A Knight's Purpose (Book 1) ✔️

Chapter 36 - Albian

While I know that to them it seems I've simply disappeared, to me, Fiore's magic has scooped me up and shot me along the tether I'd tied to an island hidden far off the English coast. Her magic brushes against me like the softest of petals and I find myself feeling like I'm on a long slide down a never ending hill. Until I slam into an invisible wall, that is.

The magic of the strongest ward in the world stops my slide short. I feel a bit like a pancake as I groan against it. Fiore's magic scrabbles against the smooth surface trying to dig through to follow the anchor I set inside but can't penetrate or get a hold. Just as the magic starts to deflect and I feel Fiore's magic turn as though to send me tumbling down the hill once more, no doubt to fling me off to some random destination, I dig deep and lash out with my own magic to dig into the ward.

The ward gives a shudder and a boom shakes my body as a small crack appears before me. Fiore's magic pauses and goes back to digging into the ward as a weakness appears. I know Fiore must be close to zeroed out on her magic by now, so time is against me.

Reaching out to the jagged edges of the ward, I scrape my hand hard enough to draw blood. The crack gapes wider and the transportation magic burst through, sending me tumbling again. Knowing how dangerous it is to leave the ward open, I wrench my head up to look above me. Reaching an arm out I throw my will at it. Pushing in a way I haven't in near a thousand years, I send a pulse to the ward and seal it.

Unfortunately, that severs the link Fiore had to this realm. Which means her spell is gone, leaving me materialized, hanging in the air for a moment at the last point I had reached. One hundred feet above the ground.

"Shit."

Instead of tumbling, now I'm falling. And because I haven't shifted in eight and a half years I can't get  my wings out in time to stop my fall. So, I tilt my body and manage to fall at an angle before spinning at the last second to put my feet down to plunge straight into the ocean at the edge of the island.

My entire body shudders and aches as I resurface. Salt water burns my eyes and lungs causing me to cough as I wade from the ocean onto the white sand of the beach. Breathing heavily, I collapse to catch my breath. The water before me is timeless. It has been licking at this sand since the earth was formed. Beyond the water a light haze fuzzes into the clear blue morning sky and obscures everything beyond; the ward protecting its contents.

I could sit here, surrounded by peace, and wait until the end of the earth. That thought shakes me, because that could definitely be sooner than I'd like. Rising, I dust off my pants as best as I can and jog up the beach which turns quickly to pebbles and then a rolling grassy field.

Luckily, this is a small island, small enough I can see the other side. But, in the center is a small stone castle covered in ivy. Though I'm not winded, by the time I reach the tall wooden door my palms are sweating. There's a loud creak as the hinges protest, causing me to jump. However, the warmth of the flame that still calls burns and wraps itself around me in a soothing wave.

Taking a deep breath, I heave and open the door only enough to squeeze through. The tiles are covered in a thick layer of dust, but they remain perfectly flat, undisturbed by roots or uneven earth. Polished slate that tapped loudly with each step when I last left gives me a silent approach as I walk through the entryway and shove open the oak double doors to what in a normal castle would be the ballroom. These are rotten through, unlike the front door and splinter rather than flying open.

Inside, the tile is untouched by dust but the reason is clear from the wreckage. The roof has collapsed, letting in the elements and the wind. Luckily, due to the ward's construction, no real rain fell on top of the castle itself so it was spared the water damage. Unluckily, the roof collapse had spread debris directly on top of the reason I was here.