~ Hey! Hey, master! Let’s do something crazy!
~ Not now, Codex, I’m busy.
~ A-ha, I can see that. You’re sitting on your ass doing nothing.
! I am meditating.
~ You have been meditated yesterday. The day before that, and day before-before, and before-before-before too! Come on! You won’t learn anything by just doing nothing! Magic is violent! Magic is the power of change! SO GO AND CHANGE STUFF! How long has it been since we first met? Three years? Three boring, lacking any explosions years!
~ My power comes from understanding.
~ YOUR POWERS ARE FUCKING USELESS! Literally. You barely do anything.
~ Abusing the power will lead only to becoming addicted to it. I am training to master magic, otherwise magic will master me.
~ … what do you think would happened if you would combine the seed creation with miasma? You know, creating a being corrupted from the beginning?
I have no idea..
~ EXACTLY! Let’s find out! Come on! I know you’re curious!
Maybe if we would start with small dose of miasma.
~GOOD GIRL! Go on! Go on!
I was about to start chanting a spell, but master appeared out of nowhere.
- “Morgana, what are you doing?”
- “J..just experimenting.”
- “You will do that later. Super is ready and we are waiting just for you.”
- “I am sorry! I think I spaced out a little and lost sense of time!”
- “Easy, child. Nothing yet happened. Cedum complained a little but.”
- “Cedum is complaining all the time.” I smiled.
- “Exactly.”
~ AAAA! No! Why now!? Exactly when something was going to happen!
I followed the teacher to a small hut. We made it some time ago when we moved here – to the mountains, so we could study in peace. All eight of us. The witch, the warlock, the necromancer, the sorceress, the enchantress, the blood whisperer, the curse weaver, and master.
- “Finally! Some of us are starving!” Cedum – the necromancer started yapping. “What’s wrong? Ya fell asleep among the flowers again?”
- “Yes, but that’s only because I don’t want to smell like a corpse… speaking of which… when was the last time you took a bath?”
- “Silence, you two.”
- “Yes, master.” We said in unison.
- “You are brother and sister to each other. This whole world may find what we are doing unnatural, against the goddesses will. You have only this small family. The eight of us needs to be stronger than the whole world. I wish to never see you arguing again.”
- “We are sorry, master…”
- “No, you are not. But there is nothing that can be done about that…” The old man put one of his hand on his head covered under the hood. We have never seen his face. “Now. Eat.”
We did as he asked. At first, the mood was awkward, put pretty quickly Lena, the sorceress, started talking about her newest spells asking us for feedback. She was always experimenting with everything, she never did the spell as it was said by the book. She always needed her own version - or three of them. Each time some explosion could be heard from her training ground Codex was screaming in my mind [Oh! Look! Someone is having fun back there! Maybe you would smash something too?! WHY CAN’T YOU BE MORE LIKE LENA!?].
It was a cheerful evening, despite Cedum’s efforts, that is.
- “My students, I beg for the silence…” The teacher said in the middle of the meal. Every conversation died right away. “… when I took you in I told you what is my task. My job. And my dream. To take away our fates from the goddesses hands. To let the people use magic. Why? They are hungering for prayers, yet they are not listening to them. The faith of everyone who is worshipping a goddess is dull and shallow. Their prayers are full of greed. They are not praying because they love them, not because they want to, but because they hope that the miracle would be bestowed upon them. I wish to change that… this is also why this is our last meeting.”
Something died in my heart.
- “You heard well. In those four years… I have shown you everything. Your excellence left me amazed. Now, you have to go, to find your own students. To pass the gift. To enlighten them! You know how to use magic, the spells are in the parts of Codex, that you are carrying. Farewell, my kids, farewell and remember, only a fool calls himself a master, a true master recognizes himself as an eternal student, because, my beloveds, study never ends. Go with my blessing.”
He raised his staff and hit with it the ground below. His whole body turned into smoke that vanished in the air.
- “He… did he… leave us?” Lena asked.
- “We knew it would eventually happen.”
- “But… why now? We will just… finish eating and go into different ways? Where? Why? How?”
