I woke in a panic to the sound of a screeching animal. It sounded horrible, like a drowning rooster, though not nearly as horrible as the gloom screecher.

  I wiped the sleep from my eyes after realizing I wasn't in danger. The fire in the fireplace had gone out, and the room was in disarray from the wind spells I was casting last night. I hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed, making an effort to restore the room to how it was. Then, I grabbed my bag and belongings and hurried out the door.

  Just as I backed out of the room and closed the door, I bumped into someone, nearly getting knocked over in the process.

  Whoever it was caught me saying, "Morning sunshine, how'd you sleep?"

  It was none other than Caelin. Oh, the comedic timing! He looked down at me with a smile as he held the dip of my back. Seeing him again reminded me of last night, making me tense up and avert my eyes. I squirmed away, covered my face with my hands to hide my beet-red face.

  I shook my head, "Good! I'm good...you're good...we're good!"

  * What on earth am I saying?? *

  He chuckled, saying, "That's...good! I'm glad to hear it. I figured I'd wait for you. Ari's already downstairs waiting for us."

  I just nodded, looking at the wall, "Sounds...good."

  I quickly shuffled to the stairs with him following closely behind. When we got to the main area, I saw Ariel waiting for us by the door.

  "Good morning," She said with a smile, "Hope you slept well, we've got quite the walk today."

  I nodded, "I slept like a rock."

  "Great! We should be able to make it to Elemyr by the afternoon if we hurry. I already bought some food, so we can eat along the way."

  "Works for me! How'd you guys sleep, by the way?" I asked, still refusing to make any eye contact with Caelin.

  "Pretty well actually, these Inns don't quite compare to our beds in Glacium, but they're not too bad," Ariel replied.

  "Well duh! Most inns can't afford a luxury bed like the one fathe...Lord Serelith...got you," Caelin said jokingly.

  Ariel blushed, saying, "Look, I never asked him to! It was a gift...*ahem*, anyway, let's get going."

  We both nodded and made our way to the door. The tavern part of this inn was pretty crowded, despite it being so early. I took one last look around, and as I did, noticed a strange looking man at one of the tables. He was eyeing us, and seeming to notice me looking, pulled his hood down to cover his face more.

  * Sus... *

  We quickly made our way out of the city and continued on the trail east. Once outside the walls, I asked, "Did either of you notice the creepy, foreboding dude with the hood back there? He was giving us the eyes as we were leaving."

  Ariel shook her head saying, "I did not, though I wouldn't be too surprised since we're dressed a little different than most people around here."

  Without slowing her pace, she turned and pointed to her back. There was a sigil that looked like a large, silvery-blue snowflake with a crescent moon in the background.

  "The crest on our clothing is the Glacium crest. Anyone who recognizes it would know we're not from around here."

  "Yeah, it's not uncommon for people to stare. Lots of students pass through here on their way to Elemyr, and many of them are from other kingdoms like us. I wouldn't worry too much about it," Caelin added.

  "If you say so..." I mumbled.

  We walked for a bit, chatting here and there. The landscape hadn't changed much since Talonholme, with various trees and shrubs dotting the sides of the path.

  "So, how'd your magic practice go last night?"

  "It went pretty well, actually!" I smiled, recalling the spells I'd tried. "How loud was I?"

  "Let's just say that there was a draft," Ariel replied with a little laugh.

  "Just a draft? My door was shaking! Caelin chuckled.

  "That's embarrassing...I thought I was being pretty quiet."

  "Don't feel too bad, it wasn't any louder than Caelin snoring."

  "Hey! At least I don't sleep with plushi–,"

  Ariel whipped around and threw a heavy punch right into Caelin's arm.

  "Oof! Ow! Haha!"

  "What were you going to say?" she said sharply.

  "That was a pretty good one," Caelin said with a smug grin, rubbing his arm, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

  That made me laugh. You could tell these two actually cared about each other with the way they teased. Sibling rivalry at its finest.

  Changing the subject, Ariel asked, "You know, I've been wondering, how are you even able to cast spells right now? I haven't seen you use a wand or anything like that."

