The Wielder and the Source

Chapter 18

Aldeheid couldn't stop staring at his hands. In a time not long pass he'd thought them to be irrevocably cursed. They'd caused so much pain, done so much damage, killed so many capes. A gambit of emotions ran through him as he examined the swirling lines that accented his mark.

He wanted to run up to someone and them that nothing was impossible, that they can do anything, try anything. Surely if he could be bonded to a cape like Kitaya, then anything was possible.

I have a cape now... Just admitting it to himself felt so surreal, like this was all a figment of his imagination. Or an out of body experience. It was his duty now, to mold himself into a magician worthy of her. She deserved no less.

"Nervous?" Kitaya asked him. They were on the upper circle of the great hall, preparing to descend the steps as magician and cape, with Kitaya on his back. Apparently it was some kind of tradition.

Below them, the guests were gathered in small groups, talking and laughing while attendants flitted around with light refreshments.

Aldeheid shook his head. "I'm just... in awe. Humbled. I never thought this day would come." His eyes drifted to the jagged lines going through Kitaya's mark. "You're my cape."

"And you're my magician." Kitaya gave her marked hand a cursory look before gazing over the banister at the guests, a small smile on her lips. He wondered how she was feeling about all of this. Was she over the moon? Or was she having second thoughts?

"And you?" Aldeheid asked, sweat coating his palms. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel great, angel eyes." She turned to face him fully, a quizzical expression crossing her face. "Try to enjoy yourself, alright? There will be plenty of time to fret and wring your hands. Today is our day."

"Right, of course." He blushed and looked away in time to see Kemah nod up at them from the base of the stairs.

"Alright. Whenever you're ready," he said.

Aldeheid took Kitaya's hand and a gentle white light radiated from her chest. One flash later, she was a dark green cape, softer than the finest silk. He fastened her at his left shoulder, his hand lingering over the gold clasp for a moment.

"This is strange..." Kitaya's voice was soft, wispy, and very in his head. "I can see what you're seeing."

A wave of dizziness overcame him, and he threw out a hand to steady himself. He took a breath and blinked his vision clear. "Alright, let's go down." As he took the first step, his vision doubled and he misjudged the distance between his foot and the stair. The world went sideways and upside-down as he tumbled down the steps.

Aldeheid tucked his head in and held his arms up to protect his face. At least this set of stairs had a rug down the center which made this descent a little less painful than the one at the temple. His fall ended when his back collided with the polished floor at the base of the stairs. If this series of events kept up, he'd be just as afraid of stairs as he was of heights.

The room erupted into laughter, followed by a round of thunderous cheers. Although, Aldeheid had no idea what there was to cheer about. He tried to push to his feet but he was tangled up in green fabric.

"Are you alright?" Kitaya's voice in his head made the room spin, and he clutched his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Change back Kitaya," Kemah said.

A bright flash filtered through Aldeheid's eyelids and a sudden weight pressed down on his chest. He opened his eyes to see Kitaya's smiling face in front of his. She was just as tangled around him as the fabric had been. One of her braids fell free and tickled his face.