Young Writers Society

“Infano” My voice was a mere whisper in my room, as a fire curled around my fingers. I shaped the fire into a long curling snake then into claws. I stared as my fire let gew into a roaring infernal feeding off my energy regardless if I want it to or not. I let the fire turn into a thin blade and slashed it across the wood wall leaving an ash trail and burned wall.

A knock came from the door. I murmed under my breath “Infete” and the metal began to change to a nice orange red, to which a curse came from the other room. I snickered slightly however, a cool mist entered my room as the metal once again returned to its speck-less sliver seen. I quickly glanced around my room, the domes ceiling too high to be of any use to me. The marble wall too sturdy to be used quickly. A smile graced as my eyes landed my wooden desk. “Levatia le tupio, es ca fu.” A simple blur was all I saw until it slammed to a halt in an instant, however over the shoulder of my mother as a owl might.

“Do you plan to fight me forever?” Her voice was gentle, a mother’s voice.

“This curse, this gift, whatever you call it, cie ti faitu” It’s your fault .

“Child, life is hard for the gifted.” She said her voice firm yet I could hear kindness in it.

“My other gifted don’t see to be so hard” I glanced at my desk still hovering by the door and how plain it was.

She took a deep breath letting the exhale out in a long puff “You are unique.”

“Cie mu dirucku” I am monster

My mother let out a loud giggle. It was odd to see her royal features in such a ungraceful joyous form. Her normal elegant chin point seemed so at odd with slightly hunched shoulder which cause rippled waves of golden hair down her back.

“Well then show those fools how much of a monster you are.”

I looked around at the single window in the left corner of the room, the stone road and houses visible even at this angle. I moved my head to inspect the bed, the curtains flowing around me, the sword with a hilt of a dragon engraved in each curtain. My mother moved to make me face her.

“Dirucku Inferno.” Flames sprung around my knuckles curling next to fingers in long claws, I moved a hand to where she sat. She let out a disappointed sigh but I saw a small smile as she moved for the door. She closed the door and my desk dropped as she let her magic fade. I moved for the courtyard, moving through the marble arch ways on silent feet.

The familiar smell of ripe apples and roses hit me, the fountain gleaned a nice dull silver. The fencing overlooked the large mansions of the nobles. A let my veins buzz with my power and murmured “Litho” and upon my word a light breeze moved across the sky. It was only after my relishing of the familiar did I see a girl, she couldn’t be but a year maybe more older than. Her raven hair conflicted with the light blue of her dress. Two seals of the dragon sword were pinned to her dress at her shoulder, the royal princess. I gave a courtesy bow to her, to which she only leaned against a tree.

“I apologize if my breeze disturbed you.” I said somehow keeping my voice firm.

“I apologize if my people disturb you.” My shock and confusion must have been evident on my face. “The day my people shun language is the mark of…” she trailed off finishing only under her breath.

“So you know me then?”

“No one in courts or in the fields does not know of the cursed mage.”

“I much prefer the Dirucku mage.”

Her face flushed with confusion which made this princess look more like a little girl than anything else “Dirucku?”

“Monster in my native tongue.”

A giggle erupted out of her at that, to which I only stood my back straight burning form my daily training. As her laughter settled she smiled at me “In that case please refer to me as the Dirucku princess.” My brows raised slightly, but she simply gave me a sweet smile and moved to the courtyard entrance.

I let power fill my veins and spoke, pleased that at the very least that this curse gave me some tricks. A dark mist surrounded me and a silent unseen wind wished me across the world The dark mist at last lifted and my feet hit hard dirt. I was in an hallowed out portion of the red forest, various rocks encircled various green tents.

I heard a grunt from across the privallion “Late as always, what your curse held you up.” I simply waved a hand letting some black mist still clinging to me float over to him. I moved to go to the commander’s pavilion. I was meant with the familiar face of a young boy. He barely looked eleven but apparently was much older than me. His laughter crackled to life as he saw me “Right on time as always.” I smiled, subtlety was not his strong suit. I whispered under my breath and a mist which seemed to glow like the sun and I let it drift to him. Once again he laugh echoed the tent.

As the last echoes of his laughter faded his face hardened into a firm line. "We're been ordered to march straight into the enemies terror, a suicide mission unless of course," He trailed off for a second and glanced at me "Can you teleport us all?"

I nearly feel over, having to catch myself with a flick of my tongue and a gust of wind up righted me. I flicked an imaginary piece of trash from my sleeve. "How many are here?"

"fifty-two"

"Can we make this a scouting mission, ten perhaps?"

"No I was given direct order's to send my entire command." His hand smashed into the table sending a crack a far way's form the center, but the table barley held firm.

"How much time can you buy me to do so?"

His head lifted and a slight glint entered his eyes "I can buy enough time."

"How much?" My eyes intensified a serious look, I would not buy a childish answer.

"I can't say, most of these are untested men, they may not answer to me, and I don't know how many will attack us or where or anything other than that this is mission is not meant to be a patrol, if anything it seems a test for you."

"A test?"

"It seems someone at the highest level has high hopes for you," He gave a slight bow "Dirucku mage" It was my laugh that now echoed in the tent "Alright I'll save this sad sack we call mages for you, but you own me, and how could I give up the chance to make my peers indebted to me?"

"They won't accept that debt"

"Maybe so, but rumors will spread, and that's all I knew."

A fool hearty request met with a fool's answer, best case I get them out of them with numerous injuried and exhausted, and the worst case sent shiver's down my spine. I moved to my tent, I smiled at the classmate, a classmate who's life was given to me, and I would give it away easily.