story-of-lost-magic

[story-of-lost-magic]

Will the story continue?

100% yes.

[story-of-lost-magic]

Avril by Mayis

[story-of-lost-magic]

Makina by Baph

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 106

 “No! You surely jest? Cross was a professor? Oh please you must tell me more!” Mia’s cup splashed slightly as she waved her hand in mirth before downing the plum wine and quickly filling it back up, but not before she took a moment to top off the glasses of the rest of those seated at the table.

 “Must we?” Cross said, quiet enough to not be heard as he blocked Makina’s outstretched cup with his hand. The Spirit Goddess pouted but Cross did not relent. Having to deal with a sober Makina was a daunting enough task.

  Lexi sipped her wine at a more leisurely pace. “He was quite a good professor, to speak truthfully. His knowledge of magic theory was impressive and I even learned some things I did not know.”

 “So what was the cause in the end?”

 “A succubus,” Lexi explained the situation. How Eliza had used the school as her hunting grounds, slowly siphoning off life force from the students. How Lara had used her own abilities to contact the guild. She faltered however, as she came near the end of the story, her eyes darkening. “She…. caught me by surprise. It was like I was trapped inside of myself. I could feel my body moving, but I had no control over it. Even when I saw Cross I….

 “Lexi was the one who took her down in the end.” Cross took up the tale. “I was pretty much running scared. A few more seconds and she probably would have killed me. If I wasn’t immune to her powers, I wouldn’t have even had that.”

 “Team work. That is why you were able to survive.” Mia reached over and playfully ruffled Cross’s hair. “I’m glad to see you’ve surrounded yourself with people you can trust.”

 Cross moved to push her hand away then relented, allowing himself to be pulled into what amounted to a headlock, carefully using a single finger to keep Mia’s cup from spilling.

 “What else have you done? I have heard many things have been happening on the mainland. Magic seems to be flourishing again. I imagine that has kept you quite busy.”

 “We totally defeated a spider person,” Romeo said nonchalantly, tipping back his glass and draining it in a single gulp. “Wasn’t really hard or anything.”

 “Banksy defeated her,” Makina said. “You were unconscious for a good portion of it, if I remember correctly.”

 “We all worked together,” Banksy mumbled softly into his cup. “I didn’t do that much.”

 “He’s being modest,” Lexi said. “Without Banksy there the mission would have been a complete failure.

 Romeo rolled his eyes “Yeah fine, Banksy did do some stuff I guess, but I was the one who took out the guards. And I was under some kind of spell. Not unconscious, thank you very much. At least not until the end. And at least I was there. Cross got kicked out of the house before the fun even began.”

 “Ho?” Mia’s grip around Cross’s neck tightened. “Maybe you’re not as helpful as I thought.”

 “It worked out for the best anyway. I had a courier request back at the guild.”

 “And how did that go?” Mia asked. She showed no signs of releasing Cross any time soon.

 “It went…” Avril’s face flashed through Cross’s mind. Something somewhere between a grimace and a smile crept onto his face. “I completed the request.”

 “I see.” Mia gave him one final squeeze before letting him go and turning her eyes on Lexi. “I am told you are also known as Midnight, yes?”

 Lexi shifted in her seat slightly. “Yes. I am.”

 “I thought it odd, when Jiana told me. I was under the impression that Midnight was a man.”

 Lexi’s cheeks grew red and she tossed a glance towards Cross, who was suddenly very interested in the wine inside his glass.

 “Yes. The guild felt it would be helpful if my identity was kept… vague. I would not go so far as to call it secret but still…”

 “A wise move. I’m sure Jiana had a hand in it.” Mia nodded. “You are also the most recent winner of the Dance of Blades.”

 “Yes.”

 “Wonderful tournament. I hope to attend again in the future. Tomo actually wished to participate this year, but unfortunately was not able to.”

 “Probably for the best.” Cross spoke the words mostly to himself, but he still drew Mia’s eye.

 “I also heard rumors that a Tenchi user participated this year. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you Cross?”

 Cross choked on his wine. Coughing hastily he shook his head. “Not particularly, no.”

 Makina tilted her head to the side. “But that was you.”

 Banksy and Romeo both fought to contain a snicker as Cross grew pale, his eyes quickly flicking to Mia then returning down to the table.

 “So, Cross,” Mia placed her wine glass down and leaned towards him. “Did you win?”

 Cross did not look up. “Not… Exactly.”

 “Did you lose focus?”

 “I… I wouldn’t say that I lost focus so much that I…”

 “His opponent kissed him, he let her go even though he had a sure win, then she stabbed him.” Makina said plainly as she reached across the table and snagged a sweet bun. “It was very pathetic to watch.” She spoke through a mouthful of food.

 “I see.” Mia stared at Cross for a long time. “Well, was she at least pretty?”

 Cross sighed as Banksy and Romeo broke down into outright laughter.

 xXx

 Misa arrived shortly after dinner concluded. She declined the offered leftovers, apparently having found her own food somewhere along the way. After fielding a small amount of questions from a somewhat inebriated Mia, the party had made their way to a building just outside of the temple.

 “The temple has long hosted guests,” Mia explained as they walked, one of her arms around Cross’s shoulder for support. “This inn is almost as old as the temple itself. We are in the process of finishing up the renovations, but we have opened some of the room. The hot springs are also open for use. I highly recommend them. I actually think I will head their myself.”

 Mia pushed off from Cross and gave them a cheery wave. Cross cleared his throat. “Master.”

 Mia glanced back at him, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Master?”

 Cross grimaced slightly. “…Auntie.”

 Mia’s smile returned. “Yes?”

  “Our rooms?”

 “Oh yes, yes, yes.” Mia reached into her robes and produced three keys. She pushed them into Cross’s hand. “Three of our best rooms. Balconies overlooking the beach and away from the workers.”

 “Three…” Cross looked down at the keys. He opened his mouth to say something, but Mia was already long gone. Silently he handed the keys over to Lexi.

 Lexi held up the keys. “Alright, we have three rooms. That means someone is going to get a room to themselves.”

 “Why?” Misa asked, her eyes quickly scanning the group. “Myself, Cross, You, Makina, Banksy, and Romeo. Two in each room would be sufficient.”

 “Well, Yes,” Lexi said slowly. “But there are three men and tree women, you see.”

 Misa nodded. “Yes?”

 Lexi Looked at Cross for help but he had suddenly found the sky to be very interesting. “You see, Misa… It’s not proper for men and women to sleep together in the same room…

 Misa’s head tilted. “Human men and women do not share rooms? I was under the impression that they did.”

 “We share more than rooms,” Romeo whispered to Banksy, only to receive a sharp elbow from the thief who was watching the exchange with rapt interested.

 “Well I… They do but… I mean,” Lexi’s cheeks were growing redder by the second. “In our situation it wouldn’t be proper.

  “I do not see the problem. I have slept together with Cross many times,” Misa said.

 Cross’s head snapped towards Misa almost as fast as the rest of the groups snapped towards him. He stared at her for a long time, mouth opening slightly before he cleared his throat and grabbed one of the keys from Lexi’s hand. “Right, then. So uh, me and Banksy will stay in a room together. You three girls can take a room, and we’ll let Romeo have the room to himself.”

 “Hey wait! That’s not fair,” said Banksy. “Why does Romeo get his own room?”

 “Do you really want to be in the room again when Romeo brings someone back?” Cross said, pointedly ignoring both the rapidly dropping temperature and the unsettling flickering of the lights. “Everyone good? Good. Let’s go.”

 Without another word Cross grabbed his bag and quickly made his way off. After a moment of grumbling Banksy followed after him. Lexi’s hand came up to stop him, but in that one distracted moment she felt a strange feeling on her hand. Her eyes snapped down just in time to see the second key suddenly spark before flying towards Romeo. He caught it with a deft hand. With a cheeky grin he ran off before anyone could stop him, the key held high above his head.

 “Everything is turning up Lovejoy!”

 “I really do hate that idiot. More than the other two idiots, I mean. He is probably the biggest idiot of all the idiots in all the world.” Makina sniffed.

 Neither Lexi or Misa was entirely sure which idiot she meant.

 “Well then,” Lexi cleared her throat. “I suppose we will be sharing a room.”

 “I do not mind.” Misa said. “I am fine sleeping with both of you.”

 Lexi opened and closed her mouth, a question on the tip of her tongue, but she wasn’t quite able to vocalize it. Finally she shook her head and slumped her shoulders. “It has been a long day. Perhaps it would simply be best if we were to call it an early night.”

 “Speak for yourself, I am not the least bit tired!” Makina declared through a very compelling yawn. “Furthermore, I still do not see why I did not get a room to myself.”

 Lexi smiled, reaching out and gently rubbing Makina’s head. “Don’t fret, Maki. Sleepovers are fun.”

 Makina let out a huff but nodded never the less.

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 106

Cross was the first off the ship, his baggage left behind in his haste to remove himself from the torment that the sea provided. One hand clutching his chest he stumbled down the pier before throwing himself unceremoniously to the ground.

 “Ground,” he breathed out, curling his fingers against the dirt and filling his palms. “I’ve missed you.”

 A hasty set of footsteps drew him to look to his right.

 Misa’s slim figure hurtled by him before launching into a nearby tree. Without so much as a glance back at her party, she quickly shimmied her way to the thick branches and tore off through the foliage. Cross watched her go without saying anything. He knew well enough that he wouldn’t be able to stop her and he doubted she would be able to get into much trouble.

 Probably.

 On second thought maybe he should have stopped her.

 “Right, then.” Cross pushed himself up and dusted off his clothes. “What can’t be helped, can’t be helped.”

 “Hmph, what a surprise. You’re still saying things like that.”

 Cross glanced towards the voice. An almost smile slipped onto his lips. “Oh, so they sent you. Quite the welcoming party.”

 “Cross?” Lexi stopped beside him, shrugging off his pack and handing it to him. She looked at the girl that was standing in front of Cross. She had straight black hair and narrow eyes with a delicate face that was set into a deep scowl aimed squarely at Cross. Lexi found her somehow familiar, but she couldn’t quite place how. “Do you know this person?

 “Of course,” Cross waved his hand towards the girl as the rest of the group arrived. “This is Tomo. Tomo Feng. The Feng family are the owners of the Tenchi temple and a few other ventures. ”

 “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I am Alexis Shadowhart.” Lexi extended her hand.

 “The pleasure is mine,” Tomo said, her scowl faded into a polite smile. Her voice was soft. “I hope you enjoy your stay here in Tejko. Jiana has arranged for a relaxing and rejuvenating stay while you are in our care.”

 “And I’m Romeo!” Romeo said, brushing Lexi aside and taking Tomo’s hand. He moved to bring it to his lips when he was abruptly sent stumbling back and fell to the ground. Confused he looked down at his chest. There was a small hole in his shirt and the skin beneath was beginning to bruise.

 Cross clicked his tongue “Right, I should have mentioned that she’s only shaking hands to be polite. The usual Tejkin greeting is to simply bow your head unless you’re extremely familiar. Tejkins consider personal space to be extremely important, almost scared. Especially for Tejko Tenchi practitioners.”

 “Why is that?” Lexi asked. She was not overly worried about Romeo.

 “Most Tenchi techniques rely on physical or near physical contact to be used effectively.” Tomo said, her eyes flicking to Cross. The scowl returned to her face.

 “Then you are a practitioner?” Lexi asked.

 “Yes,” Tomo said quietly. She tried to return the polite smile to her face, but seemed incapable of fully achieving the feat.

 “I see,” Lexi glanced at Cross. “So you two met through the temple?”

 “Something like that,” Cross shrugged.

 “Our familiarity is simply a burden that I am unfortunate enough to bear. Tomo said flatly. The dirt beneath her feet began to waver. “I’m shocked you can even bring yourself to return here.”

 “You’re going to burst a blood vessel again.” Cross said nonchalantly as he shouldered his pack into a more comfortable position.

 “You are an insult to the Tenchi style and if it were up to me…” Tomo went silent as Makina suddenly pushed her way to the center of the group.

 “This is all very interesting to you mortals, I am sure,” Makina blurted out. “But I have been standing here for what feels like an eternity and I shall wait no longer. Now Cross, you may take my things. You there, Tom or whatever, where are our accommodations for this stay?”

 Tomo seemed to remember where she was and exactly what she was supposed to be doing. The almost-polite smile returned to her face. “Of course, please, follow after me. It’s only a short walk from here.

 “Walk?” Makina balked. “Do you not have a carriage prepared? What kind of pathetic excuse for a host are you?”

 “You can’t hurt this one.” Cross said, sliding in front of Makina just as Tomo began to turn around. “Even if she deserves it.”

 Tomo glared at Cross for a moment before turning back forward. “As I was saying, it’s only a short walk from here. Now if you will follow me.”

 “Wait,” Lexi looked over the group. “Where is Banksy?”

 “Banksy?” Romeo touched his chin thoughtfully. “Who is Banksy? That name doesn’t ring a bell.”

 Lexi stared at him. “…Romeo.”

 “Oh come on, he’ll be fine. He’s the lock picker. Being locked in the bathroom should be a cinch for him to deal with. And by locked I mean someone pushed a very heavy container in front of the door. Lock Prank! Beat him at his own game!”

 Romeo threw both his hands up in the air. The fact that no one else was celebrating with him did not seem to bother him in the slightest. It was only the sound of a loud curse echoing from down the pier that caused his smile to fade.

 “Ah I guess he did get out. Damn, I was hoping the boat would leave first.” Romeo muttered as Banksy, out of breath and with a sheen of perspiration on his face, came racing down the pier to meet them.

 “You… Bastard.” Banksy heaved. “Do you know how heavy that was?”

 “Not heavy enough, I guess. Ah well. I guess we can leave now, lead the way Tomo!” Romeo called.

 “Oh,” Banksy grinned. “You sure you want to go already? Might want to reconsider that.”

 Romeo narrowed his eyes. “Why’s that?”

 “Dunno,” Banksy sauntered by him, his breathing coming back under control. “I hope none of your precious projects were taken out of your suitcase and are now stuffed down a toilet on the ship.”

 “You didn’t!” Romeo slammed his case on the ground and flipped the latches. It was only just as he began to open the case did he realize the mistake he may have made. “Oh, you son of a bitch.”

 A blast wave emanated out from Romeo’s case, lifting the Lightning Mage’s body from the ground and launching him high into the air and back towards the pier. An angry shout escaped his lips as he easily cleared the pier, passing by the ship, before he crashed into the ocean with a loud splash.

 “Boom!” Banksy cawed, pumping his fist into the air. “Concussion bomb combined with trajectory calculations to launch you into the GOD DAMNED ocean! Math and Bomb Pranked!”

 As Banksy did a very unfortunate victory dance, Lexi gave Tomo an apologetic look.

 “I promise they will be on their best behavior.”

 Stunned, Tomo said nothing, her month hanging open every so slightly before clearing her throat and nodding. “Then we should be on our way. A meal has been arranged for your arrival.”

 Makina tugged on Lexi’s sleeve as they followed after Tomo, leaving Banksy behind to continue his dancing. “Was it this bad before?”

 Lexi frowned. “We haven’t even begun, Maki. We haven’t. Even. Begun.”

 “Tch, what boorish behavior.” Makina pranced forward and matched her pace with Tomo and began to ask a series of rapid fire questions. Tomo did her best to answer with polite, yet curt responses.

 She was not well suited to the position of host.

 Cross and Lexi followed behind at a slower pace while Banksy waited behind, though it was not out of concern. He simply wasn’t finished with his victory dance.

 It was not a dance worth continuing, but no one had the heart to tell him that.

 “It has been a few years since you’ve been here, hasn’t it?” Lexi asked as they walked through a small market. A few of the locals shot them curious looks. “I remember how upset you were at the prospect of travel.”

 “Five.” Cross answered, his hand coming up to rub at his temple.

 “It seems you made a good impression then.” Lexi nudged him with her shoulder.

 Cross smiled lightly, though his fingers began to work against his temple at an even faster rate. “Oh, of course. Wouldn't want to embarrass the guild.”

 “Or your Leader.”

 “Or my Leader,” Cross agreed with a small nod. “Though, you weren’t my Leader then.”

 “I was and I wasn’t.”

 “Leaning more towards the wasn’t.”

 “I am now.”

 “Is that so?”

 Lexi flashed her ring at him. “It is.”

 “So don’t embarrass you now, right?”

 “I think that goes without saying.”

 “You’re not wrong,” Cross said softly. “Hey, we’re almost there. Could you hold this for me?”

 He handed Lexi Makina’s bag, followed by his own. Lexi accepted them with a curious look, but made no further inquiry.

 Cross moved to the front of the group, falling in step beside Tomo. She glanced at him before turning up her nose and pulling slightly ahead. Cross sighed and let her have the small victory.

 “Welcome to the Shin-Yan Temple. Birthplace of Tenchi.” Tomo raised her hand to the monstrous temple. Its peaks soared high into the sky, with gilded tips that shone brightly in the sunlight. Murals made of gold, silver and bronze stretched across the great walls, depicting battles of old.

 It was a breathtaking sight.

 “How wonderful,” Makina breathed softly before she poked Cross hard in the side. He ignored her and she poked him harder.

 “What?”

 “This is the type of Temple I would like. But more gold. A lot more.”

 “Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Cross said, though he seemed distracted. His eyes stayed fixed steadily ahead with his hand planted firmly on his temple. While the others continued to marvel at the gorgeous architecture, stopping even inside the gate, including Tomo who fielded another series of questions from Makina, Cross continued forward through the gate and stepping into the courtyard.

 He reached the grand staircase alone and stared up at the temple entrance. A lone figure waited for him. She fixed her eyes on him and he met her eyes with an unreadable expression before bowing his head as she began to descend the stairs

 “Hello Cross.”

 “Master Miaodao.” Cross replied, the Tejkin language slipping easily over his tongue.

 “I see you arrived safely.”

 “Yes. The trip was brief.” He raised his head up.

 “I see. And your companions?”

 “They will arrive soon.”

 “Shall we wait for them?”

 “I… do not believe that is necessary.”

 She tilted her head. Her eyes shone with a glint that Cross was well acquainted with.  “Are you sure?”

 Cross nodded.

 “Very well.”

 Miaodao was in front of him faster than his eyes could process. Hand curled into a claw, she swiped at his head. Cross leaned back and narrowly avoided the strike before lifting up his arm to block the next one. The force was enough to send him sliding back, but he remained on his feet.

 “Curious,” Miaodao took a step towards him and Cross took a step back, his hands rising up defensively. It was the right decision as Miaodao surged forward and thrust her hand towards him, palm open.

 Cross met the attack head on, slamming his own open hand against hers and interlacing their fingers. He felt pressure between the point of connection as Miaodao pushed a wave of Chi into him. His bones groaned and his very skin began to ripple as he fought to balance out the force that threatened to overwhelm him.

 Though he could not cancel out her attack completely, he was able to reduce it. His bones began to creak, but they did not shatter.

 At least not yet.

 “Ho, even more curious.”

 Cross moved to hit her with a low kick, intent on disrupting her concentration, but but she brought her own leg up to block him before pressing her heel against the top of his foot and slamming it back down to the ground. Cross’s eyes narrowed against the pain, but he did not release his grip on Miaodao’s hand. Locked in place they stood there before the moment was interrupted by a surprised voice.

 “Cross?” Lexi took a step towards them, her shadow beginning to dance hesitantly behind her.  “Wait… is that the…?”

 “Lexi don-” Cross warning was abruptly cut off as Miaodao sprung up and cartwheeled over him, never releasing his hand.

 In a single fluid movement she landed and kicked her foot towards Lexi. Though her foot never made connection with Lexi’s body, a force still blew through the young mage’s body.

 Grasping at her stomach Lexi dropped to the ground, a gasp of pain escaping from her lips.

 “Damn it,” Cross yanked Miaodao back towards him. She allowed herself to be pulled, using the momentum to launch into the air and slam her knee into Cross’s face.

 Or she would have, had he not already had his hand up and ready. The attack left his arm shaking from the force, but it wasn’t enough to do more than bruise his palm.

 Miaodao stared at him. For Cross the moment seemed to last an eternity, but in reality it was only a few seconds.

 “Very good.” Miaodao said, her stance relaxing and her vice grip on Cross’s hand loosening, though she did not release him completely. “I see Jiana has been keeping with your training. Your Chi negation was rather impressive, for a novice.”

 “Thank you, Master,” Cross said as his shoulders slumped. He always hated that part of the formal Tenchi introduction.

 “Has Jiana taught you redirection?”

 “I have learned the theory, but have been unable to test it in practice.”

 “Really?” Her eyebrow went up and Cross was reminded so much of his mother. “With a magic guild I would assume there would be quite an opportunity. If I didn’t know Jiana better I would assume you were slacking.”  

 Cross chose not the answer that.

 “Hmmmm,” Miaodao abruptly released his hand and cupped his face between both hers. “You’ve grown quite a bit haven’t you.” Her hands moved across his shoulders and down his arms before she came back up and gave his chest a firm push. “Your paths are quite muddied and you are out of alignment, more so than I expected. Did you suffer an magical related incident recently?”

 Avril flashed across Cross’s mind. “Something like that.”

 “We’ll have to have that remedied while you are here.”

 “Yes, Master.”

 “Master… Bah,” Miaodao pulled him into a tight embrace and in a single breath her entire aura shifted. Stepping back she flashed him a bright smile. “Cross, you don’t have to be so formal. Oh right, your friends! Of course, I should probably introduce myself and explain what is happening!”

 Cross sighed. “Please do.”

 Miaodao turned to the small crowd that now consisted of Tomo, Makina, Lexi, and the freshly arrived Banksy and Romeo. The latter of which was still dripping wet. Save for Tomo, not one of them had understood the exchange as they were nowhere near fluent in the Tejkin language.

 One of them could not even accurately point out Tejko on the map.

 “Oh dear, I hope I didn’t hurt you,” Miaodao quickly moved over to Lexi, completely ignoring the hostile stance Lexi had taken. “I only meant to push you back. As Master of this temple, I needed to adequately evaluate my pupils skill level and I could feel a significant amount of energy emanating from you. Had you interfered it would have been quite difficult for me.”

 “Oh,” Lexi gave her a puzzled look. “I see… I, uh…” She continued to stare at the woman. A look of pure confusion on her face.

 “She looks…” Banksy started.

 “… Just like the Mistress.” Romeo finished.

 And indeed she did. Though her hair was still black and her face held a few less wrinkles, she could have easily passed for the Mistress. But that as to be expected as….

 “Of course. Jiana is my older sister.” Miaodao gave them a broad smile. Please allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Miaodao Feng. You have already met Tomo.”

