Chapter 28: CH28 - Unbound by Fate
As he followed the increasingly louder sounds, Edmund realized he was being led to one of the more marsh-like portions of the forest.
It was a section he generally ignored, for multiple reasons. Firstly, the ground was muddy, and it was a hassle to constantly worry about erasing his footprints. Secondly, the greenery in the area was sparse, leaving him more exposed to the elements and wildlife. Lastly, there simply weren't many interesting things to investigate in the area that would warrant the effort.
However, that did not seem to be the case on the night of the full moon.
Creeping up closer to the scene of chaos, Edmund caught sight of the source of the noises.
Clio was on the back foot, desperately repelling her attackers with her strong hind legs and the small training bow in her hand. The quiver on her back was rapidly depleting, and the young centaur's panic at this was clearly written on her face.
Attacking her were three fierce wolf-like creatures constantly switching back and forth from a bipedal state to all fours as the situation demanded. Scars covered every inch of the werewolves, cutting patches into their otherwise sleek pelt. The breaks in their coat of fur exposed their muscles, lean and wiry, but well-developed. Their faces were bared in blood-thirsty grins as they snapped their jaws at their target.
Observing the fight, Edmund deduced that none of the three werewolves were leaders of their pack. The three were uncoordinated, striking each other just as much as Clio as they competed for the right of the kill. This fact alone had been what saved Clio thus far. She was incredibly enthusiastic in her defence, but lacking in skill all the same.
Despite their displayed aggression toward one another, the three beasts were cooperating a little bit, at least to cage their prey in. Cautiously, they advanced on the centaur, pushing her further back against a swampy pool. One of Clio's primary advantages was lost due to the little space afforded to her. Without space to maneuver, her relatively large frame made her clunky in the enclosed environment. As she turned awkwardly to swerve from hits, her foot slipped into the waters behind her before she pulled it back out.
The minds of the humans within the werewolves may have devolved because of the transformation, but animal instinct was a different sort of terrifying in its own right.
Unless Edmund intervened, she would die.
'But what to do,' he mused to himself.
Werewolves were well known for their tremendous flexibility, power, vitality, and instincts.
'A barrage of spears has become my go-to these days,' he considered, 'but it won't be of much use here. Sure, it might kill them eventually, but they're too strong and nimble for me to hit their vitals accurately. Attacks on the body will only make them enraged. If they die, it'll only be when they turn back human.'
Direct combat was not a good option.
'I need to restrain them first, or immobilize them in such a way that reaching me is next to impossible,' Edmund thought as he wracked his brain. 'No trenches. They'll just jump out even if they don't notice the ground beneath them becoming unstable.'
'I can't exactly build a safe space for myself to hide and attack from either,' he complained internally. 'The trees here are too short, and as soon as I start transfiguring defences, they'll be on me straight away.'
He hesitated for a few moments, before nodding to himself.
'Physical restraint it is,' Edmund decided.
His plan was one that would have pushed his magic to the very limit only a day ago, but things were different now.
'I guess my experiments are going to have to happen sooner rather than later,' he smirked.
Six interlinked metallic chains shot out from the ground with a whisper and a flick. The werewolves were far too engrossed in their current hunt to react, and by the time they did, the restraints had already fastened around their feet.
Clio paused, her gaze incredulous as she looked around for her saviour eagerly.
The links began to tighten, becoming uncomfortably constricting to the point of squeezing blood vessels. By now the werewolves' entire focus had shifted to their new predicament. They reached down with their hands to break the chains, tugging at them futilely.
A mistake.
As soon as their hands lowered to their ankles, six more chains erupted from the soil. Their wrists too became wrapped up, leaving them to only howl in despair. Unfortunately, things were only about to get worse for them.
Slowly, the metallic restraints began to retract into the mud. The decreased length of the chains forced the werewolves to the ground. Eventually, they lay spread eagle on their stomach, their entire body now in contact with the earth.
'Gotcha!' Edmund exclaimed with satisfaction.
He had been unsure how much magic he would have left within him at this stage, and the answer was quite a bit. Not wanting to take any chances, yet another three chains emerged, effectively muzzling the creatures. With that, all their methods of attack had been neutered, leaving them completely helpless.
Evidently, Clio had realized this as well. Her panic and relief had given way to fury, and she was panting up a storm. She took action without waiting to see what her mysterious benefactor's plan would be. Withdrawing an arrow from her quiver, she stiffly walked over to the prone forms of her would-be killers. Without a moment of hesitation, she stabbed the arrowhead through the brain of one of the attackers, then the next, and finally the last one as well.