  "I was wondering that too, though I figured you'd just show us eventually," Caelin added.

  "I'll be honest...I'm not too sure myself. The only thing I can think of is this ring," I said, holding my hand up to show them, "It must be acting as my focus."

  The ring glimmered in the sunlight, revealing the delicate runes inscribed on it. The once-white gem on top still swirled with a deep, sapphire-blue gleam.

  The purpose of the gem was still unclear, but I'm sure it more than just some high-end mood ring.

  Ariel leaned closer, studying it with sharp curiosity. "It must be a Myzrakian relic," Ariel said as her eyes narrowed in thought.

  "Maybe..." I sighed, trying not to let my nerves show.

  "I bet you're actually a kidnapped princess," Caelin announced suddenly, nodding his head as if he'd put it all together.

  Ariel and I both turned to him with matching confused looks.

  "You're probably a kidnapped princess," Caelin repeated. "Think about it! You were royalty, and kidnapped for ransom. Then, you escaped your captives by fleeing into Talonveil, and got injured in the process! Hence your amnesia!"

  Our expressions somehow became even more confused.

  "That would explain your whole situation, and your Myzrakian ring!" Caelin finished triumphantly, as if he'd cracked the code.

  Ariel and I exchanged glances, her face saying a thousand words.

  With the flattest voice Ariel said, "Wow. You came up with that all by yourself?"

  "I did," Caelin smirked.

  "You might be on to something..." I lied, rolling my eyes. "If only I could remember..."

  With one more glance at each other, Ariel and I abruptly started walking again.

  "Oh, come on! It's totally plausible! Hey...wait up!" Caelin called.

  Things calmed down after that as we walked, with light banter and more history lessons. A while ago, we'd lost sight of Lockeguard. The area we were in now was full of tiny hills and long grass that swayed gently with the breeze.

  The trees had thinned out, leaving only shrubs and small types of vegetation. I was pretty shocked, but thankful, that we hadn't seen any dangerous monsters since Talonholme.

  Far to the south, I could see large mountains capped with snow. I'm sure they were hundreds of miles away, yet among them, I could see a giant mountain rising above the rest. To the north, it seemed to have a very gradual slope down. I couldn't really see anything of note. The only thing was that the sky seemed to have a gradient blue color, perhaps because of the increase in water as you went north.

  We'd been walking for several hours now, and I'd been enjoying all the sights and scenery around me. This world was vastly different, yet very similar to earth. For a majority of the walk I'd been deep in thought, mulling over the simple spell affixes in my head.

  My attention was drawn to a tall bush that was farther up the path, maybe fifteen feet away. I thought I saw a mirage, which didn't make any sense. I didn't remember a whole lot of my thermodynamics class, but I remembered enough to know that it wasn't hot enough to create a mirage.

  "Is there...something off with that bush?" I asked, unsure of myself as I said it.

  A sudden movement from the shadows caught my eye. I was slow to react, but Caelin shoved past Ariel and I in an instant. With his sword drawn, I heard a clinking of metal as Caelin blocked four small daggers which dropped to the ground.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  "Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that! Show yourself! Caelin demanded towards the bush.

  Ariel drew her wand as she looked around cautiously, and I stood behind Caelin wondering what just happened. Next to the bush, the air blurred like a heat wave, and a figure emerged from out of nowhere. A hooded man stood there, his lower face covered with a bandana. He wore light leather tunic and pants adorned with daggers, bottles, and pouches. Through the mask, I could see his brown eyes surrounded by an ashy colored eye shadow. I'd seen this guy before.

  "I'm surprised you managed to block that, Caelin Serelith," the man lightly applauded. "Few rarely block that attack, and fewer still live long enough to brag about it. Well done. It's always so boring when they die right away."

  "That's him! That's the dude I saw at the inn!" I blurted.

  "I can see why you were worried," Ariel muttered with a frown. Stepping forward, she raised her chin. "Let me guess, you're here to kidnap us and extort Lord Serelith for ransom?"

