Chapter Three

Calliope stepped out of the tree line of the southern forest and took in the landscape. To the west, Librona's southermonst village was still mourning the devastating attack the witch had dealt to them. The townspeople of Talmond rose from the ashes that morning, rebuilding what had been lost in a desperate attempt to keep themselves - and all of Librona - alive.

Calliope's stomach churned sickeningly and her chest tightened. The pain cut off her breath, but still, she filled her lungs with air. It clenched at her heart, but still, it beat in her chest, pulsing not blood, but magic through her body.

Despite her physical body, she was not like the mortals of the world. Their lives had meaning, their bodies, a purpose. Their hearts pushed blood through them. Their lungs took relief from the cool air. But her body - her purpose in life - was only to serve Scarletta. She was merely a tool in the war between the magical and the non-magical.

Calliope turned her back to the crumbling down and focused her mind on the task at hand. Scarletta only wanted one thing from her: to destroy the kingdom of Librona. She would destroy the villages, towns, and cities, one by one, weakening the kingdom of its resources. She owed that much to her master; to fulfill her purpose in her short-lived life.

Her body shuttered as she took a step forward; a plan formed in her mind. Her body shuttered as she took a step forward; a plan formed in her mind. She would make her away across the river that split the kingdom and met with the sea. Beyond the river, she would find another little town, lying unsuspecting to her approach. She would make her way through the kingdom, taking each village and city until all that remained was the kingdom's capital, Alryn. There, she would wait for Scarletta. Whether her purpose would be fulfilled after that, she did not know. But someday, when she outlived her usefulness, death would come for her.

Calliope pushed onward across the kingdom, traveling through most of the day until her next destination came into sight; the town of Halas.

Halas did not compare to the little village of Talmond, much larger in size and population, though not as large as the kingdom's capital where King Sloan hid behind his stone walls. She waited just outside of Halas, keeping close to the trees and waiting in the shadows as night crept upon them. She watched as travelers made their way into the town for the night, and men and women returned from some business in a neighboring town.

Calliope moved quickly and quietly behind them. She pulled the dagger out from under her cloak, and in two swift moves, she brought the blade across the necks of the two travelers, ending their lives quickly. They dropped to her feet, their horror stricken gazes meeting Calliope's. Calliope watched as they withered and gasped for air, but their lungs filled with blood. Gurgling sounds replaced their gasps as the life faded from their eyes. Within only a few beats of her heart, they quieted, dead on the ground.

The unfamiliar feeling of pain and sickness returned to her and Calliope pulled her gaze away. She stepped over the bodies, ignoring the pain that ripped through her insides, and approached the quieting town. She wiped the blade against her dress and drew her cloak tightly around her. She stopped when she reached the town's gates, the darkness hiding her slim, dangerous figure as she stood in the middle of the dirt road that moved into Halas. She held her head high as she marched forward, her golden eyes glistening in the light of the moon.

Her mind and body went numb. She allowed her will to drain from her completely, succumbing herself to the years of training she had endured. Her body moved automatically through the open, unguarded gates. The streets were empty, Halas' citizens in their homes for the night, unaware of the danger that stood just outside of their doors.

Calliope stopped in the center of the town and lifted her arms, palm up toward the night sky. She summoned her first spell with only a single word whispered under her breath.

"Vi'ctus."

She thrust her arms down and out before her, letting the magic come crashing down in the center of the town. The force of the spell rushed away from her in all directions, blasting through quiet shops and homes. Before the attack was completed, she started on her next attack, uttering another word.

"Au'gue."

She summoned a fire inside of her, large, crackling flames forming in her palms, growing larger until she forced them away from her. They soared through the air, one by one, raining down on the dry, wooden homes. The panicked screams pierced her ears, and she was suddenly brought back into the world, her mind and body no longer numb. Their cries knocked her back suddenly, an invisible force to her chest. Her stomach knotted sickeningly once more and the pain in her chest shot through her entire body, causing her legs to grow weak under her own weight.

Libronian soldiers hurried from their posts inside the city, and in her hesitation, they swarmed around her, swords at the ready. From a distance, archers let loose their arrows.