 Makina flicked her pale blue eyes from Miaodao to Tomo to Cross and back to Miaodao. “So wait. If your are the sister, then that would make him..”

 “My nephew, yes. I am Cross’s Aunt. Please, feel free to call me Mia.”

 “So then…” Makina pointed at Tomo. “That would make you two cousins?”

 “No a drop of my blood runs through his veins nor his mine,” Tomo hissed before she turned her eyes on Miaodao. “I have brought them, now I shall take my leave.” She bowed deeply before briskly walking towards the stairs.

 She paused as she reached Cross.

 “Do not let my Mother’s words of praise fill you with false confidence. You are nothing more than an outsider. Do not forget your place here.”

 She stormed off without another word. Cross watched her go with a bemused look.

 “Right, then. Good to be back.”

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 105

The ship that Servilia had booked their voyage to Tejko on was not a particularly large vessel. While it could not be considered luxurious it did allow for each of them to have their own room and provided hot meals both in the morning and evening for the four day cruise.

 Three days into the trip and Cross hadn’t eaten much more than a few slices of bread and spent the majority of his time hanging over the side of the ship, letting the cool sea air wash over his feverish face. Still, he wouldn’t have called it an enjoyable experience as his fingers continued the grip the railing with a white-knuckled grip and his stomach flopped with every movement.

 “Almost there,” Cross mumbled to himself. “Almost there.”

 “Do not forget the return trip,” Misa said quietly, her body situated in a similar position. Her face was a darker hue of green than usual and her eyes had long ago gone glassy.

 “Don’t remind me.” Cross said.

 “This is a foolish way to travel. I do not understand why we could not have travel by land.”

 “It’s on a different continent, we would have to travel by boat eventually.”

 “We could have traveled the majority of this trip by land. Banksy showed me the map.”

 “The boat is faster.”

 “I do not care. It feels too unstable,” Misa said

 “You sound scared.” Cross tried to give her a playful grin, but his face couldn’t quite muster it and he settled for a grimace.

 “I am not scared,” Misa said, a hint of anger in her soft voice, before they hit a particularly large wave and the entire boat rocked. Misa’s hand instantly found Cross’s. Her fingers gripped his with enough force to bruise his skin as vines quickly spread across the back of her hand, knotting around and around until Cross couldn’t even see his hand.

It took Cross a few moments to find his voice as his stomach had lodged itself somewhere in his throat. He grit his teeth and will his legs to stop shaking. “A-are you alright?”

 Misa did not respond immediately. “I do not like not being able to see the land. I feel very out of place here. Even more so than the city. At least there I could still sense the trees. There is nothing here for me to hear. I do not like it, but yes, I am… Fine.” The vines connecting them retreated and she released his hand. Cross had felt somewhat better when she was holding it.

  The door that led below deck opened and Lexi strolled out, her scarf fluttering against the wind.

 She made her way over to the pair and dropped down beside Cross, letting her back rest and against the railing and the soft spray from the ocean kiss against her skin.

 “Are you both still feeling sick?” Lexi said.

 Cross and Misa both nodded.

 “Perhaps the deck isn’t the best place for you, then?” Lexi mused, running her hand through her long hair and letting it catch against the sea breeze. “Maybe try to get some sleep?”

 “It’s worse below,” Cross grumbled. “Feels like I’m moving more. Can’t sleep when I’m moving.”

 “You sleep on the train all the time,” Lexi said.

 “It’s different,” Cross’s white knuckle grip on the railing continued the boat hit another large wave. He heard the metal railing groan as Misa’s vines began to constrict again. “Trains are normal. If the train crashes, I can just jump off. Same with a wagon or carriage. If I’m blew deck and the ship sinks, I’ll die.”

 “The ship isn’t going to sink.”

 “You don’t know that.”

 “Cross, this is the epitome of smooth sailing. There is barely a cloud in the sky and the seas are calm. The ship isn’t going to sink.”

 Cross made a face at her. “I’m sure a lot of people who died at sea thought the same thing.”

 Lexi rolled her eyes. “You’re being a brat.”

 Cross decided to change the subject. “Speaking of, where is Makina?”

 “I am exactly where I should be.” Makina said, seemingly appearing between Cross and Misa. “As I told you when we traveled to Ash, the spirit of the sea knows better than to cause you injury, as you still belong to me. Even if you were to fall into the waters you would be perfectly safe.” “You can’t imagine how safe and secure that makes me feel, really,” Cross grit out. “But just for fun, I’m going to stay right here and hold tight.” Makina ignored him and cast an eye towards Misa. “The same does not go for you, however. I would advise that you remain exactly where you are. Perhaps a bit further away, to be safe. You never know when my raw power could come unleashed.”

 “Maki, play nice,” Lexi warned.

 “Hmph,” Makina pushed away from the group. “I am going to the front, I wish to feel the wind better.”

 “The Goddess seems angry,” Misa said as Makina stomped away.

 “She’s always seems angry,” Cross slipped down until he was sitting on the ground beside Lexi, his grip on the railing still tight. “It’s just how she is.”

 xXx

 The cool wind rushed through Makina’s hair as she stood at the Bow of the ship. She let out a deep breath out through her nose and held up her arms. From the tips of her fingers she conjured delicate tendrils of ice. They played across her skin for a moment before dispersing into nothingness. Making frowned and closed her eyes. She felt the ice begin to reform when a voice broke he concentration.

 “That’s pretty,” Banksy said as he leaned on the railing beside her.

 “It’s a trifling of what I can do.”

 “Is it now?” Banksy yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “You looked like you were concentrating pretty hard.”

 “No I….” Makina trailed off and turned her eyes back towards the sea. “With the Winds of Winter come my power. The Power of a Spirit God waves and wanes, myself with the seasons. Even so, I am weak. Loath as I am to admit it, the Elf girl is correct, my abilities are far beneath where they should be. My time imprisoned by the Knights… It is time I will never get back. Decades that I should have spent learning under Aria, preparing... You cannot possibly understand how frustrating it is to not be in complete control of your own power.”

 “Yeah, maybe” Banksy hung his arms over the edge of the railing and relaxed his body. “Did you know I used to be something of an indentured servant? I would say slave, but that isn’t quite the right word.”

 Makina shook her head. “I did not.”

 “Yeah, I don’t talk about it much. Wasn’t really a fun time, ya know.” Banksy sighed and shook his head to dispel the bad memories. “You know why I’m telling you?”

 Makina shook her head again.

 “Because I’m free now,”  Banksy said with a small smile. “I get to use my skills any way I want. Same goes for you. If you want to become the most powerful Spirit Goddess ever, there is nothing that can stop you, cept for yourself. Got it?”

 “I…” Makina silently nodded her head, her eyes falling down and watching the Bow of the ship spilt through the water. She stayed like that for a long time before finally lifting her head up and catching Banksy’s eye. “I will. You can be sure of that. And you would do well to not forget that even at my weakest I am far more powerful than any mere mortal could ever hope to be.”

 “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Banksy said before he pushed himself back up and stretched out his arms. “Welp, I gotta go. Lots to prepare for.”

 “You’re prank war?” Makina asked. “Tell me, how is this any different than how you two usually act?

 “Oh, that’s easy.” Banksy’s smile was a little too wide. “The prank war includes everyone in the guild. That includes Cross, Lexi, and you too, now. Keep a sharp eye out, Maki.”

 Makina’s eyes narrowed as Banksy walked away laughing. “I will smite you, mortal. Guildmate or not.”

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 104

Lexi had once been trampled by a horse. It had been during a considerably long and arduous Hunt that had culminated in her breaking her own wrist to escape a pair of shackles and leaping from a fourth story window into a lake in the dead of winter.  

 Even with al that, the morning after that event she had still felt better than she did waking up on this particular morning. While the Mistress had been correct when she had assured her that her breath would return, she had failed to mention the immense pain that had come along with it. It was as if every bone in her chest had been shattered and slowly put back together. Ever breath since had been agony and it had taken all of her effort to rise up from bed and stagger down the stairs, leaning heavily on the wall as she did so.

 Romeo was already seated at their customary table, a tall glass of something green in his hand and the daily paper spread out in front of him. He glanced up at she dropped into the seat across from him.

 “Woah, you look like shit,” Romeo said as he slid the glass across the table. “Want some? It’s a recovery drink. Has lots of green things in it.”

 Lexi shook her head weakly. The thought of even trying to eat or drink was enough send her stomach into knots.

 “You’re loss.” Romoe said, draining the glass before his attention was pulled towards the staircase. “Well, would you look at that.”

 Lexi followed his gaze and watched as Misa gingerly made her way down the staircase, her movements stiff and awkward. Spotting them she slowly made her way over, encouraged by Romeo’s extremely cheery wave.

 “Morning!” Romeo grinned. “You’re looking… Well actually you look like shit too. Though I have to say, you are pulling it off. That messy, bed-head look really suits you. Almost like you’re wild.”

 Misa did not reply as she sat down, her green eyes falling on Lexi. Slowly she reached out her hand and dropped a small seed on the table. Lexi picked it up as Misa produced another seed and popped it into her mouth. Lexi gave Misa one more look before copying the action.

 The seed was bitter on her tongue, but Lexi still bit into it. The skin was softer than she had expected and easily broke beneath her teeth. After a few moments of chewing the bitter flavor began to fade away to be replaced by a sweet, citrus taste.

 “It will help with the pain.” Misa said after she swallowed. “But it will not relieve it entirely.”

 Lexi nodded, chew a few minutes longer before she was able to finally swallow the seed. “Thank you.”

 Cross slid into the seat next to Lexi. “Can you let anyone join the Guild without getting into a fight with them?”

 Lexi shrugged.

 “So it didn’t go well then?” Cross glanced between the two girls. “Mistress get you with Kes-Jin or Lan-Jin?”

 “Kes Jin,“ Lexi said, getting a nod of support from Misa.

 “Ah, fun.” Cross sighed and rubbed at his chest. “Tenchi masters prefer to do internal damage. It takes longer to heal and its harder to treat. It’s also ideal for assassination.”

 “Wasn’t the Tenchi style formed in response to Magic?” Lexi asked. “I was under the impression that it was more often utilized defensively.”

 “An assassination is just a preemptive defensive maneuver,” Cross said with a small grin. “I think you’ve said something like that before.”

 Banksy dropped into the chair beside Romeo and rested his head against the table, allowing his arms to dangle towards the floor. “Who are we assassinating today?”

 It was Servilia that answered. “No one, hopefully. Though I do have an assignment for you. Well, specifically, Cross.”

 “I just got back,” Cross mumbled before holding out his hand. “Where I am I heading?”

 “This is actually a request from the Mistress.” Servilia said.

 “Another one?” Cross’s eyebrow went up.

 “Yes. It seems there is something she would like for you to retrieve in Tejko.”

 “Tejko?” Cross made a face. “Leaving today?”  

 “Tomorrow, actually. There is a ship leaving in the morning,” Servilia glanced around the table. “I should mention the rest of you are welcome to go along. In fact, I believe it is expected.”

 “Why?” said Lexi.

 “While officially this does stand as a Courier request for Cross, unofficially the Mistress has arranged a relaxing week for you in Tejko.” Servilia smiled. “You could consider it a congratulations of sorts, for all of your hard work.”

 “But I’m still working?” Cross said.

 “Yes,” Servilia patted him on the shoulder. “But you can just think of it as doing a favor for your mother. Is that better?”

 “I guess.” Cross sighed as he stood up. “I’ll go talk to the Mistress

 Servilia’s eyes fell on Misa. “Ah, Miss. Artemisa. I hope you found your new room adequate If you wish to make any changes, do not hesitate. Cross has informed me of your rather… unique ability.” Misa nodded. Servilia was not offput by her silence as her eyes fell on Banksy. “Nathan, don’t slouth like that. You’re ruin your posture.”

 Banksy shot up, his back stiff as a board. “Right!”

 “As for the rest of you, well I suggest you get packing. While it is winter, Tejko is known for it’s abundance of healing springs. I’m more than sure you will get to enjoy them,” Servilia said before she headed back to her desk.

 “You don’t have to tell me twice!” Romeo jumped to his feet and promptly toppled over. Even before he hit the ground he was already cursing at Banksy. “You dick!”

 “Did I not tell you?” Banksy grinned as Romeo kicked his legs above his head and began to untie his interlaced shoe straps. “The Prank War is back on.”

 “Oh you don’t now what you’ve started, little man,” Romeo said. He would have said more, but he was suddenly aware that his fingers had become trapped inside the lacing of his shoes. “What the hell?”

 “Oh right.” Banksy held up his hands to show off his ring adorned fingers. “Enjoy the Gordium knot. The more you pull at it, the tighter it gets. Best of luck!”

 Cackling to himself Banksy hopped out of his chair and made his way out of the guild, leaving the struggling Romeo on the floor. From the table, Lexi and Misa watched him with what could only be described as a detached interested.

 It was ultimately Misa who glanced at Lexi, a question in her eye.

 “The boys have an on going Prank War.”

 “I do not know what a ‘Prank’ is.”

 “It’s like a trick. Usually to embarrass the other person. Usually it’s harmless, but last time it got… out of hand.”

 Misa stared at her to continue.

 “Many members of the guild were involved. Half of the guild was set on fire and someone lost a toe. The Mistress got involved…. I thought we had all agreed not to continue it, but it seems I was wrong.”  

 “I believe I understand.” Misa stared down at Romeo who had resorted to pulling his feet up to his mouth in an attempt to chew himself free of his restraints. “This is an interesting place.”

 xXx

 “Hello, Cross.” Jiana looked up as Cross entered her office. She placed her pen down on the desk and leaned back in her chair. “You look terrible. Have you seen Galen?”

 Cross shook his head. “I’m alright. Everything seems to be healing up alright. Besides, I’m sure I’ll be able to relax, considering, you know, I’m heading to Tejko.”

 “Don’t look so excited.” Jiana smiled softly at him. “You will be fine once you get there.”

 “Yes, but the getting there is the issue.”

 “The boat ride is not that long.”

 “It’s not that short either.”

 “You know how to swim.”

 “The issue isn’t if I can swim or not, its if I can swim long enough for rescue.”

 “I’m sure Alexis would be able to hold you aloft. Besides, you will have Makina and Misa with you. I’m sure with those three you will be fine.”

 “Those three could just as easily be the cause of the ship sinking.”

 “The ship won’t sink.”

 Cross sighed. “I thought I was supposed to be the clairvoyant.”

 “You will be fine.”

 “Yeah, I know.” Cross slumped his shoulders in defeat. “So, what is the occasion? Besides the rest and relaxation that everyone else will be enjoying.”

 “You will be able to enjoy it as well, don’t be so dramatic. Your task won’t take that long.” Jiana reached across her desk and picked up a gilded envelope. She spun it towards Cross. He caught it with a deft hand.

 “What is it?” Cross said as he held it up to his eye. There was a dragon embossed in gold on the creamy white paper.

 “It’s a payment.”

 “For what?”

 Jiana tilted her head towards the wall. Cross’s eyes followed to where a elegant Tenchi blade hung on the wall. A visible crack could be seen on the blade. “I commissioned a replacement last year. It is finally finished. And seeing as the temple has recently renovated the springs, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, as it were.”

 “I see,” Cross nodded. “Courier Cross, package accepted. Estimated delivery time: next week.”

 “Oh my, so professional.” Jiana’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “Be sure and have a good time. And keep the boys out of trouble.”

 Cross returned the smile. “Yes, mother.”

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 103

Lexi’s hand faltered right before she knocked on Misa’s door. Was it rude to bother her when she had just arrived? Since going up to her room Misa had yet to come back downstairs and the sun was already beginning to set. Dinner had already came and went.

 Lexi’s hand dropped an inch.  

 Maybe she was asleep already? Did Elves need lots of sleep or very little? There was so much she simply didn’t know.

 A soft tap-tap drew Lexi’s attention and she turned her head towards the window. Curious, she began to approach the window when it suddenly opened and Misa slid cleaning through the opening. The vines that had opened the window slid back beneath her short, green shirt, pulling the window back closed as they went.

 “Oh.” Lexi wasn’t quite sure what to say to Misa’s abrupt appearance. “Good evening, Misa.”

 Misa stared, almost as if she was debating answering or not. “Good evening.”

 “What were you doing,” Lexi asked, peering around her to look at the window.

 “I was on the roof.”

 “The roof?”

 “My room feels… Constricting,” Misa said after a moment of thought. “I have never stayed in a human dwelling before. It will take me time to get used to.”

 “I felt that way when I first came here too,” Lexi said, a slight smile coming to her face. “I didn’t know anyone, really. My first night I ended up wandering the guild and thinking about how much I wanted to be back home. I really missed my sister, but she had already gone off to her own guild.” When Misa made no intention to speak Lexi continued. “I was actually quite an annoyance, I believe. I would constantly badger Cross to spar with me and when he wouldn’t I would whine at Servilia until she would.”

 “Would you like to spar with me?” Misa said.

 The words were spoken with such directedness that it took Lexi a moment to comprehend was Misa had just said. Misa simply waited where she was, her emerald eyes staring at Lexi with a complete lack of urgency.

 “I’m sorry?” Lexi finally managed to say.

 “Cross told me you have a great interest in magic and you have just expressed your desire for combat.” Misa held out her hand and the vines snaked up her wrist before forming a short spear.

  In a single step she crossed the space between them and thrust towards Lexi’s head. Lexi’s hand came up and batted the attack to the side and she stepped forward, intercepting Misa’s leg with her own before it could come up for a kick. Sliding back Lexi held up her hands defensively as Misa lowered her weapon.

  “My magic allows me to create, but I have focused most of my efforts on utilizing it for combat,” Misa said. “If we were to fight, I would be able to assess your ability and possibly advise you on how you can better yourself. You have welcomed me warmly. I would like to do this to return the favor.”

 The edge of Lexi’s mouth began to quirk and a glint appeared in her eye. “Are you sure you don’t want to rest first?”

 “I don’t think that will be necessary,” Misa said as a similar glint appeared in her eyes.

 “Right, then,” Lexi waved to Misa. “Follow me.”

 xXx

“So you want me to use magic?” Lexi said as she tied her hair back into a tight ponytail.

 “That would be ideal.” Misa said, a long spear forming in her hand. She rested the tip on the ground. “I will keep my weapons dull to avoid serious injury.”

 “I will do the same.” Lexi thrust out her arm and a long, black blade appeared in her hand. “We wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

 Misa didn’t respond as she suddenly surged forward and thrust the spear forward. She was faster than Lexi expected, but the shadow mage still managed to swing her sword up and deflect the attack to the side. She tried to press forward but Misa slid back, keeping the spear up and between them.

 Batting at the tip of Misa’s spear Lexi began to circle, feinting forward a few times, trying to bait out a reaction from Misa, but the elf held fast, keeping the spear moving back and forth defensively, but never committing to an attack. Lexi continued the movement for another rotation, getting a feel for Misa’s timing. Just as the elf began to take a step to follow her, Lexi struck.

 With a forceful blow she batted the spear to the side and charged through the opening. Misa allowed the spear to continue onto the side and spun with it, gaining momentum as she brought he weapon around in a sweeping blow just as Lexi reached her. Swinging her weapon up, Lexi managed to block the powerful blow.

 As the shockwave from the attack reverberated through her arm Lexi was already planning her next step when a sudden tremor went through her body. She barely had time to gasp before the blade shattered and she was lifted off her feet as the shaft of Misa’s spear made contact with her shoulder.

 Spinning through the air, Lexi handed hard on the padded surface of the training room floor. Bouncing once she managed to roll back into her knees, throwing up a shield of shadow just as Misa’s spear came arcing down towards her. The weapon collided with her magic with enough force to crack the barrier and Lexi felt a sudden and momentary of exhaustion go through her body. Shaking off the feeling she dispelled the shield and reformed the shadow into another sword, launching back into the fight.

 Misa’s spear thrust towards her but she twisted by the attack, slicing towards Misa and forcing the elf on the defensive. Lexi kept herself close as she batted away Misa’s attacks, not allowing her to build up the momentum for a powerful strike and forcing Misa to rely on quick thrusts that Lexi was able to confidently evade or deflect. What was she wasn’t prepared for, however, was for her forward progress to be abruptly halted as something wrapped firmly around her left foot. Stumbling forward and nearly losing her balance Lexi managed to keep herself on her feet. Eyes wide she looked down at the vines that had wrapped around her leg and rooted into the floor.

 “What in the hells…” When had Misa set the trap?

 Lexi did not have time to think about that as she heard the hiss of the spear as it came racing towards her chest. Sweeping her sword up she blocked the attack but the force was enough to stumble her off balance again. As she struggled to stay on her feet Misa drew the spear back and thrust forward. Gritting her teeth Lexi swung up to deflect the attack, only to have Misa pull back for a split second before driving forward, slamming the spear tip into her exposed chest.  

 The air in Lexi’s lungs was forcefully expelled as the spear struck her and she was sent sprawling backwards. The sword in her hand vanished as her concentration broke completely. Landing hard on her back, Lexi grabbed at her chest, pressing against the painful bruise that was already forming between her breasts. Rolling onto her knees she tried and failed to suck in a breath, her head falling against the mat as she fought to get air.

 “Magic changes the rules of combat. It is not enough to be aware of your surroundings, you must be aware of the potential of change,” Misa said as she spun the spear around.

 “I see,” Lexi managed to spit out as she worked her way back to her feet. “I believe I understand.”

 Lexi thrust her hand out and a new blade formed. Taking in a deep breath she took a single step forward before launching forward, her right arm extended towards Misa.

 Misa held her position as Lexi came racing towards her, her spear coming back to strike. She waited until Lexi was just inside of her range before sliding towards her and thrusting towards Lexi’s head.

 Lexi did not slow down, her left hand coming across her chest and a hooked blade appearing in her fingers. Swinging the newly formed sword across her body she caught Misa’s spear with the hook and pulled it to the side. Teeth bared she surged through forward, keeping Misa’s caught in the hook as she thrust forward with her other blade.

 Misa twisted her body as Lexi’s blame came thrusting towards her chest. Releasing the spear she threw herself back as Lexi twisted her blade and swiped it towards her. Though she managed to avoid the sword she was not able to avoid Lexi’s foot as the mage spun around and delivered a swift kick to Misa’s midsection. A small huff of air escaped her lips as the force of the blow sent her back a step before she was able to catch herself. She began to form a new weapon in her hands when Lexi swung her hook sword around. The spear, still trapped in the hook, was suddenly released and sent hissing through the air towards Misa. Eyes widening ever so slightly Misa leaned back, allowing the spear to go whizzing just by her face before it slammed into the wall with a loud crack. The moment was all Lexi needed to close the distance between them.

