapes. Noticing the pain of the small scrapes helps me notice what isn¡¯t there: the crippling back pain that¡¯s been plaguing me ever since the night I lost Tam. I breathe a sigh of relief. I¡¯ll question why later, after I finish asking Evaline about a thousand other things. The whole situation started with Evaline, and she isn¡¯t nearly as confused as I am. I get up and turn to look at her. She¡¯s gaping, completely dumbstruck, at something at my back. I turn again, but this time I catch a glimpse of something dark attached to my back. At the same time, I feel a tingling at my back, like a limb waking up. It¡¯s strange, but while these things happen, Evaline recovers her wits.


    ¡°I can explain.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better be able to, because I can¡¯t and I¡¯m not exactly sure how stable I¡¯ll be without having any answers.¡±


    She¡¯s startled by my bluntness, but takes it in stride. ¡°In short, that was magic.¡±


    ¡°I gathered that, but how?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure how magic originated, but it seems to be an ability people are born with in varying strengths.¡±


    I take note of her use of we, but don¡¯t mention it. ¡° How does this relate to me? How did I only just discover all this?


    As a talk I gesture expansively to the cliff, the monster that fell off it, the clearing. The movement makes me spin, and Evaline starts to talk but goes quiet.


    ¡°What?¡± I ask, confused as to why she isn¡¯t even dodging my question. I try to turn my head and look at her, but something is blocking my view. It¡¯s the same dark thing I glimpsed a few minutes ago, but ignored. I fully turn toward Evaline, expecting an explanation for my increased senses, whatever I keep seeing at my back, anything really, but she¡¯s just looking at whatever I can¡¯t see, awestruck.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    I¡¯m somewhat annoyed and too curious to just ignore my back anymore.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    It¡¯s a long time before Evaline says anything.


    ¡°Myar, it¡¯s what we call the Shift.¡± She says the last word like a name.


    ¡°And what is the Shift?¡±


    ¡°The day we figure out how much magic someone has.¡±


    ¡°Elaborate. Please.¡± I¡¯m more than a little plaintive.


    ¡°It¡¯s a physical and psychological change that occurs around the age of


    seventeen, your age. It allows you to access and control your wells of Radiance. The Shift is directly proportional to how much Radiance you can harness. Radiance is what we call magical energy, by the way.¡±


    ¡°How do I harness this ¡®Radiance¡¯, then?¡±


    ¡°Oriole and I can help you, and there¡¯s somewhere we can take you to further your training.¡±


    ¡°What does this shift have to do with my back, with killing those monsters? What are those, anyway?¡±


    ¡°The monsters are called Twisted, but as to how it relates to your back, everything.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, what did this Shift do to my back?¡±


    Evaline sighs, stalling. ¡°The Shift, at least for you, is your back.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Your back was what changed in your Shift.¡±


    I¡¯m cautious now, caught off guard. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say this, so I¡¯ll be blunt. Your Shift was extremely powerful, and it gave you wings.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, what did you just say?¡± I splutter, desperately searching for something, anything, that makes more sense than what Evaline just said.


    ¡°Your Shift gave you wings.¡±


    I try to deny it, but when I flex the part of my back that was tingling a few minutes ago the right way, the wings come around in front of me. They look like they¡¯ll reach twenty feet wide when fully extended. They look a bit like the wings of a raven or crow, with large, dark feathers. The feathers are strange because, when I touch the wing, they seem to stiffen, gaining a golden sheen. I can feel the wings, feathers and all, so they do seem to be genuine. I feel like I should be significantly less calm, but my earlier panic is just¡­ gone. Now that I have a few answers, I want more, but by now it¡¯s almost sunset. I unfold my wings and turn to Evaline.


    ¡°How are we going to get back to the house before sunset?¡±


    Evaline starts to say that she doesn¡¯t know before she stops, a slow, somewhat evil grin spreading across her face. ¡°We fly.¡±


    Flight is less of a learning curve and more of a learning cliff, it turns out. Pun intended. I almost crash about five times, actually hitting the cliff twice. Once I get the hang of it, flying is exhilarating. I swoop down and lock forearms with Evaline, picking her up and carrying her to the top of the cliff. I set her down gently, then continue flying back toward the house. I stay low to the trees, occasionally seeing Evaline on the ground, using magic to match my pace. I¡¯m still confused about the whole magic thing, but the techniques of thought, of staying calm and adapting to a situation Tam taught me go well with this realization. Now more than ever, I wonder what Tam was training me for. The house comes into view all too quickly, and I land the only way I know how, folding my wings and rolling on impact. It works, but I¡¯ll need a better solution. Oriole comes into the training area to greet us. I remember that she knew Tam, and was around him for a long time. Oriole probably knows why Tam trained me, but as of now she seems too focused on me to be bothered with questions.


    ¡°Evaline, how powerful was his Shift?¡± Her voice is sharp, with a hint of fear. What would she be afraid of? Evaline answers hesitantly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°He overloaded all of the Radiance wells we set up.¡±


    ¡°All of them?¡± Oriole looks at me sideways. ¡°I did feel it from here, but still, all of them?¡±


    Oriole wheels on me suddenly, eyes me, barks. ¡°Show me your Shift.¡±


    I pause, reluctant, but Evaline looks at me and nods subtly. I spread my wings. Oriole steps back, looks at me with such a degree of awe I know she¡¯s never seen anything like it. Suddenly, she¡¯s back to being all business. ¡°Evaline, I think this is the time for you to return. I¡¯ll give you more information later. As of now, you can rest. Myar, you¡¯ll go with Evaline, but I can¡¯t risk telling you where. You should rest too. Most people are exhausted by their Shift.¡±


    I return to my room but sleep eludes me. My senses are still way stronger than they should be, and the sound of what I assume are termites gnawing on the foundation isn¡¯t exactly the best sound to fall asleep to. I get up. Maybe I can figure out where Evaline is taking me. I wander the house stealthily, hoping to find where Oriole and Evaline are talking. I find them easily because of my enhanced hearing, and I walk slowly toward the room. I hear Evaline¡¯s voice.


    ¡°... Myar about where we¡¯re taking him.¡±


    Oriole¡¯s answer is softer ¡°We can¡¯t risk it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t taking him across the whole of North America without training him at all a risk?¡± Evaline¡¯s definitely angry.


    Oriole replies calmly. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯ll do when you stop for the day. You must teach Myar the basics of magic quickly, but speed of travel is also a priority. He¡¯s passively releasing Radiance at an incredible rate and if you don¡¯t stop it, sleep will be a thing of the past, no matter where you are. Speaking of, I can feel him nearing, so we should get to bed.¡±


    I wait for a few more minutes, but after a few creaks from the floorboards, the house is silent. I creep back to bed and mull over what I overheard, eventually falling into a restless sleep.


    By the time I wake up, the sun is high in the sky, and it seems the preparations for the trip to¡­ wherever we¡¯re going are in full swing. Oriole hands me my pack, now repaired, full of supplies. My swords are in their scabbards. The sight of the gifts Tam brought me, the things he taught me to make and use, sends a pang of grief through me. Evaline walks up, glances at the pack, at me, and asks the one thing I never thought of.


    ¡°How are you going to fly? And more importantly, where are your wings?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t noticed that my wings felt different this morning largely because I¡¯m not used to having them. Evaline spins me around to look at my back. She prods at it, then makes a small noise of surprise. ¡°Your wings are gone, but there are two small ridges where the wings should attach to your back. Try opening them, but don¡¯t think about it too much.¡±


    I do as she asks, and my wings spread out behind me with a quiet rustle. It¡¯s still a strange feeling, but it feels more natural than I¡¯d expect, taking into consideration the fact that they just appeared yesterday. Evaline and Oriole both let out a small huff, so similar it¡¯s eerie. Oriole mutters a little, then strides purposefully back into the house. About fifteen minutes later, she comes back out holding a shirt heavily modified with rope. She hands it to me and I fold my wings before putting it on. Oriole winds the rope on the front of the makeshift harness around my backpack,then orders me to spread my wings. Strangely, I don¡¯t feel my wings cut through the back of my shirt.


    ¡°I cut holes where your wings go so you don¡¯t have to ruin your shirt every time you open your wings,¡± she explains, ¡°Now, you two have a long way to go and not exactly a forgiving deadline, so you should get going.¡±


    As Oriole walks back into the house, I begin to ask Evaline what Oriole meant by deadline, but she just signals for me to follow her. A few seconds later, Evaline starts running with magic and I have to start flying to keep up. We keep up the inhumanly fast pace all day, stopping once for lunch, where neither of us talk before starting again. The sun finishes setting and it¡¯s too dark for Evaline to run anymore, so we set up camp. I land, stumbling with the force of it, but not tumbling to the ground like yesterday. Evaline looks exhausted, but she turns to me with a look of determination on her face. Without preamble she says, ¡°I need to teach you magic, and quickly.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡± I say, unsure of how to respond. She ignores me.


    ¡°Lesson one, the most important lesson, is to control your Radiance. That is all I will teach you tonight.¡±


    ¡°How would I control my Radiance, then?¡±


    ¡°You need to focus completely inward, find whatever feels like a leak in a dam, and patch it. That¡¯s how Oriole explained it to me, but it¡¯s harder than it sounds.¡±


    It doesn¡¯t actually seem too hard because Tam would have me doing strange things like that, variations on meditation, for hours on end, day after day until I got it right. Not for the first time, I wonder what Tam was training me for. I sit on a nearby log, then close my eyes. I find the leak within seconds, partially because I¡¯m used to doing similar things and partially because it¡¯s less of a leak and more of a gaping hole that pours out what feels like liquid light at an incredible rate. I try to patch the hole, but it doesn¡¯t work, so I have to slowly build inward from the sides, cutting off the torrent slowly. It takes all night, and by the time I open my eyes the sun is rising. Evaline looks blearily at me.


    ¡°We won¡¯t go very far when we¡¯re this tired. Get some sleep, Myar.¡±


    I obey without moving from my log.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    We both wake up around sunset the next day, and Evaline seems tense as she walks around the clearing we stopped in picking up wood to make a fire. I briefly check again for the outpouring of energy, but my patch seems to hold. She starts the fire the normal way, which I think is strange because I know I saw burned patches in that clearing. My curiosity eventually wins out and I have to ask.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just light the fire with magic?¡±


    ¡°My strongest power is connected to the air, so it¡¯s very inefficient for me to try and use fire when I can just light it the normal way.¡± Strangely enough, her answer makes a lot of sense to me.


    ¡°Do you know what my strongest power is?¡± I ask, hopeful.


    ¡°Not yet, I have yet to see you perform any magic, so I can¡¯t tell what you¡¯re strongest at. That¡¯ll have to happen when we stop for the night. I won¡¯t let it happen now because it could cause your magic to pour out again, and it would be bad if that kept happening. Now, you can help make breakfast.¡±


    After that, she doesn¡¯t say anything about magic to me until we leave for the day. By the time I land and she stops running, the sun is setting. Evaline looks nearly as exhausted as I feel, so we talk little as we set up camp. We both sit down on nearby logs, silently eating our supper. Once we finish, I stand up and offer my hand, saying ¡°Want to spar?¡±


    She looks a bit surprised, but readily accepts my offer. I fight like Tam taught me, doing my level best to keep from going to that strange, whirling style of fighting that suddenly seems like second nature to me. After Eveline beats me handily because of a rookie mistake I made because I was trying to restrict myself to the disciplined, rigid style I was taught, I decide to try what feels natural. I spread my wings and take a step back, putting as much space between Evaline and I as I can in the small clearing. She signals the start and we both charge toward the center. At the last second I jump, using my wings to lift me just enough to clear Evaline and land right behind her. Although the move startles her, she is incredibly fast, blocking the sword in my left hand with hers. I¡¯m already moving, bringing my right hand and the sword in it level with her sternum.


    ¡°Yield,¡± I grunt, trying to keep her from throwing off my left sword and regaining the advantage.


    She smiles mischievously, ¡°Never.¡±


    I press all the harder, but suddenly Evaline steps back, making me lose my balance, then fires a blast of her air magic into my legs, knocking me over. Her sword is inches from my face in seconds, keeping me from getting back up.


    ¡°Yield,¡± she says, face full of  mirth.


    I scowl, but admit defeat. She offers a hand, helping me up. She apparently decides that now is the time to teach me some magic at the same time I do, but she speaks first.


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯d better teach you how to use all that Radiance you have stored up.¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± I agree. She starts to explain to me, and it seems pretty straightforward. Radiance, the basic magical energy, is a measure of your power, but also your control. Magic acts somewhat like a muscle, getting stronger the more you use it. People usually have their greatest strength in four elemental magic classes, but the rare few have control over something other than just air, fire, earth, and water. These she speaks of in hushed tones saying, ¡°Although they¡¯re rare, they are often incredibly powerful, but most are unstable in some way.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask, for some reason speaking in the same whisper.


    ¡°The most powerful ones often have their magic backfire, affecting them negatively in some way. For example, someone who can manipulate minds could constantly have their ability to read minds active, making them go mad from constantly being woken up by the thoughts of others and never getting sleep.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a horrible fate,¡± I say, taken aback by the drawbacks of magic.


