The Young Mage Ch. 03

Magnus stood like a statue, his hands extended, resembling a god of vengeance passing judgment on puny humans who had dared to challenge his wrath. When he finally stopped casting, only a small number of Hatiti warriors were still alive... and one of them was riding away.

"No, you won't, you bastard!" Magnus cried out, lashing out with his kinetics. "It was your blind ambition and your sick desire for power that led to all these deaths!"

An invisible force yanked Adar off his horse and pulled him back towards Magnus.

"Come on, you coward!" Magnus growled. "You were very confident in sending others to their deaths. Let's see how you will face your own!"

Magnus took his sword and stepped towards Adar who scrambled to his feet, pulling his own sword out. He looked around, clearly searching for other solutions, but finding none, he raised his sword and advanced towards Magnus.

"Yaaah!"

Adar swung his sword and Magnus parried the blow. Adar swung again, and again, and again, but his every blow was parried without much effort.

"Your attack is unimpressive, so let's see if you can defend!" Magnus said and went into the attack, swinging and thrusting his sword, while Adar struggled in his attempt to defend.

"As I thought... It is time to end this!" Magnus said, anger once again taking him over. He swung and he thrust and then stopped suddenly, only to lunge the next moment, his attack at the opponent's legs barely parried. Magnus used his momentum and rushed inside Adar's guard, their shoulders almost touching as he executed a powerful pirouette swing using both hands. He turned around, breathing hard, more from the anger he was feeling than from the exercise. As Adar's head finally stopped rolling, Magnus looked into those lifeless eyes.

"This is what I will do to every bastard hungry for power, to every son of a bitch who doesn't care for the pain and suffering he causes in the pursue of his selfish ambitions!" Magnus roared. He turned towards the old man who had somehow managed to avoid all of the mayhem.

"Go and pass my message to every Hatiti leader who has dreams and ambitions of conquering others!" Magnus said menacingly. "Also, tell the survivors they won't be harmed as long as they keep going south," he added after taking a few moments to get a grip on his anger.

The old man nodded solemnly.

"There is something I want to say to you too, stranger. Every man has darkness inside of him, even those who desire to help and protect others. Beware of your own darkness," The old man said in a compassionate voice, and then walked away, leaning on his staff.

Magnus turned towards the barricades, his eyes going over all the bodies lying there, his soul feeling so heavy... Then, one of the bodies stirred.

"Dinah!" Magnus called out and ran towards her, hope rising in his chest.

"Magnus... I... It was good fighting with you... Maybe we will meet in the lands of the ancestors," Dinah said in a weak voice. Magnus found the strength to smile at her.

"You are not going anywhere," he said and pressed his hand on her wound, letting his mind work. He felt Dinah gasp and shudder underneath him.

"Lay down for a while, you have lost plenty of blood. I will send someone to help you, but I need to run and help the others now," Magnus said, kissing her forehead and then setting off towards the village.

***

"He is awake, he is awake!" a voice exclaimed. Magnus opened his eyes and groaned. His head was killing him. He turned to see Mona's smiling face looking at him with utter happiness. She was sitting next to his bed, holding his hand.

"What happened?" Magnus asked, gritting his teeth against the stabbing pain in his temples.

"You collapsed after you healed Ana's wound... At least that's what Theia said!"

"Huh..."

"I must have overdone the healing. It puts such a strain on my mind... Well, this time at least I didn't collapse because I fueled a spell with my emotions. Baby steps!" Magnus thought, groaning once again.

"How long have I slept?"

"A full day and some more."

"All right," Magnus said, getting to his feet. He knew his headache would take some time before it got better.

"I knew you were Tim! I knew you would save us just as you saved those people in Ashad!" Mona said, hugging him fiercely. Magnus smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"You are way too smart for your own good," he said, chuckling and then hissing in pain as his head throbbed. "I better go find Theia."

Magnus walked through the village, feeling as if he was seeing it for the first time. The flow of energies was everywhere once again, and somehow it gave a different look to every tent and every face he saw. He nodded and waved to the villagers as he always did, yet he couldn't miss the way they watched him with awe and a hint of fear even.

"Can I come in?" Magnus said, reaching Theia's large tent.

"Of course."

