@Wycliff
The public gardens were a nice enough place to loiter, if one had the time or inclination. Lily Hartnet didn't necessarily have either, but she
did have the wherewithal and ability to slip away from her siblings and their chaperone.
She just needed a few moments to herself, a minute where the constant fussing of her family was the furthest thing from her mind.
The sun was creeping toward the horizon. They'd realize she'd slipped away soon enough and come to collect her. But for the moment at least, tucked in the lengthening shade of a blossoming pear tree, she closed her eyes and just basked in the sensation of solitude.
Jace appeared from thin air on the inside of the garden walls, clutching his side as he stumbled against the hard brick. Crimson was blossoming across the white silk of his robe, a testament to the severe injury below. His teeth gritted as a fresh wave of agony washed over him, and with his eyes shut tight, the flesh below began to knit itself back together.
It wasn't the first time he'd regenerated an injury, but at most they'd been scrapes or cuts. The pain was incredibly more intense, almost enough to make him pass out as nerves and flesh reconnected. The worst part? He wasn't even in the clear, the guards of Uthlyn still hunting him mercilessly. How they'd gotten word about his bounty in Reahj so quickly he'd no idea, but he needed to leave Connloath as soon as possible. If only he knew where to go!
A quick cough yielded a glob of blood and bile, splattering on the ground in front of him. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto his knees, eyes catching sight of a woman sitting below a blossoming tree before him. Oh god, there were people here?
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"Oh!" The sound of a wet, ragged cough had Lily's eyes flying open and she looked around. She'd through she was alone in the gardens. "Hello?" She got to her feet- a little less than gracefully perhaps- and flicked her eyes around in search of the source of the sound.
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him. "Oh- oh my God!" Almost stumbling in her haste, she ran to the obviously wounded man who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, kneeling beside him and gripping his shoulder in a frail offer of support.
"Sir, can you- what happened. Oh goodness. Can you move?" She lifted her head, looking around for help. God, a moment ago she'd wanted her family miles away, now she wished they were here to help her. "Jorris! Jess, Dorian! Someone, we need help!" Turning her attention back to the injured man, she bit her lip and tried to lean him back against the brick wall of the garden.
"It- it's going to be alright. I'll get you some help, I promise," she babbled, slightly panicked.
Jace coughed again, this one slightly drier as his internal organs repaired and halted the bleeding. The touch of a hand and her voice told him that the woman was friendly, at least for now, but a different sensation soon told him more. Instinctively, his body began to quickly drain the poor woman's magic energy. The surge of power was pleasant as always, but as she tried to prop him up against the brick wall, it began to escalate, sucking more and more. He quickly broke away from her grasp. It was dangerous for mages to touch him, and he wished no harm on the girl, especially since she was so kindly trying to help.
He craned his head up at her, getting a better look at her face. A mistake: his face began to flush, she was so close! He scrambled backward, to no avail, trying to get his bearing. "Um... thank you, Miss. For your concern, I mean." He glanced down at the wound, now completely healed. "It's really nice of you to try and help me and all, but it's dangerous for mages to touch me, I wouldn't want you to get hurt." His father, Aven, had taught him that mages couldn't normally utilize all the magic energy in their systems, as it's presence is interwoven with their life force. If drained of all magic, mages incur serious physical detriment, even sometimes resulting in death.
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Oh good lord he was delirious.
And she was...suddenly not feeling so well herself. She'd almost call it one of her fainting spells approaching, but it was...different. Less like a wave drawing her under, more like the energy was being pulled from her body.
"I..." she swayed where she sat and removed her hand from his should to press her pal against her forehead. "You're...mistaken, sir. I'm not..."
Her magic, unknown and unchecked, twisting and writhed in an effort to protect her from this strange new development, even while it was desperately trying to recover what power had been lost. Steel gray clouds began to roll in overhead- and with a rather understated little gasp, Lily fainted onto the grass beside him.
"Lily?" Her eldest brother's voice rang through the garden as he came hurrying around the corner. "What happened? I heard you shout-"
Jorris fell silent as he took in the image of a bloodied stranger and his sister's pale, unconscious form. His eyes grew very round.
"What the hell happened?!"
Jace was as shocked as the man who'd just shown up. He hadn't drained too much, had he?! His eyes grew wide in terror. No, no, no... It wasn't happening again, he couldn't be responsible for killing another mage! Wait, what had she meant that he was mistaken? Did... did she not know she was a mage?
It had never occurred to him someone could have magic and not know. In a place like Connloath, though, it made all too much sense: and if she didn't know, her brother might not either. "I- I'm so sorry! I was hurt, and she tried to help me, but then she got pale and fainted!" It was always important not to lie, that much he knew, but omitting facts for the sake of protecting others was no crime of character.
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Already kneeling at Lily's side, Jorris let out a soft breath when he pressed his fingers to her throat and felt her pulse fluttering against the pressure. A little faster than normal, but otherwise alright.
"I'm sorry, sir," he murmured, gathering the unconscious young woman into his arms as he looked up at the stranger. "My sister- she isn't well. Ever since she was a child, fainting spells-" He cut himself off with a shake of his head. "No time for this, forgive me. You're hurt. Here."
Two other well dressed figures had poked their heads into the gardens, a man and a woman with almost identical faces, and behind them a rather dowdy older woman in a dress so full of ruffles it was amazing she had yet to be mistaken for some decorative pastry.
"Dorian!" Jorris called as he shifted his sister carefully in his arms. "This young man needs help, get over here!" He looked back to the wounded stranger. "We can get you to a doctor, or a faith healer if that is your wish."
Jace shook his head. "Don't be sorry, she's very thoughtful." His eyes hardened. Should they be told? It was obvious that the girl- Lily, her brother called her- had a magical disorder. More specifically, it seemed her power was intuitive, a serious problem in a place like Connloath. Unless she learned to control it, she'd be outed as a mage without even knowing herself, and possibly even put to death. Just like my father...
Jace picked himself up, holding his hand over the now healed wound. He wouldn't tell her family, but Lily deserved to know. He'd been too late to save his father, but he'd be damned if he walked away from another mage in need. With a small press of his hand against his skin, Jace caused a laceration along the area, gritting his teeth as unseen magic sliced his skin apart, and blood began to flow once more. They'd need to think he was still injured for him to stay near enough to Lily to break the news, and the only way for that to happen was if he truly was injured. "I'd rather a regular doctor, I don't trust those faith healers, too close to magic for comfort." It wasn't a lie, holy magic wouldn't help him at all, and could even cause him harm if they were skilled enough.
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Jorris gave him a sort of approving look and nodded. "Here, don't stand," he said, holding a hand out as Dorian seemed to finally realize he was actually needed and moved forward to offer an arm to lean on.
"Easy, friend," the younger man said with a kind, encouraging sort of smile. "We took a carriage here, it's not far. Let me help."
Dorian's twin had come up behind him, peering over his shoulder curiously. Their chaperone seemed to have vanished, and at Jorris's questioning look, she said, "Melanie went to call a doctor, she said she'd bring him back to the manor. What happened?"
"I...don't rightly know," Jorris sighed as he stood, Lily cradled carefully against his chest. The middle Harnet sister was breathing a little shallowly, her head resting against his shoulder and her hair tumbling down around her, pulled free from its loose bun and braids by her slight fall. Jorris shot a look at the stranger. "How were you hurt, sir?"
Jace accepted the offer of help, fervently hoping none of the others had magic power, as he'd start to absorb it straight away when they touched him. "I was attacked in the street, and barely escaped with my life. I don't know where the attackers went, I'm just hoping they didn't follow me." Of course, the attackers had been the Uthlyn Guard, but he left that part out. "It's very nice of you all to help me, I appreciate it." That's what one was supposed to say in this situation, right? He was eighty percent sure.
