IARA

The small rickety table I worked at was almost my happy place. I found the sound of pen scratching across parchment to be satisfying. Even though I loved writing, my penmanship was atrocious. My mind worked faster than my hand. I was writing down some notes from a book Rey gave me. I would have just kept the entire book in my bag if it wouldn’t cause the spine to crack or the pages to bend and rip. Rey always scolded me when I mistreated the books. I only wanted to keep all my things on me. I know it wasn’t realistic to carry an entire library, especially when I was planning to travel soon.

I felt as though I almost knew everything I needed to be on my own. I obviously wasn’t as good of a witch as Rey was, but she told me often how impressed she was with my growth. Rey wasn’t one to give out compliments either. She must have been genuinely impressed with me. The last few months I poured my heart and soul into my studies. The bag I always kept was full of spells and jars, knickknacks and anything I might need in a pinch. I always had offerings ready for the gods in case I had to pray for their power. It was the same habit Rey had. When we did travel for particularly rare ingredients, she would pack a lumpy old leather bag with odds and ends. I always think we’d never need all the stuff she manages to fit in there. She always proved me wrong though. Every time we encountered trouble, she had the solution right at her hip. I wanted to be as half as prepared as that old elf was.

I jumped when I heard the splintering door open. I looked over my shoulder and saw Rey hobbling in on her old cane. She looked just as old and worn as the cottage we lived in. I sighed when I looked back at my writing though. The jump caused a jagged line to run over my words. I set my pen down and turned to greet Rey. “I thought you would be gone all day.”

“Were you hoping for me to be gone all day?” the old woman shot back. She raised her brows as she walked past me. The chains and charms she tangled in her antlers jingled as she passed.

“I was, yes.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I wanted to study.”

“Study away,” she said back. Her voice was full of annoyance.

“You’re too loud,” I replied with just as much annoyance.

When she turned her head, the charms she wore clanked to punctuate my statement. “What do you mean?” After a pause she laughed. “I came back because I have some preparations for tomorrow.”

I perked up. Tomorrow was my birthday. Rey never let me forget when my birthday was, even when we weren’t home for weeks. She would always gift me magical wonders and rare books. No birthday was every dull, no matter how many passed. I was very excited to see what she had in store this year. “Why don’t you give me something early,” I suggested, unable to keep the excitement out of my voice.

The old woman turned and knocked my leg with her cane. “Don’t be foolish. Now get. Someone is at the door.”

I hissed and rubbed my leg. The way she wielded her cane like a weapon was deadly. I dragged myself up and headed to the door, pushing the pain down. Rey always announced when someone was about to knock. I was convinced she hated when people knocked. She would always rush me to open the door before the sound. Knocking invites for things to knock back, she said once. The thought chilled me to the bone when I was little.

I opened the door. There was a fist raised, ready to hit the wooden door. The face of the person turned pink and he dropped his hand. “I still think it’s weird you do that,” he mumbled.

I smiled at Telvin. He was the son of the blacksmith. I had grown close to him after he and his father helped us bury Demarcus. Mars was an old woodcutter who took my mother in all those years ago. He let me and Rey stay with him even after she had disappeared. He was like a father to me. Telvin even carved out a stone for a grave marker. He was there when I needed him most. Over the months since Mars died, Telvin visited me almost every day. He was a very kind person, one of the only townspeople to know about my blessing. He never pulled away from my touch either.

“Right, but it is cool,” I replied as I shut the door behind me. I leaned close to Tel and smiled brightly. “Tomorrow is my birthday. Rey always gets something very fantastic for me.”

“You still get gifts every year?” he asked. His dark brows were raised in surprise as we started to walk.

“Don’t you?” I kept close to him as we walked through the thicket. The cottage Rey and I lived in was very deep in the forest. The only path . I liked walking through the thick trees though.

“I can’t even remember the last birthday that was celebrated. You’re like a child,” he teased. “People will think you’re a lot younger than you actually are.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “How old do I seem?”

“You don’t want me to answer.” His laugh bounced through the leaves. It was such a happy sound. It was contagious. It made me smile when I was so sure I couldn't smile ever again.

