CHAPTER ONE
Peace is an illusion.
I sat in the shade on a massive stone bench in a large courtyard, my eyes closed, enjoying the brief tranquility.
Beside me on the ground, my hellhound slept. Chain-sawing snores interrupted the silence every few minutes, causing me to smile as he kicked his legs in his sleep.
I wondered what he was chasing in his dream.
The bench faced an open plaza surrounded by tall trees. In the center of the courtyard—if I focused hard enough—I could see the faint outlines of a large runic circle. It pulsed rhythmically with latent energy, each pulse turning the symbols in the circle a different color.
I looked away and reflected on the last few days.
Considering I was, literally, in Hell not too long ago, this was a nice change. The best part was no one was actively trying to end my existence. It was surprisingly tranquil being able to just sit and do nothing. In the back of my mind, that small voice advised me: Enjoy this while you can. You know your life. You’ll be running from something trying to maim or kill you soon enough.
I sighed and shook my head free of the voice.
Just then an energy spike caught my attention, causing me to look around—but aside from my hellhound, I was alone.
Not that I expected a threat in Dex’s School of Battle Magic, previously known as the Golden Circle before Dex pulled a hostile takeover and borrowed the entire sect to create his school of battle magic.
I would assume a move like that would piss off some of the more proper mages that believed relocating an entire sect was against the rules somewhere.
Not that Dex was big on following rules. Except, as I gave it thought, he did follow some rules—those that worked to his benefit, usually.
Another energy spike had me resting my hand on the holster of Grim Whisper. Peaches looked up at me and chuffed.
<Can you tell who it is? Are they a threat?>
<The Nut Girl. I like her. She is friends with the Cold Girl.>
<The Nut Girl?>
<She is close.>
He opened his massive jaws in a gaping yawn, chuffed again, and then, promptly fell back asleep. So much for my Hellhound Early Warning Threat Detection System.
I slowly moved my hand from Grim Whisper. If he wasn’t bothered, then I had no reason to be.
Another energy spike, this one closer, had me scanning my surroundings. I turned to the entrance of the courtyard, sensing her energy signature before she came into view.
I looked at the young girl approaching me.
The energy signature was impressive. She had to be around Cece’s age, and gave me a short wave as she entered the expansive space. I watched her as she skipped from one stone to the next, with a grace and fluidity only gifted to the young.
Her jet-black hair was pulled back in a ponytail which bounced with each skip as her bare feet barely touched the stones. She wore a white T-shirt that read: If you gaze too long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
Beneath the quote it read: Nietzsche was a coward.
I let out a small chuckle.
“Nice shirt,” I said. “Make it yourself?”
“I did,” she said, looking down at her shirt when she finally reached the bench. “I can make you one. Would you like one?” She looked around the empty courtyard. “What are you doing here?”
“Enjoying the peace and quiet,” I said, with a small smile. “I don’t get much of either often.”
She nodded sagely.
“The Sanctuary is really quiet, especially at night,” she said. “You’re Mr. Strong, right?”
“Simon is good,” I said. “Hi, um… I don't really know what to call you. Is your name really—?”
“Peanut,” she finished. “Yes, it is.”
“Peanut?”
“That's what my mom used to call me, and that's the name I chose for me.”
“Fair enough,” I said with a nod. “Miss Peanut it is.”
She shook her head.
“Just Peanut. No ‘miss,’” she corrected. “Uncle Dex says titles are overrated.”
“I agree with him on that. Peanut, then. How do you like it here?”
“I love it,” she said, with barely controlled excitement. “Uncle Dex lets me explore anywhere. Well, almost anywhere. The lab rooms are off-limits after the last time.”
“What did you do?” I asked, sensing a trend with magic users and destruction. “And how bad was it?”
“I’m still learning how to use my abilities, Aunt Morrigan said.” She climbed up on the bench and crossed her legs, facing me. “Mistakes can and will happen.”
“Sounds like it was pretty bad.”
She gave me a solemn nod as she thought on the incident and looked off into the distance. She wore an expression that was about thirty years too old for her young face. She shook herself out of her reverie and smiled at me.
