Starting NaNoWriMo/Excerpt 1
Oof.
So, missed the first one last week. Sorry. Got real busy, forgot, then by the time I remembered, it was already Wednesday. And as some of you may well know, Wednesday was kind of a mind-f**k of a day for half the nation. Going to try to not bring it up, but...ya know.
Anyway.
The writing is going well! My goal of 1700 words a day is going (mostly) smoothly, with only a few hiccups here and there. Its nice to write something a little less gloomy as a kind of break, so that alone is fun. Its also challenging, as I've never really written anything that wasn't gritty or dark. Still, I think its coming along well. I'm well on track to get things done in time, and by 'in time', I only mean hit the 50k word goal. I don't think this story will be able to fit in 50k words though, so assuming I do finish the challenge, it might still be a little while before I actually get the full thing done. But that's okay! Its nice to take a break from The Kin-Slayer (working title for book 2) and stretch my creative muscles. I don't plan on having this project last beyond the end of the year, but at least until the end of November, it will likely be the only project I work on. Nose to the grindstone and all that.
Now, onto the actual thing itself. I haven't come up with a name for it yet, but I'm hoping I will soon. I've already made a few changes to my outline, just to help the flow and keep the story properly interconnected. I'll have a good chunk posted down below this if you're interested in giving the first section a read! Let me know what you think through...whatever way I guess. Email me? DM me on the socials? Whatever. I plan on keeping the biggest parts of the story under wraps for the time being, so no early spoilers from me. I hope you all find it interesting!
It has been interesting, writing in a completely different tone and a very different perspective from what I have been for years now. I had to shift my head back into how I used to write D&D backstories to get my head in the write space, but I think I've found a good place to zone out to to get the right headspace, as well as a good playlist. Fun fact, I cannot write without music. Writing in silence is like staring into a void. Nothing going in, nothing going out. For the Crimson Legacy books, I've found that my usual doom metal (not DOOM metal, but doom metal. IYKYK), is solid, as well as industrial grungecore or folk metal stuff. For this project now, that whole vibe is super off. So, I've found that some fun synthwave or pop-punk is getting me in a good place to write something more lively and less...glum. A lot of Gunship, Bilmuri, even some more niche stuff from the realm of anime OP's. Its always a process trying to find music that gets me in the right headspace, and it can be hard for me, as a metal head, to listen to something that I'm not necessarily in the mood for, but its worth it. I can really get into a good flow, and it makes my writing tone feel more authentic. At least, I think.
Think that's going to do it for now? I'm trying to keep my carpal tunnel at bay here, and excessive typing (on top of my daily requisite) is not great for that. The excerpt for the first couple chapters of the book will be below, so read it at your leisure! Also, bear in mind that some names of places are placeholders, so don't come at me for that quite yet. I'm going to keep them somewhat short, as I don't know if there's a word limit to these, but I don't want to break something by adding too much. I'll talk to y'all here again next Friday, so stay safe until then. Things are going pretty not great out there right now, so watch out for each other, prioritize your health, and be a safe place for others who may not be as lucky as you.
Make your own fate
J. M. Prigmore
"And don't bother coming ba-"
The door slammed shut, cutting off the final word before it could reach its harsh conclusion. The world was swirling and blurry, like a reflection in a pond lost to rippling waves. Adrenaline pumped through the young woman's body, and the shock from the sudden declaration from her family had left her in nothing short of a panic. Her breath was hard to catch, each inhale and exhale seemingly coming and going more rapidly than the last. Tears streamed down her face in hot streaks, and as she took off in a sprint down the dirt path leading from her childhood home, she had a feeling deep in the pit of her stomach that she'd never come back here. Even if she had wanted to, she was certain that her parents wouldn't want her to regardless. She hadn't done anything to spite them, not to any degree that would have warranted such a response in her mind. She'd always loved magic, despite her being previously unable to use it herself, but her family had always told her that only evil people used magic. Hard working people like her ma and pa saw magic as a shortcut, a lazy man's way of doing work, and after the Waukin Disaster, most everyone in town thought that it was only capable of destruction. But she knew better.
