Wizard of the Wood

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23

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She was losing herself. Everything felt like a dark abyss, a void swallowing her whole. Everything was happening so fast. Why here? Why now?

Essie felt completely and utterly weightless, falling faster and faster as more memories crept through the veil. The barrier in her mind that had kept her protected for so long was thinning. It had been chipped away at for years, and now things were beginning to break and crumble.

Like a dam holding back a raging river, it was starting to fail. The dark waters beyond waited to drown Essie in the knowledge and memories that only it possessed. Essie felt like she was staring up at it, waiting in the darkness for this horrible thing to happen.

In the darkness, more images bubbled to the surface past the mental barrier her mind had stitched together. Pain. Torment. Commands. The false hope she clung onto so desperately as she prayed for a way to escape. That hideous, cackling laughter followed by that surging energy.

Had she even left that terrible place?

She was drawn out of her mental spiraling by a single voice rising up to challenge her.

“Then prove it.”

She opened her blurring eyes and glanced up to see Rylir on her knee. When did he get up there? Did he climb up and she didn’t notice?

“Prove you’re not a monster and go stop her.”

Essie’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“What?” she asked. Did she hear her small companion correctly? She stared at Rylir, who was balancing like an acrobat on the top of her left knee and repeated what he said. “Stop her?”

“Yes,” he said firmly. “Stop her. You heard her, right? I know I did. She said that she was going to come back. She said that she was going to come back with friends. If that happens, that entire town is going to be completely defenseless. My friend is there. There are families and children. Essie, you have to stop her – you have to stop them, whoever ‘them’ is.”

“I understand the potential consequences and the lives that are at stake should I choose inaction. Still… I… do not believe that it is possible for me to confront her, or any of them for that matter,” whispered Essie. “She… she’s too quick. I… don’t think I can beat her; let alone a group of individuals that she claims exists.”

“Essie, you can’t doubt yourself like this,” scolded Rylir. “Essie, I don’t know what I saw when I was running up, but I know fear when I see it.” Essie felt herself unintentionally bristle and look away.

“Of course I was afraid. I’m still afraid. This woman comes up out of nowhere using a teleportation circle, says she knows who I am, and then triggers all of these memories that all start flooding back into my mind and…”

“No, Essie, not you. I didn’t see fear from you. I saw it in her,” said Rylir.

Essie quieted immediately, her spiraling thoughts coming to a complete standstill.

What?

Did she… did she just hear him correctly?

“You saw… fear? In her?” asked Essie quietly, ice shard like eyes narrowing to view her handheld companion who was still expertly balanced on the top of her knee.

“Yes, Essie. I’m telling you, she was terrified,” pressed Rylir. Essie sighed and looked away.

“Are you certain that you were observing at the correct individual? Did you not hear her laughing? She was smiling, Rylir. She was smiling at me like she was able to predict my every move, and I think she could. The way she moved was precise, calculated – like me,” Essie muttered. “I… I feel afraid, Rylir. I am afraid and I do not know what to do about it.”

“No. You are not afraid,” interrupted Rylir. Essie looked up once again into Rylir’s eyes as he continued. “You are worried. That’s all. You are worried that she is right. You are worried she knows something about you that you don’t know about yourself. You’re worried that because she says she trained you that you won’t have the upper hand.”

“Did you see everything? The entire fight?” asked Essie. “I believe you would possess a different opinion if you observed the encounter in its entirety.”

Rylir readjusted his stance, momentarily folding his arms. It was true. When he came jogging up along the trail and saw Essie and the other woman, she was on her knees, arms outstretched as if she were being pulled in two different directions. Crackling, crimson lightening had surrounded Essie’s forearms before bursting out and taking the woman by surprise.

“Maybe not, but I know you and I know what you can do,” reassured Rylir. “You are a warrior. You have magic and abilities I cannot even begin to understand. You are the Wizard of the Wood, and if you can’t do it, no one can.”

Essie listened to Rylir’s words. It was a thoughtful sentiment. It was something that she could cling onto, but was it enough? In some dark place in her mind, Essie wondered if this was just another injection of false hope. Was it just a way for her to gain a momentary confidence before going to confront these people? That is, if she decided to confront these people.

Essie sighed and laid her forehead against her knees. She felt Rylir take a few unsure steps backward, but he didn’t fall. Her breath came out shuddering as her shoulders shook.

Essie had her doubts about her own abilities. She was blessed with an arcane ability yes, but magic alone could not solve every problem. You had to have wits. You had to be quick and smart. You had to be able to think several steps ahead at every turn, accounting for every potential scenario. Fights were far more complicated in person than they were in stories you read to small children.

Arguably, Essie was dexterous and above average intelligence. She was powerful, yes. Even Kaven told her she was stronger than any apprentice he had taken on before.

At the same time, power alone would not be enough.

Nothing would be enough.

Didn’t Rylir see that?

Couldn’t he feel her trembling?

“Essie,” said Rylir quietly. The wizard felt a light pressure on the crown of her head. It was no bigger than the pad of her finger, leaving her to conclude that Rylir had pressed his forehead against her forehead. “Don’t give up. Please. Don’t give up on me. I… I know you’re scared. I wish I could do something – anything – to help, but I can’t. I’m just… me. I can only reassure you, tell you what I see in you.”

Essie exhaled shakily, reaching up and pressing her fingertips against Rylir’s back as if to make sure he was still there.

In a way, he was right. If she was going to do this, it had to be her – and she was alone.

Then again…

Maybe there was something he could do. An idea was breathed to life in that moment. Essie, fingers still pressed into Rylir’s back, lifted her head and looked into his eyes.

“Rylir, when… when did you see this fear? In Daemia’s eyes? When did you see it?” she asked. Rylir, a breath away from Essie’s face, looked up into her features, slightly confused by her question.

“It was… when you did something with lightening. It was coming from your arms,” Rylir replied. “How did you do that by the way? And why was it crimson?”

Essie heard Rylir’s question, but the sudden spark in her mind distracted her.

That power – the one from before.

It was the lightening that scared Daemia. If Essie was being honest with herself, she was scared of it too. She wasn’t even sure what she did to summon it.

At the same time, she didn’t have an alternative. Essie had to gamble on saving an entire town on an ability she didn’t understand and had no inkling of how to control.

Still… she had to try.

She stood quickly, scooping up Rylir in one fluid motion, and stepped up to the desk.

“Thank you, Rylir. Now, stay put and stay safe. I’ll be back,” stated Essie.