Another Mage!?

We found a small rock outcropping near the river and camped there overnight. It was uneventful after the fight with the tree, and both of us were out quickly. Normally there would have been talk of dividing up guard duty and otherwise, but we both needed the sleep so badly that neither of us gave it a second thought. Fortunately for us, we slept soundly throughout the night without anything disturbing us.

Aggie gave himself a magical makeover. With more tattoos returned, he opted for a cropped jacket that showed off his back and midriff. There were openings in the sleeves, just below the shoulder, that displayed the marks running down his arms. His skin was already thick with the magic tattoos. I was even sure where the rest would go. I tried not to stay.

I turned away and folded my arms across my chest. “Should a Demon Lord really be sitting here playing dress up?”

Aggie chuckled. “That’s more the reason to do so. As the Demon Lord, it is my duty to look my best at all times. We always gotta be showy!”

I had to bite back the comment that his fashion statement would not help us lay low. Aside from the town with the ring, we avoided human settlements. So really he was just showing off to me and the plants and animals. Pathetic.

After a quick breakfast of fish, we were off, continuing our journey. We followed the river back upstream, hoping to move closer back to the original set of shrines.

“My magic can only travel so far, ya see. It still hasta be within a certain range. Like the range of my own magic,” Aggie explained while we walked.

“Wait, so just how large is your range then?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t say it’s abnormally large. That tree was nearing the edge of it in this direction. That’s why we’re moving back in range. It usually doesn’t go too far from my starting point.”

My face paled. “This is one edge of it? Aggie, this was a pretty long distance we traveled. I’d say that range is pretty huge.”

He couldn’t keep his grin hidden. “Is it? There are others who have greater areas than me back in the Demon plane, but I suppose by ya human standards, it is pretty huge.”

He snickered to himself, not bothering to hide his boastful pride. I just rolled my eyes. We had lucked out thus far, but we were basically searching blindly. But knowing now just how huge the area we were searching was, it made the task seem even more daunting. I didn’t think it was possible to keep getting lucky.

He saw the doubt on my face. He waved a hand, as if he were trying to wave it away. “Don’t worry so much! My magic has a way of reaching out to me, even if I don’t realize it ‘til we get close. It’s drawn to me much as I’m drawn to it. At these distances though, it’s so subtle I wouldn’t be able to tell ya much about where it was, but we are always heading in the right direction.”

“Uh uh, sure.”

That seemed way too convenient. It was like a bad plot point or something. At least it made searching for the missing parts a bit easier. We had collected a total of five so far. Aggie said there was nine total, so that left just four. I tried to imagine what else we’d have to battle to get them back, but I really didn’t want to think about it. Each battle just got harder. There were still tons of things I didn’t know about this world, so I had no idea what else might jump out and attack us.

I kept following him, hoping everything he said was actually the truth and not some happy-go-lucky guess. He seemed pretty confident, and it was true that thus far we had been finding piece after piece. I tried to chase the pessimistic thoughts from my mind. It would be fine, I’m sure.

The sun was climbing to the highest point in the sky when we first noticed the wagon tracks. A cart had cut out of a nearby tree line and made its way towards the river. We didn’t see it of course, but we could see the marks it made as it traveled somewhere ahead of us. Honestly, to me, it had been weirder that we hadn’t seen any other travelers thus far. I voiced my thoughts aloud to Aggie.

“Yeah.” Aggie nodded. “It’s kinda weird, but most humans don’t ever leave their homes anymore. It’s just like traders and traveling performers ya’ll see out and about. My guess is that this wagon belongs to someone like that. The tracks are fairly fresh, but they have quite a bit of a start on us, not to mention they are moving faster than we are on foot. I doubt we’ll run into them.”

Part of me was curious, but the other part of me was relieved. I didn’t want to deal with anyone else for a while. I couldn’t be sure how they would respond to me and my bright red hair. Not to mention, there weren't any trees thick with sap around that we could use to disguise Aggie’s hair again. It was obvious who he was if they knew the legend.

“Is the legend well known everywhere or just by the ruins?” I decided to ask him.

“Most everywhere, at least as far as I’ve seen. Usually I’m the one doing the traveling while the Mage stays in town, but the humans that do see me definitely avoid me. I get labeled as a demon correctly quite often.” He stretched his arms over his head before locking them behind it. He looked unbothered by the way the humans treated him. I mean, I got that ‘demon’ wasn’t really an insult when that’s what he was, but I’m sure it wasn’t used as a term of endearment.

“It’s odd how it spread if most of it takes place in the same spot.”

“The first Mage and Demon Lord were much more mobile, or so I’ve heard. I came over after it all happened, so much of what I know is based on rumors. Doubt anyone even back then knew the full story.”

We passed the time with our own gossip, Aggie telling me some of the outrageous stories he heard during his years trapped in the human realm. They were pretty standard for fantasy tropes, but the way Aggie told them with wild gestures and sound effects had me laughing so hard that tears clung to my lashes.

I hadn’t laughed in so long. It made my stomach ache, but it felt good. For once the heat in my belly was calm. It was wild that it took a demon to treat me like a human. The world worked in mysterious ways.

