Wielders of Magic, Book 1: A Spell Binding Tale

"Where are those two?" Drusilla growled. "I hope Edowain is alright. I wouldn't want her to be lost. So many deaths at our feet, so many . . ." She paced back and fourth across the camp, her head bowed in thoughtfulness. "She was a good friend to me."

"You are so annoying, I want to burn you to a crisp and leave you for the Werewolves." Rey groaned, sitting at the mouth of the tent, reading one of his story books. He hadn't studied his magic, nor tried anything that had to do with it, since the cleansing of his blood.

"Well, I am sorry I am concerned about my friends," She replied sarcastically. "And your brother."

"Drusilla! Help us now!" Came a distant voice. She froze and looked out into the forest, seeing three figures, some being dragged, coming closer and closer to camp.

"Rentham! Jackson!" She ran full speed to them, taking Jackson by the hand and helping the king drag him into camp.

The third figure fell into the light of the fire. It was not Edowain, or anyone she had ever seen, and her hand went to her sword hilt as she stared up at Rentham. "Who is that?"

"He is an assassin we met. Tend to his wounds, he needs helping and fast." The king nodded his head and than went straight into his tent, no other words or glances except to answer Drusillas question.

"Where is Edowain?" She whispered to herself as she slowly walked over to the stranger, looking down at him. "Whats wrong with you?"

"Dragon clawed me . . . black dragon." He gasped, breathing heavily.

"Uh oh, they breath acid." She replied.

"Yes I know that! Its eating away at my chest!" He shouted, sitting up a little only to cry out and fall back to the ground.

"One moment, I have to get a book." She disappeared from his vision and went to go get one of her healing spell books. Jackson had not given this one to her, she had found it when on one of her many travels, used it to heal her own wounds for a change. It was the only magic she could control than, and it was like an old friend to her.

Running back over to him, she crouched down beside him and opened her book. "Something to heal dragon acid . . ." Drusilla said to herself as she flipped through it. "Ah! Here it is!"

"Please hurry."

"I am trying!" She set the book down and started to chant the words of the spell, seeing them in her head, watching their characters flash before her eyes as blue magic started to swirl around her hands and glow from her two pink orbs.

"Whoa." The stranger gasped, staring at her with wonder. He had seen magic, lots of it growing up, but never this powerful. What kind of band of magic wielders did he stumble upon?

Her hand gently touched the jagged cut on his chest, tracing down it until it ended. He shouted in pain and lurched to a sitting position, clutching the slice as it started to heal.

"Feel better stranger?" Drusilla asked, the hint of a smile on her lips as her whole being flamed with blue fire, even her long pink hair.

"Yeah, thank you." He looked down at his chest and saw the wound heal before his eyes, a smile creeping across his own lips as he turned back to her. "You are a very powerful witch."

Drusilla shut her eyes tightly, clenching her fists. The blue fire wafted out and a slight sizzle was all that remained. "Thank you, but its more of a curse than a blessing stranger."

"My name is Jaden." He said, standing up and staring at his torn shirt. He was going to need a new one, and fast. The winter would not warm up any time soon.

"Hello Jaden." She stuck her hand out to him, standing up as well and flipping her strange hair behind her shoulders. He took her hand hesitantly, not used to doing such a manner with woman. They usually just smiled.

"I know, shaking hands is weird. But as you can see I am not wearing a skirt right now so I can't curtsy." She laughed a little and than stared down at his ripped shirt. "Give me your shirt, I'll sew it up for you."

"Uh, I do not think so. I have no others." Jaden answered, looking down at the ground.

"I'll give you one of Jacks; he won't mind I am sure." She went over to the fallen person and stared down at him as well. "What is he doing?"

"I don't know." Jaden answered with a shrug.

"Wake up!" She slapped him across the face.

The man jumped to his feet and grabbed her by the throat, terrible fire swarming around him and in his eyes as he held her in the air.

Rey got to his feet and ran to her aid, holding a dagger to his brothers throat. "Drop her, now." He growled.

Jackson looked into her terrified eyes and suddenly his softened, dropping her to the ground. "Drusilla . . . I am so sorry I didn't know who you were for a second . . . oh its all coming back to me!"

