Wizard's Trick's Part 2

Wizard's Tricks

Part 2

By E. M. Areson

When the practice round of the War Games had ended my family had come in for dinner. I’d promptly excused myself and went to my greenhouse. I’d set down on the grassy floor and opened a book. I’d barely read a paragraph when Furon had begun chewing on my foot. I’d pulled away my foot but his grip had been so firm he’d removed my boot. I’d laughed and gone back to reading when Helper fell onto my head. She’d been ready to become an egg and was very affectionate at the moment. I’d set down the book and picked Helper off my head and held her for a moment. I’d played with her soft chick feathers and hadn’t been able to stop smiling.

“Very well Helper. I’ll get you ready for hatching.” I’d stood and had to try to keep my balance without one boot and Furon running around my feet.

I’d managed to get to her nest, set in the hollow of a tree. I’d given her some extra straw for the nest and I’d got her comfortable. Furon had set on my foot at the bottom of the tree. After we had a bit of a struggle I’d gotten my foot back and he’d remained guarding Helper. He’d that habit for a long time.

I’d returned to my spot and my book when Gerti had crawled over. He’d used his two legs to climb up my back and around my shoulders. He’d put his nose very close to mine and I’d looked into his intelligent eyes and I’d took his neck in my hand. I’d pulled him back from my face a little so I would stop seeing him in double. He’d always been so quiet and gentle. I’d stroked his scales and kissed his forehead.

“I’m glad your in a good mood. You're going to have to keep an eye on Furon and Halper this week, I’m probably going to be a strategist in the War Games.” I’d talked to Gerti for a while longer and then I’d fallen asleep.

The next day I had to participate in the War Games. My father told Horon to tell me I had to be his strategist. Why my father never talked to me I’d really known, but I’d assumed he didn’t really want me in the House. I’d done fine enough for my part. I’d told Horon that it wasn’t a good idea to go after the Eariam. But he had decided to fight them anyway and it cost him a lot of points when, as I’d predicted, he’d failed.

After the games had ended for the day I’d gone to the dining hall for dinner. Most of my family had been there but I’d ignored everyone and they’d all ignored me. I hadn’t realized it at the time but something had happened while I was eating. Yril had convinced Horon and a couple other cousins of mine to break into my greenhouse to get back at me for ‘hurting our chances in the War Games.’

I’d finished eating and had been ready to go to my greenhouse when the four of them had come in. They’d been covered in silver dragon blood and had some blood red along their feet and ankles. What they’d held would change the course of my life. Horon had held the head of Gerti in his hands. My dear dragon had been killed. I’d loved him like he’d been my son. I’d raised him and when he had had restless nights I’d always done my best to comfort him.

“We have hunted and killed a great snake. I have brought it’s head to add to the wall of trophies,” Horon had stood so erect in the center of attention.

I’d stood up as my family started to cheer. I hadn’t really realized how quickly I’d been moving but in under a second or two, I’d been directly in front of them. “What have you done?”

Horon had been so confused by my anger, “We’ve killed a monster brother. Aren't you glad our home is rid of this monster?”

“Rid our home? You mean my greenhouse? The place you all swore never to enter. Gerti was no monster. The only monsters around here are covered in his blood.” I’d held out my hands. “I want his remains. All of them. Now.”

“No!” Yril had argued and I’d been sickened to see the wings he was holding. “These are our trophies of the battle.”

“No.” I’d said so coldly I had been sure I had frozen them with my words. “That is the body of a great dragon. A creature I loved. I am going to bury his remains with full honor and nothing you do will change that.”

“How could you love a monster?”

With that my grief had turned from shock to anger and I’d nearly exploded. “How is it you are so cruel? You kill and kill and never think that these creatures are intelligent or beautiful. How could you hate such a creature on sight? I loved Gerti since the moment I found his mangled body in the midst of one of your precious trophies. How can you do this? I despise you.” I’d wanted to cuss at him but I’d smiled cruelly when I’d thought of something better.

“I remove all my magic from you,” I’d frowned. “See what it’s like to to be normal because I’m never using my powers on you again.”

In a showy movement, I’d waved my hand and pulled all my magic from them. They’d been so stunned I’d used another bit of magic to gather every bit of Gerti from them. I’d carried his remains back to the greenhouse and I’d cried. Furon had been badly hurt and had died, he’d been left slaughtered on the floor. Helper had been found, I’d carefully held her smashed egg in my hand. Tears, screams, it had felt like my heart was being ripped out and how I’d wanted to die. If it hadn’t been for one thing I would have allowed myself. I’d promised myself long ago that I would never die. The world could have ended then I’d have been happy for it. Yet, I’d no ability to die.

