Flash Fiction Series – The Calling of a Myth (Episode One)

Hello everyone,

I’m pleased to say that I have finally gotten around to getting episode one of my proposed flash fiction series entitled ‘The Call of a Myth’. The number of episodes is still unknown to me let alone to my readers! 🙂 Hope people enjoy this.

 

Flash Fiction Series – The Calling of a Myth

Episode One

Flash. Flash.

Balls of light zoomed around Justine’s head in an ever tightening motion, her dark blue hair lifting up in the air from some unknown force. ‘I don’t like it… I don’t like it!’ she cried, fear gripping her fragile heart with a fearless embrace. ‘Please stop…’ Sounds of water suddenly whooshed about her slender figure along with the light, making her shiver and wretch violently.

‘Enough!’ a voice boomed from beyond the blinding mist. ‘She has satisfied the test.’

The cascade of magic was released and disappeared almost instantly, the soft essence of a thin shroud of water the only thing left lingering.

Justine swallowed hard and looked up with her dark brown eyes at the solitary figure standing before her. She licked her lips in an effort to make them more pliant. ‘Lord Mage Velkus… have I passed the test?’ She held her hands together in front of her tightly clasped.

Velkus, an aged man with a mane of dark grey hair and a thick grey beard, stroked his chin with forefinger and thumb thoughtfully. ‘I believe I am sufficiently satisfied.’

‘May I ask what it was all in aid of? You never told me anything other than I had to partake in order to rise above other mages.’ She idly began to smooth her dishevelled hair.

The old man smiled faintly, averting his blue eyes to the chunky silver ring on his right forefinger. ‘It was a new form of stress test for your body,’ he explained. ‘Some of the researchers in the basement labs came up with an idea to expose a subject to a variety of magical elements. In your case it was light, water and fear magic.’

Justine stopped her unconscious preening. ‘Fear magic? I thought the use of emotion modifiers was limited?’ She flung her mind out in search for an answer, but found nothing.

‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you,’ warned Velkus. ‘You maybe one of the best psychic mages we have, but you’re not good enough to tap into my mind.’ He raised a wise eyebrow and glared at her. ‘You’re here because the high lords believe they can trust you.’

An ominous cloud quickly formed above Justine in the high reaching stone ceilings. She looked around nervously and focused on the crackling fireplace in the northern side of the room. It mesmerised her and reminded her of her younger days back home in the southern reaches of the woodlands. Where she came from was considerably warmer than the middle lands she found herself in these days. She had journeyed north from her native woodland village of Cadlaberon to the world renowned school of magic when she had reached her limits of knowledge back home.

She shook her head when Velkus repeatedly clicked his fingers. ‘You listening, Justine?’ he asked with a harshened tone of voice.

Justine pursed her lips and smiled apologetically. ‘I’m sorry, Lord Mage. Erm… may I asked what the high lords are willing to trust me with?’

Velkus nodded slightly and turned to an oak dresser that had a few lock boxes resting on its top. He opened the farthest one and produced a small folded letter with a green wax seal on its crease. He handed it to her. ‘This is a specialist mission. In this letter are details about someone who needs to be found. What is known about this man is limited, but what we do know is that you’ll know who he is when you come across him.’

Justine opened the sealed letter and glanced over the few lines scribbled in ink on the paper. ‘How will I know who he is?’ Her mind was racing from this sudden show of responsibility and trust that had come from the top brass of the school. It seemed to her that the entire operation was more than just about education; she realised that within the past few minutes. What was the point in the test she had undergone? Was it to see if her body could take the punishment of some kind of magic she would encounter on this so-called mission?

Velkus pressed the palms of his hands together and brought his forefingers up to his lips. He walked from side to side, his commanding presence growing. ‘You are one of our top psychic mages with the ability to read people and tap into their minds… this man you’re to seek out is impervious to any sort of mind magic.’

‘How so?’ Justine angled her head, curious.

There was a degree of trepidation in the old mage’s body language as he seemingly refused to look his student in the eye. Was the answer to her question secret or something?

‘We believe… this man is from one of the ancient tribes from the north.’

Justine was stunned; her mouth was agape. ‘Are you talking about the ancient tribes of warriors that were supposedly lost in the great freeze four centuries ago?’

Velkus nodded silently.

‘Lord Mage, if I may; all the scouting parties that were sent out over the years all reported nothing in the northern regions.’

‘That much is true, but recent information from a reliable source has told us that the apparent member of one of the ancient tribes is in the City of Netheryn just west of here.’

Justine flicked her blue hair behind her ears. ‘Who was your source?’ she asked, curiosity and scepticism plaguing her every thought.

‘The warrior himself…’