The Rise of the Spell Caster

"Then she said, 'Roger has taken Gwydion away. She won't bother you again.' I didn't care about that and said so. I asked about you, Amber. It was all that mattered to me. Glenda said you were fine. She had fixed things for you. I pressed for more details, but she refused other than to say she had smoothed your memories, like mine. That was the best answer I was going to get. She said it was all over now. I waited and waited, saying nothing. Then I asked her when she would kill me. She laughed, and I hated that laugh. I was about to die, and she was laughing at me! Then she said I had still a role to play, and I would live. I asked what my role was, and she said, 'Raise Amber well. Warn her of the dangers of witchcraft.' And then..."

Amanda tried to put her empty wine glass on the table but missed and the glass dropped and shattered on the wooden floor.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry! Let me clean this up..."

"No worries, Miss Aine," said Daniel, his voice strange and low, and he made a motion, and the broken glass was swept up and lifted. It drifted into the kitchen and was dumped in the garbage bin. "Finish your tale, please."

She shook her head. "It is done. There is no more to say."

"You just said, and then. Finish it." His voice sounded like a command.

Amanda lowered her head. "And then... And then, Glenda said, 'One day Amber will come back into your life as a grown woman. She will ask you what happened this past evening and before. Tell her everything. Tell her of the evil you did in the name of love. Tell her how I spared your life so Amber could be raised knowing that witches are evil. After that, you will be done'."

Amanda was trembling now, almost violently. Daniel could feel just how warm the upper apartment was. Her shaking was not from the cold.

"Why do you tremble so much?" he asked.

"I am done. What Glenda foretold has come to pass. I think now I die and go to whatever fate awaits me in Hades. That is where I am bound. I am a witch; I know this to be true. I will burn for all eternity."

Daniel used his sight and examined Amanda. Her aura was black and oily, but a single soft blue ribbon wound its way through it. He shuddered at what he saw and knew if Hades existed, she was surely bound for it. Oddly, he felt it fitting. It was justice. She had killed men, women, and children. Innocents. All for her selfish love.

He stood up, lifting Jasmine off his lap and placing her on her feet. "Time to go, ladies. Amber, stay with your mother for a time. When you are ready you can find us. We will stick around for as much time as you need."

Amber looked sad and angry staring at her mother. She looked quickly at Daniel, saw his expression, and nodded once.

Amanda looked strangely at Daniel. "Why does it seem you are in charge? You are a bound spell caster? Something doesn't seem right."

Daniel crouched down and looked Amanda in the eye. She flinched. "I am bound but love came first. I was not bound against my will. I welcomed it and the bond goes both ways because that's what love is. We have a special circle, as Syn calls it. We are the first good circle to ever exist. Maybe the way you raised Amber led to this, I don't know. But Amber taught Amy and Jasmine. Together we have a love for one another and trust in one another so strong that I will never be worried about descending into the madness and destruction you just described like some casual fireside story. Thousands died at your hands. I surely hope you are bound for Hades. You deserve it. But for raising Amber the way you did? You have my thanks."

He stood and watched Amanda descend into the sobs of self-pity. He leaned over and kissed Amber. "You're strong enough for this. Comfort her. She's still your mother. Then come back to us. We love you, Amber."

Amber nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You're a good man, Daniel. Thank you."

Jasmine and Amy kissed her, and they left Amber with her mother. They shut the apartment door behind them and walked down the side stairs and out onto the street.

Grace was there waiting with a look of concern on her face. She had felt most of what they had experienced through her bond with the circle.

"How'd it go?"

"Not good," said Daniel. "Witches are evil fucks, aren't they?"

"Yup. You guys excluded. I'm glad you're finally understanding why the world hates witches so much."

"Promise me you'll take us down if we ever get like that."

Grace sidled up to Daniel and kissed him. "Daniel, I've been ready to end you the moment I met you all in that farmhouse. But don't forget, I also adore you all. Don't ever fuck this up."

Chapter Four

THEY LEFT ACRON two days later. Amber had left her mother with enough coin to live comfortably for the rest of her days, which didn't look to be too long. She was rapidly withering away, and the last glimpse of Amanda had been shocking for Daniel to see. She looked at least twenty years older than her supposed years.

