Undestined: Fight your Fate

Chapter Nine: In the Silent City, Pt. 1

“I knew it hurt her. I just didn’t think it was bad enough to make her, well, like this.”

“I’m a bit surprised by it too, to be honest.” He shook his head. “She must be a more powerful magician than I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“The collars aren’t really made to be worn for long periods of time. There are other ways to block a magician’s power that doesn’t hurt them. But those ways can take time to set up, so the collars were designed as a temporary solution for containing dangerous magicians.”

“What does that have to do with how powerful Riya is?” As always, Silay found herself drawn to any information about magic she could learn.

“The collars work by essentially reflecting a magician’s power back on him, or her, self. Their own magic fuels them. So the stronger the magician, the stronger its effects.” He shrugged. “Riya is an illusionist. That’s the easiest kind of magic there is. It just changes how things seem to be, not their actual nature. I knew the collar would affect her like this eventually, but I thought it would have taken at least a few more days.”

“But Riya turned her donkey yellow,” Silay pointed out. “It’s not just an illusion. He’s really stuck that way.”

Jarlen raised her eyebrows. “That is interesting. And her with no formal training. It’s possible she doesn’t realize how much power, and skill, it takes to do something like that.”

Silay shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, really. What matters is that we figure out what to do now.”

Jarlen nodded in agreement. “That’s why I wanted you to meet me in the kitchen. I don’t want Talis to overhear what we’re about to do.” He held up the Farstone. “It’s time we check in with the Seer.”

***

“Jarlen!” The relief in the Seer’s voice was clear. “I’ve been worried.”

“I’m sorry. We were—”

“Ambushed. I know. I’ve just had trouble tracking you since then. Silay’s proximity blurs the future around you.”

Across the table from Jarlen, Silay blushed.

The Seer continued. “It is good you were able to contact me. The future has changed. There is still a plague, but now there is war as well.”

“You mean I’ve made things worse?!” Silay fell silent at a glance from Jarlen. The Seer couldn’t hear her, after all.

“War with whom?” Jarlen asked.

“With S'veal. Kahoz’s homeland. I believe you have met him?”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“He contacted me recently, and I believe you may be in danger from him.”

“We captured Talis. He was working for him.”

“Ah. That explains how he was tracking you. The best thing to do now is to send the boy away and get to someplace safe. Are you far from Sojan?”

Jarlen paused before answering and looked at Silay. She knew what he was asking and shook her head no. “I’m not leaving Riya.”

Jarlen nodded and answered the Seer. “Riya isn’t well. She was collared, and I don’t think she can travel.”

“Where are you?”

“Turvew. But we don’t even have horses.”

“Then I will contact Sojan and have them send you help. You are close enough that they should be able to reach you before Kahoz.” The Seer fell silent for a moment. “Is Silay there?”

“Yes.”

“Then give her this hope. I no longer See the plague spreading as far as it once did. And I believe the war can be prevented.”

The Farstone stopped glowing and Jarlen set it down.

“Now what?”

“We get some rest.”

Silay nodded in agreement, and after checking on Riya, spread out her bedroll besides the magician’s bed and fell into a blessedly dreamless sleep.

__________

A little less of a cliffhanger ending for you :) If you liked this post, please don't forget to vote by clicking on the little star! Votes help Undestined move up in the rankings, which helps other people find the story to read. Plus, every vote is an extra smile on my face for the day :)

This post is dedcated to @MizMouse. She isn't an writer here on Wattpad, but she is an amazing reader. Her comments on Undestined left me smiling all day. Plus, I owe her for making her post that she was looking forward to Monday :)