Chapter 3: Chapter 3
I'm high above the trees, seeing for miles and miles. It's midday and in the distance, I can see the large black mass marching towards the alpha's territory. I hurry my way towards the border, setting myself down where the main tent has been put up. Along the border is a line of Were's some in wolf form, some in human form, waiting for their enemies to arrive and to protect their families. I approach one of them, tapping them gently on the shoulder. He turns around, his eyes narrowed down at me.
"Excuse me," I say sweetly, laughing internally at the way his expression faulters. "Alpha Lawson asked me to form a barrier, do you and your men mind moving out of the way please?" He looks at me, confused for a moment before nodding, waving towards the other Weres. I give him a big smile.
"Thank you!" I approach the line where they stood and take a deep breath, closing my eyes and looking deep within myself. To make it as difficult for them to invade as possible, I form large tendrils of thorny vines. They grow out of the ground, twisting and weaving through each other to create a thick and complex web of thorns. Even their sharpest swords wouldn't help them here. To top it off, I coat it with ice, making it even harder to cut through.
I work on the border for the next couple hours, moving up the line of Were's, just to be sure the Champions don't find a way in by going around. By the end of it, I'm exhausted. I sit down on a tree stump, wiping the sweat from my brow.
"Miss?" I turn towards the voice to see a teenage girl smiling at me. "Alpha Lawson asked me to provide you with a vial of restoration if you needed it." In her hand she produces a couple vials of silver liquid. I grin. I like this alpha.
"Thank you," I say, taking them from her hand. She nods, bowing her head, before going back to the tent. I pop open the vials and feel their thick salty fluid slide down the back of my throat. My face scrunches up at the taste of salty and sour. Almost immediately I feel a rush of power, my energy and magic now restored. I cup my palms and fill it with liquid, drinking the cool liquid to wash away the flavor of the tonic.
"Better?" I jump at the unexpected voice behind me, the water in my hands drenching my shirt. I spin around, pissed, before I realize it's Benjamin. He smirks, eyes jumping from the wet stain in my shirt to the pissed off look in my eyes. I press my hand to my chest, letting the water evaporate between my fingers. Now, my shirt is dry.
"Yes," I say shortly. "Thank you." He and all his presence move towards me, standing beside me while I sit on the tree stump.
"My border isn't exactly short," he chuckles. "I figured you'd need a pick-me-up." He says casually. I look at him out of the corner of my eye. Don't be shy, give him the once over.
"I got more done before taking any, unlike some mages I'm sure you know," I say arrogantly. He looks at me, perplexed.
"What makes you think I only know weak mages?" I shrug.
"Because you don't have one," I reply. "If you had a strong me, like me, you'd keep them around." He doesn't say anything, and I glance at him to see him staring at my handy work.
"You're right," he says after a few minutes of silence. "Every mage I've ever had would have never made a barrier like this." I grin with pride.
"But I didn't have to save their lives, either," my grin falls and I glare up at him as he smirks down at me, all too proud.
"Whatever," I mutter. "I'll do my time and then I'll leave." A heavy weight suddenly fills the space between us and I look up at him to see him already looking at me. My eyes instantly land on his golden brown ones and I'm suddenly lost in them. My train of thought goes out the window as his eyes soften their hardened expression.
"Unless…" I find myself saying softly.
"Alpha!" We're thrown out of our trance and I quickly look away, cheeks pounding as a young man runs towards us, dipping his head repeatedly.
"Yes, what is it?" I clench my jaw, hands tightening into my palms as the deepness of his alpha voice.
"Lord Hepton has a mage with him, sir!" I quickly look at the kid.
"What kind?" He looks at me, shaking his head.
"We're not sure," he looks back at the alpha. "What would you like us to do, sir?" Benjamin doesn't answer right away.
"Let me speak with Aria and I will let Beta Zane know what we're going to do," I look at him, confused. First off, what would he need to talk to me about? Also, the way he said my name made me shiver. The kid nods, dipping his head, before running off towards the tent. Benjamin stands closer to me, crouching down so that we're eye level. I can't help but be focused on him now.
"You've paid your debt by building the barrier, but now I'd like to hire you as my mage," I feel my jaw drop. "I don't have the man-power to fight a mage."