Edmund raised an eyebrow, surprised by Clio's brutality.
'Though maybe I shouldn't be. Centaurs don't seem to be beholden to the same shackles of morality as humans. Child or not, Clio has likely been raised from birth knowing she will have to kill,' he reasoned. 'Regardless, I don't blame her for her reaction.'
Clio's eyes swung from one way to another as she searched for anyone around her, granting Edmund the opportunity he had been waiting for. He may be a novice with legilimency, but retrieving memories from less than an hour ago was the easiest task he could have asked for.
The thoughts he found in her head relieved him of his worries. Just like others in the forest, Clio had been drawn to the clearing by the influx of magic. She had snuck away from the tribe in an attempt to prove her capabilities but had been unlucky enough to be besieged by three grown werewolves. Clio had not even reached the clearing, much less seen him.
Edmund exhaled sharply in satisfaction.
'Now it's time to return to Hogwarts,' he said, echoing his thoughts from a while ago.
"Where do you think you're going wizard?" a gravelly alto, yet decidedly female voice interrupted.
'This has to be some sort of curse,' he complained in his mind before reality could catch up to him.
Twirling around, he looked in the direction of the voice warily.
A bright white pair of pupils stared back at him. Not in his direction or his general vicinity. No, they were looking into him.
The speaker.
Ignoring the call, Edmund moved backwards slowly, his wand ready to act at a moment's notice. His heart was pounding furiously.
The speaker cocked her head, a faint smile forming on her features. She watched him move with amusement, his trepidation entertaining her.
Her placid nature more than anything warned Edmund of danger. The speaker looked at him carelessly, as if he was no threat. As if she was merely watching an ant scuttle across the floor.
"I have already seen you, wizard," she sighed exasperatedly. "Centaurs are creatures of the earth, favoured my mother magic. Recognizing and distinguishing magic runs in our blood. To the common eye, you may be invisible, but to me, the demiguise hair shrouding you is as bright as any beacon."
Edmund halted his movements, his worst fear now confirmed beyond the shadow of a doubt.
"What is it you want?" he gruffly demanded, valiantly putting forth a false image of bravado.
Clio, who had been looking at the speaker with a stupefied face, dropped her jaw in shock. The speaker continued to disregard her.
"You, my child" the speaker answered simply. "More specifically, a chat with you."
Edmund's blood pumped palpably in his chest.
'My child?' he deliberated. 'Is that just her manner of speech? Or does she know I'm from Hogwarts? Maybe it's just an educated guess.'
Growing impatient with Edmund's dawdling, the speaker huffed irritably.
"I see you, clear as day. Centaurs have an exceptional memory. I assure you I will remember your features should you choose to run away. Dumbledore is well-known to me. Walk any further, and he will learn of your gallivanting into the forest after hours," she taunted lazily.
"Plenty of students have gone into the Forbidden Forest past curfew," he retorted.
"Oh? And do plenty of students also conduct illegal rituals while they do so?" she mocked with a smile.
Edmund fell silent. There was no escaping it. She was well aware of the situation. He would have to play ball.
His lack of response signalled his acquiescence to the elder centaur. Her voice turned sweet, more calming then. He had been hit with the stick, and it was time for the carrot.
"I will not ask anything of you that you do not wish to do. I do not want to burden you at all. Quite the opposite in fact. I wish to help you," she said firmly.
Edmund scoffed.
"To help me, you would have to know what I want," he replied.
"What would a child performing the ritual of opening desire more than power?" she asked rhetorically.
At his sharp look, the speaker shook her head.
"Come now. Do you think if a cloak meant to hide its wearer is visible to me, I wouldn't detect a massive surge of magic in the forest? The world anchor is well known to me. It will form a good foundation for you," she commended.
Edmund paused, before forging on.
"It still doesn't matter. Nothing comes for free. In exchange for help, you will want something. I want to know what that is," he insisted coldly.
The speaker only threw her head back and laughed.
"Correct," she grinned scarily. "But you are in a rather unique position. All I want from you is what you no doubt want as well. I want you to live, and to thrive."
"I... I don't understand," Edmund admitted.
"Walk with me. I will explain," she offered.
Turning to Clio, her eyes turned icy.