We were deciding where to stop for a brief lunch when we suddenly heard splashing. We slowed our pace as we rounded the bend. Much to my surprise, there was a wagon parked just up ahead and a handful of humans milled about it. Younger children splashed about in the river beside it, laughing and chasing each other. A couple of them looked to be older, perhaps around my age. They laughed along with the children, but they didn’t join in the rowdy play.

What really caught my attention was one of the young women in the water. She twirled around, her skirt catching the water and splashing some of the nearby children with it. All in all she looked normal, save for her hair. It burned unnaturally bright under the sun. She had red hair, just like mine.

I gripped Aggie’s sleeve and whispered, “Her hair! Can there be two Mages at the same time?”

Aggie narrowed his eyes as he watched her. “No, there should only be one. And I’m certain it’s ya, considering the greeting ya gave me. Stay alert. We’ve already been spotted, so no use hiding now.”

I was about to ask him what he meant when the redhead in the water turned to us. She raised an arm above her heard and furiously waved at us.

“Oy! Come and join us, fellow travelers!” Her voice carried over the plains. If they hadn’t seen us before, the rest of her caravan certainly did now.

I scooted closer to Aggie. “What should we do?”

“Guess we got no choice but to join ‘em.”

We made our way towards the wagon and their makeshift camp. Small tents dotted the riverside with lines of twine running through them. Some held them upright while others were used to hang laundry as it dried. The camp was brightly colored and full of laughter. It was such a contrast to every other human settlement I’d seen.

The strangest part? Despite my fiery hair and Aggie’s deep purple locks, they greeted us as if we were old friends. I was not expecting anywhere to give us a warm welcome.

The redhead leapt out of the water as we approached. She was among the first to meet us. She gave us a little curtsy.

“Greetings, fellow Mage! My name is Elena.” She extended out her hand. I hesitantly took it. I didn’t feel any malice from her, but I couldn’t sense any magic, either. Maybe it was harder for humans to sense it in each other.

“Uh, Akari,” I responded. I took her hand and shook it. She seemed actually happy to see us. Maybe she was crazy.

The rest of her caravan was quick to push their way in. Lots of handshakes and introductions, even a hug from some random older woman. I shrank back from all the attention, but Aggie was eating it up.

Elena was suddenly behind me, playing with my hair. “Wow, such a pretty color! How did you get the red so deep?”

I just blinked at her. “Uh, thanks, I guess. But it just grew that way. Probably have my mother to thank for that.”

She laughed. “Oh, silly, you don’t have to pretend with me. I know you’re not the real Mage.”

I squinted at her. “Hah? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what I said. You can’t be the real Mage because I am.”

I turned to Aggie and tilted my head towards her. What was actually wrong with her!? I wondered if she had hit her head one too many times. I mean, she did look the part, but I was the one wielding the magic here.

A thought crossed my mind. Aggie’s magic was still splintered and hiding out there. What if she somehow got ahold of it? Could a woman yield it in such a way to mimic the Mage’s magic? I still didn’t understand Aggie’s magic enough to have a clear image of it. So far, nothing human had gotten ahold of his magic, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. The consequences of that would probably be far worse than anything we faced thus far.

I gave him a panicked look. He quickly shook his head. “Nah, that’s impossible.”

While he was actually answering me, it also sounded like he was arguing with Elena. At least, that’s how she took it.

Elena turned her eyes to Aggie. “Why do you say that?”

“Because she’s the Mage and I’m her mentor. Ya probably know me better by the name Agnar. Ya know, the Demon Lord.”

Aggie put his hands on his hips and took a wide stance. He let out a boisterous laugh. He was acting like a villain for a change, but the group didn’t seem to buy it.

“That’s cute!” Elena clapped her hands together. “I mean, you definitely look the part of the Demon Lord, but who would believe the Mage and the Demon Lord are traveling together? That’s such a preposterous idea, but I do love your presentation. Good effort.”

Okay, this girl wasn’t as nice as she appeared. My guess is these guys were running some long con, trying to get people to give them money or something as they traveled around, pretending they were escorting the Mage. Aggie had mentioned it was often merchants and performers who traveled like this, and I’d put my money on performers. The garish colors, the forced smiles…it was exactly what I’d expect to see from someone putting on an act. And an act was all this was.

I folded my arms across my chest. “Okay, Miss Elena, if you’re really the Mage, why don’t you show us some magic?”

Elena brushed her silky red hair over her shoulder. I hated her already, and I felt the fire within me growing warmer. She walked around me, sizing me up and down.

“That works for me, but how about we make this interesting? You two are also claiming to that you are the Mage. Why don’t we both put on a show to see which one is the real deal?” She gave me a coy grin.

I didn’t know what plan she had up her sleeve, but if it was magic she was talking about, I had plenty of it. I stamped my foot down and glared at her. “Fine! I’ll happily put your ass in line!”

She covered her mouth, as if she was really shocked. Her other hand went to cover her butt. “You’ll do no such thing to my butt! Though we can make it even more fun and have a wager. If you win, I’ll give you our wagon.”

I glanced over at the wagon. It might make getting around easier. We could even store some supplies. It would also be nice to not have to get my feet sore every day. I slowly nodded. “Okay, horses, too. Not going to let you pull a fast one over on me.”

She laughed. “Of course, that’s only fair. The wagon and horses to pull it.”

“And what about you? What do you get if you win? Not that you stand a chance.”

“When I win, I’ll be taking your cute demon companion.”