"She has been using magic to lengthen her years," Amber explained last evening in bed, held by all of them, tears streaming down her face. "Now that she has told me what happened all those years ago, she has lost any interest in life." Amber was distraught. "I pleaded with her to fight it. To live for me! But she refused. She says her time is up and she has to face her fate. I don't want my mother in Hades!"

Jasmine squeezed her tighter.

"I asked her to stay for me! And she said no! Oh, Daniel!" She had buried her head into his chest and sobbed until sleep took her. All they could do was send love and comfort down their bond. Amy eased her thoughts and Amber slept through the night. Daniel discovered that the circle shared everything. Including emotions. They could strengthen them or mute them. The heart of the circle seemed to have the most strength to do that, but they could all help.

They stopped by Amanda's shop on the way out of town to say goodbye. There were more tears, but they finally left her behind and to her fate. Grace lingered a moment and spoke to Amanda and then quickly caught up.

Now on the road, with Grace still jogging along beside them, they started to look forward to the challenges of the Wilds. Daniel slowed his horse until he lagged behind the others. As he expected, Grace trotted up beside him.

"What did you say to her?" he asked, his voice low. He kept the conversation clear of the bond. Whatever Grace had to say, Amber shouldn't hear.

"I told her she did a great job with Amber. She's a strong witch. One of the strongest. Amanda said that was Bruce. He had been powerful in his own right. I knew of him. We all did. He was powerful, but not nearly as powerful as you, Daniel. You carry the strength of a phoenix inside you."

Daniel nodded, having no reference on which to agree or disagree. "What else?"

Grace glared up at him. The bond was annoying her. She had few secrets from Daniel, and she didn't know if she hated it or loved it.

"I told her what to expect when she died."

"You did what? How would you know?"

"Daniel, I'm a Night fae and royalty. We guard the door to death. Of course I know."

Daniel went quiet thinking on that. "And what should she expect?"

Grace looked at Daniel and he could see the sorrow there. "Nothing good, Daniel. Nothing good at all. I wanted her to know what to expect. That way her fear of death will be that much greater. She killed thousands of people, Daniel. Defenceless women and children. She was pure evil. I owed all those lost innocent lives that little bit of justice. She was a fucking cunt. Ask Jennifer or Brian what they think."

Grace ran away then, off into the thickening forest and disappeared behind a tree.

Daniel rode deep in thought, feeling the deep satisfaction that poured out of Grace into the bond. The Night fae are scary as fuck, he thought. He caught Grace's pleased reaction.

That night they gathered around a roaring fire. Brian and Jason explained this would likely be their last night for an open fire. Once in the Wilds, fire was normally out of the question. It would attract the attention of too many creatures. Stealth and strict observance to their surroundings would rule their days until they emerged back out from the Wilds.

"And don't forget about the Wilds Childs," added Jennifer, gnawing on a wild boar shank from the boar Grace had hunted that afternoon. It was tough and gamey, and she had grease all over her hands and face from her struggle to eat it. Grease even ran down her bared forearm. But she was eating the shank with gusto, her elbows parked on her knees, and Daniel found it sexy for some reason. She waved it around as she talked.

Amy and Jasmine exchanged a look and reached for some greasy roast pig. Amber rolled her eyes but gladly accepted a chunk and dug her teeth into it. Her eyes went wide with the taste, and she took another bite. The grease had her thinking momentarily of how it could be used to lube Daniel so he could... laughter from Amy and Jasmine interrupted her thought and had her scowling.

"What should we expect?" asked Daniel, ignoring the laughter coming down the bond from his girls. The closer to the Wilds they got, the randier they all seemed to be getting.

The distinct possibility of death has that effect on you, he supposed.

Jennifer shrugged. "Grace could probably explain it better."

Grace shook her head. "Go ahead. I want to hear what you have to say. I'll correct you if needs be."

