White Magic - by InkedGirl, Chapter 7, Fantasy

InkedGirl Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:59 pm

Chapter 7

It was evening by the time they arrived in the small town that supposedly held Felix’s friend, Nixon. It was rather small, but larger than the circle of houses and inn where she had slept. Felix had called the village, Norcott.

Ardis had heard it spoken of a few times in the castle. The people who lived in the village were peaceful. However, the area was known as a hideout for bands of thieves and vagabonds. It was far enough away from the castle that the Knights did not patrol it frequently. The men that lived in Norcott protected their families and their land, and it was because of this that thieves did not often attack them. Her mother told her stories of battles in which people fought for their homes. It was because of their homes that the men did not give in easily. It was because of this determination that the thieves did not bother with the village’s citizens. No, they were more concerned with visitors and travelers on the path to the capitol.

Ardis and Felix said nothing until they reached the jail. Felix motioned her to hide behind the bushes that he crouched behind. She readily followed his order and watched as the guards paced at the two ends of the small stone structure. It was rather tall, and the roof of it was covered with a thick layer of straw and tiny windows with bars were positioned evenly along the wall facing them.

“So what’s the plan?”

Felix eyes flicked across the scene. “Not sure yet, I’m not much of the planning type.”

She sighed. “I sure hope your friend is then.”

“We’ll think of something.”

She snorted. “It’s not like we have a group at our command.” She paused, thinking. “Wait a moment. I saw you with those men yesterday. Won’t they help us?”

It was his turn to snort. “Why do you think I asked you for help? They decided that it wasn’t worth their trouble breaking someone out of jail. Besides, they wanted something that I couldn’t give them.”

“Which was?” Ardis asked.

“Let’s just say a lot of money. They don’t go for cheap. If it doesn’t pay good, it isn’t worth the trouble.”

“Well that doesn’t matter now. We need to get your friend out of there and I have an idea of how we can do it.” Ardis replied, watching the guards at one end. One left his position and disappeared behind the door to the jail. Great, she thought, there was only one left to take down.

“Really?” He said with obvious disbelief.

Have faith, she thought. “You’re going to distract those guards on that side with whatever means necessary. Whatever you do, do not let them come to the other side of the jail.” She took a breath, bringing in the small amount of courage she had. In all honesty, this was the stupidest thing she had ever done. Well, maybe that wasn’t exactly true. She had done plenty of idiot things in her life, as pointed out by the other servants and the Princess. “I’m going to get that guard on that side, alright?” She finally said, fearing that something in the next few minutes would go very, very wrong.

“How do you expect to take one guard down without a weapon?”

Ardis did not want to answer that question directly. She would use magic to knock the man out and then disguise the action with some sort of inflicted wound but of course she could not tell Felix that. He would either kill her himself or have her trade places with his friend.

Whatever she did from this point forward would have to revolve around her keeping her magic secret at all costs. She would most definitely come to a quick end if anyone had the slightest assumption that she was a magician. Ardis had heard stories all her life about what happened to magicians discovered in Sharpspeak. The king would bring them to the castle and promptly have them tied to a stake and slowly burned in front of a crowd. The event took place in a magic proof arena called the Hold. The magician who had created it before magic had been outlawed was later burned at the stake when it had.

“Do you have a knife or something?” She asked, looking at his form. He wore tall boots, surely he could fit one, if not two knives within the space.

He looked at her with distain and more disbelief. “Do you even know how to use one?”

“Of course,” She lied and held out her hand.

“You’re almost as mad as him,” He said, a frown on his face. Reluctantly he slipped his hand into his boot and pulled out a jagged knife. Just like the sword at his side, the blade of the small blade was spotless.

Ardis took the cool metal in her hand and without another thought ran out from behind the bush.

She kept a watchful eye on the guards opposite as she headed toward the single guard stationed in her direction. They did not see her, she noticed, from the way the continued their pacing, glaives in hand held like staffs.

Now it was up to her. She had never killed a man, let alone injured him, which was what she had to do. The only thing on her side at the moment was surprise, so when the guard’s back was turned to the small forest behind her, she stabbed him in the shoulder.

His massive formed turned quickly, and without warning the blade along with it. It thudded to the ground as he whipped around the glaive carelessly. She ducked, feeling the wind whistle past her ear and ruffle her hair as it passed above her. Searching for some sort of extra weapon, her eyes picked up a rock lying beneath the bushes. Concentrating on the rock, she lifted it with her magic and aimed it at the yelling guard’s stomach. A knife was in his hand, and murder was in his young eyes. What was she thinking? She was not a killer. She had not harmed even a fly in her entire life. Her fear and indecision sudden overcame her as she realized her foolish and impulsive decisions. All this simply for money? What was she, a paid assassin?

The man, not noticing the floating rock that had suddenly dropped to the grass, flew at her with the knife. She fell back to the ground, an arm raised in helpless defense. She let out a cry. When no sharp point entered her bare skin after a long moment, she opened her eyes. The man lay on the ground next to her, knife sticking out of his chest.

Her breathing was labored as she stood. Ardis fought the bile that was growing in her stomach at the blood now staining the lush green grass. Somehow it was her that had killed this man.

She thought back to the days when she was younger and her magic would suddenly start candles and move brooms. Those things had been entirely unintentional, as her mother had explained to her, but frightening all the same.

Now this unintentional outburst of magic had gotten a man killed. Perhaps this was why magic was outlawed, she though suddenly. For if this was the sort of horror it could cause, it most certainly was not worth it.

She let out a shiver before turning around her to make sure no other town guards had heard the scuffle. Luckily, the town center a little far off seemed to be fairly quiet. The few townspeople that were out seemed to be preoccupied in the market’s wares.

With a dull ache in her heart at what she had done, Ardis wrenched open the door to the jail and came face to face with a very sharp and very clean blade.