- “Where?” I tried answering the questions of my brothers and sisters. “Didn’t he say that? To look for students. Let’s do it just like he did. Move from town to town looking for people that wish to change their life. Why? So our family could become bigger, to share that gift… How? As always. With our legs and hands… and knowledge of master.” I finished my cup.
I was crying. I couldn’t stop my tears. Finally, after my whole pathetic life I found a place I could call home. Someone who was like father to me. We even had a hut! Now… once again, I was about to have nothing.
- “I hope, that is some time from now we would meet again, after our job would be over. That we would talk about the students we have had. About the places we visited, and how the world moved one step closer in the direction of our paradise. Until then, I want to tell you… that I really… like you guys, even you, Cedum, despite the fact that you’re an asshole.” I smiled one last time, took my coat and left, before anyone could call me back, just because one of their words would be enough to make me turn back. Because I didn’t want them to see me crying. Because that was a joyful day. A day when we shall do what we were told from beginning.
~ … Morgana… I know that I was… a little… or more than just a little, ok, I was quite a bitch, but I just want to tell you, that I will be always here, till the day you would decided giving me to someone’s else… so if you would want to talk.
Thank you.
- “The darkness in my mother,
I yearn for nothing,
The night is my guide,
I shall hunger for nothing,
I was allowed to lay on the bed of green
I was allowed to drink from the purest lakes,
I was allowed to look into the heart of creation,
With knowledge as my weapon,
With pride as my armor,
I shall not turn back,
Thought I was send to walk through Valley of Chaos,
I shall fear no evil, as I have seen its true form,
There has to be evil, So there can be good,
There has to be night, So day could shine even stronger,
Two is one and one is two, May we – walkers of the night,
Fulfill the duty we were told. May beasts shiver on my sight,
For I shall reach the start,
The earth shall tremble,
And the sky will fall!
For we are the first of many, that are yet to come!
Hear me out! Divines! Celestials!
The order of master Prometheus is coming,
To bestow upon the world the powers you are so greedily holding by yourself!”
The words I yelled to the darkening sky didn’t help to ease my pain. I had to finish my task, if I want to see them again! It started to rain.
I was marching for almost the whole day, night, and the next day. I didn’t even stop once, eventually I had to find some village.
Just as I was thinking about that. Someone whistled behind me.
- “Hey! Lady! Walking along in such a weather!? Don’t you now these parts are dangerous?”
It was a thug. With friends.
- “If these parts are as dangerous as you say, you should leave this place.”
- “Unfortunately for you, lady, it is dangerous because of us!”
- “Tell me, you see a lone woman in the forest, dangerous forest, and you are not concerned by anything? Why she was able to walk such a distance undisturbed? But, I have a good humor today, give me your money and food, and I will let you go.”
The man’s eyes at first widened, then he started laughing.
- “Nicely done, lady, I almost believed you, unfortunately, it will be other way around and…”
~ Just kill him. He is a bug. A bandit. You would only make a favor to the local villagers.
- “Spirits within me, You who feast on wrath,
Answer my call, burn those fools, that cross my path.”
- “A witch? A big, bad scary witch?”
Oh, witches existed, in fairy tales, that is. Unfortunately for you, this witch isn’t living in the hut standing on chicken feet. This one, came from your nightmares.
A fireball flew a small distance hitting its target. Fire magic was something I was especially proud of – I could make a leaf burn for ten minutes without turning into ashes.
The other two men started running. The first one was cut in two by wind blade that crossed the forest, the second by fluke, managed to run away. But I wasn’t going to let him run.
In same time, in same forest, Prince Balthazar was hunting with his entourage, right now, the prince was following a deer that was running away. He left his companions behind him, as they were only slowing him down.
The deer ran on the clearing, happily, the young prince took his small cross bow and started aiming. It was impossible for him to miss on the open space. Yet he stopped as he heard screams from the other part of the forest. On same clearing, but from other side, a man jumped running as if chased by devil.
- “HELP! SOMEONE, PLEASE! A WITCH! A REAL WITCH!”
