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Chapter 4 - A last unkindness

"By the time I realized what was happening the city of Yourz was already under siege," said the star mage hugging Albie tightly. "This was not meant to happen. Someone has disturbed my plans for this kingdom. Someone with power like mine and the influence enough over the queen to convince her to war with her own people. The lives of many are in danger. The future of this nation and those around it uncertain. As a star mage it is my purpose to save life and guide the future. I am unable to beat things back into place so I must ask you with the little time you have left to do it in my stead."

Albie shivered and wheezed in the man's arms. He had no tears left but had not relieved himself of his sorrow. The warmth his old guardian provided him was welcomed but his wounds were deep. He heard the older mage speak and in a trembling voice asked. "I don't have long left?"

"No Albie," said his guardian. "When I bound you and Cat together, I had dreamed the two of you would live to a ripe old age and die of natural causes together. Your life forces were intertwined. That way neither of you would be left behind. It would have made your children sad to lose the both of you at the same time, but they would know and have time to prepare for your passing. I imagine you can still feel the wounds that killed your young wife even now. That pain will not leave you. The wound can not heal and will blead you of your natural life. You have only two months left before your natural life bleads away and you reunite with your bride in the realm of moonlight."

The older mage stood up and pulled Albie to his feet. The Star mage took the axe while Albie held onto the musket.

"There is much sad and gruesome work to do before the night is over," Said the dark-haired Mage. "If not done tonight it will be done later and to those much less involved. So, young moon mage, tonight, you will perform your third act of forbidden magic. This time knowing full the evil you are doing. In doing so damn yourself and save the life of others."

The traveler pushed Albie onto the wagon before boarding himself. With a crack of the rains the horse moved up the hill. The blindfolded man stopped in front of the burnt granary were Cat lie dead. The star mage dismounted and beckoned the tired Albie to follow. Albie tried to dismount the carriage but began coughing again causing him to slip. He landed on his side with a thud. His arm and chest hurt. With the help of the musket he once again got to his feet and hobbled to the traveler.

The Traveler kneeled by Cats body. Albie rested opposite the traveler who revealed a knife.

"I'm sorry young lady," he said and began cutting into her chest. Albie tried to lunge at the traveler for what he was doing only to be halted by a new pain in his chest. Albie collapsed and watched in pain as the traveler cut out Cats hart. It shocked Albie who felt the proses in his own chest. He even felt it as the traveler severed the heart from the rest of the body. When it was done an organ covered in black slime was in the traveler's hand.

"Her heart may be tainted by unliving magic, but it can still be made into a moon stone," declared the star mage. "I will collect the bodies of the villagers and move them to the remains of the old mill. You may take some time on hers but before the night is over you will want to make as many moonstones as possible. If you fail to do it now to your people you will do it on the next full moon to a people who never wished harm on you or yours."

"How do you know this?" asked Albie.

"A star mage can effect the world no greater than any mortal man," declared the star mage. "But we are gifted with many sites. One thing we can see is the consequences of actions before they are made. I see now that if you do not take now you shall hurt the innocent latter. If no one will avenge your village many others will burn. If you do not punish the queen and all others responsible this kingdom will burn for 300 years. I also see that no matter what you do from now until you are laid to rest your suffering will only make monsters."

The older man cried through his bandages. He reached over Cats body and hugged his young moon mage again.

"Little Moon," said the older Mage. "I'm sorry I failed to protect this countries happiness. I'm sorry that the future I had planed for you will not come to pass. I'm also sorry that you will find no human company to help ease your pain. I'm sorry that no matter what you do you will be remembered as a monster. I'm sorry that after setting you on this dark path we cannot meet again. All I can do for you is to help lay the dead to rest and put you on a path that might let the growing madness inside of you save more than you destroy. You may fight your fate if you wish. That is your choice, but please do as this old man askes one last time. Even if I don't deserve it."

The star mage let go of Albie and stood up before taking Cats body and loading it into the wagon. He collected all the bodies in silence and lead the wagon down the street. Albie was left alone with the magic blackened hart in his hand. Pain filled his chest. Some of it was the phantom pain he shared with Cat the rest was loss and confusion. He had only two months. He would be alone for all of them. Would he die alone as well. He looked back at Cats heart. The prosses of turning a heart into a moonstone was simple. The act of using humans as components for moonstones was forbidden by law according to The Book of Moon Enchantment. Then again, the authority of the queen had killed his village. What was law now to him if being alive was a crime punishable by death. Nothing! the laws meant nothing to him now. The phantom pains in his chest surged again and he began coughing violently. Black phlegm escaping his lungs and beginning a rapid cycle of rapid overgrowth and decay in the grass around him. He remembered he was already gone. He had already done horrible things. Things he could not take back and would continue to tamper with the proper cycle of life and death for as long as he lived. Something dark inside of him clawed at his waning life force. A horrid unnatural thing that he felt might not stop even after his death. He looked at Cats blackened heart and began channeling the moonlight into the black organ. He shifted and bent the moonlight inside the heart until it became a silver stone the size of its fist. It was beautiful. A silver light radiated from the stone. It was near transparent except for the dark streak reaching from one end of the stone to the other. Albie held it to the moonlight and watched the stone glow more brilliantly as it absorbed the power of the moon. It felt like Cat to him. He kissed it tenderly and held it to his chest as he limped to the mill. The street had been cleared of bodies. Only the blood remained were the people had fallen. He arrived at the remains of the mill to find cats body lying against the stone wall as if sitting. A line of bodies waiting for the grim harvest nearby. His heart now hardened he walked to the line were a knife was waiting. He cut the hart out of young Lils chest and began turning the eight-year old's heart into a moonstone. It was smaller than Cats but very clear. He did not feel as close to it as he did with Cats witch even now was still firmly in his left hand. He looked at the next body and continued his work. The moon was at its peak. His powers at their strongest. As he cut into Tulips chest, he began asking himself why they had to be murdered. What reason would the queen have for giving such an order. He could think of nothing to justify this. Angers crystallized in his heart as he cut into his mother in laws chest. The phantom pain of Cats death everlasting, further solidifying his hate. The traveler was right if this pain was to live with him for the rest of his days it would need somewhere to go or he would lose himself to it, or the addiction of bleeding the life force of other creatures to blunt it. He blead the surviving grass around the mill of its life force so he could blunt the pain. Someone needed to pay.