(William)

The cloak of darkness slipped away as the coral light of the morning sun peeked above the horizon. The silhouettes of two riders were the only movements not following the rhythm of the wind. The boys had never been this far north. Their travels had taken them only as far as Pike for trade and provisions, while their hunting trips were limited to the area around their farm.

The midnight ride had been exhilarating. They had crossed dozens of clearings, stumbled upon many game trails, and traveled speedily through the forest. William was fascinated with how skillful Rose and his aunt were with the Levitation spell. Obstacles and branches moved out of their way as they rode through the wilderness. A path appeared before them, where there had been no trail. Even the frosty wind had not been able to wipe the smile off his face.

Like all things, his good mood did not last forever. The night had been mysterious and exciting. Four of the seven moons had lit their path even under the forest canopy. But now, in the cold light of day, his happy-go-lucky mood soured. After riding all night, his calves felt tight, his butt was sore, and his stomach was grumbling. He wanted to get up and stretch his legs, but they kept going.

The wind had died down a little while ago and it seemed eerily quiet. The silence was broken only by the crunching sounds of Rose’s and Lisa’s hooves.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

William listened to the rhythmic thudding as the horses trotted through the snow. His stomach rumbled again. He looked at Ivan and said, “Doesn’t all of that noise make you hungry?”

The question broke Ivan’s distant expression. He looked at William. “Uh, what noise? What’re you talking about?”

“Don’t you hear all of that crunching? Doesn’t it sound like munching on popchips?”

“Well, uh, it didn’t until you brought it up.”

(Lisa)

Lisa knew that the boys had a big appetite in the morning and her youngest was getting impatient. She looked for a suitable place to set up camp and prepare breakfast. After all, that was typically their biggest meal of the day.

Life on the farm had not been easy. Sometimes they had struggled to put meat on the table. She had been sorely tempted to use magic on many occasions.

Ten years ago, when they had arrived at the Snow’s Farm, she had no idea how to grow vegetables or take care of animals. After all, she was a city girl. She had been born and raised in the capital. As a teen, she had attended the Magic School in Scar and eventually settled down there.

Before fleeing from Calot with her nephews, she had made a difficult promise to her younger sister. Through all the hardships, she had kept her word to Jassie and not used any magic.

Since they had escaped the capital, she had felt like a woodsman without an ax, a cook without a pot, and a fisherman without a net. Most of her life had been devoted to mastering Nature magic and later, to teaching it. The difficulties to provide for her family without casting spells had caused her a great deal of frustration.

Lisa slowed and looked around. Rose shifted without warning.

“Woah,” Ivan cried out but managed to land gracefully on the snowy ground.

“Hah! Just checking your reflexes.” Rose winked at him. “They're rather good. I didn’t have to use Levitation on your clothing to slow you down.”

A muscle in Ivan’s jaw twitched and he frowned. “That startled me.”

“A good scare is essential for a good life. I did this to another farm boy a few years back and he peed himself.” She guffawed.

Ivan gaped at her, and his brother cracked up.

William dismounted while still laughing. He stretched his arms, yawned, and nudged the horse next to him. “I’m so hungry, I could eat a snow buffalo.”

Lisa shifted and nudged him back. “Don’t worry, we’re getting ready to eat. Why don’t you two gather some firewood while Rose and I unpack?”

“We’re on it,” Ivan replied.

Lisa looked around and rubbed her hands together. “Finally!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I’m going to clear the snow and I won’t have to use a shovel.”

Using Levitation, she cleared the area and started to build a wall of snow around their campsite. Even though she had not used magic for a decade, it was second nature to her. It was just like riding a bear. Once you knew how to do it, you never forgot.

(Ivan)

Ivan scanned the area around them. “William, gather up some cones… over there.” He pointed.

His brother slogged through the snow until he reached an evergreen tree. “Hey, I found a bunch of them.” William started picking up hearthcones. They were perfect for starting fires.

Ivan had a bundle of tinder under one arm, and he dragged a branch with the other. “That should be enough.”

There were several fallen trees in the area, so gathering the firewood had been quick. Trudging through the snow, the boys headed back to camp.