Jace glanced over at Lily. The situation was getting more and more serious by the moment. He only saw her power for a few seconds, but it seemed as though she'd changed the weather. Worse yet, her brother said she'd had these same fainting spells for a long time: if that were true, it would mean that her magic had been subconsciously activating. If left uncontrolled, such power could eventually create natural disasters around the girl. "You said these fainting spells are common for Miss Lily. Are there certain situations that trigger them?"
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Dorian looked back and forth between the man he supported and his brother curiously as the group made their way back to the Hartnets' carriage, wondering just how much Jorris would reveal.
"Stress. She has a...delicate constitution," Jorris provided by way of answer. "Here, help him up," he added to the twins as he stepped up into the carriage, Lily still held delicately against his chest. The coachman gave the group an odd look, but didn't say anything. Melanie must have explained the situation before she went for the doctor.
Once seated, Jorris carefully shifted Lily so she was resting against his side, brushing loose curls back from her face.
"Mmm..." Drowsily, the young woman stirred and blinked her eyes open, lashes fluttering as she tried to take in what was happening. She had been with that man, he was hurt, then... "Jorris?" She frowned and tried to sit up properly, shivers wracking her frame. "What-? Where-?"
Her eyes flickered to the stranger and she smiled slightly in relief. "Oh. You're here. Good."
Stress, huh? It was possible the response was tied to her fight or flight instinct, making it a subconscious defense mechanism... but that didn't quite add up. If the fainting was frequent, he often could a girl like this Lily get into frequent fight or flight situations? No, there must have been something he was missing, he'd need more information.
Come to think of it, it really wasn't his business, past informing her of her latent abilities. He took a breath, trying to calm himself down. He'd tell Lily she was a mage in secret, then leave the rest be. Nosing into other's business unduly was rude, his mother had always taught him. Odd, though, that she always seemed to have an ulterior motive for the lesson.
Jace smiled gently as she woke, the pain from the fresh wound still radiating through his chest. "-says the girl who passed out. It's a good thing your brothers were here."
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Lily smiled, cheeks coloring lightly. "Ah, well...yes, I suppose you're right." She tried to straighten up a bit more and Jorris reaches for her, worry etched on his brow. "I'm fine, really," she murmured, shooing her brother's hands away.
Her eyes flickered to their strange guest's bloodstained shirt and she frowned around at her siblings. "Did no one think to at least bandage him up?" she demanded with a huff. Ignoring the way her k red shook slightly, she tried to shift over to Jace's side of the carriage. "Here, let me see. I know it's not entirely proper, but-"
"Oh no." Dorian finally spoke up. His twin was smirking, eyes flicking over the young man calculatingly. "You two girls stay to that side, go on. Jorris and I can look at him and see about bandaging." He winced slightly as he turned to address Jace with a muttered, "Sorry about that, but we can try to preserve some of your dignity."
Muttering about trivialities, Lily allowed Jess to usher her back to the other side of the coach and sank gratefully back against the seat. She was still a little lightheaded, if she was being honest.
Jace nodded graciously. Was he supposed to say something in that situation? He'd never thought about that particular situation, as he'd normally just mend himself, not heal naturally. It was possible it would scar, a fact that slightly annoyed him. It was his first time helping someone out in such a way, though, so there were bound to be some growing pains. Perhaps the worst part was, at that point, he'd need to use alchemy to get the blood stains out of his robe, in addition to repairing it's structure. That was two different alchemical processes, and would burn at least a fifth of his current magic reserves. In a land where magic was scarce, that was hardly a minute amount.
Jace sat down, allowing them to bandage the laceration. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop his body from naturally healing faster than a human, but at the very least, it would be a day before the wound sealed properly. That was plenty of time to tell Lily about her condition, and maybe find a way to fix it.
He shook his head absently. No, no, don't go thinking about overstepping your bounds. Only inform her that she's a mage: if Dad couldn't handle facing this country, what chance do I have? His eyes wandered to Lily through the window. Still... maybe he could just quickly teach her how to control it...
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The ride to the Hartnet home was rather uncomfortably quiet, as once Jace's immediate danger had been seen to no one quite seemed to know what to say.
Jorris introduced himself and his siblings, a little awkwardly. Jessamine kept casting curious glances in their strange guest's direction, an almost calculating expression on her face.
Lily, for her part, sat with her temple leaned against the carriage window, eyes half closed as she waited for her strength to properly return. Her fainting spells had never taken quite this long to recover from before, and it was starting to irritate her. She felt...weak, as though she hadn't just fainted, but had been actually drained of energy.
But that was ridiculous.
"Here we are," Jorris said with no small amount of relief when the carriage began rattling up the long drive that led to the manor's front door. He glanced back at Jace. "Ah- allow us to explain the situation to our parents. Melanie should be here with the doctor soon."
Jace also introduced himself, rather casually and without including his surname. All in all, the situation was steadily improving, having secured a relatively safe ride away from the guards of Uthlyn, headed for a private residence. He rested his head against the inside of the carriage, his dark gold locks ruffled and reflecting the occasional ray of sunlight.
The only hitch was the possibility of one of her parents being unknowing mage as well. From what Aven had told him, mages weren't allowed to marry and have children, but there were still many cases of people not realizing their magic capability and doing so anyway. If that were so, in this case, and he made contact with one of them, things could get ugly, fast. To be on the safe side, he considered keeping his distance from either of the parents.
Of course, during his brainstorming session, his golden eyes were intensely locked outside the window, so much so that one might wonder what he was staring at. When someone finally broke the silence, it was slightly jarring for Jace, and he snapped out of the near trance he'd been in. "Oh, yes, of course, thank you."
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The coachman came around to help Lily and Jess down from the carriage, and Jorris offered Jace a steadying hand. "We'll get you settled inside, then call for the lord and lady of the house." His tone had the soft Lily of one attempting to joke.
Lily watched Jave curiously as the group was ushered into the manor. "Are you quite sure you should be walking?" she asked softly, concerned. "That was an awful lot of blood..."
Jace chuckled at Lily's question, in an attempt to assuage any concern. To be honest, she was correct, and the amount of blood he'd lost from the wound would keep any human bedridden for at least a few days. The initial regenerative process, however, also reconstituted most of the blood he'd lost. A quick smile spread across his face, constructed to hide the slight blush spreading across his cheeks at her concern. "Don't worry about it. Believe it or not, I'm tougher than I look." A stigma, really, but Jace never could hide his embarrassment around women. Her lustrous hair waving in the breeze didn't help the issue, either.
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Lily found herself blushing slightly as she noticed the color com to Jace's cheeks, though she wasn't sure why. She opened her mouth to say something, not quite sure why, but before she could Jorris' voice cut her off.
"You should rest too, Lily," her brother ordered as both she and Jace were ushered into the smaller parlor off the main foyer. "We'll have the doctor take a look at you when he's seen to Master Jace."
She rolled her eyes but was forced onto the chaise. "I'm fine, really. Stop mothering me, goodness."
Jorris gave her a very dry look, then turned to Jace and gestured to an armchair beside Lily's chaise. "Please, rest. The doctor should be here soon, I'll fetch Mother and Father to explain the situation."
Jace's eyebrows raised at the extraneous title. "Master Jace?" He began to laugh loudly. "You sound just like the maids back home!" A jolt of pain up his side ended the fit, and he settled down. "I don't care about fancy titles or nuances like that. Just call me Jace, I'd appreciate it."
He glanced over at Lily. "Siblings, am I right? My twin sister would do the same thing, worry over every little detail." He relaxed back into the seat, looking back to Jorris. "Not that there's anything wrong with worrying, persay..."
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Jorris quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything as he left the room. Lily was slightly surprised- it was hardly proper to leave her alone with a young man they didn't know, who wasn't family.
Obviously she wasn't worried, particularly with the state the poor man was in, but it was a little surprising Jorris wasn't standing more on propriety.
She smiled softly and tilted her head at him. "Yes. Jess and Dorian are like that- the twins. They've always been a pair, then there's me and Jorris." She shrugged. "Mother sometimes says she feels like she got two sets of twins, with the way we cling to each other. Oh." Her face flushed and she added quickly, "Beg pardon, I seem to be rambling."