 On the defensive Misa only had a moment form a short spear before Lexi was on her. Blocking Lexi’s initial attack she returned by thrusting forward to try and create distance between them but Lexi did not relent, again using the hook to redirect Misa’s attack. Misa did not allow herself to be disarmed this time and quickly drew the spear back before Lexi had a chance to properly lock it within the hook before ducking under Lexi’s next swipe and throwing her arm out towards Lexi.

 A volley of vines whipped from her arm and Lexi was forced to stop her forward momentum as she swung her swords up defensively, batting away the thick vines before they could begin to wrap around her. The momentary distraction allowed Misa to reform her weapon and, with a confident step, she thrust forwards.

 Lexi’s sharp eyes caught the spear appearing through the tangle of vines a moment too slow. She wouldn’t be able to block that. Her teeth grit as she jumped backwards, giving up on pressing the attack any further as the vines retreated back to Misa’s arm, wrapping around her flesh like a snake.

 Lexi’s fingers tightened on her weapons as she began to circle Misa. She could feel the shadows beginning to waver, sucking more and more of her energy to stay completely solid. She had another minute to finish this, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. The elf’s spear work was good, but it wasn’t the best she had ever faced. The vines were dangerous, but she was sure she could deal with him if she could disarm Misa.

 Dispelling the hook sword, Lexi moved both of her hands to the remaining blade, settling it into position before her. A single breath passed her lips before she charged forward, leading with her blade.

 Misa reacted as expected, keeping Lexi at bay with the extended length of her spear, now aided the ever present threat of the vines wrapped openly around her arm. Lexi repeatedly danced towards her, feinting an attack only to pull away before making contact. This late into the battle could not afford to trade stray blows with Misa, not with the amount of effort she was expending keeping her blade solidified.

 Feinting forward again she drew an attack from Misa, this one a touch slower than the last. Lexi pounced on the moment, her heel planting against the ground before she lunged forward, her left hand releasing her sword to grab the head of the spear. Misa tried to draw it back but Lexi’s grip was strong enough to hold it in place long enough to bring her sword arcing ups. Just as the blade made contact with the spear Lexi forced a surge of magic into the weapon, fortifying it. The effort took her breath away and made her knees buckle, but was worth it as the shaft of the spear cracked in half as she released the magic weapon on the upswing.

 Lexi’s fingers kept a tight grip on the head of the spear and began to spin around to attack when she felt a constricting pressure on her right arm. Caught, she looked down at the vines that had already wrapped firmly around her wrist. She brought up the spearhead to strike but Misa was quicker, her broken spear already reformed into a short spear that she brought up to Lexi’s throat with frightening precision.

 “It’s over,” Misa said quietly.

 “Are you sure about that?” Lexi asked, a small smile forming on her face even as the vines continued to climb her body, stretching across her chest and trapping her other arm as well. The broken spear slipped from her fingers as they began to tightly constrict her. “It is not enough to be aware of your surroundings, you know.” Lexi cast her eyes towards the ceiling and Misa followed her gaze. There, hanging above her by a thread of shadow was Lexi’s sword. With a small move of Lexi’s fingers the blade swung down, stopping only a few inches from the side of Misa’s head.

 A soft laugh, followed by the sound of gentle clapping drew both girl’s attention. Seated at the base of the steps with a cup of Tea, Jiana tilted her head to the side, a smile on her face. “I should have known it would be the two of you.”

 “Mistress!” Lexi struggled free of Misa’s vines and quickly bowed. “I’m sorry if we woke you.”

 “I apologize as well,” Misa said, bowing her head slightly.

 Jiana waved her hand. “There is no need to apologize, I was awake anyways. I was curious, however, as to who would be making such a racket. At first I was sure Romeo must have snuck another girl down here.”

 “He brings girls here to fight?” Misa said, a rare expression of confusion passing over her face. She looked to Lexi for explanation but Lexi, with a slight pink lighting up her cheeks, quickly shook her head.

 “I suppose I am being rude,” Jiana said as she stood up. She approached Misa. “I am Jiana Drachen, Mistress of the Sleeping Dragon Guild.”

 “Thank you for allowing me to stay her, Mistress Jiana,” Misa said. “My mother… she spoke very highly of you.”

 “I felt the same way of her. I am sorry to hear of her passing,” Jiana said, reaching out and touching Misa softly on the shoulder. “However I am glad you have come here. I hope you will find your time with us pleasant. I’m sure there is much you can teach us and I believe there is much we can teach you as well.”

 Misa nodded. “I am thankful for any guidance you can impart.”

 “Wonderful!” Jiana snapped her fingers. “Let’s begin right now. Now from this fight it was clear to me that your control over your magic is very developed. However it seems very different than Alexis’. Is that correct?”

 “Yes.” Misa held out her hand and a orange blossom formed in her palm. “My magic allows me to grow things at an accelerated rate. The initial effort for creation is higher, but once created they require no more effort to sustain. By comparison, if Lexi were to create a weapon, the initial effort is lower, but keeping the weapons sustained by magic takes considerable effort.”

 “So it would be in my best interest to use magic to enhance my weapons instead of relying on it to outright create weapons.” Lexi said.

 Misa nodded. “You should also simplify your creation.”

 “Simplify?”

 “Create a sword.”

 Lexi did as she was asked, holding out her hand and creating the sword she knew best. A perfect copy of Nightmare formed in her palm. She spun it around once, testing the weight before holding it out towards Misa.

 The elf reached out with a slender finger and pointed at the weapon. “When you create a weapon of magic there is no need for the etching or filigree. Any additions you make to the weapon require greater concentration to sustain.”

 Lexi’s brow furrowed and the sword began to change shape, altering in appearance slightly, becoming more flat and growing darker in appearance. “This will take some getting used to, but I can see how it would be beneficial. Thank you, Misa.”

 Misa nodded.

 “Now Artemisa,” Jiana drew the elf’s attention. “While your control over magic is impressive, you are not as suited to formal combat as Lexi.”

 “I am not,” Misa said freely.

 “Not to worry. Your footwork is solid and your speed is impressive. I believe if you two work together you will quickly become quite competent young women,” Jiana sad.

 Lexi caught the slight glint in Jiana’s eye and the sword in her hand bobbed. “Why Mistress, it almost sounds as if you are saying we are not competent right now.”

 “Oh dear,” Jiana sipped at her tea. “I did not mean to offend. While you are both quite impressive for your age there are many things you are not prepared for.”  

  Lexi glanced at Misa. Her face was impassive, but the vines around her arm had slid down slightly, wrapping around her fingers in anticipation. Lexi felt her pulse begin to rise.

 “There are two of us,” Lexi said. “If Misa is of the same mind, I believe we could handle most issues.”

 Misa’s emerald eyes met Lexi’s and she gave a short nod before the two girls turned their attention back on Jiana who continued to sip serenely at her tea, humming slightly at she did so.

 “Are you sure you wish to do this?” Jiana said, bringing the teacup down. “I’m sure you are both tired from your earlier session.”

 “I’m sure,” Lexi said, leveling her sword in front of her. Beside her Misa did the same, a spear forming in her hands.

 “It has been a few years since we’ve done this,” Jiana swirled her tea. “It didn’t end in your favor last time.”  

 Despite the knot of anticipation that had formed in her stomach, Lexi found herself smiling. “It has been a few years, Mistress.”

 “Very well, if you are both sure,” Jiana smiled warmly at the pair and disappeared.

 A chill worked its way down Lexi’s spine and she slowly turned to look at Misa. The elf’s eyes had grown wide and her mouth opened slightly before the spear in her hand burst into a shower of splinters. A moment later the sword in Lexi’s hand did the same, the magic violently dispelling.

 A stab of pain cut across Lexi’s neck and she clutched at her throat. Across from her Misa did the same, but in the moment before the elf’s hand obscured her neck Lexi saw it. A thin, red line. Beneath her own fingers she felt a similar laceration, a few drops of blood grew wet against her fingertips.

 A soft ‘sip’ drew both girls eyes as they slowly turned around to look at Jiana, the tea cup at her lips.

 Lexi opened her mouth to speak but found she had no air in her lungs to speak. Her brow furrowed as she tried again before dropping down to her knees. Her eyes fluttered as she fought to fight off the darkness that began to eat at her vision. She heard Misa fall to the mat beside her.

 “Ten-ni-tai. The unseen step. That is how I got behind you,” Jiana said, answering Lexi’s unspoken question. “Qenchi, the hidden blade. That is how I cut you. Kes-Jin, the thief. That is why you cannot breath. It will pass in a moment.” Her eyes crinkled into a smile and she gave them a soft nod. “I think that is enough for tonight. Goodnight, girls. Please clean up any blood you get on the floor before you go to sleep.”

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 102

It normally did not take Avril long to get dressed. Under normal circumstances she could be dressed and ready for battle within a minute. For official meetings she usually took a bit longer, but was still rather swift all the same, having done most of the preparation the night before.

 Today, however, she had spent the last two hours simply staring at her reflection in the mirror, occasionally running a hand through her greyed hair.

 The red that had taken over her right eye had begin to fade away, a small patch at a time, and the usual blue had begun to shine through the gaps. The left remained stuck with the liquid gold hue. It was actually a quite beautiful color and Avril found herself staring at it unblinkingly as the minutes dragged on.

 Given the chance, she probably would have stayed like that, simply staring at her reflection and letting the hours drag endlessly. But it wasn’t out of vanity that she remained stuck to her seat.

 It was shame.

 Cassandra would be expecting her within the hour and for the first time in her life Avril was dreading a meeting with the Queen. Still, she had a duty to preform, and with a heavy sigh she pushed herself up from the chair and began to dress in earnest.

 As always she worked the buttons of her jacket until they shone like gold and took the time to polish up any possibly scuffing on her boots. The uniform was freshly pressed and slightly stiff against her skin as she pulled it into place, but more than that it felt heavy. So heavy she could have sworn it was made of lead, and the weight only increased as she fastened the final button into place.

 Her eyes fell on her pistols. They lay innocently on the table before her, the elegant filigree calling out to be caressed, but Aril’s hand stayed put. The day she had received them from the Queen suddenly felt lifetimes ago.

 The grips were cool as she ran her hands over the polished wood before she picked them up. The weight was staggering as she slowly slid them onto her hips before finally securing her shoulder cape into place.

 Making her way through the castle she drew a handful of looks from curious maids and servants, but none spoke loud enough for her to hear what they were saying. She had an idea, however. The reaction Marcus had given her upon seeing her sudden change in appearance had been more than telling.

 “Lieutenant Avril Ena of the First Powder Regiment. I am expected,” Avril said softly as she stopped before the Throne Guards. She produced her summons and handed it to the nearest guard. He accepted it with a curt nod before slamming his weapon against the ground. A moment later the doors slowly creaked open, releasing a gust of frigid air from the room inside. Avril steeled her nerves as the cold washed over her face and she marched into the room.

 Cassandra was standing on the far end of the room, her masked face angled towards the window as she stared at the gardens below. As she turned her head to look at Avril, the young Lieutenant dropped to one knee and pushed her gaze to the floor.

 “My Queen,” Avril said quietly, but her voice easily carried through the empty room.

 “Rise,” Cassandra said. She stared at Avril for a long time before her gaze returned to the window. Avril did as she was told, slowly rising up from the ground. The room was so silent Avril could hear her own heart beat. A steady thump-thump-thump that threatened to deafen her. When Cassandra spoke again, she flinched, taking a full step back before catching herself. “You found him.”

 “I did.”

 “You tried to kill him.

 Avril forced herself not to bow her head. “I did.”

 “Why?”

 “I…” Avril’s voice caught in her throat. “I swore to protect you. To give my life for yours, if need be. I believed your resolve had been weakened because of… Because of the intimacy of the issue. Given the chance, with the information I had been presented, I would have made the same decision.”

 “Information presented?” Cassandra laughed. It was a bitter sound. “And now?”

 “I don’t know. I just….” Avril trailed off. It was an concern that tore at her insides. If she had succeeded in killing Cross, there would be no issue. His death would have solved everything… And yet….

 “How much is the life of one man worth against thousands? Maybe millions?”  Cassandra asked. “As a Queen the answer is simple. As a soldier the answer is simple,” She let out a heavy sigh and pulled the mask from her face, letting it clatter to the ground. The sunlight fell softly against her skin. “But we are more than the titles that present us. We are weak and we are foolish. We put our personal desires above all.”  

 “I… I do not think the answer is simple, my Queen. As a soldier I have lost men. Good men. That has forced me to come to understand the value of a life. But I know that at times I will be forced into situations where I cannot save everyone. I know that there will be times where lives will be lost, perhaps even my own one day. But that does not mean that it is not a noble effort to attempt to do so regardless of the possibly outcomes.” Avril took in a deep breath to steady her voice. “There is nothing foolish in seeing the value in every life, even my own. If you could not find it in yourself to see the same… If you could not, I do not believe you would be worth serving.”

 “Well, well, well,” Cassandra sighed softly as she reached out and touched Avril’s face, her thumb running under her golden eye before her hand slowly trailed through her hair. “You’ve grown up. It seems with grey hair comes does wisdom.”

 The joke was so unexpected that choked laugh escaped Avril’s lip before she could catch herself. With the laughter came the tears. Hot tears that leaked from her closing eyes. Her head bowed as Cassandra pulled her into a tight embrace. When the Queen finally released her, Avril roughly rubbed at her eyes, but the tears continued to flow freely.

 “If I may ask…” Cassandra’s mouth twisted slightly and she sucked in a sharp breath. “How… how did he…”

 “As you would expect,” Avril said. “I knew it was him as soon as I saw him.”

 “And his powers?”

 “They are very developed. He was able to hold his own against me, despite your training. Even after I….” Avril resisted the urge to lift her hand up to her face. “After I activated the eye of Voynar, he was able to survive.”

 “You survived as well.” Cassandra’s voice was soft.

 Avril shook her head, finally wiping her eyes dry. “Please do no apologize. It was my failure. Both in my action and inaction.”

  “Shall we simply say we have both made mistakes?” Cassandra offered with a sad smile. Her hand again found Avril’s face, cupping her cheek and tilting Avril’s head to get a better look at her golden eye. “Have you harnessed the power, then?”

 “No,” Avril stared into the Queen’s dark eyes. “I can feel the magic flowing from the eye into the rest of my body, but I have no control over it. It is… it is a strange feeling. I do not believe I will lose control of it, again, however.”

  “Voynar used that eye to create this very Kingdom,” Cassandra’s hand slowly fell away. “I have no doubt you will succeed in honoring its legacy. You are more fit to bear it than anyone.”

 “I do not believe that is true,” Avril broke the Queen’s gaze and stared at the floor. “If it wasn’t for him I would have perished. I did not truly gain it. The rightful heir to this treasure is-”

 “Is you.” Cassandra cut her off. “The rightful heir has already been chosen. Do not think so lowly of yourself. The eye is not a trinket that can be bartered away so easily.” Cassandra faltered, but only for a moment. “Though I may have initially given it to you in error, you have proven your worth, Avril. So many times have you proven your worth. Had our places been switched and I attempted to harness the power of Voynar for my own, I have little double I would have survived. Do you understand?”

 Avril nodded and slowly lifted her head back up. “What happens now? Cross’s existence still poses a threat to the Peace between out kingdoms. Will… will you have another try?”

 “Nothing has changed, but no, I will not send another. He is a liability, and one I cannot allow to roam freely for much longer. I have placed this task on others for far to long. From this point forward, I shall handle the matter myself.” Cassandra took in a deep, shuddering breath and reached up to gentle rub at her temple. “However, while what I told you was true, Avril, there is… There is much more that you do not yet know. I believe it’s time you did. I can only hope you will shall still stand at my side once you know the truth.”

 “No matter what.” Avril dropped down to one knee without hesitation, her hand crossing her chest and landing on her heart. “My life is yours to command, for now and always. I will gladly give it and more for you, my Queen.”

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 101

“This your guild?” Misa said as Cross stopped them in front of a small building.

 “No, this is Tabitha’s Boutique,” Cross said. He pushed the glass door open, wincing slightly as he did so. Whatever Misa had fed him had left him feeling considerably better, but he was still a fair ways off from being completely healed.

 A bell rang somewhere off in the back of the store and a moment later a tall dark skinned woman with sharp cheek bones and even sharper eyes appeared. She swept forward, her shimmering blue dress billowing dramatically around her.

 “Cross! Darling, It’s been far too long,” she held her arms open for a hug before stopping as she took him in fully, her hands pulling back. “You’re filthy.”

 “Hello Tabitha. I had… An interesting trip,“ Cross said with a small shrug.

 “Well that just won’t do, now will it?” Tabitha waved her hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you fixed up in no time.”

 “Actually, I’m here for her,” Cross said, stepping to the side and jerking his head towards Misa.

 “Oh? You’ve brought a friend? How wonderful! Ah! Isn’t she just darling. Those eyes, so bright. Hmm that hair could use work, but it’s so healthy and thick. Such a wild beauty you’ve brought me. Well, we will have to make sure she has the perfect outfit, won’t we?” Tabitha sang as she strut over to Misa. She shot out her hand and caught Cross by the shoulder as he started to slide away. “I hope you know you won’t be leaving here looking like that, though. I do have a reputation to uphold.”

 Cross forced a smile. “Understood.”  

 “Wonderful. Now you just wait there and wait while I work my magic on… What is your name dear?” Tabitha said as she released him and turned her full attention in Misa.

 “Artemisa.”

 “Artemisa, oh what a beautiful name.” Tabitha began to circle around Misa, pulling the cloak from the girl’s shoulders in a flash of movement that was almost too quick to follow. “Oh my, what an interesting outfit. I actually rather like it, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen fabric like this before. However, it is more of a summer look, I believe. Hmmmmmmm.”

 Cross lifted up a hand. “She’s a bit… Shy. So maybe not a full fitting today, Tabitha. Just something nice she can wear. Something weather appropriate.”

 Tabitha let out a dramatic sigh. “Cross, you can’t just bring me such a perfect canvas on which to create on and say something so… So boorish!”

 “She’s going to be here for a while, you’ll get another chance. It has just been a long trip,” Cross said.

 Tabitha ran a hand down her face, pulling at her lips. “Fine! But let it be known, one day I shall create the perfect outfit for this exquisite creature. Don’t you worry about that dear.”

 “I am not worried,” Misa said.  

 “Wonderful!” Tabitha began to circle around Misa, her eyes roaming up and down. “Hmmmmm, slim build, a rather small bust, perhaps a corset? Or maybe something ruffled? Ah the skin is pale but I see a touch of green? Eyes like emeralds… should we contrast? Or double down? Dear, how do you feel about lace?”

 “I don’t know.”

 “Hmm, may I?” Tabitha asked as she reached out to touch Misa’s arm. Misa hesitated for a moment before slow nodding. Tabitha gave her a warm smile and pulled up Misa’s arm. “Yes, as I thought, quite nice muscle tone. A shame it is winter, muscles like these live to be shown off. Same with that stomach. Oh and these back muscles. Are you perhaps a gymnast?”

 “I am not a gymnast.”

 “A shame,” Tabitha said as she dropped down to look at Misa’s feet. “Can you walk in heels.”

 “I don’t know.” “Ah. That would be a no then, but we can work on that.” Tabitha stood up and gave one last look before nodding to herself and making her way back into the depths of the boutique.

 “Sorry, I should have warned you. Tabitha is a bit… intense,” Cross said.

 “It is admirable to be so devoted to your craft,” Misa said. “You could take inspiration from her.”

 “I take back that apology,” Cross sighed.

 “What is a corset?” Misa asked after a moment of silence.

 “What?”

 “What is a corset?”

 “Uh, it’s a….” Cross frowned and worked his mouth from one side to the other. “It’s like… so it pushes… It uh…. It’s like a support thing.”

 “Support for what?”

 “Ah,” Cross ran his hand through his hair. “You see… Oh Tabitha! Perfect timing.”

 Tabitha stopped beside Misa and placed down a number of boxes. She glanced at Cross. “Go outside for a bit, Cross.”

 “Outside…” Cross looked out the window. “It’s snowing again.”

 Tabitha began to unpack the boxes. “Yes.”

 “Can’t I wait in the back?”

 “You’re dirty. I won’t have you near my precious creations in that filth, now scoop.” Tabitha waved him out the door, closing it behind him and pulling the curtains shut, obscuring any view inside the building.

 “Okay,” Cross said to no one as he wrapped his hands around his chest protectively, shivering slightly. “Sure. That’s fine. I’ll just wait out here. In the snow. With no coat. Right, then. Super.”

 Cross continued to grumble for almost a full ten minutes, moving his weight from one foot to the other and occasionally blowing into his hands to warm up his quickly numbing fingers. He was mid-gripe when the door behind him suddenly opened and he was met with a blast of warm air. Sighing in relief Cross hobbled back into the building, brushing some snowflakes from his shoulders.

 “Look upon my work and be amazing,” Tabitha said, throwing her hands towards Misa. “Because of your request I had to work with what I had on hand, but I assure you there is nowhere else you can go that would give you such wonderful results. Now, I decided to go with a long sleeves ruffled blouse, black to accent her pale skin. Pairing that with a long cardigan accents her small frame, green to really bring out here eyes. Now if you’ll look here-”

“Tabitha.” Cross held up a hand. “I don’t need the specifics. She looks fine.”

 “Fine. She looks fine?” Tabitha threw her head back. “Gods why have you burdened me with such simplemindedness? Is this my trail? Must I be both teacher and creator?”

 As Tabitha continued her theatrics Cross glanced at Misa. She was staring at herself in one of the many floor length mirrors that adorned the walls. Her expression was unreadable, but that was nothing new. Seeing Cross in the mirror she turned to look at him. Cross found it oddly difficult to meet her gaze.

 “It’s a bit strange seeing you in actual clothes, and shoes,” Cross said after a moment.  “But you look… Nice.”

 Misa gave a single nod.

  “Nice? Oh you poor, stupid boy. One day you will learn how to speak to a woman. Or maybe you won’t and you will die, sad and alone. Such a handsome face wasted.”

 Cross resisted the urge to roll his eyes and placed a stack of gold on the counter. “This should cover everything. Thanks Tabitha. I’m sure we’ll be seeing you soon.” Cross gave a wave over his shoulder and started to walk out when Tabitha caught him.

 “Oh no, Cross. No, no, no, no, no,” Tabitha’s perfectly manicured nails dug into his shoulder. “Did you really think I would forget? Now it’s your turn.”

