Chapter 40

Part 1

“…And how does ‘sending’ work, exactly?” I asked, pen at the ready. “Does it have to be certain words? A certain language? Does it have to be the same language as the people being sent? Should it tie into or be related to that person’s religion?” After a day; we found ourselves still hold up and on guard in our home base, Arnold’s house. That conversation with the two British Magekin left Anesha ruminating.

She sat on the bed of Arnold’s son, unconcerned with my stream of questions, staring out the window and staring off into space. The absent son in question’s room was filled Native American ornaments, war memorabilia, and pictures of him in army fatigues with his parents. “…” I was finally, only slightly, acknowledged. Anesha flipped her hair and looked down at me, sitting on the floor with pen and paper prepared. “Despite your injury, you still wish to write?” Too many of those to count, but clearly the witch referred to my broken forearm.

“I’m not left-handed, it’s fine.” I showed off my right…which was still missing fingernails and with a palm nearly skinned raw. “A-Anyway, sending…?”

“You aim to distract yourself from worrying, yes?” Found out. “I shall indulge you, if only to keep you calm and quicken your healing. The language for sending matters not; all one must do is speak words which open their own soul to the afterlife. Using their soul as a catalyst for those they wish sent allows them a path to walk into the next realm. Does that sate you?”

“Yeah!” Hurriedly, I scribbled down information. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but every word was a gift!

“Honestly.” She was right though; I was nervous. Holly and Ulric said Anesha was being hunted by some ‘Flesh Weaver’ Viggo, person. If that magic hunter was chasing her, he was after me too. The weak, enfeebled, basically defenseless me. “Fate!”

“Huh?! What?! Is something going on?!”

“No. I asked you a question.” I’d zoned out. “Am I not afforded the same luxury?”

“Yes! What’s up?”

“What is it that you have been fiddling with on your device?” The witch pointed to my progressively dying phone beside me. Three separate feeds whizzed by and the local news played on silent.

“This probably needs to charge…” Scrambling through my bag, I hooked up the device to a charger while hoping it wouldn’t overheat. “I’m keeping track of the news and social media stuff. If anything pops off around the state, it will show up on my feed.”

“An admirable pursuit.” Praise without a little dirt rubbed in my face? I was taken aback.

“Well, you know…” Even then, still hiding my blush from the witch felt correct. “Those two Magekin before mentioned other Magekin cities, what are those like?”

“Still thirsting for knowledge? So be it. My knowledge is mostly…” She stopped, peering down at my hand. I wasn’t holding my pen or writing notes, not expecting her to start divulging such juicy information! Anesha waited for me to get myself together, then continued. “My knowledge is mostly hearsay or comes from studying. Graewood exists as an isolationist society, thus I have never traveled to those cities. Graewood’s isolationism comes via choice of the ruling class alone.”

“The aristocracy?”

“Indeed. Power ultimately rests with the aristocracy. Graewood saw humans as treacherous, mired in degeneracy, on a path toward certain destruction; and most of all, envious. Trust between humans and Magekin was always tenuous; lo’ the Salem witch trials was deemed the final treachery.” Dropping that information on me left my pen with so much work! “Prominent Magekin monarchs managed to establish Graewood in secret. Thus, when the time was upon us, they left behind humanity; vanishing from sight until they were spoken of only as myth.”

“What about the isolationism?”

“That came with time. The aristocracy are nothing if not paranoid. Those well-heeled fools believe the whole world to be envious of them; seizing absolute control over the Seed of Yggdrasil, as they have done. Rightfully so, animosity was fostered among the ever-secretive Magekin world. Graewood remained sealed off from all other Magekin cities for centuries under rules of our aristocrats, lo’ democracy eventually did manage to sprout in Graewood. And…maybe more…” A tiny smirk, one similar to when Ulric mentioned a revolution in Graewood, snuck its way onto Anesha’s face. “R-Regardless.” The witch wiped it away!

“…So, the seed, what is it?”