"What?" She asked, rubbing her throat and staring up at him as if he had gone insane.

"I know who you are, and you and . . . well not you." His eyes stared at Jaden, who turned away.

"Drusilla I could kiss you right now!" He shouted, wrapping his arms around her.

"Well uh . . . please don't." She stuttered, her face turning a bright shade of red. "Settle down Jack, you are not yourself."

"Sorry, sorry." He took a few steps back and sucked in his breath. "I lost my memory there for a few minutes, Rentham can tell you that as well. I don't know how he remembered to get back here though."

"Where is Rentham?" Drusilla asked, looking around for the king.

"Just leave me alone and go on about your business!" Came the shout from his tent.

"Oh yeah." The Red Witch turned the direction of his tent and shouted back. "Where is Edowain!?"

"I said leave me alone!"

"Oh . . ." Her voice trailed off in a sad wine. "You . . . didn't find her?" Drusilla looked over at Jaden, who shrugged once again.

"The cave did collapse after we left." The assassin nodded, crossing his arms with discomfort. "I saw nothing of a woman."

"Oh name of the gods." Drusilla turned around and covered her mouth, getting into her tent. The rest of them heard soft crying for at least three hours, and Jackson returned to his tent to gather his things. No doubt they would be moving out in the morning.

Jaden felt out of place. He sat around the fire with the strange, crystal blue eyes of the one called "Rey" staring into his soul. Now he knew a taste of his own gaze, for that is usually what he served cold to others. Maybe he should just get up and leave? These people didn't have anything else that he needed, except maybe a new shirt, but he could sew his up if he really wanted too.

Getting up, Jaden put his swords back into their sheathes and made sure his boots were nice and tight.

"Jaden, here." Drusilla appeared before him and threw a green, long sleeved shirt at him, which he caught with a slight jump. "Now give me yours and I will patch it up for you." Her face was littered with tear stains and her eyes were glassy and red. He wished he could give her some words of comfort, but he had never known any himself.

What do you say to that? Your friend might still be alive even though the whole place went to hell?

Jaden slid his shirt off over his head and handed it to her, which she took and quickly walked away, her eyes staring right through him.

Upon observing the shirt for a moment, the assassin put that one on and slid his arms through the tightly nit sleeves. They were too long for his arms, but that was alright. At least it was warm.

Well, can't leave now that my shirt is being worked on. He sat back down and rested his head on his hand, staring into the flames again, still feeling out of place. At least they were friendly to him.

Maybe I could just leave without my shirt?

"Here." Suddenly it was thrown at him, fully repaired and well stitched up. It was even washed as well. Drusilla sat down beside him and stared into the fire as well. "Why did Rentham bring you back with him?"

"Well, I am guessing it was because I needed some help." Jaden replied, scooting away a little.

"Yes, but he could of let you die. Why did he not?"

"How should I know!?" Jaden got up and shook his head. "Why do you keep asking me questions? I think I have to go anyway. I don't belong here."

"Yes you do. I see the magic in your swords." Drusilla replied, still watching the fire. "I can feel the magic emanating from you. You are a wielder of magic, and you belong with your kind. If you leave now, you will regret it."

Jaden stopped in his tracks, his head turning a little, but not enough to look at her. "How would you know that I don't like being alone?"

"It is not good for man to be alone. A very wise being said that once, and it would do you good to follow it." She got up and walked over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know you, I have never seen you before, but I have a feeling you need us, and we need you."

"Do not talk to me as if you know me. You don't, and if I have learned anything over the years, is that I don't need anyone." He shrugged her hand off. "Now let me be."

"Please, you belong with your kind!" Drusilla said, reaching out as he continued to walk into the woods. "We will protect you!"

"I can protect myself!"

"He left huh?" Jackson asked, gesturing for her to sit beside him.

"Yes, he left." She nodded sadly and slowly walked over to him. "We have lost Edowain, Asha, Arthur, and Muffin. Who will we lose next?"

"I hope no one. I am planning to grow old and die happy." Jackson laughed a little and grasped her hand. "It would do you well to dream the same dreams."

"Jackson . . ." She took her hand away and folded her arms. "Dreams are for children, and I have long out grown that, as well as many other things I wanted before. Now I just want to survive."