“Woah! Look at that snow fort.” William gawked.

“Isn’t magic great?” Lisa surveyed her work, looking pleased.

Rose’s head popped up from behind the wall of the fort. “Begone foul beasts. We claim all the food. This is our snow fort and there is no place for the likes of you.”

A snowball shot out of the fort and zoomed toward William. It magically stopped a foot above his head, and he looked up. It was then that the snowball dropped and hit him right in the face. He yelped in surprise. Rose cackled.

“Hey, you’re cheating,” William cried out. “You’re using magic.”

“Use what you got, kiddo,” Rose countered.

William shook his fist. “Two can play at that game.” He ducked behind a tree as another snowball whacked Ivan on the back. He snapped his head around and saw Rose point to Lisa. His aunt lobbed another snowball at him, which zigged around wildly before grazing his shoulder.

“Ivan, over here!” William yelled to his brother. “We can take them. Magic or no magic, they’re just girls.”

It was a fierce snowball fight.

Lisa and Rose used magic, hitting their intended targets almost every single time. Rose kept popping her head out from behind the fort and crowing maniacally as the boys were pummeled. The brothers found little protection behind their tiny, shared tree.

Ivan nudged William to hold still for a moment while he watched. Then, with snowballs in hand, they rushed the fort. Ivan timed his attack perfectly. He knew exactly where Rose’s head would appear.

Thwack!

A snowball smacked Rose in the face, silencing her laughter. She sputtered a mouthful of snow, wiped her face with her forearm, and raised her hands in surrender. “I yield… I yield! We’ll share the fort and the feast.” They all laughed.

“You two were really tricky with those zig-zagging snowballs,” William said as he brushed the snow off his clothes. “I only managed to dodge a few of them.”

“Yeah, I agree.” Rose nodded. “It was definitely a fair fight.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Whaaat?” William scrunched up his face. “You used magic!”

“Yeah, but we’re only girls,” Rose reminded him.

Soon, their discussion switched to more important things, like breakfast. Ivan pulled a sparker out of his pocket and started to work on the fire while Lisa unpacked the food from her bag.

“I got the table,” Rose announced. She beamed at William and nudged his side. “Watch this.” She pulled a thick linen cloth out of her enchanted bag and threw it dramatically up in the air. The cloth flapped like it had wings before it slowly floated down. “William, grab a side and help me stretch it out.” Once the linen was fully stretched, it remained suspended in midair. “We’ve got a table. Now, where’s the food?”

Loaves of bread, an entire wheel of cheese, and dry-cured jerky zoomed toward them. A jug of apricot cider sailed past, followed by a large knife. Ivan ducked, but the knife stopped above the bread and started slicing.

“Nice,” said William, as he prodded the makeshift table. Ivan gazed at the huge amount of food and poked the table as well. The surface felt solid, like real wood.

Rose leaned toward William. “I’ve got to warn you.” She paused. “If I sneeze, the table might fall apart. You see, it’s hard to maintain Levitation under those conditions.”

“Don’t worry, William. I’ll keep the pepper away from Rose,” Lisa assured him.

Ivan leaned over the table and helped himself to sliced bread and cheese. William wolfed down his food. Ivan ate more politely. Rose and Lisa kept eating and eating. Even after Ivan and William had finished, Rose and Lisa were still shoveling in food.

Ivan had never seen his aunt eat so much. He watched as she reached for her eighth block of cheese. The floating knife kept slicing bread and dry-cured jerky.

“Umm, how much food did we pack?” William asked.

“Don’t fret boys,” Lisa said between bites. “We’ve got plenty of meat, cheese, and bread for the journey.”

“And I’ve got a bunch of booster bars,” Rose added. “Though I prefer to eat real food.”

Ivan had seen booster bars for sale at Pike but had never tried one. He knew that they were highly nutritious and typically used by casters or people taking long trips. They were also used as standard rations for the military.

“You two should join Pike’s rib-eating contest,” William said. “I bet you could even beat Slim Stick!”

“Slim has held the Fat Rat title for the last eight years,” Ivan interjected. “That man could eat for days. I’m not sure if even a shifter could outeat him.”