What a waste. His hunt was disturbed by a drunkard... Yet the forest moved. Vines and branches started dancing as if having will of its own, then they shot in direction of man, grabbing him by leg and raising in the air.
- “No! NO! Please! Lady! I beg you! Mercy! MECRY!”
- “Pathetic…” A soft, girlish voice followed from direction man came. “All are bandits such cowards? Attacking a lone woman with a group, then begging for mercy as they were the one hunted down? Or is that a trait of humans? Or males? Or human males?”
A woman stepped on the clearing. The last light of dying sun fell upon her. A demoness? No, not completely. She had some elven traits.
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He moved from the bushes.
- “STOP!” He yelled. “Whatever you are doing! Hand over this man!”
The woman looked on him with a cold, irritated gaze.
- “This man is a bandit that attacked me. I have every right to kill him… in self-defense…”
The last word was added in a tone suggesting she just said the best joke in the world.
- “I am prince Balthazar, if he truly is a bandit, then we would punish him according to his crimes…”
- “The problem is, I don’t want to.”
- “As a prince, I command you…”
- “You are not my prince. I hear commands only from the one that would defeat me.”
- “In that case… pardon me, father, but I am about to break the protocol or two. I am challenging you to a duel!”
The woman only smirked.
She clasped her hands. In next moment a huge stone was lift from the ground and thrown in his direction. She really was a witch!
He jumped to the side, draw his sword and charge at her. A few magic bolts were shot in his direction, which he deflected with his sword – a gift from the angels. He slashed and pierced, yet woman skillfully moved to the side and back avoiding his strikes. She stretched her hand to the side and from the forest a branch flew to her hand, she used it as staff. Their weapons collided. The prince with terror noticed, that that piece of wood withstood clashing with angelic blade. The blade that could turn any metal into dust stopped by piece of dead tree!
They exchanged blows for a minute or so. It wasn’t obvious who was the winner, and it wasn’t let them know to see the outcome of that battle, for from direction of the forest prince’s men could be heard calling his name.
- “Prince Balthazar!? Where are you!? Please, answer!”
Woman hissed angrily and with movement of her palm she created a shock wave that pushed him away.
- “He is yours… for now. Yet it didn’t mean that I acknowledge you in anything! Farewell, young prince, it would be better for you to never meet me again!”
She hit the ground and turn into smoke that flew back to the forest.
The knights came riding on the clearing, seeing man being held by tree and their prince, dirty and exhausted with sword by his side.
- “Sir!? What happened here?”
- “I think, that I have just meet the most incredible woman on this world…”
He said before jumping back on his horse and riding away, with bandit, that later this day was hanged by his crimes.
Then prince continued asking here and there is someone has seen a woman looking like a demoness of impure heritage, and indeed, she has been spotted. She had a pattern. She moved from village to town, from town to city, she was walking throughout the kingdom staying in the same place for only a few days. She was asking about people with strong will, people that wish to change their fate, gifted children.
There was also a rumor, that she was able to bring a miracles as she pleased, and used them to heal those in needs, those that had nothing. Orphans, beggars, outcasts, vanishing before anyone could ask her what she wanted for her deeds.
Young Balthazar spend a small fortune to track her down, as soon as his spies told him in what city she was supposed to stay next, he departed right away. Why? Simple! They still had duel to finish! It was not about his pride. For the first time he could fight with someone with everything he got! With enchanted holy weapons and miracles on his side and still being pushed back! That was the thrill he felt for the first time!
He indeed found her. Using a disguise he managed to get pretty close to her, looking at her actions for whole day. She was walking all over the slums. Eventually she would come to some man or woman sleeping on the street. She would lean to them, put her hands over his or her body and she would start healing them. Then she would move away and wait for that person to wake up, just to see how they behaved after noticing that their wound is no longer suppurating, that they are no longer coughing with blood and even small piece of bread was left next to them.
That woman was helping everyone by herself… she put him, a royal, in shame. Oh, he did intended to change his kingdom, but comparing how much she and he had, and how much of that they were sharing with the others. The young man was left in awe. He stepped from the shadows and joined the woman. He grabbed her bag basket with food to help her carrying it.
