Fan Fiction ❯ Magic of the Heart ❯ Magic of The Heart ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

“JUST GET USED TO IT! YOU’LL NEVER BE WORTH ANYTHING MORE THAN THE DIRT YOU DIG NOR THE PLANTS YOU HARVEST!”

“But”

“I’LL NOT HEAR ANYMORE OF IT!” The father brusquely walked away, muttering curses under his breath. “Magic? Priestesses? BAH!” The two sisters he had just been berating hung their head in shame, wallowing in their pitiful existence, not for the first time. The twins, for that was what they were, had been practicing a most beautiful thing in between the time they were to finish harvesting for the day and the evening meal they were to spend with their father. One by one, they looked up at the manor house they had grown up in and scowled.

“Carma, we will be worthy of the gods, won’t we,” the younger twin asked her older, reliable sister. The redheaded girl grinned.

“Of course Kama!” The older sister, Carma, was three minutes older than her younger half, however despite the fact that she was the elder, she was also the shorter. By more than a foot. Kama stood as an amazing five-ten, while her older sister stood barely at four-ten. Their heights did not set them apart. While being twins, they by no means resembled each other. Carma had fiery red hair that only came to her chin, with blazing, amber eyes, and rich, caramel colored skin. Kama had royal, blue hair that fell below her shoulders, with sky-blue eyes that seemed to dance, and fair, almost white colored skin.

“But what will we do now that father has caught us practicing?” Practicing meant learning to control their gifts. Gifts of magic were not common in their part of the land, the forests almost kept their village secluded from the rest of the world. Carma had control over fire, Kama held water. Both practiced every chance they got, for it was their dream to join in the sect of the Gods and become priestesses. However, their father had always kept them from fulfilling their goal. He believed that the God’s power over the earth was dying, thus the girls should stay at home, bring in the cash once they found suitable husbands, and work the earth.

“Find somewhere else to practice I would assume. Don’t you wish to become great?”

“Of course! I just wish father cared about us. Mother did.”

“Don’t talk about her Kama.”

“But Carma... she loved you.”

“That doesn’t make it any easier Kama.” Their mother had been murdered in a raid when they were both eight. Ten years had gone by, but still Carma held on to the memories she had of her mother. The light in her light green eyes, the ring in her laughter, her unmistakable beauty, but what she remembered most, was the way her father had been. How happy he was around their mother. And how dark he was now. “I deal with it my own way, you deal with it yours.”

“Okay Carma.” The blue-eyed girl looked up at the sky, now turning various hues of orange, pink, red, and purple. “Carma, let’s go the village tomorrow, kay? We need some eggs and other items from the market, father should agree!” Carma smiled at her sister.

“Okay! Sounds good to me!”


“NO!”

“But why,” Kama demanded in shock.

“Because I forbid you to go into town tomorrow.”

“Why,” Kama asked in small voice.

“I said so, that’s all the information you need. And why are you being so quiet, you’re usually the obnoxious one, always wanting a reason for everything,” their father demanded, turning to Carma suspicion visible with every wrinkle of his face.

“I have nothing to say,” the girl replied easily, as she sat down to the dinner table, however her actions painted a very different picture. She was tense, jerky with something that she didn’t want her father to read. Which was why she was very lucky that he wasn’t a very smart man.

“I’m watching you,” he hissed, unless it came to his twin daughters. Then their father was like a god in the home, he knew everything that breathed in his house, controlled everything and everyone that dared to set a foot on the premises. Carma shrugged.

“But papa,” Kama told the man sweetly. “We need eggs... and butter! Not to mention that Carma needs new boots! Look at the holes in her soles!” Carma nearly snorted at the irony of her sister’s comment. Holes in her souls.

“It can wait a day or two. At least until those foolish imbeciles are...” Carma sat up straight in her chair, beginning to piece together her father’s plan.

“What foolish imbeciles?”

“None of your business girl!”

“The priests are in town, aren’t they,” she accused. Her father’s face turned a deep shade of purple as rage built up within him. “You’re scared they’ll take us away before you can get a bride’s offering on us!” Suddenly, her father’s violet face drained to its normal, fair color, causing a sinking feeling to develop within Carma’s stomach.

“You want to see the priests?” He stood up, slowly removing the belt from his waist as he went. He folded it in half, taking hold of the end that held the two loose ends. “Let’s see if you can walk in the morning.”


Kama whimpered in pain as she tried to fall asleep for the millionth time. Every part of her body was screaming in agony from the beating her father had given them. Bruises covered her body, cuts from the metal clasps on his belt had left welts along her arms, even some had appeared on her neck and face. She knew that she had fared better than Carma, who had been foolish in trying to stand up to their father. Carma now sported a black eye, a fist sized bruise on her left cheek, not to mention the welts and bruises that she had received from the belt. Kama cursed her father, cursed him for hurting her, for hurting her sister, for making Carma watch as he had beat her until he was tired of it. Tears fell from her crystalline eyes, forming into small droplets of ice as they hit the soft bed. “Kama,” a soft voice called out from the window on the other side of the room. Kama sat up in confusion, wondering who would dare come to the house at this time of night. “It’s me, Carma.”