    ¡°It is, but you shouldn¡¯t worry about something with odds that are astronomically small.¡±


    ¡°What do you do to find out what someone¡¯s primary magic is?¡± I ask, eager to find out what I can about my own magic.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty simple type of meditation, you just mentally build a channel from the plug in your well of Radiance to the tip of your index finger. Try it now and I¡¯ll be able to tell what you can best do from the color of light your Radiance shows up as.¡±


    I close my eyes and focus on the dam I built yesterday, creating a small hole for a rivulet of that brilliant power to flow to my left hand. It flows quickly, building up at my fingertip until it ignites in a brilliant burst of multicolored light that almost blinds me, even with my eyes closed. Evaline cries out in pain and I extinguish the light, snapping my eyes open. After I blink away afterimages from the light, I see that she¡¯s looking around, eyes unfocused. That¡¯s when I realize the obvious, the light was brighter than she expected and it blinded her. I¡¯m about to offer help when green light starts swirling at her fingertips, building for about five seconds before she holds her hands up to her eyes. When she pulls them away from her eyes, she can definitely see, because she glares at me silently for a while before seeming to come to a decision.


    ¡°Your education in magic can continue tomorrow night,¡± she says, cold and distant. She doesn¡¯t speak as she walks over to the other side of the fire, not bothering to use her bedroll as anything other than a pillow. I do likewise, but sleep is a long time coming. I don¡¯t focus on much beyond learning to fly and wondering about magic during the day, but Tam¡¯s death keeps me up, especially because I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve grieved properly, which probably won¡¯t happen for a long time. The memories of that night are shoved in a kind of pile in the corner of my mind, there but pushed to the side, ignored. I eventually drift into a fitful sleep. I wake up to an extremely dreary morning, heavy fog and drizzle blanketing everything, including me, in a thin layer of freezing cold water.


    Evaline seems just as displeased by the weather as me, and she was already angry. I get up and reignite the fire for breakfast silently, still a bit groggy. Suddenly Evaline cries out. I whirl around, wide awake now, and see a monster not dissimilar to the one that chased me through the woods all those years ago, the day Tam found me. The creature has Evaline in its grasp, one long, razor-sharp claw pressed against her neck, drawing a thin line of blood. She makes eye contact with me, fearless despite the situation. I can tell she has a plan, but she obviously needs me to do something before she can execute it.


    I notice the giant monster has one clawed arm on the ground, knuckling like a gorilla. It, like the other Twisted I¡¯ve seen, seems to have a strong resemblance to one animal or another. It seems to be nearly blind, eyes unfocused, constantly smelling the air and adjusting its head slightly, making it seem like it can see me. I crouch into my fighting stance, stalking towards my pack, where my swords are. I do my best to stealthily draw them from their scabbards, but they emit a slight scrape coming out. I let out a mental stream of curses, looking towards the monster. It¡¯s turned its head in my direction, alerted by the sound of my swords, but that tiny distraction is enough for Evaline to slip out of its grasp. I take my chance and attack. I sprint toward the monster and jump, using my wings to boost upward and toward the creature¡¯s head. It definitely has very strong hearing to accompany smell, as it swipes a huge clawed hand at me. I dodge, barely, and the close call sends even more adrenaline through me.


    The adrenaline is accompanied by a shift in my senses, turning toward the heightened awareness that happened immediately after my Shift. My reflexes also seem to speed up, as I see the next swing happen much sooner. I counterattack, drawing black blood from the arm, if you could call it that, of the creature. I see another attack and back off quickly, leaving an opening that Evaline immediately capitalizes on. She jumps at the creature, swinging her sword whilst simultaneously sending a blast of wind toward it. It stumbles back, but recovers quickly, backhanding Evaline across the clearing. She hits a small tree with enough force to make the trunk splinter, but I don¡¯t have time to check on her, as the monster has turned its attention to me. It swings at me, and I barely avoid being gutted by its claws. I feel a line of fire on my stomach, apparently I didn¡¯t jump back far enough. I look at the barely wounded Twisted, knowing that with Evaline out of commission I won¡¯t win this fight.


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    I back away, taking stock of where our equipment is and the best way to get to it. Evaline still seems to be holding her sword, albeit loosely. Both our packs are near the fire, on opposite sides, so I¡¯ll probably only have time to grab one. I know my pack has enough food for about a week, if we ration well, and supplies to get more. Evaline has been pretty secretive about her pack, so something valuable must be in there, but I¡¯ve never seen her take it out, so its usefulness is debatable. All in all, I decide to go for my pack, then Evaline. I attack the creature, swinging wildly, but duck left, under its retaliatory swipe. I sprint towards my pack, barely slowing to scoop it up, then change directions, heading toward Evaline. The monster is startled by my move, and takes a few seconds to adjust, seconds I use to help Evaline up and make sure she¡¯s conscious enough to hold on. I swing the pack into the harness Oriole made for me, then grip Evaline tightly as I take off. She¡¯s pretty heavy, and barely conscious, so I don¡¯t get much altitude before swinging to face south, my wing beats the only sound as I head in the general direction that we were traveling before we were attacked.


    Many hours and even more miles later, I land in a small clearing high up on the slopes of a small mountain in the Rockies, still in Canada. I can see the border from here, a line in the distance where a few trees are gone. I can see one small stop, miles to the east, but, other than that, no one as far as the eye can see. I set Evaline down. Shortly after our flight started, she passed out. She has a long gash along her left arm, and she¡¯s pretty pale, so I assume she passed out from blood loss. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much I can do about that, but for now I tie a tourniquet made from my shirt around her arm while I try to think of what to do. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m going, so I¡¯ll have to wait for Evaline to wake up before I do anything.


    I think back to last night, when I blinded Evaline. Whenever I see her do magic, it seems like she does some motion with her hands. I know that magic is accessed by focusing on making that channel from your well of Radiance to your objective. Her fingers had started to glow with green light, which I assumed was earth magic, and she¡¯d touched them to her eyes. I had seen green light in the burst that had blinded Evaline, so I assume I¡¯m capable of healing magic too. Evaline seems to be breathing pretty slow, and it¡¯s getting cold, so I decide to risk it and try healing Evaline. I focus inward, on my radiance and build a new channel similar to the one that created the burst of light. This time I notice the different colors of light, so I do my best to filter out everything except the green and turn it back toward the main well. Eventually, my fingertips flare with green Radiance. I grin, but grow serious when I open my eyes and remember why I¡¯m doing this. I move carefully, trying not to dispel the brilliant green light. I gently grab Evaline¡¯s arm, unsure of how to heal her. I didn¡¯t need to worry, anyway, because I feel power flowing out of me and into her wound as soon as I close my fingers around her arm. I see the wound close within seconds, and color soon comes back to her face.


    Evaline doesn¡¯t wake up, but I remember the sickening sound of her hitting the tree, so she¡¯s probably concussed too. I decide not to try and wake her up, but I use the energy still lingering in my hands on her head, just in case. I¡¯m exhilarated by what I¡¯ve done, but doing it has exhausted me in a way I¡¯ve never experienced before. I collapse moments after standing up and walking away from Evaline. I fall asleep seconds after I hit the ground.


    I wake up an unknown amount of time later. Evaline is still asleep, and I¡¯m pretty parched, so I wander off to search for water. I find some pretty quickly, filling our canteens before splashing some on my face. I get back to camp, afraid to leave Evaline alone for too long. When I get back, she¡¯s awake, but groggy, and she hasn¡¯t moved from where she¡¯s laying. I rush over and offer the canteen. She nods, wincing, and I hold it to her lips. She drinks greedily, revitalized by the cool, clean water. Eventually, she motions for me to take it away.


    Evaline finally seems to notice our surroundings.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± She¡¯s slurring slightly, a very bad sign.


    ¡°Somewhere on the United States-Canada border, in the Rockies,¡± I say, unsure.


    Evaline is quiet for a moment, I assume she¡¯s lost in thought until she sighs,


    ¡°Myar, I can¡¯t focus, I probably have a concussion, and I need you to heal me.¡±


    I focus on my Radiance, doing the same thing I did¡­ yesterday? I¡¯m not sure. It works, and I quickly put my hands to Evaline¡¯s head. Her eyes finally focus, and I can tell she¡¯s thinking clearer, because she very quickly becomes very confused.


    ¡°Myar, since when can you do healing magic?¡± So she¡¯s caught on to my new ability. I grin.


    ¡°Yesterday.¡±


    ¡°What?! Do you know how dangerous that is? If that hadn¡¯t worked, it would¡¯ve killed me!¡±


    I¡¯m hurt by her reaction, ¡°I saved your life, and no, I didn¡¯t know it could¡¯ve killed you, because somebody hardly taught me anything.¡±


    ¡°I was getting there,¡± she¡¯s indignant.


    I chuckle darkly, ¡°Sure, whatever you say.¡±


    She definitely wants to continue this conversation, but changes the subject.


    ¡°How¡¯d you figure out how to do that healing magic?¡±


    ¡°I imitated how you did it.¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± Evaline¡¯s gone pale, like she¡¯s seen a ghost.


    ¡°Why not?¡± her expression has me concerned.


    ¡°No one that we know of has ever done a spell like that without serious training to do healing magic,¡± she seems very suspicious of me now.


    ¡°So, essentially, that was supposed to be impossible, and I did it because I didn¡¯t know it wasn¡¯t supposed to happen.¡±


    ¡°You would be capable of that if you had prior knowledge, and chose not to disclose it. You did catch on to magic awfully fast.¡±


    So that¡¯s why she¡¯s so suspicious. She thinks I¡¯m some kind of double agent. I try to defend myself, ¡°What would I want from you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d want to find out where our base is, but, of course, you already know your mission.¡±


    ¡°That is not my mission, largely because I don¡¯t really have one.¡±


    I don¡¯t mention that dream conversation I had with the dark man. I still wonder if I can talk to him, figure out what he wants, and, more importantly, what he did to Tam. Evaline¡¯s just staring at me, apparently considering something.


    ¡°What?¡± her stare is starting to creep me out.


    ¡°I just had an idea, but I don¡¯t know if it would work, because it shouldn¡¯t be possible. Then again, if you aren¡¯t lying, your magic really doesn¡¯t care about what should be possible.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do, and how do we do it?¡±


    She seems to be a bit shocked that I agreed so readily to her plan. Evaline recovers quickly, though, and starts explaining her plan.


    ¡°You seem to be capable of quite a few types of magic, judging by the different colors of light that appeared when you manifested your Radiance. One of those colors was purple, the type of magic associated with the mind. It should allow you to, with proper training, communicate telepathically.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say magic like that was rare and dangerous, and had a tendency to backfire?¡± I¡¯m not exactly enthusiastic about this plan.


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not giving you a choice,¡± She¡¯s not going to let this go.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I grumble, ¡°What do I have to do?¡±


    ¡°You should be able to access mind magic the same way you accessed your healing magic, however you did it. You¡¯ll just have to replace green Radiance with purple and redirect it to your head.¡±


    ¡°My head? Why?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I know about using mind magic, since it¡¯s so rare. I¡¯ll handle what to do after you manifest your magic,¡± Evaline seems pretty confident in her plan.


    Then again, she¡¯s not the one who might have her power backfire severely. She¡¯s looking at me impatiently, so I close my eyes and focus on my Radiance. I feel, more than hear, my wings spreading out behind me. As soon as they¡¯re fully extended, the magic seems easier to control. I slowly kneel, keeping my eyes closed and my wings extended. Radiance is flowing steadily from my well, significantly more controlled than the previous times I¡¯ve used it. It winds its way up my rib cage and into my head, and I can feel it there, illuminating previously dark, unused parts of my mind. It¡¯s a strange experience, but not unpleasant.


    Abruptly, I feel the presence of another mind, and the equivalent of a mental knock. I ¡®open the door¡¯ and let the other mind in. It¡¯s Evaline, I can tell that immediately, and it seems like she can see or hear anything I broadcast, because an experimental Can you hear me? has an almost immediate reply of Yep, and this is weird. I can¡¯t help but grin, as this is definitely weird, but also amazing. I must have broadcast that last part, because she quickly replies It is amazing, and your wings are all lit up because of your Radiance. I¡¯m a bit confused by that, and ask what she means, and she shows me an image from her perspective. My wings are spread, reaching all the way across the clearing, and every single feather is highlighted with a soft purple and gold glow. It¡¯s beautiful, and a bit unnerving, because the image is moving, like a video, and I can tell this is how she¡¯s seeing the whole thing unfold.


    I¡¯m pretty detached from my physical body by now, so it surprises me a little when my body opens its eyes and looks up, splitting my perspective, and I can see from Evaline¡¯s point of view that my eyes are glowing a brilliant, icy blue. I disconnect our minds, standing up. I look at Evaline and grin, awed by what just happened. She smiles back, and I realize it¡¯s dark out. I can only see because of the fading glow from my wings and eyes. A wave of exhaustion washes over me, and I stumble, at the same time Evaline collapses. I lay down, more controlled, and fall asleep soon after.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    Evaline and I wake up at the same time the next day, at some point in the late morning. She seems to be in a much better mood, and says we¡¯ll still be heading south.