“Created by the hands of Magekin for the purpose of bettering life on earth for all living beings, that is the Seed of Yggdrasil. It is meant to bridge Heaven, Hell, and the mortal realm, providing this plane endless and powerful mana. Lo’, as one may guess, Magekin and humans are so very selfish. Even sharing something that is infinite is difficult when one must do it with their enemies.” Unsurprising. Hearing Anesha speak ill of Magekin felt different knowing that she was a half-born. “The seed has never fully sprouted, lo’, the idea alone drew eyes of the avaricious. Humans aimed to bring Magekin to their knees, wishing to control the seed for themselves. The witch trials were one such duplicitous method; all under a guise of how dangerous witches were.”

“Were you guys not strong enough to fight back? I mean, I know about the Salem witch trials, but never heard of them from your…people’s…Magekin’s perspective.”

“Fighting back would have been pointless. Eventually, humans would have overwhelmed Magekin. For every ten Magekin in the world, there are more than ten thousand humans.” That was a massive disparity!

Again, Anesha turned her gaze upward to the evening sky. “You’ve been doing that all day. What are you looking at?”

“Truly…? Your senses are so horribly dulled, it would appear.” That was true. A single day wasn’t nearly enough for the seed to heal my numerous injuries, putting me in a depowered state. “Since the morning, I have been hearing my name carried by the wind.”

“…Meaning…a rogue familiar?”

“Indeed.” Anxiety pushed aside the oxygen in my chest, smothering me. “Swallow your panic. Our presence remains obscured.”

“Hey!” From outside the window, that grumbled old voice called! Anesha and I moved to look down the windowsill, but when I got to close, she shoved her foot into my side and kicked me off the bed! It was Arnold, standing out front of his house alongside a man we’d met before. “You two remember Caleb, right? He wants to…” The door behind us suddenly swung open!

“Hello! I’m coming in!” She was already in. Rita, the child we’d rescued stood in the doorway! “Miss Anesha, Fate, hi!” Little brown face flush with excitement, she smiled from ear to ear in a fresh new red dress replacing that tattered one from before. “Let’s go to dinner!”

“What?” Anesha cocked her head to me, as if I knew what Rita had suddenly proposed.

“Don’t look at me.” I eased by Anesha on the bed and called down to Arnold. “Hey, Arnold…and Caleb, I’m Fate, by the way. Um…what’s happening?”

“We were just driving by and thought it would be nice to invite you guys! Rita’s been talking about you both nonstop. So, you guys want to come?” Caleb offered pleasantly.

“Uh…” I looked to Anesha, awaiting her response. She, meanwhile, was backed into the bed’s corner by Rita!

“Back away, child! Lest I toss you like an old rag!” Seeing the witch driven against the bed’s backboard by a girl half her size was a bit funny and cathartic. “Also, no. We shall not partake!”

“Why?!” Rita huffed. “Do you hate me?!” Tear filled eyes shook Anesha’s staunch rejection. Cutting a glare in my direction, clearly, I was to fix the situation.

“Rita, we’re busy. Actually…” I thought for a second. “Why hide alone? Why not hide in a big space?”

“What?” My idea didn’t reach Anesha immediately, so I continued.

“So, like, we’re being hunted. Sooner or later, we’re going to have to fight this Viggo guy and those other Magekin; if we stay siloed off away from everyone, won’t any mana being used attract more attention?” With a wide swing of my arm, and adding some arrogance to the delivery, I threw in some intentional Anesha-like theatrics! “If we are among a sea of humans, then it would be like looking for a drop of blood in the ocean…” I attempted to imitate her grandiose gestures. the witch listened with a face of dissatisfaction; glaring at my joke. “Uh…I’m not outputting any more mana than usual, right? Are you outputting a lot? I can’t read mana right now…” Sheepishly, retreating back to normal.

“…I am not, and neither are you at the moment. The seed is keeping everything so internal, that as of now, your signature would appear as only slightly more than that of a normal human.”

