No more conversation was held beyond that point. I want to ask Izzi what her Feraad trait is, but I specifically made that kind of question rude in the story. Feraad were meant to be slaves to Humans of Nobility. I'm curious to know what race they think I am. Zack hands me a coat from his pack and Max tosses me a red beanie. My legs are still cold, but I'm not complaining. They gave me something which is all I could really ask for.
We head toward the next town over. We took a caravan from some traveling merchants and scuttled away unnoticed. Since Izzi, Zack, and Max are all on the run, I know that they can't just walk around town like everything is just perfect. On the other hand, I can. Sometimes I sneak a peek at Izzi and she's looking at me. She's been tense ever since she told me she is a Feraad like she expects me to throw some chains on her and make her my slave. I understand her fear, but I hate that she feels that way. I guess we haven't really known each other very long anyway, so it's fine for now.
We reach the town of Shucklemoore before midnight. I still wear my watch so I can count how much time passes. I hide the watch from the trio. They shouldn't know where I come from and they don't have this kind of technology. If they found it, they'd be very suspicious of it and they'd begin wondering where I came from. I need a backstory. I'm good at stories so I know I can make one up. I can search through my mind to one of the better Empires in this story. One that just recently fell is the Mongol Empire, named after a real historical empire a long, long time ago. The Mongolian Empire was mostly full of Mongols. For good reason. They were very swift with a bow and their people were well protected. They were all human, of course, but there were a distinct few who became mages in war. After all the wars, the Mongol Empire traded with other countries and there was a vast time of peace. I could say I was there during those peaceful times. For the watch, I could say they had very advanced technology and I can just hope they don't dissect it to attempt to figure out how it works.
"Here we are." A gruff voice says. He slows down the horses and ties the ropes onto a tree. It looks very obvious to me but maybe they realize that if someone sees it, they'll assume that there are Merchants in the area. It's a smart thing to do and it makes me wonder just how long they've been doing this. My thoughts are interrupted when Max reaches for me in the caravan. When I don't immediately take his help, he grabs me by the waist and I yelp. I feel myself blush again. He isn't even trying to be intimate with me and still I respond this way. Is this because I've been so distant from boys my whole life? What's happening to me? Isn't this just a book? No, Gracie, don't be stupid. As if this is just a simple book. You're literally trapped in it. And as a writer, you should know exactly how important words are.
I know that now, and I'm glad I can realize things I find important even in a book. Literally. It's still a huge shock to me, being in my own story.
Max releases me and my feet hit the sand with a soft thump. I feel an odd comfort being near this man with which I've never even had a conversation and I pull away the moment I can. I can't help but look at his face and wonder what this mystery man is thinking. I wonder what he feels when he touches me? I wonder if he feels anything at all? His face is a constant stone wall and I get a feeling it's because he was a soldier. Izzi rushes up to me from the back of the wagon. "Hey Gracie, I think this is where we let you off." Wait... what?
"What do you mean let me off? I thought we came here for supplies!" Confusion seeps from my very oily pores.
Max hops into the conversation next. "You didn't think you would stay, did you?" This was the first time he talked to me since the whole knife throwing incident. It still bugs me that he killed that man. I wanted to freak out and scream at that time but I put in a brave face, hoping it would do some good. Apparently I'm about to be abandoned.
"No! I don't know this area! What the heck am I supposed to do? You can't leave me here in this unknown territory with nothing but a goodbye." I say behind clenched teeth to Max.
He gives me a steely glare and I can't help but take a step back. Intensity penetrates the air and I realize that the intense feeling is coming from him. He smolders at me, then glares as if he can't make up his stupid hot mind. What? No, I didn't say hot. I said... something that's not hot. I shouldn't find this jerk of a man attractive. God, I feel like people would laugh at me: a twenty eight year old woman who still has no control of her own hormones and has exactly zero boy experience. Or at least of any boys like this.
Never mind, that doesn't even have anything to do with anything happening right now because right now I'm mad at him.
It doesn't seem like he forgot that either because he replies calmly, "We can't help you. Sorry." He does NOT sound sorry. I clench my fists. For a moment I see a different emotion in his dark eyes but it disappears as quickly as it appears. This is so stupid.
Izzi touches my arm and I drag my gaze to her. "I'll give you some money for the trip. It's like any other area. Just find a job, make money, and buy stuff. Then you're all set. Although you're pretty young, so I'm not sure if you'll be able to get a job easily. They like people with experience."
Young? Was she kidding? "Um... I'm 28. Definitely not young." I'm not sure if I should be happy that she finds me to look young.
"Oh, honey!" Izzi exclaims. "You don't look a day over 17! Here," Izzi searches through her satchel and finds a small mirror cracked down the middle. I take the mirror and glance at myself momentarily. I still look the s— wait, what? I look like I did when I was 17! There's no way. My hair is even lighter. My eyes are almost a crystal color, and I'm... I'm beautiful. My skin is so soft looking and perfect. My nose is shaped like a button. That's also changed. Dang, I'm fine. No, that's NOT what I should be thinking. Before I know what's happening, I let out a strangled sound and Izzi shakes my shoulder and quickly asks, "Oh my goodness, are you choking?"
"No, I'm not choking, I'm eleven years younger than I was a few hours ago! And even if I was choking, why would you waste time asking when you could help me, I don't know, NOT DIE!" I breathe hard and read the amusement on Izzi's face. My blood boils. Yeah, she can think this is funny all she wants to. She's going to regret it. "You think this is funny? It's not! This is so not funny! You know what, maybe you deserve to be a damn human's slave." Her face is no longer amused. Serves her right, the b— I jump back quickly before— wait what? Max had rushed behind Izzi and held her close to him. Were they seriously cuddling right now? Unbelievable. What about me and my life? Don't they realize what's happening to me?
