After this the arch will finally begin drawing to a close. Be prepared, I don't want to spoil anything but the next following chapters are not for the faint of heart! Brace thynselves for the maelstrom befalls us!

Chapter Sixteen

*** Eleanor Cazador ***

After Leo had left, abandoning me when he did, I found myself lost.

He was always so kind to me, so caring, so attentive. For him to act any other way than the perfect brother I found myself panicking as if the life I had been living up till then was nothing more than a lie.

When I entered her room, the room of the girl I did not know, I felt myself further crushed. The adults had made such a ruckus about the room that I found myself wandering into it and found myself shocked by the discovery. I could tell that someone close to Leo had been there, someone I did not know, and someone he really cared about. There were signs everywhere, his favorite colors, red and black, dresses with those very same colors. Frills and laces adorning the curtains and bed covers with depictions of rain and thunder.

On a dresser there was a small chest with rings and other jewelry, they looked like things Leo would pick out. They all had a reoccurring theme, the moon. It was like all the gifts he gave me only that mine were always about the sun.

Subconsciously I fiddled the necklace I wore, it was an amber diamond fire flower held together with red gold.

Looking at all the jewels and trinkets that were clearly carefully picked out hurt too much so I moved on to the desk. There were letters there, I wanted to read them but I knew that if I did I might not like what I find, instead I opted to read a letter in an empty case, it was more of a manual.

Dear Sophia,

I dearly hope you enjoy your gift! I call this set the Lunar Rings, they are imbued with the five most powerful spells I have designed up until now.

Thumb Ring – Water Element – by your will water will move. When you are within reach of a lake you cannot be easily beaten, when near the ocean you are queen of whatever field of battle you find yourself in.

Pointer Ring – Wind Element – Flight – will it and the earth cannot tether you.

Middle Ring – Earth Element – No force on earth can stop you so long as your feet touch the ground. The earth, the rocks, metals, and crystals will all bend to your will.

Ring Finger Ring – Light and Darkness – This ring you must never use out of hatred, it has two spells instead of one, though both are one and the same. Life and death, with this ring you can tether a soul in a broken body long enough to heal it, or rob a body of its soul and send it into the void, into the beyond.

Pinky Ring – Fire Element – Breath of Fire – this spell is one made powerful by broiling emotions, the heat of your breath will melt metal and boil waters.

Remember my dearest one, with great power comes great responsibility.

Ever Present,

Leo Cazador

I felt the tears on my face long before I felt the pain in my heart. My knees grew weak and I fell to the floor as sobs took my voice.

He had given it to her, the thing I held most special, the one spell I had worked hard to fully master. My Breath of Fire was special, no one among my age has it, no one in the city and probably no one in the country can control the pure unbridled power of elemental fire. I was supposed to be the only one aside from Leo to be able to use it. I was supposed to be the only one!

How could he do this? Who was this girl? Why?!

***Gianna Cazador ***

Dear Diary 142,

Papi is gone again. I wish he wouldn’t disappear so often, it is very boring being in the room by myself. He leaves me puzzles and something he calls “homework” which I have to finish before he returns but they are boring too. I learn a lot of things from them, the homework part is split into math, science, reading and writing, spell weaving, elemental magic, nature magic, and energy magic.

Some of it is confusing, especially the spell weaving, but that one is also my favorite. I actually wove my first complex spell on my pen today, it is a very small spell crest but it pulls ink into the pen from the pot and fills it full every time I dip the tip of the pen inside so I don’t have to open it and fill the cartridge. That’s very messy.

Papi liked the crest when I showed it to him, he says he is very proud of me.

(Smiley face doodles)

I had been reading the diary nonstop since I found it, this latest entry revealed to me even more how very little I knew about my son. Science? Energy Magic? What are those?

The pen was stuffed into the bindings of the book and looking at it now I saw the crest drawn in gold and crystal dust ink. The design was something I was not at all familiar with. There were symbols and letters I did not recognize at all.

Dear Diary 143,

There is a lot of noise in the castle today, I think there is a party, but I won’t get to see it, like always. Papi seals the door whenever he leaves so no one can come in and I can’t go out. He says that its dangerous for me to leave the room, eventually I will be able to walk out of that door normally, he says, but when will that day be?

I hear a lot of noises in the castle all the time but I never get to see anyone.

Hopefully tomorrow he comes to take me to Helton’s house so I can play with Alice.

I closed the diary and closed my eyes, to think the poor child had been living like a prisoner for all her life. Why hadn’t he come to me about her? Why did he not reveal her to me? Was there a need to hide her? I think…I think I could have come to terms and accepted the fact that he had brought an infant home, though I’m sure he would have told me a very compelling reason to convince me regardless. He was like that, I could never get mad at him or punish him, because I never once felt that he acted without a proper reason.

I sighed and put the book on the bedside stand.

Wherever my son was now I am sure that he had a very important reason for doing all of this.

*** Chasity Helton ***

“Bring out the new stock,” I heard one of the men say to the others, he was Doran, the first mate of the captain that had taken me. Doran is a tall bald man, he is muscular and smart, he is also very cruel, but very obedient to the captain.

We were being held in cages, Sophia and I, they were carved with runic seals that keep us from using magic. One man threw two shackles into the cage, it was a ritual that had been often repeated before now, the shackles were inhibitors for our magic. We put them on and then the door was unlocked and we were let out, the guided out of the brig. For the first time in days we went up to the surface of the ship where the sun could finally grace our skin.

We were herded like animals along with other people these pirates had captured. I already knew our destination, the auction house.

It didn’t take long for us to reach it, there was one directly near the docks so that merchandise can be moved along fairly quickly. As expected they started bidding on the other captured people, slaves. Sophia and I were obviously going to go last.

In less than an hour it was already my turn. My eyes glazed over as panic threatened to overwhelm me but I needed to be strong for Sophia, poor child. I walked up to the stage with false confidence as the crowd of men went wild.

“As you can see our final two products are mages!” the auctioneer stated happily as the crowd grew bigger. “This feisty one is a powerful wind mage! She gave good old Captain Castle some trouble so rest assured her skills are not for want!”

“2 gold!” I heard one man yell out.

“10 gold!”

“Bah ridiculous, 30 gold!”

“35!”

“37!”

“40!”

“100 gold coins! I dare any to bet more than I!”

“100 going once!...twice!...sold!”

*** Lord Burton ***

A mage! I must have her to myself! I thought as I looked at the young girl presented on stage.

I am a lord of a humble piece of land that makes its way in the world as a farming land, while wind magic won’t help by much having a magician on the land can give my people hope. In time I can also add mage blood to my bloodline, my successors would finally be more than simple small lords. Maybe a son of mine through her can even become a court mage and give our lands more leverage and aid in political matters.

After I bet and won I met with the auctioneer to hand over the gold, it represents a large portion of my total wealth, but it would all be worth it.

The slave contract seal was written on the girl’s back, it was written in red iron rust ink, it would not fade or wear until broken by the master of the contract. That being me.

She was presented to me after the seal was drawn on her back so that I could complete it with a thumb print of mine marked in blood. She was frightened and retreated from my touch, I did not mean to frighten her, I know she must be going through much pain and sorrow, but I need her and unfortunately her circumstances have brought her to me. Though it might be more fortunate than unfortunate, I will treat her well so that she may become a part of my house. Other lords don’t worry about the trivial feelings of a slave, any other lord would plan to have her in his bed the very night after acquiring her. Not I.