“Then why not hide in plain sight? Also, also…” I subtly pointed Anesha’s attention back to the little girl eying her down. “Bryn and the guy you fought put up wards, Holly and Ulric made sure people wouldn’t see them, so Magekin are still trying to remain mostly hidden. They probably won’t attack us directly if we’re around people; if they make a ward, we’ll notice everyone just suddenly leaving.”

A groan and another glare, Anesha gave in! “Fine. Do what have you. We shall accompany you, Rita. Now, back away!” The little girl smiled, then cheated a thumbs up to me.

“So…yeah?” Caleb asked, still yet to receive an answer.

Part 2

Finally, I wasn’t confined to Arnold’s truck bed! Sitting in that warn leather seat as we drove into Gold River was way better than bouncing my sore back against a rusted wheel tub on uneven roads. Meanwhile, Anesha was successfully pestered into riding with Caleb and Rita by the ever forward child; even managing to get that tense witch in the backseat with her! Upon arriving at that all too familiar parking lot once again, we were surprised to see caution tape barring entry to the entire strip mall.

“What’s goin’ on here?” Arnold wondered openly, pulling his truck off to the road’s side. Other upset drivers sat in their idling vehicles ahead of us; we could hear them growing restless. “This got something to do with us all passin’ out yesterday? That was the girl and ya’ doing, yeah?”

“…Well, not exactly.” Unsurprisingly, Arnold clocked our involvement in the previous day’s events.

“I ain’t dumb, kid.” No. He wasn’t. “Just lucky Dirk’s hard ass head only caught the side of my truck and not the pavement. Would’ve had to pay for the ground to get fixed.” Arnold chuckled, unbothered by the incident. I’d grown accustomed to those odd ways in which Magekin operated, so lunacy like setting an entire mall of people to sleep didn’t stand out to me until just then. “Looks like Caleb wants to talk.” From the other vehicle, Caleb flagged us over. We parked and got out to meet the others.

Pelted by questions and comments, the mentally exhausted witch escaped her backseat prison only for Rita to follow! “…And I really like your hair, but does it get in the way when you do flips and stuff? I want to grow my hair out really long, but Mom said it would be a pain!” Rita was fully engaged in a conversation with Anesha, who couldn’t get away fast enough! “Dad, are we not getting dinner?” She asked, reorienting her focus in the blink of an eye like only a child could.

“Well…” Upset elderly citizens exited their cars and crowded police men near the barricade. Mobbing one specifically; other officers laughed behind the man’s large back, who was becoming increasingly flustered. “Maya!” Caleb waved to someone amongst the annoyed Gold River citizens. “Over here!”

“There you two are!” Numerous feathered trinkets bounced in a woman’s shoulder length brown hair as she approached with a smile. “Oh.” Happiness and relief across her brow shifted to sharp and guarded like an eagle instantly! “…These are the people you mentioned?” After stuffing an apron and hairnet into her bag, a handshake was offered. I reciprocated, as Anesha obviously wouldn’t. “I’m Maya, Caleb’s wife…and Rita’s mother.” The emphasis was noted.

“Hi…” Swallowing my awkwardness under that watchful glare, I forced a smile. “I’m Fate Isley, and this is Anesha Kyteler. We’re from out of town—”

“Yeah, I can tell.” No give whatsoever. Maya’s unflinching dark brown eyes remained locked onto the both of us like a sentry, waiting for something. “It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to sit down and eat. The cops still aren’t letting us open up the shops.”

“Is this because of that thing yesterday?” I asked, trying to appear confused and appeal to Maya.

“So, you know what happened?” It failed. She was more guarded than any person I’d ever met!

“F-From what I read, there was like a mass fainting.” I pulled up my phone and showed off some posts that came across my timeline. “Kind of scary.”

“Maya, please don’t eye down these two.” Stepping in to block off his wife’s hawk like glare, Caleb’s broad shoulders were a much appreciated shield.

