The Bridge of Magic

Part 1

An incessant banging on my office door woke me from my afternoon nap where dreams of loving kisses and whispered secrets had caressed my senses. I glanced at the hourglass sitting on my desk. With a groan, I checked the hourglass sitting on my desk - most of the sand had already run through - indicating my client had arrived early.

A gruff, unmistakable voice called out to me by my old name, one I hadn't been addressed as in years.

"Kem! Open up the door! I know you're in there! We need to talk!" An icy dread gripped me as I realized who it was—one of two people still alive who knew my real name. Someone I'd done everything possible to stay away from, yet he'd somehow managed to find me.

The walls of the room were lined with symbols and runes of protection, designed to keep out anyone I didn't want in. Even though I could hear more banging coming from the other side, I sat there calmly, knowing that nothing short of a small army would be able to breach the warding.

Try as he might, but the door wasn't opening unless I allowed it. Of course, an unwanted thought came to mind just as he spoke again. "Make this easy for the both of us, please and open the door. I'd hate wipe away cut through your protections, but I'll do it."

Over the course of the last two years, I had charged my wards with enough left-over magic from my day-to-day life that if he tried to force his way in, the feedback would splatter him and whoever else he might have had out there with him straight through the wall. They would be finding pieces of them all over town for days to come.

And yet as soon as he spoke, his words hit me like a physical blow and sent a shudder through my whole body. Every strand of hair on my arm prickled and I was certain I understood him perfectly.

I stepped out from behind my desk, my worn shoes click-clacking against the floor in a steady rhythm, and with every step the warmth of emotions I had kept hidden surged forward. With a shaking hand, I reached out and slowly slid back the locks of the door.

I swung the door open, my face contorting into a distorted parody of a smile. The atmosphere between us thickened with old resentments and promises left unfulfilled, like a dark cloud hovering over our heads. Memories came flooding back as I recalled the words I had spoken - "If I ever see you again, I'm going to kill you." In that moment, all those years later, I finally realized how true and serious my threat truly was.

He stood there silently for a second, as if he were taking in the moment. Then he spoke again. "You look different than I remember."

That was an understatement. There was a moment in time when we were mirror images of one another, but now the only similarities we shared was that we were both tall, trait we inherited from our father, with blue eyes, a trait from our mother.

Karson stood there, a broad-shouldered sentinel sheathed in golden armor, in stark contrast to my lean frame swathed in a rich mahogany wizard cloak. Karson carried himself with quiet dignity. A resplendent aura, celestial in nature, danced around him, shielding him like a fortress of light. To those who shared his faith, he was an unwavering beacon of purity and righteousness. But to a Rift Mage like me, a tainted upon the world, his aura reeked of sanctimonious blindness.

The last time we had met, Karson was the epitome of kempt elegance. Now, his golden hair resembled a bird's nest, his beard a rough, bristly patchwork, and his once vibrant blue eyes, the windows to his youthful idealism, were now sunken, haunted. His right eye was shadowed with the remnants of a harsh bruise. 

My brother, the mirror I had escaped, averted his eyes from mine. With a slight bow of his head, he conveyed a semblance of respect that failed to bridge the distance between us. Glancing over his shoulder, as if to ensure that the past was not catching up to him, he spoke in a voice that carried the weight of years gone silent. "We need to talk."