    ¡°Are you willing to tell me where we¡¯re going now?¡± I allow a bit of hope to creep into my voice.


    ¡°Yes, actually,¡± she¡¯s a bit amused, ¡°We¡¯re going to Houston, Texas.¡±


    ¡°Houston?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and we¡¯re behind schedule.¡±


    ¡°Just how far behind schedule?¡± I didn¡¯t even know there was a schedule.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, how long has it been since that fight with the Twisted?¡±


    I pause, thinking it over, ¡°About three days, assuming I was only out for one night after healing you.¡±


    Evaline frowns. Apparently that wasn¡¯t what she wanted to hear. She sighs, ¡°All we can do about it now is keep moving.¡±


    We do just that, and within fifteen minutes I¡¯m in the air again, enjoying the sensation of cool air under my wings. I have to watch where Evaline is to navigate, though, and she seems to be struggling, so I have to be fairly cautious to make sure I don¡¯t get lost. I mess around a little with bringing my magic to the surface without having to hyper-focus, and that occupies me until Evaline stops. I instantly know something is wrong, and dive straight toward her, spreading my wings at the last second to slow down. I hit the ground, hard, and look toward her, wondering what¡¯s wrong. I feel the mental link I thought disbanded when I released my mind magic flare up, bringing my Radiance with it and surprising us both.


    What¡¯s going on? I ask mentally, fine with using the link to communicate. She replies quickly, I noticed the link. I can feel a pulse of uncertainty accompanying it. I send my feeling of confidence, in her and in my magic, and I can feel her gratitude. She seems tired, more so than usual. Are you alright? I ask gently. Evaline nods, but I can tell she¡¯s lying. I take off again and Evaline starts running, even slower now. We make it over the border and continue for a few more hours before stopping for the night. It¡¯s getting cold, and we only have the supplies from my bag, which only has one sleeping bag. I give it to Evaline after a few minutes of awkward silence, then spread my wings, wrapping them around me and using them as a sort of blanket. The feathers are softer than I expected, because I¡¯ve seen how durable they are. All in all, It¡¯s not too bad, especially because they keep out the cold better than any sleeping bag ever could. I wake up refreshed the next morning, ready to start the day.


    Evaline, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t be any further from ready. I shake her gently to wake her up, which doesn¡¯t work. I decide to try a different approach, and prod her mentally through the link. That works a bit too well, because she bolts upright. I put my hands in the air placatingly.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s alright, I was just trying to wake you up, and I thought that would be better than throwing water on you,¡± I can feel her surprise trickling through the link.


    She grunts, not very pleased with being woken up, ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    I¡¯m soon in the air, and Evaline¡¯s still moving pretty slowly.  I swoop low, then land within feet of where she¡¯s running. Even though she¡¯s going slower than she usually does, she¡¯s still incredibly fast. I start running, then have to take off again to keep up. I stay very low, just above the treetops, gliding on the updrafts and flapping only occasionally. Hours pass, and we begin to cross roads more often.


    The idea that we¡¯re nearing civilization is concerning, because we won¡¯t be able to travel like we have been, using magical means to move faster than most cars. Speaking of, we might need a car, and I don¡¯t have enough money in my bag to buy one. I¡¯m not sure if I have any money, and we¡¯ll need at least a little to buy food. I bring this up to Evaline when we land for the night. She laughs,


    ¡°Do you know why we had a house in the Canadian backwoods?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I say, thoroughly confused.


    ¡°Gold,¡± she chuckles again, ¡°We can use magic to mine for gold, and It¡¯s a lot more efficient than most other operations. Why do you think the ground in that clearing was torn up?¡±


    ¡°Okay, but how does that help us if it was all in your bag?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t. The bag was full of basic supplies, because we weren¡¯t sure if we could trust you when we left Land¡¯s End.¡±


    ¡°Then where was the gold?¡± I ask.


    ¡°We¡¯d put it in a backpack, then used magic to shrink it down, and sewn it into the back of my jacket¡±


    I wasn¡¯t expecting that, but it works, and I never would¡¯ve guessed that Evaline had our money trouble handled from their start. I move on to my camp duties for the night, catching a scrawny rabbit to supplement our dwindling supplies. I make supper, then bank the fire while we eat. I look at Evaline curiously and ask what¡¯s been bothering me all day, ¡°When will you start teaching me magic again?¡±


    She frowns thoughtfully, ¡°I hadn¡¯t expected you to be so capable with so little training, but you still lack control. Fixing that should be our next priority, and we can start refining your control right now.¡±


    ¡°How would I do that?¡± I¡¯m ready to do anything I can to keep from being the victim of the Twisted again.


    ¡°I need you to gather up a small portion of the red, fire portion of your power and fire it at whatever I choose, and you need to do it in five seconds, without having any power ready to go.¡±


    It sounds like it¡¯ll be difficult to do, but I¡¯m glad for the challenge, for anything to keep me away from my thoughts. I look to Evaline,


    ¡°When do we start?¡±


    She gives me a small, sly grin, then points to a random tree without preamble. I close my eyes, trying to gather the fiery power I can feel as a portion of my well of Radiance. I¡¯m interrupted by Evaline saying, ¡°You can¡¯t close your eyes, this is supposed to simulate using magic in combat.¡±


    Well, that makes the whole situation a thousand times harder. She points to a different tree, and I try to summon the flaming energy into my hands yet again. I fail, but less so this time, and I have an idea of how I should be able to get a shot off. The next tree Evaline points at gets a very small, underwhelming spurt of fire shot from my fingertips fired at it. Apparently, my idea to not charge up the burst very much to save time was a terrible idea. I bring more power to bear next time, which takes longer but works much better. I still haven¡¯t hit anything in under five seconds, but each repetition gets me one step closer. I summon my power, then blast the rock Evaline pointed at. I sway a little, feeling the energy leave me more with each fireball. Evaline notices my exhaustion.


    ¡°You got under five seconds, so we¡¯ll stop for today.¡±


    I grin, feeling accomplished, ¡°Finally.¡±


    She gets the same sly smile she had earlier, ¡°Tomorrow you have to do it in under four seconds.¡±


    My smile falls, and I groan. I don¡¯t vocalize any other complaints, because I quite literally asked for this. I spread my wings to sleep, and notice that I suddenly feel less tired. I resolve to ask Evaline why that may be tomorrow. I fall asleep quickly, and am sucked into another dream with the dark, oily man again.


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    The whispers are even more prominent now, and I can feel them tugging on my mind magic, demanding to be heard. Tam¡¯s voice is still more noticeable than the others, and it¡¯s heartbreaking to hear the voice of my mentor so tortured, especially after not seeing him for so long. The dark man starts the conversation, his oily voice slipping between cracks in my mind, You know my offer still stands, lightling. I can bring your accursed Tamarin back, for a price. I speak back mentally, How much death is involved in your price? I can feel those poor souls you hide behind, you know. They know what you¡¯ve done, and they whisper to me. I know you have tricked thousands of people, and I know those souls belong to bodies turned into Twisted.


    The dark man chuckles, a terrifyingly seductive sound. So you know the fate of your teacher, and yet you remain defiant. This will not do, no, no. It¡¯s unnerving for a being so inherently wrong to be admonishing me like I¡¯m some clueless child. I start to struggle, trying to find a way out of this dream room, away from this monstrosity. Said monstrosity notices my struggle, and chuckles again. I¡¯ll let you go this time, lightling, just remember, my Twisted will get hungry, and you would be quite the catch. The man lets go of my mind, sliding out the way he came in.


    I wake with a start, and the mental link between Evaline and I flares to life. I¡¯m panicked, and can¡¯t control my thoughts, so everything is broadcast to Evaline, riding on massive pulses of Radiance. She bolts upright, then notices me panicking, the source of the mental commotion. She sprints over, then stops, filtering through the information I¡¯m still broadcasting, trying to figure out what happened. I see a multitude of emotions cross her face, finally settling on concern. The still open link allows me to know that, while most of the concern is for me, some is for herself. I wonder why, and since I still can¡¯t control my thoughts, Evaline hears. Myar, I need you to control your magic, because if you keep pushing those pulses of Radiance across, it could overload my well and knock me out at best, kill me at worst. I do my best to restrain my Radiance, and it works, to a degree. The pulses slow down and shrink, and the mental link fogs up. Evaline, slightly less concerned now, turns to interrogating me.


    ¡°How do you know that man?¡±


    ¡°What does he want from you?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea who you just defied?¡±


    I¡¯m taken aback by the amount of fervor she asks those questions with,


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the man, per se, more he¡¯s shown up in my dreams before, and he always offers the same thing; Tam back, for a price. Before you ask, I don¡¯t know who he is, and he¡¯s never actually told me the ¡®price¡¯.¡±


    Evaline speaks slowly, horrified, ¡°I¡¯m almost certain that man is one of the Broken Ones, and a high ranking one at that. The only reason he would talk to you would be to coerce you to his side.¡±


    ¡°You lost me at Broken Ones, as I have no idea what that is.¡±


    Evaline groans, presumably tired of giving me context. ¡°The Broken Ones are the opposition that Oriole mentioned when she was telling you how she knew Tamarin.¡±


    ¡°Why are they the opposition, and what do they want Tam for?¡±


    ¡°The Broken Ones created the Twisted, and are constantly experimenting on them, and humans, trying to find¡­ something we know nothing about. We¡¯ve never had a spy high up enough to find out. As to why they want Tam, the power of an individual Twisted scales directly to the amount of Radiance the person that was turned into a Twisted had. And Tamarin was one of the most powerful mages we had, a long time ago.¡±


    It¡¯s horrifying to know that Tam has been turned into a Twisted, but it also gives me a purpose; rescuing him from the clutches of the Broken Ones. That¡¯s what my next question is,


    ¡°Where did they take him?¡±


    Evaline thinks for a moment before responding, ¡°Someone as powerful as Tamarin would take weeks, potentially months, to be fully turned into a Twisted, and the Broken Ones know that we would be trying to recover a mage as powerful as him, no matter how bad his relationship with us.¡±


    ¡°He had a bad relationship with¡­ who exactly?¡± I¡¯m getting tired of not knowing what the group I¡¯m working with is called.


    ¡°Our group is mostly connected to the bureaucracy of the country we are based in through a school, but most of the people who know of our existence call us the Iron Wing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unconventional,¡± I say, unsure how to react to all the information, ¡°That still doesn¡¯t answer my question as to where they took him.¡±


    ¡°Most likely they took him through a portal, to somewhere in the country we¡¯re going to.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to another country? I thought you said we were going to Houston!¡±


    ¡°We are, because that¡¯s where the nearest portal to Auron is.¡±


    ¡°Auron?! Portal?!¡±


    ¡°The country where both the Iron Wing and Broken Ones are based, and my homeland. And yes, a portal.¡±


    The sun is rising, and if I need to travel to Auron to get to Tam, so be it.


    I look back to Evaline, ¡°Let¡¯s get going, we can talk after we stop for the night.¡±


    She nods, and I take off. We exit the forest about half an hour after we start, passing around a small town soon after. I see forests finish transitioning to farmland a few hours after that. We¡¯re in the Midwest now, so we don¡¯t have to worry too much about running into people as long as we¡¯re careful. A few days of the same later, flying over the near-featureless Midwest in the day, and training my magic for a while after we stop, we stop in Grand Island, Nebraska.


    Evaline signals me down, and I land, quickly tucking away my wings. I notice Evaline¡¯s covered up the patch of white hair that is usually displayed prominently near her left temple. She points to a small, abandoned looking building across the road from where I landed.


    ¡°Is that where we¡¯re going?¡± I ask, skeptical.


    ¡°Yep,¡± she says cheerfully, ¡°That¡¯s where we¡¯re selling the gold. All we have to do is get it out of my jacket and remove the shrinking spell, and then we can sell it.¡±


    She takes off said jacket, handing it to me. Thankfully, it isn¡¯t too cold out today. I start looking over the jacket seeing one small string. I pull on it, and a tiny gold bar falls out of the hidden pocket. Evaline picks it up and hands it to me.


    ¡°Get ready for that to get really heavy.¡±


    Then she takes the shrinking spell off the bar, and I find myself holding a large gold bar, straining against the weight. It reminds me that, even though I¡¯ve been training my magic, I¡¯ve been ignoring my swordsmanship and physical strength the past few weeks. I tromp across the road after Evaline.


    ¡°Why do I have to carry the heavy gold bar?¡± I grunt out, glaring at Evaline.


    ¡°I had to take the spell off, and you were already holding it,¡± She sounds pretty smug.


    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible excuse.¡±


    We¡¯re almost at the building now, and it looks even more run-down up close. Evaline walks in without hesitation, and I follow. There¡¯s one dim, flickering light in the hallway we find ourselves in. Evaline walks to a door just past the light, opening it for me. I lead the way, seeing a large table in the middle of the dank room I¡¯ve just walked into. I set down the bar, glad I don¡¯t have to carry it anymore. Evaline leans against the table, causing it to creak dangerously.


