Chapter 41

Part 1

Tender and soothing like feathers, sharp and jagged like spears; a monochromatic dance of tendrils twirled across Whispering Hills’ skies chasing me! Straddling my broom, I sped away from that spiraling dual-colored squid of death! That purple eye lethargically tracked my backside, seemingly; meanwhile those white tapestries grasped at mana exploding from the broom’s end! Weaving about did little to overcome the volley of familiar tentacles! “Which side of you loathes the preservation and prosperity of our culture and people so? One would assume, it is the human…barbaric side.”

Barbaric? Was that how I was to be perceived? Should one simply allow themself to be slain? (I was not wrong in defending myself!) Killian was a bastard, wholly unforgivable. He had taken many lives in pursuit of… (He killed…just for himself.) The eyes of hypocrisy, had I again drawn their ire? (Bryn…was necessary…) Is what I told myself.

A sly tendril caught my broom, flinging me off of the armament! An attempt to right myself using a spell was met with one such tapestry ensnaring me; wrapping my whole upper body in strong white cloth! Before I could make another move, Caelan struck. “Shock!” Electricity shot through my body! It was a paralyzing jolt so strong my mind went blank. “Captive audience that you are now, allow me to lament.” Another jolt! “We send off loved ones, is it not cruel? Even should their legacy stand; gone with them from this plane of existence are their ideas, influence, and presence.” Shocked again, a taste similar to pennies plagued my mouth, while the odor of burnt bread filled my nostrils. “Vexing that we do not know what awaits us in the next life; only an archmage is granted such wonderful secrets. For that, one must weep.” More shocks! My consciousness faded in and out!

Such a dire predicament, indeed! (Do not pass out! Stay awake! Stay awake!) My own self prodding did little in the face of further electrical shocks.

“I ask you, Anesha Kyteler; would you have not wished to keep the spirit of your mother close, were the chance offered to you?”

“…” My mouth could not form words, lips and tongue having gone numb.

“Her ideas, influence, and presence, you must miss them all. Kiara Kyteler, a woman of grace, even as a commoner. Well…perhaps grace is not the correct phrase. Perseverance? No. Hardheadedness? No. Foolishness?”

“S…”

“Hmm?” More joules were amped throughout my being, lo’ it mattered not!

“Silence!” Pain mattered not, for with blade in hand, I severed those tentacles! Freed, I fell back onto my broom just in time to catch the handle! “Speak ill of my mother once more and I shall rend your tongue from that rotten swill laden mouth, aristocrat!”

“Hohoho!” Even Caelan’s laugh was condescending! “Barbarism, and fury? You show such emotion now, and yet I still remember that day. Your eyes, blank; empty and uncaring, watching slowly as your mother burned.”

“Striking flash, oh thunderous arrow!” Aiming to pay back those electrical shocks and insults to my mother, I blundered in launching a spell with more gusto than ever, allowing my emotions to win out. That squid effortlessly swam in between the bolts of magical lightning, looming closer with another attack impending! (Fool! Do not allow your enemy to unnerve you!) My hand reached for another bolt, lo’ the wisp’s tendrils relentlessly pursued! I ducked, backing away upon my broom, making space! There was nary a second in which that whirling familiar was not within range of me! (I need only a second—)

An explosion erupted between us, a rainbow of colorful smaller bursts crackled outward with intense heat and force! “…Humans.” Caelan grumbled at the firework. The perfect distraction! Distance made between the wisp and I, there was never a more perfect opportunity present!

“Bind!” From my free hand, ribbons tethered the white tendrils to my broom!

“Hmm…” Cooing with surprise, Caelan had not suspected such a turn; lo’ I was about to usurp the advantageous position! “Impressive.” His lackadaisical inflection displayed no fear, or even concern. The wisp’s body could no longer turn nor slither free, anchored in place to my broom’s handle! My armament held strong; I stepped off, leaping toward the familiar, blade overhead! “My, what a sight…” I brought down the edge onto Caelan’s manifestation only for those black tentacles to intercept it! “…However, I am prepared.” They had hardly reacted until then; I nearly believed them to exist without purpose. A foolish assertion dealing with one such as Caelan.

