master is still staring at me.
“ If you dare try to bewitch
my apprentice again,” he growls, “I will bring you such torment,
you’ll beg for death.”
His words impale me as powerfully as
his spell did, and I shake so much that not even tensing my jaw can
keep my teeth from clattering. When I was under that curse, I would
have done anything to make it stop. The thought of facing pain like
that again – or something worse – makes tears of terror spill from
my eyes.
Then anger jolts me as I
realize what he’s accusing me of. I never asked Darien for anything
– how could the master blame me for the actions of another? How could he punish
me for a crime I didn’t commit? My heart cries out at the
injustice, and, forgetting my own weakness, I stand and face
him.
“ I haven’t done anything!”
I shout.
He curls his lip with disgust, as if
my words are the foulest lies he’s ever heard. “You and your kind
are a plague upon humanity! You brought disaster to man in the
past, and I won’t let you do it again here.”
“ What did I do?” I stride
up to the window. My legs quiver, and my head whirls, but I ignore
them. “If I’m some kind of monster, then tell me !”
But instead of answering, the Sorci
master breaks his gaze and stalks away.
“ Stop!” Though I know he’ll
ignore my words as he did before, I have to say them. I have to
try. “You can’t just lock me up without a reason! Tell me why
you’ve trapped me here! Tell me what you
want from me! ”
The Sorci master continues toward the
staircase, and suddenly my anger turns to desperation. I have to
know what’s going on here, or I might go mad with the wondering. I
grab the bar in the window and pull myself forward until the jagged
edge digs into my collarbones.
“ Just tell me
something! Anything! ” My voice feels hoarse from all my screaming, but I might as
well be mouthing nothingness for all the reaction the magician
gives me. “Tell me who I am! Tell me my name!” My chest heaves with
involuntary sobs, and though I inhale deeply to keep them at bay, I
can’t stop them from rising. “ Just tell me
my name! ”
“ Enough!” His voice
explodes through the dungeon, and he abruptly spins to face me,
then marches toward the cell with his fist raised.
Terror courses through me, but I
remain where I am and clench my jaw in an attempt to suppress my
sobs. “Please–”
“ Silence!” He cuts me off
with his great shout, and a hot gust of air slams against me,
throwing me back.
My head bangs against the wall, and
the world goes black.
Soft green grass
covers the ground, cool against my toes.
The air is so warm, I can taste the freshness of spring on the
breeze. There is joy here. And serenity. I don’t know where I am,
but right now, it doesn’t matter. All I know is that this is a
place where I’m safe. In fact, it might be my favorite place in the
world. Inhaling deeply, I take a second to savor the feeling of
contentment that surrounds me.
Having allowed myself a
moment, I bring my focus back to my surroundings, to see where I
actually am.
I find myself standing in
a small grove. The twisting branches and billowing leaves of tall
trees nearly block the blue sky. But these are no ordinary trees.
The branches of each one reach toward those of another,
intertwining like they’re holding hands. At first I think the limbs
must be very thick, but as I look closer, I notice that what I took
to be heavy branches are actually several small ones, each about
the width of my finger, weaving together into intricate braids of
brown and gray.
Sitting atop them is an
array of hardcover books, with gilt lettering down their spines.
That’s odd – why are there books sitting outside instead of in a
library where they belong? And they don’t look like they’ve been
left out by accident, since there are so many of them neatly lined
up.
I tilt my head and try to
read the titles, but the letters blur and jumble before
“ If you dare try to bewitch
my apprentice again,” he growls, “I will bring you such torment,
you’ll beg for death.”
His words impale me as powerfully as
his spell did, and I shake so much that not even tensing my jaw can
keep my teeth from clattering. When I was under that curse, I would
have done anything to make it stop. The thought of facing pain like
that again – or something worse – makes tears of terror spill from
my eyes.
Then anger jolts me as I
realize what he’s accusing me of. I never asked Darien for anything
– how could the master blame me for the actions of another? How could he punish
me for a crime I didn’t commit? My heart cries out at the
injustice, and, forgetting my own weakness, I stand and face
him.
“ I haven’t done anything!”
I shout.
He curls his lip with disgust, as if
my words are the foulest lies he’s ever heard. “You and your kind
are a plague upon humanity! You brought disaster to man in the
past, and I won’t let you do it again here.”
“ What did I do?” I stride
up to the window. My legs quiver, and my head whirls, but I ignore
them. “If I’m some kind of monster, then tell me !”
But instead of answering, the Sorci
master breaks his gaze and stalks away.
“ Stop!” Though I know he’ll
ignore my words as he did before, I have to say them. I have to
try. “You can’t just lock me up without a reason! Tell me why
you’ve trapped me here! Tell me what you
want from me! ”
The Sorci master continues toward the
staircase, and suddenly my anger turns to desperation. I have to
know what’s going on here, or I might go mad with the wondering. I
grab the bar in the window and pull myself forward until the jagged
edge digs into my collarbones.
“ Just tell me
something! Anything! ” My voice feels hoarse from all my screaming, but I might as
well be mouthing nothingness for all the reaction the magician
gives me. “Tell me who I am! Tell me my name!” My chest heaves with
involuntary sobs, and though I inhale deeply to keep them at bay, I
can’t stop them from rising. “ Just tell me
my name! ”
“ Enough!” His voice
explodes through the dungeon, and he abruptly spins to face me,
then marches toward the cell with his fist raised.
Terror courses through me, but I
remain where I am and clench my jaw in an attempt to suppress my
sobs. “Please–”
“ Silence!” He cuts me off
with his great shout, and a hot gust of air slams against me,
throwing me back.
My head bangs against the wall, and
the world goes black.
Soft green grass
covers the ground, cool against my toes.
The air is so warm, I can taste the freshness of spring on the
breeze. There is joy here. And serenity. I don’t know where I am,
but right now, it doesn’t matter. All I know is that this is a
place where I’m safe. In fact, it might be my favorite place in the
world. Inhaling deeply, I take a second to savor the feeling of
contentment that surrounds me.
Having allowed myself a
moment, I bring my focus back to my surroundings, to see where I
actually am.
I find myself standing in
a small grove. The twisting branches and billowing leaves of tall
trees nearly block the blue sky. But these are no ordinary trees.
The branches of each one reach toward those of another,
intertwining like they’re holding hands. At first I think the limbs
must be very thick, but as I look closer, I notice that what I took
to be heavy branches are actually several small ones, each about
the width of my finger, weaving together into intricate braids of
brown and gray.
Sitting atop them is an
array of hardcover books, with gilt lettering down their spines.
That’s odd – why are there books sitting outside instead of in a
library where they belong? And they don’t look like they’ve been
left out by accident, since there are so many of them neatly lined
up.
I tilt my head and try to
read the titles, but the letters blur and jumble before
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