In a wave of panic, with only a thought - tremdus - Calliope released another spell, shaking the ground violently. The soldiers were lurched off their feet, and Calliope quickly turned and sprinted out of the town, willing her magic to let her run faster and faster. She outran the soldiers, disappearing into the darkness of the night with only the glow of the burning town behind her to light the night.

The cool night air rushed at her face as she ran. Her head spun in a chaotic blur, and she cursed herself for panicking. She could not return to Scarletta unsuccessful; her master would not tolerate another failure on her part. But she could not linger in Librona, either. Perhaps she could blend in elsewhere. A kingdom rested just beyond the southern forest; it seemed as good a destination as any for her to head to.

As the approaching dawn began to light the sky in a gray glow, Calliope found herself just outside of another town. Stuck in the panic and chaos of her rushing mind, she lost her sense of direction. She stopped and looked around, hoping to orient herself. In the distance, Calliope heard the war cries of Librona's soldiers; the people had been alerted of her escape, and soldiers stood at the ready.

The soldiers began their fearless march; mounted cavalry and swordsmen approached at alarming speed. Flaming arrows flew through the air toward her and she raised a palm toward the sky.

"Vi'ctus."

The force of her magic shot forward through the air, knocking the arrows from their flight and they scattered on the ground, black from the distinguished flames. But the soldiers did not hesitate, and as they neared, Calliope shouted another spell, summoning strikes of lightning down around them.

The horses reared and screamed, sending their riders backwards or clinging to their necks. Fiery arrows continued to soar through the air towards their target, and Calliope once more blocked their attacks. She continued to summon spell after spell, throwing her magic carelessly around her as the soldiers pushed onward, some on foot, some on their steeds. She sent invisible force waves through the early morning air, sending soldiers flying backwards, but still, they got to their feet and charged onward.

Her heart beat slowed dramatically as the magic was drained quickly from her body. The more carelessly she used her magic, the harder it became to control, and the slower she reacted. This only caused her to panic and she cursed herself under her breath. She let her arms fall to her side as her shoulders heaved, giving up the fight completely. Her magic was gone. She looked up as the soldiers neared, and she waited for death. Whether at the hands of Librona's fearless knights, or her master's rage, it was bound to happen.

Still, she felt a sense of relief to know that it would not be at Scarletta's hands, and she welcomed death, far too tired to do Scarletta's biddings anymore. Soldiers pressed onward and arrows rained down around her. She stood tall and let her mind and body grow numb once more. But without warning, a blinding light burst forth, stopping the soldiers as they threw their arms over their eyes. When the light subsided and the soldiers looked on, the witch before them had vanished.

#

Scarletta's old, rotted walls loomed above her as Calliope stood in the dark, grim room before her master. She spent most of her life in that room, cowering in the dark corners as Scarletta mixed some new potion together to inject her with. They grew stronger each time, but never strong enough to grant her the unlimited power she needed – or wanted in order to bring down Scarletta – and this was exactly her master's intent. Calliope forced her body to stand erect, feigning confidence, but the dark corners of the room called to her as they always did. She ignored the pull to hide in those corners; they did nothing to protect her. The memories that those corners held haunted her. She hated that room, but not nearly as much as she hated Scarletta.

"Calliope," Scarletta's said, her voice eerily cool and collected. "I thought we had come to an agreement?"

"I-I'm sorry," Calliope stammered. "I was ambushed."

Scarletta cocked her head to the side. "Ambushed? You're a witch, Calliope. How can mere mortals ambush a witch?"

Calliope's mind raced in a panic. "I was careless," she said. She hesitated. "I got caught up in the attack."

Scarletta smiled wickedly, raising an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Please," she started. "I can do this. Give me another chance." Calliope couldn't stand to find herself begging for life from this woman, but she couldn't bear to live life as Scarletta's puppet any longer. One more chance and she would be able to escape Scarletta's torture once and for all, if she could muster up the courage to do so.

Scarletta looked over her witch carefully. "Fortunately for you," she said slowly, "I'm not quite finished with my final spell. But this is your last chance, Calliope. I will not tolerate your carelessness any longer."