Her eyes narrowed in concern and she leaned forward on the arm of the chaise to reach out to him, perhaps meaning to touch his arm in some gesture of comfort. "Are you quite sure you'll be alright until the doctor gets here?"
Jace nodded, but a moment before she touched his arm, his eyes widened slightly, and he shied away from the touch. The conversation was so natural, he'd almost forgotten the whole reason he'd come. "I'll alright, there's a larger matter to discuss here." He glanced around, noting that they were, indeed, alone. His eyes played a tune of sorrow, the weight of what he was about to tell the girl heavy in the air. "I'm afraid... you shouldn't touch me. That's the reason you passed out earlier," He looks Lily straight in the eyes, not a hint of deception within their golden depths, "I'm a magic eater; anything magical that touches me is drained of it's energy."
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Lily blinked, silent, then laughed. "What? That's not- are you sure you didn't hit your head when you were injured?" She shook her head, ignoring the small tickle of doubt that had begun to creep into the back of her mind. "Are you a mordecai then? I've never heard your kind referred to as "magic eaters" before."
Her heartbeat had picked up, though she studiously ignored the way her body was reacting; fear and panic pulsing through her.
Jace nodded once more. "My Mom always compared it to a Mordecai, and they are pretty similar, but also opposite. Mordecai stop magic from happening, I absorb it after the fact." He sighed. "When you touched me, I felt an influx of magic power. For better or worse, there's no doubt that you possess magic energy." He leaned back. "It's only a hunch, but if that condition your brothers spoke of is similar to what happened when you touched me, your magic may be activating subconsciously, and making you faint because it uses too much. That's a common side effect of overusing one's magic."
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She shook her head again. The panic was creeping closer to the surface. "No. No, you're wrong. I'm not- I don't-"
"Ah, Miss Lily." She'd been about to stand, to flee the room, but before she could a familiar figure stride into the parlor, coat crisp and well pressed and a doctor's bag in hand. Doctor Andres gave the young woman and her companion a quick once over and quirked an eyebrow. "And I've heard you are not the only one in need of my care today."
The doctor strode toward Jace, ordering the rising Lily, "Sit, girl, you'll make yourself ill," without even looking at her. "Now, Jace, was it? Let's have a look at that wound."
Lily could do little but sit, as she was told. She wanted nothing more than to leave the room, but she knew if she fled now it would just raise more questions. Shaking hands clasped in her lap, she stared down at the floor. He's wrong. He has to be wrong, he has to be...
Jace took his hand off the lightly dressed laceration. He hoped the doctor wasn't as competent as he looked, because the original wound was a deep stab by one of Uthlyn's guard's short sword. He'd done the second cut so hastily, it actually didn't match the cut in his robe. So long as the Doctor didn't have a side job as a detective, he figured it should've been fine.
Jace took a moment to give an explanation. "I was attacked on the street, the man had a short sword, and took me by surprise." He was careful not to lie, only leave important details out.
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The doctor knelt beside Jace and frowned. "I believe this will need stitching. Hold on, I have an anesthetic."
She he rooted trough his bag, Lily tried to stand again. She had to get out of this room. It suddenly felt like her corset was too tight and the air was too thick, she just needed to breathe-
"You sit down, young lady, I'll see to you once I've tended to this cut." Doctor Andres looked up at Jace. "Now, how exactly did this happen?"
Jace chuckled. "Well, you see, a sharp iron object was quickly thrust into my side, which parted the skin, and caused me to start losing blood." He chuckled. "Jokes aside, I'd like to keep any further details private."
Jace glanced over at Lily, who was quite obviously panicked, her breath quick and unsteady. His eyes began to widen. Wait, they said she tended to faint among stress... she wouldn't?!
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There was a- a pulse, a beat that echoed her heart but wasn't her heart, and it sent Lily spiraling into terror. But she couldn't move, couldn't risk letting the doctor know her thoughts. Because if Jace was right, if he wasn't lying...
God no. Stop stop stop, it's not right, it's fine, everything's fine!
Very pale, Lily allowed herself to sink back onto the chaise and looked away from the doctor and his patient, focusing on her breathing. The pulse grew slowly stronger, and she shivered as the temperature in the room seemed to dip suddenly.
Jace allowed the doctor to go to work, beginning to stitch the skin. He relaxed into his chair, quite honestly relieved that Lily seemed to be calming down, until he felt the temperature in the room plummet. He raised one eyebrow at first, then both. So, her magic controls relative temperature. That explains the clouds back at the gardens, and why she faints after using it, weather magic is terribly draining.
Luckily, the sewing didn't hurt as much as regeneration. Something about nerves reconnecting was more jarring than a needle. He calmed himself, and gave Lily his best reassuring smile. Just hold it in, you'll be fine.
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"Goodness!"
With a start, Lily whipped her head around to see her parents sweeping into the room. Her mother shivered and frowned, rubbing at her arms. "It's positively frigid in here. Are you sure it's too early to order the hearth lit, darling," she said, turning to address Lily's father with a little frown.
She didn't even wait for an answer before turning back to the doctor and his patient. "And you must be the wounded bird my children have told me about," she said with a smile, eyes softening a bit. "How are you feeling, sir?"
"Lydia," her husband sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "He's a grown man, not some stray pup." He winced at Jace sympathetically. "Apologies, lad. Doctor?"
Andres straightened up as he finished the stitching with a sigh. "He'll live," he said with a shrug, and clapped Jace on the shoulder. "Should take it easy for a few days, though. Now, the young lady."
He turned his attention to Lily, and everyone in the room seemed to simultaneously realize she'd gone pale, her eyes almost glassy. She was shivering violently- they couldn't see with the way her fists were clenched, but frost had begun to gather at her fingertips. Teeth chattering, she looked up at them all.
It's not true. I'm not a mage, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm NOT!
"I-" She swayed. "I'm fine-"
She pitched sideways, and out of nowhere a peal of thunder seemed to shake the manor to its foundations, sudden lightning illuminating the parlor in a flash of blinding white.
This is bad... she doesn't have control! As soon ashis vision returned from the flash, Jace stood uneasily, the stitching taught as it held his healing skin together. He tried to diffuse the situation. "I'm fine, thank you. Strange weather, though, I'd say lighting the hearth is a great idea."
The chances they would buy it were slim. To anyone who'd seen a mage before, it was becoming increasingly obvious that Lily was causing these events. He gritted his teeth, wishing he could control his own abilities, rather than wantonly absorbing everything he touched. A clench of his fists was all he could manage as he narrowed his eyes, turning his gaze from Lily. From his initial impressions, the family seemed nice enough, but if he'd grown to learn anything over the last week, it was that in Connloath, nice people became monsters when mages were involved.
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Lydia had whirled into her husband's arms in a sudden fright from the impossible storm, and the doctor cursed as he lunged to catch the swooning Lily before she hit the ground.
His eyes were hard as he looked up to her parents, then to Jace. "Young man, I think there is more at work here than strange weather," he hissed.
Lydia was suddenly crying, clinging to Carlton as he patted her back. "It is, she's cursed, I told you, I told you we needed to take her to a priest! Oh my poor girl..." She trailed off in more sobs, and Carlton looked around at the people in his parlor helplessly.
"I-" His eyes flashed to Jace and his expression hardened. "Forgive me, sir. This seems to be a family matter. I will have a maid show you to a room where you may rest and recover. I must...tend to my daughter."
The other three Hartnet siblings had gathered in the doorway, eyes wide as the storm crashed outside. Jessamine spoke first.
"It is, isn't it? Lily's cursed, someone magicked her-"
"Don't say that!" Carlton snapped, fear plain in his face as his eyes snapped back to Jace again. Terrified this stranger would put his family in danger.
