spellbound | book #1 | completed

I V

edited: 23/06/2017

Maksim felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he was sure it wasn't from eating something his mother had cooked earlier on. He felt compelled to follow the girl, as though if he didn't, something bad would happen. So that's what he did, and he wasn't happy about it either; his shirt was soaked through and sticking uncomfortably to his skin underneath it. Maksim wasn't much of a fan of rain, and he was glad that he didn't have to endure it in Refilyn, the Warlock Realm.

It was not difficult for Maksim to catch up to the girl; mortals tended to walk ungracefully loud, and he had always been able to hear well. Once he was close enough to see her hunched silhouette, he slowed down, effortlessly gliding through the streets. He could think of a million other things that would have been better than chasing a mortal girl through the roads of the Mortal World, but the unsettling feeling in his stomach would not subside, so he continued to follow her, a curious expression on his face.

It didn't take long for the girl to reach what he presumed to be her home, a run-down small block of buildings with too much dirt and not enough crystal for Maksim's liking, but then, he expected as much. There weren't many mortals who took pride in where they lived, and he supposed houses like his own were much harder to come by without magic. Something in the back of his mind, though, was expecting more from her; the same irritating little voice that had been telling him that this mortal was different to the others, that she was not so tedious. There was a flame in those grey eyes of hers that he had not seen in many others, not even Warlocks', telling him that she was alive and important. Like most things, he had tried his best to ignore it, but clearly that method was not working in his favour.

There was, of course, also the matter of her dreams, and the fact they seemed to feature someone who looked an awful lot like his brother.

He pushed the thought aside, feeling silly for following her home as though she wasn't capable enough to do it herself. He crouched behind a row of shrubbery as she glanced out with a sigh before disappearing into the bright artificial glare behind the door. Even after he was sure she was gone, he stayed there, watching as more lights flashed on within the building. He supposed he wouldn't see her again. He didn't know why that bothered him.

He stood up, his skin prickling with the sudden feeling of being watched. Whipping around swiftly, he found Elthar, one of his brother's associates, in front of him, his hands sparking precariously with black flickers of magic. This wouldn't be the first run-in Maksim had had with one of his brother's associates, but he thought it may have been the first where they had found him rather than the other way around. It put Maksim at a disadvantage; he had not been prepared, and now Elthar would probably blacken him until he was nothing but a charred carcass. He certainly hoped that wouldn't be the case. He quite enjoyed being alive and unsinged.

"What a lovely surprise," Maksim said, though his voice did not match his pleasant words. Instead, they were dripping with sarcasm. "If I would have known that you were stopping by, I might have prepared a poisonous spirit, or perhaps brushed up on one of my torture spells."

"Your hostility breaks my heart," Elthar responded, his voice deep and raspy. Maksim often thought he resembled a caveman in that respect. His looks didn't help much either, with his rather large forehead and gormless expression. Still, Maksim had to remind himself not to underestimate his ability. Dark magic was stronger than light, and Elthar didn't look like he would hesitate to use the black sparks flaring from the palms of his hands.

Maksim looked at him in mock sympathy. "It must be hard loving somebody who does not love you back. I would not know, of course, what with my breathtaking charm."