Awakened by Magic (The Four Kings Book 1) by Katy Haye (2)

Chapter Two

I stomped through the forest that surrounded Myledene village while my vision cleared, swiping at the water that ran down my cheeks, washing the herb fragments from my sore eyes. I was probably scaring off anything living for miles as I snapped twigs beneath my boots and slapped at branches in my way. A good job I intended to fish and not hunt.

Essa didn’t remember any home other than Myledene. We’d made a life here, found safety. Unlike her, I could never forget that the life you’d built could be torn away at any minute. A directive from the Emperor was the sort of news I’d been dreading since the day we arrived. I’d turned my back on my magic deliberately, ridding myself of any power I might have had. I’d thought that would make me safe: a nobody; unimportant; anonymous.

And perhaps it did. Except that Essa revelled in her magic, seeing only the benefit and none of the risks. And I couldn’t hope to protect her if she chose to run into danger.

The widening of the river, where it grew slow and shallow and formed a broad lake, was peaceful. I sat on the bank to remove my boots and let the stillness fall through me.

It wasn’t silent, and once I’d stopped crashing around I could hear the small sounds of nature: the breeze shushing through the midsummer green leaves of the trees surrounding the lake; the occasional pop as a fish rose to the surface and snatched an unwary insect; the sudden call of a far-off bird.

Peace fell through me, slackening my hunched shoulders. The forest had become our haven and it was always my favourite place to be. I could believe it hadn’t changed for centuries, since the four kings fell asleep, a time when stories said the forest had been populated by boggarts and will’o the wisps and the occasional demon, venturing from the Underworld to trap an unwary soul. At least we didn’t need to fear them. Our only threats were entirely human, and I wouldn’t let them intrude. Not now.

I fell back to rest against the norgrass, crushing the blades and releasing the fresh scent of the plant’s sap. The sky overhead was blue, cloudless and bright. That could be a good omen, if I let it be. I sat up. Omens were all very well, but if my aim was to ensure Essa stayed safe in Myledene, then we had to make ourselves useful.

I didn’t remove any more of my clothes, simply slipped into the lake barefoot but otherwise fully dressed. The water reached my waist. I stepped forward, the movement pressing my tunic and leggings against my skin. My steps became slow by necessity. But I moved carefully by choice, too. I was the village’s best hunter because I could be calm, becoming one with the natural world.

My light steps barely disturbed the silt at the bottom of the lake. I reached the spot I wanted, where the sun had warmed the water. My fingers dipped into below the surface, its coolness washing over my hands up to my wrists.

Then, I waited.

I closed my eyes and pictured the fish in the lake with me. I would catch one for Essa and me to share for our dinner, and a couple more to smoke ready for the midsummer festival in a fortnight’s time. Behind my eyelids I saw the silvery bodies flashing through the water, dark and light, their movements as fast as thinking. I held still, becoming a part of the lake. I sifted through the creatures my imagination was showing. Not the oldest, biggest ones; they’d earned their peace. But not the tiny ones, either. They needed long enough to grow so they could provide a good meal.

When the pictures grew perfectly clear, I moved.

I brought my hands together, clutching the fish that had unwarily swum between them, lifting my prize high out of the water. My fingers tightened around the slippery, scaly body as it struggled to escape. I opened my eyes for the first time.

“You are amazing, Kyann.”

I jumped, startled and nearly dropped my catch. Essa was standing on the bank, watching me. “Hardly.”

“I couldn’t do that in a million years.”

I lifted a shoulder as I waded towards the bank. “It’s not hard. I could teach you to fish, but that doesn’t seem like a good use of your time.” Essa was far more valuable with her pills and potions.

She rolled her eyes and walked around the lake to the spot closest to me. “It’s magic, Kyann. Your type of magic. I was wrong to say you don’t use yours. You just use it … differently.”

“It’s not magic.” The fish had stopped wriggling. I waded towards the bank, silt blooming around me. That didn’t matter; I couldn’t concentrate with an audience, particularly Essa.

“Why do you refuse to accept your magic?” She cocked her head to one side, sounding genuinely interested.

“I’m not refusing anything. I don’t have magic. Or nothing worth mentioning, anyway. It faded away.” I reached the bank and clambered out, keeping one fist tight around the fish. I’d lost more than one at this late stage by carelessness.