She knew that in the right hands, magic could be used to help people, to keep them safe, to heal them. It wasn't an inherently malign force. It was simply a tool, a neutral thing to be shaped by whomsoever wielded it. The tome she had kept tucked away under her bed for years had taught her that, its pages filled with spells to ward off dark spirits and heal terrible wounds, recipes to cure poisons and eradicate diseases. She had tried everyday to slowly help her parents and her siblings understand that magic wasn't the source of all evil, that it wasn't granted by demons to corrupt humanity, but she had never been able to break through. Even still, she didn't want to give up on them, or on magic. She had always wanted, more than anything, to be a witch that helped people in need. A traveling witch had told her, when she was no older than five years old, that she had potential. She'd never forgotten that encounter, nor the promise she'd made to herself that night before bed. She would learn magic, she would protect those she loved, and she would show everyone that it could be a tool for good.
She'd first found the book years ago during a trip into the city, a rare occasion for them. Pa had taken them all during his annual trek to Eastlark to pay tithes to the lord there, and while he was busy offering his due, she had slipped away to a bookshop she'd seen on their way in. She'd never seen something so amazing. Up until then, she'd only ever seen the one book her family kept, a massive leather bound book that she had never been able to read. She knew it was important, since Ma and Pa read from it every night, and sometimes read it to them, but they'd never allowed her or any of her siblings to sift through its contents. Now, surrounded by a maze of books, their scent permeating the very air she breathed, she felt like she was in heaven. There had only been a few people in the shop, and she had been free to peruse the countless books at her leisure, even though she had no idea what any of the scribbles and long lines meant. Eventually the shopkeep had come up to her, kneeling down to match her child sized height. He was old, and he had a long gray beard that tickled the floorboards beneath them as his old bones creaked. A wide brimmed purple hat sat atop a head of scraggly gray hair, and his faded purple robes were covered in dust, aged and worn from years of wear. After seeing how enamored she was by the store, he had asked what she wanted to know about the most.
"I want to know about magic!"
The shopkeep had smiled at her, placing a large, soft hand on her little head. It was the first time she'd spoken those words without being scolded shortly afterwards.
"Come with me," the old man had said, leading her to the back of the shop.
He used his finger to guide his sight as he searched along the shelves of books, mouthing titles silently as he went. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. This old man had spent his whole life around books, she was sure of it. He must have been the smartest man in the world. How couldn't he be, with all the things he could learn just sitting around him all the time?
"Here, little one," he said, handing her a dusty tome. "This will get you started."
She had taken the book, its size surprising her. She had to hold it with both hands. The shopkeep knelt down again.
"Study what this book says well. If you take the time to respect magic, and it will come to respect you as well."
She had realized right then that in her hasty escape from her parents, she had neglected to bring any kind of money.
"I don't have any silver to pay you," she said, handing the book back to the old man. Her Pa had taught her that she always needed to pay for things, and that most gifts were just lures.
"My dear girl," he had said, lightly pushing the book back towards her. "The only payment I require is the knowledge that a new witch may one day be born."
She was still hesitant. This book must have been extremely valuable, seeing as it was full of magic. There was no way he would give it away to a child like her.
He saw her resistance, and changed his tune a bit.
"When you master every potion and spell in this book, come back and pay me then. Deal?"
With reluctance, she'd nodded.
When she had returned to her family, and after a stern scolding, she had hidden the book away, stealing glanced at it whenever she could. She had eventually taught herself to read the enigmatic texts, as best she could, and despite only being able to only perform the simplest spells, she had begun her long journey to becoming a full fledged witch…until today.
When her Ma had found the tome under her bed, apparently her first reaction was fear. Her brothers and sister had found her at the well, intercepting her before her parents could. They had told her that Ma was crying about something she'd found under her bed, and that she should come back home quick. She'd realized what had happened, that her long secret had finally been exposed.
Now, with nothing but the clothes on her back and the book in her arms, Yelena ran from the only home she'd ever known. She was an outcast, shunned by her family, by her friends, and by her town. There was nowhere let for her here, not without being forced to surrender to dream.
So Yelena ran.
Down the muddy path out of town, past the fields of wheat and pastures of grazing goats, past the foreign merchants peddling incense, past the boundaries of the town watch, past the rolling hills of flowers that she'd spent her days playing in with friends, past it all. She would leave it all behind, and she would become a witch that could use magic for good. She'd prove her parents, her entire town, wrong, and once she had, she'd go back to Eastlark and pay that old shopkeep at last.