As we neared the small village, we headed down another path. I usually didn’t go into the village if I didn’t have to. People always whispered to each other when I or Rey walked by. Oaknail was very small and almost isolated from other places. Travelers rarely came through and as a result the townspeople were quick to judge others they saw as different.

Before we started down the grassy trail, Vi stopped. His sudden change in pace was surprising to me, and the look on his face was concerning. “What’s up?”

He looked as nervous as I felt. He didn’t hide emotions well. He chewed on his lip and both hands were shoved deep in his pockets. After a moment he pulled one hand from his pocket and reached out to me. He held his palm up, waiting for me to give him my hand. I reached my hand up, letting it hover over his palm for a moment. I took a deep breath in and looked at his face sheepishly.

I longed for the freedom to touch those I cared for. My blessing was overwhelming to say the least. Feeling the rush of emotions and thoughts with a brush of the skin was disorienting. And once people found out that my blessing was so intrusive, they recoiled from me in horror. Vi had never done that to me though. He was different. He was kind. I had never felt a mean thought in him any time he has touched me.

When I let my hand fall into his, the emotions rushed up my arm immediately. There was so much swirling around inside. It was like fog, misting my vision and making me dizzy. Rey said I needed to work on my ability, but it was so difficult. Even when the person was clear minded, the sudden second mind of completely separate thoughts made my head hurt. It was even more head splitting when they were unsure of themselves. Vi hadn’t had a happy home life for a while. Just like me he needed someone to help him through his problems. Today must have been a bad day already for him. He was troubled.

But behind the turmoil, he was excited. He pushed all the dark thoughts to the side to think of only one thing. He was happy to be with me, away from his family for a change. He felt an intense fondness for me that made me blush. Was this love? The thought made my heart sink. I knew what was about to happen next. Why did I feel dread in my chest?

Vi flipped my hand palm up and pressed something to my skin. The cold metal made some of the fog in my mind clear up. Just as fast as the emotions clouded my mind, they were gone. He dropped my hand and looked at me with expectant eyes. I blinked, trying to catch my bearings once more. My eyes fell to my hand, the silver bracelet catching the light of the sun.

The ringlets were perfectly made, smooth and polished. The charm was dainty looking, a rose etched into its face. The only thing that gave away the mature craftsmanship was the clasp. It was a bit bulky and rough. I could tell he tried his best to make every piece of it as flawless as he could. It was beautiful. My heart fluttered at the gesture. This was a proposal. Telvin was asking for my hand in marriage. I shook my head, my hand reaching out to offer the bracelet back.

“Vi, I can’t accept this.” I whispered.

“Why?” he breathed. He looked dejected. His shoulders slumped and his face fell. It shattered into a thousand sad pieces.

I felt my brows knit together. Guilt cut through my chest. The look on his face was worse than I thought it would be. “After my birthday, I wanted to travel on my own. I’ve been becoming stronger as a witch and Rey can only teach me so much. I want to become better at my practice.”

That wasn’t the only reason I wanted to leave this suffocating small town. I would never tell Vi this. I had trouble even asking Rey about it today. She was never forthcoming with information, but about this she was even more cagey. My mother. I haven’t seen her since I was very young. I have fond memories of her being loving and kind, doting on me. But she went missing one day. Just gone. I don’t remember what happened at all. I have come to terms with the fact she’s gone. She’s almost certainly dead, but I just wanted to know. With how Rey was, I knew she wanted me to find the answers myself. And I knew I couldn’t do that while staying here to marry Vi. As much as I cared for him, I couldn’t imagine a life like that.

“I’ll go with you,” he said without hesitation. I almost fell back. He pressed my fingers closed around the bracelet and stepped closer to me. “I’d go anywhere to be with you, Iara.”

I felt my head cloud again at his touch. My throat thickened as his emotions overpowered my own thoughts. He felt so torn down by my rejection. He was grasping desperately at any way out of this town. He wasn’t lying when he spoke either. He wanted so badly to be with me. The thought of him losing me sent him into a panic. I couldn’t say no to him when I saw how deeply he cared for me. I took the bracelet and clasped it around my wrist. “Then it’s settled,” I whispered, my voice shaking with tears. I couldn't hold back the smile that spread on my lips. “We’ll travel together after we marry.”