 Misa glanced at Cross and though her face did not change, he swore she was laughing at him.

 xXx

   “I’m bored,” Makina said as she watched Romeo tinker with one of his bombs. Beside him, Banksy was sprawled out across the table. The thief had been spent quite a bit of time sleeping since the incident. Lexi had said sleep helped speed along recovery, but Makina was sure he was just being lazy.

 “Want to fill up some more containers?” Romeo said, holding up the glass sphere. “I can always use more. You’ve probably got the purest magic around.”

 “It is not probably, it is a certainty that my divine magic is the most pure form that you mere mortals will ever have the honor of experiencing, and no!” Makina made a face at Romeo as he simply shrugged and continued to work.

 Makina’s eyes scanned across the table and fell on Lexi. The shadow mage had a collection of weapons spread out on the table in front of her and had been slowly working through each piece, inspecting and cleaning them with infuriatingly slow precision. It was enough to make Makina want to scream at the monotony of it.

 “Lexi,” Makina said.

 “Yes, Maki?”

 “I’m bored.”

 “Yes, I heard you say that before.”  

 “Help.”

 “I cannot.”

 “Why?”

 “Because, there is no such thing as being bored, there are only boring people.” Lexi said, smiling as Makina’s hands balled into fists. “Oh, I know what you could do.”

 “What?”

 “Well,” Lexi held up a holding knife and spin it on the tip of her finger. “You could clean your room, for once.”

 Makina recoiled. “A higher being such as myself does not clean!”

 “I am well aware.” Lexi put the knife down. “Well we aren’t scheduled for another team assignment for at least a week, so you are free to take a request.”

 “Mrgh,” Makina laid herself out across the table. “When is Cross returning?”

 “You are more than welcome to send him a message and ask.”

 “I do not want to ask, I want to be told!” Makina snapped.

 Romeo reached over and ruffled her hair. “Nothing wrong with relaxing every now and then. Just chill out.” He looked at Lexi and beamed as Makina batted his hand away. “Get it? Chill out?”

 Makina took in a deep breath and looked up at Romeo. “Idiot?”

 “Yes?”

 “Be gone.” Makina swept her hand back and sent Romeo flying from his chair with a gust of wind.

 Romeo slid across the floor before coming to a gradual stop. Sitting up he shot Makina a cheeky grin as he held up the two glass spheres that now glowed with the ice magic contained inside. Standing up he brushed off the smattering of ice crystals that clung to his clothes. “Thanks, Maki.”

 “See, now you are helping. Isn’t that nice?” Lexi smiled as Makina groaned and put her head against the table. She tilted her head to the side as the front doors opened and a familiar figure slouched in. Lexi put down the knife as she stood up. “Cross.”

 “Is you wearing a silk shirt?” Romeo asked and was promptly ignored.

 “I’m home,” Cross said with a small wave as he headed towards the table slowly, Misa following close behind, her sharp eyes flicking from one guild member to the next. “Ah, right then, so this is…”

 “Are you the reason my servant has taken so long to return?” Makina interrupted, jumping fro the table and landing in front of Cross only to be abruptly pushed aside by Romeo as he dashed forward and came to a skidding stop in front Misa.

 “Hello!” Romeo beamed as he took her hand and gave it a gentle kiss. “My name is Romeo Lovejoy, a joy to love. I must say you are a stunningly beautiful figure. A spot of sunlight on this dreary day. Pray tell, what is your name, if I may be so bold to ask.”

 “It’s more bold to kiss someone’s hand, you jackass.” Banksy yawned, the sudden commotion drawing him from his sleep.

 Romeo’s smile did not waver. “Please, ignore him, he’s unimportant, small, somewhat slow.”

 Misa slowly turned to look at Cross. “If he your friend?”

 Cross sighed and rubbed at his temple. “I guess.”

 Misa’s eyes turned back to Romeo. “If that is the case, I will allow you to release my hand. If you do not, I will remove it for you.”

 “Ah. Understood.” Romeo released her hand and took a small step back.

 “Everyone, this is Misa.” Cross tried the introduction again. “Misa is…. Misa is going to be staying at the guild for a while.”

 “I see,” Lexi nodded and extended her hand towards Misa. “It’s nice to meet you Misa. I’m Lexi. You’ve already met Romeo. That is Banksy and the little one is Makina. Please, don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything during your stay here.”

 “I’m not little.” Makina grumbled.

Misa slowly reached out and took Lexi’s hand. “Any question?”

 Lexi nodded. “Of course.”

 Misa lifted her other hand and pointed at Makina. “Is that child a Goddess?”

 The room when silent, save for Makina who slammed her foot against the ground and balled up her fists.

 “I am not a child!”

 “Amazing.” Misa said softly as she moved to Makina, staring down at the girl through narrowed eyes. “I have never seen so much power.”

 Banksy was the first to recover. “How… how did you know that? Cross how did she know that?”

 As the eyes in the room turned on Cross, save for Misa’s that were still firmly on Makina, he found himself sighing. Reaching back he rubbed at the back of his head before shrugging and heading towards Servilia’s desk. “I’m going to get Misa a room key. So everyone just… stay calm and…. Yeah.”

 “I am not familiar with the Goddess Makina,” Misa said as Cross walked away.  

 “Spirit Goddess, actually.” Makina drew herself up to her full height, pushing back her shoulders. “I am Makina, Spirit Goddess of the Northern Winter Winds. Sister of Aria of the Winds.”

 Misa nodded. “Then you are a successor.”

 Makina’s eyes grew wide. “You know of the succession?”

 “Elves are long lived. Our history dates back even before the Spirit Gods began. Before Humanity had even taken its first steps,” Misa said as she tilted her head to one side, then the other. “Even though you are young, your presence is amazingly large.”

 “Of course. A goddess will always possess more power than a mere mortal, elves included.”

 Misa nodded. “However, that is simply raw power. In terms of control and skill you are quite face behind her.” Misa lifted her hand and pointed at Lexi.

 Makina’s face flushed. “How dare you!”

 Lexi took a step forward as she stared at Misa’s ears. “An elf?”

 Misa glanced at her. “Yes.”

 “You’re and Elf.”

 “Yes.”

 A large smile split across Lexi’s face and her hand came up to her mouth. “I never thought… I didn’t…”

 “An Elf, eh?” Romeo slid between them. “That explains so much. I thought your beauty was too perfect to be just a human.”

 Lexi grit her teeth. “Romeo…”

 “So what about me?” Romeo asked, remaining oblivious to the growing danger both behind and in front of him. He snapped his finger and produced a series of sparks. “How do I match up?”  

 Misa barely glanced at him. “You have a moderate amount of power and even less control. To put it in terms you may be able to understand you are on par with him.” She pointed at Banksy.

 “Ha.” Banksy slapped the table. “I don’t even have magic. It’s just residual from the my rings. You suck Romeo.”

 Romeo was undeterred. “No worries. That just means I need some practice. Maybe you could give me some private lessons. Me, you, maybe a bottle of wine? Some cheese? Do elves eat cheese? Never met one. Until now, but I really want you to know you are giving a wonderful first impression.”

 “Romeo… just, no.” Cross returned with a sigh. He tossed a key towards Misa who caught it with a deft hand. “Misa, your room is on the top floor. End of the hall. Servilia will have it furnished for you later.”

 “Thank you.”

 “Cross don’t be rude. You need to escort a lady to her room, especially in a new place.” Romeo admonished. He offered his arm to Misa. “Since Cross lacks such manners, may I have the honor?”

 Misa stared at Romeo for another moment before turning back to Cross. “Top floor?

 “Yeah,” Cross said.

 Misa nodded and began to walk away.

 Romeo took a step after her. “Have you eaten? After you rest maybe I can take you out? You don’t look like a city girl. How about I teach you all about city life. I don’t mean to brag but I have kind of been everywhere. I mean, I can show you the world. What do you say?”

 Misa stopped and slowly turned to look at him. “You are quite an annoying person, you know.”

 “I have heard that before, yes,” Romeo said. “How about this. If fine dining and long walks aren’t your thing, how about some sparring. You said my magic power is moderate but you never know, I might surprise you.”

 “Right, then,” Cross sighed as he took a step back. Lexi mirrored his decision as a dangerous glint appeared in Misa’s eye.

 “I would advise again that, human.” Misa said.

  Romeo grinned. “I’m tougher than I look.”

 Misa began to take a step towards him before her eyes flicked to Cross. He gave a very emphatic shake of his head. Misa stared at him for a long time before letting out a long breath through her nose. “Perhaps another time.”

 “Oh, I guess that’s my win then,” Romeo called out as Misa began to walk away.

 The elf froze. Very slowly she turned her head to look over her shoulder at Romeo. Romeo’s smile widened and he spread his arms wide, lightning crackling over his fingertips.

 Misa’s arm swept up and a tangle of vines launched through the air from her extended hand. Romeo sputtered in surprise and took a step back. He started to pull his hands together to defend, but Misa’s vines were faster. The vines quickly wrapped around his arms and pulled them tight against his chest. Misa flicked his hand up and the Vines shot upwards, burrowing into the ceiling and dragging the screaming Romeo along for the ride.

 Misa slowly lowered her hand, the vines severing themselves at her wrist and retreating back up her sleeve. She looked up at Romeo who had gone silent  

 “It would be better if you didn’t speak to me. Ever,” Misa said before she slowly walked away, leaving Romeo swaying from the ceiling. He watched her go with a blank expression. Her soft footsteps echoed through the silent guildhall as she ascended the stairs.

 “Oh, I like her,” Romeo finally said, a smile forming on his face as he looked down at Cross who had his face resting in his palm. “Also, I think we can all agree… That was pretty hot, right? Right?”

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 100

Chapter 100 (holy fuck)

 Cross was jolted awake as the carriage hit a rut in the road and he was painfully jostled back and forth. He started to sit up, but a firm hand on the side of his face pushed him back down. Opening his eyes Cross stared at up at Kosu. For once she was silent, staring serenely out the window as her hand moved to his hair, her fingers gently running through his hair.

 She looked down at him. “See anything interesting?”

 “Not really,” Cross said.

 Kosu’s lip jutted out. “I’m not interesting?”

 Cross said nothing as he let out a soft breath and sank deeper into the seat cushioning.  

 Kosu leaned over, her hair cascading down and tickling against his face. “You look like you’re dying.”

 “I’m just tired.”

 “You should go back to sleep.”

 “Trying.”

 “You should have rented a room. The Inn you left that annoying little girl had more than enough rooms available. You could have stayed… but you were you were scared to run into her weren’t you?”  

 Cross sighed and let his eyes close. “Seems so.”

 “You could have avoided that quite easily if you would have just left her die, you know.”

 “Aren’t you pleasant?”

 “Don’t get me wrong, I harbor no ill will towards the girl, I simply don’t care if she lives or dies. I feel that way about most people.” Kosu lightly massaged his temple. “You should have taken the eye, you know.”

 Cross opened his eyes and pushed Kosu’s hand away she moved to cup his cheek. “I don’t want it.”

 “It would have been your right.”

 “She chose to stop fighting. I didn’t beat her.”

 “You know that’s not what I meant.” Kosu pulled back as Cross slowly worked his way into a sitting position. “You know, if you were to die I would be rather sad. It’s very boring having no one to talk to.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 “Be sure you do.” Kosu reached out and ran her cool hands along his burned neck, her touch instantly relieving the pain. “So, where are we headed?”

 “Home.”

 “And where is that?”

 “The Guild.”

 “Ah, then nothing has changed?” The edge of her lip turned up into a knowing smile.  

 “Nothing’s changed,” Cross said softly as he looked out the window and watched the snow flakes begin to stick against the glass.

 “I see. Well then, I suppose the fun is over for now.”

 Cross turned to look at her, his mouth open to ask her what exactly constituted as ‘fun’ in her opinion, but he was suddenly very much alone inside of the carriage. A bemused smile crossed his face before he let out a soft sigh and leaned his head against the cold window.

 “Right, then.”

 Minutes dragged by as the weather continued to worsen, every gust of wind sending tendrils of frigid air through the cracks of the cabin door. The thin travel cloak he had ‘borrowed’ from Avril did not provide nearly enough warmth and he quickly began to regret leaving his coat with her. Wrapping his arms around his torso for warmth, he tucked his chin against his chest and started to settle back into a light sleep when the carriage came to an abrupt stop and Cross was thrown forward.

 Gritting his teeth, Cross slowly pushed himself back into his seat and ran his uninjured hand through his hair. When the carriage made no movement forward he leaned forward and rapped his knuckles against the driver’s window.

  “Why did we stop?”

 The window slid open and the driver peered back in at Cross, his eyes wide. “There is a girl…”

 “And?”

 The driver glanced back towards the road then back at Cross again. “Well she… she’s half naked.”

 Cross blinked. “What?”

 “She’s uh… She’s half-naked. Not wearing shoes either… What do we…?”

 “Half-naked?”

 The driver nodded.

 Cross began to rub his temples. “It’s snowing.”

 “I’m aware of that,” the driver replied, somewhat ruefully as he shook some snow from his hood. “Never seen anything like this in thirty years of doing this.”

 “Yeah, well… yeah,” Cross sighed and pushed open the door to the carriage. He was instantly met with a flurry of snowflakes that stung against his skin. Holding his hand up to protect his face he looked past the carriage and to the lone, green clad figure that was standing beside the road.

 She was indeed half naked, but was seemingly unperturbed by the driving wind that pulled at her short, choppy hair, or the snow that had begun to pile up around her bare feet.

 “Misa.” Cross breathed out as he trudged through the snow and stopped in front of Misa.”

 “Cross,” Misa said, her voice almost carried away by the howl of the wind.

 “What are you doing?”

 “Waiting.”

 Cross looked around the empty road. “Waiting for what?”

 “For you.” Misa said.

 Cross stared at her for a moment before sighing and taking her hand. She allowed him to do so, following him back to the carriage.

 “She’s coming with us,” Cross called up to the driver. He received a slightly hesitant nod before entering the carriage. Misa did not follow him.

 Releasing his hand, she made her way to the front of the carriage, stopping next to the horses. Leaning out the window Cross watched as she gently rubbed each horse’s neck before saying something that he could not hear.

 Whatever she said seemed to have been the right thing, however, as both horses threw their heads and began to stomp their feet, tails swishing wildly for a moment before calming as Misa held up her hand.

 “What did you say to them?” Cross asked as Misa pulled herself into the carriage.

 “I introduced myself and thanked them their work.” Misa said before glancing at where the driver was seated. “I also asked what they think of him. They are quite fond. That is good.”

 Cross almost asked what would happen if they had not been fond of the driver, but having visited Misa’s forest before, he already had a pretty good idea.  

 As the carriage once again resumed Misa sat silently, gazing out the window and Cross stared at her, unsure of what to say, and even less sure of what would get a straight answer.

 “How did you find me?” Cross finally asked.

 “The mark.” Misa turned her green eyes on him. “As long as you live, the mark of the forest will be on you. I can always find you.”

 “Why now?”  

 “You are in danger.” Misa said.

 Cross smiled. The decided lack of urgency in her voice would have been strange for anyone but her.

“Was. I was in danger. But I handled that.” Cross waved his hand thoughtlessly and Misa’s sharp eyes narrowed.

 “Your hand? What is wrong with it?” Misa said as she reached out and took his hand in hers. “It’s swollen.”

 “Broken,” Cross grit out as Misa began to run her fingers along his skin, pressing and prodding here and there. “Had a little bit of an incident.”

 “No.”

 “No?”

 “No.” Cross hissed and tried to pull his hand away as she pressed a particularly tender spot. “No what?”

 “It’s not broken.” Misa said.

 “It feels broken.”

 “It’s not broken.”

 “Then what’s wrong with it?”

 “Your fingers are dislocated,” Misa said, her head tilting ever so slightly to the side

 “Oh.” Cross thought about that for a moment before an overwhelming sense of fear, aided by a sudden spike in his temple, filled his being. “Wait!”

 Misa did not wait, wrenching his fingers back into position without a moments hesitation. There was a quick series of pops and Cross wrenched his hand back, holding it protectively against his chest as he let out a long string of colorful curses. HE closed his eyes and began to rock back and forth, waiting for the pain to subside.  

 Misa watched him impassively.

 “You have many injuries,” she said as he began to calm down.

 “Like I said, there was some danger, but it’s over now.”  

 “is it?”

 Cross grimaced. “I’m pretty sure, at the very least, I’m not in danger.”  

 Misa said nothing.

 “Will you be going back, then?” Cross said. He tried to keep his voice as even as hers, but didn’t quite manage it, a touch of eagerness slipping into the question. Same as always, Misa showed almost no response, but he thought maybe her eyes softened, if only a touch.  

 “No, I will not be returning to the Forest. It was decided that it would be best if I were to experience the world. If the Forest comes to need me I can return at any time.” As Misa spoke a vine crept out from under her shirt and slithered across her arm. Cross watched as the end bloomed into a bright yellow flower that Misa crushed in her palm. She gestured for his hand. “Here.”

 Cross cautiously held out his hand. “What is it?”

 “It will accelerate your healing,” Misa said as she dumped the crushed petals into his hand. “Chew it.”

 Cross stared at the crushed flower. A thick liquid had begun to leak from the petals and it made his skin tingle. Sighing, he pushed the flower into his mouth and began to chew. The texture was quite squishy, with an almost minty flavor.

 Cross hated mint.

 Still, he chewed and chewed until the flower was nothing more than a thick paste in his mouth before, with some difficulty, swallowing the medicine down. Almost immediately he felt his head go light and he slid against the side of the carriage.

 “You will sleep now,” Misa said as Cross continued to slid down in his seat, his eyes dropping.

 “You should warn people before you drug them.” Cross yawned.

 “I did not drug you.”

 Cross yawned as his eyes closed. “You know, I didn’t expect to see you again.”

 “Are you displeased?”

 Cross cracked open one eye. Misa was not looking at him. “No, I’m glad to see you.”

 He saw Misa’s mouth open in response, but he never heard what she said as the darkness took him and he fell out of consciousness.

 When he woke again Cross felt shockingly better. Sitting up and stretching out his arms he glanced around the carriage.

 Misa was exactly where she had been when he had fallen asleep, sitting in her seat with on leg pressed up against her chest and the other curled beneath her. Her eyes stared out the window, taking in the world with silent contemplation.

 “I have never been inside a town, or a city,” Misa said, her eyes remaining fixed out the window. Even on my travels to find you, I stayed mostly to the roads and the forests.

 “Our town isn’t bad. Small enough to be comfortable but not so big that it feels overcrowded.”

 “What is it called?”

 “Vedic.”

 “Vedic,” Misa ran the word through her mouth. “Your Guild, The Sleeping Dragon, is in Vedic.”

 “That’s the one.” Cross rubbed some frost from the window and stared out over the familiar landscape. “Looks like we will be there soon. No one is going to believe that an elf is here. Lexi is probably going to want to talk to you about magic.”

 “The Shadow Mage.”

 “Yeah,” Cross smiled. “After Lexi, Servilia is probably going to want too…” Cross trailed off as he glanced at Misa. Slowly he shrugged his cloak off and pushed it into her hands. “You know, you should put this on.

 “Why?” Misa glanced at the driver’s window as he rapt on the glass three time and the carriage began to slow as the entered the town proper.

 “You’re cold.” Cross said as the carriage came to a gentle stop.

 “I’m not cold.”

 Cross’s eyes traveled over Misa’s bare arms and legs, pausing for a long moment on her exposed stomach. He pushed the cloak again as he heard the driver slid down from his seat and come around to open the door.

 “Yes. You are.”

[story-of-lost-magic]

New opening for Chapter 1

Lexi watched the coming and goings of the building from the comfort that the alley’s shadow provided. This part of the city was all but abandoned, and yet for such a  decrepit structure there had been an unusual amount of activity, with many hooded figures milling around the entry way, speaking in hushed voices that only just barely carried across the deserted street.

 ‘We should have it soon.’

 ‘When?’

 It’s proving difficult.’

 ‘We don’t have much time.’

 ‘It is the will. It shall be done.’

 ‘It shall be done.’

 Despite the assurances the men had given each other, Lexi knew it would not be done. Not as night came and the streets once again grew quiet as the men either returned inside or left back in the direction of the city proper.

 Slipping away from her hiding spot and stepping out into the street Lexi stared up at the building. At four stories it wasn’t particularly high, and with plenty of cracks in the masonry and a number of boarded up windows it wouldn’t be particularly hard to scale.  

 She took a moment to make sure her hair was safely settled in place and giving her scarf one final adjustment before bounding towards the building. Pressing one foot against a large gorge in the wall, she launched herself straight up, her fingers finding the ledge of a window. With minimal effort she pulled herself up the side of the building, making sure to avoid the few windows that remained illuminated by the men remaining inside.

 Reaching the top floor, Lexi made her way to a darkened window. With careful movements she pulled a thin knife from her belt and wedged it under the windowsill.

 She winced slightly as the window let out a soft creak as she twisted the knife and forced the window to open ever so slightly before it caught against the latch and refused to budge any further. Lexi took a deep breath before sliding the knife quickly to the side, as hard as she could.

 The sound of the lock breaking was far louder than she would have liked, but after a full minute of no one coming to investigate, Lexi was confident she hadn’t been head. Slowly she pushed the window open enough to pull her lithe figure through.

 She was in.

 Truthfully, this was not how Lexi would have preferred to go about this request. If it had been up to her, she simply would have kicked in the front door and eliminated whatever was in her way, but the client had asked for a more discreet method, if possible.

 ‘If possible’ was the reason a very large sword was strapped to Lexi’s hip, along with a litany of other weapons along her body.

 Moving to the door, Lexi pressed her ear against the wood and listened. When only silence greeted her she slowly nudged the door open a crack.

 The hallway was completely dark, save for a few rays of light coming up from the stairs at the end of the hall. Drawing a small throwing knife Lexi made her way down the hallway and to the staircase.

 As she stopped at the edge of the first step it became immediately clear why there had been no one on the top floor. The flight of stairs leading to the top floor had been destroyed, making his level virtually impossible to get to. Lexi tilted her head as she stared at the gap before her.

 In theory she could make that jump. However, she could not guarantee she would land quietly enough not to raise suspicion. Furthermore, there was no way to know what state her landing spot would be in. The rotting wood could easily give out beneath her.

 There was no way around it, she would simply have to make the jump.

 With enough time wasted thinking about the issue Lexi did not take more to prepare. Throwing herself forward she hung in the air for a moment, her body crossing out of the shadows and back into the light as she formed her body into a crouch, absorbing the impact of her landing to minimize the noise as much as possible.

 Even so, there was still an audible thud as she landed. She had to move before anyone came to investigate.