  * Is kidnapping and ransom a common thing around here? Sheesh! *

  "I'm afraid not, Miss Ariel," he replied with cool and disturbingly polite voice. "My employer specifically sent me to kill you two, though..." His smile sharpened. "They said you two were travelling alone. I must admit I was not expecting to have thrice the fun."

  His gaze slid to me, like a knife being drawn.

  "So then," he asked with a chilling tone, "Who might you be, miss?"

  "That doesn't really matter, does it?" I asked defiantly.

  "No," he laughed menacingly, "It does not matter at all. I intend to kill you as well. Though, you could at least tell me your name before you die."

  * Been there, done that, no thank you! *

  I knew this was no run-of-the-mill bandit you encounter on a level one quest. From the way he shifted his weight, to the confidence in his stare, this guy was a trained professional.

  He reached down to his sheath on his hip and pulled out a long pale blade. It made an unsettling vibration, as if humming with anticipation.

  "Well, if you think we're going to make it easy, you've got your work cut out for you," Caelin said calmly.

  "Good," the man said with a wicked grin.

  "Who...who do we have the pleasure of fighting?" I asked with some nervousness creeping into my voice.

  He tilted his head as he looked me over again. "Tell you what, I'll tell you if you tell me. Lets trade, I'll start. I am Marlo, better known as Marlo the Shade."

  "Fine," I swallowed. "I'm Mae Bell, and I don't think it's an honor to meet you."

  Ariel stiffened. "I've heard of you," she whispered. "You're a contract killer who always vanishes without a trace. They never see you coming...or leaving. You must be an expensive hire."

  Marlo chuckled ominously. "The money is only for bread, sweet girl. I kill because I enjoy it."

  He did a fancy little maneuver with his blade. It hummed as it spun around his fingers.

  "Sadly, I'm afraid I have more contracts to complete after the three of you. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

  He'd barely finished his sentence before I heard Ariel cast a familiar spell, "VrenElvaQuira Keltaris!" {Freeze air and water, rise and move with power}.

  Several ice daggers formed around her and hurled themselves directly at Marlo. He cackled maniacally, dodging just before the ice pierced him.

  "Ohhh, you'll need to be quicker than that!" He cooed. "My turn..."

  In an instant, he cleared the space between him and Caelin, unleashing a flurry of strikes on him in a mere two seconds. I was amazed to see Caelin fending off his attacks with his large sword.

  After Marlow's flurry, Caelin retaliated with an array of slashes. Marlo deftly dodged them, parrying one or two. A sideways slash caused Marlo to backflip over it in the air.

  "Yesss, that's the spirit!" he hissed, mid-air. Before his boots touched the ground, his eyes turned to Ariel as he shouted, "ElvaTysaris!" {Wind burst with power}.

  Air swirled around his feet, and suddenly he dashed, mid-backflip, right at Ariel.

  "VrenQuiraTar!" Ariel said quickly. {Freeze water, rise}.

  I watched in awe as a small pool of water formed and froze at her feet before rising into a small ice wall in front of her. Marlo's dagger easily pierced the ice shield, but it slowed him down enough to cause him to retreat as Caelin caught up to him.

  * Think Mason! Think! I've got to help somehow. It's all just happening so fast! *

  Ariel sent another volley of Ice at Marlo as he nimbly backpedaled.

  "Alright, time to get serious!" Caelin shouted. "DarrunRalAris!" {Earth Shake with power}.

  Small pebbles and stones around Caelin's feet vibrated. Marlo took another step, losing his footing as the ground trembled. Caelin took advantage of the opening and dashed over. I thought for sure he was going to land a hit, but Marlo quickly regained his balance and danced away. That was the first spell I'd seen Caelin cast, and it was pretty cool!

  The back and forth continued for a couple more minutes, with Ariel blocking and unleashing ranged spells and Caelin trying to chase him down. It seemed like Marlo had forgotten about my presence entirely.

  I figured now was a good chance to try what I'd practiced at the inn, but maybe speed it up a bit. If I could just distract him a little, maybe we could gain the upper hand.

