Landmoor by Jeff Wheeler
I
He had been confined to a silent world of sleep. An engulfing blue light surrounded him that maintained the awful prison. He wanted to be rid of it, to sit and stretch and walk about. But the bond was powerful, and he couldn’t rouse himself from it. There was no hunger, no sense of thirst. No weariness either. No, that had abandoned him a long time ago. If he ever did awaken, he knew he would never need to sleep again. He would never dare sleep again. Or was this blue existence really his own death – this gradual feeling of loss and timelessness? Thoughts formed and then scattered. The only real thing was the blue light – the source of the prison he had chosen for himself. What a foolish choice.
And in an instant, it changed. The blue light winked out.
He blinked. Wincing at the colors and shades streaking across his eyes, he realized he could see again. Greens and browns and grays – rich earthy colors. The blue light had vanished. His insides thrilled with the freedom. For a moment, the barrage of sounds disoriented him. He was in the woods surrounding the watchpost. Wasn’t he? The shrill chatter of a jackdaw echoed, winging its way through the grove. Fat bumblebees spun in wide circles nearby. And a small waterfall! A melodious churning waterfall. It took a moment for him to realize that marsh water had seeped into his boots, making his feet cold. The discomfort of it was new, invigorating. The Everoot surrounded him, growing across the rocks and trees, wet and glistening like damp moss. Memories flooded him as well, thoughts sticking together and holding. Excitement surged through his stomach. He was alive again! And then he felt the presence of Forbidden magic coming nearer.
As he turned around, he discovered the woman moving through the woods. She was blurred, distorted by the crackling sheets of blue lightning flashing off the canopy of wetland trees – a wall of magic separating them. The roar of the magic swept through the marshy grass as it fought to keep her out. A feeling of darkness and fear settled into his bones at seeing her. A smell also – a stinging smell that reminded him of cinders and dead flesh. He knew in an instant she was an intruder to the warding. Tingles of fire gathered through his fingers as he summoned Earth magic from the spongy mat of grass and moss, breathing it from the mud and stones. He inhaled its cloying smell. Again the thought came to him. He was here for a reason. She was an intruder. He – the guardian. He remembered nothing else. Summoning the rush of the magic to aid him, he raised his arms to unleash it on her.
In the blink of a moment, the magic abandoned him, leaving only the scent of smoke. It was like a silver candlesnuffer quenching a taper. He tried to summon the Earth magic again, but it slipped from his fingers like water. The warding was also gone. Panic seized him as he realized that no barrier separated them. The blur of the warding was gone and he could see her clearly now – dark sleek hair and an ageless face. Her eyes were depthless and as dark as her hair and robes. She was his height and moved with a suppleness that defied the tangle of the woods. She reeked of Forbidden magic.
“Who are you?” He gagged on the terror rising in his chest. He had been bound for this moment – for this moment only. To defend the warding – to stop anyone from seizing the Everoot.
No answer.
“Who are you?” He squinted against the thickening shadows, watching as the afternoon sunlight faded and blackness gathered in its wake. The marsh water had soaked through his boots, but he was cold with fear. She opened her hand. A ball of reddish light glimmered against the curtain of long black robes she wore. His eyes widened, recognizing the shade of the flame. Terror writhed up his throat. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. He knew exactly what had come to kill him.
“Yes, you do know what I am,” came her whisper, answering his thoughts.
He took a tentative step backwards, waiting with dread for the rush of magic that would destroy him. “How did you find…?”
“I am the one who called you. I am the one who has tamed you. Serve me.”
The ground lurched as he fell to his elbows and knees, weeping in shame and loathing. He shook with cold as the marsh water soaked into the rest of his clothes.
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