A small bowl of stew appeared on the table in front of him, interrupting his thoughts. Glancing up in irritation, Ferast looked into the smudged face
of a serving girl. She was so slender she looked fragile, her delicate, sharp-featured face framed by an untamed thatch of thick, dark hair. There was something so arresting about her appearance that all of his irritation faded in an instant.
“Thank you,” he said, unable to take his eyes off her. She turned to go, but for reasons he couldn’t explain, Ferast didn’t want her to leave.
He couldn’t think of anything to say, however, and she left his table to attend to other patrons. He watched her as he ate, paying so little attention to the food itself that he couldn’t have said what he was spooning into his mouth.
A
s Ferast was finishing his meal, the innkeep called the serving girl over to the bar and spoke to her in hushed tones. She listened in silence, and when the innkeep had finished talking to her, she turned away from the bar and started wiping tables with a dirty-looking cloth. Ferast watched the girl surreptitiously, wondering what it was about her he found so bewitching. Perhaps it was the way she carried herself – every movement was careful, as if she was handling delicate objects. She was like a forest creature, innocent and shy. He set his spoon down in his plate with exaggerated care, as if the slightest noise might frighten her away.
Despite his efforts, the spoon clinked ever so gently against the bowl. A
t that moment, she looked up and met his gaze. Her pupils were large and brown, glinting faintly even in the dim lamplight. Ferast swallowed loudly, feeling utterly unsure of himself. He’d never been comfortable around girls, but he was determined to speak to this one. He cleared his throat.
“Do you want to join me?” he asked, indicating the second chair at his table with a small movement of his hand.
She hesitated a moment before nodding in assent. She left the cloth
where it was and stepped over to Ferast’s table. He pulled the chair out a few inches, and she sat down, meeting his gaze.
“I’m Ferast,” he said, ta
king a sip of wine to moisten his mouth, which was suddenly dry as a bone.
“
Poppy,” she responded, tapping her chest with a single finger.
“
Would you like a cup of wine?” he asked, trying to emulate the way confident boys like Everand used to talk to girls.
“Thank you,” she responded. “That’d be nice.”
Ferast looked up to catch the innkeep’s attention, only to discover the man was already looking at him. The innkeep made a gesture that was something like a cup being lifted to his mouth, and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Ferast nodded, seeing that his needs had been anticipated. He glanced at Poppy to see if she was impressed. He’d never been very good at the kind of things that made other boys popular, mostly because they all involved communicating comfortably with other people. Everand for example, used to order a fresh round of drinks at the Traveller’s Rest just by catching the innkeep’s eye and drawing a circle in the air with his finger. Ferast had tried it once, but the same innkeep seemed to find it offensive. It didn’t make any sense. How could two people do exactly the same thing in exactly the same place to exactly the same person, and achieve the exact opposite effect? He found it extremely frustrating.
Ferast snapped back to the present just as the innkeep arrived with a jug of wine
and a cup for Poppy. Why in the world was he thinking of that pompous ass, Everand, at a time like this? Angry with himself, he shook off his introspection and focused on the present. The innkeep placed the jug down on the table and held out a hand for payment.
“That’ll be three
silvers,” he said. Ferast hesitated a moment, not because of the expense, but because he’d only intended to buy a single cup of wine for Poppy. He had no use for a whole jug of the stuff! He suspected the innkeep was being opportunistic, but he didn’t want to look stingy in front of Poppy, so he reached into his pockets and found a few silver coins. He reluctantly dropped them into the innkeep’s palm.
“I
hope you don’t mind me borrowing your serving girl,” Ferast said, forcing a smile.
“You can keep ’er!” the innkeep growled.
Ferast shot him a hard stare. “Only joking,” the innkeep said, raising both hands defensively. “She’s off duty now, so what she does is up to ’er.” When Ferast didn’t say anything more, he shrugged and shuffled off to the bar.
“Does he always treat you like that?”
Ferast asked, eyeing Poppy sharply.
“Don’t worry about
Klyff,” Poppy responded quickly. “That’s just his way.” Ferast wasn’t convinced, and he was sure that if he turned around and looked back at the bar, Klyff would still be watching them. But Poppy didn’t seem to want to talk about her employer, so maybe he should move the conversation onto other topics.
He started to ask
her questions, but she seemed more interested in talking about him than about herself, and quite soon he was telling her all sorts of things – even things he rarely spoke about at all. She kept their wine glasses full, and Ferast found himself feeling surprisingly comfortable in her company. The only person who’d made him feel that way before was Emmy. Encouraged by Poppy’s unwaning interest in him, it wasn’t long before he revealed that he was a magician. Poppy was suitably impressed!
“A magician? You’re not kidding?” she asked, her eyes
opening about as wide as they could go.
“I’m not kidding,” Ferast said, leaning back confidently in his chair.
“Show me!” Poppy insisted. “Do something magical!”
“Not here,” Ferast
slurred, glancing round the room at the remaining patrons. Klyff was still clearly watching them from behind the bar.
“In your room then!”
Poppy said. Ferast felt a thrill of excitement in his stomach, or was it his loins? With the single exception of Emmy, girls had never paid him any attention, but Poppy was clearly inviting herself to his room. Was it safe to assume she wanted more than just a demonstration of his magic? As if in answer to his question, Poppy stood up and offered him her hand. Ferast reached out and took it, letting her pull him upright. The room swam around him as he found his feet, but then his vision stabilised, and he let himself be led towards the bedrooms. Poppy practically dragged him along the corridor, taking him to the third room on the right. For a brief moment Ferast wondered how she knew which room Klyff had given him, but then he shrugged it off. What did it matter?