First, she hissed angrily as she thought he wanted to steal it, but he just stood there and gave her his palm, so she could raise from the ground.
- “What do you want!?” she asked angrily.
- “Now? Help you a little. After that, we still have a duel to finish? Remember?”
- “… That’s you. I told you to not follow me!”
- “Yes, you did. I allowed myself to ignore your warning.”
- “Just… what do you want to achieve?”
- “Same thing that every politician does. Peace and prosperity for all… well, or so they want till they are not corrupted. The question is, what do YOU want?”
- “That’s not your concern!”
- “Actually, it is involving my people, so it is.”
- “If your people needs to be healed and feed by strangers, it means you are horrible at doing your job!”
- “Touché! After all of this, I would love you to join me at dinner, what would you…”
- “Stop following me!!!” She ran away.
- “… say about that.”
Prince just exhaled air heavily. But he didn’t stop. Even more. He doubled his efforts.
For next three months, Morgana was running away from him changing her pattern of traveling, yet Balthazar’s spies proved that the gold he spent on them wasn’t wasted. They kept tracking her down over and over again.
So he followed – to the villages, where he already left for her few baskets of food she could use to feed the hungering one.
To the cities – where he build field hospital to which he send sick people, so witch didn’t have to look for them all around the town.
Finally by finding group of people fitting the description that she kept asking for.
In the end she agreed meeting with him.
- “JUST WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?”
- “You told that by yourself. You are helping my people. In a month you did more that I in a year, that actually hurts my pride, yet I decided to at least help you, helping my people…”
- “That’s not what I am asking about! You are tracking me down like a mad hunting dog!”
- “It’s not everyday you meet a woman that almost kills you in the forest, especially as you being prince.”
- “Oh, I was supposed to start praising how handsome you are? Or so every brave? That your hunting skills are divine…”
- “Only if you meant it!” He smiled widely.
- “Don’t make me joke. I know you, prince. A few years ago I was living in capital…” That picked his curiosity. “Back then I was no one, nothing, [All hail Prince Balthazar!] people were rejoicing when I was looking for the food among thrashes. That day was wonderful. I found a rat! Do you know how hard it is to catch one? Still, fresh meat is fresh meat. Since then nothing has changed. People are dying on the street while you…. You are hunting?! Training fencing? Having time and money to waste just to chase after a woman… and why? Just because you are curious?! You are sickening me.”
The woman was about to leave, but he grabbed her hand.
- “We still haven’t finished our duel.” He said, yet this time there was no joy in his voice.
They fought. They clashed. Spells were flying left and right, his angelic blade was sending sparkles each time it collided against the wooden staff. The fight was taking place on the courtyard of the mansion, and many nobles came to witness that. First, they were almost offended by the very idea, that royal blood challenged a woman from the crowd, yet slowly their offence was being turned into awe. For that woman not only was pushing one of the greatest fencers back, but she was using [miracles] as fluently as the best priests.
But the gap of experiences was proven too big. Witch made an opening, that Balthazar used to perform perfect counterattack. He was the winner.
- “Do you remember, you told, that you would listen to the one who would win with you.” He said panting
- “I have never said such thing! I said that I would never listen to anyone weaker, I have never implied what I would do if someone would defeat me!”
- “I demand you to do what I want you to do!”
- “I refuse!”
- “I will not let you go, till you agree!”
- “… You can ask only for one thing.”
- “One is more than enough.”
- “Then yes.”
- “You were right all this time. I am a horrible prince, I am lacking someone who would show me what needs to be done. Will you show me this way? Morgana. Marry me.”
- “… WHAT?” Morgana screamed in the air.
- “WHAT!?” Followed every noble that heard the prince.
- “WHAT?!” Every noble woman that dreamed about marrying prince yelled after hearing the news.
- “WHAT!?” Screamed the current King as Balthazar asked him for his blessing.
- “WHAT?!” Was finally the first thing that priest said as he was leading the wedding ceremony. “I mean, do you, Prince Balthazar Earthwrym, first of his name, next ruler of this country, take this woman as you wife?”
