"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you," the stranger declared, looking into her eyes.
"Are you sure?" Yenlette stammered.
"I guess that's obvious." The stranger smiled and continued. "We want to
give you something," she began, staring into Yenn's eyes. "I said we'll leave guards who can wield magic. You have something in you that you could be one of them if you want. We'll give you this opportunity, and whether you take it is up to you."
Remember that if you accept this offer, you will acquire the ability to wield magic, and you know what that means. In your world, such people are considered a danger, which can have unpleasant consequences. Being alone can lead to humiliation and abuse. However, if you learn to use your gift well, you can become someone people will appreciate." She finished and turned to her partner, extended her hand as if he were to give her something, and spoke a few words in his own language. He stood with his arms folded. He responded with a few words, after which she lowered her hand and said something with a sarcastic tone. She moved slightly to the side, making room for Yenlette. He stood right in front of her. The taller man, a head taller, leaned forward and looked at her with his eyes. White pupils, a hazy streak escaping from them. Yenn flinched.
The stranger's companion uttered a single sentence. He sighed and closed his eyes for a second. When he lifted his eyes, large blue irises met Yenlette's. The gaze was friendly, though a hint of icy insensitivity was visible in those eyes. The man smiled, making his face even more pleasant.
"Listen carefully," he began. "You have something in you that could be of
great help to your people. My friend has already told you the consequences of your decision, so we are giving you a free choice." He reached his hand to his belt and touched the medallion that had belonged to Tywalg a moment ago. He stopped, however, and looked into Yenn's eyes again. His pupils seemed to dilate slightly, but Yenn couldn't be sure, because that gaze had just fixed her. For a moment, she felt as if it were piercing her. The feeling vanished as quickly as it had appeared. The stranger withdrew his hand from the medallion and removed another one that was tied around his neck.
"Here," he said, handing it to her.
Yenn involuntarily extended her hand and accepted the gift. A light blue chain, encircled by a snake, presumably made of gold.
"Put it on," she heard. She obeyed and slipped the chain over her head.
Okay, as we said, you don't have to use its power if you don't want to, but even if you don't, remember not to give it to anyone under any circumstances. And always carry it with you. However, if you do decide to use its power, do so carefully. We know you'll use it well, but you must be careful. Some of its power can be used by you at any time, just like anyone else skilled in magic, but you can bring out its true nature and strength. To do that, first learn to use it. Everything is described in certain books." Yenn began to sense some not-so-good news. "These are the books located in Kirith's tower." Yenn felt a chill at the name, but she continued listening. "We've gotten rid of Garath and his elite, so this tower is now abandoned. I won't explain further, because when you get there, you'll surely know what to do next. Besides, you'll certainly be able to handle everything." He smiled and stepped away from her. He said a few words to his partner and walked out into the middle of the small square formed by the gathering of people, where the headless corpses lay. His companion followed him, speaking to the crowd.
"Remember that not all magic users are evil, especially not those
we have designated, but also don't trust every single one of them." She turned her back to her partner, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Create a peaceful and strong state," the woman continued. Meanwhile, a white mist began to drift from beneath his eyelids again, and one could feel the air thickening. "I wish your people good luck," the stranger finished, and at these words, a loud wuss ...
The crowd began to murmur. Children asked if it was over and what now. A few of the braver men approached the general's corpse and nudged it with their feet, as if fearing the headless body might come to life. A blast of power threw the head among the people, or rather, one of the onlookers was hit squarely in the stomach. Fortunately, he was a tall man, so nothing happened to him.
"Yenn," Taffin, standing next to her, nudged her gently. She looked at him. He signaled.
Her eyes told her to scan the crowd. She glanced around. People were starting to stare at her, more and more of them whispering to each other as they looked at her. She felt her skin heat up, and suddenly panic gripped her. She turned, pushed through the crowd, and ran as fast as she could. The cobblestone street rushed by beneath her feet. She ran between the grain warehouses and slipped into one through a hole in the wall. The warehouse was wooden, and most of the board was missing. Yenn and her friends used to come here sometimes when they were younger; now they spent more time in the fields. She scraped her arm squeezing through the almost-too-small opening. Inside, sacks of grain were stored, ready for transport. The grain for everyday use was stored in the other part of the warehouse and was simply tipped onto a heap. There weren't many sacks, and they didn't touch the wall, so it was easy to get in. Yenn headed to the darkest corner and sat down on a pile of bags. She pulled her legs up and hugged her knees like a little girl. She began to think hard about what had just happened.