Jace watched in horror as her family became distant, cold to their own flesh and blood. Their faces, the pure hate and ignorance in their eyes, he could only remember the scene of his father's death, killed by the same breed of hatred. His expression darkened, and he gritted his teeth. "You're going to tend to her? I don't like the tone of your voice, not one bit." With a small flash of energy, his wound sealed completely, the stitching forced out. At this point, his words were laced with venom, overcome with the pent up anger of his father's murder. "I've seen how your country tends to mages, it's revolting. You're all cowards, sheep who fear that which you don't understand."
He stepped forward towards Lily, and an ominous energy began to emit from his body, one even they could feel. He raised his hand, Lily was lifted from the Doctor's arms and levitated over beside Jace. He glared spitefully at Carlton. "This is your daughter, your flesh and blood, a girl who looks to you for guidance and comfort. The fact that you could even make that hideous face at her means you're no different than the scum off my boots." He glanced around the room, judging each of them. His other hand raised to meet the family, a challenge. "Anyone who wants to tend to this girl will have to go through me first, and you can bet your ass I'm not an amateur like Lily."
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Both of Lily's parents started forward, reaching out for their daughter. Jessamine gasped, reeling back, and her twin hissed, "Mage!"
"Let her go, let her go!" Lydia was shouting, only held back from rushing her Lily's side by her husband's arm around her waist. Carlton himself seemed at a complete loss, desperately trying to make sense of the situation. "It's you, it's your fault, you've magicked my daughter, let her go-!"
"Mother, enough!"
Jorris's sudden appearance in the doorway was enough to stun everyone silent, if only for a brief moment. His eyes flickered from his family to the doctor to Jace. "We have to turn him in," he said softly, evenly. "But Lily... She doesn't have to go to the camps. I won't let that happen."
"What are you talking about? Your sister isn't a mage-"
"Yes she is." Jorris snapped his eyes back to his mother. He was trembling slightly. "She is, Mother, and somewhere deep down you know that. But she's never used that power consciously- according to him." He looked to Jace again, lips curling in a sneer.
"We have to turn him in. But- but we can do better for Lily."
Jace began a hollow laugh. "Turn me in? You'll be the ones to hold me here, a bunch of pathetic, powerless humans?" He almost spat in their direction. "Ridiculous." He glanced at Lily. "You l expect me to believe that you can protect Lily from this country? It's plain as the shock on your face that none of you can stand mages. Sent to a mage camp would be merciful compared to what happens every day to mages who can't control their abilities, and she'll only grow more unstable with time." He glowered at the family. "The only chance she has if survival is leaving Connloath, or at least it's civilized areas, and learning to control her power. If you care about her safety, you'll let her go, and if you don't care," A tongue of black flame appeared in his palm, "I can introduce you to the same fate she'd suffer under your society."
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Either luckily or quite unluckily, Lily's eyes fluttered open- but they were not the soft silver gray they should be. Rather, it almost seemed as though the lightning crashing outside the manor had lit her up from the inside, irises bright and sparking with power.
Easily, she shrugged out of Jace's power. Yet she remained hovering, a wind that only seemed to affect her holding her body aloft and tossing dark curls about her face.
Her parents stepped back, terror plain on their faces. The doctor murmured a prayer, and Jess and Dorian clutched at each other. Lily's lips moved and thunder rumbled, nearly shaking the foundations of the manor.
Her hand moved, almost beckoning, and suddenly the windows of the parlor exploded as wind and rain rushed in, surrounding her in a protective barrier. Her magic lashed out at anything and everything- save Jace. It recoiled from him instinctively, though there was only so much such an uncorrected power could do to truly avoid him.
Jace watched as Lily's magic awakened, a process he'd never seen in person. The lightning seemed to have a life of its own, impressive for the amount of power she was putting out. A few errant bolts here and there were absorbed, of course, but not enough to disrupt the spell unduly. The darkflame in his hand sputtered out, and a smirk spread over his face. He glanced outside, then back to her family. "You see, this is what we are capable of, the lengths you idiots here in Connloath would force us magic users to. Why anyone would invoke the wrath of a mage, I'll never know, but at least you're right in one respect," Jace's golden eyes narrowed, "You should fear us, because you're inferior."
He walked over to the window, his eyes on Lily. "Hey, if you can hear me, don't bother with those humans. I'm not the best teacher, but I can teach you the fundamentals of magic. What do you say?"
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The weatherwitch turned her head, eyes sparking, and stared him down. There was no emotion on her face, no consciousness. She was completely controlled by her suppressed power, and without a conduit magic cannot truly think.
But it can sense intent. Slowly, Lily nodded, and the miniature storm raging around her began to die down. She stopped hovering, coming to rest lightly on her feet. Then the magic seemed to be sucked back into her body and she gasped, back arching and eyes going wide.
When she slumped forward again her eyes had returned to their normal silvery gray, and she was panting as she looked around quickly, confused. "Wha- what...happened?"
Jace extended a hand, ignoring the crowd of shocked and terrified humans. "You've awakened, Lily. Your powers as a mage have finally surfaced: would you like to learn how to control them?" He hoped she said yes, because from the look of her family, there was no longer a place for her there. Rightfully so, too, because someone like Lily deserved better company than a bunch of ordinary humans.
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"I..." Lily backed up a step, legs shaking. She looked wildly around at her family, the doctor.
They stared at her as though she was a demon herself. All but Jorris, who just seemed...heartbroken.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head as she tried to take another step back. Doctor Andres stepped in front of her family, his voice quivering slightly.
"Stay back, mage. All of you, get out of here." He tried to usher the Hartnets from the room, eyes fixed on Lily and Jace.
Tears gathered in her eyes as she reached after them helplessly. "Mama... Papa, please..."
Her father dropped his eyes, dragging her stunned and speechless mother from the room. The twins wouldn't even look at her. Jorris and the doctor exchanged a look, a nod, then her brother moved toward her.
Angrily, he snapped at Jace, "This never would have happened if she hadn't met you." Whether it was true or not it didn't matter; he was angry and grieving and he needed to vent that rage. He looped an arm around his sister's waist and held her close. Lily collapsed against him, shuddering and holding back sobs.
Jorris met Jace's eyes. "I won't let her got to the camps." There was a deep pain in his eyes, a sort of hopelessness. "But I don't trust you to protect her. The doctor with call for the guards, I can't stop him." He clenched his eyes shut and pressed a kiss to Lily's hair. "I'm sorry, sweetling," he whispered.
She barely even felt him move, just a little shift of the arm that didn't hold her. Pain, icy and sharp, spread from her ribs. Her lips parted in a soundless gasp and she stared up at her brother, confusion and terror warring in her expression.
"I'm sorry," Jorris whispered again, tears streaking down his face. He tossed the bloodied knife he pulled from her side at Jace's feet and turned to flee the room.
Lily's knees shook, then gave out. Once again she dropped to the ground, but this time she was conscious, gasping desperately for air, the wound in her side protesting sharply with every breath as she began to bleed out.
Jace's brow furrowed as she collapsed, fury evident in his face. He ran forward, scanning for the wound, before holding his hand over her, the flesh quickly mending from the inside out, blood redirecting back into her veins. His eyes raised to meet the family, steeled and cold as their color could manage. "The next one who steps forward loses a limb."
Jace felt his reserves begin to dwindle, he had barely half of what he'd started that day. Not optimal for such a dire situation.
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None but Jorris remained in the parlor- the Hartnets had not witnessed their eldest son's act of attempted sorroricide. And even he was too busy fleeing to pay Jace's words much heed.
As far as he was concerned, he could claim the strange mage had killed his sister. Better her die an honorable if tragic death than be forced into the mage camps...
Lily gasped weakly and her spine arched, her own magic rebelling against the foreign touch but recognizing an offer of healing enough to allow her body to mend- albeit with no small amount of pain. She whimpered, eyes clenched shut, and reached out blindly for...for something. Anything. Some sort of anchor.
Lily was trying to grasp at Jace, desperately trying to, what Jace assumed, reach out to her family who'd abandoned her. His hardened eyes became soft, as he saw her sadness, her confusion, her pain. He knew what it was like to lose a family member, but he couldn't imagine the pain of being abandoned by those you loved. A tear escaped from his eye at the thought of the pain Lily must have been feeling, and he grasped onto her hand, wishing to the heavens his touch didn't sap mages of their energy.