“Unfortunately, shifters aren’t allowed to participate in those contests,” Rose explained.

“Why not?” asked William.

“Maintaining a transformation expends a lot of energy,” Lisa told him. “Shifters can consume an extraordinary amount of food and digest it just as fast.”

“Does this mean that shifters poop more often?” William mused aloud.

“Yeah, we do,” Rose confirmed.

Lisa winced. She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

“You should see some of the research on the subject,” Rose continued. “There is even a poop-chart for the different shifts. It’s organized by size, texture, color, and frequency.”

Ivan noticed that his aunt had stopped eating during Rose’s description. She pushed away her last bite of cheese. For her part, Rose seemed oblivious and carried on. She kept going strong, eating more cheese and bread for a while longer. Finally, she sighed in contentment, leaned back, and smiled.

“Well, it’s too bad that we all can’t shapeshift,” William commented. “If we had flown to Scar, we would be closer to exploring the Hidden City.”

“Oh, William, you’re always thinking about the next thing. Try to enjoy the trip and the time will pass more quickly,” Lisa gently chided.

“Yes, Aunt Lisa,” he mumbled dutifully. After a pause, he added, “But my backside is too sore to really appreciate the trip. Besides, I’ve heard so many stories about Scar. I want to see the enchanted sky and the mountain under the mountain. I just want to get there.”

Lisa sighed but said nothing else.

There were not many things that annoyed Ivan. However, William’s tendency to obsess about things sometimes got to him. If his brother’s obsessions were an internal monologue, like his, this would not be a problem. The issue was that William liked to over-verbalize.

“William, if you start harping, I’m going to start quoting,” Ivan threatened.

“I just want to get there and see everything.” William gave a lopsided grin.

“William, ‘If you preoccupy yourself only with the destination, you will miss the wonders offered by the journey,’” Ivan quoted.

“Oh-ho!” Rose’s face brightened. “So, you’ve read Sharp Mind, Sharp Sword by Master Verse?” She looked delighted.

“Oh, yeah!” Ivan’s face lit up. “His in-depth knowledge of sword fighting is incredible.”

“Hah! What makes you think that Master Verse is a he?” asked Rose.

“Well, that’s a good question.” He paused for a moment. “Most of the master swordsmen that I’ve met have been men. I just assumed. It sounds like you know something about Master Verse that I don’t.”

“Child, the things I know that you don’t, would fill volumes. For now, there is one thing you should know about me.” Rose lifted her chin and propped her hands on her hips. “I’ve got a couple of hobbies that I’m rather obsessive about,” she told him. “Besides poison and magic, I love sword fighting and writing.” She paused and gave Ivan a meaningful look. “What would you say if I told you that I wrote Sharp Mind, Sharp Sword?”

Ivan looked suspiciously at Rose, wondering if she was teasing him. “Well, you’re a magic wielder. Most casters tend to concentrate on magic. Though you do have calluses on your hands. You’re no stranger to working with your hands or wielding something. Still, it would be unlikely for someone to master both magic and sword fighting. I’d be surprised if you wrote that book and if you did everything that Master Verse has done. So, you’re probably just yanking my reins.”

Rose snorted. “Maybe the best way to convince you that I wrote the book is to have a duel.” Rose tilted her head to one side and cracked her neck.

“Good one, Rose,” William chimed in. “We don’t even have practice swords.”

“You’d be surprised to know what I keep inside my enchanted bag.” Rose pushed up her sleeves and rummaged through her forest-green leather bag. She pulled out several books, a frying pan, and a helmet. She looked at Ivan apologetically. “One can never be too prepared.” A moment later she exclaimed, “I see them.” She reached into the bag and pulled out two wooden swords.

Ivan thought that Rose was still teasing him, but he was willing to play along. He took one of the swords and gave it a few practice swings.

“Rose, I’m rooting for you,” William shouted. “Finally, the time has come for someone to teach my brother a lesson in humility.”

Lisa raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure that he’s the one that needs a lesson in humility?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” William nodded. “Rose is definitely too cocky.” Lisa rolled her eyes.

