Lina: Twisted Fairy Tales Book Two

30: Lost Magic

I hadn’t even finished up with the Healer before the Fae King stormed in. He froze at seeing me seated by the fire with the Healer, and then his expression hardened and he stomped past us.

“About time you returned, Erl King! Those dressings need changing!” The Healer yelled after him. There was a subtle horse's shriek to the words that made me shudder.

“I told you, I’m fine!” Shouted the Fae King, yanking a curtain closed behind him with the sound of ripping fabric.

“Do not abuse my belongings, you ill-tempered overgrown insect!” Bellowed the Centaur. My eyes widened involuntarily. The Fae King stormed back out from behind the curtain, a finger pointed at the Healer.

“Do not take me for one of your simpleton, mortal-born patients simply because my Magicks are currently out of reach!” Barked the Fae King. Then he blanched as his eyes fell on me, and he once more threw himself behind the curtain.

“The fact that you are without your Magicks makes you nearly mortal. Is that not true?” The Healer brayed back, and I stiffened once more. All of the things coming to light were baffling and confusing, and I didn’t know what to do with all the information. There was a crash behind the curtain. “Do not abuse my things!” The Healer forced himself to his feet from the floor and made his way towards the curtained off area. Uncertain what else to do, I decided retreat was probably the best option, so I left the Healer’s hut to the sounds of shouting behind me.

The beat of horse’s hooves on the dirt path leading to the Healer’s had my head jerking up in short order. The Healer’s Assistant was pacing towards me, a grimace on his face, nostrils flaring. He stopped a few steps away and tossed his head, managing to jerk his chin at the hut during the movement.

“Again?” He whinnied exasperatedly. I let a bemused smile cross my face.

“I take it this has become a regular thing?” I responded. The Healer’s assistant rolled his eyes, pawing at the ground with a front hoof.

“Since Erl King discovered no Magick.” He answered. “Erl King feels..” The Centaur searched the sky for a word that seemed to escape him and whinnied in frustration.

“Angry? Upset?” I offered, but the Assistant shook his head and crossed his arms.

“Since losing his power, he feels.. Weak? No, not right.” The Assistant snorted, but I thought I understood in a strange way what he meant.

“So it’s true? He’s lost his Magicks?” I breathed and the Assistant’s expression softened into one that was almost pity. He nodded.

“Almost.. Human. Feels.. No purpose..” The Assistant offered, though he nickered at the sky futilely as if he still hadn’t found the word he wanted.

“Worthless. Useless.” I volunteered, to a surprising shriek of agreement from the Assistant that had me jumping and left him with a wide, feral grin. My heart lurched and I looked back over my shoulder at the hut. Had that happened, because of me? A hand descended on my shoulder and I jerked, looking back around at the Assistant.

“Fox need something?” He questioned me.

“No, no.. I’ll um.. I’ll come back.” I could feel the debt I owed the Fae King quickly toppling whatever internal scales I was using to measure by. I walked past the Assistant, hardly noticing his nod or departing call. My mind was lost in the weight of debts and guilt, and how I was ever going to settle things so the Fae King could go back to his Realm, and I could get back to living my life.

I released a shriek of frustration.

“Is that really necessary?” The Fae King’s voice echoed from behind me. I turned to see him rubbing a pointed ear as if I’d damaged his hearing and threw up my hands.

“Are you stalking me now?” I raged, and he grinned coquettishly.

“Would you like me to?” He winked. I considered throwing my ink pot at him, if nothing else to hide the smirk on his face, consequences be damned.

“What do you want?” I snapped instead. The Fae King rubbed the back of his head. The raven colored strands seemed to shift and shimmer in the light, reflecting back a rainbow.

“I just.. About what you heard..” He looked at me helpless and I snorted.

“Your foul temper you mean?” I retorted, then turned on my heel and continued to walk.

“No uh..” He took several long strides with his excessively long legs to catch up with me. “I meant, the conversation itself.” He winced.

“You mean how you’ve lost your Magicks.” I decided to be merciful and end the conversation, saying it gently, but he still looked away.

“Look, I.. I didn’t mean for you to find out that way. I was just going to wait to see if it came back as I healed, and if not..” He shrugged, then began speaking very quickly. “I was going to see if you’d let me stay on here as a.. As a human.” He swallowed hard and ducked his head. I stopped walking so suddenly he had gone several paces before he realized I wasn’t following.

“Laoina?” He turned to look back at me, but I was still stunned. How in all the Hells was I supposed to ask him to go home now? He’d just asked to stay here as a human, for the Gods’ sake! He walked back to me, still rubbing the back of his head. “You don’t have to, of course. It’s just.. The lesser Lords who rebelled will show no mercy, and without my power..” Great, now he was driving the guilt deeper, making me feel as though sending him back without his Magicks was a death sentence. One which I would more or less be condemning him to if I asked him to leave.

“I.. are you truly certain that is what you wish to do?” I winced, hearing the almost pleading quality to my voice myself. The Fae King’s eyes met mine ruefully.

“I’m guessing it wouldn’t be your first choice. Though I suppose I deserve that. That just furthers my belief that I need to stay.” He took a deep breath, clenching his jaw and looking away again. “I feel I owe a debt to you that must be repaid.