"We all want to survive, but if we do not live, we can never be happy."

"I will be happy when no one is hunting me at every turn."

"Everyone is hunting everyone. Its life." He turned to the fire than. "You can not change that, just like you can not change a frog into a prince. All I am saying is; if you focus on the bad, that is all you will get."

Drusilla snorted and went to her tent, not wanting to listen to any more of Jacksons fairy tails. How could someone be so lighthearted in a word where one was not wanted?

All she knew was that she had no more tears to cry, and that love had all but escaped her. All she wanted now was peace, soothing, quiet serenity, where no hunters would find her and destroy it.

But deep down she knew she would never find it.

Edowain stumbled out of the cave with a terrible cough. She fell to the forest floor, covered in gray dust from the caved-in that happened yesterday. She had searched all night for a way out, and now she had found it, and the clear air was luscious to her dry tongue.

"Need . . . to find . . . water." She gasped, getting to her feet and walking as fast as she could into the forest. She needed to get to listen, carefully, with both eyes open. Even a puddle would help her.

She got into a running pace. She was used to not having food for days, running off nothing but her own determination. But this was different. She felt . . . different.

What had happened to her the night before?

Edowain tripped over a rock and fell face first into the snow covered ground. She let out a distressed and frustrated cry before getting up once again.

A stream was flowing right in front of her.

She almost jumped to it, drinking savagly and rincing her dirty face. Too bad I don't have a flask to carry some of this in.

Getting up again after a few minutes, she tested her muscles and alertness. She threw a few rocks at a tree and slowly regained her concentration, all she needed now was a staff.

Edowain climbed up a tree and broke a branch off of it, about two inches in thickness and the length of her arm. This will do quite nicely.

She ripped part of her shirt off than and tied it around her self and her new weapon, so she could sling it over her back and run full speed through the forest. She was ready, as she would ever be, to find her husband.

I am coming Rentham!

Lilith awoke with an aching head, which made her groan in displeasure and roll over in her bed. Ouch. What happened last night anyway? She sat up and swung her feet over and off the side of the bed, holding her head as it pounded uncontrollably.

Suddenly a memory flashed before her eyes, making her fall onto her back and watch in horror.

She was a young girl, just a maiden, and she stood before her house, a bag slung over her shoulder as she walked away in the rain. Her dark hair was wet, and her eyes filled with tears. She wouldn't let her family see them, they wouldn't of even known it was her, not after the memory spell she had cast on their brains. Everything of her was taken from them, stored in a bottle she kept on a chain around her neck. Jacksons, Reys, mothers and fathers. All of them didn't even know who she was anymore.

And she needed it that way, not necessarily liking it though.

"Oh great, they are starting again!" Lilith got up and grasped the bottle around her neck. She thought she had out run the memories, the flash backs, but they had caught up to her in the past few years. She had to get away from them once again, and she knew how to all too well.

"More drink, thats all I need to focus. Drink and smoke." She yawned and got out of bed. Maybe that was why she couldn't remember last night, because she had had a flash back and drank to it.

Oh yeah; where is Tiranous?

She got her gear on and protective armor, stuffing her helmet in the crook of her arm as she exited her room. She was in some kind of tavern, and her partner was no where in sight. She couldn't even remember the name of the place, let alone when they had stumbled upon a town.

"She has awaken!" The people down below cheered as she entered the drinking room. She looked around with her raven black eyes, wondering who these people were and how they knew her.

"My lady, your drink is on me!" A swaggering man said across the room, raising his mug as his buddies cheered with him.

"I am sorry but," Lilith set her helmet down on the bar as everyone went quiet. "What happened last night?"

"You killed the Grand Master, the one who has been opressing our town for ages!" A bar maid replied, her voice a little too loud for her taste.

"Yes, and who was he?" The Witch Hunter was starting to tire from all the mystery. She sat down and leaned her back against the bar, resting her elbows against it as well.

"The one they call Tiranous!"

She was suddenly flying through the air, zooming through time and space as the earth started to crumble before her eyes. What was happening? Where was she at? Who where those people?

BOOM!

"Ah!" Lilith jolted out of her hammock, falling to the cold, snow covered forest floor and feeling the ice surge through her veins.