    She speaks to the empty room, Radiance causing her to glow as she summons her power, ¡°We have your toll.¡±


    A deep, croaking voice, like whatever is creating it gargles gravel, responds, ¡°The toll, the toll, early this time, but good nonetheless, will pay for passage to places you know.¡±


    That¡¯s when the gold disappears, replaced by a large wad of cash, but not as large as I thought that much gold would be worth.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of the money?¡± I ask Evaline.


    ¡°That¡¯s all we get, the rest pays for the cost of using the portal.¡±


    ¡°The cost of the portal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, portaling to Auron requires fuel, and it isn¡¯t cheap, whatever it is. Only the Keepers know what the fuel actually is, and they use the gold to get it.¡±


    I¡¯m stunned by the idea that portals exist, and that they need fuel. The way she says Keepers, like it¡¯s a name, is a bit unnerving. We exit the dimly lit building into the bright sunlight. I blink a few times as my eyes adjust to the light, and by the time I can see, Evaline¡¯s already walking purposefully deeper into the city. She seems to know where we¡¯re going. About fifteen minutes later, we come across a used car dealership. Evaline walks around for a while, stopping occasionally to check the prices on the cars. Eventually she stops at a bright red early 2000s compact.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get this. It has a lot of miles, but it works, and it has good gas mileage,¡± She says, somewhat enthusiastically.


    I groan, knowing I¡¯ll hate having to cram into the small car for hundreds of miles.


    ¡°By the way, do you know how to drive?,¡± I ask Evaline, praying that we¡¯ll have to find another mode of transportation. No such luck.


    ¡°Yep, but it¡¯s been a while,¡± She says, not exactly filling me with confidence.


    We enter the main dealership building from the lot, and I look around the largest building I can remember being in while Evaline hashes out the details for the car with the salespeople. The price tag had said that the car would be five thousand dollars, but I hear the price go up when Evaline says she wants to buy it right now. Eventually, she negotiates the price back down to six thousand, signs the papers, and we get the keys to the car. I get in the passenger seat, and Evaline starts the car. I keep my pack in the front seat with me. We drive south for a few hours, continuing until a little after sunset, when we stop at a gas station for the night. We¡¯re somewhere in Kansas now, and the gas station is right next to a river, which is hidden behind a small tree line. I know that I can¡¯t practice my magic this close to people, so I offer the next best thing:


    ¡°Want to spar?¡±


    Evaline¡¯s reply is immediate, ¡°Definitely.¡±

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    I get out of the car, noting the time; 10:04 p.m., then draw my swords from my bag. Evaline does the same, and we head into the trees. We walk along the river in silence for a few minutes, listening to the night sounds. Eventually, we come across a fairly flat area. Evaline stands directly across from me, about five paces away. At her direction, we begin. I quickly spread my wings, which take up a good portion of the clearing, and jump in her direction. She dodges skillfully, swinging as she does so and causing me to retreat. I go on the defensive as Evaline unleashes a flurry of perfectly timed strikes that have me stepping back, without an opening to attack. I know I¡¯m nearing the edge of the clearing, so I act fast, jumping upwards and using my wings to get out of her reach. I fly to the other side of the clearing, then land, facing her. We clash again, blows coming faster and faster each exchange, occasionally breaking apart for a moment before attacking again. I am hyper aware of everything in the clearing, especially my opponent.


    I keep swinging, unconsciously using my wings in that flowing fighting style that seems so natural ever since my Shift. Suddenly, I switch to the fighting style I was trained in, the brutally efficient, controlled strikes catching Evaline off guard. She stumbles back, but recovers quickly. We exchange for a while longer before I notice. I stop, and she has her sword at my throat in an instant, a puzzled, exhausted expression on her face. I¡¯m panting too, but manage to tell her what I noticed.


    ¡°We were fighting fast, and not normal, human fast. How long do you think we¡¯ve been fighting?¡±


    She deliberates momentarily, ¡°Fifteen minutes?¡±


    ¡°Three, I always keep track because Tam wanted to know how good my endurance in a fight was.¡±


    Her eyes widen, ¡°But that¡¯s impossible!¡±


    I had noticed something else during the fight. I activate the link. The connection is deeper. I can feel her shock like it¡¯s my own. I can feel the difference, now that it¡¯s active. I show her the whole fight from my perspective, including the count I had been keeping. Her reply is more focused on my fighting than the count. Why are all your senses so acute during the fight? Is that just how you experience things? I¡¯m confused by the question, and Evaline notices immediately, but I reply before she can say anything. Ever since my Shift, whenever I¡¯m in a fight, everything is tuned up, including my reactions. I don¡¯t know why it happens. She¡¯s puzzled, but doesn¡¯t say anything, so I ask the burning question. Do you know what¡¯s going on with the link? It¡¯s still getting stronger. I can feel her deliberation. She¡¯s still stunned by the fact that we accidentally condensed a fifteen-minute long fight into three minutes, and I notice something while she¡¯s thinking. Power is flowing through the link, mostly from me to her, but I can feel some coming back.


    Suddenly, the link goes dark. We¡¯re both startled out of our reverie. I open my eyes slowly, my wings still spread wide and glowing from the magic. My eyes are glowing that same icy blue, and I briefly make eye contact with Evaline before I see it. There, in the shadows of the trees on the other side of the clearing, is a Twisted, one of the big, gorilla-like ones. It sees me, knows I see it. I summon my magic again, the link flaring back to life.


    I send Evaline a view of the creature from my perspective, then start to count down. She nods subtly. I finish the count: three, two, one, NOW! We charge at the creature, almost perfectly in sync. I attack high, using my wings to jump at its head, and Evaline swings low. I notice one of its arms has a fairly recent wound on it. I don¡¯t waste time wondering if it¡¯s the same Twisted, because it¡¯s swinging a huge, clawed hand at me. I flap my wings once, gaining just enough height to dodge the blow, and Evaline slashes at the creature¡¯s belly, just barely scoring a hit. I dive, distracting the creature, and it tries to move away. Blasts of wind batter the creature, but don¡¯t do much. Evaline communicates through the link Keep it distracted!


    I fly up again, ready my swords, and attack. I slash with my left while dodging under an arm. I manage to scratch said arm, barely. It stays focused on me, but I can feel Evaline struggling to summon the fire portion of her magic. Suddenly, she cries out, swinging an arm wide and creating a swath of fire encircling the Twisted. I start to try and force the creature into the flames, somewhat unsuccessfully. Evaline stumbles, but catches herself. I keep fighting the creature, noticing that it¡¯s flagging, each attack coming a little slower every time it touches the flames. Evaline has her eyes closed now, sweat beading along her forehead as she struggles to keep the ring of fire going.


    The ring of fire flickers, then resurges. I feel Evaline failing through the link as I deflect another attack. I send support the only way I know how, pulsing some of my own fire Radiance through the link. It helps, taking a little of the strain off of her. I finally land a serious blow on the creature, slicing open its left arm at the shoulder. The arm hangs useless, allowing me to attack the left side with plenty of time to avoid retaliation. The Twisted knows this, so it swings its right arm left as soon as I feint in that direction. I step inside its range, slashing with my left sword and stabbing with my right.


    I feel my left sword cut through its gut, and my right sinks into the Twisted¡¯s side. It lets out a tortured groan, and drops its right arm, smacking into my wing, breaking the bone. I collapse, the Twisted dropping inches away from my face, my wing full of flaming agony. I lose control of my magic, pulses of my pain and Radiance flooding across the link. Evaline screams, falling over as well, then falls silent. Her scream is the last thing I hear as I sink into unconsciousness. I¡¯m fairly certain that I¡¯m only out for a few minutes at most, because the area around the body of the Twisted is still smoldering. I try to move, only for a fresh spike of pain from my wing to stop me.


    I bring my earth Radiance to bear, sending some along my wing. I feel the bone try to heal, but fail because my wing is still bent at an awkward angle. I struggle to my hands and knees, quivering with pain. I spread the wing as best I can, and try again. It pops back into place with a crackle, almost making me black out again from the pain. I¡¯m able to move again, although my wing still hurts immensely.


    I stumble towards Evaline, trying to wake her through the link as I do so. It doesn¡¯t work, so I kneel at her side, spreading my wings to focus my magic. I summon as much power as I can muster, then try to stir her, or at least elicit a reaction of some kind. It doesn¡¯t work. I stay like that for a few minutes, trying again a couple more times, but to no avail. Eventually, I decide to carry her back to the car. I fold my wings away, then pick her up in a fireman¡¯s carry. I look over at where the Twisted¡¯s body should be, and do a double take. It isn¡¯t there, but the outline of it is imprinted on the ground with a dark goop. I shrug, concluding that it would have attacked already if it could. I turn back toward the car, struggling to hold on to both Evaline and our swords.


    I trudge for what feels like hours, but it was probably only fifteen minutes. I finally see the car, and speed up. I carefully maneuver Evaline into the passenger seat, trying fruitlessly once again to wake her up. I get into the drivers side, then realize I have no idea how to drive. I look at the overwhelming amount of controls, and make the decision to figure it out in the morning. I less fall asleep, more pass out, and wake up to sunlight warming me. I look around confusedly for a few seconds before I realize where I am. I turn my scrutiny, and mental prodding to Evaline. Nothing seems to have changed. I look back at the steering wheel, all the controls still overwhelming, but less so now that I¡¯ve rested.


    I grab the keys, insert them in the slot I noticed Evaline putting them in, and wait. I try turning them, only for the mechanism to stop me, so I turn them the other way, finally starting the car. That done, I start pressing buttons. I slowly but surely decipher the blinkers, horn, wipers, the GPS that the previous owner had installed in place of the radio, and, most importantly, how to put it in gear. I enter Houston, Texas into the GPS, put the car in gear, and creep out of the parking lot. I turn onto the interstate at the GPS robot¡¯s direction, then hit the button I think is the cruise control. I tentatively take my foot off the gas, and the car doesn¡¯t slow down, so I assume it worked.


    I stay on the Interstate for most of the day, stopping briefly at a rest stop around noon. I call it a day when I¡¯m within three hours of Houston. I want to have time to figure out how to get food and water into Evaline without hurting her. I park the car in the lot at a gas station. I stay near the dark back of the lot so I can get Evaline out of the car without well-meaning citizens calling 911 on me. I get out of the car and walk around to the passenger side. I have a canteen full of water, a can of chicken broth, and no idea what to do with either. I try waking her first, but, unsurprisingly, it doesn¡¯t work.


    I pick Evaline up and set her gently in the grass behind our parking spot. I try to use my healing magic on her, but it doesn¡¯t work, and won¡¯t even transfer from my skin. In fact, it seems like Evaline¡¯s Radiance is being transferred to me. I look at the canteen and soup first, contemplating. I¡¯m prevented from trying to give her anything by an idea. Whenever I¡¯ve tried to wake Evaline, I¡¯ve essentially been doing the mental equivalent of banging on the door, trying to wake her without intruding. The situation is desperate, and I make the decision to try to get into her mind to wake her. It feels wrong, but I don¡¯t know what else to do.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    I¡¯m definitely going to have to move Evaline back to the car, because I¡¯ll have to close my eyes to do this, and I don¡¯t want anyone to interrupt my efforts. I pick her up, feeling the Radiance conducting to me through her skin more now that I¡¯m aware of it. I move her back to the passenger seat, then get in the driver¡¯s side. I leave my door open, then spread my wings, hoping that if anyone passing by the nearly empty lot assumes they¡¯re a tarp. I¡¯m facing Evaline now, and bring my Radiance to bear. My eyes and wings are soon glowing with Radiance, and the link is incredibly active, but only in one direction. I slowly bring my mind across the link, to Evaline¡¯s side, and I am dimly aware of my physical body mirroring my actions.


    ¡®Knocking¡¯ still isn¡¯t working, so I bring my mind closer to the entrance of hers, feeling my forehead make contact with Evaline¡¯s in the physical world. That little connection strengthens my mental Radiance tenfold. I gently try to open her defenses, trying not to damage them. Suddenly, I feel her subconscious probing my mind, and I let it in. It is a painful, somewhat intrusive experience, but eventually, I gain entrance to her mind. She¡¯s dreaming, or at least I assume what I¡¯m immediately sucked into is a dream. It¡¯s a strange dream; she seems to be in a medieval ballroom, but everyone is wearing modern clothing, about half the people there are¡­different in some way.


    Some of them look like they¡¯ve been through wars, some are translucent in places, others have animal body parts, one guy even has eyes on the back of his head. Even stranger, all of them are not-so-subtly staring at Evaline. Occasionally, someone will walk up to Evaline and address her as ¡®My Lady¡¯. The thing is, that¡¯s the only thing they say before they disappear in a puff of smoke. I try to walk up to Evaline, an island in the middle of the sea of dancers. I don¡¯t move, so I try to move my mind instead. I do move, only to be caught in the sea of dancers. Resisting doesn¡¯t work, and I panic for a moment when one of the translucent people grabs me. They start waltzing with me in tow, and the almost unnoticeable music in the background changes to match the dance. I manage to work my way through the crowd, to the eye of the storm. I turn to Evaline, concerned that I won¡¯t be able to wake her up.