“They saved me, Mom!” Rita joined in on protecting us from the unfounded wrath of her mother.

“I know that, honey.” Regardless of her words, the impenetrable air put out by that gaze stonewalled anyone’s attempted reasoning.

“Are these the kids who helped little ol’ Rita?” Before Maya could say anything else, we became the mobs new target. “I saw you yesterday at the pawn shop!” One old man called out to me. “Hey! I seen her walkin’ around the town.” Another leered at Anesha’s figure, until his gaze was chased away by Maya’s. “We all owe ya’ for helping our sweet lil’ Rita.” An elderly woman in the group came up, patting Rita’s head softly. “What’s your name, kids?”

“I’m Fate Isley, and this is Anesha Kyteler. We’re just traveling and filming for our website.” I introduced us as more pedestrians came toward our growing crowd.

“Excuse me, everyone!” That same colossal police officer called for attention. He was a black man, standing more than a head and shoulders above all the townsfolk. “Sorry, but we’re going to need you all to move away from the mall. Until we can determine the cause of the mass fainting, we’ll need…” In opposition to his stature, the voice and tone spoken with carried only exasperation.

“Huh?!” The crowd quickly pivoted from happy to unruly! “How long you going to keep this place locked down?! It’s been a whole day!” More Gold River residents pushed up toward the officer; I expected him to assert himself! “Y’all never do your jobs anyway! It took some kids comin’ all the way from outside the town to find Rita ‘cause none of y’all could!” He didn’t; in fact, the officer backed down! “You’re not even Gold River cops! Tell the mayor we need some actual Gold River cops and not the spares from Whispering Hills!” The crowd was beginning to whip themselves up into a frenzy!

“Quit givin’ the guy so much trouble!” Our curmudgeonly guest spoke up to defend the cowering officer. “Threader’s been helping out as much as he can. Don’t go givin’ the kid a hard time, ya’ old farts.” That chastising seemed to calm the mob.

“Haha!” A familiar laugh resounded! “Look at that, ol’ Arnold standin’ up for someone? Gotta’ be that he misses Moo and needs some companionship!” Metal shop owner, Dirk, joked as he wrapped his arm around the neck of his pal.

“Ya’ sure your hard ass head only caught the side of my truck and not the pavement? Ya’ soundin’ a bit loopy! Guess if it did, we would’ve had to pay for the ground to get fixed, huh?” Arnold reiterated his joke from earlier; he must’ve thought it was pretty funny.

“Didn’t your old ass say that exact thing before? Your mind goin’?” Their banter reminded me of how Chester and I would joke. It made me homesick, again.

With another situation diffused, officer Threader began again. “We’ll try to wrap this up as soon as possible, but please back away. We have to make sure there isn’t a gas leak or radiation or something worse in the area.”

“Guess that means no dinner.” Caleb’s comment sent Rita into a frowning fit!

“But I wanna’ eat with Fate and Anesha!” She whined.

“Then why not sit down with the kids?” Dirk pointed toward a nearby park. Some younger people, Libby included, set up a row of firework canisters around a stage. I recognized the two members of Dirtbags Done Wrong waving at us too. “Ah, don’t make that face, ya’ ol fart!”

“Celebratin’ just don’t feel right. I don’t care what the kids do, just don’t sit right with me.” Dirk dragged Arnold along with an arm wrapped around his neck.

“Can we stay, Dad?” With stars in her eyes, Rita pleaded to her father! “I really, really, really want to hang out with Fate and Anesha!”

“Well…” Caleb looked to his wife, who was busy tapping away at her phone screen. “Babe, what do you think? Want to stick around.”

“Hm? Yeah, sure.” Whatever was drawing Maya’s attention had fully engaged her.

“Yea!” Rita cheered, grabbing my hand and reaching for Anesha, but was denied yet again. “Come on!”

