*Trigger Warning: This book covers strong emotions, forced behavior, and tough choices. If you are easily offended, or in a bad mental state, please halt before reading. I desire for readers to enjoy what I write, but my goal is to help open your e...
Malice could feel her lungs burning after pushing her body hard to run for as long as it could, and she was gasping for air as each breath brought more pain than the last. She reluctantly stopped for a short break under a large oak tree, every muscle in her body also screamed as they reminded her that they were in pain as well. Malice dropped down to the ground and crossed her legs. She then rested the back of her head against the tree behind her and looked around while trying to slow her breathing down.
The massive tree that she was leaning against appeared to have had grown at a crooked angle most of its life and gave shade to most of this part of the roadside by itself. A small crate sat at it's roots with a few apples in it, and Malice reached and took a few. Shrubbery lined the edge of the road, that lead through a small forest. Malice heard a small noise in a bush nearby, and a small rodent popped it's head out. It took a look at Malice and quickly retreated back into the bushes. She felt a small grin tug at the corner of her mouth as she began to rummage through one of her leather pouches and found a small blue vial and drank the mouthful of liquid from it.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Thank the gods for liquid energy," she said to herself as she put the empty vial back into its place, and she leaned her back head against the tree to allow the effects of the potion to activate in her body. An intensity surged through her whole body as if her veins were rumbling with a power that could last forever. Malice jumped to her feet and began to lightly jog in place while she pulled an apple out of a pocket in her cloak and ate it quickly.
In a time that felt far away in her memories, she remembered seeing a guard gulp a large bottle of energy without making sure to have eaten something along with consuming the potion. Within a matter of minutes, he had been found curled up on the ground, nearly dead.Magic and magical potions always come at a cost when using them, and Malice had learned about magic in some training she had received when she was much younger.
'Always be ready with a way to pay for the magic you're about to cast or consume, or the payment will be taken from you,' she could eerily still hear her master's voice as if he were still alive and nearby.
"Magic is an unbiased debt collecter," she quoted aloud as she began running again.
~*~*~
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