“Carma? What are you doing?” Surprised she hobbled over to where her sister was.

“Get dressed.” Kama stared at her sister in utter astonishment. She was dressed in her traveling gear, sporting a scabbard, sword, and two knives that sported blades the size of Kama’s hand.

“What are you doing Carma? What’s going on?”

“We’re leaving, for once and for all. We’re going to the village, joining up with the priests. Even if they don’t take us, we’ll go somewhere else.”

“Carma... are you sure about this? What about father?”

“I already took care of him.”

“YOU KILLED HIM,” Kama asked in shock, her voice a screech in the night.

“No,” her sister hushed her. “After he thought I was asleep... he did what he always does at night. He took out a bottle of wine, and drank. I slipped some sleeping potion into it. He’s dead to the world, at lest until it wears off.”

“Where did you get sleeping poison,” Kama asked as she climbed out of the window, fully dressed in her own traveling gear, a few moments later. “And those weapons?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about them. Here,” she unbelted the scabbard from her waist, and put it in her sister’s hands. Kama merely looked at it as if it were a poisonous snake waiting to strike. “Well, put it on!” Kama did as she sister told her, after all it was her plan. “I bought the potion from old lady Hana two weeks ago.”

“How long have you been planning this,” Kama hissed.

“A lot longer than you think. I just never thought that we would do it like this okay? I thought that the priests would come for us!”

“But Carma... what if he finds us?”

“We’ll be long away before that.” The shorter girl studied that forest around them cautiously.

“What do you see,” Kama asked nervously.

“I dunno,” her sister said quietly. Kama nearly fell.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I ... don’t know?” Carma smiled innocently. “I just planned how to escape...”

“You didn’t put any thought to the FOREST,” Kama yelled.

“Sh! They’re things out here, dontcha know?” Kama bit her lip to keep from ripping her older sister’s head off. “Well, that’s why I stole father’s sword and daggers. I mean all those stories about staying away from the trails at night? Creepy.” Kama silently prayed to the gods that her sister regained her serious composure before they were attacked. They continued walking in silence.


They had been walking for a while now, a good chunk of the night was over, and the moon was now setting, letting the dawn sneak in. “Carma... you’ll think up a plan won’t you?” Her older sister looked at her with a worried smile.

“I uh...” Carma sighed suddenly, sliding down the trunk of a tree, until she came to rest at the base of the trunk. “I don’t know Kama. I really don’t know.” The overwhelmed girl laid her head on her knees. “I just don’t know Kama. I really wish that I could think of something, but it all seems so huge now. I don’t know how to fight, I know you don’t. How can we protect ourselves? We couldn’t even strike out against the man that beat us.”

“Carma... you can’t think like that. It’s thanks to your planning that we even got this far! You bought the potion, remember.” Her sister looked up at her, her usually fiery amber eyes now a dull topaz.

“I never actually thought we would get this far Kama.” She threw her head up against the trunk of the tree, looking at the sky. “WHERE ARE THE GODS NOW?” She turned back to face Kama eye-to-eye. “Maybe father was right. I mean the only thing that they’ve done for us is give us power.” She held her hand out, letting a small ball of flame appear. “And we can’t even use it correctly.” She closed her hand, extinguishing the flames.

“Carma, we’ll learn. We know the way to the village.” She stood in her proudest stance. “Once the priests and priestesses get one look at us, and how well we work together, they’re bound to take us in!” She was interrupted by Carma’s snort.

“They’ve seen us together Kama. I snuck into town one day and showed them what I knew. They told me that we weren’t powerful enough. They needed dedicated magi. Not wanna-be magi.” Kama deflated.

“Carma.”

“Just go to sleep Kama. We’ll continue on in the morning.” With that her sister closed her eyes, ignoring everything else around her.


Kama could only stare at the slumping form of her older sister. She had always been the strong willed one. Now she was sitting with her back to a tree, wallowing in her own self-pity. It made Kama want to beat her until she turned back into the old Carma. Believing that she was beaten, the younger sister moved to the opposite side of the road, and mimicked her sister. Desperately she tried to formulate a plan. Any plan would do, just as long as it got them safely to their goals. Or at least to some shelter. Or a village.

She let her dark hair fall into her face, shielding her face. Tears formed, gathered, and fell. “What are you crying about,” she berated herself. “Think of a plan. Never give up.” She sobbed harder.


Slowly, a noise entered into Carma’s ears. People were screaming. “People?” Groggily she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Kama sitting across from her, rubbing her eyes in confusion. No, it wasn’t Kama who was screaming. She turned left, towards the direction she thought it was coming from. What she saw made her jump to her feet in alarm.

