Fantasy and Myth

A Wizard's Heart

I sat in the darkness of my chambers, pondering what to do. The crystal ball on the table in front of my black leather chair glowed a pale silver, and other than the faintly smoldering embers of the fireplace in the corner, the rest of the room was dark. The candles near the bookshelves had gone out hours ago, leaving nothing to cast any illumination on the shelves of thick leather tomes and magical scrolls organized there.

With my elbows resting on the arms of my chair and my hands folded in front of my face, I glared over the uneven landscape of my knuckles, my thoughts as dark as the room where I resided.

It had been nearly a week since my beloved Persephone had abandoned me, leaving me with nothing but memories and the shattered remnants of what had been my heart. I might've been able to move on, but word had reached me, and the merest thought of it stoked the fury in my soul, Persephone was pregnant. Having never been intimate with her in a manner capable of creating a new life, I knew the child wasn't mine, and the conclusion seething in my mind was she'd been unfaithful to me while we were together.

My rage was difficult to control, so I remained in my chambers for six hours, trying to bury my feelings and think with reason as I had been taught to do. One did not become a powerful wizard such as myself without learning control and discipline as it was necessary for survival. Uncontrolled magic could destroy the user or anyone around them, so restraint was the first thing instructed in every reputable school of magic.

Initially, I'd considered throwing some lightning Persephone's way to punish her for her disloyalty, but as I'd slowly gained control of my fury, a thought occurred to me. The child, though not mine, was innocent of all wrongdoing and shouldn't die with the mother. Thinking more and more about the child, I found a better path and a purpose. Despite what Persephone had done, I could still help the child, and perhaps he or she would turn out better.

Extending a hand to hover over the crystal ball, I curled my fingers as I took hold of the magic contained within the enchanted device. All magical energy is connected, and when I gained control of it, I could send my sight to anywhere I wished. The silvery light of the sphere brightened before the interior cleared similar to a fog rolling away before the wind until I could see an image displayed within the sphere.

Persephone ascended the stone steps of a castle I didn't recognize. She seemed to be in a hurry, and worry creased the otherwise smooth features of her angelic face. Her black hair was braided behind her in a thick rope to her waist, but a few strands had worked their way loose, waving fluidly in the wind as she moved. Despite the long dress of rich emerald green she wore, Persephone's steps were quick and sure, reminding me of how good a dancer she'd been. An equal mix of fond memories and painful regret hit me at the same time. The image wavered as I fought to regain my composure and keep focused.

When she reached the top of the steps, Persephone strode quickly past the two guards in dark armor standing watch by the main gate. Crossing the courtyard, she encountered a man in black leather armor who backhanded her across the face without saying a word until the blow had hurled her to the ground.

"You're late," the man said, his words a deathly whisper, a black beard hiding his face.

"I came as fast as I could," Persephone defended.

"You know how I love you," the man told her while pacing over the gray stone of the courtyard. "I grow concerned when you're not here. The world is not safe out there, and you carry my child."

"I never asked for that," Persephone whispered.

The man whirled and grabbed her by the arms, yanking her to her feet.

"Are you so ungrateful for my generosity?" the man snarled. "Did I not promise to spare your wizard and not send my army against him if you abandoned him for me? I gave to you my palace, my realm, and my child. Is this not enough for you?"

The man's fingers were pressing hard into Persephone's arms, and the pain was evident on her face.

"I am most grateful," Persephone managed to say as a tear escaped her right eye.

The man released her. Taking a cloth from his pocket he wiped away the blood from the corner of her mouth where he'd struck her.

"All better?" he asked with a smile.

My hand dropped from over the crystal ball, and the scene displayed within vanished in a silvery fog until the sphere of crystal was completely opaque once more. I couldn't believe what I had witnessed, or how badly I had misjudged her. Throwing out a hand to my left, I summoned my staff, and it flew from where it leaned against the wall to my waiting grip.

Raising the staff, I brought the end down against the floor of my room, creating a blinding flash of light that enveloped me on all sides. The white light exploded outward in an instant, breaking apart in tiny blue-white sparks. The sparks faded away similar to melting snowflakes as they touched the ground.

I was no longer in my chambers but upon the stone steps of the fortress where I'd observed Persephone. The guards drew their swords, but I pointed my staff at them. The dark metal armor they wore protected against arrows, spears, and swords, but it was terrible against lightning. A bolt of energy sprang from the blue crystal mounted to the top of my staff and struck the two men, tossing them aside with bursts of sparks wherever the energy touched their armor.

I'd modified the energy intensity to leave them stunned rather than simply killing them as I didn't know if they were monsters who willing followed Persephone's abductor, or if they had been forced into service as she had been. Knowing they wouldn't interfere, I left the two men in a smoking heap of burnt armor and moved on to the gate beyond them.

Extending a hand toward the iron portcullis blocking my path, I turned momentarily to mist, passed between the bars, and solidified on the opposing side without even breaking my stride. Guards rushed to defend their master, but I whipped my staff horizontally, one way and then the other, creating gusts of wind and hurling groups of men across the courtyard and out of my way.

My foe stood before me, holding a knife to Persephone's throat. I extended my free hand as a fist before letting my fingers spring outward as wide as possible. The knife turned to dust and exploded outward in all directions.

Persephone used the man's surprise drive her heel down upon the soft leather of his boot. An elbow to the ribs followed. His grip loosened, and she broke free, giving me a clear line of sight to attack. A thrust of my staff consumed the fiend in a torrent of fire, erasing him from the world with only a scorch mark upon the stone of the courtyard to mark his passing.

I wanted to offer my apologies to Persephone, to beg her foreignness for my shortsightedness, but before I had the chance, she threw her arms around my neck and covered my mouth with her lips.

"I'm so sorry," she cried.

It was truly bizarre for me to listen to her apologize when I was the one who had so completely misjudged her.

"You are without blame in my eyes," I whispered in her ear while holding her tight; I had a tighter grip on my emotions to keep my voice from quivering. "After everything that happened, you were only trying to protect me, but you need not fear for my life. I can handle them."

"So I see," she agreed with a chuckle that was half a cry.

I stroked a hand across her black hair.

"It's alright now," I told her. "Your child will need a father, and I'd be honored if you would consider me suitable."

"You'll be better than his real father would've been," Persephone stated, a faint trace of a smile upon her lips. "You may not be related by blood, but you shall be my child's father in every way that truly matters."

I took an enchanted ring from my pocket and slipped it on her finger.

"You need only focus your mind when wearing this ring to be transported back to my tower," I explained. "Now, you will always have a refuge where you'll be safe."

Raising my staff overhead, I pushed away the clouds, brightening the world around us.