- “I do.”
- “Do you…. Morgana… Take this man as a husband?”
- “I would prefer not, but I lose the bet, so carry this humiliation to the end, please.”
- “I..I am afraid you have to say Yes or no.”
- “Yes, but I hope that he will die soon falling off from his horse while hunting a bloody rabbit!”
- “Ah, You will love me soon” The prince said.
- “Love you? I hope that I would never catch this disease.
Oh yes. Their life was hard. Especially for the prince. As he implied that they should spent the wedding night together… and implying what wedding night stands for… he was forced to sleep in front to the door to the room.
But Morgana was a good queen. A wise one. She was always carrying for the weakest. She also started teaching few people magic, finally passing the codex onto her best student.
- “What are you doing, my love?” Balthazar would ask few years after they marriage.
- “You're not dead yet? No? Shame.” Morgana would always say before answering “Teaching magic. I told you multiple time that it was my ultimate goal!”
- “I am telling you, that you should have started with theory and ethics. Magic is power, I am not against giving it to the people, but magic is power, and power is corrupting. It can be a weapon, just imagine what would happen if every bandit could turn you into ashes!”
Soon his words were to be proven right.
A few of Morgana’s students revolted. Against the kingdom, against the order, against her teacher. They wanted to make their magic stronger, faster and they did everything to achieve that. They started making a blood sacrifices.
After that the first witch hunter’s order was formed.
Yet Morgana, despite warnings of her husband never stopped teaching.
- “They are only humans, I am sad, that they proved to be too weak, but I am not going to stop. You said that. Magic is a weapon. How hard it is to get a weapon? You just need to go to the blacksmith, pay him a silver and get your sword. But weapons requires muscles. And muscles are in the domain of males. Why do you want women to be defenseless in front of bandits?”
Of course that her reasoning was twisted. She couldn’t care less about that specific case. She just wanted to meet her family again.
Till the day she made a new spell. Formed a rite that could breath the magic into EVERY living being. She marched out with her students right away. They were already casting it, when Balthazar leading witch hunters came. He killed her students and twisted her spell. The spell that was supposed to free magic, was used to bind it. To bind her.
- “BALTHAZAR!” She would yell as her spell was depriving her off magic.
- “I am sorry, my love. I know how good you are, how wonderful you are. I know you meant good, but just look around! Half of your students are killing the innocent! Not everyone can use those power to make such a wonderful things as you did!”
- “BALTHAZAR, I SWEAR, THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO AFTER FREEING MYSELF IS…”
- “Lay down there, of flower of mine,
Rest there well, bind by chain,
For you will stay there till the day when,
someone would pledge their love again!”
The man was truly crying. He did what he needed to be done.
- “Organa? Miss Morgana? Are you there?” She snapped out from her trance.
- “Ah, yes, I am fine. Sorry. What were you asking for?” She looked back at the dragoness.
- “How long have you known Zari? Since always… and never… Actually, what am I saying? Maybe his arrogance and confidence combined with doing as he pleases is reminding me someone… speaking about the devil, where that bastard go?”
- “To the kitchen… he did that two hours ago. He said that he would have a supr…”
In that moment door to the kitchen was kicked open.
- “REJOICE, MORTALS! FOR I AM HERE BESTOWING UPON YOU MY GIFT!” The white-haired man yelled carrying a cake. After him a few members of the staff also came carrying cakes.
- “Each of them was made with my recipie! Easy there! I made enough for everyone!” He was laughing. “But I want the first bite to be taken by… where is she? Gis!? I told you that I would make you love sweets!”
A small crowd formed around us as dragoness was taking a first bite. She munched it for moment, savored the taste before saying.
- “… It’s good. Cake like cake. Sorry, sweetie, I told you – I prefer meat…”
For everyone of us who already tasted his creation her words were a blasphemy. But for Zari... - he was truly depressed. He just took the dragoness face in his palms, looked deep into her eyes and said
- “You are dead to me!”
Before running away.
- “Zari! Wait!”
Oh, it’s good to be young.