Embracing Love and Power

Tillie took of her ring and remembered Alden’s words. “The spell will suppress your powers, but if you need them back take this.” He had given her an orange pill, whenever she was in trouble it would revive her magic. She played with the pill between her fingers. Without thinking she swallowed it. She felt how her head started to spin, the room spun round and round. The air was kicked out of her lungs and she slammed into the concrete floor of her cell. Tillie held her breath for a few seconds and looked at her arm. The color in her tattoos had returned, she could feel how the magic flowed through her veins. For a brief moment she felt regret. Life without these powers was much easier. She didn’t have to think about every move she would make, thinking whether or not it would trigger an outburst inside her. Tears rolled down her cheeks, she hated it. She cursed the day she was born.

“Why are you lying on the floor?” Timber’s loud voice echoed through her cell. She looked up at him, he was standing right behind the bars. He looked hurt and defeated. “Why are you here?” he repeated that question one more time. Tillie sighed. “It wasn’t my choice to come here. You took me with you.” She replied. “Please, I don’t believe one word that comes out of your mouth.” “Seriously?” Tillie asked. Her eyes searched Timber’s, but he looked away. “All the lies you have told me, the bullshit about us being soulmates. You must be laughing really hard right now. Timber Ayton leader of the black elite believed he was the soulmate of a mage. Tell me was it all worth it?” Tillie rolled her eyes at his words. “Don’t you think I was repulsed at first? Me, Tillie Amor, a mage bounded to Timber Ayton, the man who detests mages above all else. The man who made it his personal mission to hunt mages?” Tillie spat. She was fed up with his behavior. “Don’t you think I tried to fight it with every fiber of my being? I have always known that this could only end one way. And that’s with you hating me.” Tillie finished.

“Why did you save my sister? And no lies please.” Timber almost commanded. “Because I had a vision.” Timber hit the bars hard and the sound echoed through the cells. “Do enlighten me, how do those bullshit visions of you work?” he looked at her. “They appear to me in dreams. It all started with one in which Althea was cornered by black elite soldiers and she was killed.” Tillie replied. Timber looked shocked at her. “Do you have a death wish? You knew nothing about the girl only that she lived in enemy territory and yet you decided to save her. Why?” Tillie looked at her hands. “People expect things from me and I fail to deliver. I thought that she was the answer.” “I expected things from you, the last thing however I expected was for you to betray me like this.” Timber looked at her, his face was hard and cold. “I didn’t betray you. I wasn’t a mage when I was here.” “Yes you are, you are born as one. So Illmenni was right. How could I be so stupid?” Timber asked himself. “You weren’t stupid, you are just in love.” Timber slammed the bars again. “Don’t you ever dare to use those words on me again, ever.” He yelled. Tillie took a step back. “I always hoped that in the end you could be able to see that mages do good as well.” Timber’s loud laugh filled the cells.

“Go fuck yourself Breaker.” Timber spat. “Why do you hate me so much?” Tillie asked. “You loved me a moment ago, and now you detest me. All just because I am a mage, while I am not the only one.”

Timber turned around and walked away without so much as a word. And then it hit Tillie, the girl she saw in her dreams screaming in the cell.

It wasn’t Althea.

It was her.

Now it all became clear; the vision had always shown two sides; one where she was able to save Althea and she ended up in this cell and one where Althea was killed by the soldiers. It was exactly the same as Althea had described. Suddenly Tillie felt exhausted, the emotions of the past few days had finally taken over. When Tillie closed her eyes, sleep took over. It wasn’t a peaceful sleep; it was filled with nightmares and more visions.

Tillie was standing in the midst of the remains of her burning village. Althea crying at her feet. “I am sorry, but they killed him, something just took over. I wasn’t able to control it.” Althea screamed through her tears.

Hatred filled Tillies mind, the only person who would ever make her feel safe and her emotions under control was gone, there was nothing left of him but a burning pile of ashes. She felt how a burning rage started to sprout inside her.