Ch. 2
Yelena had been on her own for almost a week now. The little bit of silver she'd had in her pocket had bought her a loaf of bread from a traveling merchant, but that had been gone for two days now. Her clothes were in tatters, ripped and stained from trekking through the untamed wilderness of the Deep Forest. Her stomach had stopped grumbling yesterday, and her lips were cracked from dehydration. She hadn't slept for more than an hour or so at a time since she had fled, and everything was starting to catch up to her. If she could just find something she could catch, maybe she could cook it and eat something.
She stumbled through the underbrush, weaving around the countless spruce and pine trees of the expansive wood. As a child, she had always been told to stay away from the Deep Forest. Tales of monsters wreathed in shadow, perfectly capable of eating her whole, were said to lurk here in droves. So far, she'd seen no sign of them. At this point, she'd also seen no trace of any normal animal. She'd be happy for even a squirrel or a mouse. Just…something. Anything.
Her tome was gripped firmly in one hand, the other holding her weight up as she rested on the trunk of an old pine tree. Her vision was a little blurry, and she was finding it harder to walk in a straight line as she went. The forest floor seemed to spin slowly now, and Yelena had no choice but to sink down and shut her eyes to ward off the nausea. This wasn't the first time she'd almost fallen out, but she couldn't afford to give up now. She would keep moving, keep pushing forward until she found something to eat. There had to be something out here…didn't there?
As she sat slumped against the tree, she found the darkness of her closed eyes comforting for the first time. It was so comforting, in fact, that she was finding it rather difficult to open them again. Her arms felt too heavy to move, and her neck felt like it was bearing an unbelievable weight. Her entire body went limp, and little pinpricks of light began to dance in her vision, despite her eyelids staying closed.
Was this it? Was she really going to die out here in the forest, unknown and never found? Was this the potential that witch had seen, the hope that shopkeep had placed on her? What could she do now, anyway?
"Hey!"
She should have just given it all up. She could be happy and healthy back home right now, with her family. What did she think she was really capable of, if this was as far as she could get on her own?
"You there! Are you okay?"
Now she was hallucinating voices. She must really have been on the verge of death. At least she lived as she wanted, free of any of the prejudices her town had shared. It was a small comfort, but it still counted.
"Gods, you must be starving. What were you even doing out here alone."
A sensation on her bare arm shocked her awake, one last burst of energy gave her enough strength to open her eyes. She must have been imagining it.
Before her was the most beautiful face she'd ever seen. A woman's features, soft and round, but dirty and scratched. Sharp, piercing amber eyes met hers, as beautiful as priceless jewels. Reddish-brown hair pulled back, save for a single lock that fell down over the right side of her face, just beside her eye. This vivid hallucination must have been conjured up by her own imagination, as no human could possibly be this astoundingly gorgeous. She had no doubt that this was either her own mind trying to comfort her before the end, or it was an angel of death coming down to spirit her away to the afterlife.
"Come on, open your mouth. Try to drink."
She could feel this angel try to pry her lips apart, then place something hard and cool against them. She felt liquid hit her tongue, but her throat was so dry and tired that the sudden shock of something so cold only made her cough it right back up. She hurt, but she didn't even have the strength to cry.
"Okay, let's try this. Pardon the intrusion."
After a moment, she felt something else pressed against her lips, this time warm and soft like a pillow. A slow trickle of water hit dribbled down her throat now, and her body accepted the gift of life readily this time. She still couldn't quite perceive what was happening, but the feeling of something, anything fresh reaching her stomach was incredible. She had no idea what this angel was doing, but they were saving her life. If she managed to come out of this alive, she'd have to thank them properly.
Yelena's consciousness began to fade out again, and as her vision narrowed and blurred to black, her mind's last thought was firmly on this angel that had come to her rescue. Even if she never woke up again, she could at least say she saw something magical before the end.
