A World Of Treason and Tides

Chapter 36: Feeble Show of Magic

I followed the white petals while taking occasional glances at my surroundings. The fields extended as far as my eyes went, with narrow streams of water cutting through the light-green grass at regular intervals. This part of the land did not boast big trees, however one or two such trees would pop up occasionally. An unexpected giggle came out of my mouth as I noticed a man rising hurriedly from his dozing state and looking around himself with a baffled face. He again drifted off to sleep, this time with a cloth over his face.

Chuckling, I turned to my right following the trail of flowers. With every step of mine, the petals vanished from the path I just came and appeared again in front of me. The sky was starting to clear up, and the warmth of the sun rays on my skin with the tingling of cool breeze made the walk pleasant. The soft sway of grass around me and the chirping of invisible birds calmed down the anxiety that roused within me as I thought of meeting Tarina.

“The storm yesternight has caused more damage than expected.” A crisp, female voice floated to me.

Turning to my side, I saw two figures — a man and a woman — working alongside, cleaning the leaves and other remnants of the storm. The woman’s back was facing me and the man was busy lifting heavy branches from the ground, thus he probably had not noticed me.

“The abrupt call for rain was bound to have some repercussions,” the man said. He lifted his gaze to look up at his companion, instead his eyes fell on me. The eyes narrowed at first, then they widened and shifted their focus to the woman, who I assumed was Tarina, since the petals were gone, probably back to the witch who had cast a spell for them to act as my guide.

Tarina immediately turned to me and crossed her arms. The man put the branches on the ground and straightened himself, his arms behind his back. Their postures were relaxed and expression calm, patient — they were waiting for me to say something.

Swallowing a lump down my throat, I stepped forward. “You are Tarina,” I stated, my voice lacking confidence.

“Who let you in?” she asked instead, and looked at the man. He shrugged. I noticed he was a faerie; he didn’t have any mark on the side of his neck. I knew faeries visited the Village of Magic, however considering the rarity of it, I didn’t think I would encounter one in such a short span.

“Venus,” Tarina said. “We were not notified—”

“How do you know my name?”

Tarina shrugged, her shoulder-length blonde hair bobbing slightly with the movement. “Ryan mentioned, and I connected the dots,” she said in her serious, heavy voice. Despite the seriousness, there was a pleasant lilt in her tone, however it did not conceal her I-am-about-to-scold-you impression.

“And you would be the only sane human to roam about in Odalis,” said the man from behind Tarina. He looked the same age as Ryan, but again, almost everyone here looked the same age as Ryan. He wore a puff-sleeved white shirt with brown pants that looked like it was made up of some rough, hard material. What caught my attention the most was the emblem of the Kingdom of Water sewn over his leather doublet.

“Who are you?” I asked him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a gathering of the overly curious witches at a reasonable distance from the three of us.

“He’s Xander,” answered Tarina. If she saw the witches, she didn’t pay any heed to them. “Ryan’s closest friend. Now tell me who let you in.”

“I assume Ryan failed to mention how he could tell me the spell.” I gave Tarina a dry smile. Then looking at Xander, I said, “Ryan never spoke of you.”

Xander’s brows rose. Cocking his head to one side, he said, “You imply my closest friend has forgotten about me?”

I opened my mouth to say that that was not what I had meant, but Xander continued, “I suppose I would have to call him on a duel.”