Free Magic (complete)

Chapter 1

They say the first one to land a hit in a fight usually wins. Of course, it helps to be a six foot tall and muscled farm boy too. Anders shook the blood off his knuckles and took a fresh stance, bouncing on the balls of his feet. The other boy stumbled back, clutching his mouth. A bruise was already forming on his jaw, but Anders would have his fair share before tomorrow.

"Come on Cerdic, that can't be all you have." Anders blew some of the hair out of his eyes from the corner of his mouth. Cerdic was not much shorter than Anders, but he did have a considerable amount of weight more to put behind his blows. He wiped his bloody mouth on his sleeve and charged at Anders, his raised fist glowing like a coal in the hearth. A line of sparks crackled down Anders's arm, bracing for the hit.

Magic.

"Hey!" A soldier rounded the corner at the end of the hall. The fighting stopped immediately as both boys scattered. Cerdic ran forward, pushing Anders and sprinting for a staircase nearby. Anders was slammed into the stone wall at his back, but recovered and ran down the hall long before the soldier could catch him.

Anders knocked into something as he rounded a corner, doing everything he could to not get caught or fall in the process.

"Watch it!" A girl yelled behind him as he blazed through the winding corridors of the keep. He disrupted more than a few people in his mad dash, running into furniture and rounding corners with no regard to what was around them. It was several minutes before he dared to slow down. The brute in heavy armor probably chased after the other boy, or at least lost Anders's trail many twists and turns ago. Anders ambled into a seldom traveled hallway, gasping for breath and clutching his ribs.

"Pox it." He leaned on a dead end wall, sliding down to the floor panting. One of his knuckles was bleeding freely, probably cut on a tooth. Sweat darkened his brown tunic and he pulled it over his head, trying not to stain the linen with blood. Down to his breaches and boots, he let the stone wall cool his back.

"There you are." A slender woman with a neat grey bun walked towards him, her slick black boots clicking on the flagstone. She too wore one of the plain linen tunics and breaches, but on her it looked like she chose it on purpose. Of all the lines on her face, her laugh lines were the most prominent.

"I suppose... you're going... to lecture me." Anders choked on his own air trying to spit out the words.

"Did you use your powers on him?" She asked.

"No...Almost...He started...it." Anders huffed.

"Then no, I'm not, but next time you might wait until the sun is finished rising." She yawned and leaned against the wall. "Forgive me for not sitting with you, it isn't as easy to get back up as it used to be."

The hall was silent but for Anders breathing. After a moment the woman handed him a discolored old handkerchief. He wrapped it around his knuckles, hissing as it stung.

"Was it Cerdic?" She asked softly. Anders nodded. She offered a hand to help him up, and he took it.

"Don't pretend he doesn't deserve it Ghilda." He said.

"I won't." She answered.

"Good." Anders fists were still clenched.

"Let's get you fixed up properly. You might still make it to market day." She inspected the wrapped hand, blood was still soaking it.

"Thanks." Anders murmured. Ghilda took them down a hallway and into a small empty sitting room with a few chairs.

"Sit." She ordered. Anders took a seat and Ghilda rolled up her sleeves and removed the handkerchief from his hand. She took a small bottle from a pouch on her belt and dabbed it's thick white contents on Ander's knuckle.