A Slave to Magic (6 page)

R
acing across
the campus as fast as her paws could carry her, Nera barely took notice of the
students in her path. She pushed them aside without remorse as she hurried to
warn her friend. If she couldn’t get him to safety before Mistress Tress sent
the guards, they would both face severe punishment—and Kwil might lose his
life.

Charging up the
steps to her dormitory, she shoved open the door and stepped inside. Kwil
hopped from his seat, a look of surprise on his face. Struggling to catch her
breath, Nera crossed the room and took the book from his hands, tossing it on
the bed.

“We have to go
now!” she warned, still out of breath.

“What’s happened?”
he asked.

“I made a terrible
mistake,” she replied, turning her back to him. Grabbing at the bags in her
closet, she flung them out onto the floor and began shoving clothes inside one.
“Bring whatever you need, but not too much.”

“I don’t think
that’ll be a problem,” Kwil remarked, still uncertain what had occurred. He
grabbed a bag and placed the clothes Nera had gifted him inside. Rolling up two
blankets, he secured them to the bags before asking, “Can you tell me what
happened?”

Nera paused
momentarily. “I’m an idiot,” she stated. “I told one of my teachers about you.
I thought she was open-minded and would agree to help you learn.” Shaking her
head, she said, “She’s just like all the others, and I put your life in danger
by speaking to her.” Rushing to Kwil, she took his hands in hers. “Can you ever
forgive me? I’ve ruined everything.” She hung her head, staring at the floor.

Kwil swallowed
hard, realizing the idyllic life he had enjoyed here at the College was at an
end. His secret was out, and now if he didn’t leave, he would be put to death.
Looking at Nera, he wondered what had prompted her to make such a decision. He
had asked her not to speak of him to anyone, fearing that this exact scenario
might occur. With a sigh, he said, “I understand why you did it, Nera. You
wanted to help me.” Reaching out, he hugged his friend close to his heart. How
could he be mad at her? She had already risked so much for him, and she’d given
him opportunities he never dreamed possible. He had already learned more over
the past few weeks than in his entire lifetime.

Nera sobbed against
his shoulder, grateful for her friend’s forgiveness. “I’m so sorry,” she
repeated.

“There’s no need to
be,” Kwil responded. “You’ve given me so much already.”

Wiping away her
tears, Nera said, “We’d better finish packing.” She turned her attention to her
lute, tucking it away neatly in its case.

“You could probably
talk your way out of this,” Kwil said. “I have to leave, but you could stay.”

Nera looked up,
wrinkling her brow. “Haven’t you been listening all this time? I don’t want to
be a master wizard. I don’t need this school.”

“But your family,”
Kwil argued. “They’ll be angry if you run away. You might never see them
again.”

Straightening her
bag onto her back, Nera replied, “You’re my family now, Kwil. My parents wanted
an obedient child to bring them renown among their friends. That isn’t me.”
Inside, she realized this meant she would never meet the kit her mother was
carrying. The poor child would have to endure the same upbringing she had—one
where she wasn’t free to pursue her dreams. “My only regret will be not meeting
my little brother or sister,” she said. “But anything’s possible, right?”
Picturing the toddling little kit brought a smile to Nera’s face.

Kwil nodded slowly,
looking into his friend’s eyes. How easily she would give up her comfortable
life to join him in his exile. Each day she proved herself more and more his
friend. “If you’re sure,” he said.

“Of course I am,”
she replied. With a smile, she added, “Do you think you could survive out in
the wilderness without me?”

Kwil didn’t know, and
Nera had few skills for surviving in the wild either, thanks to her life as a noblewoman.
Not once had she slept anywhere other than in luxury. Still, her determination
was something to be admired, and Kwil knew he was better off with her at his
side. “Let’s get going then,” he said.

“All right,” she
replied, “but you can’t take all those books. Choose two that you haven’t
already read.”

“I’ve read them
all,” he admitted.

“Then leave them,”
she said. “We’ll find new ones. The destination I have in mind should be full
of them.”

