“Lily my dear, you have to be careful next time, so you do not hurt yourself just like you have now”, Edgar admonished lovingly.
The little girl nodded, her dark locks bouncing up and down, little hands rose up to wipe at her tear stricken face. Lily’s mother pulled her close into a hug, “It is going to be okay my child I promise. Uncle Edgar will make you feel better very soon”, she crouched before her, holding her hands and peering with was unmistakably love in her eyes, “And of course your mother will always be here and would never leave your side” Lily smiled sweetly and although it was obvious she was in pain, she limped towards her mother covering up the space between them and hugged her. Cleopatra sat on a stone watching from afar. Her blue eyes was clouded in emotions as she watched the pair. Her long raven black hair cascaded down her back past her slim waist. She was petite, her eyes were as blue as the skies on a bright summer morning. Her lips were the reddest pair of strawberries. She had on a white and sky blue checkered gown, her long black hair was tied up in a high ponytail. She watched as Lily and her mother conversed, it brought back bittersweet memories of her and her mother, they had been an inseparable pair when she was alive. Her heart ached for her mother more than it had ever done in time past… “Cleo my child”, Edgar called out to her and he gestured for her to come over, “Come help me with a few things” She walked up to him and smiled reassuringly at Lily, “Do not worry child, grandfather Edgar would see to it that you feel better soon” Lily only smiled, it was a warm smile. “Pa?” “Oh yes Cleopatra, help me light the fire wood”, he instructed, “Pour two cups of water and put these leaves in it, just let it boil I will check it myself. She put the last piece of wood in the pile, she picked up a fire stones and proceeded to strike at it. A naughty smile played out on her face, her memory recollected the fire incident from when she was just five, “Just a little concentration Cleo, calm your nerves, let it all come back to you”, she whispered to herself, she struck the stones together and fire enveloped the wood immediately. It was a huge fire, she was left dumbfounded. She stared at her hands wondering what had happened. She knew it happened once but she had never thought herself capable of doing it all over again. “Cleo!”, Edgar shouted from behind her. She spun around startled, “Grand father, it is you” Edgar stared at her and looked at the fire in what was complete amazement. “That is a huge fire you have started Cleo”, he said dryly. “Yes…yes grandfather, I struck the stones…emm…a little too hard”, she said unconvincingly. “You will need a fuel to create that much flame Cleopatra” “Yes”, she nodded vigorously, “Yes I poured fuel over the woods”. “Cleopatra”, he called out to her. “Grandfather that is all that happened, I promise you” Edgar sniffed the air, “I might be old my child but I can still sniff out scents. There is not even the faintest trace of fuel around…” Cleo folded her arms, determined to stand on her ground, “You can not be so sure pa maybe this one time your sense of smell has failed…” “Cleopatra!” “Grandfather”, she called out pleadingly, “I do not know how any of this has happened, I merely thought about it, I…I entertained the thought but then…then there was some huge fire and you came and I was terrified”, she said in a rush. He opened his arms wide and she ran into his comforting embrace, “Cleopatra…” “What is happening to me pa?”, she didn’t know she was trembling, till he embraced her, tears escaped her eyes, “What is wrong with me?”, She asked in a frantic manner. “Nothing Cleopatra, I have always known you were special. I watched you grow into a very amazing woman. I always knew there was a part of you that was hidden still waiting to come out…” Cleo pulled away from his arms and looked at him, “What are you saying father?, I can’t possibly have magic, could I?. How is that possible?” “I agree that none of this makes any sense my child, not to you and not to me even but somehow we would make sense of it”, Edgar replied in an assuring tone. “Magic is rare father, a gift possessed by only a chosen few”, she whispered, “My parents were humans, I am human…at least I think I am”, she added after a while, “My father was a fisherman and my mother was a house wife, she stayed at home taking care of us. There was nothing magical about our lives pa. I have lived a very normal life all these years…” Edgar pondered on her words, “The gift of magic is usually handed down to generations, that is the only way the gift can be transferred and if your parents were truly humans like you claim…then we might just be dealing with more than we can handle” “I do not know any spells pa, I have not learnt them like you have”, she said in a panicky tone, “I did not murmur any spells, I did not move my hands. How would I have set the wood ablaze…” “There is only one place where magic was observed to have been wrought from through out history, in the mind”, he said, “It is an ancient magic practice, particular amongst only a few witches and wizards. It has long been extinct…” “No”, Cleo shook her head in denial, “None of this makes any sense, how is it possible?, What do I do now?, How do I hide this side of me?” “Too many questions Cleo, I can not keep track, we will talk about this some other time I promise you” “Grandfather, please don’t brush it off”, she begged, “I need all these answers now. “I have to be alive to be able to answer your never ending questions my child”, he replied. “You would not die grandfather”, she rebuked and took his palm in hers, “You are not dying anytime soon. You will be alive long enough to watch me grow older” Edgar smiled, “My spirit agrees but my mortal body is in disagreement. Let me rest my old weak bones my child. There is a lot you need to know about your new found powers. I will help you every step of the way”Months passed like antelopes running through an open field and Edgar had kept true to his word. He had gradually taught her all she needed to know about magic. She was beginning to fall in love with that side of her much to her own surprise. Although they had to keep it concealed she could not help but sneak in one or two magic tricks when no one was looking. “Cleo”, he handed over to her a basket of leaves, “Help me lay this out to dry, I’ll crush the powder and I will add to the new potion I am working on. There has been an outbreak recorded in Molvania and although we are yet to trace the origin of this strange disease, we must be able to curb the spread and treat the symptoms before it spreads into our lands” She took it from his hand and nodded in understanding. “Hopefully the scorching heat of the sun will dry them by evening”
