Dangerous, Diabolical

“Andy!” Pain raked across my face. “ANDY!” Burn across the other.

“Ursfstat!” I mumbled.

“Andy?” The voice shrieked again. My brain rattled in my skull as hands grasped at my shoulders and began to launch my body backwards and forward like ping pong.

It felt as though my eyelids were sandpaper as they cracked open. Huge eyes, dishevelled hair escaping a green scarf, and a slender hand hovered over ready to hit me again.

“Willow?” I gasped out. She nodded frantically, lowering her hand.

“What the hell Andy?” Her voice was hoarse and several pitches higher than usual. “When I heard the forest scream out I came as fast as I could, but...” She gestured about the clearing.

Her voice broke, “Where did the trees go?”. She sounded scared.

I tried to sit up, but the muscles spasmed like jelly. Willow, less than gentle, assisted me to an upright position. Ash softly floated to the ground, coating a layer of smouldering, blackened ground. The forest that had once boasted a golden canopy now homed a perfectly spherical flattened space of earth, of which I lay in the centre. The air vibrated with magic, the power still a flat hum in the undertones of my hearing.

Goblets of red blood floated, unable to obey gravity at the same time the air pulsed with magical discharge. Similar to a misty cloud, the ash seemingly gathered and swirled. The hairs on our arms stood on end, crackling with static. Pulsing pain enshrouded my arm.

It came rushing back. “The necklace!” I cried twisting my wrist, wincing at the pain. Gasping at the sight of my hand, blood wound around my wrist, welts throbbed mercilessly. The gold was long gone, coiling pattern burnt into flesh. That didn’t nearly concern me as much as the gem.

I stared into the deep crystallised faces embedded into the middle of my palm, the skin desperately clung to the unnatural element inside it. The gem shimmered mockingly as my heart began to thrum, and sweat gathering on my brow. Surely I was seeing things. It couldn’t seriously be stuck in my hand?

“Is that an amulet?” Willow cried, grabbing my fingers in her own twigged ones. Startled as pain shot up my arm, I snatched it back with a cry, pulling it into my chest and cradling softly.

Raggedly I fought to slow my breaths and comprehend anything but the little voice in my head swearing loudly. With another glance, realising it was indeed still there, I admitted; “I messed up.” My voice sounded odd, the bear of power still ringing in my ears.

Willow grabbed my shoulders again, shaking us both softly.

Biting my lip I continued, “I messed with Leofstan’s magic.”

Her eyes were wide, her human disguise slipping further past her fingers as patches of her skin become bark. She continued to rock us, softer. “Swear on Mother Nature,” she begged calmly, “that I did not see that thing stuck in your hand!” Her nails pressed into my shoulders sharply.

“Well, I sure as hell couldn’t get it out.” I snapped. Her eyes grew wide, grip tighter. “It burrowed in there.” I shrieked, squeezing the hand closed around it. Whilst it didn’t encroach on the movement, it didn’t feel pleasant.

Willow rocked back on her heels, leaves sprouting from her hair. “It hurts?” It was unclear if she meant it as a question.

“I... I don’t think so?” The burnt flesh ached, but it didn’t seem to be creating any new waves of pain. Opening and closing my hand a few more times my brain finally began to put some cohesive thoughts together. “Have...have you ever seen anything like this before?”

“Oh yes, all the time actually.”

“Really?” I sat up straighter turning towards her.

“Fuck no! That is messed up.”

My face must have said it all. She flung her hands up apologetically. “I just thought that might make you feel better?”

If I could feel my legs, I would’ve warned her to start running. As it was, laughter burst out instead. The sound was odd amongst the silence of the forest, amidst the buzzing. Willow offered a wan smile, gazing around. Her eyes did not match the rest of her expression, tears gathered in the corners.

We had a slow walk back to my house, for the most part, she supported the majority of my weight as I fought to gain control of my muscles. The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, dipping through the trees and warming patches through the branches.

