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I hadn’t realized what I’d done, not at first. I’d fallen to my back, slowly blinking, every ounce of energy expended. I’d lost consciousness, but not until Braz had picked me up and moved me away from Nica and Wey had landed beside our tiger, screaming for the medic, panic in his voice—something I’d only heard from him once before when I was tied to a whipping post—and finally, the others moved forward to help.
The last thing I remember thinking before my world turned black was that the others had been afraid of me. They’d all seen what I’d done, what I’d done to one of the men I loved, and they hadn’t wanted to get close to the terrible mage, not even to help my poor tiger. Truth be told, I didn’t blame them.
I was scared of me, too.
“Shh, Theon. You’re okay, and Nica will be fine.” Braz’s whispered words finally broke me out of the horrible memories. It didn’t surprise me that he’d known where my mind had gone. It traveled there often enough that both Braz and Florin had deduced what haunted me.
Florin came over, and Braz went down on one knee so he could reach us. Florin cupped my cheek, saying, “Braz is right, love. Nica will be fine. We’re going to figure this out, and then we’ll return to them.”
If they even want me to after everything I’ve done.I didn’t speak the words aloud, but I was sure Braz and Florin knew my doubts. They were both much better at reading me than I was at them.
Florin tensed and stood, turning his back to us. “Someone’s up ahead,” he whispered.
Braz stood, dropped me to my feet, pushed me behind him, and asked Florin, “What do we do?”
“Let me talk to them.” In a louder voice, Florin said, “Hello. My name is Florin, and this is Braz and Theon. We mean you no harm. We’re seeking sanctuary.”
A man—no, not a man but a creature—stepped out of the copse of trees in front of us and said, “We do not offer sanctuary to those we do not know.”
Braz, Florin, and I all froze, fear running unbidden through my veins.
Florin seemed speechless, and I was as well. I was sure Braz could take him—he’d fought things much scarier in the past. I’d heard the stories and seen how talented my half-orc was for myself. But this creature felt… off. Almost like it was surrounded by a strange energy I couldn’t see, and what I did see was overwhelming and terrifying.
He had big horns on top of his head, curling backward like a goat’s. His hair was as black as a starless night, and his chest was bare, showing off pale skin over rippled muscles and covered in strange blue markings I’d never seen before. His ears were pointed with rings of jewelry piercing the skin, his eyes were so dark they appeared to be black—making his features feel dark and menacing—and he’d filed his nails into sharp points to look like claws.Goddess, I hope they aren’t true claws.He wore some kind of leather trousers with straps crossing over his chest in every direction, holding weapons of all manner, and he was barefoot.
That one detail seemed to stick out for me because we were in the middle of a lush forest. Who in all the kingdoms walked barefoot this way? It was far too dangerous. Not only could you step on something sharp, but a snake or other small creature could easily bite or sting you.
In one of his hands, he had what looked like some kind of rope. In the other, he was carrying a long stick with a huge blade on top—a spear. I had no doubt he knew how to wield it, and well.
“We’ve come a long way to find you,” Florin said. “We were sent here by—”
The man—creature—let out a high-pitched whistle, and more creatures—all with horns of different shapes and sizes with an array of weapons—stepped out from behind trees to join him. I heard a sound from above and thought I saw someone peeking out at us through the branches, but they were well hidden, so I couldn’t truly focus on them.
Braz tried to push me away from the threat, saying, “Run!” But then he saw the group of creatures circle around behind us, and he grabbed me and shoved me between himself and Florin instead. “As soon as you two see an opening, run.”
“Do as he says, Theon,” Florin said. “We’ll find you when it’s safe.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I hissed, drawing my sword, determined to hold my own, even if these creatures looked as if they could gut me without effort.
“You both run,” Braz said right before one of the spear-wielding creatures stepped forward and tried to stab Florin.
Braz moved faster than I’d thought a person of his size could move and knocked the spear aside before punching the creature in its stomach. As the fae—because that was all they could be, wasn’t it?—reeled back from Braz’s strength, my half-orc pulled a sword from his back and his morning star from the belt on his hips, holding one in each hand.
The fae attacked again, and Braz easily parried every hit. In only a few moves, Braz had the fae on the defensive. My half-orc drew first blood, slicing open his opponent’s arm, and the surrounding forest’s noise level began to rise. I couldn’t tell if it was the fae making the noise, the wildlife, or the very forest itself, but chills ran up my arms. When it became glaringly obvious that Braz was about to win this fight, six more of the fae creatures attacked him at once.
Florin looked like he didn’t know whether to jump in or stay back to protect me. They were both trying to keep me safe, but I wanted to do the same for them. I couldn’t let Braz—or Florin—be hurt by these strange creatures. I needed to do something.
Only I knew that my fighting skills were very lacking, and my magic reacted—to my fear, to my incapability.
Deep in my belly, I felt the beginnings of fire simmering and quickly growing. I tried to keep it down for fear of harming Florin and Braz, but my magic had a mind of its own.
Oh goddess, no. No, no, no. I can’t hurt another of my loves. I can’t. Please.
Just as I felt it reach its boiling point, I watched in horror as the first fae that had shown himself jumped at least fifteen or twenty feet into the air, grabbed a branch, and swung over the top of Braz and the other fighters. He landed directly in front of me. I barely had time to scream before he threw his rope in my face. I jerked back, expecting to be hit, but instead, the rope transformed into a large net.
The net landed over me and immediately shrunk in size, clinging to my skin and clothes as if it had been pulled taut. I struggled against it, trying to rip free, but it wouldn’t move, as if it was attached to my skin permanently. The second it was in place, I felt my magic simmer out and disappear. I choked on nothing but air for a moment, my body feeling strangely and horribly empty.
My magic. It was gone.
