MAGICAL DISASTERS

LITTLE LIES

"I'm surprised you managed to be useful with that weak magic of yours." The elf spat at Tarana's feet. His words were as cold and bitter as his heart.

"Keep fucking talking like that and you'll lose your tongue, little one." Tarana wiped her face with the back of her hand as sweat dripped down her chin. She grabbed a mason jar from her shelf, removing two Orc eyeballs and dropping them into her cauldron. Its thick gooey paste turned purple and green before transforming into a smooth yellow.

"If you let me go, I'll make sure the High Council doesn't hear about this. No one comes after you and we put all this mess behind us," he said.

Tarana raised an eyebrow. "Where exactly did you think we were taking you?"

"But it wasn't me! I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time! My kind is capable of honesty, you know."

"So the Caltaran Sword just happened to be in your satchel?" Tarana tilted her head and crossed her arms, looking up at the metal cage the elf sat in.

The elf chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe it was a stroke of luck?" He swung his legs back and forth, causing the cage to rock ever so slightly.

She shook her head, turning back to her healing potion. Tarana searched high and low for a piece of dragon's horn, though it appeared she was all out. Damn. I wonder if there's anything I can substitute it with, she thought.

Larell glanced up from the cotton cot he was lying on. "Luck would mean that you end up in a good predicament." He coughed, wincing at the pain in his abdomen.

"You might want to get some help with that. Not sure the witch will suffice. If you let me go--"

"She will cut your tongue out, and I won't try to stop her," Larell interjected. He clutched his abdomen with growing awareness of his injury from the previous battle.

A long silence lingered in the air.

The elf cleared his throat. "If I find the person that framed me, then can I go?"

Tarana laughed. "You got a way to find the person that framed you while you're locked up?" She stirred the cauldron, adding a spoon of honey and a dash of yarrow leaves.

"Well, you could accompany me and ensure I fulfill the task."

Tarana absentmindedly sucked her teeth. "It would be quicker to feed your icy heart to the fire elemental out back."

"No need for threats," he said with a smile. "We can be civil, can't we? How--"

"Silence," she commanded. The elf's voice fell below a whisper until there was only a void. His eyes bulged as if they were about to explode and he clutched his throat in disbelief. He opened his mouth wide but no sound came out.

Tarana laughed at his reaction. Keep fucking testing me, ya little shit, she thought. It would take a while for the spell to fully settle since she was gradually getting better at maintaining intention in her voice commands. After finding some root powder, she decided to use it as a substitute for the dragon's horn. Perfect.

Grabbing a bowl, Tarana poured the healing potion into it and walked over to Larell. "Looks like you're going to be okay," she said while glancing down at him.

CLUNK. SPLAT.

Larell gasped as Tarana fell in slow motion. "Nooo!" he yelled. He reached for his emerald scepter but it was too late.

The elf tumbled out of the metal cage, grabbed his satchel, and dashed into the forest.

Tarana slowly rose with a soft ringing fading from her ears. Within minutes, her vision adjusted and the massive tent came into clear view. Larell lay on the cot, shivering with a fever. Her jaw clenched as she realized what had happened.

She grabbed the bowl from the floor, poured more of the potion into it, and tended to Larell's wound. "Don't you fucking die on me, love," she whispered. Gently, Tarana stroked his locks and said a prayer over his health. Please be okay when I get back. Once outside, she cast several protection spells to hide the tent and shield Larell.

The elf ran for his life. He sped towards the creek, knowing it was his only way to safety. When his breathing grew ragged, he came to a stop. "Gods be good. I knew I would finally get away from that wretched witch!" Against his better judgment, he sat there for far too long.

When I get my hands on you, you're dead, little one, Tarana thought. She formed a symbol onto her right hand and clasped her fingers together. Slowly, she pulled her hands apart, allowing a ball of fiery energy to grow between her palms. She drew her hands back towards her torso, amplifying her momentum. Placing her left leg outward, she leaned towards her right and launched several fireballs.

Somehow the elf ducked the first attack. He brandished a shield, saving himself just in time from the onslaught of fireballs. The hits knocked him back several feet. He fell on his face, limbs splayed onto the grass.

Tarana's eyes narrowed as she flew towards the elf. Branches zoomed past and her vision locked in on his small body, only a few feet away. Suddenly, she was slammed backward onto her back. A forcefield. "Why you little..."

The elf rose slowly, seeing his incantations had worked wonders. "Guess I'm lucky after all! Your worthless magic will never get you that sword. Stole it fair and square!" He stuck his tongue out and turned to run away.

Her heavy breathing deepened. She casually picked herself up, realizing her bones felt heavier. What type of reinforcement spell did this little shit use? she wondered.

Tarana's anger intensified. She opened her palms to the sky, gathering life force energy from Mother Ama. Gradually, her bones grew lighter and lighter. Floating into the air, she swirled massive amounts of magic into her palms. She pressed it all together and drove it into the ground as she rapidly descended.

A wave of thick tree roots crept upwards from the ground, grabbing the elf by the legs as he ran. He became entangled in their dense limbs, thorns pressed into his skin, and blood trickled down his torso. "Fuck me," he groaned.

"Now that it came straight from your mouth, your heart is mine, little one." Tarana walked towards the elf with ice in her eyes and balls of fire swirling in her hands. There was no escaping this time around.