She took the medallion in her hand. The stone was small, and even with the snake coiling around it, it was quite small. It easily fit in a closed hand. This medallion was clearly of lesser power than Tywalg's. That stone, at least twice as large, was held in its talons by two large golden ravens. It was almost the size of a palm, while this one fit easily in the palm. Apparently, it couldn't hold anything large. Regardless, she didn't want it anyway. She took it off, struggling to throw the trinket as far away as possible. She had no intention of being one of the marked; she wanted to lead a peaceful life. Especially if what the aliens said was true, she could make a life for herself without the constant fear of rape or worse. It would be best to get rid of the medallion. On the other hand, the aliens had given it to her and ordered her to keep it with her at all times. They were very powerful people, the likes of which no one in this world had ever seen. Perhaps they were even gods, though belief in gods had ceased shortly after Garath's invasion. He forbade any other faiths; the only god was himself. The aliens, however, were clearly far more powerful than he, so nothing prevented them from being the true gods. So much the worse. Gods or not, they had enough power that Yenn didn't want to offend them in the slightest, and someone so powerful would surely find out she'd thrown away the medallion. Yes, she couldn't throw it away. She would wear it, but not use it. That way, it would become a mere trinket. A trinket worth killing for, she thought. Such a jewel, along with the gold, had value, and now without Tywalg's guards, there would surely be more thugs on the streets. Yenn sighed, but after a moment, an idea struck her. It was good that the medallion was small and the chain long. She pressed it between her still-small breasts. It was rather rounded, so it didn't pinch her. When she wore the tanglun, which slightly lifted her breasts, the gap between them became much smaller. This way, no one from outside could easily see what was at the end of the chain.
She was wondering if this was really the right way to go when she heard voices outside. She couldn't make out the words, but she recognized the voices of her friends. After a moment, Taffin's head appeared through a crack in the wall.
"He's here," he announced after looking around.
"Then go," Melea said after him.
The boy stuck his head and one arm inside, and when his chest was about to follow, he groaned.
"Damn, I don't think I'll fit."
This didn't surprise Yenn, who had barely gotten in herself, and Taffin was bigger than her. She stopped thinking and began to observe what would emerge from the situation unfolding in the hole where the board had been.
However, the situation ended quickly, because a second later, Taffin fell inside with a scream. Melea calmly followed him.
"You see," she said, "no matter what gets stuck, you can always push it through. Relax."
She approached Yenn while the boy was still getting up. "Did she run off somewhere?" she asked her friend, still sitting on a pile of bags.
"I didn't know what to do." Yenn felt embarrassed – people were looking at her so strangely.
"Well, maybe they were..." Taffin reached her friends. He was looking under his shirt, examining
his chest. "You tore my skin until it bled," he said pointedly to Melea, showing her a scratch on his chest.
"Uh, you'll be fine," she retorted, then turned to Yenn. "The fact is, people
might have noticed you for a moment, but then they forgot about you." Everyone scrambled to find some weapons, and Gisbin busied himself with creating a military force that could repel the remnants of Garath's army. Apparently, everyone believed the aliens and now had far more important things on their minds than you.
" Yenn sighed. "And you?" she asked.
"What about us?
" "You believed it was over?"
"Well, why not? We saw what happened. Considering the news that reached the city earlier, it's hard not to believe it.
" "It seems this is the end of this cursed oppression.
" "It might be better, maybe worse, we'll see. Tell me what you plan to do, because we haven't forgotten about you.
" "Are you asking about this?" She pulled out the medallion she'd given her.
"What do you mean?
" "Ugh, I don't intend to use it, but I can't seem to get rid of it. What do you think?
" "Why not?" Taffin asked, still working on the scratch. "If you don't want to be one of the Marked, you'd better get rid of it.
" "Have you seen the power they had? Apparently, they didn't even use any magical artifacts. That's impossible."
Melea admitted they hadn't noticed. In their world, the Marked could use magic, but only with objects. No one could do it without them.
"It looked as if they were magic themselves," Yenlette concluded. "That's why I don't intend to throw away the medallion, but simply not use it. They said I didn't have to if I didn't want to. Well, I'll keep it for now; I think it won't hurt to hide it.
" "But others also saw you get it.
" "So I have to convince them I've already gotten rid of it."
Almost the entire next hour was spent figuring out how to convince the inhabitants to give up the newcomers' gift.
"There's no other way but to simply get rid of it in front of others. That way, they'll definitely believe it," Melea broke the silence. "And preferably as soon as possible.
" "All I have to do is throw something that looks like a medallion into one of the wells," Yenlette took up the idea.
She took off the locket and began to examine it. The entire locket was very valuable, and she could only dream of finding something similar. However, perhaps the entire pendant wasn't necessary. "I think the chain has nothing to do with magic," she began, pondering a new thought. "What do you think?
" "Not the chain, no, just the locket," Taffin agreed.
"And how do you know?
" "From my father. He once had several gold chains that he sold for magical lockets. They're just ordinary chains.
" "Good then," Yenlette smiled, then removed the locket from the chain.
"Are you sure? It's gold after all.
" "I know," she regretted a little, but the sooner she did it, the more the others would believe. Everything was going to change now anyway; maybe the bakery would bring in more profits. "Come on," she said, standing up and padding toward the hole in the board.
This time, remembering the recent accident, Taffin broke a larger hole, through which he easily slipped.
"Where are we going?" Melea asked.
"I have an idea," Yenn said. "Follow me."
She led the way to the nearest well. There were several such water sources within the city
. They were located in small squares, where you could always meet someone.
She stopped her companions before they entered the square. They were in one of the small streets between buildings. She glanced at the square. She wasn't mistaken; she could count over ten people, mostly housewives.
