The Last Mage

Chapter 6: Unwanted Answers

Brielle stayed on her cot till the sun sank low. She then leaned out the window and watched the sun sparkle on the ruins of the Center so far away. She stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out the smooth stone. Its black surface flashed a moment purple then cleared to the brilliant white like before. It glowed in her palm as she watched the light lavender streaks play across its surface. It reminded her of the field and the peace she'd had there with the moon sparkling in her hair and not a care in the world. Soon the sparkling ruins disappeared and all she could see was its silhouette somehow clearer than it had ever been before.

She touched her cheek where she knew there'd be a bruise in the morning. Her head ached as she lied down on the cot and pulled the blanket around her. Not for the first time she wished her brother were here. Her father had never struck anyone when Jeffrey was here. Her parents had been happy. She'd been happy too. She'd had the ultimate friend in her brother. He had never let anything happen to her. She could tell him anything and he'd think it was cool. She fingered the odd shaped purplish grey stone and remembered when he'd given it to her. He'd found it in the field he'd been working and said it reminded him of her eyes. She had laughed and said her eyes weren't purple and he'd said anything was possible.

She felt a tear escape down her cheek. The last notice of him had been two years ago. He was now considered MIA. His body hadn't been found, not that she thought they had looked. No doubt he was killed and ever since her father had been hard. Brielle did everything she could to please him but she wasn't good at working around people like Jeffrey had been. Sometimes she fantasized that Jeffrey would come back and take their family away from here, over the seas to some remote place where no one had ever heard of war. Where demons didn't exist and children played instead of working their fingers to the bone. Now when she tried imagining such a place she saw tall leafy trees and a spacious field where horses ran and played in the moonlight.

A slight movement at the entrance made her tense. Her father had told her she wasn't to ever talk to Requel, Amber, or Eryn again. He said they were a bad influence on her. She had cried and begged and he had hit her harder than before and told her to stay on her cot till she learned respect and obedience. She hoped maybe her mother had come to comfort her but it wasn't her mother in the doorway. It was Nathan. She was glad to see him. She had to have some answers and she sat up beckoning him in. He looked up and down the hall then came in and crouched near the cot.

"Nathan, I have to know. Can I do magic? Could I change the way things are?" He smiled, his eyes glittering in the glow from the stone.

"Go to sleep, Brielle. You'll find answers there. I'll be here when you get back." With that he got up and walked out the door. She could barely make out his shadow leaning against the wall. She closed her eyes and tried to find sleep. Mist billowed through the window and she sat up in fear. The mist cleared and uncovered a small black pony. It nickered ever so softly and she saw Nathan shift in the hall. Brielle wondered if this was a dream and she looked down to the cot. She was still laying there breathing normally. A perfect mirror of herself. The little pony shook its mane as if asking her if she were coming.

She stroked its neck and it nuzzled her leg. Deciding she liked it she pulled herself onto its back and held on to its mane. It backed and turned about in her room then calmly walked to the window. Brielle had a small twinge of fear as the pony stepped through the window out into the night air. The mist surrounded them immediately and she clung to the pony for only a moment more then loosened up. Somehow this felt more real than the other night on the golden horse.

The little black pony gave a shrill neigh and started galloping. Brielle felt the wind whip her hair around her ears but even so she knew she wouldn't fall off. The mist parted just enough she could see where they were headed. There was a grove of trees and a fire was burning just inside them. The mist opened up and she grabbed for the mane a second later as the horse suddenly touched ground, her gait much less smooth. It walked on toward the fire and the person sitting by it.