  I tried to calculate where Marlo was going to land, and focused for a moment before yelling, "QuiraKelTaris!" {Water, move and rise with power}.

  Like before, a softball sized orb of water formed next to me, then rocketed itself right at Marlo. He reacted instantly, turning and slashing downward. His slash cut the ball in two, splitting it to the sides with one half splashing Caelin.

  "Hey! Save the waterworks for after the entrance exam!" Caelin called, semi-amused.

  "That wasn't half bad!" Ariel said from the side.

  "Tsk, tsk, why'd you have to go and do that?" Marlo sneered. "I was going to save you for last, but then you had to go and get involved. Suit yourself!"

  He mumbled something under his breath. I gasped as the light around him wavered again. Then, he disappeared. The three of us paused for a moment, scanning for any sign of movement.

  "This might be trickier than that dusk skulker," I said, my voice filled with worry. "At least I could see the fog it was in!"

  From somewhere behind us, I heard Marlo eerily whisper, "I'm much worse than a dusk skulker..."

  The words echoed around, making it hard to pinpoint his location. Suddenly, I noticed shimmer of air in Ariel's direction.

  "Ariel, look out!" I yelled.

  She turned to move as quickly as she could, barely moving away from the dagger as it sliced through the hip of her clothes. She didn't escape entirely as the blade nicked her waist. She let out a sharp cry as the wound started to bleed.

  By the time I'd blinked, Marlo had already vanished and repositioned again.

  "Ariel!" Caelin shouted.

  "I'm alright. It's just a scratch. Stay focused!"

  Again, I caught a shimmer of light in the grass next to Caelin.

  "To your right, Cae!"

  He quickly turned, on his guard, searching for the attack.

  "Interesting..." Marlo echoed. "How are you able to–doesn't matter. I'll just get rid of you first!"

  A dagger whistled from somewhere behind me. Before I could react, Caelin lunged forward and threw me to the ground. The dagger buried itself right in his shoulder and his chest.

  "Arghh!" he yelled, dropping his sword to hold his arm.

  "Cae!" Ariel and I both cried as we rushed over to him.

  "Well, isn't that bold. Such a noble sacrifice...literally," Marlo mocked as he reappeared on the path. "Unfortunately, these blades are poisoned. This fight is already over, I'm afraid."

  He was right. Both of my friends were turning pale, and sweating profusely. The poison must have already started taking effect. Tears blurred my vision as flashes of fear filled my mind.

  "Don't worry, Mae, we'll be okay," Ariel said, trying to comfort me. "Get away while you can. We'll try to hold him off."

  Marlo chuckled, "Oh please, do try and run. Chasing is much more fun anyway."

  "No..." I muttered, "Not again..."

  The idea of losing friends again made me angry. Seeing Caelin and Ariel like this made my blood boil with rage. I was tired of running. No more. No more of me being the victim. No more dying. Enough was enough.

  With tears welling in my eyes I yelled, "I won't lose my friends again!" I don't know what came over me. A flood of affixes combined in my mind. I couldn't hold back with this one. I extended a hand toward Marlo, "ElvaKelTar VaelTysAris!" {Wind rise and move, surge with power}.

  The spell reverberated the air around me. Wind spiraled at my feet, making my dress flap violently with the pressure and sent nearby leaves and branches flying. The spiral of air accumulated on my hand and then erupted with a violent torrent of wind towards our foe. Everyone was caught off guard with how ferocious the wind was. It looked like I launched a tornado out of my palms. Marlo tried to move away, but the vortex caught him, lifting him in the air. It whipped him around with such force that it sent him bouncing down the pathway. Each time he hit the ground, I heard the sound of something breaking, probably bones. On the final bounce, I heard a gruesome crunch as his head hit the ground. Finally, he came to a stop maybe twenty feet away. He laid there, unmoving.

  I saw stars, causing me to fall to my knees. My long hair covered my face as I knelt there, wobbling. I felt sick and drained all at the same time. My head was throbbing. I probably just killed someone. He deserved it, but I still felt the guilt creeping in.