It was a mischievous smile, full of secrets and knowing. A sense of familiar unease fell over me. For the briefest of moments, I looked around to make sure the Morrigan wasn’t nearby.
“Uncle Dex turned red and did lots of screaming,” Peanut continued. “Then he used a bunch of words I've never heard, but they sounded like the kind of words I would get in trouble for, if I said them out loud.”
I smiled despite myself.
“Sounds like your Uncle Dex. I've made him curse a few times too.”
“Really? How?” she asked. “No offense, but you don't seem very powerful. Your dog is cute, though. Can I pet him?”
“Give me a second,” I said. “Let me ask him.”
“You can speak to him?” she asked, her voice filled with awe. “That is amazing.”
“The conversations usually revolve around meat,” I said, raising a finger. “Hold on.”
<Can she pet you?>
<She is very strong. Yes, she can rub the special place behind my ears. I like that.>
“He says you can rub him here,” I said, showing her where my ham of a hound enjoyed having his ears rubbed. “He really likes that.”
She scooted off the bench and proceeded to rub his ears as he rumbled his satisfaction. When she was done, she jumped back up on the bench and stared at me.
“Why did Uncle Dex get mad with you? What did you do? Did you destroy a lab too?”
“That would be too long a list to go into, trust me,” I said, shaking my head. “Most of the time I get into destructive situations because people have felt the need to remind me that I’m not a mage.”
“So? Me neither. I think you get to decide what you are. Don't you?”
“I’ve realized that the world of magic has more than just mages,” I said. “I’m going to choose to be something more than a mage. How about you?”
She nodded, giving it thought.
“Uncle Dex says he doesn't know what I am yet, but that I have power.”
“That means you have to learn how to use it, especially when you’re a non-mage.”
“Even if you aren't a mage, so what? You have power, and you have to use it to help people who don't have power,” she said. “That's what Uncle Dex says.”
“Do you agree?” I asked. “Sounds like a big responsibility.”
She took a few moments to think in silence. I could see the wheels in her young mind turn as she considered her answer. A frown flitted across her face before she smiled with a nod.
“Some bad people were going to take my power away.”
Dex had briefly shared her history with me, but I wanted to hear her side of the story.
“Why?”
“I blew up a building and they thought I was too dangerous.”
“Are you?”
She formed a small sun in the palm of her hand; the orb hovered above her hand, a bright blue-white. The energy around it was more than impressive, which concerned me. It was nearly as powerful as the orbs Monty formed—the only difference being that Monty was over two hundred years old, and this child was, well, a child.
She let it float for a few seconds, admiring it as it attempted to blind me, before she closed her hand into a fist, absorbing the orb and the power it released.
“Yes,” she said, no pause in her answer this time. “I’m very dangerous...to bad people.”
“How do you know who’s bad?”
She cocked her head to one side and placed her hands on her hips as she looked at me.
“Oh, that's not hard,” she explained. “Bad people want to hurt those who are weaker than them: those who don't have power, or those who can't protect themselves.”
“Did you learn that from Dex too?”
“No, I learned that by living through it.”
“You're wise for your years, Peanut,” I said. “I’m glad I could learn from you today.”
“I’m smart like that,” she answered. “Uncle Dex says I'm too smart for my own good, but I don't think there's such a thing. Do you?
“I don't. I think you should try to be smarter than everyone.”
She paused, smiled, and nodded her head. The next moment, she looked up suddenly and narrowed her eyes.
“I have to go,” she said, quickly scooting off the bench. “I'm supposed to be doing my chores.”
“Why aren't you?” I asked, smiling despite myself.
“Are you kidding?” she asked, incredulously and looked around the courtyard. “I'm living in a castle fortress. Who wants to do chores when I could be exploring?”
“Good point.”
“Say hi to Uncle Dex for me!” she said, running off with a wave and disappearing around a corner. “Bye!”
Dex materialized behind me a second later, then walked around the bench and sat down heavily next to me.
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