‘My brother was always outgoing,’ said Terry, picking the meat from the bones of a wild boar. ‘Always the life of the party. No one knew he was human … he was very good at compensating for his lack of Power. He made it to twenty-eight before the came for him.’
Gregory, the manlier of the two, sniffed back tears. ‘My little girl just turned ten. We thought her Power might come with time, but it never did. People started to notice, so we kept her at home, but then they started asking questions. We told everyone she was ill, and then … the Realm took her in the night. They came, and arrested me and my wife, releasing us the next day. But by then, she was nowhere to be seen.’
I didn’t have the heart to tell Terry and Gregory what may have become of their loved ones. They didn’t need to know that their memories had been wiped, and their bodies potentially sterilised so they could not breed in future.
‘I’m sorry this happened to both of you,’ I said, glancing around the circle. ‘Each of us has suffered a loss one way or the other.’
Fae shifted uncomfortably. She was the only one who had not suffered at the hands of the Realm. However, she was willing to do whatever it took to right the wrongs in the world, especially if it meant seeing her lost love again.
‘I lost my best friend,’ said Dagon after the circle had been quiet for a long while. ‘He was living as a Mage, too. I’m not sure how the Realm found out … but they did.’
‘They’ve probably got trackers,’ said Fae knowledgably.
‘Either way, he’s gone.’ Dagon looked to his left, at Mr. Greenwood.
‘They took my son,’ he said.
It was as though our group had turned into a ring of confession. I thought it was strange – these people had not been able to talk about their loss to anyone, for fear of judgement. Being related to, or befriending, a human was the worst thing a Mage could do.
‘My wife and I are Healers, and so is my eldest boy,’ continued Mr. Greenwood. ‘But Jaime … no … he couldn’t heal. When he was six, he broke his leg at school. Of course, the school staff thought he would be able to heal, so he walked around on a broken leg all day, pretending he was fine. We’ve always been very careful to make sure Jaime doesn’t sustain any injuries, bruises, or scrapes, otherwise the whole fa?ade would be broken. Of course, there was always incidences, but usually Caroline and I were around to heal him before anyone could notice. They just thought he was healing himself.’
It saddened me to hear Jaime’s story, and I knew the struggle they had been through quite well. I had grown up with a human sister and knew how hard it was to keep such a secret.
Terry and Gregory didn’t ask any questions about the Vulmessians, and tried to ignore Willow and Rue as they ran around the campsite, howling and yapping playfully with one another. Perhaps they were too afraid to ask.
‘So, uh, Miss Redding?’ said Terry nervously. ‘What’s your plan from here?’
It felt strange to be called ‘Miss Redding’, and I had the faint inkling that Terry and Gregory might be afraid of me. I hadn’t done anything to scare them, so it was slightly unusual. However, I knew Fae would say that it was my reputation as ‘leader of the rebellion’ that was intimidating. Truth be told, I was just a nineteen-year-old girl, looking for revenge. A teenager. That’s all I was. But for some reason, these people believed in me, and it was their hope that gave me strength.
But to be honest, I didn’t have ‘a plan’. I knew what I wanted to do, but doing it was another matter entirely. If I wanted to bring down the whole Realm, I needed an army.
‘Well, there are six of us now,’ I said, throwing the bone I had picked clean into the fire. ‘Seven, when I am reunited with Jack. But we need more people if we want to successfully infiltrate the Realm.’
‘A lot more,’ chimed Fae.
‘I figure the best way to attack is from the air,’ I continued. ‘So Fae and I are able to rain fire and arrows down upon them, but you guys-’
‘Have no way to fly,’ provided Dagon, a small smile playing his lips. ‘Or don’t want to fly.’
‘I second that,’ interrupted Mr. Greenwood. I smiled, thinking of Jack, and the way he disliked flying too.
‘What is it with men and flying?’ said Fae, her expression incredulous. ‘It’s the most amazing feeling.’
‘I have no problem flying,’ said Gregory. Terry nodded his head in agreement.
‘Well, as Fae and I are the only ones who can attack from a distance,’ I said, ‘It’s probably best if the rest of you stay on the ground, anyway.’
They nodded in agreement.
‘So how do you get more followers?’ asked Mr. Greenwood.
I clapped my hands together and stood up, pacing around the circle. ‘This is where you come in,’ I said, pointing to Terry. ‘We need to spread the word that I am heading to Concord City, and I’m seeking recruits.’
‘But … won’t that alert the Realm of your arrival?’ said Dagon.
‘They already think I’m the leader of the human rebellion,’ I said. ‘So the news shouldn’t surprise them.’