“Hold it, Rita.” Maya stopped her daughter just short of running off into the growing crowd! “You go with your father. I want to talk with Fate and Anesha about something.” Met with a frown, the mother fired back a fierce glare; retreating behind Caleb’s broad back, Rita quickly hid. “…And dear…please watch Rita. Don’t let her wander off.”

“Of course! No problem!” His beaming was dampened by Maya’s relentlessly serious, hawk like glare.

“Don’t let her wander off. You’ve been watching all those monster movies lately with Rita, even though I asked you not to. So, I’m asking you…seriously.”

“G-Gotcha’!”

“I’ll be fine, Mom!” Every attempt to assuage her mother’s evident worry were falling flat.

“I just don’t want anything to happen to you, honey.”

“Nothing will! Fate and Anesha will save me again if anything does!” Rita cheating a smile back to us didn’t go unnoticed by the ever watchful Maya!

“Save you again? Do you remember something from that night now, Rita? Could you tell me what you remember?” Again, a glance was ill-advisedly and haphazardly shot over the child’s shoulder to me! I didn’t want her exposeing our escapades, but coming up with a detailed excuse through any type of non-verbal communication was impossible!

“…I don’t know.” Rita said with confidence back to her mother, having not missed the child blatantly seeking my approval!

“…OK. Go with Dad. I’ll catch up soon.” With a poorly hidden thumbs up to us…Rita grabbed Caleb’s hand and walked off into the park as a crowd grew around the stage. Thus, we were left to chat with Maya. “Let’s walk a bit.”

Part 3

“…” Still typing on her phone, Maya silently led us away from the park and whatever festivities were brewing. We ended our trek in a nearly silent residential block with the strip mall and park far away; pedestrians walked by, seeming to take interest in that growing crowd. Alone at last, I was put even further on edge. Maya didn’t seem like a threat, especially with Anesha around, but something clearly occupied all of the witch’s attention.

“Maya, what’s up? Did we do something wrong?” From the second she’d met us, Anesha and I were treated less like people who saved her daughter and more like…

“No idea if you did, but I have my suspicions.” There it was! She was direct, at least. “You both came out of nowhere and found my daughter. Day after next, massive fainting fit!”

“Sounds like a coincidence to me.” I tried to play off my unease. “Plus, those have nothing to do with each other—”

“And there’s this!” Maya interrupted, holding up her phone with the Occult Research and Study club’s webpage!

“Oh wow! You found it! How’d you find it?!” My enthusiasm got the best of me. I was sure Anesha would be annoyed, seeing me so giddy with joy but something else held the witch’s attention.

“I looked up your name. It wasn’t hard to find the website…or the other articles about you.” Swapping between tabs on the phone revealed articles from earlier that year about my disappearance. “Then, these.” Posts about the Jasontown swamp. “And these!” Maya even managed to find stories written about those deaths at the hands of Lauritz! Detective skills like that were impressive; however, I wondered what conclusion was being drawn. “Seems like trouble follows you around…or at least orbits you.”

“Kind of does. What’s your point though?”

“Maya!” Officer Threader, clearly losing the battle with his antiperspirant against that summer heat, followed us. Pulling off his cap to dry a brow dampened by beads of salty sweat, Threader’s neatly cut fade was fully on display. A curious sliver purple hair peaking up from the man’s jet-black top, which intrigued me. “What’s the emergency?! You made it sound like something big was…” At first, I was confused; the pause was so apparent I worried a ghost had stolen officer Threader’s breath away. That lasted until I tracked the man’s gaze; resting on Anesha. It wasn’t like the others, captivated by her beauty; no, he was shocked and frightened! “…L-Like it was a big deal.” Slipping back on cap, the shaken man began again while feigning composure.

“Fate.” Anesha whispered to me, breaking her silence. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Over officer Threader trying in vain to calm down Maya, and the band on stage setting up their instruments, I couldn’t hear much. “What are you hearing? What’s the matter?”

