Born of Magic (Channeler Series) (2 page)

When the baby had aged three years, the mist died down and returned to its normal, leisurely drift. The girl opened her eyes and the only thing Angela could think of doing with her last heartbeat was to give the baby. The name that Warren and she had picked out years before.

“Jasminis,” Angela whispered as she collapsed to her side.

Jasminis stared back at her mother, confused, and Angela’s heart stopped beating.

....

“The world of Etherea, the parallel world to ours in which magic resides, has enjoyed years of relative rest and harmony. The mists of magical energy flowed uninterrupted. The winds of
change had been a long forgotten enemy of peace; one that many had hoped to never see again. Like most things in this world and the world of Etherea however, the peace was not meant to last.”

“So much change from one little girl, a girl whose destiny none could have foreseen. Not even the young mage Yurios, apprentice to master mage Tevon, whose actions would spark the events that would bring forth a new force in the world of magic. For the first time in hundr
eds of years a channeler has been born, with the power to change the flow of magic, the faces of power, and the tides of a war that will ravage through the lives of everyone.”

~1~

I spotted a tall, well-dressed boy through the gaps of my ash-colored hair. He walked towards Edgar and me. His sapphire eyes locked with mine. Beneath his youthful looks was maturity and intent. His features were rugged and from the way his leather hunter’s tunic and white cotton undershirt dropped off of his body, I could tell that he was in good shape.

“I’ll see you later tonight,” I said to Edgar.

Edgar cocked his head and raised an eyebrow and the small scar on the left side of his forehead wrinkled. He spun around and saw the boy approaching us.

“You sure?” Edgar said, the concern in his voice coming through more than he seemed to have intended. He recovered with an awkward grin.

I nodded. The boy seemed focused on me and I hadn’t found any work tonight. This was a chance for food—hopefully some fresh bread or fruit that doesn’t turn to a rotten pile of mush in your hand.

“Be careful now,” Edgar said. Without looking back, he darted through the crowd and down an alleyway.

We tried to not work the same areas. The odds of just one of us getting work were bad enough as it was. I usually got jobs cleaning someone’s yard, picking up wood, or helping carry groceries. I could tell this wouldn’t be one of those.

“Interested in some work?” The well-dressed boy said with a warming voice and sincere smile.

“What you need?” I asked. Always get to the point, that’s what Ralph always said.

His deep, masculine voice was calming. “I have a special job for you. Probably not a normal request, but you seem up to the task.” He eyed me up and down and tilted his head back with a smile, as if he had chosen well.

“What sort of task?”

“There is a man in town, one whose agenda is of great interest to me. I want you to follow him, never let him leave your sight. Watch everything he does tonight, and then report back to me here at noon tomorrow. Do you understand?”

“It will cost—”

Before I could name a price he pulled out a small pouch and placed it in my hand with a jingle. I tore open the bag. Inside it was a single glimmering gold coin and five silvers.

“The other half will come when you report back to me tomorrow. Got it?”

My heart leaped and I nodded my head as fast as my neck would allow.

“Good, he is coming around the corner now, over by the blacksmith,” the well-dressed boy said without turning around.

Just as he had promised, a gangly man dressed in a dark cloak turned the corner.

The well-dressed boy leaned down and whispered to me, “Wait until he gets to the end of the street, then follow him. Make sure he never leaves your sight, but also that he never, for even a moment, suspects that you’re following him. If he notices you, run away.”

There was a strange reassurance in the way that he gave me these unsettling instructions. I would have run away the moment someone started saying such things. Should have. Somehow he made me feel as though everything would be all right, so long as I listened to him.

Gangly reached the end of the street. I hurried after him. There was a part of me that pulled me back, saying—yelling—for me not to go. But the rumbling in my stomach that scratched at my insides and made my legs jittery and weak told me to keep going. I kept my distance from Gangly and made sure that I was just close enough to not lose him. I was new to this and felt like remaining cautious was probably best.

We played the game of follow-the-leader all across town. When I passed the young woman in the pine-green dress with the fiery red hair a second time, I realized we were going in circles. Her dress was patterned with long waving streaks of gold silk and gold trim at the base. I waved at her as I walked in front of her and she waved back with a warm smile. In her smile I could see that she knew how fortunate she was to be wearing that dress.

Her smiling eyes and confident glow made it difficult to look away. I realized she was looking past me at a homely looking man with a giddy grin and I turned around, embarrassed. My heart deflated like a rotten tomato. I had lost track of Gangly. I kicked myself for being so thoughtless and rushed down the street. My first great opportunity in life and I was about to mess it up. I deserve to stay on the streets, I told myself.

Which way did he go? Left? Right? He could have gone anywhere by now. He was walking so fast and I was so far behind him that it would have taken only a couple seconds of carelessness to lose him.

And I had.

And then I saw him, walking towards me. Had I somehow passed him? No, I knew that I hadn’t. He must have done a full loop around the block. He walked with fast, light steps. The rubber in his heals landed on the cobblestone with a light thud and a short skid. His eyes glared with intent. He looked past me and down the street. He too was following someone.

An older man was in front of Gangly. He moved like a quail darting across an open field and scurried around the corner. He had his head ducked behind his own boney shoulders, as though he could hide in plain sight, and pummeled his feet against the ground with each step. He was scared.

That smart voice in my head shouted at me to turn around and get away from this game of hunting lions. Again my stomach drowned it out.

The boy that had hired me was foolish enough to pay me a very appetizing amount up front, but I couldn’t betray the trust that he had placed in me. He had chosen wisely, even if I hadn’t.

