1. Esther #3
I fidget through my discomfort, ashamed of my Felia-blessed magic but also unnerved by the fact that we don’t speak about it often anymore, especially in case someone overhears.
Although those who have magic in their veins are rare and known as greers, some are even blessed at birth by the gods.
Unfortunately, my clan is innately blessed by Felia, known only for death and destruction.
“Soon your power will surpass even mine, and when it does, you need to make sure you are in control of it. You might be bound by other greers now, so you’re not consumed by your magic until you’re able to unlock each element, but anything can happen, and I won’t always be here.
You are important, and your blood calls for war.
I hope only to direct you onto a righteous path before it beckons. ”
The weight of expectation rests on my shoulders. In the way he looks at me now as a child, but it shifts to something like reverence—hope, even.
In the absence of parents’ faces I cannot remember, and of a clan that was wiped out fifteen years ago, he has been my father and imparted wisdom that has taught me to survive.
But I hate that he can also see the ugliness and darkness of my magic swirling within me, waiting to erupt.
Uncertainty rises as my power grows, it’s only under control because my magic is bound by a powerful greer in each element, thanks to Master Kains connections. Without those bindings…
“It’s still within my control,” I assure him as he regards me from the corner of his eye. My gaze shifts to Grimace, who trips over a small log and hits the sand, belly first. “I will do everything I can to serve you, but there is very little I can do behind these great walls.”
“Yes, I suppose I have coddled you to an extent, haven’t I?” he admits.
Grimace claws his way up my pants and comes back to wrap around my neck and sit on my shoulder.
Then he simply stares at the rising sun, as if not much thought is running through his head at all, and suddenly hacks once, then twice, and regurgitates a tarnished key.
I catch it, sneering at the attached strings of saliva.
“I swear, every time you bring me a new trinket, they get weirder,” I mutter.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Master Kain says, still trying to hide his disgust. I can’t help but laugh as I think back to the time Grimace spat a dead rodent into his lap, twice the size of the little beast himself.
“One day it might be intriguing to dissect and see what magic lies in his fat little belly.”
Grimace’s eyes widen, and he pokes out his tongue. I chuckle as I begin to rub his cold, coarse skin. Even I don’t know what beast he is—I don’t recall when we contracted—but he’s been with me for as long as I can remember.
“So, when will you make me a soldier?” I ask.
“I am twenty soon. Surely I’ll be given the opportunity to be inducted as is the law in our kingdom.
” Anyone over the age of twenty, no matter their status, is given the option to become a soldier to protect our people in our lands.
And I’m certain it will be the title I need to step out past these walls for the very first time.
I’ve never dared voice it out loud, but I look forward to not only the freedom, but the thrill of the fight and new challengers, a part of me constantly yearning for action, when I’ve been forced to hide this side of me my entire life.
He doesn’t speak for some time—if anything, he looks sad, as he always does when I bring it up in conversation.
I’m aware of the privilege he offers me.
Master Kain is the most powerful, renowned greer within the land of Caldom.
Only few can truly master their born-given element, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have him train me personally.
But a king is still a king. And I am technically still only a commoner.
“As is your right, by law,” he reluctantly says.
“Make sure you two stay out of trouble—it’ll do you no good if you’re behind bars before then.
” He points to Grimace. “I mean it, none of this mischievous business, and certainly no stealing. There are only so many exceptions I can make. You have to start acting like a soldier to become one.”
I never make promises on Grimace’s behalf because the little beast is fickle in nature, but my smile seems to be answer enough as the old man tries to withhold his own.
“Now run along. We have much to do today.”
“Thank you for today’s ass-kicking,” I say begrudgingly.
“I still like to call it a lesson.”
I can feel the immediate dissipation of the domain he put up, and I walk toward the tall grass that borders the shoreline as I look out at the city of Caldom, its main castle perched on the hill. I appreciate the great walls and the stronghold in the distance, for the most part keeping us safe.
The marking at my throat burns as Grimace sinks back into the invisible ink, ensuring everyone else remains none the wiser to me being a greer. I dust my hands, preparing myself to join the others in plowing the fields for the day.