“…” No response, Just Anesha staring off into the darkening sky. I looked up too. That vast blackness staring back would’ve sent chills up my spine, if not for the twinkling lights peppering it. In Greenville, when dusk ate away at the sun, music and bright signs shooed away any true silent night. You could never see stars in that city; unlike in Gold River.

“Hey!” Maya shouted! “No conversing among yourselves!”

“Maya, please.” Thankfully, officer Threader seemed accustomed to defusing situations like that. “Now…I understand that you’re a bit suspicious of these two…and I have questions, but you’re not an officer anymore. Let me do my job, ok?”

“…Fine. I’m not leaving though.” Only walking up to the opposite end of the block, about a hundred feet away, Maya waited with her back against a lamppost. Even then, the glaring didn’t relent.

“OK, Mr. Fate Isley…” Officer Threader began.

Anesha suddenly rose a single finger, signaling for the conversation to halt…and it did! “…You are not hearing that, Fate?” I shook my head. Nothing odd was reaching my ears. “Your senses are ever so dulled. That rogue familiar in pursuit of the seed has yet to relent. Constantly prodding at me and remaining within this town’s airspace; it has likely identified us successfully.”

“What?!” My blood ran so cold it offset the humidity! I trembled, looking up again; just more stars. “It's in the sky, right? A-a-are we under attack right now?!”

“What’s going on with you two?” Officer Threader’s words, I heard them, but they couldn’t overcome my fears. Weak. Unable to fight. What could I do?!

“You, stay here.” Anesha stormed off down the street. “I shall have Bramble make contact posthaste! Do not engage with any threats, should they appear!”

“Hey…Wallace! You’re just going to let that girl walk away?!” Maya quickly rejoined the conversation, storming over with anger at her back! “She has just as much to do with all of this as he does!”

“Maya, come on. What did I tell you?” Officer Wallace Threader backed the irate woman up a bit. “Fate.” He said. “Fate.” Again. “Fate Isley!” The calls finally got through to me, and I turned to look at the man!

“Huh?” He pointed my own ID right into my face. “What? How’d you…?” I checked my pockets, empty as they often were, I expected to at least find my own wallet! It wasn’t there. Then it hit me.

“We found it at the Rockhill Charter school…er, what was left of it. A few months back, a rockslide nearly destroyed that whole building, but the other day something just about finished it off. It was like someone had blown up the school…and soaked every inch of the surrounding area in water. There was also lots of ice melting very slowly…”

“…” I was stumped. (What do I say? Am I being detained? This is like before, but they just let me go thanks to…)

“Relax, Fate. Just come with me and we’ll discuss this.” Despite officer Threader doing his best to speak calmly, my mind was frayed.

(Anesha’s going to be fighting alone, again?! Is she fully healed up from the fight with those Magekin? Should I just try and run? What do I do…?) Human as I was, that ever hanging guillotine felt ready to fall at a moment’s notice; splitting my neck and taking the seed…and my life.

Part 4

“…Anesha…” It called. That voice, whispering into my ear over and over. “…Anesha…Kyteler!” A simple tactic; drawing one’s attention by calling their name. Doing something so simple, a Magekin will be put on guard, causing the smallest amount of mana to ripple outward from them. (There! Arnold’s truck. I would commend Fate, were he here, for bringing along the bag.) As was the case in that loathsome swamp, I expected to face a familiar; one crafted by Caelan.

Sifting through our bag, I retrieved my mage’s robes. As I readied to find a location for changing… “Yo, Anesha!” My name was called, lo’ it was from an irritating source, one not quickly forgotten! “It is Anesha, right? I think that’s your name.” Fuzzy haired Lu, from our evening rescue of Rita, approached whilst sporting a grin. Clothed in weathered footwear, lazy red shorts, and a simple white tee-shirt; I stifled my mighty need to scream at the girl’s slacker garb! “You here for the concert and barbecue? I’d rather go boarding, but you know how it is. Dad said we should come out and celebrate, but it’s kind of awkward to have these events on the same day, right?” The girl rambled on. Were Lu a Magekin, it would be considered normal, yet I had little time to spare.