Crossing jagged spears clenched my saber with incredible force, momentarily trapping me! A swift kick managed to dislodge me, allowing a safe retreat! (This saber remains intact. Magesmith, you are a master.) My broom came to rest back beneath me, settling as a seat within the sky while I calmed myself and reassessed the situation. (I have been sending mental signals for Bramble to return to Fate’s side. His dog nose should allow the old man to find Fate, even with the seed emitting so little mana.) I was left to believe in those two, as not an ounce of focus could be spared. (That familiar…I was not mistaken.) Whilst above Caelan’s squid, I spied my previously made wound. Before, the sensation of my blade cleaving through its head was unmistakably odd. It left a fissure through that manifestation’s head, exposing amethyst innards with a purple mana crystal visible beneath reams of white tapestries; the familiar’s spirit encasing…sitting alongside another.

“My instructions were to capture you; haul you before the Cabinet in which you would face adequate punishment for your crimes.” Shooting out from below Caelan’s wisp were more dark tendrils, hardening into sharp limbs, as if arms and legs! “Mayhap, you would be jailed, dissected and left suffering until the day you die. That, to me, is a decision made by the morally frail. Even the punishment your mother suffered did little to cull any twisted ideas polluting your head, and the heads of commoners. Your death may draw ire, but should your head be paraded through the streets of Graewood, it will serve to cure that poison which has infected us; an all too human poison.” Reflecting twinkling lights all around, a shiny black figure in the dark of night levitated over Whispering Hills’ mountain range. Equipped with white lochs wistfully dancing in the wind, and razor-sharp appendages posed for combat; further perils loomed. Those were worrisome, lo’, a bloodshot orange eye had been revealed below the purple one, straining with palpable eagerness upon its blackened torso.

From where I sat, it was clear my enemy was something new; maybe more dangerous than I had expected. “…Two spirits within a single familiar…”

Part 2

A second mana crystal gleamed with purple splendor, encasing another spirit within its vessel. As those white tapestries retreated over the squid’s wound, shielding it’s…their obvious weak spot, forked fingers sprouted from the familiar’s arms! “It is a shame that I must pluck those accursed eyes from your skull.” The diamond squid lurched! Blade met pitchfork as I blocked the assault, yet it did not relent. “Even if they exist as a testament to your poisoned human lineage, their unique color was always something that Charles-Gene and others of the upper class would chatter about.” The weight of Caelan’s familiar was significant enough to push back my broom, even whilst bursting forward with mana!

Contrasting that familiar’s purple eye, the orange was transfixed on my blade. (I have a hand free! A counter-spell will—) As I prepared to launch another Slice spell, my left hand was suddenly snatched! (The tapestries?!) Wrist ensnared above my head by those white reams; I unsteadied! “Slice—” It tugged, nearly pulling me off my broom handle! A precarious position; left hand being reeled in by white tentacles, right locked in a struggle with that familiar’s crossing black arms!

Pushing with all my strength only separated us by mere feet, lo’, a flurry of strikes then came from the familiar! Persistent swarm of black stings and slashes, I barely deflected, attempted to perforate my chest with a few managing to cut across my legs and shoulders. “It would appear that Edith’s style can be clearly perceived and anticipated when seen through the eyes of a human martial artist.”

(Such a statement proves you have never truly witnessed my master’s grace in combat.) Our struggle grew more desperate by the second! Whenever I would fend off black spears, a spell seemed fit; lo’, upon my mind beginning calculations and drawing mana, a tug along the wrist would lurch me forward! (I cannot gather my thoughts! Even a basic spell is beyond me!) Relentless strikes grew more ferocious, facilitating a change in stances!

“Hmm…” My skin crawled hearing that aristocrat coo in observation of me surfing my broom. “How exotic a stance.” Atop the armament once more, mana rolled and rippled like waves beneath my feet. Lo’, that stance would lose speed, it would allow for a magnificent range of movement! Another technique my master had instilled in me, all for gaining advantage over other Magekin in combat.

We clashed, the bladed diamond familiar and I! Again, and again, I intercepted forked spears, not giving that manifestation any ground…air. Swiveling and rolling that handle under my boots; master likened that style of broom riding to gliding across a dance floor. Movements meant to be graceful, swinging my hips and blade to parry or dodge, I could even use the broom itself as a weapon by whacking it’s end into that familiar’s face! Our dance upon the knife’s edge cut closer and closer to my heart than any blade had come; all whilst setting it ablaze with an undeniable excitement! Sparks flew in-between our mana crafted weaponry being rammed into each other! Each thrust, it took everything I had to not be pulled in by Caelan’s cloths wrapping my wrist. Nearer and nearer, they grazed my ribs, thighs, hands, shoulders, all aimed to piece that thumping heart within my chest!

