Trees creaked and branches snapped as a herd of antelope came stampeding into the clearing. They were accompanied by a variety of other woodland creatures including several bears, a pack of wolves and many more. Flocks of pigeons and crows swooped down from the sky pecking at every piece of exposed flesh they could find. Squirrels and chipmunks threw nuts and berries at the panicking crowd while snakes snapped at their ankles. Chaos reigned as the animals laid waste to the auction. People screamed and ran for cover, searching for a place where they would be safe from the turmoil. All the guards had moved forward, herding the crowd away from the onslaught while at the same time trying to redirect the animals that were charging at them.

In all the confusion Ebion had managed to make his way to Vivian’s cage. She reached out through the bars and grabbed the keys, nearly strangling the poor cat as she pulled it off his neck. Ebion gave an angry hiss but did not do anything else, probably deciding to take revenge for that at a later date. Vivian thrust the key into the lock and the door swung open. Without wasting a second, she ran to the other cages, setting the others free as well.

‘RUN FOR THE TREES!’ she yelled to be heard over the din. The people nodded in understanding and took off.

There was only one more cage; the little girl she had seen when she first arrived. She pulled the door open and lifted her out. However, it seemed like the girl had a sprained ankle, a major inconvenience. She cried with pain when she tried to put her weight on it and looked up at Vivian begging for help. An unusual sense of protectiveness overcame her as she lifted her up on her back and ran for the trees, Ebion following close behind.

‘Are you alright?’ Vivian asked.

‘My foot,’ she sobbed. ‘It hurts so much.’

‘It is going to be alright. There’s no need to cry. Say, what’s your name?’

‘T-Tessa.’

‘Alright Tessa, you are a very brave girl aren’t you? Now don’t you worry. We will make you feel better soon. So don’t cry alright?’

Tessa pressed her lips together, trying her best not to cry. She buried her face in Vivian’s hair and tightened her arms around her neck. Vivian smiled at her feeble attempt to hide her pain. It was just a simple sprain. As soon as they got somewhere safe they could treat it easily.

An arrow cut through the air and struck Vivian’s leg. This was followed by another that pierced right through Tessa’s throat. Vivian cried as the arrow sunk into her leg but Tessa did not even have a chance to make a sound. The body grew heavy and limp on Vivian’s back. She could no longer feel the child’s heartbeat.

‘NOOOO!’ Vivian screamed.

She rolled Tessa onto her back to see her eyes frozen wide open. Her lips were parted slightly, failing in their last attempt to cry in pain. The pupils were already dilated. She was dead.

The crunching of grass behind had her swiveling her head around to see Savant approaching her, a bow with an arrow notched in his hands.

‘WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!’ Vivian screamed. ‘You killed her!’

‘This was your fault to begin with.’ Savant stalked closer with a handful of his men. ‘You were the one who decided to try and escape. You and that damn cat.’ His face was gaunt as if he truly believed the nonsense he was spewing. ‘If you had not done so then that girl might still be alive… this child’s death is on you.’

The stampede was dying down as the animals finally calmed down. The stygian wolf had managed to escape from its cage and was nowhere to be seen. A frantic mrow from Ebion made her turn back. Savant’s men were surrounding them.

Vivian felt tears build up in her eyes. They were so close, so close to being free. Her grief was replaced with burning fury as she looked at Tessa’s limp form.

She was just a child… Why did this have to happen?

Her anger and anguish took the form of heat coursing through her veins. She felt her power surge inside as her skin glowed and her eyes turned into golden discs. Wisps of golden threads materialized in thin air and leaked out of the ground. They were drawn into her, sinking into her skin and making her glow even brighter. A hot pressure was building up inside of her. It felt like a dam that could burst any minute.

Savant’s eyes widened in fear. ‘Kill her!’ he commanded.

Arrows flew and his men charged holding their swords high. Vivian felt the pressure straining against her. Unable to hold it back anymore she let it go.

An explosive force blast out from her, rocking the earth and blowing everyone within twenty yards off their feet. Trees were ripped out of the ground and rocks were send flying. The ground caved in beneath her because of the excessive force that hammered down on it. An incredible amount of heat radiated from her scorching the earth under her feet. The sound of the explosion made her ears ring. Dust hung in the air like a veil for a few moments before settling down to reveal the damage.

Vivian felt her strength leave her and she fell to her knees, gasping and trembling. She struggled to stay awake. Her eyes landed on Tessa’s corpse, which miraculously was not blown to bits, lying a few feet away. Using whatever strength she could muster she crawled towards it. However, she did not make it. Her vision went blurry before she could reach the child’s body and fell unconscious, her breath feeling hot inside her mouth.