    I begin to talk, but I only get one thing out before the dream turns me into a cloud of smoke, ¡°Evaline-¡±


    She starts, and I hope it was enough to at least make her realize this is a dream. I then realize that I don¡¯t have to stay as smoke, this is a dream after all. I picture my physical body, wings and all, and it works. I¡¯m standing in front of Evaline, who looks extremely startled.


    ¡°Evaline, this is a dream, you¡¯ve been out for over a day, and I can¡¯t wake you,¡± I plead.


    ¡°I know, I can¡¯t get out by myself,¡± Evaline says, hope building in her eyes, ¡°I can, however, get out with help.¡±


    ¡°What do I have to do?¡± I notice some of the dream-people looking over to us.


    ¡°You should be able to free my mind by holding on to my mind as you return to your physical body, but be careful,¡± She¡¯s ecstatic now that she knows I¡¯m not another facet of the dream.


    I stand in front of dream Evaline, then touch her forehead with mine, holding on to her arms as I do so. She grasps my forearms, then speaks,


    ¡°Ready.¡±


    I focus on both Evaline and my physical body at once, not something easy to do, but I manage. I bring my mind backwards across the link, just far enough that it nestles solidly in my body, then slowly let go of Evaline¡¯s mind. I open my eyes. Evaline¡¯s eyes are open too, reflecting the fading light from my wings and eyes. We look at each other for a while, stunned by what just happened. Eventually, Evaline gets out of the car. I get out too, stretching. I¡¯m pretty stiff, so I assume we were both in that dream for longer than it seemed.


    I look over to Evaline, who is also stretching, and my jaw drops. Evaline is facing away from me, but turns when she feels my surprise through the link.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asks, concerned about my starstruck expression.


    I can¡¯t do much more than show her my point of view through the link. Her expression soon matches mine as she sees the giant wings spreading out from her back. The feathers are patterned like those of the golden eagles that nested on the cliff on the edge of Tam and I¡¯s land. I notice that her feathers are a little lighter than the eagle¡¯s were, making them a near-perfect match to her hair. Her Radiance is surging, so I can see the glow coming from her feathers and eyes. Her feathers are shimmering silver, and her eyes glow a deep viridian. Her Radiance is trickling across the link, inscensing my power and causing my wings and eyes to glow as well.


    How did this happen? I communicate through the link.  You passed out after the fight with that Twisted, and I couldn¡¯t use my magic to heal you. Evaline seems to deliberate for a moment. I think I passed out from a Radiance overload. Remember that day you lost control because of your encounter with that Broken One? I nod, and she continues. You had sent an immense amount of Radiance across the link, and it had filled my well of Radiance to the brim. When you sent those pulses across during the fight you overloaded my well, which, although I managed to stay conscious during the fight, knocked me out as soon as I stopped using my Radiance. I get why she was unconscious now, but something still confuses me. How did you get the wings, though? She thinks for a moment. Rarely, an overload of someone¡¯s well of Radiance will end well, extending the overloaded person¡¯s well and changing their Shift. Usually, the change from a successful overload isn¡¯t nearly as extreme as this.


    She nods to her wings and I notice that, strangely enough, Evaline has a slightly smaller wingspan than I do. It isn¡¯t enough of a difference to have an effect on flight, just enough to be noticeable. Evaline quickly reigns in her Radiance, her eyes refocusing as she stops focusing on the link. I press my magic down as well, the area suddenly becoming very dark as the glow from our wings and eyes diminishes.


    ¡°You should learn how to fly,¡± I say, grinning a challenge at her.


    I know she can see me, as there is still enough moonlight to see by, but she chooses to ignore the challenge.


    ¡°I should, as soon as possible,¡± she replies stoically.


    ¡°I think your lessons should start right now, while it¡¯s still too dark for anyone to see us,¡± I suggest, and she readily agrees.


    I walk out to the middle of the strip of grass edging the lot. It isn¡¯t the most ideal place, but it¡¯s better than hitting concrete if a mistake is made.


    ¡°Flight is a lot gentler than you¡¯d think, especially with wings as large as ours¡± I tell Evaline, pointing to a spot a little ways away from me, ¡°More often than not, steady, somewhat short flaps are better for flying.¡±


    I take off, lifting slightly off the ground, hovering. Evaline tries to do the same, but flaps too hard. She rockets off the ground, and I follow, watching as she flaps a little slower. I¡¯m still following, staying close enough to catch her if she falls, but far enough to allow her space to experiment. Soon enough, she¡¯s steadily hovering. I look to Evaline, who looks back with a lot more confidence than I had.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try actually flying somewhere, instead of just sitting above this lot.¡±


    I stay hovering as Evaline tentatively changes to be parallel to the ground. I still don¡¯t want to admit it, but she¡¯s doing much better than I was the first time. Eventually, we¡¯re flying north at a decent speed. After about an hour of this, I look east and see the sky starting to turn gray. We should turn around. I say, looking at the sky and knowing the world will be waking up soon. Evaline reluctantly agrees, and we start heading back to the car. I land in the lot, and look to Evaline, who¡¯s still circling. I realize my mistake pretty quickly. I haven¡¯t taught her how to land.


    All you have to do is hover, then slow down your wingbeats slightly. She does so, stumbling slightly with the landing. We both fold away our wings, and I concede the driver¡¯s side to Evaline. We¡¯re soon on the road again, and make it to Houston by noon. Evaline seems to know where we¡¯re going, and I watch as the buildings become more and more neglected. Eventually, we come across a small, dilapidated parking lot. Evaline turns in, and we both get out. I grab my backpack, keeping my swords sheathed. A couple of shifty-eyed young men loitering across the street give us predatory looks, but other than that, the area is devoid of people. Evaline leads me into a dive of a bar called ¡°Sally¡¯s Sarsaparilla Saloon¡± with a cheesy, but somewhat dingy, cartoon cowgirl prominently displayed on the sign. I had genuinely expected the place housing the mystical portal to another world to be a little more¡­maintained, but it does blend in.


    We walk in, and it still looks like a bar. The bartender is admittedly out of the ordinary, a colossal mountain of muscle that most would be reluctant to call a man. Evaline walks through the nearly-abandoned bar like she owns the place.


    ¡°I can feel your aura, sir, and I sense travel within you,¡± she murmurs, causing the man to stir with recognition.


    ¡°How much of an adventure?¡± he rumbles, giving me a death glare.


    ¡°Twice as much as you¡¯re having here,¡± I reply confidently.


    I blink, wondering just how I knew that was the password for taking someone who the bartender doesn¡¯t know with you to Auron. I look to Evaline, who¡¯s just as startled as I am. However, we don¡¯t have time to think about this development, because the bartender is taking us to the back of the building. We enter a small room, and I see an intricate pattern on all the walls, glowing subtly. Evaline stands in the middle of the room, and the bartender stays in the doorway. She nods to him, and he sends a blast of Radiance into the walls that flows across the room like a wave. The wave rebounds on itself, magnifying each time, until it turns into a blinding flash of light. I feel a sensation of nonexistence, then I¡¯m falling, falling into the sands of a colossal desert.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    I manage to spread my wings soon enough to keep from breaking a leg, but Evaline hits a dune hard and rolls all the way down. I slide down to her, and I enjoy the reckless slide more than I probably should. I kneel at her side. She¡¯s out of breath, but otherwise fine. I help her up.


    ¡°Where exactly did that man take us, Evaline?


    ¡°We¡¯re in the Ghost Sands desert, although what part of it is a mystery.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me there¡¯s not a good reason it¡¯s called the Ghost Sands.¡±


    She shrugs, looking toward the horizon, ¡°They call it that because it¡¯s Broken Ones territory, and because of all the bloodshed that¡¯s happened here. Supposedly the ghosts of people turned to Twisted or lost to war haunt this area, creating pits of sand that act like water and drag anyone who falls in to a sandy demise.¡±


    I shudder, ¡°Do you believe it¡¯s ghosts?¡±


    ¡°No, I think that the people who disappear are being turned into Twisted at a Broken Ones base, and they created the story to keep people from looking for a base here.¡±


    ¡°Would Tam be held here?¡±


    She pauses, ¡°Maybe, but we¡¯d have to find the base.¡±


    ¡°How would we find the base?¡±


    ¡°Following a patrol would work, if we can find one. Another option would be to wait here.¡±


    ¡°Wait here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, portaling requires an immense amount of Radiance, and, as such, is incredibly easy to detect. There¡¯s probably multiple patrols headed directly toward us right now¡±


    I don¡¯t have a problem with this development, but I do wonder if we could fight off multiple Broken Ones patrols. What is a patrol even made up of? Twisted? Soldiers? Mages? I¡¯m suddenly much less sure of this plan. We wait for a while, and I get restless. I walk to the top of the dune and look around, and, when I don¡¯t see anyone, fly up to check if a patrol is further out. I still see nothing but empty desert, so I fly back down to Evaline.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t see anything other than sand,¡± I say, tucking away my wings.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re in one of the most remote parts of the desert, and landed far from anyone. Most of this area has ruins somewhere nearby, but if you didn¡¯t see any from the air, that must mean we¡¯re pretty far from any hint of civilization,¡± She seems pretty confident in that conclusion.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°We start flying north. Almost everyone on the continent is north of us right now, as that¡¯s where the fertile areas are.¡±


    I knew that, and I don¡¯t know how, so I don¡¯t mention it to Evaline. I think some of the knowledge is from those so-called ¡®imaginary¡¯ geography lessons that Tam used to teach me. Tam had- No. Has a lot of secrets. I remind myself he¡¯s still alive, that the Broken Ones are trying to turn him into a Twisted, and that¡¯s why I went to Houston. Like I could¡¯ve gone anywhere else. I still don¡¯t know how I knew that everyone was north because of the better soil, because I¡¯m certain it isn¡¯t from Tam¡¯s lessons.


    Evaline has her wings out, which is still surprising. I spread mine, and take off, flying up a ways before making sure she¡¯s in the air too. I swing north, gliding on updrafts from the hot dunes below us, and watch as Evaline does the same. She caught on much faster than I did.


    We fly for most of the day, stopping for lunch but being conservative with our water. We camp on top of a dune for the night. I¡¯d noticed a blue portion of my magic, which might have something to do with water. I decide it¡¯s worth a try, and stand up, spreading my wings. Evaline looks over from her spot, confused. I summon the water portion of my Radiance, and it works. I can feel the water, deep in the ground here. I use a little more of my power to try and bring the water to the surface. Water flows up from the ground, coalescing into a sphere a few inches off the ground. The sphere grows slowly, and I dip my canteen into the water. It fills the canteen without breaking its shape. I motion to Evaline, who¡¯s looking at the sphere with wide eyes. She tosses me her canteen, and I fill it too.


    I dispel my Radiance, then look to Evaline.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°How did you do that? The amount of energy required for that kind of water magic is obscene.¡±


    I shrug, ¡°It isn¡¯t that hard, I feel like I¡¯ve just ran a somewhat difficult sprint, but I¡¯m not utterly exhausted.¡±


    Evaline is shocked, ¡°Could you do that again?¡±


    ¡°Easily,¡± I say as I do it again, this time moving the sphere of water within Evaline¡¯s reach.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that, along with the change in your Shift, the overload that gave you wings extended your well of Radiance?¡± I ask.


    Evaline¡¯s eyes widen in realization, ¡°Yes, but I haven¡¯t really used my Radiance much, so I don¡¯t know how much more I¡¯m capable of.¡±


    ¡°I think you should try it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but if the change is as drastic as the one in my Shift, I don¡¯t know how good my control is. Also, I know you haven¡¯t seen the limits of other mages, but the amount of Radiance you can use is unheard of.¡±


    I chuckle, ¡°Right, and we didn¡¯t kill that Twisted.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t laugh, and I realize she¡¯s dead serious.


    ¡°Myar, you are capable of feats of magic we thought long lost to time.¡±


    ¡°Lost to time? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°We have legends of mages able to move mountains and split oceans, but modern mages can barely shift a hill, or adjust the tide, and they are the powerful ones.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°The people who could do magic like that were called Fated, and were¡­ Some call it blessed, some call it cursed, to only live as long as normal humans, but, because they burn out faster, be capable of more magic at once.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, only as long as normal humans?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ uh, most mages live for centuries, the lucky ones millenia.¡±


    ¡°What?! We¡¯re nearly immortal?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, at least not anymore.¡±


    I sigh in relief, drawing a quizzical look from Evaline.


    ¡°Why are you so relieved to be mortal?¡±


    ¡°Imagine what near-immortality would be like. Generations upon generations of people, including any mortal friends you would make, living and dying as exactly nothing happens to you. The world, changing, technology improving, leaving you behind. Having to witness atrocities only ever talked about in history books firsthand, and, if you don¡¯t have proof of your age, people thinking you¡¯re crazy when you try to get the experience off of your chest.¡±


    Evaline is looking at me, stunned. I can see gears turning as she runs through each point, nodding every time she decides one is viable. Then, she provides a counterpoint,


    ¡°You would also get to witness people¡¯s quality of life improve with technology, your friends¡¯ descendants having families of their own, and people rebuilding their lives after the atrocities.¡±


    I nod, ¡°True, but I¡¯m still glad I won¡¯t have that issue. Why don¡¯t you think we¡¯re immortal anyway?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not important anymore,¡± She says, shrugging off my question.