 The item was heavy, so it was unlikely that they would have taken the time to carry it up the stairs. It would be somewhere on the bottom floor, she was sure of it.

 Lexi bound down the stairs, keeping as close as possible to the wall to reduce the chance of the wood squeaking beneath her foot. She had just reached the bottom step when she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. She threw herself back, tucking against the shadowy corner where the staircase met the wall.

 A shirtless man came stomping out of a room to her right, walking right passed her as he rubbed at his eyes. Lexi stayed completely still as leaned back and let out a groan of frustration before kicking the nearby table, knocking the lamp over and sending the room into darkness.

 “Damnit!” he roared as he fumbled to relight the lamp.

 A robed man entered the room. “What did you do?”

 “I didn’t do anything!”

 “Obviously. I thought you were good at this?”

 “It’s complicated.”

 “Again, you were chosen because of your supposed skill.”

 “I can get it open. I just need more time.”

 “Time, unfortunately, is not something we have an abundance of. The plan, however, cannot proceed without our success. I trust you understand this.

 “Of course I do.”

 “Take a break and rest. If you somehow manage to break it in your haste, Jer will-”

 “I know that, Tanner!” the shirtless man slammed the still unlit lantern back on the table. “Wake me in twenty minutes.”

 Tanner watched him go before producing a box of matches. “Fool.”

 He struck the match and the room was filled with a soft, amber light. Lexi pushed herself tighter against the corner as the light washed over her for a moment before pulling away as Tanner began to fumble with relighting the lantern. The moment he did, she would completely exposed.

 Reaching back she pressed her hands flat against the wall and sucked in a silent breath. Closing her eyes she slowly curled her fingers against the darkness, finding purchase in the shadows. Slowly she pulled the shadow from the wall. It resisted her, going taunt and threatening to snap out of her grip, but she held on tight. Through the resistance did not fully subside, she was still able to wrap the shadows around herself and fade back into the darkness just as the lantern was lit.

 Opening her eyes she stared through the veil as Tanner put the lantern back on the table and hesitated. His eyes slowly panned across the room, coming ever closer to her hiding spot. Lexi braced herself, resisting the urge to dispel the magic and reach for her weapon.

 Tanner’s eyes fell directly on her, and continued on, before he let out a soft sigh and rubbed at his head.

 “I hate this,” he grumbled before heading up the stairs.

 Lexi managed to hold onto the magic for a few seconds longer before the spell was forcefully broken and she collapsed down to her knees. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps as her heart hammered wildly against her chest. A beat of sweat trickled down the side of her face and she wiped it away with her sleeve before returning to her feet. Fighting off the wave of nausea that threatened to send her back to the floor, she staggered into the room that the shirtless fool had stormed out of.

 The room contained a single table with a small cube set up right in the center. All around it were various tools, many of them broken. Lexi approached the table and carefully reached out and picked up the cube. Or tried to. The client had not been exaggerating the weight. With slightly more effort she managed to lift the cube up and tucked it beneath her arm before producing a replica from inside her cloak. The replica was far lighter, and completely worthless, but the client had requested the job be completed in this manner and Lexi had no qualms with that.

 Mostly.

 With nothing left to do Lexi turned on her heel and simply exited through the front door. Stepping into the night she faded away into the darkness, moving through the shadows at a brisk pace until she once again reached the city proper.

 Making her way into a small hotel she headed up to the third floor. The door was unsurprisingly locked and she rapt sharply on the door. Then did it again when she received no answer, this time with slightly more force. From inside the room she finally heard a small groan followed by the sounds of heavy foot steps.

  A sleepy eyed man opened the door. Rubbing at his eyes he gave a weak wave. “Morning Lexi.”

 “It’s the afternoon, Banksy.”

 “Hey, just be happy I showed up,” Banksy said with a yawn and a shrug. “So what’s up?”

 Lexi held produced the cube. “Ready to work?”

 Banksy’s mouth closed and his fingers flexed as a small grin filtered onto his face. “Always.”

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 99

“What…” Avril tried to stand up but her legs failed her and she plopped back down in the seat. Out of breath she braced herself against the table and glanced up at Cross. He took took a sip from his mug, his eyes closing and his forehead furrowing for a moment. After a few moments of no response Avril once again took in the world. The stark nothingness made her stomach churn.  “What is this place?”

 “A between world.” Cross answered as he opened his eyes. “A meeting place of sorts. It will only exist for this conversation then it will collapse back into nothingness.”

 “How did I get here?” Avril moved her hands to her body, checking for weapons, but found nothing but smooth fabric. She glanced down and stared at the unfamiliar dress that adorned her body. “What…”

 “Sorry about the clothes. I don’t really know how to make them and it was hard enough just to create this space so I just… well it was better than having you naked.” Cross decided it would be too difficult to explain the dress was one of the many he had seen Kosu in.

 “What did you do to me?”

 “I took a peak at your memories.” Cross shrugged. “I didn’t mean to, actually. I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen. I’ve never done this before.”

 “My memories?” Avril slammed the table. “You had no right to do that!”

 “Well, I don’t think you really get to be upset about anything right now, you were trying to kill me.” Cross frowned as a trail of blood began to drip down the side of his face. “Still are, actually.”  

 “What are you talking about?”

 Cross waved his hand a ghostly image appeared at the center of the table. Two figures danced around each other. One appeared to be mad entirely of light that shone so bright it hurt to look at, but Avril found herself unable to look away.

  “What’s the last think you remember, Avril?” Cross asked.

 Avril didn’t respond as she continued to stare at the shining figure. A pain began to develop behind her left eye. She lifted up her hand and realized she could see. She could see out of both of her eyes.

 “Is that me?” Avril breathed out sharply as the realization hit her. She leaned closer to the image, watching as the battle continued to rage.

 “Its you, but it isn’t.” Cross said as he waved the cloudy image away. “Right now you’re not in control of your body. The eye is functioning on your last desire, which unfortunately was to kill me. Pretty soon it’s going to burn through your body and you will die.”

 “Then I’ll die.” Avril said softly. “And you will die with me.”

 “Seems like it.” Cross said as a cut appeared on his neck. His only reaction was a momentary narrowing of his eyes. “Unlike you, I have control of my body and my mind, but luckily it seems time moves differently here. A bit slower, I guess. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to talk.”

 Avril shook her head. “Our fates have been decided, Cross. I have no interest in talking to you any further.”  

 “You are making this very difficult.” Cross flinched, his hand jerking to the side and his ring finger twitching. “Both of you.”

 “My death with be for the glory of the Queen. I have no regrets.”

 “You are annoyingly calm about this.”

 “I have no reason not to be.” Avril said as some blood dribbled from Cross’s lip. “I have killed for the Queen before. I have risked my life for her before. This is no different.”

 “Oh will you knock that shit off?” Cross groaned. “Why don’t you drink something?”

 “What?” Avril looked down and found a steaming mug waiting for her. “How did you…”

 “I control this space, for the most part.” Cross closed his eyes.

 “Then this could be poison.” Avril said as she picked up the mug.

 “Could be, but my guild doesn’t like killing people.”

 “I’m shocked you can say that with a straight face considering the bodies the Sleeping Dragon Guild has left in its wake.”

 “You know we have a saying in our guild.” Cross cracked open one eye. Avril noticed it was extremely bloodshot. “You should never wake a Dragon.”

 “Is that supposed to be an explanation?”

 “More of a warning.” Cross’s hand shook as he lifted his cup to his lips. “We defend ourselves, the guild, and the innocent. We don’t kill unless we are provoked.”

 “So why haven’t you killed me?” Avril asked. “I’ve attacked you. I’m still attacking you. If you control this space, I have no doubt you could kill me right now.”

 “Maybe.” Cross said. “But I felt like you believed you were doing the right thing. After seeing your memories I know you do.”  

 “Then you know I am not bluffing. You know how far I am willing to go.”

 “I guess that’s true,” Cross said. “So let me show you something.”

 The table disappeared and Cross was in front of her.

 “What are you…?” Avril tried to pull away but suddenly found herself floating in the eternal nothingness.

 Cross’s hand reached up and gently he flicked her between the eyes. Avril’s head jerked back as though she had been shot.

 Images flashed through her mind faster than she could even begin to process. The world became nothing more than a blur of color. She wanted to scream, or did she want to laugh? Was that pleasure or was it pain. It all was moving too fast. She couldn't…

 Avril opened her eyes.

 She was back in the gazebo.

 Cross sat across from her, watching her with a careful eye. Avril opened her mouth to scream at him but only a choked sob came out, followed by a burst of laughter. Her hands came to wrap defensively around her head as she fell against the table and began to shake.

 Fear.

 Pride.

 Anger.

 Joy.  

 Sadness.

 Trust.

 Hate.

 Lust.

 Anticipation.

 Disgust.

 Love.

 The emotions rolled across her being one after another. She felt the pain of battles she never fought and the warmth of hugs she had never received.

 “What… What did you do to me?” Avril whispered as she finally gained enough control to raise her head. Tears continued to leak from her eyes and a smile tried to force its way onto her face before giving way to a scowl.

 “Those are my memories. An entire lifetime in a single moment.” Cross said softly. “I saw yours, it seemed fair.”

 Avril tried to wipe away her tears but they continued to leak out. “I... Everything…”

 “Yeah.” Cross slumped in his chair. “Ready for that drink now?”

 Avril nodded weakly and picked the steaming mug up. As soon as the liquid touched her tongue her eyes widened in surprise and she nearly choked.

 “Is this… Hot chocolate?”

 Cross shrugged. “It’s cold. And you’ve switched to ice magic. Can’t say I’m a fan, honestly. I get enough of that already.”

 “Makina?” Avril said the name thoughtlessly.

 “Makina.” Cross sighed as he downed his drink.

 “You’re hand…” Avril said as Cross put the mug down.

 “Hmmm?” Cross looked down at his hand. “Oh. I broke it again when-”

 “When you used the Tenchi style. You’re still a novice. Without your sword your body can’t regulate the energy and it rebounds.” Avril blurted the information out, the words tumbling one after the other.  

 “Yeah,” Cross said, tilting his head to the side.

 Avril closed her eyes and rubbed at her temple. There was too much information going through her mind to process. Her memories intermingled with Cross’s in a sickening medley of images and emotions.

 “You knew,” Avril said after a long while. She opened her eyes just in time to see a large gash appear on Cross chest, the fabric of his shirt ripping for a moment before coming back together though the blood continued to stain through. She felt a moment of triumph that was quickly mired by a twinge of regret. She pushed the feeling down. “You knew for so long.”

 “I knew.” Cross said. His voice was softer.

 “Then why?” Avril shook her head. “If you knew you could have been-”

 “I’m a Courier for the Sleeping Dragon Guild.” Cross cut her off. “My name is Cross Drachen, son of Jiana Drachen.”

 “But… But you…”

 “I have no interest in any of it.” Cross sighed. “That won’t change.”

 Avril’s head began to pound and she slipped down lower in her chair. “I don’t understand.”

 Cross leaned his head back. “Yeah, I know.”

 “This isn’t how it was supposed to be.” Avril’s voice trembled. “This isn’t how you were supposed to be.”

 “Yeah, It’s hard to hurt someone you know, isn’t it? Right now you might know me better than anyone.” Cross managed to chuckle. “How was I supposed to be?”

 “Not… not like this.” Avril bowed her head. “You won’t kill me, will you?”

 “No,” Cross said softly. “I won’t kill you.”

 “I don’t think I can kill you either,” Avril whispered, her eyes closing as fresh tears began to leak out. “But I can’t stop this. It’s too late. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Cross.”

 “I appreciate that, but you really shouldn’t give up before you try.” Cross stood up and walked over to her side of the table. Reaching out he clapped her hard on the shoulder. “You are a soldier of Voy. You are part of the First Powder Regiment. You do not run. You do not surrender. You are the first line of defense between this dark cruel world and the prosperity that is Voy.”

 Cross smiled and continued walking.

 “Wait!” Avril stood up and reached out towards Cross but he was already fading away into the nothingness. “What am I supposed do to?”  

 “I don’t know.” Cross stopped and turned around. He cast his eyes upwards and let out a deep sigh. “You know, you probably won’t remember any of this once this place breaks apart. You’re not a Void Walker like me, or even a Clairvoyant like Cassandra. I don’t think you’ll be able to keep these memories.” Cross brought his eyes down to rest on Avril and smiled. “But I do know you shouldn’t be so willing to throw your life away. There are people that care about you waiting for you back home. So the best I can offer is… Survive.”

 And he was gone.

 Avril’s hand stayed stretched out into the nothingness for a moment before falling down to her side. She looked back at the table, but it was gone, as was the Gazebo and the ground she had been standing on.

 The world was dark and she was falling, falling, falling.

 She reached out her hands to the nothing, but there was nothing to grasp on as she fell away into the abyss.

 Would she drift forever?

 Would she die here?

 “I don’t want to die.”

 The words slipped out over her lips so quietly she couldn’t even hear it.

  “I don’t want to die.”

 Louder.

 “I don’t want to die.”

 Louder!

 “I don’t want to die!”

 Avril’s scream echoed out in the nothingness and began to fade away. With it went Avril’s final breath. Her eyes began to close s her body grew light. So light she would fade away just like her voice.

 A twinkle burst brilliantly in the distance.

 Nothing more than a pinprick of light in the everlasting ether, but even so it burned like a thousands suns in Avril’s eyes.

 Avril willed her body forward, reaching out as far as she could as new breath filled her lungs.

 “I don’t want to die!”

 The light grew brighter. Or was she simply moving closer?

 “I don’t want to die!”

 Her heart hammered in her chest, so hard it felt like her ribs might crack.

 “I won’t die!”  

 Her hand wrapped around the light.

 xXx

 Cross was glad to be back in his body, not they he had left it fully, but keeping his conscious split between reality and the meeting place had proven to be far more taxing than he had anticipated.

 Mostly because he hadn’t anticipated it in the first place.

 That said, the real world was not that much better. Avril was still doing her best to kill him and was doing a pretty good job at it. He was completely out of cartridges, his magic had been pushed past its limit, and his hand was still broken, among many other injuries.

 On the bright side he had managed to retrieve Avril’s fallen pistol. Clutched in his left hand he wasn’t completely sure what would happen if he used it on Avril as she was.

 He would have preferred not to find out, but his plan was abruptly cut short as his leg gave out and he came to a skidding halt on the ground. Breathing hard he tried to push his way back to his feet but was unable to lift himself up more than a few inches before Avril was on him.

 With a single kick she sent him flying through the air, his momentum only coming to a halt as he cracked against a tree trunk. Avril was on him before he fell, her open palm slamming in his chest. Cross screamed as his ribs cracked under the pressure. His voice died in his throat as Avril continued to push, holding him aloft against the tree.  

 “I thought you didn’t want to kill me?” Cross coughed out but received no response. His shirt began to shoulder as Avril’s flesh burned through the fabric. Cross clenched his teeth together and lifted the pistol to Avril’s shoulder. “This won’t kill you, but I hope it hurts.”

 He pulled the trigger.

 The bullet slammed into Avril like a sledgehammer and sent her stumbling back, but her face did not change as the bullet failed to even leave a mark against her glowing skin. Cross let the smoking firearm drop to the ground next to him as he slid down the tree.

 “Right, then,” Cross closed his eyes and leaned his head against the tree. “If you’re going to do something, now would be great.”

 A wave of heat washed over his face as Avril conjured a ball of fire between her hands. Cross didn’t bother trying to move. Sucking in a deep breath he forced his eyes open. He watched as Avril lifted the ball above her head and Lightning began to crackle across the surface of the fire. It would have been an extremely impressive display of magical ability if it wasn’t about to erase his existence.

  Avril’s hands swung down and Cross braced himself. The heat seared against his skin and the electricity set his hair on end. His entire vision blurred as the fireball traveled the short distance towards him and abruptly fizzled out of existence.

 Cross barely had time to let out a sigh of relief before Avril was falling towards him, her eyes fluttering as the light that had illuminated her body faded away. Reaching out with his left arm he caught her as she crashed against his chest, knocking him hard against the tree trunk. Holding on loosely to Avril he slid down the trunk, his teeth gritting against the pain her simple weight against his chest caused.

 He allowed himself a moment to rest before carefully sitting up, allowing Avril to continue to rest against his body as she shrugged off his coat. Though it was blood stained, and now sported quite a few more holes than it had before, he decided it was better than leaving Avril all but exposed against the cold, the majority of her clothing having long ago burned away.

 A small groan escaped Avril’s dry and cracked lips and her fingers twisted into the torn fabric of Cross’s shit.

 “Cross?”

 “Mmmmm?” Cross closed his eyes.

 “Am I dead?”

 “No.”

 “Are you dead?”

 “No.”

 “Thank the Gods.”

 Cross decided he didn’t really feel like thanking the Gods at this moment, or any time in the future, but he remained silent on the issue.

 “I’m losing them.” Avril’s grip on Cross tightened. “It’s all slipping away.”

 “Might be for the best.” Cross said softly.

 “I don’t want to forget it all.”

 “Maybe you won’t.”

  “You don’t believe that.”

 Cross remained silent.

 “Cross.” Avril’s voice was so delicate he was almost sure it would shatter. “She called off my mission. She didn’t want you to die. It was… It was my decision to do this, and part of me still feels it was the right decision.”

 “Yeah, well. You know that doesn’t really mean much by this point, don’t you?”” Cross sighed and opened his eyes. The dying sunlight glinted off the snowflakes that were softly falling .

 “Please… Please don’t hate her for this.” Avril breathed out as her eyes fluttered and she faded out of consciousness

 Cross stared down at her for a long time before letting out a deep sigh. “I never needed another reason.”

 Pushing her softly to the side Cross used the tree trunk to gradually pull himself back to his feet. Sucking in as deep of a breath as he could he pursed his lips and let out a single, piercing note.

 The sound echoed through the forest and Cross could do nothing but wait. His heavy eyes had nearly closed when he heard the steady ‘clip clop’ of hooves. Pushing off from the tree trunk he took a step towards the extremely large horse that that came to gentle stop in front of him.

 “You must be Moon, pleasure.” Cross dipped his head to the great beast as he leaned down and, with great effort, lifted Avril up from the ground. He looked at Moon. “Would you mind?”  

 Moon stared at Cross for a long time before slowly lowering to the ground. Cross gave him a curt nod before draping Avril across the saddle, keeping his hand on her as Moon rose back to his full height.

 “Right, then.” Cross took hold of Moon’s reigns. “Let’s go.”

  xXx

 Avril was woken by the sunlight that streamed through the window. Through bleary eyes she glanced around the unfamiliar room. Sitting up slowly she reached up and rubbed at her head, wincing against the slight pain that seemed to have settled behind her left eye. Rubbing at her eye she gingerly lifted herself out of the bed, noticing for the first time she was clad in only a tattered coat. Reaching up she touched one of the blood-stained holes in the fabric.

 “Cross?”

 The name passed thoughtless over her lips and with it came a flood of memories that burst like fireworks through her mind. Reeling, Avril sucked in a sharp breath as the world came back into focus. She tried to hold onto the memories, but it was like trying to hold water between her fingers. No matter how hard she squeezed they continued to leak away until she was left with nothing.

 Nothing but the feeling that remained.

 A deep feeling of regret mired with relief.  

 A gentle rapping on the door drew her from her thoughts and she made her way to the door. Her legs were weak and she stumbled slightly as she went, just barely managing to catch herself on the door frame.

 “Ah, yes?” Avril opened the door to a kindly, pump-faced woman.

 “Ah good, you’re up.” The innkeeper gave Avril a warm smile. “Your boyfriend left not too long ago. He asked me to make sure you didn’t sleep to long. I guess he wore you out, huh? Oh, and to give you this!”

 “He’s not my... We’re not like…” Avril felt her face grow hot as the woman handed her a envelope.

 “Really?” She eyed Avril up and down, her eyes resting on the tattered coat for only a moment. “Well, you’re young. Might as well get it while you can! Ah I remember those days.”

 “R-right.” Avril forced a smile and quickly ducked back into her room.

 Finding her way back to the bed she collapsed onto the mattress before pulling the letter free.

 Dear Avril,

 Moon is in the stables and is being well taken care of. The package you asked to be delivered is in his Saddle bag. As of now your delivery has been completed. Your payment will be expected within the next week. An invoice will be delivered by courier soon. I have gone ahead and added the cost of this room to your account.

 Please delivery your payment promptly to avoid incurring a surcharge.

 The Sleeping Dragon Guild thanks you for your business.

 Cordially,

 Cross Drachen

 P.S.

 The cost for my clothes and medical expenses will be charged to your account as well.

 P.P.S.

The magic burned through a lot of your bodies energy so your hair color should return to normal soon. I’m not sure about your eyes.

 Avril read the last line of the letter then read it again, her hand coming up to touch her hair, then her eyes.

 Eyes?

 Avril shot from the bed and rushed to the mirror. The face that met her was similar but so very different. A pair of mismatched eyes stared at her. Her right eye that had once been a pure blue was not a bloody shade of red, while her left… her left had become a brilliant shade of gold

 The eye of Voynar

 Taking a deep breath she forced herself to remain calm as her hands slowly moved up to run through her hair.

 Her completely grey hair.

 “Oh.” Avril stared at herself for another moment before her face split into a smile and she started to giggle. Slipping down to the floor she broke into outright laughter, clutching at her stomach as tears of mirth began to leak out of the edges of her eyes.

 Curling into a ball she drew Cross’s coat tight around her body as the laughter subsided though the tears continued to leak from her eyes.

 She was alive.

 They both were.

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 98

Avril loved the Royal Gardens.

 They reminded her of home, with the abundance of fresh greenery, the scent of fresh dirt, and the fragrant perfume of the delicate flower petals.

 Of Dumas.

 Two years of living in Voy and she still could not grow comfortable in the castle. In Dumas her family had not been important enough to live in the castle. She had grown up on the outskirts of the capital, free to roam the countryside as she pleased.

 But no longer.

 Now she was here, confined in this castle of steel and stone. But the gardens, at least, the gardens allowed her to feel alive and at home.

 Though she knew her mother would give her no end of grief for ruining her dress, Avril quickly found herself lying on the ground, head resting on a thick nest of ivy that had begun to coil around the base of an ancient tree. Her eyes had just begun to close when she heard the sound of approaching feet and an annoying jumble of loud voices. She sat up just as three boys appeared on the path. She recognized the largest of the trio. Furrowing her brow she picked herself up and started to slink away when he called out to her.

 “Where ya going Avril!” Jacob said. He held a long stick in his hands that he slapped against a nearby tree. “I heard it’s your birthday. You didn’t invite us to your party?”