***
The sweet scent of wood smoke was the first thing Yelena's mind took note of. It had a similar aroma to the fireplace at home, but with a tinge of something…different. Slowly, she roused from her sleep, her eyes fluttering open to an unfamiliar room. She was lying in what had to be a bed, though she was atop a bed of straw rather than soft linens. A thick blanket made of some animal hide covered her, and she was in clothes she'd never seen before. Her entire body ached, but the fact that she hurt meant that she was still alive. Her stomach growled, and as she tried to lift her head to look around, she finally saw the source of the scent.
A few feet away, the angel that had come to save her was seated on a squat, wooden stool, tending a recently lit flame in a humble fireplace. Her back was to her, but she could recognize her hair. She opened her mouth to speak, but the best she could do was a pitiful squeak no louder than a mouse. Her throat was raw, and as she tried to ask where she was, she instead let out a painful cough that sent pain through her entire body. She fell back into the bed, trying to catch her breath.
"You're awake! Good, good," the angel said.
The stranger appeared over her, holding something brown in her hands. As her vision cleared a bit, she saw that it was a small bowl with steam rising from its rim.
"I made some stew. It'll give you your energy back. Can you sit up?"
Yelena nodded, slowly shifting her back to be propped up against the wall behind her head. As she was finally able to look around freely, she took in her surroundings properly. She was in a tiny cabin, no larger than about twenty feet in any direction. Rays of sunlight were peering through cracks and openings in-between slightly rotted planks, and the floor was a mess of dirt and straw. A few decrepit pieces of furniture were scattered about, but this place had clearly not been lived in for some time. This couldn't have been where her angel lived, could it? Could anyone live like this?
"Open up, and I'll help you eat. It's a little hot, so small bites," she said, pulling a small ladle up from the bowl.
The contents of the stew were thick chunks of unidentifiable material, but as the smell of the food finally reached her senses, any hesitation she harbored about the specifics of the recipe quickly faded. She hadn't had anything real to eat in over a week. It could have been minced rat with beets for all she cared.
The angel helped Yelena eat for the next few minutes, and despite the unappealing imagery of the stew, it was the most delicious thing she'd ever eaten.
"It's my grandmother's old recipe," she said after a few bites. "She was a hunter like me, so it's a little simple, but it's good for getting your stamina back."
After devouring the entire bowlful of stew, Yelena leaned her head back and closed her eyes. It was as if life had finally returned to her soul, and her chest was warm. However simple that recipe may be, she'd learn to master it and return the favor one day.
"I'm glad you pulled through. Must've been tough out there on your own. What's your name?" the woman asked.
Yelena cleared her throat, then tried to speak again. Now that her throat had been coated once more, the words actually managed to escape, though they were more quiet than she had intended them to be.
"Yelena."
"Yelena, huh? You aren't from around here, are you?"
She shook her head, then pulled her arms out from under the blanket. She was wearing a somewhat scratchy tunic that covered her torso and part of her legs, but her arms were bare, exposing the cuts and scrapes that she'd gained as she'd roamed the Deep Forest. She'd be lucky if none of them got her sick in a few days.
"Oh, sorry about the clothes. It was all I had on me when we got here. I kept your old clothes, but they're going to need a lot of love before you can wear them out again."
She stood from the bedside and placed a gentle hand on Yelena's shoulder. Her skin was warm, but rough like dry soil. Hard calluses covered her fingers and palms, just like those on her Ma and Pa's.
"Name's Sonya, by the way. We can head into the village once you get your strength back to get you a bath. Until then, you'll have to deal with the stink in here."
She smiled right at her, her lips pulling back just a bit to reveal pearlescent white teeth.
"Sorry!"
Sonya, the angel who had saved her, turned and went back to the open pot over the fireplace. Yelena still was having a hard time coming to terms with everything, but she wouldn't discount how lucky she had been. She'd survived wandering through one of the most dangerous places she knew of, and rather than being eaten by some terrible beast or ripped apart by a shadow hound, this lovely woman had found her instead. She took another look at herself, realizing that the clothes her Ma had lovingly handmade for her would likely never be the same ever again. They were hardly the most expensive fabrics, but it was still the only thing she had to remember them by. That, and the book.
Wait.
Her heart skipped a beat and she began to desperately look around the small room for any sign of the tome of magic she'd had with her. She couldn't have lost it, could she? If she had, if it was somewhere out in the forest being ripped up by birds to use for their nests…
"Um," Yelena muttered, "Did you find a book when you found me?"