    It¡¯s getting late, and the heat is leaching out of the air at an alarming rate. I lay down, folding my wings around myself, and Evaline does the same. She seems just as surprised as I was by the warmth and softness of our wings. I soon fall asleep, the wind swishing across the dunes the only sound.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I startle awake at some point in the night, and look to the moon. If the moon here is the same as on Earth, It¡¯s around three in the morning. I look around, seeing nothing in the dim moonlight. I can hear crickets chirping. I do my best to go back to sleep, but I wake up minutes after I doze off. I give up, and decide to start messing with my magic. I try to test the other variations of my magic. I know red is fire, blue is water, green is earth, yellow is air, and purple is mind. I don¡¯t know what orange, white, black, or gold do.


    I test orange first, spreading my wings and summoning the power. I try to make it manifest outside my body, but it seems to reflect inwards. I feel it take effect, but I¡¯m not sure what it does. I add more Radiance, and nothing changes. I do notice that I feel less tired, but chalk it up to the excitement of using new magic. I try white next, which conjures strange blue flames that seem to take heat from the air instead of adding it. I assume that¡¯s frost magic, and it¡¯s cold enough already, so I dispel the fire. Black is a curious one, it summons a sphere of pure, unnerving nothingness, hovering a few inches above my hand. That, too, I dispel quickly. Gold is the exact opposite of black, creating a sphere of burning light that seems to illuminate more of the darkness than it should.


    ¡°Myar?¡± a groggy voice says behind me.


    I whirl around, spooked by the noise. It¡¯s Evaline, she¡¯s looking at me like I¡¯m crazy. What¡¯s wrong? I ask through the link, which was activated by my use of Radiance. That much power will get the attention of any of the Broken Ones within a hundred miles! She¡¯s scared now, and it confuses me. Didn¡¯t we want to find a Broken ones patrol? I ask. Yes, we wanted to find one, not be captured by one! She replies viciously, standing up and spreading her wings. Let¡¯s get out of here before they find us! With that, she takes off, and I follow. She starts a search pattern spiraling out from our campsite, and I do the same, traveling in the opposite direction. I keep the link open so I can easily respond if something happens. We circle for a while longer before Evaline calls out through the link; I found a patrol. She sends an image of the patrol.


    I turn to face her general direction before actually inspecting the image she sent. It shows a mixed group of people and Twisted from above, the Twisted on the edges scouting ahead, while the main body of the patrol, mostly people, are doubled up riding some particularly large specimens of the wolf-like Twisted. I fly faster, soon catching the patrol, and Evaline flying above them. We fly for hours more, and eventually they stop, soon after the sun rises. The humans make camp, but the Twisted fall to the ground, asleep, as soon as the sun touches them. I¡¯m shocked, but Evaline remains unsurprised. Every Twisted we¡¯ve captured does that too, as soon as the sun rises, they pass out. They all awaken at the beginning of sunset. She explains as we fly low over a dune a few hundred feet away from the Broken Ones patrol.


    We land on the side of the dune opposite the patrol, and I¡¯m glad we managed to get some sleep in, because I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to sleep knowing that Twisted, and the people that create them, are just on the other side of the ridge. I offer to take the first watch, because Evaline is drooping from exhaustion, and I feel fine. Evaline less accepts my offer, more passes out before she can reply. I peek over the hill and see that the entire camp, save two that are standing by the wolf-like Twisted, is asleep. I watch the two that are awake, and notice something. They¡¯re both in long, over-the-top black cloaks, although one of them is so grotesquely tall the cloak doesn¡¯t cover their rail-thin ankles.


    I watch them for a few more hours, but nothing of interest happens. Around noon, I wake up Evaline, who takes over while I try to sleep myself. It doesn¡¯t work, unsurprisingly, and I end up laying on the sand, eyes closed but not really asleep, until Evaline taps me at sunset. The Twisted have awakened, and the patrol is soon moving again, and us along with it. Evaline and I stay fairly high up, just barely close enough to see the patrol. We fly north all night, but turn east just before the sun rises. We land, and Evaline takes first watch. I fold away my wings and settle into the sand, quickly dozing off. I wake up about an hour later, judging by the sun, to Evaline shaking me.


    ¡°We need to get out of here. They noticed something and started walking towards us.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d they find us?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we have to start running.¡±


    I start running in what I remember to be the opposite direction from the camp, and Evaline follows. We get a good distance away and find a road. I follow the road for lack of better options. I stumble to a stop about an hour later, and Evaline stops beside me, panting. We start walking, heading northward along the road, trying to stay ahead of the patrol. I want to take flight, but it¡¯s too risky when we know we¡¯re being followed and we¡¯re heading toward civilization. Late in the day, we stumble across an inn. The main building is dilapidated, and the small outbuilding behind it isn¡¯t in much better condition.


    I lead the way inside, looking around the low, dark room, taking in the few customers already in the building. I walk up to the bar.


    ¡°Do you have any rooms open?¡± Evaline asks the burly, somewhat unsavory looking man looming behind the bar.


    ¡°One, upstairs and on the left,¡± He grunts out, in a voice that perfectly matches his figure, low and raspy.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take it,¡± Evaline replies, flipping a silver coin onto the bar.


    The man gets a greedy gleam in his eye, but it disappears once he glances back up at me, more specifically the twin blades held in their scabbards on my back. Evaline saunters up the stairs, and I follow her to the second floor. I tap the floor with my foot, and it creaks dangerously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust this,¡± I say skeptically.


    ¡°Good. You shouldn¡¯t,¡± Evaline throws over her shoulder.


    We keep going, and I stick near the walls, where I could have a handhold if the floor gave out. I know that I could probably catch myself with my wings if necessary, but that wouldn¡¯t exactly be subtle. We make it to the room, and its significantly more stable floor. It¡¯s fairly well lit, largely due to the massive cracks in the walls and ceiling. I can see the dinginess of the room all too well.


    The sheets are yellowed and stained with a mysterious substance that looks like blood. There are rat droppings in the corners, and I watch as a roach scuttles out from under the bed to the wall. Evaline seems satisfied with the room, plopping down on the bed and eliciting a loud creak, as well as a few more fleeing roaches. I sit down on a large trunk at the foot of the bed, more carefully than Evaline.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the floor,¡± I say, unpacking my bedroll.


    ¡°You were the one that had his sleep interrupted,¡± She says.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine as long as I get some food in me,¡± I counter.


    ¡°Then we should go down and get some food, maybe talk a few people into giving us current news.¡±


    ¡°Why would anyone here know current news, and more importantly, why would we ask them?¡±


    ¡°All the patrons are going to be travelers because this inn is so far from civilization.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I seen anything resembling electricity or running water here?¡± I ask as I go over the day¡¯s events mentally.


    ¡°Auron has been in what people on Earth would call the Middle Ages for thousands of years. Progress was stopped at the point where Earth invented guns because of Radiance.  A gun isn¡¯t worth much when you can use a beginner spell to stop it. Radiance also allows for most of the luxuries of the modern world.¡±


    It makes sense, so I don¡¯t say much more about it. Evaline walks out of the room, floor creaking dangerously, and I follow cautiously. We make it to the ground floor without incident. Evaline walks up to the bar and orders a stew with small ale for both of us. We take a seat in the dark corner of the room, and Evaline makes sure to sit with her back to the wall. I follow suit, surveying the still mostly abandoned bar. More people came in when we were upstairs, but they don¡¯t look very friendly.


    The massive man who was behind the bar briefly eclipses my sight as he brings us our food. I look up at him, but he¡¯s focused on Evaline, and the coin she flicks in his direction. He catches it without looking, lightning fast. The move is obviously meant to intimidate, but it doesn¡¯t work. He jostles his apron when he pockets the coin, showing off the proportionately massive rolling pin on his belt. It¡¯s big enough that it could easily be used as a club, and a good one too. He walks away, and I return to watching the patrons of the establishment.


    The room is even quieter now, and almost everyone is focused on a new arrival. The figure looms in the doorway of the tavern, short enough to not have to stoop, and rail-thin, but with enough sheer presence to seem the size of a mountain.


    They walk to the back of the room, straight toward Evaline and I. I subtly activate the link, and Evaline speaks as soon as she¡¯s able to: Act like you don¡¯t see them unless they directly talk to you. I think that¡¯s a member of the Broken Ones. I dig into my stew, staying aware of both my swords and the positions of everything in the room. The Broken One stops at our table. They stay silent for a moment, then a raspy voice emanates from underneath their dark hood.


    ¡°Get out of my seat, mortals.¡±


    The last word is spat out with particular venom. The amount of contempt they have for people is unbelievable. My mouth starts running before my brain catches up.


    ¡°Why should we?¡±


    The Broken One seems stunned for a moment, then I feel my mind magic tingle a little. They lean against the table, and I feel the tingling increase. They start to sweat, or at least I assume it¡¯s sweat that drips on the table from underneath the hood. That¡¯s when I realize the Broken One is the source of the tingling. I¡¯m curious as to what they¡¯re trying to do, so I partition off a small portion of my mind and open it up to the outside world. My temporary defenses are instantly assaulted by a flood of information from my surroundings.


    I bolster them quickly, then begin to sift through the deluge of separate thoughts and feelings. Those who are travelers are easy to find, because they all have a sense of contentment mixed with dread or relief, depending on whether they¡¯re coming or going. The barkeep is very nervous, but willing to defend his inn, and everyone has a healthy layer of fear on top of their normal feelings. Except Evaline and I. Evaline is willing to fight, but undaunted, and I share the sentiment.


    Finally, I detect the mind of the Broken One. It¡¯s dim, and dark, and not entirely human. I can sense a presence, of sorts, feeding on their emotions. The Broken One is sending mental daggers my way, tipped with whatever is feeding off of their mind. They shatter uselessly against my defenses, but it¡¯s unnerving nonetheless. I send a small attack of my own their way, doing my best to keep my eyes open and focused enough to look normal. The Broken One doesn¡¯t react for a moment, and I prepare to send another, stronger assault. I notice the Broken One tense up, although I only see its shoulders bunch.


    Suddenly, they turn around, stalking silently away from our table. As they open the door, they call back to the room,


    ¡°Apologies, Shards, I did not realize you were not mortal.¡±


    I almost detect a quaver in their voice, but it could be my imagination. Evaline is evidently very concerned, and every single person in the room seems to share the sentiment. I turn my attention to the link. How much context, exactly, am I missing? Evaline seems shocked. Shards¡­ he called us Shards. I have never seen her this way before, so I change the subject. Do we need to get away from here? Evaline shrugs, We can finish our dinner, but yes. What did you do to them anyway? I¡¯ve never seen a Broken One react that way.


    It¡¯s my turn to shrug, I opened up a part of my mind to them, and they tried  to attack. They weren¡¯t stopping, so I attacked back. She¡¯s silent at that, and we eat the rest of our mediocre soup in silence. After that, we head up the unstable stairs to our room, where we grab our things. Soon enough, we¡¯re back on the road.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    It¡¯s annoying that we didn¡¯t get a chance to truly rest before continuing our journey, but safety takes priority. I mull over what the Broken One called us, and decide it must be some kind of rank in their organization, and a fairly high one judging by Evaline¡¯s reaction. I¡¯m going to guess their ranks are more of a merit thing than anything else, if the fact that the Broken One only backed off when I retaliated is anything to judge by.


    We fly very high up, just above the cloud cover. Evaline doesn¡¯t say it but I can tell she¡¯s worried about us being spotted. I silently fly higher and she follows. The extra altitude can be used to glide, so I can at least partially relax as we fly. When Evaline still had to run, I had plenty of time to experiment, so I know that if I angle the glide just right I can eat up miles with minimal movement or altitude loss. Evaline mimics my flight, but stays alert. I manage to fall asleep while flying, somehow keeping a consistent pace. Eventually, Evaline brings me to awareness through the link.


    We¡¯re soaring high above a city, partially hidden in the patchy cloud cover. Even from here, I can smell the city. A disgusting amalgamation of sewage, food, and too many people in the same area. The overall result is sickening. I do my best to push away the scent, and look to Evaline. Is this the capital? Is this Auria? She looks back at me, No, this isn¡¯t Auria. Auria is so incredible, you¡¯ll recognize it even though you¡¯ve never been there. I¡¯m not quite sure what this city is called. I¡¯ve been gone for so long, this might be a new settlement. Let¡¯s find somewhere to land.


    We wheel around in the sky for a few minutes, before diving into thick smoke surrounding what I assume is some form of shop. The smoke is enough to at least hide our silhouettes as we swoop down on the city. I land first, and quickly tuck away my wings. Evaline lands behind me while I look around. We¡¯re in a sketchy part of town, and the alley we landed in is even worse shape. The danger is palpable, and I watch a couple of red-eyed, flea-bitten rats scuttle behind a pile of garbage. I look back at Evaline and chuckle,


    ¡°This is quite the place. Do you have any plans now that we¡¯re in town?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ no, I didn¡¯t really have any plans for after we got here. Let¡¯s just look for the nearest royal official.¡±


    She seems uncertain, but I trust her judgment, so I stay silent. She leads the way out of the alley, and I fall into step beside her. We seem to be making our way through the city, to the richer neighborhoods, better maintained, although the alley rats seem to be unavoidable. I decide to try and break the silence.


