Sneak Peek of The Binding Stone
BY LIZZY GAYLE
The magic is palpable. It tingles as it radiates up and down my arms. My eyes snap open the moment I feel it.
I let the power drift over and through me, soaking it up like a human does sunlight. My fingertips crackle with it. Voices become clear now, and sounds assault my ears like daggers after the blissful silence of nothingness. I prefer to sleep. When I do, there is no need to think. Or remember.
Whoever dares disturb my century-long slumber will suffer my wrath. That’s a promise.
“Really? Only ten?” The voice of a young man attracts my attention.
He is close, but my senses remain dulled from my sleep inside the gemstone, so I choose to be cautious, staying invisible to human eyes. His voice, warm like honey, soothes the edges of my anger. But some qualities can be deceiving. I know from experience.
“Jer, remind me not to bring you along when I buy a used car,” comes the voice of another young man. “Your haggling skills need some serious work.”
I stand in the center of a modern marketplace.
It is small but cluttered, centered in front of a brick house with several people milling about the lawn and walkways.
Whatever time I’m in, the women wear far less clothing than I remember.
Near the outskirts of the unkempt grass, I spy a girl who is closest in appearance to me.
A small child tugs at her arm, but the woman is distracted.
A smile pulls at the corners of my mouth, and I quickly change from the draped fabrics of my last master’s time, mirroring her outfit.
I nod in approval. I’m going to enjoy this century.
Now to locate and destroy the source of the threat. It is not difficult. I follow the same girl’s blushing gaze toward the honeyed voice I’d heard before.
“I’ll take it.”
He stands a mere table’s width from me, and it is clear he is indeed the One. His aura glows like none of the others. A rainbow of iridescent colors pulsates and bleeds around him like a force field. This is too easy.
A gasp draws my attention. It’s the young mother, frozen in a state of horror.
I’ve seen that look before, so I follow her stare to find the toddler examining a flower growing in a crack in the concrete.
A machine of some sort zooms toward her, so big it will surely crush the child in seconds.
Time slows as I raise my fingers and invisible hands lift the young one out of harm’s way, setting her securely back near her mother.
No one has seen, save the woman who will likely never again be so negligent.
Focusing on the rainbow aura, I raise my hands.
All it will take is one blast, directed at the handsome man busy handing a piece of green paper to an elderly woman.
He will cease to exist. But I feel it as I let go, and even before it bounces harmlessly off his aura, I know.
So I scream. It is not as though anyone can hear it. Not yet.
“Never figured you’d go for the whole bling thing,” says the one with glasses and a dull, human aura. “Try it on.”
I watch helplessly as Jer slips the ring on his middle finger.
The large opal in the center gleams a little too brightly, and I tug at the choker around my neck, running my thumb along the matching stone.
I hope the ten-paper is worth more than it appears.
Why must I care so much for the innocent after all these years?
If I’d let that machine crush the child…
No. I am not, nor will I ever be, one of the human Magicians. It is what sets me apart, and the only thing that may make up for some of my past sins. The ones that were within my control.
“Great. Can we go now please?” It seems by his rush that the friend does not like it here.
I cannot blame him. My nose wrinkles up as I scan the rest of the market—a few scattered tables covered in odd objects, dusty boxes stacked and interspersed between them.
Most things I don’t recognize, but it all looks like junk to me.
So how did I end up here? Just one more indignity to add to the list.
I trail behind as the two boys move away and down the wide street. The homes surrounding the market are similar to each other, yet closer together than in my last master’s time. It saddens me to find far fewer trees and greenery to balance all the brick and mortar surrounding us as we walk.
The chilled wind carries the ozone-tinted scent and humid feel of a body of water nearby, which pleases me.
It is refreshing after my sleep. I let my bare arms stretch out behind me, allowing goose bumps to prickle along my skin.
A few buildings away, the men amble up the uneven brick walk, scattering fall’s last crisp leaves from the single maple tree in front, before bursting inside the four-story rectangle.
I’ve seen worse. Although I’m certain this “Jer” will be upgrading soon.
I continue following them up creaking metal steps and into a small room, containing a sagging, cushioned seat big enough for two, a square table and chairs, a well-worn bed, dresser, and a desk.
“Do you think it’s real?” Jer’s friend inspects the ring.
“I don’t know, Gabe. There was something about it. Like I couldn’t put it down.”
Of course not. You sensed the power. My power.
I suppose I should reveal myself. If I do not, the stone will force me, and at least this way I can have a little fun with the friend.
I loosen the invisibility and freeze Jer’s friend before he can touch the ring. I will teach him not to touch things that do not belong to him. I grin and let my eyes glow green with power so there can be no doubt as to my nature.
My new master’s reaction is immensely satisfying.
About to sit in the chair near the desk, he spies me and misses, falling to the floor with a thud.
His face is pale, his eyes huge as his gaze darts between me and his friend.
I would not be surprised if he fainted. Instead, he licks his lips and clears his throat.
“Hel…hello?”
Well, that’s different.
Don’t stop now.