Savant coughed and struggled onto his feet. His eyes immediately searched for the mage that had caused all this destruction. He found her lying in the middle of the crater that she had just created. Grabbing a nearby sword, he stumbled towards her determined to finish her off. His muscles and bones protested against the movement, but he brushed it aside.

Pity, I would have made a lot of money from her… but she is too dangerous to be kept alive.

‘Not another step,’ a voice said from behind. ‘That girl is my responsibility. I cannot have you killing her.’

Savant turned around and for the second time that day, his eyes widened in fear.

‘You!’

‘Hello,’ Peri said. ‘It has been a while.’

………

Vivian let out a small groan as she awoke. The first thing she noticed was that she was lying on a bed. A cool towel had been placed on her head. With stiff muscles and stiffer joints she ignored her body’s request to keep still and slowly sat up to take in her surroundings. She was in a small, clean room with a single window open to let in fresh air and sunlight. There was a basin of clean water next to the window, probably for her to freshen up. The window opened to a small vegetable garden outside. She could hear someone shuffling about outside, humming to themselves as they worked. Her clothes had been changed while she was unconscious which she was truly grateful for.

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Getting out of bed, she quickly washed her face to wake herself up before stumbling towards the door and pulling it open. She stepped into what looked like the dining room with a small circular table in the middle. The first thing she noticed was Ebion sunning himself on the windowsill, his three tails swishing lazily and coming very close to knocking a flower vase of his temporary perch. Her swiveled towards the table where Peri and another man sat mumbling to one another. Peri had finally removed the hood of his cloak and Vivian took a moment to study his face.

Pale blue eyes framed by curly black locks turned to lock themselves on her as she entered. His tanned skin was marked with a scar that ran from the corner of his left eye to his chin. He sat leaned back on his chair with his feet on the table. Switching her gaze over to his companion, she was a bit thrown by the difference between the two men. While Peri gave of an air of ruggedness, his companion exhibited an aura of elegance. The stranger had fair skin and long blond hair twisted into a braid. He sat with his legs crossed, gracefully holding a teacup in one hand. His green eyes focused on Vivian as she entered the room.

‘Finally, you’re awake,’ Peri grunted. ‘Good thing you woke up. Any longer and we might as well dig a grave for you.’

‘And a good morning to you too,’ Vivian replied dryly. She looked questioningly at the third occupant of the room.

‘Ah yes, let me introduce you,’ Peri said. ‘Vivian, this is Cyrus. He is a mage just like you. Cyrus, this is Vivian.’

‘Pleasure to make your acquaintance,’ Cyrus said politely.

‘It is nice to meet you too. I’m assuming this is your house. Thank you for taking care of me.’

Cyrus set his teacup down gently. ‘Well when the sloth showed up with you slung over his shoulder, I knew I couldn't say no. He is many things, but a healer is not one of them. If I left you with him, you would probably be dead.’

‘Well that’s exaggerating a bit,’ Peri defended himself. ‘She wouldn't die… I think.’

‘That is… reassuring,’ Vivian said hesitatingly. ‘What happened? How did we end up here? And Tessa…’

She trailed off the image of the dead girl still fresh in her memory.

‘After you passed out, a regiment led by General Jenkins arrived and rounded up all of the buyers and auctioneers,’ Peri said. ‘I bet they are enjoying some quality time in prison right now. Though I highly doubt that Savant will be staying for long…’

‘How did they find us?’

‘Someone must have tipped them off that there was an auction happening somewhere in that area that day.’

‘Was that what you were doing while you were gone?’ Vivian asked. ‘Why didn't they come sooner?’

‘I timed it so that they would arrive only after you and Ebion had already left. Of course, that did not go as planned,’ Peri grumbled. ‘Don’t forget, whether it is the Sentinels or the government they will try to execute you because you are mage.’

Vivian tried to recall everything that happened at the auction. ‘That wolf… it was able to remove its muzzle quite easily.’

‘I may have tampered with it a bit before I left.’

‘… And Tessa?’

‘Who?’

‘The girl who was with me.’

Peri sighed. ‘I am sorry, but she is dead. There was nothing I could do.’

Vivian swallowed the sadness that was welling up in her throat. It was weird. She didn’t even know the child and yet somehow, she felt her death settle quite heavily on her shoulders. She clenched her fists as she tried hard not to cry.

‘She was just a child, younger than even me.’ Her voice was trembling, barely a whisper as she spoke. ‘I thought… I thought I could at least save her with my own hands.’

