Crest of Power: Kevin and the Magician

19 Through the Boundary

"Kierra?" Krevik heard Isadar say. Isadar's voice was kind and full of compassion. "Are you alright?" She was sitting on the lip of a well in front of a small cottage. Her elbows rested on her knees. Her face was cupped in her hands. She was crying.

Then a second voice immediately drowned out the scene. The voice of the magician came in strong and powerful. "Enchantresss," he hissed the name, "I would not trust her."

*=*=*

Jesse saw the dazzled look on Krevik's face and thought he was going to pass out again. Suddenly he shook his head. She watched the emotions play across his face as he looked at the Enchantress, ending in a look of complete confusion.

"I don't know what to say..." Krevik began. "I... I..." Krevik was at a complete loss for words. His instinct had told him to trust this woman, but his guardian had taught him this woman was... untrustworthy. Untrustworthy- it was a very nice way of saying it. What the Magician had said was that given the chance, she would betray people all too easily.

"I understand," the Enchantress's voice rang out. "It's alright for you to be confused. If you wish, you can come with us." She indicated straight ahead of him with a slight nod of her head. It was a huge wall of what looked like solid rock. Krevik was amazed. Had this wall been their goal from the start? Why had he never seen it before? Never- not even in his dreams.

"Krevik?" Jesse drew his attention from the wall. "Will you please come with us?" She looked so full of hope that he couldn't say no to her. What was this hold she had on him? Why did he even care what happened to her?

He didn't trust himself to speak, so he nodded. The elated smile and tight hug from the child were all he needed, to know that he had done the right thing by going with her. She released him quickly, looking slightly embarrassed. She led the horse toward the wall, and the Enchantress and Helen followed suit. Krevik didn't want Helen or Jesse to be so close to the Enchantress. He didn't trust her completely, not with anything he really cared about. Why was he so protective over them? The hold Jesse had over him was entirely mystifying, while the hold Helen had on him was something he understood completely. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He had fallen for her. Jesse on the other hand, held no attraction like that. She was a cute kid, and might someday grow up to be very beautiful, but he had no romantic feelings for her. It was more of a gravitational pull, and every time he looked at her the pull increased. Like the moons that circled the planet.

Jesse had tied a kerchief around her horse's eyes, Krevik followed suit, not knowing why. Then, without warning, Jesse walked through the wall as if it were liquid. He stopped in his tracks as he witnessed the Enchantress and then Helen walk into the liquid wall. What on earth was going on? Had he gone mad? There was nothing else he could do but follow them. So he grabbed onto his reins, shut his eyes tightly and walked forward, half wondering if the wall would solidify, or if it really was liquid and he would drown.

Neither one of those things happened. Instead he felt extremely light; he couldn't even feel his feet beneath him. He had to open his eyes to make sure he wasn't walking on air. He shut them immediately, it was too bright, light had been all around him. He could no longer tell what direction he needed to go in. It was frightening. He wanted to turn back. But Jesse was ahead of him. With her. Why was it that when he looked at her he had such a deep sense of... of ... What was it he felt? Just one word... Betrayal. He didn't know why, but he couldn't leave Jesse in the hands of that woman. He needed to protect her from whatever hardship that woman would bring. He continued forward.

*=*=*

Krevik emerged from the blinding light and into a soft green light. He could see again, and the light seemed almost full, even though he knew it must still be bright out. He could see Kierra standing off to the side. Where were Jesse and Helen? Then he saw them surrounded by people. They were smiling and laughing. Hugging and kissing them. They looked so genuinely happy to see the two girls. All the while he could feel the cold gaze of the Enchantress watching him.

Then one by one, the people began to turn, and look at Krevik. The shock that he saw on some of the faces was far better than the horror that registered on all the others. Some of them visibly took steps backward. But one man seemed oblivious to all and was still speaking to Jesse.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he said holding her face in his hands while looking very concerned.

"I'm fine," Jesse said. Krevik began to walk toward her unsure of what else to do. But as he took his first unsure step he saw anger on the faces around him, and he stopped.

*=*=*

"Look at who I brought home," She turned toward Krevik and saw the uncertainty and fear in his expression. She felt her father stand up behind her.

"Krevik!" He cried. He smiled with tears in his eyes, slowly moved past his daughter, and walked toward Krevik like one would approach a wounded animal. Then, without warning, Krevik recognized this man. The man got down on one knee and bowed his head. He was kneeling to Krevik. "My king," he said, his voice cracking on the word king. Slowly one by one, the people began to bow, just like this man. Rodan? That was the name of his mother's husband, his stepfather. Jesse's father. What did this mean? Jesse was... his sister.

"Rodan?" said Krevik. The man lifted up his head, just in time to see Krevik hold onto his head, and collapse in pain. Krevik had cried out, his head was breaking in half it seemed. Rodan held him in his arms like if he was a child; like he had when Krevik was young; like Isadora. He held Krevik, and wished that he had never let him and his mother go that fateful night so long ago. Perhaps if he had held onto them, Isadora would be alive still.

*=*=*

Helen heard Krevik cry out. She began to go toward the cry. It was so painful. Why did he cry like that? Who had hurt him? How dare they! Couldn't they tell he had just rescued her and Jesse?! Jesse grabbed Helen's wrist. "It's okay" she told her. "It looks like a spell is coming off of him." Purple smoke seemed to be slowly evaporating off of Krevik. It was either a really strong spell, or there was simply too much of it. Either way, there could only have been one person who could have done this to Krevik. The Magician would pay for hurting Krevik, and in turn for hurting Helen. Jesse could see that the painful cries of Krevik were almost too much for Helen to bear. Helen must have already felt the magnetic pull Krevik had on those around him. Krevik was in fact a charismatic boy when he was younger. It seemed he had somehow used all of the charisma he had left on Helen. Helen liked him.