 Avril slowly shook her head. “I didn’t have a party.”

 Jacob stopped in front of her. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Hard to have a party when you don’t have any friends.”

 “I have friends,” Avril said softly.

 Jacob leaned forward. “What was that, Dum-ass. And speak clearly. I can never understand what you’re saying with that accent.”

 Avril’s tiny hands curled into fists and she turned away from Jacob. “I have friends.”

 “Hey!” Jacob swept his stick forward and caught Avril on the side, drawing a quick cry of pain.

 Avril hunched her shoulders. “What?”

 “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Jacob hit her again. “You’re not a citizen of Voy. If you want to visit the Royal Gardens you need an invitation. Let me see yours?”

 “I don’t need an invitation. I have a right to be here?”

 A right?” Jacob looked at the two boys behind him. “She thinks she has rights here? You’re just a bargaining chip, you know.  It’s to keep Dumas from doing anything stupid. If they get too uppity we might go ahead and execute you. Maybe send them one of your hands or something. ”

 Avril reminded silent, her fingers reaching out and lightly gliding over the petals of a nearby bush. She had heard all of this before. From Jacob, from the other children… even their parents. They talked in hushed whispers around her family. A lasting reminder that they were not welcome here and they never would be.

 “Don’t touch that!” Jacob whipped the stick down. Avril was barely able to pull her hand back before the stick struck the flower, crushing the delicate petals and breaking the stem off at an awkward angle.

 Avril’s head whipped around sharply to face Jacob. “Don’t.”

 Jacob hit the bush again. “I’m a true noble of Voy. I can do whatever I want here.”

 “I said don’t.” Avril said.

 “Or what?” Jacob brought the stick high over his head. Avril reacted faster, whipping the broken stem from the bush and lashing it towards Jacob’s face. The thorny stem caught him just under the lip, scratching across his flesh and cutting a bright red line.

 “Ah!” Jacob reared back, dropping the stick and grabbing his face in shock. “You… get her!”

 Avril had no time to run as the other two boys pounced on her, easily knocking her smaller frame to the ground. Fists and feet rained down on her and Avril did her best to curl into a ball, her arms coming up to cover hear head.

 “Stop this right now!”

 A voice light thunder echoed through the gardens and the attack on Avril suddenly stopped as the boys jumped back. Avril remained where she was, eyes screwed tight even as tears continued to leak free.

 “Are you alright, dear?”

 Avril felt a hand gently stroke her hair and soft voice whisper out. With effort she managed to open her eyes and look up. The Masked Queen, Cassandra the Fourth of Voy, stood before her. To her left was a tall, willowy woman with severe brown eyes. On her right was an imposing man in military dress, chest heavy with medals. Avril could not yet find her voice and dropped her eyes back down to the ground, watching as her tears dropped down to the dirt.

 “Leaane?”Cassandra addressed the woman as she casually reached out and plucked a flower from its stem. “Could you tell me their names?”

 Leanne adjusted her glasses as she gave each child a quick once over. Lifting her hand she pointed at each boy in turn. “Philip Acton, thirteen. His younger brother, Tristan Acton, twelve. Jacob Brown, thirteen. Both of the families are merchants.” She pointed to Avril. “And the girl is Avril Ena, Dumas nobility. Her family arrived late last year as part of the usual exchange.”

 “I see.” Cassandra dropped the flower and turned to look at Jacob. “Now tell me, Jacob, what exactly were you children doing?”

 Wide-eyed, Jacob turned to the brothers, but Philip simply stared ahead blankly as Tristan began to tear up, his tiny shoulders shaking. Slowly he turned back to Cassandra. “We were…”

 “Yes?” Cassandra tilted her head. “You were just doing what?”

 “We just… We…” Jacob

 “You were just attempting to show her where she stands. Is that it?” Cassandra said

 Jacob nodded quickly, his body relaxing slightly. “Yes, my Queen.”

 “There is something I don’t understand, however. Explain to me why it takes takes three of my robust Voy boys to take on a single...” She glanced down at Avril. “How old are you dear?”

 Avril stared at the ground. “Ten.”

 “I see.” She turned back to the trio of boys. “Now, which one of you would like to explain to me why it takes three of you to fight a single ten year old from Dumas. Are you so pathetic that you do not believe you could stand against her in a fair battle? How brave you must be to show the true value of a noble of Voy. Your parents must be so proud.”

 Jacob took a step back as though he had been struck and Phillip began to cry.

 “But…” Jacob’s hands balled into fists. “This is Voy. She’s from Dumas. She doesn’t belong here!”

 “Let’s see just who belongs and who doesn��t then, shall we?” Cassandra rested her hand on Avril’s shoulder. “Avril?”

 Avril looked up. “Yes?”

 “Would you like to fight one of them?” Cassandra asked.

 Avril stared back at her. “What?”

 Cassandra’s head tilted. “I believe it is a very simply question. Would you like to fight one of them? A fair fight, of course.”

 “Fair?”

 “Yes. There will be no interference, I swear it.”

 Avril slowly wiped the blood from her lip and turned her red-rimmed eyes on Jacob. “Him.”

 “Wonderful.” Cassandra squeezed Avril’s shoulder. “You may begin.”

 Jacob’s hands were still at his side, his mouth opening in confusion when Avril crashed into him. The top of her head knocked against his chin and sent the larger boy toppling off balance. Avril screamed as they crashed to the ground and she struggled her way to Jacob’s face.

 Acting completely on instinct Avril clawed at his face with her nails, drawing thin lines of blood before he managed to knock her away. Coming up on all fours she launched herself back into him, slamming her elbow against Jacob’s face just as he began to sit up.

 Jacob cried out as blood burst from his broken nose. Not satisfied, Avril grabbed him by the hair and threw him him back down the ground. Reading back her foot she gave Jacob a hard kick to the face before he was able to bring his hands up to defend. Avril continued to kick the battered boy as he curled into a ball, her teeth bare and her breath coming out in short, broken bursts.

 “I believe that’s enough,” Cassandra said softly. She angled her head to the man and he quickly pulled Avril away from Jacob, ignoring the girl’s struggles as he easily held her aloft with a single hand.

 “You two.” Cassandra glanced at Acton boys. “Take him home.

 “Yes, my Queen!” the elder Acton aid hastily. He pushed his brother into action and together they half carried, half dragged Jacob away.

  “So what do you think, Markus?” Cassandra asked. “Do you believe me now?”

 Markus slowly lowered Avril to the ground. “May I speak honestly, my Queen?”

 “Always”

 Markus stared down at Avril. The girl was still as a statue, her eyes unseeing as she stared ahead blankly. “While I respect your ability as a Seer, Winning a single fight against a pampered noble brat is a far cry from being an effective military asset.”

 “True, but it is a beginning, is it not?” Cassandra dropped down to one knee beside Avril and put a hand on her shoulder. The girl’s head snapped to look at her. Cassandra tiled her head. “Hello Avril.”

 Avril’s mouth opened but no words came out, only a small noise from somewhere in the back of her throat.

 “Don’t worry, you won’t get into trouble for this.” Cassandra said softly “There is something I would like to ask you though. Would that be alright?”

 Avril nodded.

 “This man is Markus Cussin. He is in charge of a new project for the Voy military, one I would very much like you to be a part of.” Cassandra stroked Avril’s hair smooth as she spoke. “I want to take all of your anger and your strength and I want to turn it on those who would ever wish to harm Voy or Dumas. I want you to uphold this precarious peace that we fight so hard to keep. Of course, it would be very long and very difficult, but you would be able to do so much good for both Voy and Dumas. You can be the difference between life and death.”

 “Me?” Avril’s voice was raw.

 “Yes, you. Only you.” Cassandra voice grew so quiet only Avril could hear. “I have seen your future, Avril Ena, but only you can make it so. Will you become a legend?”

 Avril did not hesitate. “Yes, my Queen.”

 xXx

 The bruise on Avril’s shoulder had long ago turned a nasty greenish-black color but she barely felt the pain as she lifted the rifle up to her shoulder and fired. Her entire body shook as she absorbed the recoil before reloading the rifle and firing again.

 “Time!” Markus shouted.

 Avril placed the rifle on the table in front of her and took a step back, clasping her arms behind her back. On either side of her the handful of other cadets did the same, more than a few letting out sighs of relief as they resisted the urge to rub their sore shoulders.

 Avril stared ahead blankly as Markus went to each of their targets, quietly evaluating the shot placement and groupings. It was a silence that did not last long.

 “Ena!”

 Avril stepped forward. “Sir!”

 Markus grabbed her target. “How many shots did you fire?”

 “Sixty-eight shots, Sir!”

 “How in the fuck?” Someone to Avril’s left breathed out.

 “Sixty-eight shots,” Markus said as he ripped the dummy from the ground and carried it towards the group. “So if I were to count, I would find sixty-eight holes in this target?”

 “No Sir.” Avril shook her head. “After about thirty shots the holes in the target became large enough for my shots to pass through, Sir.”

 Markus glanced at the dummy. Avril wasn’t wrong. Two large gaps had indeed formed in both the head and the chest, along with a handful of much smaller holes in the shoulders and neck.

 “Did anyone else manage to get to Sixty-eight?” Markus called out. When he received no answer a rather unfortunate smile crossed over his face. “Strange, that a little girl is outpacing all of you. I’d keep that in mind if you don’t want to have a twelve year old running your training regiments in the near future. Now grab your rifles. It’s only an hour until nightfall and it’s at least a three-hour march back to the barracks. MOVE OUT!”

 “Sir, yes Sir!”

 “And Ena!” Markus stopped her as the cadets began to march out.

 Avril paused, her rifle on her shoulder. “Sir?”

 “Don’t get cocky. You’ve still got a long way to go before you can even begin to consider yourself useful.” Markus winked at her. Avril suppressed a grin and nodded before she followed after the rest of the cadets.

   xXx

 Avril fidgeted slightly in her uniform as she waited at the small wrought iron table that had been set up in the gardens. Across from her Cassandra sat ever patiently, the pinpricks of light from the setting sun glancing off the elegant mask she wore, as she stared out over the gardens. Avril froze when Cassandra finally turned her head to look at her.

 “I hope you are enjoying your birthday. I apologize for calling you out so late.” Cassandra said.

 “Please, think nothing of it, my Queen. Thank you for taking the time to think of me.” Avril bowed her head.

 “It’s strange to think that six years have passed so suddenly. Time flows so rapidly and waits for no one, it seems.” Cassandra’s hand reached out and landed lightly on a leather case that had been placed on the table. “You’ve grown up quite a bit since then. Markus speaks only the upmost praise for you. He is already suggesting that you be considered for officer training. I was told you were able to kill a Dethbear?”

 “It was distracted.”

 “Oh, as I was told it was charging directly at you.” Cassandra laughed lightly as Avril blushed. “Modesty is a virtue, but do not let it keep you from valuing yourself fairly.”

 Avril nodded. “Thank you.”

 Cassandra’s nails rapped lightly on the case. “As this is your birthday, and in light of your recent graduation from ranger training and acceptance into the first powder regiment, I had something made for you.”

 Cassandra pushed the case towards her and gave a single nod when Avril reached slowly reached out and hesitated. Giving Cassandra one final look Avril pushed open the box.

 Twin pistols, set in a lush velvet lining, sat inside. Long barreled and with elegant filigree set into the handle, Avril couldn’t help but pick one up.

 “I trust the weight is to your liking?” Cassandra asked.

 “It’s perfect,” Avril said softly as she picked the other one up. “But I cannot accept them.”

 “You can, and you will.” Cassandra said and that was the end of the discussion. “There is another gift, though he is a bit too big to bring into the gardens. You will find him in the stables. I have no doubt he will prove to be useful to you in the future.”

 “He?”

 “His name is Moon and I have had him specifically kept for you. Bred for both speed and stamina you will not find a better horse in the entire kingdom.” Cassandra went silent for a long time. “There you will also find orders.”

 Avril put the weapons down. “My Queen?”

 Cassandra sighed deeply. “There are forces at work in this world Avril. Forces that work from the shadows, completely free from law and regulation.”

 “I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Avril frowned. “What exactly do you mean by forces?”

 “Evil,” Cassandra whispered. “Evil that spreads like a plague, infecting everything that it touches. Evil that must be eradicated from this world lest we be swallowed by it whole.”

 “Then I will destroy it.”

 Cassandra reached out and took her hand. “It is not so simple. These people… though they operate in the darkness they walk free in the public. They twist those around them to do their bidding, letting their hands remain clean even as the blood pools at their feet. If you choose to become part of this this… Avril if you choose to accept this, there will be no going back to the life you have lived up to the point. A darkness will forever live in your heart, as it lives in mine. Do not make this decision lightly.”

 Avril did not hesitate. “Your will shall be done, my Queen. All you must do is give the order.”

xXx

By this point in her life the recoil of the pistol felt more like a natural reaction, an extension of her body than anything else. The woman before her dropped to the ground clutching his stomach. The purple robes that clad her body looked almost black as her blood spread across the cloth.

 “This is a holy place!” she hissed through clenched teeth. “You have no right to come here with your blasphemy!”

  “No right?” Avril drew her second pistol. “The land you walk. The air you breath. Everything belongs to the Queen. It is you who has no right.”

 “Fuck the Queen.”  

 Avril cocked back the hammer. “Your words are as foul as your existence.”

 She bared her teeth. “If my death is Jerrah’s will then so let it be done. He is the light in the dark, and the dark in the light. Your Queen is nothing but-”

 Avril pulled the trigger. Her hands did not shake as she returned her weapons to the holsters across her lower back. Nor did she feel anything more than mild disgust as removed the priest’s journal from her robe before grabbing a nearby lantern and smashing it against the wall of the room.

 She pocketed the journal as she walked out of the burning building, leaving the many dead behind her without a second glance. Pulling herself into Moon’s saddle she quickly spurred him into a steady run. As the minutes dragged by into the hours the smell of the burning building quickly faded from her senses and she was left with just the soft noise of the night and the ever present ‘click-clack’ of Moon’s hooves against the road.

 She rode until the sun began to break over the horizon and she reached the next town over. Leaving Moon in the stable with fresh feed and water she slowly made her way into the Inn. On the second floor the first room at the top of the stairs was unlocked, just as she knew it would be. Markus barely looked up as she entered. Silently she dropped the journal on the table in front of him before taking the stead across from him at the small cigar-burned table.

 “How many?” Markus asked after a long minute of silence.

 “Seventeen, including the Jer.”

 “Witnesses?”

 “None.”

 “Bodies?”

 “Taken care of.”

 “I see.” Markus picked up the journal and flipped through the pages. It was written entirely in code. “Good work.”

 “Thank you, Sir.”

 Markus nodded and lifted up his eyes to stare at her. Avril met his eye, noticing the wrinkles that had begun to form just at the corners of his eyes and the creases that were becoming more prominent in his forehead.

 “You know, my daughter is turning the same age as you this year.” Markus leaned back in his chair. “She’ll be eighteen at the end of the week. Sharp as a whip and lovely as her mother, thank the gods. Just think, she could have ended up with this face instead?” Markus cracked a smile that quickly lost its joy. “Sometimes when I look at her…. When I look at her I can’t help but hope that everything I’ve done…. That it will lead to a better world for her. No one should have to do what we do Ena. No one deserves to live this life. And when I look at you I see here… and I wonder if I made a mistake allowing you to get involved in all this.”

 “I don’t regret my choices, Sir.” Avril said.

 “I know you don’t, and that doesn’t make me feel much better. You’re a damn good soldier Ena, maybe the best I have ever met, but at the end of the day I’m still left wondering… Wondering why you’re willing to go so far for a country that isn’t yours. For a Queen that isn’t yours.”

 “I was abandoned.” Avril said after a long time. “More accurately, my family was abandoned. A noble family of little importance to the Dumas monarchy. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now. Our presence in Dumas was nothing more than a symbolic sign of peace. If war were to truly break the loss of our lives wouldn’t even be an afterthought.

 “When I came to this country I was not treated… well. I felt as though I were fading away here. My parents, as much as I love them, did not expect much from me. I would become a wife, or perhaps a mistress to a Lord higher above my station. I can’t say I was satisfied with that. It wasn’t a life I wanted, but I lacked any other ambition so I did not resist that path of least resistance… At least, until I met her.

 Avril sucked in a soft breath and let it out through her nose.

 “The Queen offered me a purpose. She saw greatness in me as no one else had ever seen. She gave me the chance to become part of something so much larger than myself… and I came to love her for it.” Avril reached up and wiped away the mist that had begun to form on her eyes before she looked at Markus. “You are right when you say that his country is not be mine and it may never be mine. But Cassandra is my Queen, and until the day I die my life belongs only to her.”

 “I see,” Markus ran his large hand over his face and chuckled softly. “Thank you for humoring the sentiments of an old man. I apologize for saying such strange things.”

 Please, think nothing of it… “ Avril fidgeted ever so slightly “And thank you for worrying, about me that is.”

 “It’s a rare thing to see you blush, Ena.” Jacob laughed as Avril’s blush grew deeper and she looked away. “A good leader always worries about his subordinates. That’s something I don’t think you are going to have much trouble with, though.”

 Avril looked up. “Sir?”

 Markus slid something across the table towards her. Avril caught it just before it slid off the table and held it up to the light.

 “Congratulations on your promotion, Lieutenant,” Jacob said as Avril stared at the metal pin, her thumb lightly running over the crossed-pistol emblem. “You’ll be in charge of your own platoon starting tomorrow.”

 “Thank you, Sir!” Avril stood up and snapped a sharp salute. “I will not let you down!”

 “I know you won’t.” Markus stood up and made his way towards to the door. “I’ll be taking my leave them.”

 “Safe travels, Sir.”

 “You too…” Markus paused at the door. “One last thing, Ena.”

 “Sir?”

 “Your platoon, there is a solider in it that my daughter has become rather fond of. You know him, actually.”

 “Oh?”

 “Jacob Brown.”

 The shocked laugh was passed Avril’s lips before she could catch herself. “Really?”

 “Really.” Markus sighed heavily. “If it’s going to be a problem…”

 “That was a long time ago,” Avril shook her head. “Children make foolish mistakes. We’ve all changed since then.”

 “I’m glad to hear that.” Markus relaxed somewhat. “He’s grown into a fine young man since… well since then. Do me a favor and make sure he doesn’t die. I couldn’t stand to listen to my Lanna cry.

 “Of course.”

 Markus gave her one more nod before leaving the room.

xXx

“How have you been, Avril?” Cassandra asked as she stared out from the balcony and over her Kingdom. A soft wind blew through window and ruffled her long, dark hair.

 “Very well, your Grace. My new accommodations are more than I could have ever asked for.”

 “You have earned them. Though it is somewhat belated, congratulations on your promotion. I wanted to tell you in person, but I have been somewhat busy.”

 “Please, my Queen.” Avril shook her head. “You do not need to think so much of me.”

 “But I do.” Cassandra sighed and the noise rattled behind her mask. “You have done so much for this country, for the entire world, yet so few will ever truly know… At least not until long after we have been faded into dust and memory”

 “I do not mind, so long as I can be of use.” Avril said. There was no trace of dishonesty in her voice.

 “You truly are remarkable, Avril.” Cassandra sighed again and her hand came up to her face. After a moment of hesitation she removed her mask.

 Avril sucked in a sharp breath and stood up. “My Queen!”

 Cassandra waved her hand. “Sit. Please.”

 Avril did, her eyes wide as she stared at the Queen’s unmasked face, silently running over her every feature. She nearly spoke again when she realized she knew the woman before her. Not in name and only in passing. She had seen her, walking in the castle or pruning in the garden.

 “For what I am about to ask you, Avril, there is no place that I may hide. Not even behind this mask.” Cassandra’s hands began to shake. “This is a secret that must never leave this room. You must not speak of it ever again, even to Markus. Do you understand?”

 Avril nodded slowly.

 “There is someone… Someone that I need you to find. And then…” Cassandra’s hands squeezed the mask until her knuckles turned white. “I need you to kill them.”

 xXx

 Avril stared down at the maps, her brow knotted as she traced her finger along the paper. “How many have moved to his position?”

 Jacob checked the report. “At least fifty. It is likely there are more that are staying hidden so we can’t fully assess their numbers. There is also a group of at least thirty hiding somewhere to the south, but they haven’t revealed themselves yet. It’s possible they are setting up for a flanking maneuver.

 Avril nodded. “How long until our reinforcements arrive?”

 “Three days at most. They could be here as early as tomorrow. It all depends on how badly the roads were damaged by the rains. If the Caspians are smart they will likely attack us tonight.”

 “Then we will simply have to hold. We cannot allow them to retreat and combine with the main force back at Redden.”

 Lewis stood up, his eyes wide. “Hold them? Are you insane? We’ve already lost three of our men! They outnumber us at least four to one now. We should fall back and rendezvous with the reinforcements.”

 Avril slowly lifted her head up. “Fall back?”

 Lewis nodded hastily. “There weren’t supposed to be this many of them. We barely have twenty men left. It would be suicide to-” He went silent as Avril drew her pistol and trained it on his chest.

 “Fall back?” Avril said again. Her thumb cocked back the hammer with a loud ‘click’.  

“We have our orders from the Queen. Would you dare to question her?”

 Lewis’ hands shook as he shook his head. “No, of course not.”

 Avril lifted the pistol to his head. “Our lives mean nothing of consequence in this world. You will hold this position, life or death, and bring honor and glory to queen and country, or you will die right now as a coward and deserter. Decide.”

 “I…” Lewis swallowed hard and dropped his eyes. “I will go and tell the others to prepare.”

 Avril returned the pistol to its holster and briskly walked across the tent. Stopping in front of Lewis she reached out and clapped him hard on the shoulder. He flinched and took a step back, but brought his eyes up to look at Avril.

 “Better,” Avril said as she hit him again, lightly on the chest. “Hold your head high and proud. You are a soldier of Voy. You are part of the First Powder Regiment. We do not run. We do not surrender. We are the first line of defense between this dark cruel world and the prosperity that is Voy. Survive tonight and become a legend!”

 Lewis stared at her for a long time before giving a short nod. Straightening his back he gave her a crisp salute. “Yes Lieutenant!”

 Jacob let out a long sigh as Lewis exited the tent and Avril returned to the map. Avril paid him no mind as she picked up a pencil and began to make notes.

 “You could have started with that instead of the pistol.” Jacob said.

 “You learn who a man really is when he is faced with death,” Avril replied without looking up. “Lewis was only scared. There is nothing wrong with feeling fear. It is only when you cannot overcome fear that you are lost.”

 “I suppose so.” Jacob glanced at the map. “Isn’t schedule to arrive until morning.”