  Through the ringing in my ears, I could hear Caelin and Ariel calling my name. I shook my head, pushing myself to my feet. I looked over to my friends who were practically falling over next to me. Both were ragged, pale as could be.

  "Are you...alright?" Ariel asked through strained breaths.

  "I'm fine...I think," I said with heavy breaths of my own. "Forget about me! What about you guys?"

  "I don't feel the greatest..." Ariel admitted.

  She was looking rough, but not as bad as Caelin. He'd removed the dagger, which left a gaping wound there. He had bags under his eyes, and he looked frail.

  "I'll admit, I think this is the worst I've felt in a long time," Caelin said, trying to sound positive. " Awesome spell though. That had to be at least a level three...maybe four." He winced in pain. "You sent that dude straight to the otherworld!"

  "What do we do? There's got to be a way to heal you two!" I asked frantically.

  "It doesn't look good, I'm afraid," Ariel said, a weak smile crossing her lips. "Whatever that poison was seems to be doing its job. None of us can use healing magic, and without knowing which poison he used, we can't even guess the antidote."

  "No! There's got to be something!" I cried, stumbling over to Marlo's body.

  There was no mistake. He was definitely dead. His arms were twisted, and his head was facing the wrong way. I pushed the sickness down as I searched for answers. All I found was a bag of coins, some empty bottles, and a letter that read 'Eliminate the Serelith's'. They should be traveling to Elemyr. The rest of the payment will come after. Signed, T.'

  "No! Noo! These don't help at all!" I cried. I couldn't bear the thought of them dying, breaking out into a full sob. "Ugh, what do I do!?"

  I looked back at them and realized they'd both collapsed on the ground. Fumbling over myself, I sprinted back over to them, falling beside them in the grass.

  "Guys, guys! Wake up!" I cried, shaking them. Both were unresponsive. In a panic, I looked around, hoping someone could save the day. "Please! Anyone! Help!"

  Out of nowhere, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I glanced back to see a familiar little fairy hovering there. I trembled with a flood of emotions.

  "Rose!" I sobbed.

  She smiled and landed on my shoulder. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I leaned my head sideways and cupped her gently with my hand, hugging her into my cheek.

  "I'm so glad you're okay, I thought you'd gotten hurt! Have you been following us?"

  She nodded.

  "I wish you would have said hello sooner! I've missed you!"

  She blushed a little bit and peeked around me, looking at my friends on the floor. She quickly darted back behind my hair.

  "They're my friends," I said, choking down the tears. "They saved me from the gloom screecher after you fainted."

  Caelin groaned and started shivering, and Ariel was breathing heavily. That snapped my attention back to the situation.

  "Rose, I really need your help again! That bad guy over there poisoned them. If they don't get help, they aren't going to make it. Do you think you could heal them, like you healed me?"

  She looked a little nervous, but after looking from me to them, then back to me, she smiled and nodded her head.

  "Thank you, Rose." I said, fighting back the tears.

  She flew off my shoulder and over to Ariel. She extended a small hand to the wound on her side, stopping for just a moment, as if she were listening for something. A couple seconds later, I heard the faint whisper. A familiar green light enveloped Ariel, and almost immediately, I saw the wound start to close. A minute later, Ariel's breathing returned to normal.

  Caelin groaned again, shuddering in pain.

  Rose quickly flew over to Caelin, landing on his chest. Again, she focused on his injury and extended both her hands out this time. Her quiet spell filled the space around them with a gentle green light. I watched in awe as the hole in Caelin's shoulder started to close. Rose looked like she was struggling to stay upright. The spell was consuming her manaura, no doubt. A few moments passed, and Caelin also returned to normal breathing. He exhaled and relaxed. Both he and Ariel had fallen into a deep sleep, stable once again. Rose toppled over, falling onto Caelin's chest.

  I tried to run over to her. "Rose---" I yelled, tripping as I saw stars. As I hit the ground, my head rolled to the side. My head was spinning. The last thing I saw before blacking out was Rose giving me a weak smile and a little thumbs up.