    ¡°Why are we looking for a royal official? Shouldn¡¯t anyone who can help work?¡±


    Evaline reddens, and looks away. She seems reluctant to answer, and we fall into another silence, significantly more uncomfortable than previously. Eventually, she speaks, although in a voice little more than a mumble,


    ¡°The royal official will know my connections.¡±


    I¡¯m puzzled, and mull this over, even as silence reigns again. So she has connections, apparently important ones, if the royal official is anything to judge by. I had never wondered just who Evaline was in Auron. Her expansive knowledge of the area, as well as understanding the culture here, could only come from a local. However, if she had royal connections, then she isn¡¯t just anyone from Auron.


    By now we¡¯ve reached the city center, and stand in front of what is obviously a government building, if the complicated seals and marble facade have the same meaning as on Earth. Evaline charges into the building, seeming almost relieved. I reluctantly follow, wondering at the architecture of the grandest building I¡¯ve ever seen, even though that doesn¡¯t mean much. Once I make my way inside, I see Evaline heavily engrossed in conversation with an official bedecked in cream robes with a cloth belt embroidered with gold who seems to be holding a thick book of some sort. The man almost looks like a priest, but I guess the similarity is coincidental.


    Eventually, Evaline turns around and beckons me forward. Up close, the man is significantly less impressive. I can see the small stains on his robe, and notice the faint glow coming from him, what I assume to be some kind of Radiance being used. The man is obviously very nervous, and begins to sweat profusely. I look between the man and Evaline, confused. I wonder what Evaline had to have said to unbalance the man like that. Before I can say anything, the man misinterprets the brief silence, breaking it himself.


    ¡°Princess, if I may, when do you plan to leave for Auria?¡±


    I whirl around, looking for the princess, before I realize he was addressing Evaline. I stare in shock.


    ¡°Princess?!?¡± I nearly shout, voice full of incredulity. Evaline looks ashamed.


    ¡°Yes, Princess, I was planning on telling you once we made it to the capitol.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful, just wonderful, and you thought I wouldn¡¯t put it together before then?¡± I snarl. I know I¡¯m being unfair, but I¡¯m too hurt to care.


    Evaline doesn¡¯t meet my eyes. I grunt in frustration, pushing aside the armored guards that surrounded me at my outburst. I storm out of the building, barely keeping myself from spreading my wings and flying off right there, in broad daylight. I don¡¯t want any attention though, so I settle for a brisk, aimless walk away from the city center. Even so, I get a few strange looks, storming out of the government building like I did. They quickly fall away as I make my way to the poorer parts of the city, everyone being too occupied by their own work to pay me much attention.


    I¡¯m grateful that the fashion here seems to be the same as on Earth, or at least close enough that my T-shirt and jeans blend into the crowd fairly well. For some reason, that makes me think of something else. Auron is the name of the country I¡¯m in, but I¡¯m not entirely sure what the name of the planet I¡¯m on is. I think about the problem for a while, and it serves to distract me from my anger. It also distracts me from where I¡¯m going. By the time I decide not to worry about it for now, I¡¯m thoroughly lost, deep in the crime-ridden slums of the city. I see predatory eyes all around me, human, but self-serving, assessing me as the confused, easy target I am. I know I could put up a decent fight, if even a small portion of the locals have any control over Radiance, as the open use of it in richer areas implies, then my nearly-nonexistent skills may not be of much use.


    I look around, trying to find my way back. I see what might be a better-maintained building to my left, along a long avenue, and I set off in that direction. I notice the eyes following me, and quicken my pace. It¡¯s getting dark, and I don¡¯t like the notion of wandering an unfamiliar city in total darkness, no matter how angry I am with Evaline.


    I walk even faster, and I notice a specific set of eyes in an alley just ahead of me. A set of indigo eyes. I panic, and do my best to contact Evaline through the link. I hold out hope as I get a thin, tentative connection, and a sense of the general direction that Evaline, but I think she¡¯s too far to be of help. I draw my swords, and advance on the eyes, hoping against hope that I¡¯m mistaken in what the eyes belong to. Sadly, I am not, and the wolf-like Twisted leaps out of the alley. It slashes at me, and I dodge, still in the familiar-unfamiliar fighting style of my Shift. I¡¯m quickly inside its range, slashing at its exposed underbelly. The swing goes wide, and it tries to capitalize on the opening, although I dodge again.


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    Near-simultaneously, the Twisted and I speed up our attacks. I swing left, dodge right. It slashes, feints, then tries to bite. It catches a blade for its trouble. I swing again, opening up a wound on its shoulder. My follow up of shoulder-bashing it, surprisingly enough, doesn¡¯t backfire. The creature is stunned, and I use the advantage to plant my sword in its skull. I feel a wash of nausea as I realize that however monstrous the creature may be, it was human at one point. I¡¯m sick in the gutter, mostly bile, although an almost unrecognizable part of the stew joins it.


    I turn to leave the alley, but something makes me look back. Another set of indigo eyes stare at me balefully, something that might resemble contempt within them, at least that¡¯s what I interpret it as. The reminder that these things may still have some semblance of human emotion does nothing for my conscience, and I nearly puke again. However, I don¡¯t have time for philosophy. The Twisted is advancing, and it¡¯s obviously kill or be killed, and I don¡¯t currently want to die. I slash at the Twisted, hoping to end the fight quickly. No such luck. The fight drags on longer than with the first Twisted, and it manages a lucky shot on my arm and yet another on my head. I grimace at the wounds, but the fight still isn¡¯t serious enough for me to unfurl my wings and risk someone finding out.


    I manage to dispatch the Twisted, more reluctantly than with the first. I stumble out of the alley, looking like some drunk, or perhaps the victim of a mugging. Either way, the only help I get is a few pitiful looks, intermingled with some disgusted ones. I don¡¯t care, glad to be back within the protection the crowd offers. I start stumbling back to where I thought I felt Evaline earlier, too tired and fearful to continuously adjust my heading. I pass yet another alley, quickening my stumbling pace a little as I do so. Eventually, I come upon the government building that I was at earlier. I see a couple guards near the front steps, a massive comfort for my weary eyes.


    I, mostly unsuccessfully, straighten up and even out my stride as I walk up to the guards. They bar my way, looking at my sorry form with disgust.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± says the first, a burly, ruddy-faced man. It¡¯s obvious he doesn¡¯t care.


    I try to speak once and fail, then try again, at a mumble,


    ¡°I am a friend of Princess Evaline. She¡¯s probably looking for me.¡±


    The explanation doesn¡¯t seem very believable, even to me. The ruddy-faced guard shares the sentiment. His companion, however, looks at me curiously, then turns to the other.


    ¡°He might be telling the truth, sir,¡± His voice comes out strangely high, and I look at him closer. He is very young, maybe fourteen at the oldest.


    The older guard draws out of earshot, beckoning the younger to follow. They have a short, heated discussion, where I hear the younger nearly yell,


    ¡°But sir, he called the princess Evaline!¡±


    The older man snaps something, and the outburst is quelled. With that, the guards turn around, and the older man apologetically says,


    ¡°Young man, even if you are telling the truth, our orders are clear. We can¡¯t let anyone in after midnight, except for the royals.¡±


    Dejected, but unsurprised, I turn away, resigning to stay in the alleys for the night, despite the danger. I hope that I can find somewhere somewhat safe to sleep, but I doubt it. I meander away from the richer, well lit part of town, back to the alleys of the slums, where I first fought the Twisted. I find an alley blocked with the back wall of some kind of shop, probably a clothing store, judging by the piles of chewed, but soft cloth strewn around. I grab a larger piece, then look to the roof of the building. It is low, and seemingly accessible. I manage to climb the wall without using my wings, no small feat. I find a warm chimney, sheltered by the walls of nearby buildings, and curl up against it, risking spreading my wings to maintain warmth.


    I fall asleep quickly enough, slipping into dreams that, for the first time in a while, are peaceful. I wake up the next morning to the sun hitting my face and an alley cat licking my hand. My neck is sore, and I stand, shaking off the cat¡¯s affection and stretching. The sun begins to warm my wings, and I pause, soaking in the morning¡¯s warmth. Said warmth begins to make me drowsy again, but I realize that I¡¯m plenty exposed up here and fold my wings before anyone has a chance to see me. I clamber off the roof, pausing briefly as the tailor¡¯s wife emerges from the building to empty a chamber pot. I make it to the ground, more quickly than I got up.


    I¡¯ve hardly touched the cobblestones when I hear a clatter behind me, and whirl to see a Twisted, looming and smug, in front of the door to the tailor¡¯s shop. I begin to draw my blades when I hear someone else¡¯s boots hitting the ground behind me. I turn again, seeing one of the Broken Ones blocking my only other exit. I begin to spread my wings, trying to escape, but I¡¯m not fast enough to keep the Broken One and Twisted away. I hear a solid, metallic clang, and notice that the Broken One just bashed me with the hilt of their sword. It¡¯s the last thing I notice before a cold, heavy darkness descends upon my consciousness.


    I swim in and out of awareness, and even when I am awake, I am confused. I feel a sensation of movement, but I¡¯m not sure if it is real or imagined. Days pass, I¡¯m not sure how many, and the movement persists. With how consistent it is, I become progressively more sure it is real, and I wonder where I¡¯m being taken. After a while, I stay awake long enough to make sense of the sounds around me. I hear the jostling of cargo, the creak of cart wheels, the unnervingly quiet footsteps of the wolf-like Twisted, which seem to be what the Broken Ones use as horses. I hear voices, too, low and strange, probably Broken Ones. The lack of any other sound is telling. I think we are in the Ghost Sands again.


    The cart stops, and I hear more active talking, loud enough to make out,


    ¡°-skids, so we can get past this awful sand,¡± barked out as an order, unforgiving. The cart is tipped on one side, then another, and soon we¡¯re off, skating along the sand. The cart makes better progress, although the sand swishing is a repetitive, rolling sound, slowly lulling me back to sleep.


    When I next wake up, we¡¯re far deeper in the desert, and the voices of the guards are hoarse, thirstier. They call out to someone else, and they call back, and I hear a large, wooden creak, likely a large gate. The cart starts back up again, and I hear the runners switch to a harder surface, probably cobblestone. We stop again, and light floods the area. I can see, for the first time, the other prisoners riding with me. They also seem to be ill in some way, and when I try to flop away from a man with weeping, open sores, I can¡¯t move. The rusted chains that wrap around my wrists and ankles, now visible in the dim light, are plenty long, but I can¡¯t move.


    I must be weaker than I thought. Right now, my atrophy makes sense, so all I can do is go wherever the Broken Ones take me and hope they bring me some food, so I can rebuild my strength. The Broken ones quickly do just that, forcing a Twisted, one of the large, gorilla-like ones, to carry me to a cell. It¡¯s a strange feeling, being this close to a Twisted without it attacking me. The arms of the twisted are strange, full of ropy muscle and simultaneously covered in fur and slimy. It¡¯s disgusting, and I¡¯m glad to be out of the creature¡¯s arms. I look around the cell I was deposited in. A hole in the ground, too small to fit through, serves as a toilet, at least I assume so, judging by the stench. The room is windowless, maybe two paces across, if that, but longer on the side of the one barred wall that faces a narrow hallway, and another cell, a mirror of mine. There is a cot in one corner, a sink, and nothing else.


    I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be getting out of here anytime soon, even if I wanted to. The Twisted occasionally cross my line of sight, patrolling the corridors. Eventually, a Broken One, seeming meek and uncertain, a student if I¡¯ve ever seen one, leaves a tray by a small slot near the bottom of my cell door. The tray is piled with a gray goop. I eat it reluctantly, and grimace at the taste. It tastes like dust, or undercooked potatoes. It does give me energy, though, enough to stand up. The ceiling of the cell is lower than I thought, close enough to be uncomfortable. I try to use my Radiance, and something stops me. It feels like that dam I built against the flood of Radiance that had been pouring out of me has been reinforced, strengthened so much I¡¯ve lost control over it. I struggle yet again, futilely.


    With my Radiance currently out of the picture, and my muscles having wasted away from the long days in the cart, I do the only thing I can do. Train, and try to get back to my previous strength so I can escape. While the ceiling of the cell is too low for me to stand comfortably, the walls are far enough apart to allow me to do some exercises, as long as I face the bars. I work out for about an hour, with more breaks than I would prefer. By the time I¡¯m finished, I¡¯m doused in sweat and far too tired to do much other than sit down on my hard cot and try to sleep.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    The next few days pass much the same, with intermittent meals breaking up the monotony. There doesn¡¯t seem to be any logic to the meals, with no distinct breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The food itself is always some variation of bland goop, obviously something that technically provides nutrition, not a food. I keep working out, and slowly regain a little strength. I try to use my Radiance a couple times, which quickly turns into a splitting headache and the realization that I can still sense Radiance passively. That, while not immediately helpful, should allow me to detect when the Twisted are coming.


