Rana, Age 10

She awoke in an empty cell. The walls were white, plastic, and too tough to scratch. Lightbulbs shone, harsh and artificial. An impartial, dead-eyed camera watched her suffering.

Rana shivered in terror.

The demon was right. She’d lost everyone, more alone now than ever. The black Voice of torment would soon return. Seconds clawed bloody lines across her mind in that naked white room. A thought finally pierced desperation and panic; the others should have their Rosetta Stones.

She regurgitated the object from her stomach’s pocket dimension and sent a message, :Rana, captured. Who else is in range?:

:Lea, captured, you’ve been out for three days.:

A flood of relief cleared Rana’s head, and she wanted to cry tears of joy as her friends reported their safety and status—but tears were weak, and she wouldn’t let those on the other side of that camera see her weak. Paul was captured, Wendi free but mentally unstable, Kenta seemed confused or disoriented, Cassie kept her distance to spy on their captors, and the new kid was MIA—no Rosetta Stone.

Once Rana knew their locations, she relaxed. She grew bored without immediate impending doom. It didn’t matter her captors gassed her unconscious to bring meals. The group agreed to save Shew Stone illusions as a last-ditch trump card during their escape, if necessary. The humans would eventually become careless, and she’d find a way out of here.

That night, Lea contacted her in a tone lacking the bold girl’s usual confidence, :Rana, got a sec?: After giving the mental equivalent of a nod, Lea continued. :Something… happened when they captured me.:

Rana went on edge but didn’t interrupt.

:Something inside me changed. I can’t control the Charm anymore. Its strength increases every day.: That was bad. Very bad. :You know something, don’t you?: Lea asked as Rana kept her silence. :What happens when a Libra uses their magic to tell people what to do?:

Though Rana felt compelled to reply, she recognized the magic at work and resisted it on instinct. Something small and dangerous tugged at her mind, but—given time to think, she relaxed her Will and submitted to the urge. :Yes.:

Then added of her own volition, :The subject of the magic can be Broken by the strain. Their Will shatters, and they become catatonic. An infamous Taboo, causing a Spirit Disease one would not wish on even their enemies. The Libra who does this becomes a monster.:

Lea whispered, :So, it’s true… I’ve never seen a Broken person; it sounds horrific.:

If she were to help, Rana needed information. :I noticed your Charm when we first met but never felt compelled before.: She instantly regretted that last word, but Lea hadn’t seemed to notice Rana’s brief struggle.

:In the past,: Lea sent, :I kept Charm from leaking into my voice, though I’ve never turned it off completely. Actually, that’s why I joined the T.O.: Rana hadn’t heard this story. :My birth mother is alive. She raised me in a small village of friendly people. I think I was a spoiled little girl. Most kids learn quickly they aren’t the center of the universe; I didn’t catch the memo.

:Everyone knew my name, gave me little treats or gifts as I passed by, always a kind word, and eyes followed me everywhere. I loved it. Eventually, I realized I wasn’t human. Between the gravity-manipulating caramboles, the shapeshifting clothes, the way I could see things others couldn’t, and the power of my Charm, I felt out-of-place.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

:I asked my mother where I came from, and she told me I was too young to understand, except my father was Gancanagh, the ‘Love-Talker,’ a well-known Libra.:

A massive understatement. Gancanagh—an infamous incubus known not for immense destruction but for how he joyfully tore apart relationships through seduction. The more enduring and profound the love he ruined, the better. A truly terrible monster. The frog girl kept this to herself.

:As I grew older, I learned it was shameful for a mother to have children out of wedlock. I wonder how father convinced her…:

Perhaps the others’ guardians were squeamish about explaining reproduction to their wards and waited too long. Bufo mentally prepared Rana for her body’s adolescent changes. She suspected only her brother had given ‘the talk’ plain and factual. He’d always armed her with knowledge since they’d struck their bargain, and she put herself in his debt. She might have to teach the other girls if they didn’t rejoin the adults soon. She didn’t look forward to that responsibility.

:One day, I sensed auras in the woods. Overconfident, I left the village with nothing but the clothes on my back, not knowing if it were a circle of mages or a monster. I showed up at the T.O.’s camp demanding I be accepted into the group.

:At that time, the T.O. was small. Cale took Nes under his wing on a whim, the idea for an organization planted in his mind by John and Gaja. Those two were an odd couple of Wildlings, Hammer and Behemoth, but they admired the father-son relationship between Calephor and young Nesyamun.

:The four of them knew my nature immediately. Yet John scooped me up, unafraid of my touch, to dote on me, shower me with praise, and playfully tease me. My magic amplified his concern for a lost girl into binding fatherly love, but he changed me in turn. In spite of my… somewhat willful nature, I soon became utterly devoted to him.:

Lea spoke of him with affection and a wistful smile. As a Hammer, John was a master builder of both physical structures and relationships. Hammers instill feelings and impressions by intuitively reinforcing words with tiny gestures and micro-expressions.

In John’s case with Lea, he said more with a look and a warm touch than anyone else could speak in thousands of words. In mere minutes, you’d known him all your life. He built bridges between people.

However, like Lea’s magic, his limitations were the quality of his building materials. Neither of them could create love without a seed to grow. The core of affection between John, his partner Gaja, and Lea was real beyond doubt.

Lea continued, :Simply by giving me the attention I craved, he had me babbling about myself, my village, and my intentions of leaving it. Then, after learning all he needed, John returned me to the village and explained the situation to my mother. Though the villagers were sad to see me go, he made them grasp the danger my staying would attract to their homes.

:John became the father I’d never had. I wouldn’t have accepted anyone else. Who besides him could I respect as being, if not above manipulation, my equal in it? Who besides another mind-affecting magic user could’ve connected with me on that level? I desperately sought his approval to the point I’d do my chores and share my toys with a grin. If there is any good in me, his discipline put it there.

:Gaja was my second mother, salving homesickness with her love. The warmth of her embrace made a confused little girl forget about what she’d lost. I was just as enchanted with her height, blue skin, elephant ears, tusks, and trunk; her body became my playground!

:Cale was kind but sharp too. The bigger the group, the easier to get new people to join. Cassie and Nyctea, Wendi and Ziege, Kenta and Harumi, Paul and Lumière, you and Bufo, then Daniel and Persephone. I miss them so much.:

Lea’s voice trembled on the edge of sobbing. :What are we going to do without them? How are we supposed to pull ourselves together without Nes to lead? What if I never learn how to control this magic? What if it keeps getting worse?:

The Libra girl grew hysterical. Rana had to help, and she recalled what Bufo said about difficult tasks. :We’ll find them. Until then, tackle one thing at a time. First, you’ll need to relearn how to talk to people. I’ve already been hit by your Charm several times listening to you—don’t cry. We’ll deal with it. Speak deliberately. Consider every word as you say it and how it affects the meaning of the sentence.:

:You mean like this?: Lea softened her voice, :Say if it’s making a difference…:

It didn’t. :Slow down. Remember what happens if you make a mistake, but don’t let fear rule you.:

:You are saying you wish for me to draw out every word I speak in a way such as this?: she asked, her mood starting to recover.

:Better,: Rana said. :We’ll explain things to the others carefully. Not more than they need to know, just enough to explain away the change in language and keep them from touching you. We can keep practicing in the meantime.:

Lea gave a mental sigh. :At least one good thing can come of this—it’ll give us something to work on together! I’ve been so bored locked in this room I’m braiding my hair to keep my hands busy.: