I smiled and hugged the princess even tighter. I was glad not only to have seen my mother, but for Krystal to have met her as well.
----
I knocked and waited in front of Dorian’s door. I was more nervous standing outside than when I went to his shop. How would my oldest friend react to seeing me, especially since I was a wizard now? How would his parents react? I’d never had a chance to say goodbye to him when I left.
Dorian’s face was full of shock when he opened the door. Then his laughter boomed out, and he nearly crushed me in a hug. “I thought it was you Emden said was looking for me. But then I thought the old man had to be imagining things. What would a great and powerful wizard be doing in Sedah?” He had a mock-fearful look on his face, and he shivered. “Unless there are more creatures from the Wastelands here!”
I grinned at that remark. “I’m only in town for a day. I just wanted to see you before I left.” I stared at my old friend and patted his arm muscles, which strained against his tunic. “You look good.”
Dorian had always been bigger and stronger than me, as he was two years older and his shoulders were massive. But I had been a little bit taller and quicker. He always fought with me against Nathan and the other bullies in town. But not even Dorian could be with me all the time. There were times when I had to fight them alone. Those times didn’t go so well for me.
“I see working at Emden’s smithy has made you stronger,” I said.
Dorian laughed. “The old man has me working hard.” He finally let me go and said, “Come in, come in. My mother would have loved to see you, but sadly my parents went to bed.” He lowered his voice. “It’s a shame you didn’t come earlier, you could have had dinner with us.”
I stepped inside his home. He closed the door and offered me the chair with the plush, red cushion.
“Sorry, I was spending time with my mother,” I said. “Otherwise, I would have been here sooner.”
“Bah. Don’t be sorry for that. I know what it’s like, especially since I have a little one.”
“You do?”
“Yes, and I’m married. Didn’t Damara tell you?”
I shook my head, unable to talk with my mouth hanging wide open in surprise. I closed it and cleared my throat. “She would have, but I brought a guest with me.”
“Who?”
“Krystal.”
“That name sounds familiar.” His eyes shone with recognition, but before I could say anything, his wife walked in.
“Who was at the door?” Rose asked, coming through the doorway. She cradled a baby in her arms. Her eyes widened when she saw me. “Hellsfire.” She gave me a tight-lipped smile.
I returned it and said, “Rose. It’s nice to see you again. You look great.”
“Thank you.”
Even though Rose had married my best friend, we could never be friends. Because I didn’t believe in the one god or go to church like most people in town, she thought I was a blasphemer and that my soul was lost. But because of Dorian, we were cordial. At least, now we were. Rose sat down on the couch next to Dorian.
Dorian took the baby from Rose. He looked so at peace when he held him. “This is my son, Morrow. I named him after my grandfather. He’s almost one. Would you like to hold him?”
Rose tensed as I carefully took the baby in my arms. I didn’t breathe, afraid that I would drop him, even though he was so light. Morrow squirmed in my arms and made cute baby noises. I let myself relax. The baby stared up at me with glazed eyes, and we had a contest. I stared back, then stuck my tongue out. I won when Morrow laughed in my arms.
“He’s so cute,” I said. “He has your eyes, Rose. And I’m sure he’ll be as strong as his father.”
“Thank you,” she said.
I made more stupid noises to get Morrow to laugh, but ended up causing Dorian to laugh and Rose to smile. I handed Morrow back to Dorian.
“I’ll go and make you two some tea,” Rose said. She went into the kitchen.
Dorian glanced to the side. “Can I see it?”
I raised my eyebrow. “See what?”
He spoke in a hushed tone. “The magic, of course.”
I opened my hand and summoned fire from the candles. Streams of flame flew towards me, darkening the room. The fire landed on my palm. I enlarged the ball of fire. Dorian and Morrow gasped, staring at it with the same fascination on their faces.
“Here you go,” Rose said, entering the room. Her eyes widened and she nearly dropped the tray.
I crushed the fire in my hand and extinguished the magic. I rushed to help her balance the tray.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “It’s not your fault.”
Her eyes met mine. “The stories are true. You
are
a wizard.”
I reached for the pot, and she moved her hand away.
“Remember,” Dorian said, “he also helped save Alexandria with his magic.”
“I’ve got to finish cleaning.” Rose quickly left the room.
“Sorry about that,” Dorian said.
I shrugged. “It’s all right.”
“I’m still impressed by your magic, and so is Morrow. I’ll admit, it seems...unnatural, but it’s probably because we’re not used to seeing it. It’s also amazing. Can you do more?”
I nodded.
He leaned back and said, “Wow.” He smiled. “What else can you do?”
I grinned. “A lot.”
“Tell me.”