We grew slower as we gained ground towards civilisation, Willow was becoming more tree by every passing second. In the end, it became apparent she was leaning on me more instead of the other way around, so with a quick hug goodbye Willow walked into the last shadows of the forest, leaving me to navigate out of fae territory.

The early hours of the morning granted a quiet reprieve long enough to allow slinking by most people without drawing attention. Trying to pull magic for a simple glamour felt sore, any reserves I had held were non-existent. Unconvinced I could glamour anyone into looking elsewhere. I didn’t try and I simply didn’t care. It felt as though I’d gone several rounds of being hit by a truck, only to follow it with jumping off a cliff.

Covered in dirt, burns, blisters, ash scabs and old blood all I wanted was to collapse where I was and sleep. The only thought powering each footstep was of the blissful cotton sheets that awaited.

It simply was not meant to be. The buzzing bouncing around my head, combined with heavy eyes and persistent muscle ache meant I was not paying as much attention as I should. And by the time I noticed a rather bedraggled Leofstan stood propped against my door., he’d noticed me before I could turn in the other direction. His hair was tousled, his shirt sweaty and his trouser leg torn. Sweat cascaded from his brow as he panted, body shaking. When he saw me, he pushed off the wall, stumbling slightly before marching rapidly in my direction.

“What,” he began, voice a growl, “did you,” his tone grew louder, “DO?” He roared, grasping me by the arms. He was quite a bit rougher than Willow, especially as he shook me backwards and forwards in what had become the new normal greeting for the day.

“Ouch.” I croaked in protest, as my brain rattled, but without the energy to back the complaint.

After an awkward few seconds, his grip grew tighter and heavier, until it was his grip on my arms keeping him standing, his skin had gained a greyish pallor.

Mildly curious I enquired “What happened to you?“, he shot me a scathing glare.

“I think you know full well what happened.” His eyes grew more intense. Not really. He could’ve found some zombies for all I knew. My teeth began knocking together before I realised his shaking hands were the cause. Leofstan was trembling so strongly it was rattling me. Raising a hand to dislodge him, his eyes suddenly focused, snapping onto the mangled bloody flesh.

Ah.

With surprising speed, he clutched my arm, yanking it into the light. Hissing in pain, I tried to pull back, but it was too late. What colour remained in his face, completely drained away.

“How.” Voice almost impossibly quiet, it was a whisper on his breath. He tilted my arm back and forth.

In hindsight, pushing power into the gem had been a very bad idea. Now, trying to explain that I’d blasted the gem he’d given me - with raw power I wasn’t meant to have according to the council - let the magic go out of control before somehow allowing an artefact to melt into me?

Yeah that wasn’t going to go down well “No idea,” bitterly spurting the words, “I think your spell went wrong.”

He gently closed his eyes, swaying softly. Using a commanding overtone he said one word gently; ”Ulpuh.” Magic thrummed in the word, and despite not knowing what he meant, I felt its intention; trying to stiffen me into place and restrict my movements. It was difficult to hold back a snarl. There wasn’t enough power for it to work, but at the same time, he could have just asked.

Leofstan didn’t even wait to see if it had taken effect, assuming I would remain motionless. His hands were gentle, the tips of his fingers a tickle. When they pressed closer to the gem, panic rushed off of him. It was a scent I was familiar with, the realisation something was going horrifically wrong and oneself wasn’t quite sure what to do.

Softly his breath caught on my face, bitter coffee and fries.

“How?” He repeated in a rushed whisper, his eyes meeting mine. I could see them flickering, examining my face. Calculating.

“Sopaipuh veulsotenian.”

The scent of earth magic rushed to the surface as the second incantation fought to take hold. The sudden urge to reveal my most intimate secrets enveloped my tongue.

This is why I avoided the council.

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A/N - for my ‘Dangerous, Diabolical - best kept secrets’ readers, you should read Leo’s POV - chapter 2 now

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