A Girl Named Calamity (Alyria 1)

The Mage scowled. “Don’t be sarcastic. I don’t like it.”

He’d left me here the night before with not even a word. I’d realized that the monsters were most likely only an illusion he’d created, and I felt sick for falling for it. I’d fallen asleep to the sounds of dripping water, the claws of rats on the stone floor, and missing home more than anything.

Sleep had always been something easy for me to find when I was stressed. Now that I was awake, I needed to deal with my situation. I wished I didn’t have to. I wished Weston would find me. And that just made me feel worthless.

“We have a long day ahead of us. Let’s go,” the Mage said before he grabbed my arm and we appeared outside. The sun was just rising over the horizon, and I wondered how many days it had been since I disappeared from Weston and if he was even looking for me.

“What do you want?” Weston was right: I had a bad habit of asking questions I already knew the answers to.

“I want the seal open, of course. And you are going to take me there.”

I swallowed. “I don’t know where it is.”

“That may be true, but you’re going to find it. Well, which way are we going?” he asked expectantly.

A cold sweat covered my body, and I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to torture me if I told him I couldn’t find it. He would assume I was lying. This was going to be a major problem. Because I didn’t think I could locate the seal if I tried.

“South,” I managed to get out. The Mage grabbed my hand and in a blink, we were standing in a foreign city. A gold dome-shaped palace was visible from our spot on the street, and I watched the city’s people mill around. It was very inconvenient that he could just pop us around. I didn’t know how long I could do this before he grew tired of it. But I didn’t have very many other options. Try none.

“Southwest,” I lied out of my teeth.

“If you are lying to me, I will show you pain that you’ve never felt before.”

I doubted it. It would be hard to top the Saccar, but I didn’t argue with him.

I nodded my head. “Understood.”

We appeared in a field of dry grass; a fire contained many elephants in a ring of flames. But it didn’t grow. It seemed only to be a cage.

After I had him take us in a few different directions, he’d apparently grown tired of it.

“I think you play me,” he growled.

I shook my head. “I’m not. This isn’t easy.”

“Let me just demonstrate what I can do if you choose to play me for a fool.”

I flinched. “No, that’s not necessary.” But severe pain attacked my mind, and I fell to my knees and held my head. It ate on my thoughts and memories like a flesh-eating disease. I screamed out in pain and agony until it finally stopped. I lay on the ground, sweating and shaking while the Mage looked at me from above his nose.

“If I continued that you would eventually become a mindless being.” He smiled. “Now, where to next?”

“I think we should head out on foot now,” I croaked.

I’m so utterly screwed.

* * *

The Mage bought a couple of horses while I gazed at the water lapping at the beach. I had never seen the ocean before, and I couldn’t even enjoy the fresh breeze blowing off it with the nervous pit in my stomach.

I couldn’t find the seal, and I was sure I was going to die by the hand of a Mage. The potion shop woman did say it was time for me to die.

I wasn’t ready. That was all I knew.

But I was only a farm girl from Alger. I couldn’t do much to fight a Mage.

I guided him through the exotic trees, staying close to the beach. I wanted it to be the last thing I saw when I died.

Call it intuition. Call it hindsight.