Leaving the
majority of her possessions behind, Nera led the way as the pair descended the
steps and walked out onto the campus. “That’s the shortest way to the road,”
she said, pointing to the east.

With a nod, Kwil
continued to follow her lead. They passed the lake unnoticed, but when they
decided to take a shortcut through some garden beds, the campus guards took
notice. One of them shouted at Nera, prompting her to run.

“Run!” she shouted
to Kwil. Tress could have already alerted the guards about her and Kwil, and
she wasn’t about to take any chances.

Kwil dashed along
beside her, the guards giving chase for only a few yards before giving up.
Trampling a garden bed wasn’t too serious of an offense. Apparently Nera’s
teacher had kept her word to give her time to turn in Kwil herself. At least
she wasn’t a liar on top of being a bigot.

The pair made it
safely to the road before stopping to look back.

“It isn’t too late to change your mind,” Kwil
said.

Nera’s shoulders dropped as she looked at her
friend. “I told you I’m coming with you,” she said. “If anyone saw a human
running around loose, they’d assume you were a runaway slave. Who knows what
they’d do to you?”

Seeing the logic in her argument, Kwil did not
protest. He was happy for her company, but he felt bad that she would have to
live a life of exile. Looking across the road, he peered into the woods. “Where
do we go from here?” he asked. “I don’t think those woods look too inviting.”

“No, they don’t,” Nera replied. “We’ll have to
follow this road. It’s only about twenty miles or so to the next town. Just
past it lives a man who might be able to help us.”

“Who?” Kwil wondered. “Can he be trusted?” After
being forced to flee the College, he wasn’t eager to trust any Gatan other than
Nera.

Motioning for Kwil to follow, Nera began the long
journey down the road. “He’s something of an outcast,” she explained. “Master
Rili is his name, and he came from a poor upbringing. He had to prove himself
to study magic.” Pausing in her march, she placed a hand on Kwil’s shoulder.
“That makes him a kindred spirit.”

“Our situations aren’t exactly the same,” he
pointed out. “How do you know we can trust him?”

Continuing her march, she replied, “There are
rumors he’s part of a movement to end slavery in Gi’gata.”

“But that’s only a rumor,” Kwil said, growing
anxious. “How can you be sure?”

“I can’t,” Nera admitted. “But we have to try
something. Our options are limited, and I think this is the best one.” Her
confident demeanor belied no trace of the doubt in her mind. How would Master
Rili react to a slave seeking shelter? Nera couldn’t say. All she knew was that
Rili lived apart from others for a reason. He was a misfit, and those kind of
people tended to stick together. Besides, if trouble reared its ugly head
again, she was sure the two of them could outrun it. No city guards would
patrol Rili’s area, and it would take hours for him to fetch them. By then the
pair would be gone, searching for a safe place to hide. Unfortunately, if Rili
was not obliging, Nera had no idea where to turn next. That information she
kept to herself.

As they moved along the dirt road, the clouds
gathered overhead. A gentle mist soon gave way to a downpour, forcing the two
to take cover beneath the trees.

“This is all we needed,” Nera remarked.

“At least it will keep anyone from following us,”
Kwil said, looking on the bright side.

“I suppose so,” she replied, pulling her cloak
from her bag. Fastening the clasp around her neck, she pulled the hood over her
head. “You should wear that cloak I gave you.”

Kwil had forgotten he owned the garment. Rummaging
in his bag, he pulled out the woolen cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders.
The hood proved a fine barrier against the rain, which slowed after half an
hour. The two took to their feet once more, their shoes sticking slightly in
the mud as they walked.

A light drizzle continued to plague them, so they
kept their hoods up for the next several miles. Only a few wagons crossed their
paths, none of them stopping to inquire if the two would like a ride. Merchants
were always wary of travelers who might steal their goods, and nobles in their
carriages would offer no assistance to those who traveled by foot.

Trudging along on the muddy road, the two chatted
to fill the silence. Nera spoke mostly of her music and the songs she intended
to learn. Kwil listened intently, all the while trying to put the day’s events
behind him. He could not focus long enough to talk about magic. He was grateful
to his companion for filling the gaps in their conversation.