"You don't even know what kind of mage they are, if they're a mind mage, we're all screwed." He searches my face before nodding.
"Let's assume the worst," he says. "If it is a mind mage, what can we do?"
"Depends on if they follow Academy Law," I reply. "If they do, we honestly have nothing to worry about."
"And if they don't?" I don't answer, swallowing hard at the mere thought. He nods, understanding my silence. "Let's go see what trouble lies ahead." Benjamin and I approach the barrier, but he cuts off towards the tent. Probably to explain the situation. He exits the tent and heads back towards me. He stands besides me and I form an air ride around us, flying us over the barrier and into enemy territory.
"Think you can get us out of here if he decides to attack?" Benjamin asks, and I scoff, rolling my eyes.
"I could carry at least ten more of your Were's with ease," Benjamin fights a smirk, watching me with a look of laughter in his eyes. I set us on the ground carefully just on the other side of the barrier. I'm surprised when Benjamin stands in front of me as if protecting me from the oncoming onslaught. I look around his large frame to see two riders coming towards us.
"That's Lord Hepton," Benjamin says, and then he growls. "And the mage." My nerves bubble up, hoping to the Goddess that it isn't a mind mage. As they come closer, Benjamin gets into a defensive stance, as if ready at any moment to shift when needed.
"Alpha Lawson," Lord Hepton calls as they come to a stop. He's a pudgy little man and makes his fifteen hand horse look small in comparison. Gold chains and jewels of the highest quality adorn his neck. I haven't heard much about this lord, but what I have heard is that he treats his people poorly and hoards their territories gold. My eyes look at the mage, and I would know that flaming red hair anywhere. Relief instantly fills my body, so much so that I laugh.
"Hey," I say softly, tapping Benjamin's large bicep. He looks over at me. "That mage is my sister." Shock fills his eyes, and I grin.
"That mage is who?" I step out from behind him and beam at my sister. When Marissa sees me, she gasps in surprise, quickly dismounting her horse. We run to each other, and I throw my arms around her neck, her familiar scent of lavender takes me back to my childhood.
"Aria! Oh, my Goddess," she pulls back, her vibrant periwinkle eyes looking me up and down. "I was afraid you were dead!" I laugh, and she pulls me back into a tight embrace.
"Where have you been?!" She gasps before giving me her typical motherly look. "Franchesca and I have been worried sick about you!" I laugh, nervously.
"After the academy, I went with a merchant who then ended my contract early, so I've just been looking for work since," she gawks at me.
"Aria, you could have sent a letter to Franchesca or me for any help," she says. I wave off her statement.
"What are you doing, working for him?" I ask, gesturing to the lord. Marissa sighs and rolls her eyes.
"He tricked me. He put out a notice for a mage and disguised his name and title with a fake one," I gawk at her in shock. "I'm bound by Academy Law to finish the contract."
"I'm so sorry," I say, glaring at the lord. "What a pig."
"I'm just doing it for the payment, and then I'll be gone," she sighs, and then her eyes shift to the border. "Did you build that barrier?" Marissa asks, gesturing to my work. I grin and nod.
"I did!" She beams at me, and my heart swells with pride.
"I hate to break up this beautiful reunion," Lord Hepton says sarcastically. "But we're here to acquire land, not catch up on old times." Benjamin looks up at him on his high horse and growls.
"Do you really think you're going to get any of my lands?" He snarls, and the lord looks quite nervous. "This land has been in my family for generations. Before The Great Calamity."
"Alpha Lawson," Lord Hepton says diplomatically. "I mean no disrespect to you or your family's heritage, but these are hard times. Land is land." Benjamin growls again, eyes darkening.
"Lord Hepton," Marissa says, her motherly voice now gone and in its place, a sophistication like no other. "Acquisition of Alpha Lawson's land is nothing more than a personal vendetta you have against him for what his father did to you ages ago. Now, either you can let it go, and we can go back to the castle, or you can exhaust your men trying to get through that barrier." Lord Hepton's face turns a bright red, and I notice Benjamin's hands tighten into fists. The lord looks at my barrier and then looks at me, unimpressed.
"My Champions are the strongest in the country," he says arrogantly. "They can easily cut through those sticks with ease." I glare at him, and all he does is smirk at me. He rides his horse near me and leans down, looking at me. My nose crinkles with disgust as he looks me up and down, eyes filled with lust.
