Marilleth turned back toward the town of Fuulen.

  Once again teary-eyed, she exclaimed “I’ll... be back someday. Everyone, please stay safe. May the gods watch over you with a steady hand.”

  She adjusted her moderately filled pack, a bundled bedroll tied to the bottom of it. Marie’s plight rang through me as well, though I knew we had no time to waste.

  “Let’s get going. Leonn. I’m ready.”

  The forests were beginning to freeze, as the sun stopped providing its essential warmth. Suddenly, barking echoed from behind us. I turned to Marie, whom I was expecting to be shaking from the sound. She did not.

  “Those are hunting dogs.”

  We continued, wary of what company we should expect. We stepped over logs, shrubs, and tangled forestry. Our eyes snapped to everything that moved. A chipmunk gnawed away at a nut on a nearby tree, but it bolted off as soon we locked eyes. Perhaps it knew something that I did not.

  The barking continued in the distance, closer than before. Marie turned to look at it as she kept walking, soon after stumbling over a log with a thud. “Owww.. gods that hurt.”

  The echoing sound of the hunting dogs became louder as they closed in on us. Marie rushed to her feet, arming herself with bow and arrow. As they emerged from a nearby shrub, my glare moved to meet them.

  The dog braced itself, like it had found something much larger than a person. A staring contest ensued. I was poised to strike, and it was poised to flee.

  “Leonn what...”

  “I have no idea.”

  The soldiers arrived soon after. “There they are! Kill the boy, take the girl alive. You lot know your orders by now!”

  A scouting party of lightly armored foot soldiers, clad in nothing stronger than chain mail, closed in on us from the north. The beast once again raged to life on its own whim, covering my arms in claw-shaped flames. Finally, something worthy.

  As those words echoed in my mind, the hunting dog whimpered, scampering off with its tail between its legs. One of the footmen broke formation to go after the mutt. The first charged at Marilleth with a mace, who sent a cork-bulb arrow flying toward him. The impact rang out through his cry of pain

  “Gods! Damn it all! My rib!” Marie barely had the time to knock another arrow before the soldiers moved in. A blast of fire erupted in a wide cone from my body, singeing the skin of our pursuers. I tried to reign in my magic, but it rejected me once again.

  Why couldn’t I control it?

  “Stop it now!” I shouted to the scrawl on my arms. The fire paused for a moment, before reluctantly retreating. The foot soldier with a mace looked up at me from where he had been reeling. “But how...? I thought you incapable of magic?” I let out a smirk. Eligor’s training was paying off in this moment. I get to let loose against servants of the old house.

  Another soldier suddenly appeared from behind me, striking me square on my shoulder with a mace. My feet found themselves steady, and my body did not react to the impact. I turned my gaze over my shoulder as the culprit fell on his backside, scurrying away as the leaves slipped from under him.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “How could you possibly... I struck you dead on!”

  Marie barked from behind me, “Damn it, Leonn! I thought you made sure the villagers saw us go northeast!”

  I glanced back at her, before receiving the slightest wink. Oh, how crafty.

  “I told you that I was sure! These damn soldiers are too smart for us! We fake north and they see right through it.”

  She grinned in response. “Quick, while they’re reeling from the pain, lets get outta here.”

  We sprinted off into the distance, leaving the half-roasted soldiers alive.

  “Nice thinking, Marie!” I announced soon after leaving earshot.

  “I knew you didn’t have it in you to kill them. To be honest neither did I. We’re both too kind for our own good sometimes.” She explained in response, slowing her pace to a light jog.

  “There’s no way that scouting party makes it to Fuulen soon.”

  I matched her pace with a challenge. “Oh, can’t keep up?”

  “Are you trying to tell me you could? After you took such a harsh blow?”

  The reminder sent pain throughout my shoulder. “Agh... now that you mention it... maybe we should walk for a bit.”

  Eventually, we had been moving for so long that Marie’s legs tired out. We elected to set up camp for the night, both pulling off our backpacks, and setting them against another fallen log. I gathered the necessary sticks and kindling , as well as a few stones, before throwing a small fire pit together. Marie was pitching the tent we had brought along, so it was up to me to light it. “Come on, now. Just come out and light the damn thing.” I said to myself. On queue, a small stream of fire emanated from my finger, striking the kindling. It couldn’t be that easy, could it? The beast wasn’t snapping back this time.

  “Hey, Leonn. The tent’s up. Nothing pretty, but it’ll keep the rain out.”

  She moved to sit beside me. “Is that all you have to do? Just tell it what you want and it’ll stop being so wild?”

  “I don’t know. Nothing like this was mentioned in the book Eligor gave me. Maybe its similar to how some people chant incantations to channel their focus?”

  Marie’s movements were sluggish, her breath slow, and her shoulders were as far down as they could go. She avoided locking eyes with me, as if there was something the jewels in her head would betray.

  “Marie, something’s up.”

  Her spine shot up straight, “No... its nothing.”

  A lie so clear it was like gazing into a river. After lingering in silence for a few moments, she sighed.

  “No... its not nothing. I can’t stop thinking about how I couldn’t do anything when Donvan went missing.” She twisted further away from me. “I followed you for sure, but I could barely walk with the wind blowing.” She paused, the anecdotal memories gathering at her tongue.

  “I couldn’t do anything against the wolves. I left you alone to almost die, and...”

  I placed my hand on her shoulder. “I never thought anything of it. Maybe I snapped and said something in the moment, but truly I knew there was a good reason.”

  Marilleth began to tell a story as her eyes drifted into the embrace of the fire. It had been a particularly brutal winter for her family. Her mother had died years ago, a result of the complications birth brought her.

  Starving, and so desperate for food, her father went out into a heavy snowstorm to hunt. Insisting to help out, Marie joined him against his wishes.

  “Then... the howling. Every time I think about what happened, I see something in the corner of my eye. I still remember how terrified I felt, how fast I ran, how desperately I wanted to get home and get grandfather’s help...” Her arms sat low on her knees.

  I suppose that every time she was in danger, the memories of that day came flooding in.

  “I can watch over the camp, Marie. Get yourself some rest. Also...” I paused, racking my brain for the right way to say it.

  “...Thank you, it means a lot that you told me.”

  The moon watched over us, sending down rays of light through the trees. Book in hand, I searched for some answers. I skimmed the section on incantation phrases, finding once again that it only helps to memorize the patterns. Every single theorem in the book about using the scrawl assumes the user has control. Why did my scrawl have a mind of its own?

  Not knowing terrified me.

  It began raining. Each drop crashing down, snuffing out what was left of the fire. I moved to grab both of our packs before retreating into the tanned leather tent. Marie had been turning inside her bed roll — perhaps a dream. I continued through my shift with naught but questions. Racking my mind the entire time for a good reason.

  I removed my shirt, examining the wound I received from the blow earlier. It had bruised over, and now displayed a disgusting deep purple. Wanting it dry for tomorrow, I twisted my shirt hard. I had expected it to drip for hours, but it was completely dry.

  My gaze once again caught my bruise —once a deep purple— had faded back into a pale white.

  My opening rewrite comes out next Monday @2:30EST! I am looking forward to it, as I got to do a lot of things better. I was really trying to find my flow in writing when I started, but now that I have it, expect some crazy improvement.