Out of nowhere, a holy force enveloped both him and Lily, the sting of her healing wounds lifting into a peaceful warmth, and, most surprisingly, Jace's abilities ceasing, both the absorption and his mending. Jace felt a familiar presence, one he couldn't describe, and in the light of the window, he saw a figure, akin to an angel, without wings. "Wha-?"
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Another quiet gasp and Lily's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she registered was Jace's face- far too close to her own- then...warmth? She tried to sit up and yelped as the half-healed wound in her side twinged in protest.
The pulse beneath her breastbone surged and she cried out, clutching at her heart with wide, panicked eyes. "M-Mother!" The call was instinctive, a lost girl reaching out for a parent who couldn't hear, and wouldn't come.
She shivered and curled in on herself, a sob caught in her throat. So much had happened so quickly, she hardly even knew where she was anymore.
Jace recoiled as she woke, startled and confused by the sudden appearance of a holy being. When he glanced back at the window, the figure was gone, and Lily was collapsing, her outer wounds still healing, but the wounds of her soul still wide and bleeding.
He stood, watching the holy magic work away at sowing her skin and muscle. What was that thing... In any case, Lily was slowly becoming stable, though he couldn't say much for her mental state. Her world had come crashing down in less than an hour, she'd need time to adjust to the new life she'd be leading. Jace wouldn't blame her if she didn't want his help, but he had a feeling she was smart enough to know she needed it. Fate had a cruel sense of humor, allowing a mage to be born from non-mage parents.
He bent down, and placed a hand on her shoulder. His body began to drain her energy, but he only needed a moment, both of them dematerializing at an atomic level and reappearing outside the city, near the foliage. Quickly removing his hand, he sat against a nearby tree, taking a deep, exasperated breath. What a day.
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There wasn't much time for Lily to acclimate to the situation. The Hartnet family's voices and that of the doctor could be heard, steadily rising as the storm outside rather abruptly died down.
Then it stopped completely, their surroundings changed- what?
Lily could barely even stand on her own, much less attempt to make sense of everything that was happening. She stared up at Jace with wide eyes. "I- I don't..." She wrapped her arms tight around her body, shaking. No tears fell, but her face was paler- well, paler- and her whole body trembled.
Jace stared straight ahead. "Lily, I'm sorry you had to go through that, I wish it could have gone differently." He paused, trying to find the words to say. He'd never consoled someone who'd lost so much, so fast, what could he say? Aven would know what to say, for sure. "You... listen, I haven't been in this country long, but my parents were. My father told me this country is diseased with fear, a fear that corrupts even the love of a mother for her child." His hands clenched tight. "It's sickening, but that's how this cursed place is. I understand if you hate me for tearing you away from your family, I didn't mean for it to end like that."
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Lily shook her head, knees drawn up to her chest and arms wrapped around her legs like a child. "I don't understand," she whispered, over and over. Her eyes were wide and glassy, not entirely seeing. "I don't understand, I don't understand..."
That pulse echoed her heartbeat and she whimpered, clenching her eyes shut. The wind picked up around them, tugging lightly, almost playfully at her hair, freezing the tears that coursed down her cheeks to her skin.
Magic. Her magic. How- how was that even possible?
"Why didn't I know?" she whispered, not really asking anyone in particular... God, maybe. "Why didn't...why..."
A sob caught in her throat and she buried her face in her knees.
Jorris had tried to kill her. It had always been the two of them, the way Jess and Dorian were together- even though one set of siblings were twins and the other separated by two years in age, no one could have said they weren't just as close. Her big brother who she knew would do everything to protect her.
And he'd just slid a knife between her ribs.
Once she'd started, Lily couldn't stop crying. She hunched in on herself and wept, her body trembling as sobs wracked her frame.
There was nothing he could say. Nothing that could ease the burden of her sorrow, no magic in the world that could cure the insanity of the world she'd grown up in. Jace realized with a sickening churn of stomach that somehow, some way, her brother tried to kill Lily out of some twisted sense of love. How could the world be that cruel, what force could possibly make a loving brother act that way? He found himself silently repeated Lily: I don't understand...
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Gradually, the sobs gave way to hiccups, then gasps, then silence. Lily stared in abject desolation at the ground before her. Whatever momentary connection she'd felt to the pulse of magic inside her was gone.
"...You should have left me," she whispered, voice raw and ragged. "You should have left me there."
Jace glanced her way, raising an eyebrow. "What, so the Mordecai could come and finish you off, or haul you out to a mage camp, a glorified death prison?" He shook his head. "If you don't think you're strong enough to keep on living, I won't blame you, but I also won't be responsible for it. I don't abandon those in need, unlike the fickle humans of this country."
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Lily snapped her head up and snarled at him. Actually snarled, like a feral beast. "Shut up," she hissed, and inkling of the power she'd commanded before shining in her eyes. "You don't know anything about us! You don't know- you could never- how dare you?"
A sudden surge of strength had her rocketing to her feet, though she swayed precariously for a moment. "And what are you, if not human, hm? A mage, but that doesn't make you any less one of us. Well congratulations for being born outside of Connlaoth, where the world is bright and magic is celebrated- but not all of us believe the church! Not all of us think mages should be damned! You're still human, as far as I can see, but rather than try to listen you just- just decide you know what other people believe! How dare you?!"
Fueled by rage and grief more powerful than anything she'd ever felt, she pulled back and slapped him, hard. It didn't matter if he deserved it, if what she was saying had any merit- she was lost and grieving and hurt, and she was lashing out.
But when her hand connected with his face she felt a surge of lightheadedness. She swayed on her feet and the slap suddenly changed velocity as she had to grip his shoulder to try to stay upright.
Jace took the slap, a small flinch as it hit his face. He helped her back to her feet with a push of force from his hand, trying not to drain any more magic from her waning supply. He struggled to keep calm, telling himself that she was grieving, she probably didn't know what she was saying. "I watched my father publicly executed, while the entire crowd cheered. Yes, not everyone is a staunch mage hater, but as you've seen, there's enough to make this country abominable. I wish I could completely separate myself from humans, but you're correct again, I am half human." He looked away once more. "Be careful about touching me, by the way. Lose too much magic, and you could get seriously hurt."
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Once again Lily crumpled. She managed to stay in her feet this time, but any spark of fight had left her. Her arms snakes around her torso again, hugging herself as she swayed in place.
"I'd rather be dead," she whispered, shaking her head. "You should have just let Jorris kill me..." Her voice broke into a quiet sob and she covered her face with her hands.
Loose too much magic and you could get seriously hurt...
The beginnings of a horrible idea clawed at the edges of her mind and she drew in a ragged, gasping breath, rage once agin replaced with tears. "You should have left me to die."
Jace stared up at the sky, nonchalantly at this point. "Sorry that I'm not like your murderous brother." If she wanted to die, she could do it herself. He could only help people who wanted to live, past that, it wasn't his buisiness.
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Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Don’t- don’t talk about him like that,” she whispered, still not quite looking at him.
She couldn’t do it...could she?
“They’re my family.” She swallowed thickly. “And I- I’m a... I didn’t even-“ Lily drew in another shaky breath and finally looked up at him. “I couldn’t even say goodbye,” she murmured, voice small and lost.
Without really thinking about it, she sort of reached out to him, then hesitated. “How- how much touch is dangerous?”
Jace didn't look at her, still admittedly perturbed that she was chewing him out for saving her. How his Dad ever did this kind of thing was beyond him, the man was a veritable Saint. "Five seconds could drain most mages, give or take a few."
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Five seconds.
She only needed five seconds.
She could do that.
Logic and rational thought were not exactly functioning at full capacity, and Lily was desperate. He’d said five seconds could drain a mage, and in her state that was exactly what she wanted. If she was hurt in the process, if it killled her... So be it.
