Trouble

The wagon made traveling much easier. It did hurt my lower back a bit from all the bumping, but I could change positions easy enough. I even spent some time sitting up front with Aggie. He tried to teach me how to control the horses, but it was a bit beyond me. We both decided to just focus on the magic lessons for now. That’s what I really needed to learn, after all.

“Yeah, that powder was popular with the kids when it was easy to get. I guess after all this time, not many people remember it. Should have known she’d use it.” Aggie laughed from the seat. I leaned out behind him, my arms and shoulders over the seat but the rest of me in the wagon.

“You were right; it wasn’t magic. That still doesn’t explain that bad feeling I had.” I huffed. The uneasiness had faded after we left the caravan, but it still lurked in the back of my mind. I couldn’t shake it no matter what I tried.

“I heard someone say once that sometimes, there’s something that kicks off a bunch of other things. Like a premonition. Maybe something that happened at the caravan was like that? I didn’t see anything special myself though.”

I pursed my lips. “Yeah, I can’t think of anything specific. I mean, I did get a bit scared that she might actually have magic, but I didn’t sense anything. And you found nothing either, right?”

He shook his head. “Nope, nothing magical anywhere in that camp. They are performers, so they had a lot of weird stuff, but it was all useless junk.”

“Would I have seen something and not remember it?”

“If it made ya uncomfortable, probably not. I’d think it would be something that stuck with ya. Maybe it was just indigestion?”

I swatted at him. He laughed and tried to dodge. “Hey! I’m driving here!”

“Yeah, driving me crazy!”

I sat up and pulled myself back all the way into the wagon. I almost expected something more from Elena and her troupe, but it turned out to be nothing but a bunch of fraudsters. We hadn’t sensed anymore of Aggie’s magic yet either, making for just a smooth trip that felt more like a vacation than a quest. I didn’t mind the brief quiet. Fighting monster after monster took a toll. Getting to relax like this was keeping me calm. It also gave me plenty of time to work on my magic control.

We still traveled along the river, knowing that we would need water for us and the horses as we traveled. When night fell, we could use the wagon as cover. It was a nice added benefit to our new mobile vehicle. I was starting to feel more optimistic about this all.

We stopped at dusk to water and feed the horses. The barrel of grain we grabbed was for them more than us. We filled their feed sacks and let them munch away as we ate our own meal of fruit from our stash and fish from the river. The moon was bright in the sky, making some night travel even possible. We decided to push on.

We moved slowly even with the bright light illuminating our way. I sat with Aggie in the front, watching the moon grow larger in the sky as it darkened. The stars dotted the landscape, sparkling like gemstones. I could never see the night sky like this in the city. I stared up at it in awe. It was really beautiful.

“Ya sure like the sky.” Aggie chuckled beside me.

I kept my gaze fixed upward. “Where I’m from, the stars are hidden. There is so much pollution and other lights that it gets blocked out. Sure, I can see the moon, but it’s never this clear.”

“Pollution?”

“Yeah, like smoke from coal and other chemicals burning. It’s so heavy that it can blot out the sky.”

“Huh, how can coal do that?”

“It takes a lot of coal.”

Aggie’s eyes nearly rolled into his head as he tried to wrap his head around what I said. This world didn’t have to worry about any of that. Of course, the trade off was that there was no electricity or running water, but there was a certain beauty that was lost when all the technology came in. The benefits were great, but I wasn’t missing them as much as I thought I would. In the end, they were just a crutch that did little to ever help me feel better. I kind of understood what people meant when they talked about going out to nature. I was starting to understand why some people never returned.

The moon reflected off of the water beside us, casting the whole of the river with a gentle glow. It was such a peaceful night. I wished this moment could last forever. I was the calmest I had ever been.

I slowly closed my eyes. “Aggie, I wanted to say-”

The wagon suddenly exploded. I was sailing through the air, scrambling to find purchase. I managed to flip myself over, but I still landed hard on my right shoulder as I crashed to the ground. Aggie fell somewhere further off, pieces of the wagon going with him. The horses whinnied in fright. Now free of their charge, they raced off, not even giving us a passing glance.

“What the hell?” I groaned as I got my feet beneath us. My shoulder was throbbing. It hurt to move. I couldn’t tell just by feel, but it might have been broken. I couldn’t do anything about it now. First, I had to figure out what happened.

“Aggie!” I shouted out. I heard him groaning. There was a clank as he shifted some of the wagon pieces off of himself. He crawled to his knees. I could see the dark splotches of blood dripping from his face and chest. He was injured. We had to get the bleeding to stop.

Aggie’s gaze shifted over to me. Something else caught his attention and his eyes continued upwards, to something behind me. His eyes widened and he suddenly was trying to speed crawl to me.

“A-Akari! Get down!” he shouted.

I barely felt the magic in time. The twinge suddenly exploded out of nowhere. I curled myself into a ball and instantly brought my fiery shield to life. I rolled it over myself and whatever hit me slammed against it. I felt it cracking but I gritted my teeth and kept pouring my magic into the flames. When it finally stopped, I let my magic go and rolled onto my back. I finally got a good look at what Aggie was seeing.

In the sky above me was a figure floating, a dark silhouette against the moon. I could make out long hair and sharp horns, but else it was a mystery to me. I instantly knew it wasn’t anything good. I was pretty certain it was a demon.