(Focus!) I was losing myself to the battle! (Movements so pointed, clearly this is not due to Caelan’s direct control.) Each attack was well controlled, aiming for my vitals or attempting to unbalance me. (That familiar must have full consciousness; a warrior mayhap?) Twisting the broom below me, we swooped, swayed, and swiveled on our little dance through the sky like two entangled swallows! (I should launch a spell! Those white cloth have not made a move in some—) That familiar suddenly reeled me in close; incredible force strained my left shoulder as we came blade to blade just to stop my momentum! Entangled as we were, pushing our bodies closely together, I could not break free! (Caelan, what are you planning?! He has not cast a spell in some time…could he be…?!) We levitated toward the mountain range, then it happened…

“…Upsurge!” An earth bound spell!

(From where?!) We were so high off the ground, even the mountains were short of us! There was nary a second to discern his plans. I prepared to launch my own spell, yet the familiar wrapped my mouth with its white tentacle! (Persistent obstruction!)

From below, a cascade of jagged rocks erupted into the sky! If not for my mage’s robes and armament, I’d have been skewered! Caelan’s spell launched sharp boulders upward as if the mountain were a volcano! Several smashed into my arms and legs; horrid bruises were a certainty. They were of no concern, simply added to a list of scars; lo’, a number struck my broom, and shattered it! Mana contained within my armament exploded, nearly blasting me onto those outstretched pikes! Both forked arms pushed into my lone saber and handguard whilst white tapestries remained wrapping my left wrist and mouth! I was hoisted upward and over the familiar’s head, balancing with a handstand over an impossibly deadly foe.

“Wondrous physical aptitude; your human half does continue to impress me, Anesha Kyteler. I suspect a portion of that comes from Edith’s training as well, though.” Handstood atop my own weapon like a balance beam, I watched as broom fragments plummeted to the earth. “Lend me your ear as I air my grievances.” As if I had any choice. “One of Edith’s coven managed to surpass one I groomed for my family personally…upsetting. Realizing that I envy her…sickening.” Prattling on. “The teachings which I hold so dear were flippantly tossed into the dirt by techniques and magics taught by Edith…to a half-born. I wonder, will Magekin continue to exist within even a century’s time. Are the teachings and history which we hold so dear to simply fade away and be replaced? Our…loved ones erased, as if they never existed…”

(What now?) Caelan thought so lowly of me, or maybe too highly of himself, to consider I may pose any honest threat; lo’, I was at an undeniable disadvantage. Broomless, there was no quick escape. (I have no hope of casting a spell, and I am doing everything I can to keep upright. I am near totally deprived of options!) Seconds, no, milliseconds! There was no time to think! (Those mana crystals are within reach!) Only cloth, which I had severed before, separated me from the encasings. They were in blade’s reach! (I would need three strikes! Cleave through those white reams to the crystals, then attack both! Could I do it in two?) Nary a second to think, immediate action was needed!

“…That hurts the soul.” Eye to eye with Caelan’s manifestation, I was solely the focus. The purple sluggishly watched my mouth; orange stared right at my hand and sword. Nothing else mattered to it, nor Caelan; and fortune would smile upon me in that instant. A flicker within Whispering Hills, it whistled toward us!

(An opportunity!) One seized! With all my strength, I pushed up on the blade to make miniscule distance between us! (Just enough!) Caelan’s familiar was poised to stab my eye, lo, I dodged; rather a slash across my shoulder and hip than certain death! Sword plunged into the familiar’s chest; I cracked its body open with a twist of my blade and ran it upward, through to the top of that squid’s head! Freeing my mouth with an unoccupied hand… “Striking flash…” The next movement was obvious; those white tapestries would attempt to interrupt! (Focus on me! Only me!)

Caelan’s squid tossed and turned, slinging me leftwards and resulting in us twisting through the air like a top! “Shock!” A pain I endured; agonizing electricity traveled down the white cloths and throughout my body! “I am not so full of myself as to ignore your movements, Anesha Kyteler.” True enough. I was a Magekin, one of his own; a person in his eyes, even if only half a person. That other half was human, and humans would tend to surprise you!

Another firework soared directly into that accursed familiar’s gouged open chest cavity! (Oh my! Even better than I thought!) The explosion erupted within that manifestation, spewing amethyst innards by way of rainbow sparks! My arrogance was rewarded almost immediately, however. More and more, a cacophony of explosions bathed Whispering Hills’ skyline in a myriad of bright colors all around us! Scorching hot colorful particles warmed my skin through the mage’s robe as that onslaught only escalate in grandeur! Blasts from every direction bounced the squid about as if a badminton birdie, hurling me to-and-fro; pulling my shoulder beyond its limit.