“Saddle the horses and get them ready for a ride, the king and I would have need of them”, Cedric barked orders to a servant standing besides him, his head bowed.“Yes sire!”, he scurried off immediately. Not long after the door to his large chambers opened up and Aileen strolled in.“Cedric?”, she called out to him.“Yes my dear sister”, he answered dryly, not sparing a glance at her, he looked into the vanity mirror and arranged his hair with his fingers.Aileen's large brown eyes took in his appearance, “Are you going somewhere Cedric?”“Yes as a matter of fact, father has asked me to go on a short trip with him”Her eyes lit up, “Really? And what would you two be doing there?”&n
Javaid smirked.He moved to the center of the field, he looked around the forest intently. He took a deep breath and began to twirl his hands in a rhythmic motion, his eyes were shut. It was as if a folk song was playing but only he could hear it. He stretched his hands towards a part of the forest and drew his hands towards himself. Out of that part of the forest came a man and son, holding their throats struggling for breath. They crawled on the ground towards them.Javaid looked on in admiration at his son.The man and his son were pushed forward by a force they could not control. Cedric brought his rhythmic dance to a halt as he brought them before the feet of his father.“Look here father”, Cedric smiled with pride, “It was nothing to worry
“How was your hunting trip with father?”, Aileen rushed towards him the moment he arrived at the stables.“Good”, he said in a cryptic manner.“Just good?”, she inquired, “Surely there’s more?”He didn’t say a word to her, he continued to tend to his horse Buckley. He unsaddled it and meticulously brushed his body.Aileen was having none of it, “Come on Cedric, spill the beans already do not ignore me. You and father rarely go out leisurely, if it is not a war or…”“Why is that?”, he cut her off harshly.She stared at him surprisingly, she knew he merely tolerated her but never had he raised his voice at her, “Cedric…”, she called out in a whisp
***“You know what it is like don’t you?”, she rambled on, “It is like he is a different person. Like I don’t even know my own brother…”Kalliste merely nodded. The walk had her listening to Aileen’s pathetic monologue and her nodding in understanding or rather pretending to nod in understanding. If Cedric had treated her badly for any reason it was most likely that she deserved it. She was not one to wish ill on anyone but Aileen deserved all the ills that came her way. She was a wicked…“I am such a sweet person, I do not deserve to be treated like this, not by anyone let alone my own brother”, Aileen’s high pitched melodramatic voice cut through her thoughts.
“…she has not had anything to eat the whole day your highness. She has been tucked in bed all day, refuses to speak to anyone and we are worried. This is not her usual behavior and so I…”Ceric waved a hand at the maid to stop her from talking, “Let me see her”The guard at the door, knocked briefly, announced Cedric’s presence and opened the door to him.Cedric strolled into the chambers, his hand behind his back. His eyes strayed for a while before they settle on Kalliste who was curled up in a ball under the sheets, “Leave us alone"The maids scurried out leaving the room.Cedric walked towards the dresser and studied the candelabra, he ran his fingers tip over the smooth golden surface. He had picked it out with his mother many years ago. He managed a small smile, “What is the matter Kalliste?”She did not reply.“Wh
“Edgar! Edgar! Please you have to help me. My child has gone missing please!”Cleopatra thought she was hearing voices in her head again or it was one of her visions that appeared real. It was not until she heard a loud bang on the door did she realize the cries where coming from the real world. She swiftly shot up from bed, this was not an unusual occurrence in Averna. She was used to waking up earlier than usual because Edgar was Averna's physician. Most emergencies happened at night but this was different, she thought. She has heard something about a missing child. She stared out of the window and it was so dark outside, she groaned, it was not dawn yet.Cleopatra walked to the mirror and stared at her reflection, her hair was ruffled courtesy of a cold bad night sleep. She quickly put on a woolen sweater over her long night dress so she wouldn’t freeze to d
***It had been a while since the volunteers set out in search of Priscilla. Cleopatra sat on the floor next to Edgar, a blanket draped around her shoulders as she gingerly sipped from the cup in her hands. It was nearly dawn, the people gathered around had increased.Not too long after it happened, the story of how she had been in Priscilla’s head was on the lips of everyone. Many people stole glances in her direction but when she turned to meet their gaze they would turn away. She hope Priscilla was found, maybe their attention would be diverted she thought to herself.“Are you alright Cleopatra?”, Edgar asked.She nodded.“