Jennifer inclined her head to Grace. "Fair." She spoke to all of them around the fire, waving the boar shank clasped in her hand. "They are Maeve's children. Some call them the Wild fae, but the correct term is Wilds Childs. The Wilds Childs have some of the abilities of both the Seelie and Unseelie courts. Which is why some believe that the Wilds Childs are a mix of the two fae, the Night and Light fae. They are quick, able to control animals around them, they can charm you and make you do things against your will, they are the masters of glamours, and can see in the dark or in the brightest of days. They own the Wilds. It is the realm of Maeve, who they say came before the Night or Light fae. She hunts with passion. But humans are her preferred game. She hunts people like rabid dogs. With no mercy, nor leniency. Some say she lures the humans into the Wilds as sport. Sport for her people. And they would be right. She makes no attempt at deception to her purpose. For her, it is entertainment. Always she seeks to amuse herself."

She looked at Grace and Grace shrugged a little and nodded her head. Emboldened, Jennifer sat forward, her elbows dug into her knees and her face was illuminated by the fire. The boar shank in her hand forgotten, although grease continued to run down her exposed forearm.

"They have warrens or realms in the Wild. Much bigger on the inside than the outside. They will lure you in or capture you within a perfect circle of mushrooms. Always watch your surroundings. They can be different sizes. If you step into a mushroom circle, you will be transported inside her realm. Once there, beware. They will trick you and play on your emotions. You will feel safe. They will offer you food. You may eat, but never thank them for it, or thank them for anything. Thanking them infers debt. Once you are in their debt, they own you. Forever. You will never be able to escape. They will consume your fears and deepest desires until nothing is left inside you. And you will be tossed aside to feed Maeve's creatures."

Daniel looked at Grace. The Academy had taught a little of this to them. But what Jennifer had said, especially this close to the Wilds, drove it home all the harder. Having Jennifer, Grace, Brian, and Jason there to provide more of the raw truth was invaluable and made it sink in all the more. This was real and he could feel the fear from his witches. He could even feel Bitty's fear.

Grace saw his look and nodded. "She speaks truth. But there is more to it than that. Maeve is insane. Completely and utterly fucking insane. Never doubt that for a moment. How she will react to any given situation is anybody's best guess. She hunts people. Your kin. With a passion. She hates humans. Hates them deeply.

"The hunt is all that entertains her these past several centuries. Humans arriving on our shores changed everything. We used to live in a quiet synergy. Then humans landed and fought their way into the Wilds with their iron. Pushing the Wilds farther and farther back, carving out what King Arbuckle rules over today. Concessions were made. Borders agreed to. But what humans fail to completely understand is that Maeve only agreed because she wanted her sport to continue. She gave the humans the land they now claim. But never doubt that this is no different than humans raising cattle in a field for their eventual slaughter. She has never been so amused as when tricking the humans into her realm. So, she sends out her creations to pull the humans in to fight them. Once there, she tries to lure them to their deaths. It is endless entertainment for her.

"She has lived for so very long. No one knows how long. No one can genuinely appreciate how those years weigh on you. You see everything come full circle over and over again. Nothing is new. It is always the same day, every day. Boredom becomes routine. Death becomes meaningless. I have lived a few centuries and already my existence wears at me. I have forgotten so much of my past. Just glimpses remain. And my mother is way, way older than me. Sometimes I see hints of insanity in her eyes. There for a moment and gone the next. Your memories become too heavy to bear, can you understand? Do you all have some regret in your past? Something that weighs on your soul when you think of it? That moment of deep regret that locks your mind into a bad memory? Imagine having hundreds or thousands of those."

Daniel and girls all looked at one another and then nodded as one.

"Imagine those countless regrets. Moments where you wish you had made a better choice. Times when you caused some harm or pain to others. Those painful memories wear on you. Drag you down into despair. Now imagine having centuries of regrets. And losing people you love. So much death and so much pain. You can only take so much. There's nowhere to hide from it. It follows you like your shadow.

"Now imagine Maeve. As old as the land. She no longer resembles anything we could call fae. She is her own entity. Her own rules. Her own morality and ethics. You cannot understand her. Never. Unless you've lived as long as her and walked her paths. She decides on a whim. Death is meaningless to her. Pain is meaningless. The Wilds are very dangerous. Deadly. All because of Maeve. Never forget it."

They all say in silence pondering her words. Finally, Jasmine looked up at Grace. "Why does she hate humans so much?"

