Albion Grimm

Magic.

“Woops, that’s dangerous.” Douglas chuckled. The bullet should have hit him, but there he was, smiling down at us.

“I know I saw the bullet hit him.”

“Is it magic? How could he?” Red sounded just as shocked as I was

“Your guess is right. It’s called an illusion spell. Surprised? This one’s a freebie. Next time, you pay with your life!”

His voice filled with hate continued to ring in the air as he faided away. Red rushed towards the man —who was no longer moving— to check the extent of his injuries.

“These wounds…” Red wore a pained expression as he spoke.

I was kneeling by Red’s side, his back was covered in deep claw marks. The bleeding had slowed, his breathing was shallow.

“I’m going to stop the bleeding as best I can. After that, I’ll rush him to the clinic, Ayla, you find Hansel or the King and tell them what happened. There’s a chance we might run out of time. If only I knew how to use magic.”

“Magic.” I echoed Red; his words reminding me of something I read in one of the books. Magic existed in the World of Stories. I’d tried using magic to move things around, and had little success. If I do it right…

“Ayla?”

“I’m going to try using magic. I might be able to stop the bleeding.”

I did my best to stay out of Reds way as I held my palms out towards the man’s wounds. Concentration is the key to magic. It said that magic used for healing was especially difficult. But I did my best to concentrate. “Please let this work.” I muttered to myself. I sensed what felt like magic gather in the palms of my hands, but I couldn’t control it, so specks of light appeared only to fade away. If I only could somehow manage to focus, all I had to do was image the wound healing. Giving it everything I had, my magic shot into the man. I was overcome by exhaustion and found it hard to catch my breath. I found a wall and leaned against it as I tried to catch my breath.

“Thanks, Ayla. You saved him. He should be alright if I take him to the clinic now.”

Unable to find my voice, I could only nod.

“Red! Ayla! Are you two all right?”

Hansel and the soldiers came running into the alley, behind them walked Albion.

“Someone reported hearing screams from the alley. Red, I need a full brief. Hansel you and the soldiers take the man to the clinic.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Hansel and the soldiers carefully carried the man while Red stood before the King.

“When we arrived, we encountered the victim. Douglas Wolf, showed himself after I stopped Ayla from walking further in. He said his goal was to create havoc, and he disappeared using a spell of illusion. We put priority on treating the victim. His wounds were sever, but Ayla used healing magic to save him.”

“This is the first I’ve heard of that man using magic. And now her, a lot of strange things are happening. I appreciate the brief. Go take Ayla somewhere so she can rest. She looks exhausted.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I had Red wait until I was strong enough to make it to the hotel on my own. Hansel walked in a little later, he poured some tea while explaining what happened in town. I wasn’t surprised to learn that there were others who heard the victim scream aside from the person who notified soldiers. But the Kings quick, decisive orders served to limit the amount of confusion. As I sipped my tea, I gazed absentmindedly out the window. I turned around when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in. It’s open.”

Albion walked in, as if nothing had even happened. What is he here for? He looked directly into my eyes as he spoke, his voice clear.

“I’m here to offer my gratitude.” I tilted my head to the side, not sure what he meant. “For saving that man, a resident of my kingdom. I’m told that he’s on his way to recovery. Without you, he would have died. Thank you.” He faced me directly, his cheeks taking on the faintest shade of pink.

“I did what anyone else would do. It’s only natural to want to help when you see someone hurt, right? There’s no need for you to thank me.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you rescued a resident of my kingdom.”

“In that case, you’re welcome.” I looked away, my face warming.

“After you rest some more, I’ll send a carriage to return you to the castle. We can go shopping another time.”

“All right.” I was sure he meant that Red and Hansel would take me shopping another time, but I wanted to believe that he would take me himself.

When I returned to the familiarity of my room at the castle, I let out a long sigh. Just as the door was closing, I heard a knock.

“I thought I could catch up with you in the hallway, but it seems I just missed you.”

I gave a little laugh. “It’s alright Hansel. What can I do for you?”

He cleared his throat then dropped into an elaborate bow

“The esteemed King Grimm requests your presence over dinner. As a way to thank you for your assistance today. Can you be ready soon?”

“S-sure” Seeing that there was no way to refuse, I took a moment to freshen up.

“Wow. This doesn’t seem like your normal dining room.”

The walls were covered in large painting of different lands that I had never seen, only one wall was empty of painting, but full of windows that looked out to the garden. The soft glow of candles bounced around the room from the multiple chandeliers in the room. I was told it was going to be a dinner party, but there aren’t very many people in attendance. There was the king, Red and Hansel, including me that totalled four. With the King present, it felt much different from the dinner we shared while camping. Albion looked much more at ease than normal; a soft smile lingered on his face.

“There’s no need for you to be nervous. This dinner party is to show you my appreciation. I wouldn’t be much of a host if I made the guest of honour feel nervous now, would I Ayla? I simply want you to enjoy tonight’s meal.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your generosity.”

Albion nodded his head then clapped his hands, a few moments later the room was full of people placing food.