A sudden feeling of clarity places itself into my mind. Crap. No. They don't realize it. And I was being so selfish and I was mad and—
"Leave." The words are filled with hurt. Izzi has spoken. She looks like she is going to cry but a fierce determination shines from her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I—"
"Leave!" Izzi yells. She suddenly turns a dark purple color and, as if realizing it, her eyes widen and she changes back to normal. Max rubs Izzi's shoulder. I realize what I've done and feel so much worse.
"Izzi." I say. "Izzi, I was ma—"
"Just go away, Gracie." So I leave. I could never understand what that woman has been through. And she's been nothing but nice to me, too. I feel like such a dick. Ten hells, I probably am one. I made my mother so angry she slapped me. I made Izzi, such a nice and chipper girl, angry, and I'm sure Max doesn't think so highly of me either.
The town rises in front of me and I have no idea where I'm going.
I guess this makes sense. Of course my hormones would be worse and harder to control as a 17 year old with hormones at its most peak moments. I guess it's just been so long since I've actually had to deal with it all.
I forgot how crazy it all feels. Even a single touch had my insides spiraling like mad.
I tech the town and begin walking down the street. I find a shop that sells a list of jobs. I'm glad the list happens to be free because I have no idea what the currency is. I never got that far in the book. The majority of this is simply crazy. I look at the list of jobs. I look in the adventure section on most popular.
ADVENTURE
Adventurer - join a guild, and complete missions
Basically like a video game. Or an anime. I'm definitely original, I criticize myself. I continue down the list of adventure jobs available.
Mage
Healer
I stop there. The rest is just a bunch of side kicks to an adventurer. I need to be able to escape this place and get back home. What job would allow that though?
Merchant
Trader
Blacksmith
Shop owner/worker
Waiter
That one sounds familiar, I chuckle. I used to wait tables at this basic restaurant down in Jacksonville, Florida. I didn't like it there. It was way too hot and wet. And the gnats were god awful.
It says the nearest magic check is south if here, somewhere in the town square. At some other guild. Gosh, guilds are crazy. Such a strange concept, guilds. I wish it was more original. I sigh. It's kind of cool that there's magic here though. I wonder how it will look. I know I described it sometimes. It was in the point of view of one of the King's candidates to become Queen, a selection of sorts. Hah, like the book series "The Selection". Yeah, still original Gracie. Real nice.
I head to the middle of town. It doesn't take long with a map I took from the caravan wagon earlier.
The town square is packed with people and I'm reminded of how lonely this trip was. It's your fault, voices in my head tell me. You're the reason they don't even want you around anymore. You just HAD to run your mouth. And look what happened, too. You're all alone in a strange world. Well, not exactly strange. You're the creator of it. You should be able to leave it.
The guild builder reminds me of a common hotel though I'm sure people here would consider this type of thing to be fancy. Not me, though. I walk through the doors. There's a woman with very black hair at the desk.
"Yes, ma'am?" The woman said to me with a funny sounding accent. It sounded like she was choking on her words. I ignore it and walk up to her. I'm not sure if I'm cut out for an adventurer job, but I need a way to escape this place.
"Yes, hello, I want to become an adventurer. I need to test my magic level." I'm pretty confident that this is how it works.
The woman smiles politely. "You must be new. Be right back." She walks out the back door to the back. She returns with a small orb and I place my hand on it, already aware of what's going to happen. The woman should know how to read it. I never figured out the details of it. The woman— I look at her name tag— Sariah concentrates on the orb and I wait for the orb to change color. Everyone in this world has at least a little bit of magic.
"Hm, that's strange." Sariah says curiously. "It seems as though you have no magic at all. Maybe it's something else. Hang on, I'll be right back."
Well, isn't this interesting? Am I really about to be the only human without magic? I know the Feraad are incapable of magic but I can't possibly be a Faraad. I don't have any animalistic qualities. Then again, neither did Izzi. But that doesn't explain that she can change color. Maybe she's a shape shifting Feraad. Is that a thing? I don't even know.
Sariah returns with a mirror. "Here, just look into it and if you have any magic at all, you're reflection will begin to appear. When it does, just tell me how much of yourself you can see." I look at the mirror and see nothing. A few moments go by and still nothing happens. No, I can't be an outcast in this life, too.
I will the mirror to break.
Shatter mirror, you don't matter anymore. You're of no use to me.
I see the mirror in my kind and I see the idea of the mirror breaking. I feel my satisfaction in my head when it shatters. I know that if it shattered, I wouldn't be worried by what it doesn't have to say to me. I don't have magic. How will I be able to leave? This makes no sense! I want to scream and throw a freaking tantrum. I huff and hear a shriek that definitely doesn't come from me.
I hear something crash and then a crunch sound. Sariah is holding her eyes and the mirror is in the ground. It looks like it exploded and from the look of her eyes and her screaming, it seems one of the shards landed in her eye.
I stare down at the mirror. Then at Sariah. I ask her if she's okay before picking up the mirror. She's fine, she just needs a healer to get the glass out of her eye.
I reach down for the mirror and see it shattered on the ground and in the small chunks scattered everywhere I see a very vibrant reflection of me.
I remember Sariah's words the: "...if you have any magic at all, you're reflection will begin to appear."
Does this mean...?