Grace looked at her long and hard and for a time no one thought she would answer.

"She is jealous of your passion. Your ability to love. Your ability to hate. Your ability to feel. But mostly she is jealous that your lives are short. She is immortal and will never taste death. She sees the bright sparks of life that humans represent, and she wants to squash them like a fly that gets into your home. Your very existence is anathema to her. At least, the fae assume those to be the reasons. Maybe she just doesn't like the way you look."

What little they had learned at the Academy seemed to taunt them now, listening to Grace and Jennifer. At the school, they had tried to dispute the few facts they had heard. It was too farfetched. They had always assumed the Wilds simply contained wild magic and that the creatures were created randomly from that chaos. That's what everyone in the Realm believed. Children were taught that in schools.

Now as adventurers, they knew the truth and had sworn an oath to protect that truth and to fight the Wilds. They had no choice but to fight. Now Grace was telling them that Maeve would happily scour the human lands with her monsters just for fun. Just to feel something other than boredom.

But Grace wasn't finished. "The other truth is that Maeve hates the Night and Light fae also. My mother thinks she sees us as obstacles to her fun. We side with the humans for the most part. We taught you magic. How to defend yourselves against her creatures. We are the spoilsports, as she once said to my mother."

They sat around the fire digesting those words. They would enter the Wilds, and they would fight for this was their world for better or worse. Daniel and the witches had opted for this life. They were excited to test their abilities against the real world, and frightened, too. The threat of the Wilds was all too real and all to close.

Jasmine, leaning against Daniel, with her hand high up inside his thigh, spoke first. "If we are captured in a Wilds fae realm, how do we escape?"

Grace chuckled. "You don't. Most can't. It's a little overwhelming for humans. If you are captured know that everything will seem perfect to you. You'll feel no compulsion to escape because you will feel right at home. Like you've returned from a long trip. If you do manage to keep your thoughts clear, there are a few rules.

"One, don't cry out for help. Help will arrive but as soon as it does you are indebted. See how that works? Two, look for the sun and mark its position. You have until sunset to escape. Lie down. Close your eyes. Ignore all sounds around you. Feel the earth beneath you and use it to ground you because you can no longer trust your eyes or ears. You are completely alone in Maeve's realm. You have no friends. No anything, really. Despite what your eyes and ears might tell you. Now here comes the hard part.

"Three, open your eyes but continue to feel the ground beneath you. If you are successful, you will separate from your body. Few people can do this. Few in fact. This can only be done in Maeve's realm, unless you are a seer. If you manage it, look down. You should see yourself lying there. Then move your incorporeal form in any direction. It does not matter which way. If you see a light, do not follow, or search it out. If you hear people calling out, no matter who it sounds like, do not answer, or investigate. Keep walking.

"You will eventually find a lush berry bush. You will recognise it at once, but I cannot describe it, because it looks different to everyone. You will know it is the bush you seek because the berries will disgust you. Take a berry. Just one. Turn around and move back to your body. It will be easy to find because you have never really left it. Lie down on your body. Close your eyes. Feel the earth beneath you. Return to your body. Stand up and force yourself to eat the berry.

"Then walk away in any direction with purpose. In three steps, you should be free. If not, you are truly fucked. You did something wrong. You can try again but the chances of success are greatly reduced. Maeve will come for you then."

They all stared at Grace like she was crazy, except Brian and Jason, they looked at one another for a long time and then held hands.

"Jason, Brian? What happened to you two?" asked Daniel. "Did you get trapped?"

Brian nodded. "Aye, lad. We both did. We escaped just as Grace said. After the first time, it gets easier. Last time we ventured inside the Wilds we crossed into a ring, and it didn't even try to keep us. We think we're immune now."

"No," said Grace. "Not immune. Maeve just can't be bothered with you two, anymore. You're no longer any fun."

Jason nodded at her words. "I told you, love."

Brian looked down at the hand in his and squeezed it. "I know ye did. But I dinnae want to believe it."

Amber stood and threw her arms out to the sides. "This is all crazy! How can we hope to survive in there? Magic fucking mushroom circles? Seriously? That sounds crazy!"