"What!?" Tiranous flew out of his own bed and drew his sword, waving it around in fright as his partner started to laugh.

"Just a dream, sorry." Lilith rolled over and laid her back to the snow, staring up at the dawning sky. "Just a . . . dream."

"Name of the gods woman why do you have to have night terrors nearly every night now?" He put his weapon away and set his hands on his hips. "It was funny at first, but its not anymore so stop it."

"Like I can help it?" She got up and put her hammock away. "I do not control my dreams. Do you? Pray tell?"

Tiranous shook his head and started to put his things away as well. "What is troubling you? Maybe telling another soul would help you over come it?"

"No, it wouldn't." She snapped. "So stop asking about it alright?"

"Fine!"

The two sat in silence for the rest of the journey, traveling up a mountain trail and across a few narrow paths, both used to the steep area. Lilith knew that Tiranous had grown up with a mountain tribe, as well as his dead brother, and she had wandered around these parts when she was growing up on her own . . . when she had left her family. When she had forsaken her cursed heritage.

Too bad she could not leave behind her magical abilities. They disgusted her, they made her retch every time the strange feeling coursed through her veins. Why did she have to be cursed with the stuff? Why her?

Well, it hadn't gotten her anywhere yet. She was being chased by the people she usually killed, and Tiranous wasn't doing anything about it. They were just running from them, for no reason at all, and secretly it was eating away at her.

She feared nothing would be left soon enough.

"We can camp here." Tiranous said, putting his things down as he stared into a distant valley, both standing at the middle of a mountain.

"Why are we running from them!?" Lilith shouted in anger, her eyes burning. "We have killed worse than those and you are running from them! WHY?"

"Calm down Lilith, you get magical when you are angry." Tiranous said softly, almost too soft for her ears. She picked it up though, and fear shot through her like a knife through butter.

"What . . . what did you say?"

"How long have you been hiding it?" He turned around from setting his hammock up and laid a hand on his sword hilt. "How long have you been hunting those you should of been siding with?"

"How did you know?"

"When you get angry, your eyes change color. I have known ever since you came to know us, me and my brother, and never had the courage to tell him about it. Tell him he had slept with a witch for more than two years." He laughed a little. "I have pity on you, for you have no idea which side you are on. You have no hope with the hunters, if they ever knew, and you can not join the other for it disgusts you."

"Its not my fault. I was born like this I can't change it!"

"I know, and that is why I have to kill you." He drew his sword, his face becoming serious. "Someone who was so close to living in peace, and now has to die at the hand of her closest 'friend', or whatever you called me in your head. You didn't dare call me a friend did you?"

"I did . . . once."

"You foolish girl." He walked towards her, his eyes flashing in wicked pleasure at the sight of her fear. His blade was brought up, over her dark head as she sunk to her knees. There was no hope for her. He was right, which side was she on anyway? She couldn't be on either, and it was a shame, a rotten shame there was no in between.

He grunted as his blade was brought down hard, her eyes shutting tightly as to hope it would not be as painful as it sounded.

CLASH!

She jumped at the sound of steel against steel, ducking out of the way and flying across camp, hoping Tiranous' blade would not find her.

"I hear you are hunting a few of my friends." A dark voice said. There was a man challenging the Witch hunter, his sword under Tiranous' giant blade, which stopped it from splitting her head. He wasn't very tall, shorter than her, and his hair was dark. His eyes burned red like fire, flickering every now and than with each word he said. "A few of my kin."

Tiranous grunted again and brought his sword up, swinging it at the assassin, who ducked and danced out of the way. He was graceful, but Lilith knew he would not win, she had to join the fight.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend . . ."

She drew her sword and joined the battle. After all, she knew the fighting style of her partner, every weakness and flaw. She would prove very valuable in a fight with the man-beast, and she wanted to see what his head looked like splatted into the snow as well. Determination helped a little.

The former Witch Hunter and the strange assassin attacked Tiranous with full concentration and power, their strange magic tying together and forming a well balanced aura of defense as their swords whipped through the air, landing hard blows on the large blade of Tiranous.

Suddenly he broke away and flew across the camp, the sun starting to set out in the horizon. "I would love to stay and chat, but I have better things to do." He looked to the sky and made a strange, loud roar that echoed out into the sky.

