“Ugh!” she groaned as blood dripped down her golden-brown forearm. “I am no match for the ice.”
She placed her hand over the fresh wound, and a warm glow emitted from her palm, healing it in seconds. She grinned at me.
Elowen Astair was the best healer in Ames. For only being nineteen, she surpassed everyone in that field, old and young alike. What would take me minutes or sometimes hours took her hardly any time at all. Depending on the severity of the wound, of course.
Merrick snorted. “Finally, you admit it,” he said smugly. Elowen stuck out her tongue in response. Their banter always amused me, the dynamic of half-siblings being something I could never relate to.
Merrick and Elowen’s father, Vicsin Astair, was elected Lord of Ames. When Mother, Torrin, and I had finally arrived here, it was Vicsin who welcomed us with open arms. While I normally resented pity, I was grateful for his kindness. Vicsin was still below Igon, Ames’s Supreme, but still, he was highly respected.
Merrick was also Torrin’s cousin. They both shared bright platinum hair, though Merrick's was more silver than Torrin's white-blond. Though Torrin and Elowen didn’t share blood, he loved her all the same.
Ames, being a rather small town, had only about one hundred fifty people. But everyone here was a Mage. It was…comforting.
Because the town was so remote, there hadn’t even been a home available for us to stay in when we arrived. Vicsin had offered us refuge in his residence with his wife, Heildee, Elowen’s mother, thankfully having extra space to harbor Mother, Torrin, and me. Mother and I slept in their basement, and Torrin’s room was in the attic.
I remember learning how Torrin's parents had vanished shortly before his departure to Otacia. No one knew what happened to them, if they willingly left, or if they were captured or killed. Even after all these years, I knew the lack of answers weighed heavy on Torrin. His room was still kept as it was before in Vicsin’s home, and his uncle was more than happy to welcome him home.
Merrick and I became close quickly. I had arrived in Ames sick from travel, and he was by my side the entire time. I could tell part of him was closed off, and I felt like we related to each other in that sense. He never wished to go into detail about the strain in his family, but he told me Vicsin cheated on his mother with Heildee, resulting in Elowen. After his father discovered the pregnancy, leaving his mother and breaking her heart, she committed suicide five years later. Merrick hated his father for it and still does to this day.
He had hated Elowen, too, even though he knew their father’s infidelity wasn’t her fault. At that time of our arrival, Merrick was nineteen, Elowen was fourteen, and I was surprised to discover that the two hardly spoke. But despite everything, they worked together to comfort me alongside Torrin while I was unwell. We all had grown rather close these past five years.
Five years…
It had been five years since I left Otacia…since I went back on the run. Five years since I was in my cottage, relaxing by the river or running our stand at the market.
Five years since I left Silas.
Not a day, minute, or second went by without him on my mind.
It had also been over a year since I last saw Torrin…since he left Ames abruptly without even saying goodbye.
A year since…
I shook my head at the thought. I didn’t wish to think of it.
Merrick sauntered over to Elowen and tousled her light, pink hair that she kept in a pixie cut. She swatted at him before she brushed her bangs back to where they lay cutely on her forehead. There was a similarity between the looks of them, but Merrick’s skin, which was fair like mine, was a stark contrast to Elowen’s tawny skin. They both shared blue eyes, yet Elowen’s were more pigmented, while Merrick’s were nearly grey.
Merrick took a swig out of his waterskin, then wiped his mouth. “What do you say, Lena, you next?”
I grinned as I vacated my seat on the bench. I passed Elowen’s petite figure as I made my way down the few steps to the pit. “I don’t want to hear you crying like last time.”
He laughed, took another sip of water, and then tied back his hair, which, when not in his usual ponytail, rested a few inches past his shoulders. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt, the neckline a dramatic V, showcasing his muscular chest. He paired it with grey pants and black boots; an outfit that lacked color was his usual style. He wasn’t adorning his typical bow and quiver. No need for that during our practice today.
It was fascinating because the people of Ames were all Mages,openlyMages. I remember my jaw dropping when I first came here, shocked to see so many pointed ears and so many people freely practicing magic.
Many of the townsfolk had no idea how to wield a weapon nor a desire to learn how to. But Merrick and Elowen were intrigued, especially considering their cousin had become quite the warrior over the past eight years. It was another thing we bonded over. Elowen chose to learn using a dagger, and while Merrick could use a sword, he preferred the bow, mostly because he could make ice arrows that had the potential to kill an enemy in one hit.
As for me, it was Torrin who taught me everything there was to know about magic, about wielding and fighting with it. He had trained me for years. Sometimes, he’d poke fun at me while I’d train our friends but would quickly bite back a grin when I’d mention they were his techniques.
I miss you…
Torrin hadn’t spoken in my mind since the last time I saw him, though I still would talk to him in my head, hoping somehow, someway, he was listening. His abilities could only go a certain distance, him speaking to me from Castle La’Rune while I was in my cottage was about as far as he could go. Still, I hoped.
Merrick cracked his knuckles and got into a fighting stance. I smirked, flipped my long braid over my shoulder, and thought of my plan of action.
Merrick had acquired ice magic, as had I. A decent handful of Mages in Ames had as well. I suppose it isn’t uncommon to go through such sorrow in your lifetime.
Before I could think, he shot a bolt of ice at me. I held out my palm, melting the shard with my fire magic before it could pierce my chest. Merrick grunted and sent five more shards at me, and I whirled my hands to create a circle of fire, melting them all instantly.