“Then I pray you forgive me for this,” she whispered, meeting his eyes. The instant the words had left her lips she was darting forward, grabbing the colllar of his shirt and jerking his down to crush her lips to his.
It wasn’t really a “plan”. She’d just been trying to get as much contact with skin as possible in what she was sure would be the short duration of his surprise. Desperately, she reached for that pulse in her chest and all but threw it into the touch. She didn’t know anything about how to control this power inside her, but she figured attempting to channel it out, into Jace, was a start.
Eyes clenched shut, tears steaming down her face, she couldn’t quite ignore the vague voice in the back of her mind that noted this wasn’t exactly how she’d imagined her first kiss.
There were a lot of things that he'd imagined about kissing a girl. He'd imagined it was gross, feeling the mouth of another person on his. He'd also imagined he'd be repulsed, as it would taste disgusting, and only do it because it was expected.
He'd been very, very wrong.
Not only was his head reeling, her lips were so soft, he didn't understand. It didn't taste disgusting either, her lips of his almost intoxicating. He felt something strange in his chest, almost like a warmth. In fact, there was a warmth all over his body...
His eyes opened groggily, a golden light surrounding the both of them once more. It's the same as before, except... Why did he hear someone chuckling? The realization came over him, after a solid ten seconds, that once again, he wasn't draining her magic, his power suppressed. Could he... actually learn to control that?
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Five seconds.
He's not pulling away.
Ten seconds.
I...I feel fine?
Lily jerked away from the kiss, still gripping the fabric of his shirt, and stared up at him, panting slightly. It wasn't from faintness this time, but rather- well. She'd rather not think about that just now, her cheeks were red enough as it was.
But she was still standing. And she still had her magic.
She dropped her hands and sort of reeled back, brow furrowed as one hand reached to press against her lips. "So you lied about that?" she hissed between her teeth, staring at the ground.
Jace gasped for breath, his eyes wide and his face as red as a beat. He scrambled backward a few feet, staring incredulously at Lily. "You... you... that was my first kiss!" It seemed the blood required for rational thought was gathered in his face for the time being, but behind him, Lily could see a tall, golden figure, made solely of light. He looked a bit similar to Jace, though his smile was gentler, his eyes soft and caring. The figure noticed that Lily spotted him, and he smile a bit wider, giving her a wink, before fading into the light.
Jace, completely unaware, was still trying to recover from the shock. She... stole my first kiss... why? The memory of what he'd said to her surfaced, about not touching him too long. She'd been trying to kill herself... with a kiss. He responded shakily. "I d-don't lie unl-less it's for the sake of others."
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Lily's blush went several shades darker and she found herself unable to quite look at his face. "Well how was I supposed to know that!" she snapped, arms wrapped around herself again.
She blinked, sending a few more tears trickling down her cheeks, and swiped at them angrily with the back of her hand, sniffling. When he spoke again she managed to lift her eyes to glare at him. "Oh? So you lied for my sake then?"
She was supposed to be dead. Why was she still breathing?
Jace angrily turned about face, like a child pouting. "It wasn't a lie. There's something that keeps saving your life, this odd light creature. It uses holy power, I can tell, could be an angel or something." He glanced back, finally a constructive string of words popping into his head. "Maybe it's saying you shouldn't throw your life away so quickly."
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An angel?
So...she hadn't been imagining that light? She'd just assumed it was some side effect of emotional turmoil and- and whatever the hell was going on with her magic.
Lily took a shuffling step back and shook her head, eyes fixed on her feet. "But why? Why would- I'm nothing! Why should...whatever this thing is care if I live or die?"
God, was it so much to ask to just slip away peacefully? It wasn't like she had any sort of real life left. She'd just wanted to- to go. A kiss seemed like as gentle a way to die as any.
Jace looked back at Lily, his eyes darting to her lips unbidden, before he blushed again, and faced the opposite direction once more. "How should I know?" The heavy, rhythmic thump of his heartbeat rocked his chest, and he cursed inwardly. He couldn't believe that girl. "You're not nothing," You're a good kisser, that's for certain, "You still have plenty of life left in you. Why throw it away, just because life is hard right now?"
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Lily shook her head again and backed up another step. Her heel caught on a raised root and she gave a rather undignified little squeak as she started to topple backward, then managed to catch herself against the trunk of a tree.
A whole new wave of tears burned behind her eyes and she pressed her face into her hand. "I don't have a life anymore," she whispered. Everything she was had been for her family, for their sake. Now that they were gone- no, she was gone...what was left?
Jace stayed with his back to her, unable to look her in the eyes without blushing. "Then... come with me." He hated to admit it, but there was a part of him that really wanted her to stay. "I'm leaving this country, heading for Serendipity. You could make a new life there, surround yourself with people who accept you for who you are, through and through."
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"Go...with you?" Lily stared at his back, still shivering slightly though it wasn't really from chill.
Could she?
Did she have any other choice?
Still sniffling, she wiped at her eyes again and nodded slowly. "Alright," she whispered after a long moment.
Silence.
"So..." She sniffed again and nervously brushed her curls behind her ear. "What- what happens now?"
Jace got up, walking over to her and putting his face level with hers, trying his best to be intimidating, though the red on his face all but ruined the effort. "First, you apologize for stealing my first kiss. Then, we go grab supplies from town, and start the trek to Serendipity."
He couldn't help but glance down instinctively at her lips again. They'd been so soft and warm on his, he wanted to feel that aga- He cursed inwardly again. What was wrong with him?
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Lily's cheeks went very red, standing out starkly against her naturally pale complexion. "I'm sorry," she murmured, eyes fixed on the ground. "I shouldn't have kissed you like that- at all, I mean. I-"
She had been hoping it would kill her. Or at the very least drain of of whatever cursed power she could still feel pulsing beneath her breast.
With a sharp exhale she shook her head and just repeated, "I'm sorry. It was improper and impolite and rash. It won't happen again." She swallowed and chanced looking up at him, though she was still blushing furiously.
She's really cute... Jace cleared the errant thought from his head. A smile spread across Jace's face, doing no favors to the red hue of his cheeks. "I forgive you, Lily, thank you." He spun and begun walking into town. The smile was a tad fake, though, stemming from confusion roiling within his mind. Why am I disappointed? Everything worked out fine! He tried to mask it with a chipper call to Lily. "Follow me into town, we should grab provisions."
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Lily breathed a soft sigh of relief as her apology seemed to smooth his ruffled feathers and she nodded slowly, starting after him.
His first kiss too, huh?... She shook her head quickly to chase that particular thought away and let her arms wrap around her torso again as she walked. She was still shivering, though now it really seemed to be from the fact that she was under-dressed for the brisk chill in the air.
They walked for a good thirty minutes along the outer wall. On the way, near the town gates, Jace made a backwards glance, noticing a slight shiver in Lily's demeanor. He stopped, and placed his hand on the bush next to him. Closing his eyes, a complex seemingly magical circle appeared on the ground around it, and blue light shone from the circle as the bush disappeared. In it's place, a white, woolen robe, with golden fur on the various hems materialized. He tossed it back to her. "You're still weak from earlier, keep yourself warm, Lily." He began walking once more. "First lesson of magic: everything is connected."
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She skittered back from the offered robe as though it might bite her. She stared at the fabric bunched on the ground, eyes wide as she could almost feel the magic that had created it.
Then, with a sigh, she bent and picked it up, shrugging it on around her shoulders. "Thank you," she murmured, huddling into the welcome warmth.
Of course, she didn't realize a lot of the chill surrounding them was her doing; cool air currents that responded to her agitation and curled around her as he magic absently sought for some sort of control of the situation.
The guards paid them no heed, luckily not having been extremely attentive to the wanted posters. Indeed, as they walked down the road, Lily might catch a glimpse of a few posters with Jace's likeness, listed as 'Dangerous Mage: do not confront, alert authorities immediately.' He spoke while facing forward. "I'd give us about thirty minutes before the guards find me. Pretend you don't know me if that happens, and meet me back where we first teleported. See if you can find a few water skins, and unleavened bread. I'll take care of the protein." With that, he tossed her a small sack of coins from his pocket, and upon inspection, she'd find them all gold.