"NO!" Lilith screamed, lunging at him as a riding dragon swooped out of no where and snatched him away.

"I will run my blade through your lying face, magic user!" Tiranous shouted down at his former partner. "I swear by the gods I will!" He disappeared then, into a blanket of gray clouds that covered a once clear sky of moon and stars.

"I hope it doesn't rain." The strange assassin said, staring up at the place Tiranous disappeared. "That would be terrible for my coat."

"You are worried about your coat!?" Lilith shouted. "Who the hell are you and why did you save me from that? I was about to die, fall away from this retched thing I call a life!"

"Your welcome. As long as you are alive, there is hope, that is what I live by anyway." He shrugged and started to walk into the woods. "You should of killed that riding dragon too, they are no good."

"Yeah, I see that now." She sighed and rubbed her face with her hand, putting her sword away. "Where are you going anyway?"

"I figured I would bring you to the camp I was just at. They have magic users there."

"But I don't . . . I . . . its hard to explain." She took her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I don't want to go join them, if they will even have me, and I want to at the same time."

"Sounds like you should. They are a tightly nit bunch, that I can tell anyway." He shrugged again, his hood hiding most of his face. "One looks like you as well."

"What?"

"His name is . . . Rey? Yes, Rey."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Rey . . . what?"

"I do not know. I will bring you to them." He repeated, still staring ahead and walking fast.

Lilith let out an annoyed breath of air into the cold forest and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Why are you doing this?" She searched his face, looking down at him as if he was a little sibling. It was strange, for she felt a kinship to him, even though they had just met.

"Because. Now lets go alright?" He walked past her, not meeting her gaze. She towered a good half foot over his head, and was a little demeaning to him.

"How old are you anyway?" Lilith asked frankly, staring ahead with a stern gaze, matching his gait with her own long strides.

"A hundred and twenty." He answered.

"You are practically a child."

"Thank you. More life to live."

Lilith snorted and laughed a little. She would enjoy his company.

Edowain walked through a rather humid part of the forest; a lagoon with deep mud puddles and wide trees that seemed to hide all manor of creatures in their trunks. She was trying her hardest to stay away from the quick sand but it was getting a little difficult when everything was either marsh or tree. She didn't want to touch either, but would have to choose soon.

Edowain tested the mud with one of her booted feet. Good thing they were water proof. With a sickening squish, it stopped two inches in, but not a bit more. She was glad for that, and put her other foot in as well, trying her hardest to walk quickly through it to the other side where dry ground lay.

Suddenly a hand wrapped around her foot. It had long, bony fingers and it was long, abnormally long, and snaking out of the mud. She held back a shriek as she tugged at it, eventually breaking free and falling into the swamp water, soaking her clothes.

In the middle of the mud, rose a tall, ragged looking woman. She was made of the mud, she could see, and her arms and legs looked too long and gangly for her torso. She gasped in realization, fear striking her heart.

It was a swamp hag.

Edowain scrambled to her feet and held her quarter staff shakily. She had to drive the fear away, put it into the back of her mind and figure out how to defeat this terrible creature. How was she not prepared for this anyway? She was in a swamp of all things, how did she not see this coming?

The hag gasped, the sound of mud sliding down her throat churning the monk womans stomach. She had no time to be disgusted though, and she pointed her make shift quarter staff at the thing, her footing not steady but enough that she could move alright. She only hoped she didn't fall in the water again.

She heard a noise behind her and jumped away, flying to the right of the swamp hag. Two others rose out of the mud and flopped around, as if struggling out of the swampy water. Edowain swallowed and her breath started to increase, fear now quite eminent in the front of her mind. She couldn't control it, and she knew she hadn't meditated in days, or trained for that matter. She wasn't ready! Mentally or physically!

"Oh, gods help me this time." She groaned as they came towards her, their hands out stretched.

I will never see Rentham again, I will never see any of them again. They don't even know I am alive I bet, and if that stupid witch lady hadn't stolen my crystal maybe I would be able to call him! Damn it! Damn all of it!

One of the hags leaned forward and brushed against her shoulder before she could move away. Her whole right arm went numb and lost some of its strength, making her cry out in fear as the other two started to close in.

Rentham!