He closed the door behind him and turned around to find Poppy sitting on the single bed, watching him in
tently with her big brown eyes.
“So go on then,” Poppy said, placing her hands
behind her and leaning back on her wrists in a pose that Ferast found most provocative.
“What do you want to see?” he asked, breathing heavily. Was this really going to happen? He’d thought
something might happen with Emea, but she’d been under the influence of the Nature Mage. Irritated, Ferast shrugged off the unpleasant thought, squinting at Poppy, waiting for him on the bed. Of course she was interested in him. She saw him for what he was – a powerful, magical person – and she was clearly fascinated by him.
“Anything,”
Poppy answered, watching him expectantly.
“Okay,” Ferast said. If she wasn’t used to being around magic, then the smallest arcane act would impress her. Drawing on his power, he summoned a globe light, letting it float over his palm. It lit the room with its radiance, reflecting from Poppy’s pale skin and emphasising the rich
darkness of her hair and eyes.
“That’s amazing,” she said breathlessly, standing up slowly and walking towards him. She reached out with slender fingers, sliding them slowly into the ball of light
. Ferast gently took her hand and turned it over, repositioning the ball so it floated over her palm instead of his. She looked up into his eyes.
“Wonderful,” she whispered. Ferast’s heart was beating hard in his throat. It was now or never. He flicked his finger, sending the globe light out into the middle of the room,
where it hung suspended over the bed. He stepped forwards, placing a hand under Poppy’s chin. She let him tilt her head back and met his gaze, her pupils widening. He leaned in, drawing her face towards his with a slight motion of his fingers. His heart beat even harder as the space between them narrowed, and then there was no space at all. For the first time in his life, Ferast, felt the warmth of soft lips pressed against his own.
He savour
ed it, thrilling in the sensation, but all of a sudden, gruesome images flooded his mind; images of animals slaughtered at his own hand while he experimented on their minds and bodies; images of shredded nerves, slick blood and white bone. Ferast shook his head to clear the images, but in doing so he broke away from the kiss.
“Are you okay?” Poppy asked, looking at him in confusion.
“I’m fine,” Ferast answered. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Poppy said gently, stepping back up to him and sliding her arms over his shoulders. Once again, Ferast leaned in to kiss her, but in that moment,
the images returned, and he felt an overwhelming burden of guilt. Ferast pulled back, holding her at bay while he struggled with emotions he couldn’t understand. Why was he feeling this way? Was it the wine? There was nothing wrong with what he’d done to those animals was there?
“Ferast?” Poppy asked
, a look of concern on her face. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s just the alcohol,” he mumbled, tr
ying once again to push away the unwelcome feelings. “Let’s sit on the bed. I’ll feel better sitting down.”
“Okay,” Poppy responded, taking him by the hand and walking over to the bed. They sat down together. “
But let’s sort out the payment before we get into bed,” she added
“What?” Ferast asked. Why
was she talking about payment?
“I’m sorry Ferast, but Klyff
always insists on payment up front.”
“I already paid for the room!” Ferast explained indignantly.
“Didn’t Klyff tell you?”
“Please don’t embarrass me,” Poppy pleaded in a small voice. “Let’s just get the payment sorted out and then
we can forget about it.”
Finally the penny
dropped. “You mean…you’re a…?”
“You didn’t realise?” she asked quietly. She looked upset.
“I’m really sorry Ferast, but I don’t have a choice. Klyff puts a roof over my head and feeds me as long as I…entertain the guests. I thought you understood.”
Ferast surged to his feet and stalked to the other side of the bedroom, leaving Poppy sitting on her own, looking
fragile.
“But what about the last couple of hours?” he ask
ed. “Were you pretending to be interested in me?”
“No!” Poppy responded. “I really like you Ferast.
Honestly! But if I don’t give Klyff the payment he will beat me. Please understand!”
F
or a moment, Ferast felt a surge of pity for her. What if it was true? What if she was trapped in this hell of a life, doing whatever she could to survive?
Poppy must have sensed him coming around. “You should see some of the other beasts I
’ve had to bed!” she said.
Ferast froze. The thought of Poppy bedding other men shattered the illusion of
innocence and fragility that had drawn him to her in the first place. And she’d not just said “beasts”; she’d said “other beasts”, which meant that she thought of him as one too! She had been playing him for a fool! White hot fury surged through his mind and body, matched by an up-swell of power.
“Ferast!” Poppy said in alarm, seeing the change come over him, but it was much too late. Poppy must have seen murder in his eyes, because she sprang for the door like a frightened rabbit, but he caught her
with a magical net before she had moved a foot and slammed her back down on the bed, trapping her there with sheer force. She opened her mouth to scream but he clamped a controlling hand down on her mind, compelling her to remain silent. She opened and closed her mouth over and over, trying to find her voice, but it was useless. She stopped struggling, pleading at him with her eyes, but Ferast was blind to it. Intoxicated by anger and the flood of power, he summoned a swirling ball of force and flung it at her. Unable to move, she watched it coming with wide, fear-filled eyes. It struck her with the force of a falling tree, breaking her body and stopping her heart in a single moment.
…
Ferast’s anger slowly faded, leaving him with a feeling of great emptiness. He looked at Poppy’s shattered form – the odd angles of her wrists and neck, her slender bones broken by the most powerful strike he could summon. Unable to control his emotions, Ferast began to sob. It started with a single convulsion in his chest, and was quickly followed by others. Try as he might to gain control of himself, it wasn’t long before his shoulders were heaving and he was desperately hauling in great, sucking gulps of air. He couldn’t stay in that room a moment longer. Cloaking himself in illusion, he crept out the door and back into the common room. Subduing his sobs as best he could, he snuck past Klyff, and left the tavern through the front door.