Sonya turned back to her casually, pointing back at her.
"Yeah. Look beside you."
Yelena pulled the heavy blanket off of her, revealing that the tome had been right beside her the whole time. She snatched it up and pulled it to her chest, holding it tightly to her chest.
"Even when you had passed out, you still had a death grip on that thing. I figured it had to be important to you," Sonya explained. "Isn't that a grimoire?"
She was beyond relieved to see the book safe in her arms again. If she'd lost it, she didn't know what she'd do. It was the whole reason she had left in the first place. She had to be more careful with it from now on. But what was that word Sonya had just used? Grimoire?
"What's a grimoire?" she asked, slightly confused by the new word.
Sonya returned the confusion now, looking as if Yelena's question didn't make any sense.
"That's a book of magic, right?"
"Yes."
"Then it's a grimoire. How'd you get your hands on it if you didn't even know what it was?"
"It…was a gift. I don't know how to read well yet, but I'm learning."
"Huh. All right then," Sonya said, turning back to the stew.
Yelena didn't know how much she should say. If Sonya hated magic as much as her family did, there was a good chance she'd abandon her too. She would like to avoid that, if possible.
"Do you live here?" she asked, hoping the answer was no.
Sonya laughed, then said, "No, I just stop by here sometimes to rest during my hunts. The former owner left some ten years ago, not really sure what happened to him. I have a shop in Village, just a couple miles east."
"Oh. That makes sense," she replied.
The two were quiet for a while as Sonya ate her fill of the stew, emptying the pot she had used to cook it in. Yelena could already feel her strength returning, but she knew that it would be unwise to push herself just yet. She'd seen what starvation could do to a person firsthand, and that recovery was a process that needed patience, not a finger snap after a good meal. Still, she really didn't want to stay here by herself. She could see that the sun was beginning to set through the cracks in the roof.
"Will you come by tomorrow?" she asked
Sonya looked at her with surprise.
"Do you want me to leave? I'm happy to, but I didn't think you'd want me to.”
"Oh! Uh, I didn't think that you'd, uh, want to stay here overnight," Yelena weakly muttered out, with some effort.
Sonya laughed again, a deep chuckle that almost startled her.
"I didn't plan on abandoning you to the shadow hounds, if that's what you were thinking. I'm happy to stay with you until you can walk again, so just lay down and rest, okay?”
Yelena, taken off guard by the genuine kindness this woman was showing her, simply nodded before sliding back down into the meager bed. She was embarrassed by how pathetic she'd sounded, as if she was making sure her mother wasn't leaving her alone in the dark. Hopefully she'd be able to show that she could take care of herself once she recovered.
Over the next few hours, Sonya was in and out of the cabin, doing various preparatory activities that Yelena presumed were for hunting. In her hometown, most of the men were farmers. They rarely hunted, instead procuring meat by trading with neighboring towns. She had no idea how to even prepare an animal after killing it. She was never good with blood anyway. It made her queasy.
While Sonya was doing…whatever she was doing outside, Yelena went back to her comfort; reading her book. She cracked open the old cover and turned to the first page for the hundredth time. As far as she'd been able to tell, it was a sort of introduction to the rest of the book, explaining what might be found within and warning the reader to take care. She read it in its entirety once more, just for practice, then flipped a few pages forward to the first interesting page.
The page had a myriad of words that she still hadn't been able to understand, as well as a series of spiraling symbols just beside the words. Some of the words she recognized, but some seemed to have totally different patterns to how the letters connected. It had been a real problem for her, but she'd kept studying them as much as she could in secret. Now that she didn't have to hide her reading, perhaps she could get some real work done. She poured over the page once more, letting herself get lost in the strange words, grasping at abstract concepts and trying to tie them together in her mind.
Imbue, draught, yellow orchid, curative, wounds.
She tried to link the words into a single coherent thought, but it still seemed to elude her grasp. The words after it were like that of the first page, a kind of instruction, followed by the even more confusing letters.
Sláintiúil comhlacht, sláintiúil aigne.
These words were even more unintelligible, not sounding like any of the words she knew how to say. It had been frustrating to be utterly incapable of translating the text, and she was no closer now than she had been when she'd first started trying all those years ago. If she had just a little help, some way to get just a nudge in the right direction, maybe she could start to understand the magic written in this book.
