They sat next to me in the bed, and I pushed myself away. I didn’t understand what was happening. I wanted them as far as I could get, but part of me hoped they'd never leave. A force of some kind seemed to radiant from their skin. It was warmth, and solace. It was ...

The abysmal void gnawed away at everything inside of me. All of my senses were deadened. I was a specter wandering through the living world. Cursed to roam with something vital ripped away from me. I was a shell, with no volition of my own. I followed them because it was the only thing I ...

I searched my mind for what could be referring to. I searched my mind for what she could be referring to. Images of fiery pandemonium invaded my memory. I saw Arion’s Tree overcome with flames, and a voice calling for everyone to run.

Someone else. I’ve lost someone else. The words played on a loop in my mind. Familiar pressure was building in my chest, and the edges of my vision blurred. Acute pain set off critical alarms within me. I wanted to fall apart. I needed to fall apart.

“Please,” I begged through my tears. “Not you too.” Calum squeezed my hands, and smiled. “You’ve got to be strong now. You are the Guide, and you have your role to play in Magic’s salvation. As I had mine. My role was to save you, so that you could save us.”

Calum stared at her with lifeless eyes. Those eyes that once searched me for my secrets, that once held a power to find the things you wanted to hide. Now those eyes were dull and empty. Magic didn’t live there anymore.

There was a frenetic energy that rubbed raw against my nerves. It made my skin crawl with painful chills, as though I was being slashed with shards of ice.

“I hadn’t planned on making a life here either,” I continued. I could feel my blood rushing as the hurt gave way to anger. I stood up from the boulder and looked at both of them. “You two knew there was more to me. You knew that I was dangerous! I told you as much! ...

Haven’s End was pampered in that they were able to forget about him. They were all sheltered from the nightmares lived by the rest of the kingdom. A sanctuary amidst the tempest. And here I was. I was the reminder they never wanted.

Parts one through twenty-nine can be found here.   I was tucked in by the night. Wrapped in gossamer blanket of sky and stars, I was lulled into slumber and safety. I sank deeper and deeper into peace, immersed in darkness and Magic. It was the kind of peace I could only dream about. Morning ...