    I can sense the Twisted, but they don¡¯t seem to have Radiance, more some kind of¡­ inversion of the brilliant power. I guess it makes sense, if anything Evaline, or rather Princess Evaline, told me is to be trusted, Twisted are people that have been corrupted by the Broken Ones. It makes sense that, if everyone in Auron has access to Radiance, being turned into Twisted would corrupt more than just their bodies.


    However interesting that information may be, it doesn¡¯t help me out of my current predicament. I keep paying attention to the Twisted, and begin to notice subtle differences in the not-Radiance. Each one has its own signature, and they walk around the building in a regular patrol, although how fast they complete a circuit varies. I see a couple of bigger concentrations of not-Radiance that must be larger Twisted. They don¡¯t move around as much as the smaller ones, with most around the perimeter of what I think is a building, or at least some kind of enclosed area.


    Every so often, a burst of power will fly from the building. Sometimes it¡¯s normal Radiance, others, the inversion. The bursts seem to come at random intervals, although fewer happen during the day. Whatever is up with that area is on a nocturnal schedule, which makes a sort of sense for the Twisted. I still can¡¯t quite tell what exactly the day guards are, but they seem to be just as effective as the Twisted.


    The routine of sorts goes on for about a week. During that time, the only visitor I get is the student. I try to talk to them, but they seem sullen, probably being punished with prisoner duty. That puts befriending the student out of the picture as a way for me to escape, at least in the immediate future.


    Eventually, a couple of older Broken Ones stop by my cell. A tall, spare man, and a woman who could¡¯ve passed for his twin. They¡¯re both deathly pale, with indigo eyes and teeth that seem just a little too sharp. She looks at me like I¡¯m a fascinating insect, something to be dissected and pinned to a board in her office. It¡¯s unsettling, to say the least. His gaze holds the weight of the executioner, sorrowful and oh so heavy.


    I look back at the woman quickly. She may be unsettling, but I feel some of it may stem from the fact that she seems very familiar. The woman has the same idea, and narrows her eyes at me.


    ¡°This one looks familiar,¡± she turns to the man, ¡°Shard, what do our records show on a boy like this? Look at the older projects.¡±


    Shard? It has to be a title or something. Either way, the woman apparently outranked him, as he quickly walked off. She turns her attention back to me.


    ¡°If you could just tell me, that would help. Have we met, lightling?¡±


    I shudder. The only other time I¡¯ve heard lightling was in my dreams. The word seems to have a weight in the real world. The man comes back, and the woman does¡­ something, waving her hand. Suddenly, it¡¯s like the bars turned into a wall. I can¡¯t see or hear anything past it. Then, just as quickly as it started, I can see past the bars. The woman has a wide, toothy smile.


    ¡°We do know you, lightling. You escaped one of our Earth facilities a long time ago, although you wouldn¡¯t remember that. I happen to have personally oversaw that operation, and I can¡¯t wait to continue my research,¡± She says with far too much excitement.


    After that, they leave me to my thoughts. If they¡¯re telling the truth, then I need to find Tam even more urgently. I don¡¯t want to find out what her ¡°research¡± was. I shudder again at the thought. I still have no idea how I¡¯m going to escape, other than to wait and hope they try to transport me somewhere. I keep passively searching for Tam with my Radiance, even if I don¡¯t know how I could tell if it was him.


    Eventually, I pay closer attention to the cells around me. Most of them are occupied, but it seems to be entirely the prisoners that came on the wagon with me, as far as I can tell. Some of them seem to be infected, in a sense. Over the course of the next couple of sleep, wake cycles, that I hesitantly call days with my distorted sense of time, they begin to scream. The screams are bloodcurdling, filling the entire prison area, and the Radiance of the screamer gradually becomes more and more turbulent. At some point, the Radiance condenses and inverts, almost instantaneously. All goes silent.


    Then, it happens to the next prisoner, one that seemed healthy. Then the next, and the next, the infection working its way down the prison, towards me. Every time, soon after the prisoner¡¯s radiance inverts, I see a new Twisted patrolling the perimeter. I see the eerie woman a couple more times, but she mostly ignores me. All too soon, the last cell ahead of mine is emptied as its occupant is turned into a Twisted.


    I have little hope. I¡¯m no closer to escaping, and as far as I know, my Radiance will be agonizingly corrupted until I succumb and turn into a Twisted. Apparently, Mrs. Creepy Lady has other plans. She comes to my cell one sleep cycle after the last prisoner is turned.


    ¡°Lightling, today is the day I get to continue the research I started all those years ago. You had been one of my most promising subjects, at least until you escaped the compound.¡±


    Her words slide off me without registering, and that seems to make her angry.


    ¡°No witty comeback, no retort? You were much more entertaining during your childhood. Here, let me remind you what fun you used to be.¡±


    She opens the door to my cell and approaches. I still don¡¯t move, silently clocking the fact she left it open. Overconfident. I let her get within range, then lash out, sending a vicious left hook at her face. It turns out that I was the overconfident one, as she takes the hit, placing her hands on my temples. Excruciating pain surges through my mind, and I begin remembering everything before that day I escaped.


    Images flash by, remembered but not processed, at least right now. I see the woman, younger, happier. I feel a sense of love, of attachment to her. It repulses me. I see myself riding the wolf-like Twisted like a strange pony. I see a white room, with the woman calming me and strange men with needles and glowing hands. I remember pain, being bedridden for nearly a year, and gradually getting better. This and more, all in an instant, forcing me to my knees.


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    She lets go of my head, and I collapse. She kicks me contemptuously, and calls in a Twisted. She sighs,


    ¡°Lightling, you just caused yourself a world of trouble, if you had only cooperated, you could¡¯ve had your childhood back, and a place at my side. Now.¡± She tuts, ¡°Now you leave me with no choice. My orders were to, if you caused me any trouble at all, you were to be sent to the Maw. And this is quite a bit of trouble.¡±


    She touches her already swelling left eye, and I feel a small amount of smug satisfaction at having hurt her. However, that is quickly overpowered by fear and pain as a large Twisted comes into the room and picks me up, none too gently. I¡¯m carried along a confusing maze of perpetually downward-sloping hallways, the woman leading the gorilla-like monster onward. As we keep going, I feel a presence watching me, getting progressively more uncomfortable. The woman quite obviously feels it too, and even the Twisted seems nervous, having to be coaxed onward a couple times.


    We make it to a small platform, more of a ledge, on the edge of an abyss. It has one very dim torch, lit and burning with eerily red flames, and a cage mounted to somewhere above with a massive chain. I don¡¯t think it could possibly seem more evil. The Twisted throws me roughly into the cage, and the woman closes the door.


    She grins at me again. ¡°I¡¯d love to continue my tests now, but the boss insists that I test all new arrivals in the Maw. Also, the insane keep wonderful secrets.¡±


    With that, she stalks away and I¡¯m left alone with my thoughts. After a while, I feel a presence, malevolent and old, very old, with me. It feels like a sleeping giant, one that has existed since long before humans. I sense I wouldn¡¯t survive its full attention. Even the small fragment I can detect is making me feel ill.


    The goliath¡¯s attention shifts away, and I can breathe again. The torch on the ledge has burnt out, forcing me to rely on my other senses. I smell old stone and moisture, and a slight smokiness from the torch, as well as my own unwashed scent. I hear nothing, the darkness smothering all sound. The cold bars press against my back as I reach out with my Radiance senses.


    I feel¡­ nothing. No Radiance around me for seemingly miles, but that can¡¯t be right, shouldn¡¯t be right. Nothing isn¡¯t entirely true however, as the presence in the darkness does leave a remnant, and I can feel my own Radiance. However, I should still be able to sense the Twisted in the tunnels and the people in the base above. Nothing is detectable through the all-encompassing darkness, however.


    I sit in the darkness for an indefinite amount of time. I sleep a few times. It might total out to about a week of time, but I¡¯m not sure. I notice the darkness has a smell. It smells like age and death, with a hint of something else underneath. I never get fed, and I begin to feel the bite of hunger. However, I¡¯m not nearly as hungry as I should be, and I am not thirsty at all. It¡¯s strange, but I ignore the feeling.


    A few more ¡®nights¡¯ pass, and I fall into a stupor. I stop truly sleeping, alternating between a light doze and periods of awareness that are a notch above it. I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m dying, moreso that my mind is trying to preserve itself from sensory deprivation. It seems to work. Time passes, I stay in the trance-like state, and at some point I begin turning my attention inward. I¡¯m not consciously thinking, and I begin to mess with my Radiance. I instinctively begin changing the channels that my Radiance flows through when I use it. They are almost¡­ tangled, in a way, and it seems like they shouldn¡¯t be. I also end up smoothing them out, streamlining the flow of my Radiance along them.


    I spend a lot of time meditating like that, until all the channels are uniform and streamlined, and I return to awareness. Suddenly, the torch that was there, but undetectable, ignites. It¡¯s blindingly bright after so long in near-total darkness, and the smell of burning wood is similarly strong. The crackles and pops of the wood sound like gunfire, and I can feel the heat like it¡¯s a bonfire.


    Soon, the terrifying woman comes into view, monstrous Twisted in tow, and looks out at me. Suddenly, the cage shakes, and moves toward the ledge. She inspects me like an insect pinned to a board, and surprise flashes across her face, if momentarily.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re in much better shape than I would prefer, and far too sane, but I¡¯ll make do,¡± her voice is like thunder, and begins to hurt my ears.


    The large Twisted opens the cage and picks me up in a fireman¡¯s carry. The motion is dizzying, and the sensation of the Twisted¡¯s fur on my skin is horrifying. I can feel every muscle beneath its skin, twitching and writhing unnaturally. I¡¯m carried through the halls, overstimulated and dazed. My sense of Radiance is swamped like all my others, and I can see the Twisted and people in the facility with much more detail than before my isolation.


    It overwhelms me, becoming painful. I¡¯m carried for a while, and we begin to approach the building that had been releasing Radiance when I was in the first cell. We pass over the entryway, and for a fraction of a second, I feel the regard of that same ancient presence in my mind. Howevers the feeling leaves so quickly that I convince myself I imagined it. I¡¯m carried into what seems to be an operating room, with large tables full of an eclectic mix of common medical tools and things more likely to be seen in a witch¡¯s cauldron.


    The Twisted lays me down on the table, and the woman tightens thick leather straps around my ankles, waist, and wrists. I¡¯m too dazed to even struggle, and the woman and Twisted both leave fairly quickly. Eventually, I can tune out enough information for it to not be painful. There isn¡¯t exactly much to be seen in the room, just white walls, and a mirror that definitely has a room behind it. A large claw arm is mounted into the ceiling, and threatening looking medical implements are mounted into it. The machine whirrs to life, a needle tip locking into place. It sinks into my arm, and I feel a burning sensation as some kind of drug flows into my veins, and consciousness slips from my grasp.


    When I next wake up, there¡¯s a deep ache in my abdomen, and I see the remnants of a large incision under my sternum, exactly where the core of my Radiance sits. I doubt it¡¯s a coincidence, and reach out to my Radiance. Surprisingly, I can access it, and I summon a small flame and start trying to cut my bindings. I am easily able to, and stand up. It seems like the Broken Ones are letting me escape, and I¡¯m instantly suspicious. As I look around the room, I realize I can¡¯t see the door. It blends perfectly into the walls of the room. I begin feeling around with my Radiance senses, and am inundated with information. Apparently, my sensitivity to Radiance from not having access to it makes it so my senses are picture-perfect when I do have access to my Radiance.


    I can see the entire facility outside of the white walled room. The stone walls have small remnants of earth Radiance within them, and everything living appears as a brilliant mixture of colorful pools of power, intermingling but never combining. The Twisted appear as that same unnerving void as my own dark Radiance, which is not a comforting thought. Like I thought, there is a room behind the mirror, and multiple people are standing in it, perfectly stationary. Other rooms, similar to mine, are all around me. I look further into the facility, finding larger experimentation tables and what looks to be some kind of altar. Even further in, there are heavily guarded holding cells, and my heart stops when I see their contents. The first few cells all contain one person, seemingly unconscious. I look closer, and I can see Dark Radiance slowly taking over their wells. The final cell holds Tamarin, still grievously injured and far thinner than when I last saw him.


    The sight confirms my suspicions that this place is the base Evaline had been talking about, and shifts my priorities to include saving Tam in my escape plans. He seems to be completely unresponsive, which means I¡¯ll have to plan on transporting him away, at least until I can figure out how to heal him. I still don¡¯t know what the Broken Ones did to me, and I intend to find out. I begin turning my senses inwards, and immediately detect a small¡­ seed of Dark Radiance tucked away within my well. I begin messing with it, and manage to trigger it somehow. It swells within my well, pressing my own power out. However, the Dark Radiance I have control over seems to stop it in its tracks, pushing it back. Eventually, the ¡®seed¡¯ is ejected from my body as a small pellet of pure power. It detonates, sending me flying, and I hit my head on the wall. Darkness takes over my sight for the second time that day.