"Healthy body, healthy mind."
Yelena almost jumped out of her skin, letting out a sharp yelp in surprise. The words sounded from just behind her, and she whipped around with the book held over her head, ready to smack whatever had snuck on her. Much to her surprise though, the only thing she spotted was a small cat perched in the rafters above her. Its yellow eyes were perfectly round like the full moon, slit down the center by narrow black tears. The darkness of the evening kept her from making out any real details, but she could tell it had short, dark hair. It hadn't moved in response to her or the words that had come from nowhere, instead resting lazily along a horizontal beam, two paws hanging limply over the edge of the wood.
"Where did you come from?" she whispered. She quickly looked between the bed and the wall, then past the cat in the rafters, finding no trace of any other people. With a louder voice, she called out, "Who's there?"
She received nothing but silence in return. Her eyes danced around the room, but there was no sign of any other soul in the cabin. She knew for a fact that wasn't Sonya's voice. The one she had heard was far different, deep and gravely. It reminded her of her Pa's, only with a hint of an accent.
"It's rude to ignore me, human."
Yelena's eyes shot to the sound again, but she only landed on the cat again. Was the cat…
No. That was impossible. Right?
In a whisper, and the knowledge that she must be dreaming now, she asked, "Cat?"
"Yes," it replied, its tiny mouth not so much as budging as it spoke.
"Are you talking to me?”
"Are you not replying?" it responded.
Yelena had no idea how to react to what was happening. Was she really about to have a conversation with a cat? This was absolute nonsense. She had to be dreaming!
The cat rose from its perch, stretching for a long second, then leapt down silently onto her bed before sitting smartly beside her.
"I was watching you out there in the forest. Had half a mind to just put you out of your misery, but then I heard that hunter out there nearby. A real lucky break, I'd say."
Well, if she was dreaming, or hallucinating, she might as well play along.
"Did you guide Sonya to me?"
The cat laid down, but kept its eyes firmly on hers.
"In a way, yes."
It was as if the voice was coming from within her own mind now, rather than from the cat itself. Yelena found the sensation deeply uncomfortable, as if the words were coming from some invading presence in her psyche rather than her own mind. Still, she was curious.
"So why did you try to save me?"
The cat was quiet for a moment before answering.
"There's an interesting scent about you. You seem far too ignorant to be knowledgeable of its origin, but perhaps you can be of use in the future."
The cat's attitude was a bit irritating, but it was right. Yelena knew that cats had incredible senses of smell, and whatever this odd one had caught from her was likely far too subtle for her human nose to spot. Still, it wasn't exactly the humble or innocent answer she was expecting. This cat wanted something from her, but neither she, nor the cat, knew quite what that was yet. Unless, of course, the cat was lying.
Hang on.
Why was she even thinking this deeply on a cat's intentions? It was a cat! This dream was getting out of hand. She needed to wake up before things got even weirder.
Just then, the door to the cabin opened. Sonya stood in the doorframe, her arms full of a stack of freshly cut logs, sweat dripping from her brow. She looked at Yelena, then to the cat on the bed beside her.
"Oh. Friend of yours?"
She could see the cat? Could she also talk to the cat then?
"No, we only just met. Introduce yourself, cat."
The cat looked at her, then laid its head down, refusing to speak.
Yelena scoffed, then said, "Come on, we were just having a whole conversation. Don't be rude to her."
She was met with not only silence, but complete ignorance.
"Well then," Sonya said, setting the stack down just beside the fireplace, "I guess I'll leave the two of you to…this."
Without another word, she left the cabin just as quickly as she'd entered. Yelena's face lit up bright red. This stupid little cat just made her look crazy!
"You're going to make her think I'm insane!" she whispered as angrily as she could.
"I cannot speak to those who are incapable of hearing me, human," the cat replied, again its voice emanating from inside her own head.
"What do you mean?" she asked, demanding an answer.
The cat let out a sigh. Not from its mouth, of course, but in her head.
"Unlike you, she has no connection to the magics that flow through this land. Even if I had desired to speak to her, I would only appear as a simple housecat to her. I suggest you keep the details of our talk to yourself, to avoid any further embarrassment."