Ivan took sword fighting seriously. He inclined his head to acknowledge that he was ready and took a defensive stance. Rose did not bother with formalities. She charged him with a skillfully executed Flying Leaf attack. He recognized the complicated maneuver as the signature move of Master Verse. He retreated and fended off her ferocious assault. Outside of his occasional counterattacks, he continued to be on the defensive. The clacking sounds of their practice swords echoed throughout the forest clearing.

“Ah, your reflexes and intuition are superb,” Rose said excitedly, not slowing down. “Countering my attack with the Wind Guardian defense was a solid choice. Though most people use the Bear Paw against the Flying Leaf.” Her eyes followed his every movement. She advanced yet again with a frenzy of overhead blows.

Ivan parried and dodged the onslaught. It had not taken him long to realize that Rose was a true master swordsman. The way she moved showed a great deal of experience. Her speed, precision, and power were a testament to rigorous training. Her graceful footwork and style demonstrated her exceptional skill.

“How can you be so good?” Rose exclaimed and pressed her attack. “You’re so young.” Her sword whistled through the air.

“Rose, he’s been sword fighting since he was two,” Lisa called out. “His parents found out that it was the best way to tire him out, so he’d take a nap. A few years later, his dad hired a sword master to train him.”

“How delightful!” Rose crouched and parried. “Did you see that? He was just using a hybrid technique. Ohhh, I can already tell that I’m going to love sparring with you.” She lunged to the side.

Ivan sidestepped another attack. “I have to admit, that you may in fact be Master Verse.”

“Well, you’re smarter than most men that I’ve dueled. I usually have to pummel them before they concede that I am who I am.”

Pop! Crack! Snap! Clack!

They danced to the rhythm of the swords. As their duel progressed, Ivan worked out various sequences in Rose’s attacks. His real strength, the one that had helped him to excel at sword fighting, was his ability to see and mimic patterns with near perfect precision.

His other advantage was his endurance. He had worked relentlessly to increase it, even creating his own physical training routine. During his first tournament at Pike, he had been able to wear down more skillful opponents by keeping his distance, studying their techniques, and relying on his stamina.

Rose switched to Sparrow Flock maneuver. Ivan moved his left foot backward, sliding across the ground. His fingers tightened on the sword as he transitioned into Bear Paw stance. Rose dipped down, gracefully switching to the Coiled Snake. Playing to his strengths, Ivan decided to wear Rose down. He covered a larger area, and Rose followed.

“Are you going to come and fight me or just run away?” Rose quipped as she sprang forward. Ivan smiled but said nothing.

William shouted encouragements to both swordsmen. “I’ve never seen Ivan maintaining a defensive stance for such a long time,” he announced excitedly.

Ivan’s muscles burned but he knew that he had weathered the brunt of Rose’s attacks. She was finally tiring out and slowing down. Knees bent, he pressed his feet firmly into the ground and lunged forward. He unleashed a frenzy of blows, followed by the Spinning Wheel maneuver. Rose’s practice sword flew from her hand and landed in the snow.

“Do you yield?” He stepped forward, surprised by the devious smile on her face.

“Never!” She laughed. “Do you yield?” She emphasized the same question and winked at him.

Ivan felt a tap on the nape of his neck and a smack on top of his head. He spun around and saw Rose’s practice sword Levitating there. William roared with laughter.

“The lesson for the day is not to assume that your opponent is defeated when they’re disarmed.” Rose’s eyes twinkled. “Magic!”

“Well, I concede that you’re Master Verse.” Ivan inclined his head. “I barely survived your Flying Leaf. I’d love to spar with you again once we get to Scar!”

“I’d like that as well. You’re a brilliant swordsman.” Rose patted him on the shoulder.

“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you.”

Lisa beamed at Ivan. “I’m so proud of you! Only a handful of people in the entire kingdom can keep up with Rose. But… you should probably remember that a Nature caster can’t really be disarmed.”

“Of course.” Ivan gestured. “I totally forgot about Levitation.”

“Rose, you trickster.” William looked at her with adoration. “I think I can learn a lot from you.”

Rose inclined her head. “A fly must fly, and a whorl must whirl.”

“Huh?” William cocked his head. “So, then, what does a dung beetle do?”

They all laughed.