"Okay," she turned to her friends. "I'll run and throw the chain into the well for everyone to see."
Melea nodded. "Maybe, I just have to do it convincingly.
" "So what?Break down," Taffin interjected.
"Yeah. Cry and run screaming.
" "I can't do it on command like you can.
" "Cry!" Melea pinched her friend.
"Ouch, you're crazy," Yenn howled and pinched her friend back.
"Yeeees," Taffin intoned in a drawling voice, then unceremoniously kicked Yenn in the shin. The girl cringed for a moment and straightened up, tears welling in her eyes.
"Stupid!" she screamed through her sobs and tried to deliver a similar kick to Taffin, but he pulled away.
Meanwhile, Melea grabbed Yenn by the shoulders and steered her toward the square. "Run and run," she ordered, releasing her toward the well. The girl, weeping and limping, ran among the people.
"I don't want this damn thing!" she screamed. "I want to live a normal life!" Her leg ached even
more, making her sobs choke her. "Take him!" she screamed, almost at the well.
Melea and Taffin ran toward her.
"Wait!" Melea shouted as the girl leaned against the edge.
- No! - Yenn said and threw the chain with a huge swing into the black abyss.
The woman standing next to her followed her gaze down the well, but it was too dark to see that there wasn't a medallion at the end of the chain, only a stone attached a moment earlier. A splash. Everyone stood, trying to understand what was going on. Yenn's friends reached her and began to stare into the darkness as well.
"You threw it away," the boy said.
"Good," she replied, wiping away her tears. "I don't want that medallion," she said, heading toward the exit from the square.
The friends exchanged glances and followed her. When they were far enough away, Yenn sat down to one side and began rubbing her shin. A huge bruise was already beginning to form.
"Someday, when you're sleeping peacefully, I'll smother you with a pillow," Taffina informed her calmly.
"Maybe I hit you a little too hard," he replied, crouching down beside her, "but I think it's settled."
"Yeah." She pulled the medallion from her pocket. "I think so."
She entered the house and greeted her mother. Yenn sensed her mother wanted to ask something and
forestalled her. She loved her mother, but for now, she decided not to tell the truth. She didn't want to use it, so she recounted how she'd thrown the locket into the well. Jezebel fell silent for a moment, sipped some tea, and expressed her thoughts.
"I don't know if that was a good idea. Maybe you were a bit too hasty.
" "Why?
" "You're risking the wrath of the newcomers." She took another sip. "Well, you did what you thought was right. You can't get it back anyway, so it's best to forget about it. You need to start a better life." She smiled and patted her daughter. "You'll kill yourself someday," she said, pointing to the bruise on her daughter's leg. "Put something cold on yourself." She got up from the table and began making dinner.
Yenn went to her room. She felt bad when her mother said
throwing the locket away wasn't the wisest thing to do, but she couldn't take it back. She sat up in bed and looked at her leg again. The purple bruise was hurting as badly as it could. Not only was she constantly bruising herself, but now she was also bruising herself. She smiled to herself, imagining herself strangling Taffin for it. She licked her palm and rubbed the saliva across the bruise as if that would help. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the locket's eyelet. For a while, she'd considered wearing it on a strap hidden between her breasts, but she'd thought of another location. She removed the leather band worn on her forearm. The thick leather didn't give way easily, but she finally managed to pierce it with a needle. She threaded a piece of leather through the locket's eyelet and the band, securing the locket from underneath. Once attached, it wouldn't have a chance of accidentally falling out. It was a bit of a pain in her arm, but she'd eventually get used to it. Proud of the idea, she went downstairs to see if she could help.
The next few days saw more action in the city than in an entire year. Many of the city's men, who had fought in the war for 13 years, had not forgotten what it meant to wield a weapon. A brave people never loses their fighting spirit. That same night, the gates to the military armory burst open. Groups of rebels formed in every part of the city, and the remnants of the general's guard vanished with lightning speed. When the rest of Tywalg's forces returned, they encountered a fully organized defense of the city. Seeing that their ruler and most of their dominant commanders were gone, the soldiers departed in a direction known only to them. Apparently, they did the only intelligent thing and threw off Garath's colors, trying to save their own lives. A mass uprising had swept the entire country, and only idiots could have opposed it without a solid magical base, and the strongest marked ones were disposed of by the outsiders, as promised. The remaining Marked Ones no longer possessed such great power and, for the time being, hid wherever they could. A few days later, plans were underway to appoint a successor to the king. Everyone wanted to be king, but the former council members and the rightful heir had been found, so there were some disputes about that, but that didn't concern Yenn.
From the day of liberation, the bakery no longer had to give out free bread to the army, so sales automatically increased. Other merchants, also freed from the burden of tribute, lowered their normal prices, and it seemed that trade would continue to thrive. Yenn could work and continue spending time with friends. She still didn't return home too late, as it was still uncertain whether she would encounter a remnant of Garath's army, but now she no longer had to hide around corners from every warrior. The magical amulet was quietly hidden under her loincloth, and she could even begin to think about finding a boyfriend. Everything stabilized until one day a few weeks after liberation.
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