“Magic doesn’t work like that. It doesn’t just go.”

No, it needed to be sent far, far away.

She sighed, plucking at the grass. I was surprised; Essa was far more likely to gather the blades carefully; norgrass could be brewed into a useful tincture for fever. “I used to be jealous of you, you know.”

The fish was utterly dead. I set it down. “Jealous? Why?”

“Pa was always teaching you.” I froze. She waved a hand. “Oh, I know it wasn’t all the time. But it felt that way. You’d disappear into the woods for hours and hours, and you’d come back smiling, swinging off his arm. When I asked him to teach me to use my magic, he’d always say, ‘Later, later’. I used to dream of when I’d be as old as you and Pa would teach me what he’d taught you.” She swallowed, her voice shrinking. “But then there wasn’t any later.”

I clutched her hand, searching for something to say that wouldn’t destroy her memories.

She looked up, bright eyes shining. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to abandon us.”

Anger fired in me. She was too young to remember. I would never forget. He’d fled, leaving his wife and two small children to face the wrath of the Emperor. His actions were clear enough to me. “Perhaps,” was all the concession I was able to make.

“He probably got caught by the Emperor’s guards, so he couldn’t come back for us.”

“Probably.” I hoped so. I hoped they hanged him like the coward he was. My heart lurched. I wished Essa hadn’t reminded me about the good times. They made what happened later so much harder to bear. You’re just like your father. And I’d done everything I could to make those words a lie. I hoped I’d succeeded.

Essa threaded her fingers through mine. “I’m sorry. For earlier. I was angry with you, but I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“No, I think I needed the reminder that you’re not a child. I sometimes think you’re still five and need me to hug you when the nightmares come.”

She shifted closer, nudging her shoulder against mine. “I haven’t had a nightmare in years.”

“Exactly. You’re old enough to take care of yourself.” I turned. “Only, please … take this seriously. The Emperor’s dangerous.”

“I know, I know. I won’t go looking for trouble. The village needs me, after all.”

I swallowed. “I need you, too.”

“Don’t be stupid. You’re so independent you need nothing.”

“I need my sister.” I slung an arm around her shoulder. For the first time in months, she let me. “You’re all I’ve got. The two of us have to stick together.”

“That’s true. If I didn’t have you, who else would sweep the floor and make the beds?” Essa demanded, elbowing my ribs.

My turn to roll my eyes. “It’s an honour to serve.”

Essa grinned and looked up. The sun was high overhead. “We should make a campfire,” she said suddenly. “Cook that fish for our lunch.”

“Essa—”

“Come on, it’ll be like being on the run again. Except more fun.”

“Fun? You’re definitely too young to remember.” Our flight had been terrifying. I’d used the magic I knew to find a path to safety and keep our enemies away, but I’d barely rested the whole journey. And most nights Essa had woken screaming. Worst of all, back then I’d also believed our father would come for us, would rescue us and take us away from danger. He never had.

“I know it wasn’t fun. Not then.” Essa swallowed. I realised she’d been young, but not stupid, not even then. Perhaps she’d been sheltering me as much as I had her. “That first day I was so scared I couldn’t speak.”

“I remember.” I’d worried it would be permanent, caused by the trauma of what she’d seen.

“But then I decided not to be scared. I told myself we were on an adventure and that Ma and Pa would be waiting for us at the end.” She cleared her throat. “I could forget what had happened for minutes at a time. And sitting around the campfire was the best. Anything could be happening in the darkness.”

That’s what had made the evenings so terrifying for me. I’d pictured the Emperor and his guards closing in on us.

“I used to imagine that Ma and Pa were just outside the firelight. Any moment, they’d burst in to the fireside and tell us what a good job we’d done in looking after ourselves, but that we could go home now.” Her words ended with a gulp.

I got to my feet. “Come on, Essa, I can’t do everything myself.”

She looked up.

“We’ll need firewood. That fish won’t cook itself, you know.”

She grinned and dashed into the forest to fetch fuel. I watched her go, a smile breaking through for the first time that day. Essa was hard to resist when she overflowed with happiness. It was how I wanted her always to be.