The Lost Mage (45 page)

“Okay,” Darakin said.

When she’d left, Darakin sank into the couch next to Mrowley.

Dude, you mind if I watch the magic box?

“Sure, go ahead.” Darakin picked up the remote and turned the television on. He dropped the control and leaned his head back, closing his eyes for a few minutes.

He must have drifted off, because he was awakened by the sound of Mrowley’s laughter.

“What’s so funny?” he asked the cat.

This movie. See that guy? Check him out. He’s afraid of the moving stairs.

Darakin stared at the screen. An oddly dressed man was watching the beautiful woman he was with ride down a set of moving stairs as he sat at the top, too afraid to step on. The mage’s melancholy deepened as he recalled his own fear of automatic doors. He watched in horror as the people standing around laughed and made fun of the poor, confused man.

Dude, what’s wrong?
The cat asked.

“Nothing, why?”

I’m a cat. I can sense moodiness. You’re all droopy again.

“Ah, Mrowley. I’m very sad because I don’t think I can stay here after all.”

Why not?

“Because I don’t fit in. Everyone thinks I’m crazy. And they laugh at me just like you’re laughing at the poor man in the magic box.”

Oh.

“That’s it? Oh? That’s all you have to say?”

Well, now I’m all droopy, too. See? Look at my whiskers.

Darakin looked the downward arc of the cat’s whiskers. “They look like that all the time.”

No, they’re definitely droopy. I like being here with you and Nora. I don’t want you to go without me. But I don’t want to go live in the water.

“I never said we’d live in the water. I said on a boat. But I was only going to do a lot of that to get gold to buy Nora a house. We can just wander the woods, if you’d like. Of course, if you’d rather stay here, that’s okay, too.”

I like the woods. Lots of mousies.

“Yes, there are. There’s even a town you might like,” he said, thinking of the village that specialized in rat dishes. “But I don’t know how to tell Nora.”

I can’t help you with that.

“I know.”

As if on cue, Nora entered the apartment at that moment. She put her bags down in the kitchen on her way to the living room. One look at Darakin’s face told her that something was very wrong.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Darakin said. “I was just watching this program.”

She looked at the screen. “Oh, I love this movie! It’s so funny –” she stopped short to look at the scene and realized at once what was going on. She watched in silence for a few minutes. “You,” her voice caught in her throat, “you’re going back, aren’t you? You’re going to let that dryad take you back.”

Darakin looked into his lap, unable to meet her eyes. “I think so. I have to.” Darakin was amazed at the sense of relief he felt after telling Nora that he had to return to his home. He hadn’t realized how stressed he’d felt by his decision to stay. He was also filled with sadness at the thought of leaving Nora, but he couldn’t ask to her to go with him to a place where she’d undoubtedly feel the same way he felt here.

Nora walked past Darakin without a word. She went into the bathroom and closed the door. A few minutes later, the sound of muffled sobs could be heard.

Dude. You made her leak.

“Leak? Oh, you mean cry. I didn’t mean to. I just don’t know what else to do. I’m tired of being laughed at wherever I go. People keep calling me crazy. I think I have to go back just to prove to myself that I’m not insane.”

I get it. I don’t like being laughed at, either.

The bathroom door open and Nora emerged. Her eyes were dry, but her tear-stained cheeks gave her away.

“Nora, I’m sorry.”

She dropped onto the couch next to him and said in a quiet voice, “No, I’m sorry. I was selfish to want you to stay. I mean, I think about where you come from and I know there’s no way I’d ever want to live there. I’m too used to technology and the comforts we have here.”

“I admit that I’m going to miss the indoor bathrooms in this realm, but I just don’t belong here, Nora.”

