Callia's Redemption

Mary prepares herself before she begins. “The following week after you died Gstalt was quiet. Then his control began to spread. Soldiers appeared out of nowhere. The strongest of the Demigods were immediately killed. All pregnant women were taken, even the non-magical ones, and placed in shack towns. Once they gave birth the baby was evaluated on their magical levels. The strong were killed before the end of their first night.

“All pregnant women must report to those cities to this day. The strong ones are still killed. If Gstalt, or whoever is overseeing that city, sees something in the child they take them. There are few strong ones who the mothers managed to hide that are roaming free, but they always keep to themselves, or they will be killed as punishment.

“Gstalt has also made it very clear to all Gods that they, and their young, will be killed if given the opportunity. The Gods in the southern districts have been at war with Gstalt since you died. The Lava Gods are the ones that are fighting the most. Most of the Gods have been holding back until the war reaches them. That is the same for our city I must say.

“About two decades after your death, Arwen and Gstalt used a spell to destroy all magical writings. It nearly killed the both of them, but with Arwen’s lent magic, Gstalt pulled it through. No one is even allowed to teach magic in the un God cities. People are sending their children here to learn, or for sanctuary.

“Since the world is mostly non-magical people, it hasn’t really effected them. The only thing that Gstalt placed on them is that it is forbidden to be with a person bearing power. If caught, depending on the child’s strength, it will be killed. The mother though, is killed. Other than that, things are relatively normal.”

My jaw drops as I try to process this. “Gstalt is committing full on genocide, and no one is stepping in?” I demand.

“It’s complicated Callia. People are fighting in wars they don’t want to be in. Innocent people are being killed in the name of Gstalt, most of them his soldiers. He’s also using Soldiers of the Dead to fight. Do you know how hard it is to defeat a corpse?”

“Unfortunately.” I sigh. “There is a spell I can teach you to release the soldiers. It has a heavy cost though.”

“What is it?” Mary demands, perking up.

“You must pledge allegiance to the God of the Dead for a decade, per soldier released. You would be at his mercy for a very long time, if he’s using a lot of soldiers.”

She slumps as she pouts. “Seriously?”

I shrug. “There are other ways I suppose, but I haven’t performed them. They all involve doing something for Mortici. He is the God of the Dead after all. The one and only.”

“So I need to use a whole bunch of energy and I still get the low end of the deal?” Mary demands.

I chuckle. “If that’s the way you see it. You could try talking to him and see if he’s willing to make a few deals. I doubt you’ll ever get away without using your magic. The only other option is to kill Gstalt.”

I stand out of the water and sit right back down as I hear people coming in. Mary chuckles then stops once she hears male voices. Jon appears with Garth on his tail. They’re arguing over something, I just haven’t figured out what.

“Hey!” Mary yells, catching their attention. “Do you mind?” Both of them stop in mid-step and look at us. Garth blushes and looks away.

Jon, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to mind. “Callia, is there a way for you to recover the Wind Stone and not use it?”

I give him a look that questions his sanity. “I guess. Why shouldn’t I use it?”

Jon looks slightly embarrassed as he begrudgingly answers my question. “We only have one remaining stone. To give it away could mean the collapse of our city.”

Mary’s jaw drops while it takes all my will not to stand up. “Excuse me? How can that happen?” I demand.

“There has been no one worthy enough for the spirits. Every time one of our elders attempt to fill the stone with pure winds, they’re immediately rejected.” He twists his hand. “We keep testing the younger ones, but we don’t have many full god children.”

“Why haven’t you told anyone this?” Mary demands. “Let me try.”

Jon shakes his head. “I’m sorry Mary, but you have to prove yourself to the spirits first. You have to remain pure through their trials. Children are already pure so it’s easier to have them try.”

“Then let me do the trial!” She yells.

“We can’t. They approach you.” Jon sighs. “Even then, it’s no guarantee they’ll accept your magic. They’ve even rejected mine, and I passed the trial.”

“Oh for Landon’s sake.” Mary huffs as she slumps back into the pool.

Jon turns back to me. “Are you able to do this Callia? I mean, you’re heading towards Gstalt anyway right?”

I snort. “Are you kidding me? You guys put yourself into a position where even your own spirits refuse you, and you’re still asking me to go at this alone?”

“You know what, I’ll go.” Mary looks angry now. “Your sheltering us is killing us Jon. We’ve got to fight and restore our name.”

“Hey now, who said I’m taking anymore followers?” I demand.

“You love me.” She soothes as she rubs my shoulder before returning her attention to the boys. “Besides, I’m nearly the strongest here. Also, someone needs to keep Callia in line. These boys sure can’t.”

I laugh. “Like you could try. I’m too powerful for you.”