 “Then we will have to hold until then.”

 “It’s going to be a long night.”

 Avril said nothing.

  xXx

 “Everybody get down!” Avril yelled as the first wave of arrows came raining down. She slammed her shoulder against the barricade and listened as the dozens of arrows thudded against the wooden wall. A strange, sour smell filled the air as the noise stopped. Avril popped up, rifle already at her shoulder. “Do not allow them to advance!”

 The crack of a two dozen rifles echoed out through the night quickly followed by the screams of the few Caspians that had been struck. Avril stayed standing as she reloaded, sharp eyes peering out into the darkness. She knew they were out there, but with only the soft starlight illuminating the plains she couldn’t make them out among the tall grass.

 “BURN THEM.”

 The night was suddenly awash in flame as the Caspian arches lit their arrows and fired.

 “Take them out!” Avril ordered as the arrows were fired high into the sky. She ignored the flaming projectiles as they landed around her, keeping her eyes focused on the nearest archer.

 Her rifle bucked and he dropped to the ground. Avril lowered the rifle and started to lower it when an explosion lifted her from the ground and sent her rolling across the ground. Scrambling onto hands and knees she looked up just in time to see another barricade explode.

 The sour smell…

 “Get away from the barricades!” Avril screamed but the words were whipped away as another barricade was engulfed in a ball of flame.

 The sound of pounding footsteps drew her attention back to the battlefield. A handful of Caspians had broken rank and charged across the plains with one heading directly towards her.

  She reached behind her back to pull her pistol but already knew it was too late. Her fingers had just brushed against the grip of her pistol when he reached her, the spear drawn back to thrust forward. Avril drew the pistol.

 Even if he killed her she would take him with her!

 “Avril!”

 A shadow crossed in front of her and something warm splattered across her face.

 “No…” Avril’s eyes widened as Jacob hunched over before her, the spearhead burst through his chest. She caught him as he fell forward, pushing her arm around him and shooting the Caspian cleanly between the eyes. Dragging Jacob backwards she called for her remaining men of fall back. In the distance she could hear the jeering calls of the Caspians, their bloodlust growing.

 “Leave me.” Jacob said as Avril pulled him across the ground.

 “Shut up! Did I give you permission to die?” Avril gasped as she tugged Jacob behind the second line of barricades. Pulling his rifle free from his fingers she popped her head up and fired. Another Caspian dropped. “Listen to me Jacob. If you don’t go home Lanna is going to cry and that will make Markus cry and I won’t deal with that. You said you were going to marry her right? You can’t do that if you’re dead.”

 “You’re inspirational speaking needs work.” Jacob tried to laugh but it came out a wheeze.

 Avril finished reloading and fired again. Dropping the empty rifle she drew the two pistols from across her lower back and took down a charging Caspian before ducking as a hail of arrows came raining down on her position.

 “I’m sorry, you know.” Jacob said quietly. “When we were kids… I’m so-”

 Avril slapped him with the back of her hand. Grabbing the front of his shirt she gave him a rough shake. “You don’t get that. You don’t get to make your peace and fade away. We aren’t done yet. I am ordering you not to die soldier!”

 This time Jacob did manage to laugh, even if some blood did spill over his lips. Pushing himself self-back into a more upright position he held out his hand. “Then what’s the plan, Ena?”

 “We have to hold. Markus will be here with reinforcements soon.” Avril reloaded her pistols and stood up. The still burning barricades scattered dancing shadows across the battlefield but still provided more than enough light for Avril to take in the scene.

 She needed to regain order.

 Her men were too scattered. If the Caspians charged again it would mean certain death.

 “Regroup!” Avril shouted. When no one moved she fired off both pistols towards the Caspian line and sucked in a large breath. “I said regroup on me. Now!”

 She caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Her arm came up on reaction to block the saber that had come arcing down on her with the barrel of her pistol. She punched out with the other but it was knocked away and the Caspian continued forward. His hand came up and punched towards her head. A series of gunshots range out. Avril’s eyes widened and she pulled back but it was too late.

 In almost slow motion she watched with horrifying clarity as the spiked gauntlet moved closer and closer until it filled her entire view.

 And then she saw nothing.

 For a moment they stood there, locked together, before Avril finally took a stumbling step back, pulling herself free from the spike with a sickening squelch. She felt the blood, warm against the cold of the night, pour from the wound and cascade down her chest. She fell back another step and then another, but still she did not fall as her vision began to return. Like looking through muddied water she saw the Caspian grasp his sword with both hands and lift it high above his head.

 In a single swift movement Avril dropped her empty pistol and drew another. The shock barely had time to pass over the rebel’s face before he was dead.

 Avril glanced to the side. Her men were staring at her. Her vision was too blurry to make out any of their faces but she did notice a distinct lack of noise.

 “Return fire!” Avril shouted. “You will hold this line or you will die trying and not a single one of you has my permission to die! Do you understand me?”

 “Yes Lieutenant!”

 Vaguely she felt someone sit her down and start to bandage her face. The sound of gunfire resumed.

 “How many have we lost?” she asked quietly as the world began to come into focus.

 “Two.” Someone answered. “More are injured.”

 Less than twenty men left fighting and even less than that if she was being honest. The injured couldn’t be expected to fight at full strength.

 What could she do?

 “I need my guns.” Avril spoke clearly as she pushed the solider tending to her eye away as soon as the bandage was in place. He quickly returned with her pistols. Pursing her lips Avril let out a single piercing note that just managed to carry over the din of battle. In a matter of moment she could see the great loping stride of Moon, his white head shining in the darkness.

 “What are you doing?” Jacob said as Avril pulled herself into the saddle.

 “Ending this,” Avril said softly before her voice rose. “Prepare to charge!”

 “Are you mad?” Jacob tried to sit up but the pain quickly sent him falling back in a coughing fit. “Avril!”

 “Do not let fear overtake you. Do not let this be your final resting place!” Avril’s voice was strong. “They may outnumber us, but their spirit is NOTHING compared to ours! We will break them! We will kill them! For your country! For our Queen! CHARGE!”

 With barely the tap of her heels Moon took off. Through the fire and the flames they charged forward. Avril forced her breathing to even with every step that Moon took. She would not allow another of her men to fall. She would end this here and now.

 She would kill all that would oppose the Queen.  

 The Caspian line abruptly came into focus. It was smaller than Avril had imagined. A smile pulled up the corner of her mouth as she pulled up her pistols and fired. Two rebels dropped.

 An arrow came hurtling towards her. Deftly she leaned to the side, drawing the rifle from Moon’s saddlebag as she sat back up. She tossed the rifle away almost as soon as she pulled the trigger, drawing her saber and a fresh pistol as she met the Caspian line.

 Blood burst from the unfortunate soul’s that dared stand in her way as Moon trampled through their line.

 The screams were a bloody symphony that only grew in intensity as Avril dove from Moon’s back, landing in their midst. The small grin grew to a savage smile as she twirled between them in a deadly dance of blood and bullet.

 The few weapons that did manage to reach her felt like nothing more than pinpricks, a mild annoyance that only pushed her to move faster. Her body was so hot that she felt as though she could burst into flame at any moment.

 “Kill her!”

 The authoritative tone drew Avril’s attention immediately.

 “Found you!” The words had barely passed over Avril’s lips before she was on the Caspian Commander.

 Her first shot missed him, hitting one of his subordinates just below the eye. Avril was not deterred and she fired again. This time her aim was true and he was struck in the shoulder.

 The bullet struck the commander in the chest and he went stumbling back. Avril pounced on him, taking him to the ground and pressing her firearm firmly between his eyes.

 “Throw down your weapons!” Avril yelled as she pressed the barrel harder into the commander’s face. “Throw down your weapons or your commander dies.”

 “Kill her!” The commander managed to gasp out.

 The nearest Caspian soldier took an unsteady step forward and Avril took in a deep breath.

 “Then you all will die.”

 Avril pulled the trigger.

 xXx

 It was so dark.

 She was floating in the never-ending darkness.

 Or was she sinking?

 It was so hard to tell. She tried to look around, even bring up her hands to touch her face, but there was nothing. Nothing but silence.

 And then there wasn’t.

 Something that sounded like crashing waves began to sound off in the emptiness. She tried to scream but nothing came out. The sound raised to a roar that echoed through her very being.

 “Avril, open your eyes.”

 Avril’s eyes opened and she was sitting at a wrought iron table nestled inside a small gazebo. Cross sat Across from her, a steaming glass set in front of him. Slowly she panned her eye across the world. Around her the world was nothing but white. The clink of Cross’s glass drew her attention back to him.

 “Well,” Cross sighed heavily and began to rub at his temple. “I guess that explains a lot.”

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 97

‘Run!’

 Cross barely heard the order but his body responded faster than his mind and he quickly staggered back. Resisting the urge to stare at Avril as the light continued to pour from her withering form he did his best to limp away. As he retreated he noted, with growing concern, that the snow beneath his feet was continuing to melt, and the grass and weeks hidden beneath had begun to wither away as well.

 Avril screamed again and Cross picked up his pace before being pulled behind a large tree trunk. Not a moment to soon, as it turned out, as Avril’s scream suddenly died out and Cross felt the air pull towards Avril before blowing back out. The force shook the ground beneath Cross’s feet and he slowly slipped down the tree. Blackness abruptly ate away at his vision and he felt something warm dripping down his ears. Reaching up with his left arm he gingerly touched his ears with his fingertips and brought them up to his darkening eyes.

 Fresh blood stained his fingertips.

 Cross blinked, then he blinked again as he became acutely aware that he could no longer hear any sound. He also noticed, as he slipped down further against the tree trunk, that he could no longer feel any pain. As his vision began to waver he saw a figure materialize in front of him, her arm outstretched. She seemed to very far away.

 ‘You’re not going to die in such a boring way, are you?’

 “Kosu…”

 Cross opened his eyes. The overwhelming blackness of the Void met him, the only illumination coming from the tiny pinpricks of light that dotted the landscape like stars.

 “Really now, I was hoping to see something more entertaining than you dying underneath a tree.”

 Cross turned his head to look at Kosu. She floated lazily through the air, her long hair hanging beneath her and tickling against his face. Cross brushed it away.

 “What happened?”

 “Well, your eardrums burst when the explosion went off and the resulting energy release pierced through the tree and went through your chest. That seems to have sent you into a state of shock. You’re bleeding out right now, at quite an accelerated rate too, I might add. See?”

 Kosu pointed at Cross’s chest. Slowly he tilted his head down and for the first time noticed the hole. His mind knew he should feel pain but he felt nothing. Not even as the blood continued to pour down his chest and pool beneath his feet.

 “So I’m dead?” Cross sighed. He looked up at Kosu but she had already floated away, waving her hand lazily beneath her. Lights swirled and a ghostly image of the forest came into focus beneath them.

 “No, not quite, but you are very much dying. I would say in a few more minutes you will be dead.”

 Frowning Cross slowly lowered himself down to his real-world counterpart. His eyes were half closed and completely glassed over. A small amount of blood dribbled out of the side of his mouth. Reaching out Cross touched his own face, but his hand simply passed through the image.

 “You can only look, remember?” Kosu said as she appeared next to him. “Of course, that only applies to you. It wouldn’t be very fun for me if you died already.” Kosu ran her hand along his image, stopping at the wound on his chest. The skin slowly began to knit itself together. Cross looked down at his chest and watched the wound close. Kosu continued on to the wound on his hip before sliding away. “There!”

 Cross held up his hand. Even though he couldn’t feel it, the ragged knife wound was enough to make his stomach churn, aided by the fact that he could see where parts of his broken bones were pushing against skin.

 “What about this?”

 “Greed today, aren’t you?”

 “Kosu…”

 “Well if you insist, I suppose I could.” Kosu grinned and took his hand in hers. His fingers tingled the broken bones were realigned. “Normally I wouldn’t, you know, but if she gets helps it seems only fair you do as well, don’t you think?”

 She released Cross’s hand and he held it up, flexing his fingers slowly before closing them into a fist. “What’s happening to her?”

 “Hmmm?” Kosu floated above him. “Oh, she’s dying too.”

 “Why?” Cross said as he made his way over to Avril. She stood at the center of a smoking crater, everything in a wide radius around her burned down to nothing more than ash. What remained of her shredded and smoldering clothes hung loosely on her rigid frame. The blinding light still emanated from her body, but had died down somewhat in intensity, save for her eye that still burned with a brilliant and blistering white light. Cross tried to avert his eyes but found himself unable to do so. A pressure began to build just behind his left eye and his hand came up to cup his face.

 “That would be because she is a very foolish girl.” Kosu lowered herself down and placed her hand over his. “Better?”

 Cross nodded as the pressure faded away. Kosu did not remove her hand. Cross did not push her away.

 “Do you know what that is?” Kosu pointed at Avril’s shining eye.

 Cross shook his head.

 Kosu slipped away from him and swirled around Avril’s head, letting her hand lazily drift down to tap the girl just beneath the left eye. “That’s a weapon of the Void.”

 “A weapon of the Void?” The name dripped with danger and Cross’s stomach dropped. “things created in the Void can be brought into the real world?”

 “In certain cases, though it’s exceedingly difficult. This particular one is know as the eye of Voynar. It’s quite a special little item. Voynar used it to great effect to unite the warring tribes and create the Kingdom of Voy. Quite a man he was.”

 Cross stared at the eye. “How did he get it?”

 “Who knows?” Kosu rolled onto her back. “That was before my time and therefore unimportant.”

 “Before your time?” Cross’s eyes flicked to Kosu.

 She tilted her head back to look at him. “You’re not going to ask me my age are you? That would be quite a rude question to ask a lady.”

  “How long does she have?” Cross asked, turning his attention back to Avril.

 “Not long. At the moment I would say…” Kosu reached up and tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I would say she might be the most powerful magic being in existence. Of course she is not in control of any of that power. As she did not inherit the eye by birthright or earn it during battle, it would be more appropriate to say that the magic is simply using her as a conduit. It will burn through her in a relatively short amount of time. It seems the magic is simply following the path of least resistance to exit her body. Unfortunately that means it’s mostly directed at killing you. Clinging to her emotions, as it were.”

 “Can it be stopped?”  

 “It’s like a fire. It will run out when the fuel source burns out.” Kosu said. “Simply survive until then.”

 “Kosu…”

Kosu made a face. “You want to save her.”

 “We defend ourselves, the guild, and the innocent,” Cross said as he rolled his shoulders and sucked in a deep breath before slowly letting it out through his nose.

 Kosu snorted. “You think she is innocent?”

 “No.” Cross admitted, turning his head to look up at Kosu. She had floated down and was only a few inches away from him. “But I felt it when I probed her mind. She truly believes she’s doing the right thing. She doesn’t deserve to die like this.”

 Kosu stared deep into his eye before her eyes crinkled into a smile. “As annoying as it may be at times, I do like that side of you, you know. Something about it is so very endearing, but do consider counting to three.”

 “Three?” Cross managed to say before Kosu gave him a hard shove in chest. He fell backwards and his eyes flickered open.

 He was back in the real world.

 “Count to three?” Cross said softly to himself. He heard Avril scream and began to tilt his body to look around the tree but caught himself just before he would have peaked around the smoking tree trunk. “One… Two…”

 Before he could reach ‘three’ a blast of pure magic energy shot through the air, roughly where his head would have been had he turned around the trunk to look. The bolt fired through the forest and impacted with a tree not far away, vaporizing it in an instant.

 Steeling his nerves, Cross cleared his mind and loaded two fresh cartridges into his bracers. “Alright Romeo… Show me you’re as smart as you say you are.”

 Taking in one last deep breath for good measure Cross spun around the tree trunk and took in the scene.

 Avril had yet to move, but a multitude of magical circles had formed in the air around her. They pulsed, seemingly at random, before sending out a charge of elemental magic. Cross’s hands curled into fists as her head tilted ever so slightly and her unseeing eyes fell on him. Her mouth opened and an inhuman scream filled the air, but still she did not move.

 Two of the circles pulsed and twin plumes of fire rocketed towards Cross. He flipped his arms and fired off two charges. They flashed blue through the air and connected with the fire.

 With a loud pop the charges exploded, releasing the ice magic contained inside. The two magics swirled around each other for a moment before exploding in a shower of thick mist. Cross used the moment to eject the spent cartridges and reload the one in his right arm and fire off another ice charge as a bolt of lightning cut through the mist towards him.

 The charge connected with the bolt, but the lightning only slowed for a moment before continuing on its path towards Cross. The bolt struck him in the chest before Cross could even begin to dodge. The force of the attack threw him backwards and he rolled across the ground, body convulsing as the electricity spread across his chest.

 “Lightning beats ice, got it,” Cross gasped as he came up onto his knees and ran his hand along his cartridge belt. Romeo had supplied him with ice, lightning, and shadow charges to test out, but only a handful of each. Gritting his teeth he loaded in a lightning charge and immediately fired it towards Avril just as the mist faded away. “Your turn.”

 The magic cackled through the air but before it reached Avril is fizzled out and died. Cross’s shoulders slumped as the magic circles around Avril began to pulse. He was going to have a very long conversation with Romeo about the cons of field-testing equipment.

 Cross dove to the side and balls of fire were sent spinning his way, scorching the ground around him as he managed to get to his feet and began to run as it became exceedingly clear that Avril’s magic did not suffer from the issues with range.

 Circling around Avril Cross began to load in another lightning charge when Avril’s entire body flashed. Cross lifted his arm to cover his eyes when he felt a sharp pain in his temple. Instinctively Cross ducked and barely managed to avoid losing his head as Avril suddenly appeared in front of him, her arm turned to stone and swiping towards him. Not quite fast enough to dodge completely, Cross hissed as Avril’s forward clipped the side of his head. Stars exploded in Cross’s vision but he was still able to push the charge into place. Lifting up his arm he fired point blank into Avril’s face. The charge struck her just under the jaw and her head angled off ever so slightly to the side before the lightning spread across her body. Stiffly she stumbled back a step and the magic circles around her wavered.

 Pressing his momentary advantage Cross slid in an ice charge and slammed his hand into Avril’s stomach as he fired the charge. The backslash of ice magic coated his hand with frost, but the majority continued forward into Avril. Tendrils of ice burst from the point of contact, wrapping around her like chains before coming to an abrupt stop just below her jaw.

 Cross had been hoping the attack would be more effective, but as Avril’s head slowly began to turn back down to look at him he took what he could and  used the moment to escape deeper into the forest. Behind him he heard the sound of shattering ice as Avril burst free from the restraints and screamed. Sliding behind a trio of trees he sucked in a deep breath and began to clear his mind.  

 “Not going well?” Kosu hung upside down above him.  

 Cross glanced up at her. “You said count to three three.”

 “You waited too long to start counting. You shouldn’t blame others on your failings.”

 Cross loaded in two fresh cartridges. “So I’ve been told.”

 Kosu began to play with his hair. “You know, I don’t mean to be bothersome-”

 “Yes you do,” Cross muttered.

 “-but if you don’t do something soon she is going to die. I would say you have at most… ten minutes? Maybe more, maybe less.”

 “Can’t be any more specific?”

 “Now how would that be fun?” Kosu tilted her head.

 “Not even a hint?” Cross grit his teeth as the tree to his right exploded in a shower of splinters that were almost immediately engulfed in a ball of flame.

 “Hmmm, we you know what they say… a kiss can break any spell.”

 Cross stared her dead in the eye. “I don’t think that would work in any way, shape, or form.”

 “You won’t know if you don’t try.” Kosu dropped down her nose was touching his, a smirk on her face. “Physical contact is very important, you know. If it’s a matter of not know what to do I could alwa-”

 What Kosu could do was never fully revealed as Cross was suddenly blasted forward by a ground shaking explosion that uprooted the tree he was hiding behind and sent him tumbling forward. Rolling to the side Cross narrowly avoided being crushed by the falling tree, but did not have any time to relax as Avril spotted him. Without hesitation Cross flicked both his ring fingers and sent a duo of ice charges towards Avril just as she lifted her hand.

 The fireball Avril conjured connected midair with the ice charge and exploded into a thick wall of mist that Avril dispelled with a wave of arm. Cross didn’t bother reloading both bracers as Avril stalked towards him. He pulled as many of the cartridges from his belt as he could and slid the first one into his right bracer.  

 “Right, then, let’s get on with it,” Cross said as he held up his loaded arm defensively.

 Avril flashed and flashed out of his view and Cross grit his teeth, probing with his mind until he felt the tug. He slid to the right just as Avril appeared beside him. He fired the shadow charge, but Avril had already disappeared again and the charge went streaking off harmlessly into the forest. Cross loaded another charge, spinning as he let his Sight guide him. He fired before Avril had even come into view.

 The lightning charge flew true, but there was no surprise attack this time and Avril simply batted it way. Undeterred Cross loaded another and fired. The ice charge exploded before it reached her, peppering her with razor sharp shards of ice, but she did not even flinch at the wounds.

 “That seems unfair,” Cross breathed as Avril took a step towards him and the lesions began to steam before slowly closing. Avril’s foot came up to take another step and Cross moved to load in another charge. Before he could complete the action Avril was in front of him. Even with his Sight he had no time to react before Avril struck him.

 Something in his chest snapped as soon as her fist made connection with his chest and Cross was sent flipping backwards before slamming against a tree. He made no noise as he dropped to the ground, his cheek resting ground. He tried to suck in a breath, but could only managed the barest inhalation before the pain struck him. Convulsing on the ground he pressed his face against the frosted dirt, willing the pain to fade.

 Out of the corner of his eye he could see the shinning figure of Avril sliding towards him. The ground steamed with her every step as the energy from her body continued to emanate out at a dangerous rate.

  Closing his eyes Cross managed to roll onto his back and reach his hand down to his cartridge belt. Running his fingers along the remaining flashbang he came to a stop on the final magic cartridge. Slowly he pulled it free and lifted it up to press against his forehead before loading it.

 “Help me.”

Cross opened his eyes as Avril stopped above him. Reaching down she grabbed him by the throat and easily lifted him up. Her skin burned against his and Cross’s feet kicked out uselessly as her iron grip tightened. She brought his face closer to hers and stared at him though blank eyes. The intensity of the light burned his eyes but Cross did not look away.

 “Die,” Avril said softly as her hands ignited into brilliant flames and the pain increased dramatically. Cross bit back the scream as his flesh began to sear and drew his right arm back. He felt the energy build up beneath his skin, compressing into a single force. Pushing out he pressed the flat of his hand against Avril chest.

 “Zanchi!”