“Lu, I require your assistance.”

“What’s up?”

“A place to change, post haste!”

“Huh? I mean…ok. Follow me!” Following those fuzzy teddy bear locks of Lu through the park, I was brought to a portable restroom. “…What?” My face could hide little disappointment. “You wanted somewhere to change, right? This is the most private spot!”

Lo’ I would have rather changed in a grime filled alleyway; there was no time. “It shall suffice.” In I went, and lord was the smell near unbearable! All four walls of the small green plastic washroom appeared clean, lo’, upon close inspection, thin layers of waste caked them! (Hurry, hurry, hurry!) Clothes stripped away, special care was taken to avoid touching the possibly fecal ridden floors! (Less than one minute is all I am afforded. The calls of my name had successfully disturbed me. Facing those two Magekin will be difficult enough, thus we do not need another enemy; especially one crafted by Caelan!) A snap, mana burst outward, and my robes clung to me! I was dressed and could sense that wave rippling across the air! My broom hurdled toward me, leaving only a few seconds. I kicked open that foul door and escaped the portable washroom!

“Whoa! What’s with those clothes?! They’re cool!” Her appreciation was noted. I tossed my casual set of clothing back toward Lu, who caught it stupendously!

“Take those to Arnold’s vehicle, I shall return for them!” No time to explain. The wave of mana must have reached that familiar in the sky by then! “Off with you! Quickly! Now! Shoo teddy bear child!”

“That’s not going to become a thing!” Lu shouted, sprinting back to Arnold’s vehicle!

With all other residents of Gold River either busy setting up that stage or indoors, the chance presented itself. Booming in through the forest trees, my armament, my broom appeared! I extended a hand, grabbed its handle, and rocketed off into the sky! It moved with such great speed, the tendons in my shoulder were pulled nearly to their limits. (Oh, what an exhilarating burn!) Firmly pressed to the handle of my broom, my chest vibrated as mana was released against me. (Faster! Faster!) Toward that voice and ripple. The towns of Gold River and Whispering Hills quickly shrank below; the people becoming smaller than mere specks. (There.)

Aloft the star riddled sky, a wisp of long tendrils and tapestries floated. Buoyant within that humid summer air, it bounced like a jellyfish in water. Its solitary eye beneath reams of white glowed purple with mana, observing my approach. “…” Wordlessly, it continued treading air. In the moment I prepared to speak, a wave of mana splashed outward into me atop my broom. “Anesha Kyteler.” Arrogance in one’s voice so unmistakable; an unforgettable stench of superiority wafted across the sky. Mana spilled out from beneath the familiar’s white limbs and formed into a small black silhouette. “As mana graces my veins, you have shown yourself.” Through his familiar like a transceiver, member of the Grand Witch’s Cabinet, Caelan Logluma spoke.

“…” My tongue was caught in my mouth. (I must choose my words wisely. Caelan Logluma, even to master and Reagan, he is a threat. Lo’ it is only his familiar, having a direct connection to it calls for serious vigilance!) I placed a hand onto my belt, readying the saber. “Caelan. Hello.”

“Keeping your words short should you need to pivot into a spell? Boorish.” An insult, lo’, he was correct. My mind was abuzz, and muscles trembled. “Bryn has died, I can assume. Always a moaner, never fastidious enough to meditate upon my teachings.” There wasn’t a hint of emotion behind those words. “Unfortunate that the other side of your genes are cursed to forever feed into those animalistic tendencies. I cannot be too upset though; dogs bark, birds fly, and humans destroy.”

“Your point?”

“…Ye’ of so few words. One must enjoy their time on earth, yet I wish to extend it. Where did Bryn die?”

“I sent him already.”

“…” For an instant, silent rage bubbled over. A crack of mana nearly shook me from my broom handle! “I see. Of course you would, half-born as you are. Your mind, much like your veins and eyes, are cursed by that human blood. I haven’t the time to chat, however…” Lo’ he had spent much rambling, Magekin through and through. “I had hopes you would not even respond, nor hear my calls, for there are more important matters to attend to, at this moment.”