"If Marissa is your sister," he says. "Then, I bet your body is pretty similar." I can feel the blood drain from my face, and before I can defend myself, Benjamin jumps in front of me, pushing me back and grabbing the lord by his coat.
"Watch your mouth," he growls, and fear flashes through the lord's mouth. I can feel Marissa looking at me, shocked. I swallow hard and avoid her gaze. I touch Benjamin's arm, and he glances at me out of the corner of his eye.
"Let's go," he releases the lord. "He isn't worth the effort." Lord Hepton's face is a bright red as he smoothes down his clothes, glaring at Benjamin and me.
"You will pay for that, beast," he snaps, and Benjamin growls at him. "Come, Marissa!" Hepton calls out as he turns his horse back to his men. Marissa gives me a sad smile and hugs me quickly.
"I will see you soon, don't worry," she whispers in my ear. I nod and watch her run back to her horse, mounting it and following her master. I follow behind Benjamin back towards the barrier when I hear it; the sound of a whizzing arrow. I quickly spin around and am about to protect myself when Benjamin shoves me out of the way. I roll to the ground, turning around quickly and gasping as the arrow embeds itself in Benjamin's arm. He growls, muscles tensing. I quickly get up from the ground and grab his hand, manipulating the air around us. We launch into the air, and once we're back safely over the barrier, I set us back on the ground.
"Little fucker," Benjamin growls, yanking the arrow out of his arm with ease. Blood streams down his arm as he breaks the shaft and tosses it to the ground.
"Here," a flame ignites on my finger, and I hold it against his wound. He grabs my arm but doesn't pull it away. He growls in pain as I close the wound, preventing him from bleeding any more.
"You didn't have to do that," he says, tone low. I look up and meet his bewildered gaze with a small smile.
"I know," confusion sparks on his face. A few women run to him, medical supplies in their arms as they clean up his wound. I walk away, sitting down on a tree stump, already missing my sister. Ki walks over to me, hand on the hilt of his sword.
"They're going to attack us," his ears twitch. "I can hear them mobilizing."
"I could have told you that," I say as I roll my eyes. Ki glares at me then walks over to Benjamin.
For the rest of the day, until sun down, I walk the border, editing my handiwork and filling in spots I missed or that need a little pick me up. By the time I get back to the main tent, I see the Were's have build their camps for the night, setting up their own tents to stay near the action. I'm exhausted and hungry. As I near the main tent, wondering about any meals for the night, Benjamin exits the tent, two plates in hand. When he sees me, he smiles and it makes my heart jump and my stomach fill with butterflies.
"Figured you deserved something to eat," he chuckles, handing me a plate. I smile and take it from him, stomach growling at the contents: seasoned cooked meat on a bed of rice with carrots on the side.
"This is probably the best meal I've had in months," I chuckle, forming a bed of clovers at my feet before sitting down. Benjamin, surprised by my just settling down where I stood, awkwardly sits with me. I look at him, confused.
"You don't have to stay," I say, taking my utensil and shoveling food into my mouth.
"I'm the alpha," he says. "I do what I want." I shake my head, chuckling softly. We eat in silence while sitting on the ground. The warmth of the earth soaks into me, making me drowsy. I finish my plate and yawn, forming more clovers before laying down.
"Uh, what are you doing?" He asks. I close my eyes, getting comfy.
"Going to sleep," I yawn again. "Good night."
"You can't sleep out here," he says quickly and I open my eyes to look at him.
"I'm a nature mage, this is my home," I roll my eyes, closing them again and settling in. Benjamin stays, but I can feel him trying to find any excuse for me not to stay out here.
"Are you sure you're comfortable out here?" He asks and I sigh, propping myself up on my elbow to look at him. He looks a little hesitant.
"Yes," I say. "I usually sleep in trees, but I'm too lazy to get up now."
"I just don't want my men to disturb you," he says softly, looking at his hands. "I'm going to need you tomorrow and I need you well-rested."
"I'll be fine," I sigh, laying back down and turning my back to him. "Goodnight, Benjamin." He doesn't get up and as I feel the warmth of sleep finally wrapping me in its embrace, he still doesn't leave.
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