Calliope nodded, her heart racing in her chest. Each return to that room meant only one thing; the needle she grew to fear would soon pierce her skin and the magic would enter her veins, altering her powers. Each injection was more painful than the last; each potion more powerful. Calliope stood tall and waited for what she hoped would be the last time Scarletta would ever touch her.

#

Calliope stood outside Scarletta's castle, looking into the dark forest. King Sloan's castle stood nestled in the middle of the kingdom, overlooking the kingdom's capital, Alryn. Talmond, now black with ash, lay crippled in the west, just under the shadows of the mountains that marked the kingdom's north-western jagged borders. Smoke lingered from the attack, nearly suffocating the survivors as they examined the ash ridden remains of their town.

Halas was not much further from Talmond, resting almost due north of the kingdom, beyond Alryn. They, too, lay in a similar state as their neighbor. Calliope tried to envision the rest of the kingdom before her. A few smaller villages and towns remained scattered across the kingdom. The little village of Esmon stood quietly just outside the forest to the east, separated from the rest of the kingdom by the Caseitas River. She followed the river on the invisible map before her with her eyes until it brought her to the ocean, marking Librona's north-eastern boundary. Somewhere along the cost rested a tiny village inhabited by fishermen and sea merchants – surely a vital component to the kingdom's success. The name Vrien was scribbled on an old map in Scarletta's castle.

Librona relied on a prosperous kingdom just across the sea. Scarletta had a plan for that kingdom as well, and although Calliope knew why Scarletta sought revenge on Librona and Asmar, Scarletta kept her other plans a secret from her witches.

Calliope didn't know what land hid beyond the sea's horizon, or even much beyond the kingdoms of Librona and Asmar, only that Asmar rested on the other side of the mountains beyond Librona. The kingdom was a mystery to her. Calliope heard Scarletta speak of it only a few times during her short life, but usually only in passing. They were the kingdom that aided Librona over the years in their war against Scarletta. Calliope suspected that there was a bigger reason – a secret that Scarletta kept – for Scarletta's plot against Asmar. Asmar would be their next target; Scarletta's next target. Her heart ached in her chest for the unsuspecting people.

Calliope sighed and sat on the brown grass, her legs crossed under her dress. She waved her hand over a patch of dead grass, bringing it back to life in seconds. Each blade stood tall and strong, reaching to embrace the warm sunlight. Memories of the previous attacks played through her head. She flinched at each strike, spell, and sword thrust, forcing back the tears that stung her eyes. It was wrong to feel sympathy for those people. They were cruel and heartless and selfish. They were murderous and vengeful to those they could not understand. She should not shed a tear for what those people had done to her and all the witches and wizards before her.

But something pulled inside her chest, as if to reassure her of her feelings; a comfort that told her that her feelings did not make her weak. The people of the kingdom were only defending themselves from her attacks, and they were right to do so, of course. Nonetheless, she could not feel pity for the people who wronged her queen so many years ago. Surly, should she be caught, they would subject her to the same torture as they had done to her master; death would only be a gift granted to her. And should she fail, Scarletta would not come back to help her. No; Calliope was only a tool in this war. Scarletta would not waste her time on a witch that could not do the job she was created to do.

Calliope shuddered and winced in an attempt to push the thought from her mind. She picked at the new grass she had just granted life to. She plucked the blades one by one, pulling them up from their earthy home.

She couldn't bear to attack the kingdom anymore and she couldn't stand doing Scarletta's dirty work, ending innocent lives. Scarletta would destroy her if she found out Calliope betrayed her, and if she didn't, the kingdom surely would. Obeying Scarletta's every wish was her duty, her reason for life; she knew nothing else. It was the very reason for her being.

Her will to leave Scarletta, however, was strong, and it grew stronger with each passing day and with every needle that pierced into her veins, pulsing that dark magic through her body. It was all that kept her alive, and she couldn't survive without that magic tormenting her. But after years of training and stronger and stronger magic, she couldn't take it anymore. She ignored the sickening feeling in her gut and she stood tall. She didn't know where she would go, but she couldn't live under Scarletta's tyranny any longer. She sucked in a deep breath and headed into the woods without looking back.