(More important than the seed?) Often, the greedy eyes of aristocrats look beyond what commoners saw, as a person I knew would say. (For something to have caught Caelan’s eye, more so than the seed of Yggdrasil; it must center around that tireless obsession; something of familiars.) I remained on guard, speaking slowly. “And what, pray tell, are these important matters—”

The wisp suddenly lurched forward! “It matters not, for you shall die here!” Pulling in all my broom’s mana, I fell; avoiding the familiar! I righted myself and resumed flying, weaving between an onslaught of tendrils from above with relative ease; all those grasping tapestry seemed to fall short of me every time.

(I have faced one such familiar before, yet Caelan was not in full control. Preserving mana may not be as possible. I may need everything to win this encounter!) Gripping the broom’s handle, I leaned back and surfed my armament over that manifestation!

“Marvelous.” Compliments by him were akin to sprinkles of feces upon my bedding. “Twirling around your broom like a gymnast, does that come from your mixed blood too? No, I believe Edith can also perform such acrobatics.” Lo, I watched that familiar’s purple eye, it did not appear to perceive me. The gaze was slower, focusing on the air behind me. “One must wonder, performing dances, acrobatics, or maybe sport, those may have been better pursuits for those of low cache.”

(I shall close the gap and strike true into that wisp’s encasement!) A spell was needed; one which could maintain secrecy and cleave into the familiar! “Slice…” Mana along my index finger built. “… Blade of…” That mana pooled into water, vibrating and spinning faster than a saw! “…liquid!” Compared to hers, my version of that spell was not nearly so pointed; lo’, it would cut through a familiar fine enough!

A magical water blade, longer than my sword and thinner than paper, flew faster than any gun bullet! That attack was beyond physical perception; yet Caelan’s familiar dodged my attack?! Bouncing up and floating away, its reams of white propelled the wisp as if swimming! That seemed impossible. My senses were not perfect, lo, just as the translucent blade of water launched, Caelan’s familiar moved; it was not a reaction. Multiple tentacles shot forth, missing! Escaping a slow barrage of grasping tapestries was not difficult; the movements were no different than in that dreadful swamp before.

(Truly, it would seem this is the same type of familiar. I expected more creativity from a member of the Cabinet! I can only assume the encasement must exist within its head!) Another go! Instead of one, I fired off two spells whilst circling the wisp! One below, another above, the familiar dodged them; thus, it became clear when that purple eye tracked those watery blades! An idea formed. (…Maybe…once more!) Picking up speed, straddling my armament to lower wind resistance, I once again launched the spell! I leapt from my broom to meet the dodging wisp face to face! It reached those tapestries for me, lo’, twirling back escaped their grasps! Spinning like a top on its side, I scored a blow, slashing through the wisp’s head as I drew my saber…or so I thought. (Not deep enough…and what was that?) Blade meeting head, a sensation of steel cleaving into soft, thick cloth yielded to scraping across sturdy crystalline material!

I landed upon the handle just as my broom returned beneath my feet. Expectations that the battle would end in such a simple manner was another of my typical foolish assumptions. Reams of white tapestry shed from atop that familiar wisp, giving way to black tendrils; ones darker than the night sky surrounding us. “A blade made by a warlock, techniques taught by a witch, all wielded by a half-born; intriguing.” Both sets of tentacles fanned out wide, with the black appendages hardening into quills; before me was suddenly a monochrome squid star. “I will admit to failure in not seeing anything of substance in you at a younger age; even calling you a fluke. Charles-Gene; however, he saw something.” That name. “Describing you as the most complex patchwork of matter, genes, organs, and mana, he had ever had the pleasure of tinkering with.” Those words, pointed like sharpened daggers aimed to cut open my sternum once more. Those feelings, I swallowed them along with my memories.

End of chapter 40