Gangly swished by me in a blur of swift silence. After he rounded the corner I continued my job. It was still light outside and there were plenty of people around. Nothing bad will happen to me, I told myself. I peeked around the corner and down the next street in time to see Gangly follow the quail man into a building.

The building was an old, two-story house with worn out wooden shutters and a tattered rooftop. The front door slammed close and the distinct clicking of a lock being turned followed. The two large windows on the front of the house were coated with a thick layer of dust and grime and didn’t look like they opened.

An alleyway ran along the side of the house.

Two more large windows painted the darkened side of the house. Neither opened. Pinned between the two big windows was a smaller one, and it was cracked open just enough for a fly to slip in. I crept down the alleyway, ducking below the first large window and peering through the open one.

The thick skin of soot obscured and stained the room that lay on the other side of the window. There was no movement that I could see. The room was still. I dug my fingers into the exposed wooden edges of the frame of window and pulled. It creaked open and the sound made my heart jump. I stopped and peered inside through the gap I had created. It was still empty.

Inside and just below the window was a desk with papers strewn atop it and a collection of sterling silver figurines. I checked one last time. The room was empty. The gap I had created wasn’t big enough for me to fit through. I nudged it open an inch at a time until it was just barely wide enough and then wormed my way in. I plopped down onto the desk with a loud thump. A cloud of dust filled the air around me. I covered my mouth just in time to catch a cough before it escaped.

The room was filled with filth-covered shelves and books were scattered around the ground in a scandalous fashion. Three more desks were propped against the walls and also sported dozens of the tiny figurines. I looked closer at the figurines. They were of small animals; mice, birds, cats, and a few creatures that I didn’t recognize.

I considered grabbing a few of them, but shook off the notion. I’m better than that, I reminded myself. I’m here to do a job, not rob someone. Sure, I steal food. But stealing food isn’t robbing, the way I see it. Not if it’s something that you need in order to survive.

You’re in so far over your head, I told myself again and again.

Only one door led out of the room. It was cracked open.

The crack in the door cast a single streak of light into the hallway. Dark wood made up the walls and left the area a shadow. A second flicking line of light danced its way out of another open door on the opposite wall of the hallway.

In the back of my neck was a rapid pounding. My legs quivered and my mouth went dry. I took in a deep breath and stepped out of the room. The floorboards howled under the weight of my feet.

The room—the source of the light—was two doors down from the study. Inside the room were two shadowy figures. One I recognized as Gangly and the other looked like the scared man that he had been following. They were both standing still, like two statues. The only movement was the steady rising and falling of their chests and their eyes.

I almost turned and ran when I saw their bloodshot eyes. Both had a blank expression while their lifeless eyes darted around sporadically. Their stone faces broke with minor muscle spasms.

They stood in silence for what felt like hours and then Gangly’s eyes stopped. His eyebrows turned angry and a slimy smile formed on his lips as he pulled a knife from his pocket and lunged at the other man with a shrill shout. A blood curdling piercing sound and the poor man groaned and collapsed to the ground while holding his stomach. He keeled over and his face went pale and Gangly grabbed something shiny from the man’s chest pocket.

I gasped.

Before Gangly could turn around, I ran. My legs strained and barely managed to keep me standing as I made a reckless dash for the study. I kicked over a stack of books that were near the middle of the room and almost tripped. I hid behind a bookshelf and tried to steady my heart.

My harsh life flashed before my eyes as I heard footsteps near the room. I saw all of the cold nights spent curled up in a ball with my friends like a nest or rats; all of the harsh nights that we had toughened together; all of the days we spent trying to fill our painfully empty stomachs.

I shut my eyelids as tight as I could. My heart beat so loud and hard that it could have erupted from my chest. I thought of being somewhere else, somewhere happier and safer. I hid deep within my own thoughts and felt my mind start to drift away from my body. I could hear his footsteps bang inside of my skull and shatter my ears. With each second my blood grew colder. I finally dared to open my eyes and saw the world slipping away.

I was in the same room, but everything seemed different. It was dark, with shades of blue being the only color that yielded any vibrancy. The walls swayed like a fog being pushed around by a gentle breeze. Everything felt warm and soft. Like dust in a still room, a sparkling mist flowed through the air and twinkled, as though it were winking at me.

Had I died? Did my heart stop from the fear that was overwhelming me?

From behind me a glowing hand clasped down on my shoulder with a tight grip. I looked up to see Gangly staring down at me with a smirk on his face. “Interesting. Who sent you?”

My body froze. All I could think of were the last few days and my journey here. How had I found my way here?

My heart swelled into the back of my throat.

“Can’t talk?” He says.

Incapable of forcing a reply, I pushed the man back and into the stack of books that I had knocked over. He tumbled to the ground and his head hit the wood floor with a loud thud. I jumped to my feet, dashed for the window, and jumped through the opening without a care about the landing that awaited me.

When I landed, the hard cobblestones smashed against my knee and sent a fuzzy sensation up my leg and into my side. I sprung to my feet and hurried down the alleyway and to the street in search of help. To my horror, the streets were empty. Not a single person.

Other than Gangly.

He crawled out the window with the prowess of a cat. Not wasting any time, I sprinted down the street and searched desperately for help. With every empty road I turned onto, it became more and more apparent that I was alone. If only I could find someone; Edgar, the man that hired me, one of the guards, anyone that could protect me. But there was no one. I was on my own and had to fend for myself, something that I should be more accustomed to. With the city to myself, other than the horrible man hunting me, the advantage was now mine. I knew this city like the back of my hand.