Tears had dried and then returned more times than I’d counted. Anger turned to sadness and all I wanted had been for the power to bring Gerti, Furon, and Halper back. I’d known even then as I had held Gerti’s head in my arms that it would have been impossible. Furon had lied dead at my feet and I hadn’t been able to help thinking he hadn’t died and that he’d get back up. Helper’s smashed egg had been little more than a stuck spot on the floor.

So now you know the terrible story of my life. Why I bother to tell you, dearest insanity, I don’t know. As I see it my life can, and probably will get worse. What a cruel world, maybe if I was part of a different House it might be better. With my luck though, it would be worse. Not that I could change Houses, someone would have to want me for that. I think I’m going crazy. Can someone who refuses to die go insane? Maybe that refusal is what’s making me go crazy?

I look at my dead loved ones and though I must bury them I can’t bear the thought of leaving them forever. Using a bit of magic I dug a hole to lay them in, first I scooped the remains of Helper’s egg into the grave. I saved one shard of her shell, setting it gently on the table. Next, I picked up Furon’s stiffening corpse and laid him in the hole. With a small knife, I cut off a section of fur from his side and laid it near the shell on the table.

Finally, Gerti had to be buried. I had always tried to treat all my loved ones the same, yet I still mourned him the most. Using magic I stitched his body back together. My brother and cousins had been through in stripping his body of anything that could be considered a trophy. I saved a single scale to add to the table. I laid his body in the hole and used magic to cover them with dirt.

I looked at the shell, fur, and scale. I pulled a knife from my belt and made a deep gash in the tree next to me. With magic, I pulled the sap out of the tree covering the relics. I hardened and shaped the sap into a pendant with a little bit of my loved ones in it. I summoned a cord and put the pendant on it, I then tied it around my neck. Somehow, that helped my grief. Then I set on the ground, my head inches from the grave and closed my eyes.

I fell deep into myself. I was like that for some time before I felt a hand on my shoulder. In an instance, I grabbed the wrist and snapped open my eyes. I set up trying to wrestle the person away. I stopped when I saw who it was.

“Sorry mother.” Frigya was clearly shaken.

“I’m sorry, it looked like you weren’t breathing. I just wanted to see if you were okay.” She set on a stool near where I was.

I thought for a second. “What do you want mother?”

“You...” She stopped and looked at the grave. “Is that where you buried your snake?”

“Dragon. His name was Gerti, and he was beautiful. Also Furon, he was cat sized wolf with the temperament of a kitten. And Halper, she was a strange creature. She hatched every month as an old bird and would get younger and younger until she turned back into an egg.” I looked down at my hands.

“It sounds like you had a close bond with your pets.”

I looked at her for a moment then back down. “They accepted me.”

“I never was very good at that was I?” She sounded wistful like she wished she could change it.

“No, you weren’t.” I looked back at her with a bit of defiance. “Did you even want me when you realized what I was?”

She did a double take then looked down, “I would like to say I wanted you, but that’s not true.”

“Why?”

She looked back at me with tears in her eyes and whispered, “Because I’m afraid of you.”

So it was true. I was unwanted and my own mother feared me. “Why do I have these powers.”

She sighed as if she was sad I didn’t seem upset at her confession. “When you born you keep getting sick, yet nearly overnight you would get better-”

“No. I remember that. Where did I get the ability for magic?”

“I can’t say for certain why. But I got sick when I was pregnant with you. I went to a healer who gave me a strange bottle of medicine. I didn’t think to ask if it was magic but I haven’t been sick since I drank it.” She looked over at the grave.

I closed my eyes, a possible answer to the question I’d always had. Somehow I didn’t care so much now.

“I’m sorry for what happened to your pets, but please take the curse off your brother and cousins.” So that's what she wanted, not to talk to me but to get me to undo what I’d done to Horon.

“I didn’t curse him, I removed my magic. Whatever they are now is what they actually are.”

She sighed, “Horon’s fiance left today, she says she can’t marry a cursed man. Doesn't it bother you that your family is suffering because of this?”

I stood and looked down at her coldly. “My family? I buried the only things I loved in that grave. My family is dead.” She began sobbing, and I couldn’t look at her anymore. Lashing out wasn’t the best choice I’m sure but I don’t have any kind emotion left for these people. “I have to get ready for the War Games now. Goodbye, Frigya.”

She looked at me. “You’ve never called me by my name before.”

I glared at her. “You’ve never talked to me before.”

Photo By: Gabriel Jimenez

Part Three Comming On 5/26/18