Theia got up to her feet as Magnus entered the tent. She watched him with curiosity and awkwardness. Magnus sighed.

"I suppose you have many questions."

"I didn't know you were so good at understatements," she said with a hint of her old playfulness.

Magnus chuckled.

"I'll explain everything in as few words as possible... I am a mage, obviously. On my way through your lands, I was ambushed by an assassin who shot me with a bolt made of a special metal called lenerium. That metal stops magic, completely. It is a brittle metal, and apparently, a tiny piece of the bolt broke off when it hit the bone and it remained lodged deep inside my shoulder. I was unaware of it and I waited for my magic to return, but it never did. Yesterday, an arrow hit me in the shoulder and when I pulled it out, I must have dislodged that piece of lenerium, and it finally came out, pushed by the blood leaking out of the wound. Once it was out, my magic returned, and yeah... I suppose you saw everything that followed..."

Theia was watching him in silence for a while, her face unreadable.

"I can't blame her for being so shocked by the destruction she had witnessed... This is what my life will always be about, I can see it now. Fighting and killing. Maybe it is time I accept that."

"Yes, I saw all of that... it was terrifying, but it also felt as if the Spirits of ancestors came to fight for us... You saved all of us Magnus, don't you forget that... Why didn't you tell us you were a mage?"

"I thought you wouldn't believe me... and I was ashamed, to be honest with you... If I had cleaned my wound properly when that assassin had shot me, no one would have had to die..." Magnus said, pain and regret twisting his face.

"Or you would have just ridden off to the coast as your encounter with Dinah's group wouldn't have happened, or you would have ignored them completely, in which case my people would have been no more. The will of the ancestors works in mysterious ways, Magnus... It is unwise to think about all that could have happened, " Theia said, taking his hand. Magnus smiled and squeezed her hand gently.

"Talking about Dinah... How is she?"

"She is fine. She is resting to regain her strength. Your healing... it is even more wondrous than all the destruction you are capable of."

"Yeah... So, how many did we lose?"

"Thirty-one... but you saved many more," Theia said, giving him a small smile. A few tears appeared in her eyes.

Magnus was silent for some time, mulling over the thoughts that were running through his head.

"Theia, I am about to continue my trip towards the coast, but before I leave, I would like you to consider something."

"Of course," she said with a hint of sadness.

"We have won this battle, but your tribe has become even smaller. This land, this life... You will either need to accept merging with another tribe and accept the consequences... or, you could maybe try to change your destiny."

"What do you mean?"

"You could all walk away from this way of life that keeps taking the lives of your people. You could walk away from this life of perpetual war."

"But how?" Theia asked, genuinely perplexed.

"By migrating to Vistania," Magnus said, looking deep into her lovely eyes. Theia kept her silence for a while so Magnus continued.

"On my way back from the coast, I will pass through here most likely. I could escort your tribe to Vistania. The king owes me a favor and I know he would accept you. All you would need to do is swear allegiance to the king and pay the taxes. There, you would have the chance to live and grow in peace, under the protection of the king. Your children would be able to grow up and your tribe would have the chance to refill its numbers and become stronger. Think about it, please. It is a chance for peace, for a life where you wouldn't need to worry about dying every day." Magnus said with a hopeful look on his face.

"I... I will talk with my people... This is something they all need to decide. Thank you for doing this, Magnus... I want you to know that wherever you go and whatever you do, you will always have a home among us. You will always be considered a member of the Owl tribe," Theia said, her voice breaking.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me," Magnus said with a grateful smile. They held each other's hands for a while, their eyes saying unspoken things.

"Huh... so many things to consider," Theia finally said, smiling back at him. Her eyes betrayed more than simple gratitude, and Magnus found himself lost in the warmth and love they radiated.

"So," Theia said, her hand moving to rub her neck with slow, sensual moves. "When do you intend to depart?"

"Immediately. I feel restless for some answers."

"I see... and can I maybe persuade you to stay for an hour or two?" she said, pulling him closer. "There are things I would love to delve into...," she whispered in his ear, her hot breath making him tingle with desire.

"Well, when you put it like that..." Magnus said and kissed her passionately. Theia purred with desire, pulling him towards her pallet, her shapely legs enveloping his waist in a beautiful prison, one he had no intention of leaving anytime soon...

End of Chapter 3.

***

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