A pop came along with sudden awareness of bone location, burning, and weakness; my left shoulder was dislocated. Worse, my still captured left wrist was not freed. Pains, too many to count, lo’ there was no time for weeping! “You could not have planned—”

“Bind!” Through that tremendous suffering, I forced out my own bindings; each tentacle was snatched up by my blade wielding hand in magical ribbons! “Raze…”

The familiar’s sharp arms struggled to break free! “Too late, it would seem.” It was! For a change, I was the reeler! Drawing in Caelan’s familiar, I took aim at that wound, it left ample space for my flame-clad foot!

“…Earth beneath my feet!” Down came the squid, right onto my boot! My kick seared its insides and shattered through one of the mana crystals and familiar’s backside!

With an encasement gone, I pondered my next move, lo’, the blackened body of that manifestation crumbled and flaked away. “Superb.” That was not Caelan’s voice. The familiar spoke one word as purple mana weakened in potency until it faded from sight. Yet, I was not done! Those white tapestry seized me, wrapping my legs and hips!

“I’ve grown tired of…this!” And thus, my blade cleaved through those tentacles, and the other encasing at last! Returning to those which poisoned his culture and plagued my blood, the humans that Caelan ignored so pompously; I fell back toward earth with a wide grin. “Until we meet again, know that a half-born walks away from this battle victorious over you!” I was compelled to taunt him as his familiar disintegrated among the still exploding skies over Whispering Hills.

“…I shall not make such a mistake again, Anesha Kyteler.” Even with those final words spoken, Caelan showed no worry or fear. I was a mere bump in the road, something that could be addressed at another time; which was deeply concerning.

(I am still none the wiser to his goals.) Vexing. As I fell and watched that familiar disappear completely, another issue donned upon me. (…I do need to slow my descent. In this state, I have plenty of mana cached, yet this shoulder…Skip? No, that spell requires balance, which I cannot trust of myself in this current state. I would be launched sideways.) Even without eyes on the ground, my senses indicated how fast it was approaching! (A barrier…no. That’d use too much mana, for sure. Maybe…) Wind whistled by my ears, as I contemplated simply allowing myself to crash into the earth and die. It would have brought an end to all of that struggling and fighting; quieted all those voices insulting me for existing, stopping those greedy hands from taking away my choices and freedoms. (…Master.) She would have been furious with me to die in such a pathetic way! “Vanguard, rise!” Summoning a familiar took substantial amounts of one’s internal mana cache. In many cases, Magekin would simply allow their familiars to wander about alongside them, lo’, I was not afforded such opportunities; as only Bramble would not draw attention. In a flash of light, the ruler piece appeared, slowing my descent by catching me atop the sword’s flat side and with that crossbow attached to its arms. I sighed with relief but also resignation; I had likely given away all secrecy. “…I can only assume we will be encountering those threats much sooner than I had hoped.” We landed nearest the mountain’s peak; a long walk downhill awaited.

Part 3

Roughly 20 minutes before the end of Anesha and Caelan’s battle…

(I can’t go to jail! If I do, I'll be alone and trapped with that Flesh Weaver person and those other Magekin still out there!) Awaiting officer Threader to finish messaging someone, I anxiously sat in the back of his idling police car, twiddling my thumbs and tugging at my jacket collar. In contrast, the air mere blocks away was filled with rowdy joy; Dirtbags Done Wrong warmed up on stage in the park before a growing crowd of eager barbecue goers. My constantly queasy stomach could only grumble at that tantalizing smell of food wafting in our direction, though my eyes remained transfixed on the sky. (…I can’t sense anything! This sucks! From all the way down here, I don’t even know what to look for.) Just what was, an admittedly beautiful sky, hung over head peacefully. No matter where looked, only stars and blackness.

“For real, cut that shit out.” I hadn’t been paying attention at all, but Maya walked up to the vehicle’s side and was chatting with Wallace. “Maya, let me do my job.” He asserted.

