The Consumption of Magic (Tales From Verania 3)

Randall put his hand on my shoulder, and he squeezed once but said nothing. It was almost… comforting. But since it was Randall, I assumed he was trying to curse me somehow. Once I was able to focus, I stood upright again, causing his hand to slip from my shoulder.

The cave entrance was much larger than I thought it’d been from the other side of the plateau. Surprisingly, that did nothing to soothe my nerves. My throat clicked when I swallowed as I stared up at the cave ceiling.

It was light enough that I could see partway into the cave. Ice crystals hung from the ceiling, glittering in the low light. They looked like precious stones, diamonds and azurite and agate. They covered the ceiling and the walls, cold and forbidding. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before, and I was in awe that such a place could exist. I could see the beauty in it, even if I would rather have been anywhere else in the world.

Yeah. I was scared shitless. I had no qualms in thinking that.

Saying it aloud, however. Especially in front of Randall?

No fucking way.

So I puffed out my chest and squared my shoulders, the wind whipping around, causing my robes to billow. I looked badass. I was badass. I was a godsdamn wizard. I had a destiny of motherfucking dragons. The gods themselves had chosen me to take on the most evil of all the villains. I was going to kick so much ass and take so many names. I had this. I had this.

Something large growled in the cave.

I didn’t have this. “There’s more meat on Randall’s bones than mine!” I cried, voice echoing around the cave as I cowered behind Randall, peering over his shoulder. “If you need to eat someone, start with him so it gives me time to run away!”

Randall sighed like everything wrong with the world was somehow my fault. “Really, Sam?”

“Sorry,” I said, hastily brushing off his shoulders for reasons I didn’t quite understand. “Fear response. It could happen to anyone.”

He wasn’t amused. “You told them to eat me first so you could run.”

“If it helps, I’m not very proud about that.”

“You shouldn’t be.”

“We’re on the same page, then.”

“Should we continue on?”

“Maybe we could wait right here and not go farther into the spooky ice cave—aaaaand you’re walking farther into the spooky ice cave.”

I thought about letting him go on his own, but I wasn’t that big of a dick, so I hurried after him, gaze darting around the cave, sure I was going to see dragons with large teeth barreling toward us.

“Lesbians love me,” I muttered. “Lesbians love me. Lesbians love me.”

The light grew dimmer the farther we went into the cave. The fact that the cave kept going was not something I was too fond of. I would have appreciated if the lesbian feather dragons had decided to nest some place far less… this place.

WizardWizardWizard

He is here

I can hear him breathing

I can hear him walking

He’s close

Closer

“Wow,” I said without meaning to. “You have to realize that’s just making things worse, right?”

Randall looked back at me, massive eyebrow arched.

“Sorry,” I said, gesturing toward my head. “Dragons talking to me. They’re being creepy. I didn’t know lesbians could be creepy. That kind of alters my whole worldview. It’s also rude.” I raised my voice on the last word, hearing it echo around us.

Randall looked as if he thought I was an idiot. Which is to say how he normally looked. But then something else crossed his face, and his eyes widened.