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"Wait- what?!" She clutched the coins to her chest and stared at him. "Guards- but I'm not- what?"
Jace sighed, and looked back at Lily. "I'm a known mage, therefore I'm wanted. So, go off and find waterskins with that money while I distract the guards, and I'll pickup some dried meat on the way. Jerky stays edible on long trips like the one we're embarking on, Serendipity isn't just a hop, skip, and a jump away, you know."
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Lily swallowed, and her expression was absolutely terrified. "Okay," she squeaked out, clutching the coin purse so hard her knuckles went white.
He was a wanted mage. She would be traveling with a wanted mage. Hell, she was nearly one herself!
It was a lot to try to wrap her head around in a handful of seconds.
Jace wandered off, stopping at various butchers and street stalls, buying a large travel sack and enough meat to last a small caravan. To be frank, a side effect of his metabolism was a greatly increased appetite, a trait he shared with his father and sister. He munched on one tender piece of jerky as he strode along, ignoring the increasing amount of activity around him. They were preparing to capture or kill him, no doubt.
He sighed. Maybe, he should have had Lily wait outside the City: he was becoming increasingly worried about her getting into trouble, and with his hands full, and his magic reserves dangerously low, there wasn't much he could do to help.
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While the robe Jace had made was warm, it didn't really add much in the "stealth" department. Lily just had to hope keeping the hood up and her head down would help with anonymity, as she set about on the errands he'd set for her.
Surprisingly, she managed to purchase waterskins and something a vendor had called "hard tack" and recommended for long travel. Keeping her head down she scurried back out of the city, only slowly to take a real breath once she'd reached the place where Jace had teleported them earlier.
As deep in denial as she still was, it was impossible to ignore the pulse of her magic. Seeing as she apparently had some time to kill, the noble girl-
Am I even noble anymore? My family will think I'm dead, my name with be struck from the records...
With a sigh Lily sank down and folded her legs in front of her under her skirt. She lifted a hand and stared at it, brow furrowed in concentration. The pulse came from within her, so she should be able to control it, if she just worked at it. And if she could control it maybe...maybe she could make it go away.
Cautiously, she reached inward and tugged at that pulse, focusing on her fingers. There was a long, elastic moment where nothing happened. Then, slowly, frost began to form on her fingertips. The tiniest wind danced around her palm, tracing through the gaps between her fingers and ghosting around her wrist.
Jace blinked into existence in front of the tree, carrying a giant sack full of what could only be assumed to be dried meat, from the delicious smell. He noticed the small amount of magic swirling from Lily's hand, and he grinned, misunderstanding. "Starting to practice, huh? Smart!"
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Shocked from her reverie, Lily screeched and flung her hand out instinctively.
Icy wind tore from her palm, a miniature blizzard that swirled in a jet directly toward Jace's chest. Too late she realized what had happened and desperately cried, "No, stop!" But whatever meager control she'd managed to cling to had gone, and the magic spun away from her grasp.
The icy blast quickly sputtered out into a cool breeze, the magic visibly drained into Jace's person. He let out a jovial laugh, in an extremely good mood after eating, coupled with a small wink. "It'll take more than that to reach me, Lily. Try adding some ice shards, it's much harder for my aura to absorb solidified magic." He set the giant sack of meat down, and by the way it slumped, she could probably tell he'd been levitating it. "That magic will definitely come in handy, though, thank you! I was nearly out, myself."
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Lily stared at him for a long moment- then sort of collapsed forward, letting out a long, heavy breath. "God." She rubbed at her temple. "I thought-"
She'd thought she'd been about to kill him. Illogical as it may seem- it was just a little wind and snow- her fear and distrust of magic ran so deep that feeling the power get away from her like that had terrified her to her very core.
I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry- She sniffed and pressed a hand over her mouth, eyes clenched shut.
It was obvious she was in distress. Had she thought she was going to actually hurt him on accident? Jace had seen enough tears that day, he didn't know how many more he could take.
Jace knelt down, his face level with hers. "Hey, no need to cry. There's no way you could accidentally hurt me with magic, I was practically born to deal with mages." He smiled gently. "Above everything else, magic is an extension of your will, your desires. You must always remember that so long as your will is strong, your magic will never disobey you."
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She shook her head and tried to look away from him. He was too close. "I can't do this," she whispered, wiping angrily at her eyes. "I'm...I'm not- not strong enough." She drew her knees up to her chest and let her head slump forward, shivering slightly.
Jace raised an eyebrow, leaning back and sitting criss-cross. "Of course you aren't yet. Did you expect to be some kind of prodigy?" He raised a hand level with his chest. "Only a select few can control their magic without training. Hell, I've trained for my whole life, and I still can't suppress my absorption aura. The point is, it's like anything else, like learning an instrument, or a new profession: most people need to practice hard to even be proficient, let alone ever master their skill." He pointed at her chest nonchalantly. "You, however, have a slight advantage over other mages. It seems you were born with a high magic capacity, and a strong affinity for pressure and temperature based magics. If you work hard, and temper your will, I think you'll have no trouble controlling your power."
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"You don't understand!" Lily's eyes widened and she covered her mouth, surprised by her own shout. "It's not- I don't want this. I'm not strong enough to do this, I never asked for-"
She cut herself off and looked away. "I don't want to- to temper my will. I just want this to go away. I want to go home..." She sniffed and glanced at him sidelong. "There's no- there isn't any way you could take this away? Absorb it, or whatever you called it?"
Jace was befuddled. She didn't want her magic? It didn't make sense to him, why wouldn't someone want their magic? Maybe... she was still scared of magic from her upbringing by her family. He supposed that would make sense.
Jace shook his head. "Your magic is part of your body and soul, I can't separate it from you." He sighed. "I can't say I fully understand why you wouldn't want magic, but... there's no reason to fear your own power." He raised a hand with a smile, and lights of every color merged into a sphere in a beautiful display. "I don't know exactly what you were taught about mages, but there's no difference between humans that can use magic and those who can't. They live, love, feel, and hurt all the same." The light flickered out. "This country paints mages as war machines, dangerous beings that kill for fun. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and in fact, many Mordecai, the so called protectors of the people, fit that bill to a 'T'."
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She frowned at him a bit and mumbled a halfhearted, "That's not true." With a sigh she rubbed at her temples. "Not- not all of them. And I know mages are just people." She shook her head. "It's not mages I'm afraid of, or even magic, really. It's..."
Magic out of control. A power that could build or raze empires subject to the will of fragile human emotion. She shuddered. "Just...never mind, alright? We probably need to get moving." She forced herself to her feet, eyes on the ground and arms clasped loosely around her body.
Jace raised an eyebrow. "It's just what? If you're not afraid of the mages, what could you be afraid of?" He rose, shouldering the excessive bag of rations with a small gesture for levitation. "The fact of the matter is, nearly any end one could accomplish with magic can also be accomplished without it. My mother couldn't use an ounce of magic, but she killed more enemies in war than most people could shake a fist at. My father, on the other hand, turned Mordecai against the Grand Duke, all with only the strength of his heart and the reason of his words. With a simple decree, your Grand Duke put so many mages to death, it's a literal wonder that he hasn't been assassinated."
A long breath was taken, before he started off into the woods. "My point being, humans are the ones who sow misery, not magic, and just as you see now, we do not choose to be born with or without. So, tell me, if you were to watch a newborn wave their tiny fingers, and make a rainbow, could you condemn that innocent child to death?"
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"Enough." Lily glared at him. "Enough of your damned preaching. Of course I wouldn't condemn a child- I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone that monstrous!" She sighed and shook her head, looking away.