"Clio! Come!" she ordered.
The young foal lowered her head and scampered into line.
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Clio continued to trot forwards uncaringly. Any fear or caution she had about the forest seemed to be eroded by the speaker's presence. She had moved almost thirty paces ahead of the duo behind her, far away enough to be out of earshot.
His mind having processed everything he had learned, Edmund was the one to break the tranquil atmosphere.
"If you knew of the ritual... If you can detect magic as you say... I refuse to believe you didn't notice Clio sneaking off from the herd," he accused.
The speaker appraised him closely, her steps never faltering. Finally, she spoke.
"Do you know what centaurs are known for?" she asked.
"Star-reading, divination, archery," Edmund listed off. "That's all humans are aware of at least."
"You are right," she assured. "However, it goes a bit deeper than that for some of us."
"Because you are the speaker?" he questioned.
"Because I am the speaker," she affirmed. "And not just any speaker. I am the speaker of the speakers."
Edmund shot the speaker an odd look at this, and her lips twitched upwards.
"A pretentious title, yes I am aware. But it gets the point across, no? I am the most knowledgeable and powerful diviner to walk the earth," she revealed.
Not braggadociously, but as though she was stating a fact.
Edmund was inclined to believe her.
"I know all, and that is not an exaggeration by any means. I know what my every meal will be. I know where my herd will travel, and what game they will hunt. I know who among them will die before me, and who will be their killers. I know those who will try to overthrow me, and I know those who will serve faithfully. I know how I will live, and how I will die," she listed systematically.
Edmund blinked rapidly in succession, trying to wrap his head around the idea.
"I also knew that Clio would die tonight, killed by werewolves. The how and why might have been changed by my actions, but not the event itself," she explained bitterly. "I put a guard around her tonight, in hopes of preventing her from leaving. It only made her more eager to do so. I would have intervened in her fight too, but I am sure a stray hit would have struck her, ending her life."
"So... it was not my ritual that endangered her?" Edmund queried.
"Oh, it was definitely you that drew her in this direction," the speaker contradicted. "But even if you had not done so, Clio still would have died tonight."
"But she didn't," Edmund said as he raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"No, she didn't," the speaker uttered in a tone of surprise. "It is the first time in decades that something I have seen has not come to pass."
Edmund averted his gaze, unable to look at her.
"Each world has a thread of fate that it follows. The broad brushstrokes of life have already been painted. All that is left to see is how they will dry. But you... You do not fit on this string at all. You are something else entirely. The path of destiny warps around you, deviating because of your decisions. I have seen an unexpected change in the stars in the past six months. Now I know the origin of these anomalies," she said triumphantly.
"You are an Otherworlder," she proclaimed.
Edmund gasped loudly as his greatest secret was bared to the world. His mind spun, tens of contingencies forming and shattering in his mind in an instant.
And then the speaker did something he could never even imagine from someone of her stature. She knelt before him reverently, before cutting her palm and placing it against his bare skin.
No words were spoken. None needed to be. The magic flowing between them did all the talking.
They had bonded on the deepest level. A bond of protection, of secrecy, and of trust. The speaker would never betray him. She could not even if she desired to do so. They were irreparably joined together, and their tie would only be severed by death.
"Why?" Edmund whispered, still in disbelief.
From further away, Clio looked at the scene with shock, rubbing her eyes to confirm the vision before her was not a dream.
"It is exhausting," the speaker said, her voice breaking with sorrow. "It is exhausting knowing the fate of all centaur-kind and being unable to change it. I am tired of convincing myself to settle for the mediocrity that the future of my people holds. My life has been a long endeavour in mitigation. I have spent my time trying to prevent tragedy after tragedy to no avail! It breaks me more each and every day. Being the speaker has become a burden, rather than the gift I had hoped it would be."
"You, however, are unbound by fate. You are not tethered by its cruel grasp. You hold the power to shape the world more than anyone else. It is an exhilarating prospect. There is no better use of my talents I can think of than to align myself with one such as you. One so interconnected and disparate with the stars all at once. Selfishly, I will take a gamble on you. I will make you strong Otherworlder. Strong enough to twist the intentions of fate, strong enough to rewrite that which has been predestined," she announced.
With each word she spoke, Edmund was filled with greater thanks for the gift he had been given. With each word, his ambitions and dreams grew.
Silence prevailed for several minutes.
"Let's get started then," Edmund declared.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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