“Maybe so, but I know the right spells to wear you out. I’ll keep layering them on until you give in.” She evil laughs as she dunks my head in the water.

I gasp as I come out. “Jon!” I nearly yell as an idea comes to me. “Layers!”

“Huh?” All three ask at the same time.

Mary holds me down as I’m about to stand. “Layers. If I apply multiple layers inside of an Elemental stone, I can channel Gstalt’s magic into the stone, filling up each section slowly. It might be enough to hold his magic!” I nearly yell. With how weak he is right now, I might be able to get away with absorbing his magic into an Elemental Stone, with several layers, making it harder for the magic to leak out.

“But his magic might be rejected.” Mary points out.

“Not if we use all four Elements, one of each layer. There’ll be too much of the combined magical spell inside it won’t be able to reject it. It won’t be able to be used for the same reason, but still.” I look at Jon. “I just need an empty Elemental Stone.”

Jon thinks about it. “I’ll give it to you, if you agree to try to retrieve the other one.”

“Deal.” I very nearly yell.

“Well now that that’s settled, get out!” Mary yells. The boys nod and leave. Mary looks at me. “Do you think it’ll work?”

I nod. “Gstalt’s magic already resides in a stone that is inside of me. I force made it since I needed a fourth vessel to channel his power through. It got trapped inside that stone and my body absorbed it because I died while absorbing his magic. It kind of tried to return the power back to me in a way. This spell is not commonly known and is rarely practiced, but I was in a bit of a pinch.”

“Why haven’t you told anyone that?” Mary hisses.

“Well the main reason is because I was dead; and I don’t want people to know.” I hiss back. “They only think his magic is bound to me by a spell. It’s actually inside of a stone. Do not let anyone know.”

She grimaces. “So if someone wanted Gstalt’s magic, they’d only need to cut it out of you?”

I toss my head back and forth as I think. “Kind of. I have a protection spell on it, so it’s linked to me in a way. This way his magic doesn’t taint me. However, the secret to this spell is purity. I can’t give in when darkness calls or it breaks the spell and release his magic into my bloodstream, and in a way takes over. That would be disastrous.”

“So you stealing a roll could mean life or death?” She demands.

“It’s more of the darker crimes. Like taking the life of an innocent, or something that draws blood. Besides, I have to use magic to complete something dark in order to accomplish this.”

“No fights for you then.” Mary huffs.

“Oh ha ha.” I dunk her into the water then quickly get out of the pool.

My body moans as I pull on my old clothes. I’m wearing black leggings and an old pair of tight skinned, flat footed, black boots. They go up to my knees. I pull on my shirt. It’s lilac and covers my shoulders, clings to my chest and flows down from there. I braid my hair off into a side braid as Mary gets out of the pool.

Mary giggles. “We might want to get you something from this century, so you don’t stand out.”

“But I’m happy in this,” I whine as she gets dressed.

“You stick out like a horse in a pig show.” Mary links her arm with mine and leads me out. “Now let’s get something on your skinny bones. I swear you used to weigh more.”

I shrug. “This is the body I was revived into. This is what I likely looked like the last time my mother saw me.”

She raises her eyebrow, “Wouldn’t it be the last time Gstalt saw you?”

I shake my head. “The spirits care more about what the willing sacrifice thinks, especially if they’re related. If they prefer their version over the summoners, then that’s who they go with.” I hold out my hand to show her. “See? No scar.”

She looks at it then puts it down. “True. If it were Gstalt, he’d summon you in your old body when it was completely exhausted. It would have taken hours to gather your strength, and you would have been caught.”

Mary leads me to a little diner that is selling sandwiches and fish. I opt for the sandwich with deer meat. I can’t stand fish and will only eat it if I have to. We sit down at a little table and are immediately brought water.

“So,” Mary starts, “how do you feel knowing your mother lived here and watched you grow up?”

I shrug. “It’s a little strange, but in all honesty, I didn’t know the woman. She’s just the woman that gave birth to me. I know now she was trying to raise me, but it still doesn’t make up for all those years of being alone Mer.”

“But she sacrificed her life to bring you back Callia. She loves you and wanted you to have a second chance.”

I take a bite and chew slowly. “Look Mer, I don’t know what answer you want from me. I’m grateful she revived me, but I still would rather have had her in my life.”

Mary rolls her eyes, not pleased with my answer. “I guess she was in a no-win situation. Anyway, what’s the plan?”

“Yes, what is the plan?” Garth asks as he sits next to us. He looks very annoyed with me.

I measure him carefully before speaking. “There are four main elements in this world. Every God species are tied to at least one. The Wind Gods are the Guardians of Air. Water Gods are Water, obviously. Earth Gods are obvious as well. Now the most chaotic are the Lava Gods. They are the Guardians of Fire.”