 The energy exploded from Cross’s palm and surged into Avril. Her entire body jolted back and while the flames did extinguish, her grip did not lessen. Cross did not give her a chance to recover as he moved his hand up and let it drop on top of Avril’s head, placing the bracers barrel direction between her eyes.

 “You’re too bright.”

 The shadow charge exploded on contact and Avril’s head was thrown back. Her grip lessened and Cross slipped free from her fingers. Landing in a crouch Cross sucked in a greedy breath before launching himself forwards and into Avril. As black ate at his vision his hands found purchase on the burned remnants of her shirt and he pulled her towards him. As her head swung forward, Cross grit his teeth and smashed his forehead against hers.

 The world exploded into a series of colors before quickly fading to nothing more than black and silence.

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 96

Sat alone at a large table, Cassandra’s thumb anxiously rubbed against the ring that adorned her finger. The phoenix stone, set into the elegant golden band remained silent, even as she again tried to send a message to Avril.

 There was simply no answer.

 She lifted her head slowly as the doors to room slowly opened and two maids entered, one of them pushing a cart adorned with a large assortment of cakes and biscuits.

 “Gem, Min,” Cassandra greeted softly as the pair stopped before her with a small bow.

 “Good afternoon, your grace,” Gem said, the taller of the two. “Tea?”

 “Yes, something strong,” Cassandra said.

 Gem nodded. As she began to pour the tea, Min busied herself with setting a selection of sweets in front of Cassandra.

 “Thank you,” Cassandra said softly as the two girls completed their work and took a step back, hands clasped in front of them. “You may go.”

 “My Queen.” The pair bowed in unison and made their way towards the door.

 Cassandra watched them go, her hand moving towards the teacup when a soft breeze brushed through her hair. Her hand slowly fell back to her side.

 “Gem, Min, a moment,” Cassandra said suddenly.

 The pair turned around.

 “Yes?” Gem said, stepping forward.

 Hidden behind her mask Cassandra glanced around the empty room. “Before you go, would you please prepare another setting?”

 “Of course,” Gem said, nodding her head to Min and spurring the other girl into action.

 “Are you expecting company?” Min asked as she placed down a second setting.

 Cassandra nodded. “I believe I am. Please, leave the cart as well.”

 “Will that be all, my Queen?” Gem asked as she step back from the table.

 “Yes, you may go.” Cassandra’s gently rubbed the phoenix stone on her hand. “Please make sure I am not disturbed.”

 “Of course,” Gem and Min bowed again before quietly slipping from the room.

 As the doors clicked shut behind them Cassandra’s head snapped to a shadowy corner of the room. After a moment she heard a soft laugh and a women appeared from the darkness.

 Tall and willowy, she glided across the floor and stopped in front of the table. Reaching out she picked up the teacup she took a small sip before making a face.

 “Hello Tairis,” Cassandra greeted evenly.

 “Yes yes, hello and all that. You wouldn’t have anything stronger than this, would you?” Tairis asked.

 Cassandra tilted her head towards the cart. “My father used to keep a bottle of something or another hidden in the bottom.”

 “Wonderful.” Tairis’ large, sky blue eyes lit up with excitement as she procured the bottle. Without a word she tipped the teacup over, allowing the tea to splash down to the carpet before replacing it with alcohol. Taking the bottle with her, she took a seat at the table.

 Cassandra watched in silence as Tairis drained the cup, then filled it up again and repeated the process. Licking her lips she held the bottle up to the light and nodded before finally letting her eyes flick to Cassandra.

 “Oh do take that mask off. It’s terribly off putting. It’s not like I don’t already know what you look like.”

 Cassandra slowly reached up and placed her fingers against the cool ceramic. After a moment of hesitation she removed the mask from her face and placed it down gently on the table.

 Tairis peered at her. “You’ve gotten older.”

 “You haven’t.”

 “No, I suppose not to you. I did grow my hair out though, do you like it?” Tairis ran her hand through her dark grey hair. “I see you’re beginning to go grey as well. Don’t worry, as Queen it will give you a very refined look.”

 “Are you going to kill me?” Cassandra said, her hand tightening into a fist. “Because if you are I’d rather we do without the false pleasantries and get on with it already.”

 “False pleasantries? Now is that any way to talk to an old friend?” Tairis reached into her jacket and pulled out a single knife. She spun it around on the tip of her finger. “Do you really think I would kill you, Cassandra?”

 “I don’t know what you would do, as you very well know.”

 “I suppose that is fair. But, the task you gave to me was far too distasteful for me to complete.”

 “Because it was distasteful was why it was given to you.” Cassandra carefully watched the knife spin in a graceful arc as Tairis began to toss the blade into the air, cleanly catching it by the hilt after each rotation.

 “Then that was your mistake. You should have just done it yourself if you wanted it done that badly.” Tairis caught the knife and pointed the blade at Cassandra. “All assassinations would be more effective if people would simply handle their own business, actually. Of course, then I would be out of a job, and I do really enjoy being able to eat.”

 “So you are here for me?” Cassandra’s hand drifted to her lap.

 Tairis’s eyes narrowed and she rose a half-inch out of her chair before laughing and falling back into her seat and returning the knife to her jacket. “Not this time. I’m just here to talk today, so you can stop thinking about going for that pistol strapped under the table. It’s not there anyways.”

 “You’re thorough, as always.”

 “It’s important to be prepared, especially if your target can see the future.”

 “So I am your target?”

 “Everyone is a target, dear. It’s just a matter of getting the right payment to actually go through with the killing.”

 Cassandra picked up her teacup and took a small sip. “So someone has asked you to kill me?”

 “Quite a few people, actually. But you don’t need to worry. They could never afford my price, not unless they want to bankrupt the kingdom. I’m not really in the business of killing reigning monarchs. It’s not the difficulty, as you can clearly see, but rather the aftermath. Chaos is an annoyance and war is bothersome, both tend to happen with a monarch dies suddenly. So for now you are safe. If you ever choose to abdicate the throne, however… Well, that will be a different story.”

 “Charming,” Cassandra reached across the table and took the bottle from Tairis and poured a good measure of the liquor into her teacup. “So what is it you are here for?”

 “I wanted to talk.”

 Cassandra drained the cup and refilled it before sliding the bottle back over. “What about?”

 “I think you know.” Tairis took a swig straight from the bottle.

 Cassondra stared at her. “What do you know?”

 “I know you must truly be desperate if you gave that poor girl the eye.”

 “It’s of no consequence. I called her off.”

 “You aren’t honestly that naïve, Cassandra. You know she has ignored your order.” Cassandra’s cup emptied again and Tairis leaned over to refill it. “She engaged her target already.”

 Cassandra looked up sharply. “Did she…”

 “Not yet. But she has activated the eye.”

 The teacup slipped from Cassandra’s hand and cracked against the table, the liquid spilling over and across the table. She slumped back in her seat, an unreadable expression settling on her face.

 “It’s over, then.”

 “Perhaps, perhaps not. Only time will tell, now.”

 Cassandra reached up and rubbed at her temple. “Why did you come here, Tairis?”

 “I wanted you to have a chance to prepare yourself. I owed you that much, at least. If it weren’t for me, perhaps none of this would have happened. Then again, perhaps it would. Impossible to say.” Tairis polished off the bottle and stood up. “Either way, as a Seer, perhaps you should consider being less short sighted in the future. Save yourself some heartache. Have a pleasant day, your highness.”

 “Wait,” Cassandra looked up at Tairis.

 “What?”

 “Since we first met, there has been something I wanted to know.”

 Tairis tilted her head. “Yes?”

 “Tell me how?” Cassandra said. “Tell me how does a once proud goddess end up as nothing more than a lowly assassin?”

 Tairis stared at her for a long time before a small smile filtered onto her face. “I suppose it’s the same way that a once proud queen ends up groveling before a lowly assassin, nothing more than a series of poor choices and easily avoidable mistakes. That said, I’ve come to terms with who I am now. I wonder, can you say the same?”

  With a rush of wind she was gone before Cassandra could even begin to answer.

 Not that she had one to give.

[story-of-lost-magic]

Chapter 95

Avril unraveled the rope and slowly lowered herself down to the ground. The snow crunched beneath her feet as she made her way through the forest and slowly loaded another bullet in the chamber of her rifle before slinging the weapon over her shoulder.

 When she came upon body the snow had already begun to build up, covering Cross with a thin dusting of white. Even with the snowfall she would still need to move him off the path. It was better to reduce the risk than take a chance that someone might stumble upon him.

 With a small frown she began to pull on her glove when the body suddenl moved.  

 Avril did not spook easy. Once, while out on patrol during her ranger training, her squad had come face to face with a Dethbear. While the rest of her squad bolting in a haphazard scrambling retreat, Avril had calmly drawn her pistol and shot the charging monster squarely between the eyes before finishing it was a single stab to the throat with her knife. The bear meat had been more than enough food to last them through the rest of the exercise. For her actions she had been made squad captain and been placed on a fast track towards officer training.

 Still, when Cross sat up with a long, groggy groan, she wasn’t able to suppress the gasp of shock.  

 Rooted to the spot she watched with her eye wide as Cross ran his hand over his face. Cross paid her no mind as he gingerly touched his face, wincing as he did so. When he finally noticed at her he blinked extremely slowly before looking down at his wrist. For a long time he stared at where the bullet had ripped his sleeve and exposed the bracer, then up to Avril, then back down to his wrist, then back up to Avril, his eyes falling on the slung over her shoulder.

 “Did… did you just shoot me?” he said slowly.

 The sound of Cross’s voice broke Avril out of her shocked state and she flipped the rifle up to her shoulder. Cross reacted immediately, lifting up his left arm and firing off a flashbang. Cross began to dive to the right before twisting his body and launching himself to the left as Avril pulled the trigger.

 The light subsided as Cross landed in a crouch. Avril remained where she was, the smoking rifle held tightly in her hands, the weapon pointed to the right, directly where Cross would have rolled into.

 Avril’s eyes narrowed as she slowly lowered the rifle. “So you do have the Sight.”

 “I told you, didn’t I?” Cross said as he gingerly got back up to his feet. He glanced over at the bullet hole. “Good guess though.”

 “How are you alive?” Avril said. “I know I hit you.”

 “Yeah you hit me. Then I punched myself in the face. So, yeah, thanks for that.” Cross lifted up his torn sleeve, letting the light glint off the bracer secured to his arm before letting it drop back down to his side. “You’re the girl from the carriage. Avril? You look different with your hair up.”

 “And you are Cross Drachen, adopted son of Jiana Drachen. You are a courier in the Sleeping Dragon guild. Known aliases include The Courier, Christian Cross, and the cro-”

 “Stop,” Cross held up his hand. Avril grew silent as Cross stared at her, a frown growing on his face.

 “You know who I am, then?”

 “I’ve got a feeling,” Cross said as his hand moved to his temple. “Your name is Avril Ena. You’re a lieutenant in the Voy military and…” Cross trailed off as a strange sensation, almost like static washed over his mind before ending with a spike of pain. Grabbing his head he dropped down to one knee. “What the hell…”

 “I have trained extensively with the Queen. She is the greatest Seer to have ever lived,” Avril tossed the rifle down and drew a pistol from inside her cloak. “Your pathetic tricks will not work on me.”

 “I’m guessing we can’t talk about this, then?” Cross said as he gently loaded a fresh cartridge into his bracer.

 “No.” Avril trained the weapon on Cross. “Your life was forfeit the moment the order was given.”

 “Right, then,” Cross breathed before launching himself forward. He felt the same strange sensation play across his mind as Avril fired. Sliding to the side he dodged the shot and bounded towards her. Avril held her ground as Cross grew nearer, turning her body slightly towards him.

 Cross ducked as Avril fired the second pistol she had kept hidden beneath her cloak. The bullet whizzed just over his head and he came to a stop in front of Avril. Her eyes grew wide as Cross grabbed the barrel of her exposed pistol and wrenched it free from her grasp.

 “Maybe your Queen isn’t as great as you think,” Cross said as he tossed the weapon aside. “Because I can see through your tricks too.”

 Avril’s face contorted into pure rage. “How dare you speak of the Queen in such a way. You have no… You have no right!”

 Cross gave her a joyless smile. “Wouldn’t you say that it’s only my right?”

 Avril threw herself back and tossed the second pistol away. She threw her cloak open and let it fall away from her body, revealing the formidable amount of firearms strapped to her body.  

 “Ah… Right, then,” Cross lifted his hand and fired off another flashbang as Avril drew the two of the four pistols that were strapped across her chest. She fired the left one blindly and Cross barely dodged He felt the bullet snap against the fabric of his coat, pulling it away from his body for a moment, before he was in front of her.

 As her eyes cleared from the burst of light Avril swung down the empty pistol like a club. Cross deflected the attack with his arm and stepped in close, grabbing her other gun by the barrel and forcing it down towards the ground. Avril struck him again with the empty pistol, the blow hitting his shoulder. She went for another; this time aimed at his head, but Cross quickly caught the weapon with his hand. Instantly Avril released the empty pistol and reached to pull another one from her chest, but Cross caught her wrist, locking it in place against her chest and pushing her back. Avril tried to hold her position, but Cross overpowered her. With a grunt he pushed her, hard, and sent them stumbling backwards until Avril’s back slammed against a tree trunk.

 The sudden shift of momentum jarred them both and Avril used the moment to release her grip with her left hand. With no opposing force Cross shifted forward, giving Avril enough of an opening to reach for the pistol strapped to her thigh. She managed to get it halfway free from the holster before Cross grabbed her wrist. Snarling she jerked her head forward. Her forehead connected solidly with Cross’s face and he let out a cry of pain and his grip loosened. Avril pulled hard and was able to break Cross’s grip and draw the pistol from her chest. She was already pulling the trigger as she brought the pistol around. Cross threw his body forward and slammed against hers, knocking her hard against the tree.

 Avril let out a cry as she was crushed against the tree. Sucking in a pained breath she swung the pistol down but Cross batted the weapon. Avril didn’t relent, twisting the holster strapped to her thigh until it was pointing at Cross.

 Still reeling from the head-butt, Cross only realized what Avril was doing on a breath before she pulled the trigger. Twisting his body away, Cross was too close to completely dodge and he hissed in pain as the bullet grazed against his hip. The space left open was more than enough to allow Avril to lift her foot up and press it against Cross’s stomach. Baring her teeth she kicked out and wrenched her arm free from Cross’s grasp.

   As Cross’s momentum sent him stumbling back he lifted up his wrist and fired his remaining flashbang as Avril drew the two remaining pistols from her chest.

 Under the cover of the flashbang Cross sprinting towards the nearest try, diving behind the thick trunk just as the light dispersed. Leaning against the trunk he reached down and gingerly touched the bleeding wound on his hip.

 “Why do so many people try to shoot me?” Cross breathed as the warm blood continued to drip down his leg and began to pool in his boot. He could hear Avril’s boots crunching against the snow as she began to search for him. As quietly as he could he loaded in two fresh cartridges.

 As he tried to slow his breathing he felt a small trickle of blood begin to trickle down his nose. He didn’t know if it was from the head-butt earlier or overuse of his Sight. Maybe both.

 The fuzziness was still clogging his mind. It wasn’t keeping him from seeing completely, but like he was looking thought a fogged glasses.

 Cross sighed as Avril’s movement suddenly came to a stop. He didn’t need to use his Sight to know she had just discovered his location. The trail of blood he was no doubt leaving was probably a hint.  

 He had two options.

 One. He could wait for her to move into a flanking position and easily dispatch him from a distance.

 Two. He could charge her, try to dodge two more shots, and close the distance between them to limit her attack options.

 “Well when you put it like that.” Cross took in a deep breath before lifting up his arms and firing off two flash bangs, one straight up and the other to the left. Counting up to three he spun around the right side of the tree just as the flashbang went off.

 Avril’s guns snapped towards the noise of the flashbang before coming back around to bear on Cross as he came out from behind the tree. She fired both pistols at once. In his mind Cross followed the trajectories before the bullets ever left the barrel.

 The first was aimed at him. The second was just to his left incase he tried to dodge. The third would… third?

 Cross was already moving to the right with no chance to alter his plan when Avril fired the first two pistols before pulling a third pistol from her thigh holster in a single, smooth movement. Before the other two pistols had even fallen to the ground she had pulled the trigger.

 Cross twisted his body as best he could but the bullet still struck his right arm, just above the elbow, and sent him spinning around like a top. A scream escaped his lips as he grabbed at his arm and fell to the ground. Teeth clenched in pain he rolled across the ground, coming up onto his knees and facing Avril. She dropped the pistol and drew another two behind her back. She lifted the weapons up and trained them on him, daring him to move.

 Cross slowly lifted himself up and onto his feet. The taste of blood filled his mouth. Black spots began to dance in his vision and the buzzing in his mind grew louder. He wiped the back of his hand across his face to clear away the blood that continued to drip down his nose.

 “You are tougher than I expected,” Avril called out. “Though I should have know that, all things considered.

 “I could say the same for you,” Cross said with considerable effort.

 “I underestimated you and that was my mistake. I won’t make it again. If you have any last words, you may say them now.”

 “Just one.” Cross coughed. Small specks of blood flew from his mouth and scattered along the ground, standing the snow a deep crimson. “Bang.”

 Avril’s stance lowered and her eyes glanced down at Cross’s arms, waiting for him to move, but he did nothing. Only continued the silent countdown he had been doing in his mind for the last thirty seconds. As he reached thirty the delayed flashbang he had fired into the sky came arcing back down, just as he had foreseen with the, and detonated directly behind where Avril was standing.

 Avril flinched in surprise and Cross darted forward. Avril fired the pistol in her right hand. With the last vestiges of his power Cross Saw the bullet and used his bracer to deflect it away as Avril aimed at him with the left. With nothing else to do Cross continued forward as Avril pulled the trigger.

 The bullet impacted with his right shoulder and Cross’s world exploded into a bright series of flashes, but the shot wasn’t enough to stop his charge. Roaring he crashed into Avril just as she dropped the pistols and drew the final two from across her lower back.

 She let out a cry as Cross tackled her to the ground.

 In a tangle they rolled across the snowy ground before coming apart as Avril knock cross away. Growling in pain and anger, Cross rolled onto his knee and launched himself across the ground before slamming into Avril as she started to sit up. Scrambling across the ground he lunged at her weapons, managing to get a hand on either one as he trapped Avril beneath him, pressing his knee against her chest to hold her down. His right arm felt like his blood had been replaced by fire but he did not dare let go.  

 “Alright, we both got some good hits in, let’s call it a draw, okay?” Cross gasped as he wrestled to keep the pistols facing up and away from him.

 Avril’s only response was to run her fingers along a switch right above the triggers of both guns. Pulling down she disconnected the pistol’s barrel from the grip and exposing the thin blades hidden inside. Cross rolling to the side as she slashed upwards, one of the blades just skimming across his stomach. Blood seeped from the cut as Cross landed hard on his back.

 Avril dove onto of him and drove both blades down towards his chest. Cross threw his left arm up and managed to block the attack at the blades slammed against his bracer. The reprieve only lasted that one brief moment before Avril angled the blades and they slid past his bracer, tearing through his sleeve, and plunged straight for his chest.

 Left with no other option Cross the did the only thing he could think of and swung his nearly useless right hand arm.

 Cross barely felt the pain as the blades slide through his palm and burst through the back of his hand, splattering his chest with blood. He only saw Avril’s eye grow wide as she stared at him in shock before he swung his left arm up and clipped her hard on the side of the head with the bracer. The force of the blow was enough to sent Avril rolling away and pull the blades free from Cross’s hand.

 This had the unfortunate side effect of bringing the pain to the forefront of Cross’s mind and he let out a shriek of pain and pulled his hand close to his chest. While he would have preferred to simply stay there on the ground he knew it wasn’t over yet.

 Gasping with every movement he slowly forced himself onto his knees and glanced over at Avril. She was still on her back, blood dripping down the side of her face, and her chest heaving, but she was still very much conscious. Cross watched as she began to pull her right leg up and slowly struggle to reach for something in her boot.

 Cross didn’t know what it was, and though he had a guess, he knew it wouldn’t be good for him. His eyes scanned over their battlefield until finally landing on the pistol by the tree that Avril had dropped.

 The loaded pistol.

 Groaning Cross pulled himself to his feet and staggered towards the tree. Each step felt like an eternity but finally he made it to the weapon. Leaning over he retrieved the weapon Turning around he lifted the pistol up and aimed down at Avril.

 “Stop,” Cross said as she began to pull a small caliber derringer from her boot. “Don’t.”

 Avril stared up at him, her hand on the grip of her weapon.

 They stayed like that for what felt like hours, neither moving as the snow continued to fall, until finally Cross let out a sigh and slowly lowered his pistol.

 “I don’t know what your orders were,” he said softly. “But is this really worth dying over?”

 “Yes,” Avril replied without a moment of hesitation. “My life is nothing of consequence in this world. I would give myself and more if the Queen asked it of me. I will protect her, and I will kill you, even if it means I must perish to do so!”

 Avril pulled the derringer from her boot and pulled the trigger.

 The moment lasted for an eternity for Cross.

 The smoking pistol.

 The falling snow.

 The pure unbridled rage he felt well upside him, contained for so long.

 His right arm shot up, against the pain and agony and he thrust forward thoughtlessly, droplets of blood cascading through the air as his hand rushed forward to meet the bullet.

 “Tatchi!”

 The energy burst from Cross’s palm just as the bullet made connection with his bloodied flesh. The air bent around his hand before explode outwards as the bullet shattered, along with the majority of the bones in his hand.

 Cross abruptly returned to the present and let out a pained yell and doubled over, pulling his hand against his body, but remaining on his feet with the gun clutched in his other hand.

 “How?” Avril whispered as the derringer slipped from her fingers and landed on the snow with a soft crunch. “That’s not…”

 Cross took in a deep breath and let it out through his nose. He felt the anger slowly slip from his shoulders and instantly be replaced by a weary exhaustion. He loosened his grip on the pistol and let it hand weakly by his side.

 “It’s over, Avril,” he said quietly. “It’s over.”

 “No,” Avril began to shake her head back and forth, her hair coming loose from the right bun and falling wildly around her face. “No. I can’t be over. I can’t fail. I can’t. I swore. I swore to her. I have to… I can’t fail!”

 Cross felt a lurch in his mind and took an unsure step back as the ground around Avril began to steam as the snow began to melt.

 “I can’t!” Avril screamed. “I won’t!”

  The eye patch over her left eye began to smoke before igniting in a flash of fire, exposing the shining light hidden within. Her entire body began to shake before slowly rising up into the air. As more light began to stream from her eye, Avril threw back her head and scream as the light continued to grow in intensity until it consumed her completely.