It felt great to tell Dorian what I could do with my power, and even more wonderful when I saw his eyes light up with delight as I performed small feats of magic for him. I had always looked up to him because of his strength, and now he had a family of his own. Something I terribly wanted and might not get with Krystal. Still, there was always Kathleen. She would accept me back, wouldn’t she?
Dorian had reminded me what it was like to live in Sedah. Over the past few years, I had gotten used to being around wizards, dragons, elves, dwarves, princesses, kings, and hardened warriors. Dorian brought out memories and feelings of a simpler life. A life where I didn’t have to worry about evil wizards, nasty Wasteland monsters, or a city mob trying to kill me. A life where I could settle down and have a family, only having to worry about where the next meal came from.
Stradus had been alone, and so was Premier. They were the only two wizards I had ever known. Was it even possible for a wizard to settle down and have a family? From what I knew, wizards lived longer than mortals. How did they deal with the fact that they had to watch their loved ones grow old and die, and was there anything they could do about it?
Dorian leaned forward with his baby in his arms. “So tell me about this princess. I’ve heard many stories about what you’ve done in Alexandria. I want to know if they’re all true.”
I nodded and told him about how Premier had taken over the land and how Alexandria needed both Sharald’s and Erlam’s armies to help. Then I spoke about my more recent problems. Rose sat through my earlier stories, but then left to put Morrow to bed. That was kind of her, because what I had to tell was for Dorian’s ears alone.
I let Dorian know how things truly were between me and Krystal, and how I was banished from Alexandria.
“You’re in quite a bind, Hellsfire,” he said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t realize being a wizard carried so many responsibilities, or had so many consequences.”
“I know, and my mother says I should leave Krystal alone if we can’t find a way to be together. Even if I find a way to break this curse, there’s still her father and others who wouldn’t want me to be there.”
“So you envision a future with the princess?”
I met his eyes. “I’d like to.”
“Well, I’m not going to tell you to leave her alone because I know you won’t do that.” He smiled. “You’ll always be my friend, Hellsfire, but I have no idea what to tell you. You move in circles I can’t begin to understand. Just be careful.”
“Sound advice as always.”
Dorian sighed and reached for more tea. “If your mother didn’t get a chance to fill you in on all the town’s news, then you probably don’t know that someone else got married too.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
“Kathleen did...to Nathan.”
Dorian was silent, studying me to see how I would react, but I couldn’t form any words.
“It happened six months after you left,” he said. “And she has a daughter, not much younger than my son.”
I choked on my tea and it squirted out of my nose. I put a hand up, stopping Dorian from rising, and wiped my mouth with my robes. Fond memories of Kathleen holding my hand or sleeping peacefully with her head in my lap as I stroked her hair clashed against memories of Nathan teasing me or punching me in the face.
The candles in Dorian’s home burned brighter. How could she marry
him?
Anyone but him!
The raging inferno in me threatened to boil over. I could never return home. No matter how hard I tried, I had never had a place in Alexandria, and I had lost my place in Sedah. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm my fire.
I opened my eyes and said, “Sorry, Dorian, but I must go. It’s getting late and I promised my—”
“I understand.”
We rose and he showed me to the door.
“Thanks for letting me get things off my chest like old times,” I said. “I really appreciate it, and for checking in with my mother.”
“Any time. Don’t wait so long to come over again. We still have more catching up to do. At least this time you said goodbye, unlike when you first vanished.”
“I’ll try to visit more, but we wizards are busy people.”
“Busy saving beautiful princesses, I bet.”
I blushed at his remark.
We embraced once last time. “You have a lovely family, Dorian. I envy you. Take care, my friend.”
Before he could respond, I put up my hood and disappeared into the night.
----
It was late. I had promised my mother I would be home soon, but I needed to clear my head. There was only one place I could go for that.
The stars shone in force and the bright moon lit my way as I walked to Peaceful Pond. When I lived in Sedah, this place was my only escape from the troubles in the world. At least once a week, I went there to let nature soothe me. I wanted to run now and feel the freedom of the wind brushing against my cheeks. As bright as it was, I didn’t. I didn’t want to trip on some unforeseen rock. While I once knew the path, it had been years since I last walked it.
The pond also had a special meaning for me and Krystal. It was where I had first met her, and unlocked my powers. But those thoughts were battered aside by thoughts of Kathleen.
I reached the pond and stared at the dark waters. The moon glistened off its ripples. Fireflies danced about, leaving trails of light in the air. Crickets surrounded me, creating an orchestra. I wanted to make camp and lie out under the stars like I used to, yet I knew I couldn’t.
I collapsed to one knee, kneeling in front of the pond. My anger at Kathleen’s betrayal left me, and exhaustion overtook me. I ripped up a patch of grass, realizing I couldn’t go home again. People had gone on with their lives. I knew it was selfish for me to expect them to wait, but I had. Things were different.
I
was different.