Forbidden Magic

Chapter 10

Myam burst through the doors of the barracks, causing the guards that were sitting along the wooden tables to go silent and turn to stare at him. They looked to be in the middle of breakfast, but Myam did not care. He needed to know now if he was wasting his time on the girl.

“Where is Commander Easton?” the mage demanded of the congregation, standing to his full height with his chin slightly elevated.

“Right here,” Easton spoke up as he waved from the end of one of the tables.

“Might I have a word?” Myam gestured towards the door, indicating he did not want to have this conversation in front of everyone. Easton replied with a nod before excusing himself from the men he had been talking to, then walked out the door with Myam.

“How could you bring a person to Lord Dumont and me, claiming her as a magic wielder when she is not?” Myam snapped at the Commander as soon as the doors were closed behind them.

“What are you going on about, Myam?” Easton gave the mage a confused look, but also slightly angered at the accusation against him. But knew better than to punch Myam in the face like he wanted to.

“The girl from yesterday. She does not know if she can use magic. Are you certain that you brought in the right person?”

“I am,” Easton answered with a confident tone. Having been around Myam, he knew the mage was also questioning his competence.

“How so?” Myam pressed further when Easton did not begin explaining.

“I saw it with my own eyes.”

Myam shot a narrowed glare at the Commander, growing annoyed with his simple answers. Then he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing he should not lose his temper with the head of the guard. Once again he pried for more information, this time through clenched teeth “Please, Commander, explain to me what happened.”

“When she was caught, her father tried to intervene. He was struck down by one of my men. She easily pushed away six guards without lifting a finger, then used an invisible force to lift the one that hit her father off the ground by his throat. All the while, her eyes glowed white.” Easton glowered. “Is that proof enough?”

Myam dropped his exasperated facade, “Did you say white eyes?”

“Yes,” Easton answered, drawing out the word as if waiting for Myam to challenge his story.

“Thank you, Easton, I’ll let you get back to your men.” the mage’s voice was a little softer than what Easton had been expecting, but without another word, Myam made his way back to the castle. Easton shook his head and returned to the barracks.

Once inside, Myam walked the halls lost in thought. Glowing white eyes were a rarity amongst mages. It was something that only appeared in those who were completely in tune with their powers. How someone who was not even sure how to use magic could manage such a feat was beyond Myam’s comprehension, at least for now. He could study more on it when his pupils left for the day. He also decided that he needed to see it for himself. But how? Easton’s story about how the girl used her magic to avenge or aid her father gave him an idea. A wicked smile curled his features as he focused on his direction.

***

Back in Myam’s study, Prudence stared at the open book before her. It was hard to force herself to read, she learned faster and easier by being hands-on. When her mother taught her to bake bread, Minnie had Prudence work each instruction step by step by herself while supervising. When she wanted to learn how to polish wheels, Owen gave her a quick verbal overview, before turning her loose with a rag and the linseed oil. Prudence squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed them as she let out a bored groan.

“A good mage is a studious mage,” Galen spoke from his work table, a priggish smirk on his face. “You have no right to be here.”

Prudence glared over her shoulder at him. ‘Arrogant little twit! You have no idea what real magic is!’ a voice in her head wished to snap out at him. This shocked her. She was always level-headed and refused to be affected by the teasing of others. Allowing others to see how much they hurt you, let them know they won.

Myam walked through the door, causing both students to turn to look at him. His black eyes glanced at Galen, then fell upon Prudence. In swift and fluid motions he spun around, his cloak whirling with his movement, then threw both arms out toward her. Prudence’s eyes snapped open wide as she was forcefully lifted from her chair and thrown back first into the book-lined wall. Pain shot up her spine from where it connected with the bookshelves. She slid from the wall, her legs crumpled underneath her as she slumped to the floor with a pained groan. She could feel the coolness of the stone of the floor pressed against her cheek as she lay face down. Her heart raced, knocking against her ribs as if threatening to burst forth. Galen looked between his master and Prudence, almost horrified at what had just happened.

“Show me what you’ve got!” Myam growled at her, and he motioned his hands in a horizontal manner. It felt like hands had grabbed her and slung her sideways, causing her to slide across the floor and crash into the legs of one of the work tables. A squeak of pain escaped Prudence as she slammed against the wall. Then she quickly shielded her head with her arms, protecting her face from objects as they began to rain down on her.

“Come on!” Myam roared, and he raised a hand. Prudence could feel her airway closing as she was lifted from the floor. Fear contorted her face as her hands reached to her neck, trying to rid herself of the invisible force around her throat. Her legs kicked about as she attempted to find the floor, but she was a few feet above it.

She tried hard to pull air in as her eyes bore into Myam’s silently pleading with him to stop, but he showed no remorse for his actions. Then she glanced at Galen, who was still glued to the spot by his work table. His gaze fixated on her, but he seemed frozen by fear. Prudence tried one more time to breathe in a gulp of air, then everything went dark.