Dark Mages

The night-flight had turned out to be one giant snowy owl, gliding silently through the starspeckled, moon-lit sky. It was eerily beautiful, and oddly romantic. Still, Diane isn’t sure she loved it. Not that she’d hated it, or that it hadn’t been a very special experience. Under other circumstances, it would have been one of the highlights of her life. Under other circumstances.

Now, with the early sun warming her face she winces as she recalls the chill night air that had made her shiver from cold. Nobody had thought to pack any blankets, so she’d spent the night sleeping with her head on Aster’s shoulder, with his arm around her. Pressed tightly against him. For warmth. Shared body heat. The sensible, logical way to deal with the cold.

She glances over at Aster who’s feeding Momo scraps of meat. Leftovers from yesterday’s packed lunch. He notices her looking and gives her that little smile that always drives her nuts. Combs his fingers through his hair. Just like he did in the morning when they’d woken up and slowly disentangled from each other. Quietly watching the sun climb above the mountains, the sky coming to life in gorgeous colors.

The soft hoot of the owl brings Diane’s thoughts back to the present. They’re on the last stretch of their traveling. In just a few hours, she’ll see his home. Meet his family. Meet his girlfriend. His fiancée.

She feels nauseous. It seems flying doesn’t agree with her after all.

No, she decides when they’re back on the ground and she’s nursing a few more sore spots after another rough landing. Flying’s definitely not for her.

“This is as far as we can take you,” the young owl-rider says, patting the owl’s neck affectionately. “I need to find him a safe spot to spend the day before heading to the capital.”

“We appreciate it. You saved us a lot of time,” Aster says, helping to unhook the basket they’d been riding in. “Stay safe.”

“We’ll do our best.” The owl looks at them, hooting softly, ruffling its feathers,. The rider smiles and scratches it just under its massive beak. “He’s impatient. His mate is already in Hinokawa and he’s eager to see her.”

“Of course. Thanks again. We might see you there.”

“Bye, good luck and thank you for the ride,” Diane says too, giving the owl a grateful pat. She might not enjoy flying, but the bird is beautiful. She waves as the pair takes to the air, soundlessly drifting away on great white wings.

“We have to walk the last distance, but it’s not far,” Aster says, letting the squirming Momo down. “I doubt we’ll make it before lunch, but we should get there sometime during the afternoon.” He takes a deep breath, inhaling the fresh forest air. “Man, it’s good to be home.”

“That sounds great. And after all that sitting still, it’ll be nice with a walk.” Very nice. And needed. Every muscle in her body is stiff and cramped. Even Aster seems to have some muscle knots to work out, he isn’t moving quite as smoothly as usual. Momo, on the other hand, is happily bouncing around, chasing whatever bug or shadow that catches her attention.

It’s good to be walking again. Diane feels the tension slowly dissolve as they walk down a narrow forest path. Plenty of sunlight is filtered through the leaves, creating pretty patterns on the ground. As she relaxes, some of the initial wonder she had for this world returns. Once more she looks around with interest, wondering what marvelous creatures live in this forest. Not worrying about what horrors might attack them. A bit further in, away from the path she spots somethings and stops, grabbing Aster's arm.

“Hey, aren’t those the same berries you found by the lake?” It feels like an eternity ago, though it hasn’t even been a week. She hadn’t known Aster for more than a few days, yet it already felt as if he’d been part of her life forever.

“You have sharp eyes.” He grins, at least partly back to his usual self. “Or a hungry belly.”

“Perhaps both. I wouldn’t mind a snack.”

“Go on then. I know I’ve been stressing for speed, but we can take a short break here. It’s a nice spot.” He looks at Momo, whose tails are just disappearing into a thick shrub. “I’ll bring our little adventurer back before she gets lost.”

“Great.”

A few moments later, Diane has left the trail and is popping ripe berries into her mouth. They’re even better than she remembers them. Behind her Aster is calling for Momo, who seems to take her adventuring seriously. Dinae is still happily munching away when movement next to some tall trees catches her eye. It’s a person, dressed in a hooded, wide-sleeved robe in a dull purple that blends surprisingly well with the shadows. Is it someone from Aster’s family? No, there’s something strange, secretive, about the way the person moves that makes her doubt that.

“Hello,” she says, a bit hesitantly, and the figure spins around. Hands raised, a black ball of energy suddenly appears in front of them, then is hurtled toward Diane. She throws herself to the ground and the ball hits the bushes instead. Something dark and oily spreads across the branches.

“What the…” she mutters. Then Aster is there, shoving Momo into her arms.

“You okay?”

“Fine. Go.”

He doesn’t need telling twice, but rushes after the running figure. Without thinking, Diane takes off after him, Momo following tightly behind her. When she catches up, Aster is standing alone, looking at a small hole in the ground. The entrance to a tunnel. A rabbit den? Several trees and bushes around him bear the black mark, but he’s safe.

“Where did they go?” Diane asks breathlessly.

“Not sure.” He kicks the hole, making the dirt cave in. “Perhaps down there, though how that would be possible I don’t know.”

A sound from behind makes them both spin around, Aster’s hand already on the hilt of his sword. Someone, or something, is approaching. Fast.

Moments later, a woman holding a short sword in each hand comes darting in from the direction they’d been heading. Her movements scream of competence. Of strength. She’s tall, slender, dressed in some kind of red and black leather armor, dark hair fastened in a high ponytail streaming behind her like a banner. Beautiful but dangerous. She comes to a stop right next to them. Diane tenses, but to her surprise, Aster is smiling widely.

“Mother. It’s so good to see you.”

“You too.” The swords are smoothly sheathed across her back, a hilt protruding over each shoulder, then she pulls him into a warm embrace. “You had me worried there. I’m glad to see you safely home.”

“It’s good to be back.” Aster breaks the hug and looks around. “Is father here too?”

“No. He’s patrolling along the wall. But you’ll see him at supper. Perhaps we’ll make it a private dinner. Everyone will be eager to meet you, both of you. But you must have much to tell Rafe, and even more to discuss.”

“We do.” He frowns and looks down at the now collapsed hole. “These dark mages are causing problems? We saw the extent of the curse spreading on the way here.”

“They are becoming troublesome, yes. I had hoped to catch one or two, to get some information from them. But they always disappear without a trace.”

“Hm. Troublesome indeed.” He grows quiet, and Diane who hadn’t wanted to interrupt their reunion, takes a step forward and speaks up.

“Hi. I’m Diane. Aster’s… er… friend. Pleased to meet you.”

“Welcome Chosen One. I’m Lilah, Aster’s mother. I’m honored to meet you.” She gives Diane a warm smile and places a hand on her shoulder. “We have been eagerly awaiting your arrival. Though I wish we could have met under happier circumstances.”