“Wouldn’t Heat Gods have that job?” Garth asks.

I shake my head. “Lava is fire’s purest, self-made form. It’s also the hardest to control. There is a reason that Lava God’s are, likely, the strongest race out there. It’s also likely the reason they’ve lasted a century battling Gstalt and his Soldiers of the Dead.” I look at Mary. “We’ll need to hit all the elemental cities if we’re to get my plan accomplished.”

Mary nods. “The Water Gods are on the way there, but the Earth Gods are leagues away.”

“True. I might just need to send a messenger to them asking to meet us in the Water God city. Actually…I have a better plan. Mary, get me a piece of paper please.” Mary nods and runs inside.

Garth is still looking upset, but I just let him keep to himself. I refuse to engage in a possible fight without knowing what it’s about. It’s a hard lesson to learn, and even more to follow, but it’s saved me hundreds of headaches before. Instead I just eat my meal in peace while I think of how I can get this to work.

If the stone currently inside of me, made of my magic-as well as protected by it-can absorb Gstalt’s magic, maybe I’ll need to use my magic as a final seal. Then again, that might end by nullifying the effect I was going for. I could create my own stone, but the Elemental Stones are far more powerful than the one I created. Also, a lot harder to destroy.

Mary comes back. I take the pen and paper and quickly pen a note to an old friend, who is an Earth God. Once I’m done, I fold the note carefully and hold out my hand. I imagine the note appearing next to Penny-my old friend-as she sits by the fire in Estia as she reads a book about romance. I know her habits since she lived with me for about thirty years.

Garth’s eyes widen as Mary grins. “Penny?” Mary asks as she chuckles.

“Of course.” I lean back in my chair. “Who else is still talking to me from Estia?”

“Well, considering you blew a hole in the middle of their city, I wouldn’t think many.” Mary laughs while Garth rolls his eyes. “Okay, what’s wrong with you?” Mary demands from Garth as she leans towards him. “You’ve been surly since you’ve sat down.”

“Why is it that Callia opens up and talks to you, but she hasn’t even tried with me?” Garth demands. “You’ve even told Jon more than you’ve told me.”

“Hold it.” Mary cuts him off. “I’ll answer this one.” She directs to me before looking at him the way a cat would chasing a mouse. “Maybe Callia is talking to me since I’ve known her since we were ten. Maybe, just maybe, she told Jon more because she needed something from him. Is that something you can understand? Callia has been stabbed more times in the back than your heart has beaten. She has the right to be slow to trust. Considering it was your grandfather’s failure that contributed to her death, you should probably be nicer to her.”

“Mary,” I say quickly to interrupt her. I look at Garth. “I barely know you. I will not hesitate to leave you behind if you continue to get upset when I do not share something with you. If I can help it, I will not let there be a single chance for Gstalt to learn of my plans.”

“You just told Mary and me your plan.” Garth points out.

I nod. “I did, but did I tell you how I plan to accomplish the final stages of the plan? Gstalt can learn everything just by simply following us. I know ways around him if he were to beat us to each location.”

“Look, why don’t you get something to eat, and some rest.” Mary says as she pulls me to my feet. “Ponder the fact that Callia even told you her plan bears some form of trust towards you. I’m going to get Callia into clothes from this century.”

“But I love my old ones.” I whine as she drags me away.

Mary pulls me from store to store as we try to figure out something that I like. I refuse to budge on my clothes. They’re comfortable, lightweight, and not at all restricting. After a while I give in, after she tells me that she only has two of my old shirts left, and one pair of pants. I probably have more clothes hidden throughout the country, but it’s unlikely they’re in good condition.

I keep my boots, refusing to bend on getting new ones. I get a variety of colored shirts with sleeves that barely cover my shoulders. The shirts loop down with a sharp U above my chest and the sides stitch up with string. I pick out several thick tight pants. This way they can’t catch onto anything and they’re thick enough to keep things from easily puncturing them and hitting my skin.

I also buy a leathered backpack that has several compartments for herbs, food, clothes, horse grooming gear, and small weapons. I purchase a hairbrush and a small hand mirror as well. My hair is a disaster so grooming it might keep it from snarling around everything. I’m tempted to cut it, but I’ll leave it long for now. I also buy some bird grooming gear for Ambra, plus some sugar and mint treats.

Once we’re out of the store I picture water being repelled from my pack, making it protected from water. This way, hopefully, water will not be able to seep into my bag and soak my food. I’m growing tired of stale or moldy bread. You never want to eat magic, so it does little good to enchant my food. After that is accomplished Mary and I head to buy food and the remaining supplies.