Yelena could feel her temper rising. Not only was this cat rude, but it also had made her look like a fool in front of Sonya.
But wait. Did it just say she had a connection to magic?
"What do you mean a connection to magic?"
The cat lolled its head to the side, sprawling out on the bed now.
"You have the inborn gift, human. It was why I was watching you to begin with. Such a connection to magic is rare these days, what with all your kind's 'science' and 'culture'. Most of you never even know that you could alter the very fabric of reality, should you put in the effort to do so."
Most of what the cat said went straight over her head.
"You were the one who read that line just a minute ago, right? Can you teach me how to use magic?"
She knew it was a long shot, but if this dream was somehow real, then she couldn't miss this opportunity. Whatever this cat was up to, it was clearly much smarter than it initially appeared.
The cat raised its head, looking at her once more.
"I could. But why should I, human?"
It kept its eyes on her, waiting patiently for her response. If she didn't know any better, it was testing her. Her response would have to be well thought out.
Yelena thought hard about why she wanted to learn magic once again. She didn't want to be a powerful witch that people were scared of. She certainly didn't want to be a danger to anyone, like those that caused the Waukin Disaster. She only wanted to help people, to keep them safe and happy. If she could save someone from a disease, or ward off a shadow hound, then she would be perfectly happy.
But was that a satisfying reason to this cat?
It wasn't asking why she wanted to learn, it was asking why it should teach. What did she have to offer it, who knew so much relative to her utter ignorance? It had mentioned that she had an interesting scent to her. Perhaps it was the scent of the book? No, it would have already noticed the book that she still held tightly in her arms. Then…perhaps…
"You should teach me because I can help you find who gave me this book," she answered confidently. She wasn't completely sure it was where the cat was leading her, but it was her best guess.
The cat's eyes narrowed, ever so slightly.
"And what makes you think I care about who gave you that dusty tome?" it asked, its tone noticeably different from before. Its nonchalance was gone now, replaced with a careful thoughtfulness.
"You want to know why I smell so strangely, don't you? If it isn't me, and it isn't the book, it has to be the man who gave this to me. And right now, I have no idea how to get to him. With your help, and with magic, I think we can find him again." It wasn't entirely false; she had no idea how to not only get back home, but also how to get to Eastlark. "I owe him a debt, and I intend to find him and pay him back too."
The cat rose to its feet now, silently walking to the foot of the bed before turning back to her. As the sun's rays trickled in through the cracks and hit its fur, she could see its coat shining with a beautiful purple hue like an amethyst. Its yellow eyes locked on her own, and she could almost feel it considering her response. It hadn't blinked since it had first made itself known, and it didn't seem like it was going to change that oddity now.
"Make me your familiar, human woman, and I will teach you how to wield magic as if it was second nature to you. Then, you will take me to meet this man who set you upon this path. He surely saw in you the same as I do."
She had never heard that term before.
"My familiar?"
"I will be bound to you, and in return, you will be able to use a portion of my essence to bolster your own potential. I will, of course, be able to use some of your latent power as well, but you will be in control. I will be compelled to do as you ask, but should you ask me to commit an action that would harm myself, our contract will be void. What say you, human woman?"
It was quite the proposal…as far as she could understand. It was all still a little confusing to her, but at this point, what reason did she have to refuse? If this strange little talking cat was actually able to teach her magic, what did she have to lose? It wasn't as if it was going to steal her soul or something crazy like that.
Well, she was talking to a cat, so it wasn't entirely impossible, but she'd cross that bridge if she got there.
"Very well, cat. How do we do this?"
The cat took a few steps towards her, coming to a stop just before her crossed legs.
"Repeat after me, human. You will feel a slight tingling sensation. It will pass. Do not misspeak, lest something awful occur."
She nodded, preparing herself for whatever the cat would do next.
“Ceangailim an faerie seo mar is eol dom.”
Yelena repeated the words as closely as she could, with some of the sounds coming out slightly off. She hoped they would pass. As she finished the final syllable, she felt a strange feeling from deep within her stomach, like a sudden tension. It wasn't painful, but it was…odd.
“Is é m'fhuil a fhuil, is é mo shaol a shaol.”