Aggie managed to reach me. A trail of blood followed him as he moved to my side. I clutched at my shoulder, glaring up at the weird floating man above him. Didn’t this story only have one antagonist? Or did I mess it up so bad that it had to add another one since I befriended the first one?

“Can you stand?” Aggie staggered to his feet. I simply nodded but let him pull me up with the arm that wasn’t hurting.

“Are ya hurt?” He grabbed my shoulders, and I winced beneath his grip. He quickly let go, worry creasing his brown.

“Just my right shoulder. It might be broken. Did that guy up there attack us? And what about you? You’re bleeding!”

“This is nothing. I’ll recover in no time. Ya on the other hand are just a human. This guy knows that and knows he can kill ya. Stay behind me.”

“Like hell I’ll do that! I can help fight, too.”

“No, Akari, ya don’t understand. We can’t beat this guy, not like this. Maybe if I had all my magic back, but not as I am now. And yer still in training. He’s gonna squash ya like a bug.”

Aggie was trembling. He was terrified of whoever that was that watched from above us. I turned my gaze towards him, squinting as if I could actually make out any details clearer. He was still just a shadow.

“How did a demon get here?” I glared up at him. Aggie grabbed me by my good shoulder and pulled me back. He stepped in front of me, actually moving me backwards as he took a step back. He really intended to protect me with his own body. I couldn’t have that. I tried to push against him, but physically, he was the stronger of the two of us.

Aggie’s gaze was fixed at the demon above us. He wasn’t paying attention to me anymore. I tried to get him to snap out of it, shaking him by the shoulder.

“Aggie! Stop this! Look at me!”

Aggie wouldn’t budge. I could feel his body still shaking, though the trembling was now subdued. His nails were digging into the palms of his hands, drawing out more blood. It dripped down his hands. His face was twisted into a snarl, but his eyes were wild with fear. His magic was flickering within him. He was caught in some sort of trance I couldn’t break him free from. I had to do something.

The man above us raised a hand. I felt the power gathering within it. Whatever was coming was going to hit us hard. I couldn’t just leave Aggie here to take it. If my voice couldn’t reach him, then I had no choice but to get violent.

“Dammit, Aggie! Wake up!” I brought my magic to life and slammed it into his back. To follow it up, I slammed my own body into it as well. I managed to knock him over. The two of us went sailing to the ground. Just in time, too. Whatever magic the demon threw at us sailed over our heads and crashed to the ground behind us.

I risked a glance back. There was a deep, scorching hole where there was once grass and earth. It darkened where the magic had touched it, as if it was being corrupted from the wicked attack. Maybe it was. I was still a novice when it came to demonic magic. I didn’t even know what Aggie was all capable of. I had watched him destroy half of a large hill with little effort. If he had his full power back, he may have been able to attack more like this. It was a terrifying thought.

“Oi, Mage, what the hell ya think yer doing!?” Aggie snapped at me. “Get offa me!”

Oh, right, I still had him pinned beneath me. I scrambled off, careful not to jostle my shoulder too much. The pain was starting to subside, but I knew it wasn’t because I was getting better. Shock was settling on. If I wasn’t careful, it might take me out completely.

I glared up at the demon above our heads. “Yo, you up there! What the heck do you think you’re doing? How dare you attack us?”

Aggie’s face paled beside me. He hissed at me beneath his breath, “Mage! Stop it! Yer gonna get yerself killed!”

Aggie tried to pull me back down, but I stood my ground. I shook him off and straightened up. I pointed a finger up at the demon in the sky.

“Get down here, demon!”

The demon shifted, but I couldn’t tell what he was doing. I guess looking down at me. I don’t think he had really noticed me before that. His focus had been entirely on Aggie. I was nothing to this crazy floating man.

The demon chuckled, a deep laugh that echoed as it carried out through the night. His eyes shone red as he lifted his face towards mine. I could feel his magic working, circling around him. It didn’t feel as malicious as before, but I still didn’t think he was up to any good. I balled my hands into fists and got my own magic ready.

‘So, you’re the Mage that was summoned? Pathetic. And now you are playing with that pitiful demon.’

Though he was speaking, it felt like his words were penetrating my mind directly rather than being spoken aloud. It was a dizzying feeling. It hurt my head with every syllable. My eyes watered.

‘I don’t know what you are planning, but this is just a warning. Next time, I won’t let you off so easy.’

This was easy? What was this guy’s damage? We were just enjoying a nice trip in our wagon when he came about and attacked us. All I knew was that this guy was bad news. Even if Aggie’s reaction hadn’t given it away, I felt it in my bones.

‘Until next time, Agnar.’

I was right. His attention really wasn’t on me at all. He was after Aggie. Attacking me was only to set an example. He could take us out whenever he wanted. Or at least he thought so. I felt the fire building inside of me.

I was about to launch a giant fireball at him when Aggie grabbed my wrist. I hadn’t even seen him approaching.

“Please, Akari, stop.” He looked up at me with pleading eyes. I felt all the heat dissipate. He really was scared.

The next moment, the demon waved his arm in front of himself. Darkness swallowed him up, shrinking around him until it entirely sucked him in. It disappeared in a flash. The moon shone down in his place.

Aggie slumped, still gripping my arm. “Akari, ya gotta get away. I can’t protect ya. I can’t-”

I nudged him with my foot. “You stop that. I’m not leaving.”

He looked up at me. I think he wanted to say something more, but he choked on his tears. Instead, he finally released me and started bawling.