‘… Reality is cruel, child,’ Cyrus said. ‘No matter how much we want to, we cannot save everybody. Sometimes people die and there is nothing we can do about it. All we can do is make sure it does not happen again.’

Vivian rubbed the tears out of her eyes. While it still hurt, she could not dwell on it forever. Tessa might have died but she would not let it happen again. All this time she had been running away from her powers, afraid of how the world would see her if she used them. It took a child dying for her to understand her helplessness. However, if she had learned how to use them, maybe Tessa would still be alive.

‘I want to learn how to use my powers,’ Vivian chokes out. ‘I want to make sure this never happens again.’

‘Speaking of your powers,’ Peri narrowed his eyes. ‘Your aura was really weak when we first met. My resonator barely reacted to you. However when you blew everyone away back then, it glowed brighter than I had ever seen before. It grew so hot I thought it was going to melt.’

‘Maybe it’s broken?’ Vivian suggested.

‘No it’s not,’ Cyrus said. ‘I checked… twice. The Council might know more about this.’ He turned to face Peri. ‘Are you planning to take her there?’

‘What council?’ Vivian asked.

‘Obviously,’ Peri replied, ignoring Vivian. ‘Besides where else could she go?’

‘Where are we going?’

Cyrus looked her over. ‘She does not look like nobility… they might not take kindly to her.’

‘Now that’s hurtful…’

Peri glowered at her. ‘Quiet runt. The adults are talking.’

Vivian pursed her lips tight, resigning herself to listening and not understanding what the two me were talking about. She probably shouldn’t antagonize the people who saved her life.

‘I’m sure I can convince them,’ Peri continued. ‘After all, they let a normal human like me stay with them. They will not turn their back on a fellow mage just because she happens to have a different background.’

Cyrus sighed. ‘Well I hope you are right.’

The front door was pushed open and a girl with green eyes and blonde pigtails entered carrying a basket of beets and radishes. She set it down near the stove before wiping off the sweat from her freckled cheeks.

‘Um, who…?’ Vivian asked.

‘Oh, this is Dixie. She lives here with me and helps around the house,’ Cyrus introduced. ‘Do not be fooled by her appearance. She is actually a hundred and twenty three year old shifter, though for some reason she has a fetish for the forms of twelve year old girls.’

‘I can hear you,’ she said. ‘I’m old, not deaf.’

‘Shifter?’ Vivian asked.

‘It means I can do this.’

Right before her eyes, Dixie transformed. She melted into silver mist which shaped itself into a humanoid form. Colour started leaching back into the silver, defining her features. It was like watching an artist start painting over a sketch. Red hair was coloured in followed by tanned skin, a slight dusting of freckles and golden amber eyes.

‘So, what do you think?’

‘It’s… like looking in a mirror,’ Vivian said in awe. ‘Does this mean you can transform into anyone?’

‘Anyone, anything. No matter how big or small, if I can imagine it, I can change into it.’

‘Careful,’ Cyrus warned, glancing at Vivian. ‘If she likes it too much she might just decide to stay like that.’

‘What?’ Vivian swirled back to Dixie. ‘Surely not…’

Dixie brushed a lock of red hair behind her ear. ‘Hmm, now that you mention it I have not changed forms for a while now.’

‘Wait,’ Vivian said. ‘Does that mean-’

‘It’s settled,’ Dixie proclaimed. ‘Say hello to the new me.’

‘I knew this would happen,’ Cyrus muttered.

‘Wait, you cannot just use-’

‘As a token of my gratitude for letting me use this form, I will make you dinner.’

Vivian’s mind immediately shifted to more important matters. ‘What are you making? I am starving! Do you think you could make some…’

Vivian and Dixie moved towards the kitchen debating the menu. Cyrus took a sip out of his cup before addressing Peri again.

‘From what you have told me, we will be seeing wanted posters for Vivian within a few weeks. Powerful mages like her will not last long on their own. They will need someone to guide them, teach them to control and use their magic.’

‘Why do you think I am taking her back with me? She can have all that and more in Mirran. Besides, the way her powers work is quite interesting. If for nothing else, the Council will agree to keep her just so that they could study her.’ Peri glanced sideways at Cyrus. ‘You said the Council might know more about it, but why do I get the feeling that you know more than you are letting on.’

Cyrus took a long draught of his tea. ‘…Perhaps I do.’

Peri gazed at him for a while before sighing. ‘Troublesome.’

‘You aren’t exactly a picnic either since you have your own… sordid past.’

Peri flashed a humourless smile. ‘I suppose we both have our secrets.’

‘Is there something wrong with that?’

‘… Not at all.’