The Beast Within

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Ceraun regained consciousness slowly, sensations registering gradually.

The hard ground underneath him, a rock up against his back, the smell of water and the cool breeze blown from the river up to the river bank.

He was quite disoriented at first, everything his senses were registering was quite familiar but he could still not recognize them.

He was parched, eyes fluttering weakly as he struggled to open them up but the light of day stung him and he kept them shut for a while more longer.

His entire body ached something fierce, his heart thrumming with a familiar pain… something was wrong...

"Oy! Feyrer, enough of your beauty sleep." Adrik called out to him in his usual fashion… wait! Adrik!!!

He sat up in a rush, his eyes flying open, he nearly passed out again from the blood rush to his head but that was not to deter him.

"Adrik?!"

"Calm yer boots." Adrik scolded in his usual cold way but Ceraun did not even mind.

"You're alive?" He exclaimed in disbelief, cupping a hand against his eyes so he could better see the other.

He had been propped under their favorite rock, slanted to provide a semblance of protection from the cruel sun.

Adrik sat a ways from him, staring quietly at the flowing river. "I can't die yet." He shrugged.

Purposefully, he left out the part where he had used his magic to catch the dagger in time but that equally gave him a deep cut on his palm.

It could have been worse but he used his magic to harden the skin of his palm, which knocked him out for a while.

Increasing his abilities like strength and speed were much easier to do but more complicated spells like changing the form of or manipulating a certain part of his body was still far beyond him.

Most Anatomy Magic Users never got around to using that because of how dangerous it was but it was not like he had much of a choice.

It was either use his magic or die.

"You killed the non-Mage soldier." He stated, his voice free of accusation or blame.

Ceraun pulled himself to sit upright, equally staring into the running river, broken memories of what had happened after Adrik went over with blood blooming sifting through his mind.

"It was either that or die, plus I thought he killed you."

Adrik shrugged. "He almost did." Was all he muttered.

This was the kind of life they were born into, kill or be killed.

They were at the very bottom of the power level even though they could easily be the most powerful, it was ironic really.

Adrik wanted to know how it all came to this, why would Mages bow down to a powerless race? When they could just as easily cut them to the ground.

"What did you do with the body?" He asked curiously.

Adrik shrugged again, dropping his head in his hands like they weighed a ton. "Weighed him down with rocks and dropped him in the river." He glanced at the fair haired Mage. "Also helped clean you up, it wouldn't kill you to be grateful." He said self importantly, although all he had done was dunk Ceraun in the water, hoping it would rouse the other.

Ceraun snorted. "Sure, that is indeed more harder than driving your arm through a person…"

Adrik's eyes went wide with consternation. "That was what you did?"

Ceraun froze briefly, glancing at the ground, immediately sheepish. "Yes, in my defense, I thought you were dead."

Adrik was stunned speechless for a few precious seconds. "You absolute moron." He reprimanded. "What have I told you about using up all of your energy at once? What if he had managed to survive or there were more?"

Ceraun scratched his head nervously, whenever Adrik went over his actions, he always made them out to be foolish, it was not something he could get used to.

Ceraun relaxed against the rocks with a weary sigh. "Do you think he was sent?"

Adrik fell quiet again, looking at the river once more. "Let us hope not or we would be spending tonight at a labor camp."

"I don't think he was." Ceraun continued, voice steady. "He looked like he wanted to kill us off quickly then go off on his way…" a cynical laugh fell from his throat. "Even though we have both done nothing to him and should be the offended ones…" he leaned forward, his head cradled in both hands and laughed harder, shoulders shaking.

"Ceraun…" Adrik called in worry.

When one thought too deeply about it, it was indeed a twisted dark world they lived in.

"Why?" The question fell painfully. "Because we have magic?"

Adrik got up, wandering over to the edge of the river, reaching down to deep a hand in the cool, clear liquid.

"I don't know."

He was going to find out…

Ceraun did not half care about the politics involved, if it could get this bad in the very Town they were imprisoned in, how many Mages were killed daily at the labor camps?

All he wanted was to save his kind, there was no one else willing to step up to be a hero, it was all up to him.

He did not even care for living in the lands of the non-Mages, the Lands of Nordin, they would leave, go somewhere else where they would not be faulted for simply wanting to live.

That would be just as hard as trying to overthrow the non-Mages in their own lands, they would not let the Mages go.

For the fear that they would go and amass an army to come defeat them in the future.

Gingerly, Ceraun got to his feet, trying out his legs to see if they still worked, his clothes were dry now if a little stiff from not being cleaned properly.

It was already mid afternoon, judging by the position of the sun, they would have to go soon.