“I know.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Darakin picked her up, carried her to the bedroom and lay her down on the bed. Without a word, he made love to her. When he was done, they fell back against the pillows, their energy spent. After a few minutes, Nora fell into an exhausted sleep. Darakin held her for a few minutes, the sorrow in his chest threatening to overwhelm him. He couldn’t understand how going home could feel so right and so wrong at the same time. He looked away from her, then slid his arm out from underneath her back and went to the living room. It was time to kill the krekdapop.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Mrowley sat up from his spot on the couch as Darakin entered the living room. He watched with interest as the mage took out the herbs he’d gotten from Ravenwynd.

Whacha doing?

“Nothing that need interest you. I have to prepare myself for the shaman spell. It starts with a purification ritual.”

The cat’s delicate nose sniffed the air.
I smell weird stuff.

“It’s my herbs and incense and you can’t have it. This stuff could hurt you if you ingested it.”

Then how come you’re using it?

“Because, unlike you, I don’t feel the need to eat it. But I do need it for my ritual.”

Maybe if you fed me more often, I wouldn’t need to eat everything I find, but whatever, dude.
The cat sat on the couch and sulked at being excluded.

“You, oh never mind.” Darakin wasn’t going to get sucked into another pointless argument with the cat. He needed to get to work on his ritual.

He went to the bathroom with the herbs he’d selected and closed the door. First he burned a concoction of the purification herbs until the room was filled with pungent smoke. He chanted the phrases he’d been forced to memorize so many years ago, thrilled at the feel of his native language on his tongue again.

He stepped into the tub to bathe, all the while continuing the ancient chants. When he was done, he opened the bathroom window to allow the smoke to air out before going to the living room. Darakin sat in a corner of the room and began to meditate. The calling of the elements required a state of grace in the eyes of Nature, so he prayed for Her to fill him with Her spirit.

A few hours later, a puffy-eyed Nora emerged from the bedroom. Darakin was so deep in his self-induced trance, that he didn’t hear her.

She stopped and stared at the still figure in the corner.

“What do you suppose this is about then?” she asked herself aloud.

I don’t know but can you tell him that I’m hungry?

“I wish I understood you like he does, little kitty,” she said, petting the side of his neck.

A little to the left.
Mrowley moved his head to the side to give her better access to the desired location.

Nora glanced at the clock. “Oh my! I can’t believe I slept all that time. You must be starving, Mrowley.”

Why yes. Yes, I am.

With one more glance at Darakin, she shook her head and went to the kitchen to dish out some food from Mrowley. He rubbed against her leg in appreciation.

“I love you, Mrowley. At least I still have you.”

Gulp. Um, yeah, about that? I’m kind of sort of … going with Darakin to hunt mousies in his forests.

“Wow! With all that meowing you’re doing, you must be really hungry.”

Of course, if you’d rather I stay here so you can feed me, I could do that. Then again, I did promise Darakin I’d be his companion. And a promise is a promise.

Nora put the plate down and the cat tore into the food, whatever conversation he’d been having forgotten.

Nora went to the living room and stared at Darakin.
What will I do without him? Pfft. What indeed, I did fine before he came along, didn’t I? And I’ll do fine on my own after he’s gone.

Darakin sensed her presence and broke from his trance. “Hi.”

“What were you doing?”

“Meditating. I have to be at peace with the elements in order to summon them. They need to believe that I revere them. And I need them because I have to kill the krekdapop tonight.”

“Oh.” She realized that this was their last evening together. He’d kill the demon and then go to the dryad, who would take him home.

She suddenly felt angry. She was angry at Fate, which let her meet Darakin only to have to lose him as surely as she’d lost her family, and she was angry at Darakin for not being to adapt to life here.

The two stared at each other in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Nora finally spoke up, “Would you like dinner?”

“Well, um, sure, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Sure and I have to eat, too, don’t I?” Her brogue was thick.

“Yes?”

“Of course I do,” she snapped and stormed into the kitchen to cook dinner.

Darakin remained in the living room, afraid to inflame Nora with his presence. He watched as she set the table, slamming plates and utensils down with unnecessary force. When she was done, she came into the living room.