The Draoi

Part 3

Jack smiled, walking over to where Mark sat after he had eaten the granola bar. "Alright, stand up."

"What?"

"Stand up." Jack held out his hand, and hesitantly Mark took it, being pulled up to place pressure on his feet. "You're heading back to civilization, my friend."

Mark's face dropped at the thought of walking another 2 hours. "I'm so tired, it'll take forever to get back!"

Jack chuckled, leading the other man outside to the edge of the woods. "I know a shortcut."

Mark was about to open his mouth when Jack held out his hand to the woods. A glittering green air formed around Jack's hand and he held it out to the forest, his blue eyes flashing a bright green.

"Seó sliocht."

There was the sound of cracking twigs and the sharp noise of splitting bark as the trees themselves moved to reveal a pathway. Mark's eyes widened as the roots in the ground slid away like snakes, to follow the trees as they moved. Jack dropped his hand and began to walk forward through the path, while Mark stood, still dumbfounded by what had just happened. Looking back, Jack laughed and grabbed Mark's hand, pulling him along.

Mark shook himself out of his stupor and caught his own feet, snaking his hand away from the warlock. "So do you often walk people home?" He asked, still looking around.

"Almost always. If they can find me alone, I can give them a bit of help getting back."

"What about that Sophia girl?" Mark wondered if she had gotten back okay.

"Sophia comes to see me at least once a month. By now I just flick my wrist to the forest and she gets back on her own."

Mark rose his eyebrows in surprise. "Why does she come to see you that often?"

Jack walked a bit slower, a sad look coming over his face. "She says she doesn't like the thought of me being lonely, but she comes every month for her top-up. She found me about a year ago, asked for a depression potion. I fixed her up, and sent her on her way. I didn't expect to see her again. It's hard enough to find me the first time, let alone a second. The fact she kept coming every month was simply a huge surprise to say the least. Now she comes in every little while and we chat for a bit, I give her the next potion, and she heads out."

"Huh." Mark shoved his hand in his pockets, the mood suddenly darker.

"She's great, loves to talk. I just like listenin'. She tells me what goes on out there in the world."

Mark lifted a hand to push a stray hair out of his eyes, sneaking a look at Jack. The ancient warlock was staring at the ground as they walked.

"How come you don't leave the forest?"

Jack looked up. His expression hadn't lifted, in fact, Mark might have said it had gotten sadder.

"There's the thing no one tells you about being a Draoi. Once you get your powers, you have to take off to the nearest On Eirne and study." Jack held out his hand and a swirl of green aura hovered delicately above his palm, illuminating the slowly darkening forest.

"Study?"

"Yeah, you don't just learn magic randomly. You gotta study. I remember when I first got to the cabin..."

The young man stumbled through the woods, the screams of the villagers behind him. His body glowed green, and the aura was the only thing that warmed him. His feet dragged against the compacted dirt, cloth shoes becoming dusted with a faint brown. The sun was on the horizon, slowly dropping beneath the shadows of trees.

"Ma." The man choked out, tears running down his cheeks.

The green aura around him spiralled outward, like a vine. It snaked through the air, leading him through the thick woods. Glancing upward, he scowled at the shimmering rope before him.

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS. I DIDN'T WANT THIS." The irish accent sharply sliced through the air.

The vine simply wriggled, as though beckoning him further. The young man fell to his knees, holding himself up with his arms. He convulsed in pain, as the moon began to rise. The light slid across the ground as the moon rose higher, sliding across his back like a blade. He struggled to stand, once again following the tendrils of aura. As the white orb reached its peak, the young man pushed the last branch out of the way and saw a small wooden cabin. It was cozy, and surprisingly, the lights in the windows were on. He stumbled to the door, and entered it, only to find it was empty. The one thing that caught his eye was a small dagger the held a piece of paper to the wooden table in the middle of the cabin. He approached, yanking the paper from under the hold of the sharp dagger.

Boy,

I have kept the lights on in hopes it helps you reach this cabin. As my last enchantment, I have left a kettle to brew some tea as soon as you walked through the door. I hope you find my past home sufficient to your needs and treat it well. I know you are most likely tired, and confused. I have laid out some of the most helpful books for you to start your studies with. Many blessings upon you.

Samuel

The man put down the paper and sharply looked up to the sound of a kettle whistling. Walking over to the cupboard, he searched for a mug, and poured a cup of tea. Taking a sip, his eyes drifted to the bookshelf overflowing with books. There were some already placed on the wooden table, fingerprints in the dust on the covers. He walked over and slowly let his hand rest on the leather-bound book, gently turning the page to the first spell.

"Wow." Mark had been listening intently for the last few minutes, barely paying attention to the path.

Jack smiling, lifting his arm to stop the stronger man. Mark froze, only the noticing they had reached the edge of the woods. The buildings had lights on in the windows, and there were few people milling around the shops. Mark immediately took a step forward, noticing Jack didn't follow. In fact, Jack didn't even step off the dirt of the forest floor.

"This is where I drop you." Jack said sadly.