She did her best again, and this time, as she ended the phrase, a sudden gust of air rushed into the cabin, throwing her loose hair around wildly. She couldn't help but flinch, and as the sound of something across the room clattering to the floor rang out, she could feel that odd tension in her stomach grow outward, like a surging storm growing more powerful inside her, looking for a way out.
"Stay focused. Look at me. Listen," the cat said, drawing her attention. She stared into its yellow eyes, trying her best to focus on its face and words, not the chaotic noise of the gusting wind all around her, or the brewing energy building up within.
“Fite fuaite go deo, anam amháin go deo.”
Sonya suddenly burst through the door, a look of terror on her face
"What is going on in here?" she yelled, trying to speak over the wind as it swirled about the cabin, throwing anything lighter than a chair with reckless abandon. The bowl Yelena had eaten from just a little while ago slammed into the door frame just above her head, causing her to duck and cover.
“Lynnoxla agus Yelena, an comhaontú i gcrích.”
The terrible tension in Yelena's body suddenly shot forth like a thousand arrows, invisible and intangible, but she could feel the impossible energy enter the cat's body. For a split second, her mind was flashed with a flurry of memories, experiences, knowledge that was not her own, and not hers to own, but just as quickly as it came, it was sucked back from her vision, back to its rightful place. The wind died down instantly, and the room fell silent once more. Sonya had tucked herself behind the door, peering through a tiny crack now. Yelena was out of breath, and she struggled to regain her composure. The cat, however, hadn't moved since they had begun.
"It is done, Yelena. I am yours, and you are mine. May our bonding be one of a profitable nature," the cat said, bowing its head ever so slightly.
The sudden quiet was almost unsettling, given the chaos that had just consumed the room. Yelena was awestruck by the power she had just witnessed, and the fact that the cat was utterly unfazed by it was even more terrifying. Her hands were shaking, despite the white knuckled grip she held on the book.
"What was all that!?" Sonya called out, still hiding behind the door.
"May I speak through you now, Yelena?" the cat asked.
She had no idea what that even meant, but she was too stunned to argue. She nodded her head slowly, only able to go with the flow.
"I am now bound to this woman as her familiar. You have nothing to fear," it said, this time its voice seemingly originating from its location rather than from within her skull.
Sonya looked at the cat, barely pulling the door open now.
"Is that cat talking?"
"It is," Yelena replied.
"So am I going crazy now too?"
"I assure you, you are both very sane. Well, for the time being," the cat said.
"Was that your magic, Yelena?" Sonya asked, slowly standing again and entering the room. She was scanning the room, taking in the damage to the already ruined furniture.
"I don't know. I think it came from both of us," she said, giving her best guess.
The cat leapt down from the bed and began making its way to the fireplace.
"When two souls are linked as master and familiar, they must share their latent magic to create a strong bond. That was simply a small portion of both mine, and hers, escaping in the exchange," it explained as it found a warm spot on the floor, curling into a ball and closing its eyes. Despite the ludicrous words it spoke, it was behaving just as a normal cat would.
"That was my magic too?" Yelena asked in disbelief. If that power had really come from her, then…well, she didn't know what then. Only that it was terrifying.
"Indeed. I would not have paired with you were you too weak for me to benefit. Now I am tired, so I must rest. Direct you speech elsewhere for a time, if you would," it said.
"Very wordy cat," Sonya said.
The whole ordeal had only taken a few minutes, but in that time, Yelena's entire world had changed. Could she use magic now? Would she have to train? Was the cat going to teach her how to read the foreign words in the book?
What even was the cat's name?!
"I guess you really were talking to the cat, huh?" Sonya said, righting the stool that had flown across the room.
"Yeah," Yelena replied. She was still far too flabbergasted to really put any thought into anything, but it seemed that Sonya was handling the crazy development without issue. "Do you know anything about magic Sonya?"
"A little. We used to have a village witch, but she died back when I was a kid, so I didn't know her too well."
"A village witch?"
"You know, a witch that sells us medicines and keep the hounds away. They're pretty common out here in the Deep Forest. Without some kind of magic, life gets pretty hard," she explained. "Still, haven't seen anything like," she pointed back and forth between Yelena and the cat, "before. That was weird."
It was weird.