“I am, but you let her just walk off! My gut tells me something bad is coming.” My gut agreed with Maya’s gut. “I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job…”

“Yeah, you are. It’s good; you used to do it all the time. You’re not on the force anymore though.” Despite those comments, Wallace seemed to be having a more comfortable back and forth with Maya than anyone else. “Head on back to Caleb and Rita. Enjoy the day, decompress, have fun. We’ll talk later.” After a smile and wave, Wallace drove off with me in tow. We traveled silently through Gold River, draped in evening blackness. On both sides of us, as we drove down the road, were walls of trees and tall lampposts barely fending off pitch blackness and glowing eyes. The animal silhouettes in that wilderness were barely illuminated, looking only like blobs within a void of black oaks. My nyctophobia did not enjoy those sights. “You good back there, Fate?”

“H-Huh?” I was breathing heavily; that must’ve worried officer Wallace. “Um…I’m fine, I guess, but could you turn on the radio or something? I’m not good with silence and the dark.”

“Sure, sure.” He did. At a low volume, someone spoke over the radio giving me some distracting noises. Having anything going in the background helped ease tension in my nerves, but not my mind. Every second separated from Anesha and crowds could mean I was closer to being attacked. Two Magekin from Graewood and that one magic hunter were on my tail…my weak, defenseless tail. “So…” Officer Wallace began. “Uh…that girl…or woman with you…” He seemed to pause and think. Something was on the man’s mind.

“…Yeah? Anesha?”

“Yes, her. She’s not from around here, right?”

“Neither of us are.” He was trying to kick up a conversation for some reason. It came out of nowhere, and I wasn’t sure why he even cared to.

“Right! You said that! Right…” Whatever was bugging him made me anxious too. We fell back into awkward silence as the news was reported over Wallace’s car radio. “…You know; I grew up outside of…Whispering Hills?” Under Wallace’s forced chitchat, the news reporter mentioned something about a nearby town. “When you end up coming to a town that ain't…full of people like you, it can be tough.” It sounded like they were almost in a hysterical panic! “But you know, having a community helps!” Yelling about something escaping…I couldn’t really make it all out over the awkward officer. “And I’m sure…Anesha, was it? I’m sure she’d feel a bit more comfortable with…” On my phone a bunch of news alerts for the area popped off all at once! “…witches like her!”

In the middle of the road stood a figure! “Watch out!” I yelled just as officer Wallace swerved and barely missed the person! Sliding through grass and mud, we nearly ended up down in the embankment with a tire catching some nearby tree roots! Thank goodness I was wearing my seatbelt in the backseat, otherwise I would’ve been launched headlong through officer Wallace’s windshield.

“What the hell?! You ok back there, Fate?” Barely was.

“I’m alright…” Nothing felt bad…or worse than it had all day; shaken up a bit but I would manage. “What about that person?” Still in the road, that person looked to have fallen back on the ground out of fear. “…Maybe they passed out?”

“Sit tight, I’ll check on them.” Wallace exited his vehicle and approached the person. With those lampposts overhead shining light down onto them but not me, I started feeling anxiety well up in my chest. “Are you okay?” I heard Wallace speaking but was too busy looking down at me clutching my own jacket, fighting back my phobia again. “The fuck? Huh?”

Officer Wallace was suddenly at the back window, turned to look at me and away from the unconscious person! “Uh! Hi! What about that person…? Weren’t you checking on them?”

He looked more baffled than me. “I…I was, but then…hang on.” Off the confused police man stormed, seeming to rush back toward his original destination.

I blinked, and he was walking back toward me again?! “…You ok?”

“…” Speechless, Wallace turned to look at the mysterious figure. “…Hey, you…what the heck is going on?” With a hand gesturing for his sidearm, officer Threader once again approached the downed figure, but slowly.

(Something isn’t right.) Even without the seed, I could feel. “Officer—” From above a bolt of lightning cracked across the dark sky and drew everyone’s attention!

“…sha.” Not totally sure, but I think I heard a slightly husky and unfamiliar voice say something. It seemed to have come from the figure; sitting up with their thick round glasses reflecting the lamplights and…coursing with purple energy!

“…Officer…officer Threader, run!” Rational thought was tossed aside! I slammed my injured hand against the car window and screamed at the top of my lungs! “Officer that person is dangerous! Get away from them!”

The worst part was watching it all unfold. Officer Wallace Threader turned to face me, and in that instant, an amethyst flame appeared behind his head. “Please…” They seemed to ask; that person…that Magekin. A burst of purple flames launched that massive mountain of a man over forty feet into the side of his own car, shattering the windows! At that exact same time, a firework popped in the sky; which helped startle me. I was afraid, unarmed, defenseless, with a Magekin outside of the car. “…Come out.”

End of Chapter 41