Forbidden Magic

Chapter 17

Time seemed to slow as her life flashed before her eyes. The ground slowly crawled toward her, as the wind whistled past her ears, pushing her hair straight up behind her. This was not what she expected when she jumped from the window. Prudence anticipated that everything would happen so fast that she would not have time to think. She took a deep breath, and at that moment she felt her heartbeat slow to an even cadence. Prudence focused on that. Instead of picking a book, or another inanimate object to move, she concentrated on her own body. She felt the tingling sensation of her power coursing through her limbs.

As Prudence was rapidly descending toward the ground, her sudden plunge was abruptly halted just a few feet above the surface. Her body was pulled back, and she gracefully landed on the ground, as if she were stepping off a flight of stairs. Prudence let out a breathy laugh, hardly believing it worked. However, her moment of celebration was short-lived as she heard the guards shouting at her from the window above. The commotion quickly had candles lit up in multiple rooms, as the inhabitants woke up to see what was happening. Her eyes darted from window to window as one by one they began to glow with a warm orange color. Then her gaze met Myam's as he leaned out of his window and glared down at her.

Prudence spun around with urgency; her gaze fixed on the ominous barrier looming ahead of her. She lifted the hem of her skirt and charged towards the towering stone wall that encircled the fortress. The whistling sound of arrows pierced through the air, some narrowly missing her and hitting the ground with a thud. She let out a startled cry, but quickly regained her composure and summoned her defensive shield to protect herself from any further attacks. Despite the danger, she pressed on, fueled by the hope that she could use her newfound ability to scale over the barrier and find safety beyond.

Prudence looked over her shoulder to check if anyone was following her. She felt relieved when she saw that no one was there. However, as she turned her head back, she collided with something hard. With a loud grunt, Prudence lost her balance and fell hard on the ground. She was surprised to see Myam standing over her when she looked up.

"Wha-how?" Prudence asked breathlessly, shocked that he seemed to appear out of nowhere. But she quickly recuperated from her stupefaction and scampered on all fours to get away from him. He abruptly pulled her up by the hair, causing Prudence to yelp and instinctively reach back to relieve the pain on her scalp. But Myam's grip was firm.

"I knew teaching you too much was going to cause us trouble," he growled into her ear as he used his free hand to twist one of her arms behind her.

She attempted to wiggle out of his grasp, but that only caused him to twist her arm further. Prudence let out a pained gasp, and then a sob. She had been so close. She looked out the corner of her eyes at the wall that was about thirty feet away. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her heart contorted, causing an ache in her chest.

Myam hurriedly guided Prudence back to her room, walking at a pace that almost caused her to lose her balance. He tugged her harshly every time she stumbled over her own feet. When they arrived at the room, he forcefully pushed her inside, let go of her hair and arm, and followed her in. Prudence rubbed her shoulder, trying to soothe the pain caused by Myam's rough treatment. The door slammed shut on its own as Myam walked towards the window and forcefully shut it. He turned to look at Prudence, his fury palpable.

Prudence backed away from the mage and toward the door. She quickly whirled around and attempted to pull the wooden barrier open. But it refused to budge, she stepped back and looked at Myam.

"I'll make sure that you cannot leave this room." Myam snarled at her. He turned to the wall of the room and began chanting in a language she had not heard before. Then he touched the stone, and a blue light expanded away from his hand, traveling swiftly along the surface of each wall before fading. He turned from the wall and walked to the door. Prudence backed away from him.

"Now, good night. We have a long day tomorrow." The mage snapped at her. He yanked the door open, stepped out, and slammed it closed behind him.

Prudence rushed to the window. She reached up to grab the panels, but as she did, a small bolt of blue lighting leaped from the wall and struck her. She was thrown back into the frame of the bed and sank to the floor. Angry tears filled her eyes as she screamed in frustration at the wall and the hex Myam had placed upon it.

"Damn it!" Prudence roared into the emptiness of the chamber and broke down into sobs again. She curled her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly, burrowing her face against them.

"I'm sorry Papa. I'm sorry Momma. I'm sorry Peter. I was not strong enough to get away." she cried against the fabric of her skirt. "I love you, and now I'm scared I'll never get to see you again. I'm scared of what kind of life is waiting for me in Safronstad." She let all the rage, sorrow, and fear roll through her body. It was too painful to hold it any longer.

Prudence was not sure when she had fallen asleep, but she was awoken by her door opening. She tried to sit up swiftly, but her body was stiff from sleeping on the floor. Prudence groaned at the tightness of her muscles but did not have time to stretch them out as she was roughly lifted from the floor by two guards. Her head was still groggy as she tried to figure out what was going on. Myam appeared to be canceling the spell he had placed on her walls last night.

"She'll need to be bound when not in my presence," Myam instructed the men who held her arms. "Take her down to the caravan and place her in my carriage."