Eventually the sun moved low in the sky and the
rain relented, giving way to a cloudy, orange sky. With the ground too wet to
camp for the night, the pair agreed to continue walking until morning, or until
their aching feet forced them to stop.

As the sun disappeared from the horizon, Nera
paused, throwing a hand in front of Kwil. Staring into the distance, she
narrowed her pale green eyes.

“What is it?” Kwil asked. He did not share the
Gatan’s innate ability to see in low-light conditions.

“I saw figures moving among the trees,” she said.

“Animals?” Kwil wondered. He had no idea what sort
of wild creatures might dwell in the woods, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to
find out. If they were dangerous, he had no way of protecting himself or his
friend. He had never held a weapon, and none of the spells he had studied were
intended for fighting.

Nera shook her head. “They were Gatans,” she
replied. “They moved from the road to the trees. I don’t see them now, but I
don’t think they went far.” Every hair on her neck stood up as she tried to
steady her breathing. Whoever these people were, her gut told her they were not
friendly.

Straining to see, Kwil couldn’t make out anything
except blobs that were probably trees. With the moon hidden behind the clouds,
he could not rely on his vision. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, he focused
his mind to the path ahead. Finding it clear, he attempted to move his thoughts
toward the trees, but he could not hold the spell. “I don’t see anything on the
road,” he said, slightly defeated.

“They’re there,” Nera replied. “I can’t see them
anymore, but I can hear them whispering. They’re watching the road. I don’t
think it’s safe to go on.”

“What do we do?” Kwil asked. Going into the forest
at night was dangerous. He preferred to stay close to the road.

“I’m not sure,” Nera said, looking toward the
trees on the opposite side of the road from the men. She didn’t want to be in
the woods any more than her companion did, but they had limited options. With a
sigh, she said, “We don’t have much choice.”

“We could stay here awhile,” he suggested.

Nera didn’t like that suggestion either. Time was
not on their side. They needed to make it to Rili’s house before anyone could
figure out where they were going. The snap of a twig caught her attention, her
ears turning themselves toward the noise. From the darkness, a firm hand
grasped her shoulder, and she tumbled to the ground.

“Nera!” Kwil cried, taking a step forward. The
rough grip of a stranger, his fingers clasped against Kwil’s cloak, held him in
place.

Three men surrounded the pair, all of them dressed
in black, their catlike eyes gleaming in the darkness. “You two are up past
your bedtime,” one of them said, laughing. Flashing his yellowed fangs, he
added, “I’ll be relieving you of your money and jewelry.”

Nera rose to her knees and said, “We don’t have
any money.” The statement was only partly true. She had brought enough to
purchase food and necessities, but she didn’t have any to spare.

“A woman who dresses her slave in such a fine
cloak has far more money than sense,” the brigand replied, gripping the back of
Kwil’s neck. “Hand it over, and no one gets hurt.”

“I don’t know about that, Boss,” one of the
shadowy figures said. “I’d like to have a go at that girl. She’s a sweet one.”
Audibly licking his lips, the Gatan focused his gaze on Nera.

Kwil, who had stood frozen throughout the
encounter, knew he had to do something. Though a slave would be executed for
attacking a Gatan, he had to protect his friend. Reaching deep into his magical
stores, he summoned a fire in his belly. The heat rose through his body,
seeping through his skin. The thug’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he felt
the heat against his hand. Smoke arose between the two, his companions staring
in disbelief.

Nera took advantage of the distraction and grabbed
a hefty branch from the ground. Swinging it with all her might, she connected
with the nearest brigand’s skull. He dropped to the ground unconscious.
Swinging at the second man, she slammed the branch into his midsection, and he
doubled over, clutching at his ribs.

The third bandit grabbed for Nera, knocking her to
the ground and wrestling the branch from her hands. Kwil took a deep breath and
focused his mind to the flames inside. Though he did not know the proper spell
for such magic, he willed the heat to obey him. It flew from his fingertips,
lighting the brigand’s fur ablaze. The man thrashed on the ground, desperately
trying to extinguish the flames.