But she had to follow after him. She didn't really have another choice. "You judge the people of this land too harshly," she murmured eventually. "We are not monsters. Even those who truly believe magic to be a threat do not hate mages. They are scared, and when people are frightened they do not act rationally." Another sigh and she rubbed at her temples. The pulse that had been beating beneath her breastbone seemed to have moved into her skull, hammering away from the inside.
As for herself...she couldn't deny that the power scared her. How could it not? But she'd always been "too lenient" in her attitude toward mages, according to her father and the twins. While she'd much rather not have been cursed with magic, she certainly didn't think every mage should be condemned for a power they did not ask to be born with.
"I do not defend every action taken in the name of the Grand Duke's decree." Her voice was soft. "And I am...sorry. For your father. Truly I am, no one should have to endure that." She shook her head. "But you are judging an entire nation of people based on the actions of a few. How exactly does that make you any different from the over-zealous who hunt magic?"
Jace glanced back. "That's a solid point, Lily, I may not be so different from the Mordecai in some respects. I won't deny that I hate Connloath for what it did, and perhaps even it's people for being sheep by extension. However, you underestimate how deep the corruption goes." He faced forward to conceal his features. "The monster you spoke of? The one who would kill a newborn child just for using magic? That was my mother, former General Hakon Kilandre: and the source of the order itself? It came down from the Grandmaster Mordecai, who was a magically engineered superhuman."
He paused a moment, to let the fact sink in. When he was late into his teens, Mom had tried to dissuade him from coming after Dad, telling him about the atrocities Connloath would commit in the name of their ideals. The story still haunted him, though not as much as it haunted Mom. "She was a Major back then, an Adhara, when the Order came down to slaughter children who'd been found using magic, no exceptions. She was loyal, and did as she was told, even though her entire being screamed for her to stop." Another pause. "Don't get me wrong, I don't blame the people of Connloath for my father's death. I'm not so petty as to hold a nation responsible for the actions of one Mordecai, and it's a nice sentiment to hear your apology, but as I said, you did nothing wrong."
His pace was rhythmic, a steady, muffled thump of purpose. "The fact I don't think you and your country understand is that there isn't some happy middle ground, where mages are allowed to exist, but not use their powers. It's that flawed logic, that naive belief that everything can be black and white, cut and dry, that has brought Connloath to what it is today. The truth is, the world is not black and white, but shades of grey, where there are mages to be feared for their ambition and malice at the same time as humans to be feared for the same. Mages to be revered for their charity and good works, and normal humans likewise. It's people that must be judged, not uncontrollable constants like magic."
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Lily didn't answer. She just continued to walk, turning his words over in her mind- where she had the space for them. In all honesty she thought she might faint again, though due to sheer emotional, physical, and mental stress this time rather than an inability to control her own output of magical power.
Jace went silent, the sounds of nature filling in the gap. He hoped that her silence was a form of contemplation, he didn't have much more convincing left in him. He shuddered to think of the magnitude of smooth talking his Dad must have done to woo his Mom. To make a Military Adhara fall in love with a rebel Mage... it was insane. Maybe, that was why he left?
Jace's brow furrowed. Why did you have to leave? None of this would have happened, you'd still be here with me, Elly, and Mom. If his father hadn't taught him about the futility of time magic, he'd be at a library in Serendipity at that very moment studying it's execution. Not that he'd ever been great at studying, anyway: most of his skill came from experience, trial and error, a book was just words when it came to learning magic for Jace.
Interrupting his thoughts, a low growl rumbled from the bushes beside them. A wolf, sleek and grey, emerged, followed by two more of the same on the flanking side. Jace's eyes flitted between the three as he stopped. "Lily, get close."
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She didn't need to be told twice. With a soft squeak, Lily practically flung herself against Jace's back, eyes wide as she stared at the sleek gray bodies that paced around them.
She didn't think it through. There was no time for him to curb his natural abilities; the moment she touched him, she felt a tug at her magic and gasped softly as power began to trickle out of her. "J- Jace..."
A sudden influx of magic alerted Jace to a serious threat. Damn it- He magically hoisted the bag of jerky to the front of him, setting it down and darting around it to disconnect from Lily. She really had to be careful about not touching him.
The wolves had circled them by now, blocking any escape. The one closest to Jace bared its teeth at the sudden movement, but before it pounced, its ears perked up; Jace was holding a handful of the jerky. He knelt down, and placed it on the ground, at which time the wolf did pounce, tearing into the meat.
The other wolves, who'd been closing in, circled around, Jace having put another few large handfuls on the grass. He smiled, watching them eat, and picked the bag up once more. One of the wolves stopped, and began to snarl, but a glance from Jace had the snarl to a whimper, as a small surge of magic pressure filled the area. "We should be fine to keep moving."
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The air around her was starting to swirl, but even as it did she felt the power that called it into being siphoned out of her- until Jace pulled away from her, and she swayed, gasping. She shrank back from the wolves instinctively, positive they could smell her fear.
But the jerky seemed to placate them, and she was more than happy to scurry away from the feasting animals. She started to reach for Jace automatically, seeking the comfort of touch- then abruptly remembered why that was a terrible idea and jerked her hand back.
"When should we...stop for the night?" she asked slowly, tossing glanced back over her shoulder with every few steps.
Jace shrugged. "If you want to wake up with food tomorrow, probably not for another few miles. This is likely their hunting grounds, it's lucky they were well nourished." He grunted slightly as the full weight of the meat collapsed onto his shoulder. He was running out of magic to levitate the rations, but he tried his best to hide it. Looking weak in front of Lily wasn't on his to-do list for the day. Wait- why did he care?
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Lily nodded slowly and continued along behind him in silence. Absently, she held the robe tighter around her body and sort of huddled into it, her eyes fixed on her feet so she could watch her step carefully.
They walked for quite a while, heading in the general direction of The border. The sun was set, and the darkness encroached upon the forest. The trees sang with the music of the night, wildlife giving less than a wild berth. An owl perched right above where Jace stopped. "How about here?" The area was clear of shrubbery, a small absence of trees. On the ground, small flowers made a natural circle.
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Too tired by that point to really say much, either in agreement or otherwise, Lily nodded and more or less collapsed onto the ground. "What- what should I do?" she asked, looking up to Jace with wide gray eyes. She had absolutely no idea how one was supposed to go about setting up a camp, but she didn't want it all to be left to him.
Jace paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh... I honestly don't know. I've never actually tried to set up camp, I usually just copy my dad's Shadow meld, and sleep in the shadows when I'm not at home." He looked around, a bit befuddled now. "We...could...make a fire?"
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Lily blinked at him. "I...don't know how to do that." Her cheeks colored a delicate pink as just how useless she was in this situation dawned on her.
And it really seemed like they'd need a fire; the air was cooling rapidly as evening changed to true dusk and even with the cloak she shivered.
Jace began to look around for some dry logs or sticks, anything the could build a fire with. He had the flame, not the fuel. Eventually, he came back, levitating four logs that looked slightly dead. "These should work!" He placed them down, and began to dig a small pit with his hands, but strangely, he hit rock almost immediately, uncovering intricately cut stone with runic engravings etched in.
Jace's eyebrows shot up. "Is this-" He began to clear away the sod around them, slowly unveiling a circular slab of stone, positioned directly in the center of all the flowers. "It is! We found a fairy circle!"
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Lily stared at him. "...A what?"
Nope. No, that's it. She was done, no more today, thank you and good night.
Her vision went fuzzy at the edges and she dropped her head forward into her hands with a little moan of distress. "Of course we did," she mumbled, starting to giggle a little hysterically. "Of- of course we did!"
Jace was too excited to acknowledge the obvious sarcasm. "It's an ancient teleportation system, linked to the leylines of the continent! Theoretically, there should be at least one Fairy circle in Serendipity that we could access through this one!" He glanced around. "It seems abandoned, makes sense with Connloath being so hostile to magic. I just need to remember how these work..." He started pouring over the runes, decifering as he went.
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"Leylines...Serendipity?" She swallowed. "We're going to- to teleport? Through this...fairy circle?" Was she understanding him right.