“CARMA,” Kama screamed in terror, running over to her and grabbing her roughly. “What’s going on?”

A large wagon decorated elaborately with the symbols of the goodly gods of the land was toppled over, people and personal items splayed out in the pathway. Beyond the toppled wagon were several men and women fighting against other men clad in black clothes. “I-I don’t know!”

“Aren’t those the priests and priestesses? We need to help them Carma!” Kama grabbed her sister’s hand and tried to drag her towards the fight, but it was to no avail. All she did was tug her a little. “Carma! Aren’t you going to help,” the sheer horror in her voice caused the older girl to grimace.

“I...” Her arm fell to her side as Kama turned tear filled eyes towards the girl she felt that she had never known. Shaking her head, she ran off towards the fighting.

She only turned once. “I thought... I thought you were better than that Carma. You were my hero. You should be in my shoes.” Then, with tears falling from her eyes freely, she ran.


Gill had no idea what had happened. What was happening. Usually he could handle attacks on the road, it was his job after all. This time was different. Something guided these monstrous beings, something with far more intellect than they were prepared for. Usually it was merely upstart highwaymen that attacked the wagon, which they could handle. After all, Gill was an veteran fighter. He and his family had been in the business of guarding the priestly order for generations. They lived and breathed their duty.

Never had they been attacked as if it was a tactic of war. The very thought sent chills down his spine. And that was the end of his examinations. A sword cut in low, near his belly, causing his instincts to take over his rational mind. He parried, before pulling back on his sword, sending his opponent flying backwards into the trees.


Kama watched the fight for a few moments, trying to figure out where she could be of any use. Pressure welled up inside of her, as her fear tried to take over. She could go with Carma, she knew, and run away. Leave the priests to their own affairs, they didn’t want her. However, her heart pulled her towards the fight. She knew her conscience wouldn’t let her live it down if she fled.

Calling upon her power, she mentally found a stream not to far away from the battle. Concentrating, she pulled the water towards her, until a large puddle of water lay behind her. From there she bent the water into a powerful orb of liquid that floated just above her hands. Kama walked out into the fight, where one of the highwaymen instantly tried to take her out, figuring she was an easy target.

Wrong. Kama sent the orb flying at the man, who tried futilely to knock it away with his sword. The blade slipped right through the liquid ball, coming out the other side. The orb, however, flew at the man’s head, connecting with a sickening crack. Closing her eyes as he fell, she moved on.

“Who are you,” someone demanded of her, just a few feet away. A young man, her own age, was battling three of the highwaymen alone.

“My name is Kama of the House O’Briggin! My sister and I were traveling in the woods when I saw your... predicament.” She sent another of the men flying away, this time hit in the shoulder.

“Gill Shinticlare. I thank you for this,” the young man yelled as he downed one of his three enemies. Many more however were still battling the few priests and the lone priestess that were left fighting. “But what of your sister?” Kama ignored the question, splitting her orb into two different ones, and using them like a pair of boomerangs. Two more men fell.


“It’s thanks to your planning that we even got this far,” Kama’s voice flooded Carma as the older girl pushed a branch out of her way.

“Planning. Bah. For all my so called planning, look where it got me. Separated from my sister, alone in a gods forsaken forest!”

“Once the priests and priestesses get one look at us, and how well we work together, they’re bound to take us in.”

“Get out of my head Kama.”

“I thought... I thought you were better than that Carma. You were my hero. You should be in my shoes.” Carma stopped dead in her tracks, her teeth grinding in frustration. She immediately started walking back towards her sister and the fight.

“Gods dammit.”


“We’re losing,” the earthen priestess yelled over the screaming of one of the priests. He had somehow been cut cleanly in half by one of the highwaymen bearing a large, silver axe. Kama felt tears flow from her eyes as she tiredly backed up near a tree. Gill stood just to the left of her, holding his left shoulder tightly as blood spouted from a deep wound.

“I’m sorry you were brought into this,” he told her.

“I chose to be involved. No regrets from me.” She looked at him with a grim smile.

“I like your way of thinking.”

“So do I,” a gruff voice came from behind the approaching highwaymen. Suddenly the men were blown away in a violent explosion. Fire licked at them hungrily as they were scattered roughly to the ground.

“CARMA,” Kama screamed happily.

“That’s your sister,” Gill asked, his jet-black hair falling into his face.

“That’s my sister!” The said sister was now giving the rest of the attackers reason to fear her, as she grimly blew them away as well. Soon they were left with the mess of repairing the wagon and burying the dead.


“Carma O’Briggin,” Carma introduced herself formally. “Dedicated to Iza, Goddess of Fire.”

“Kama O’Briggin, dedicated to Edla, Goddess of Water.”

“Welcome Carma of the fire, and Kama of the water, to the Temple of Jaminera, City of the Gods,” Roal, the High Priest, boomed out over the crowd. “In light of your heroic deeds, we welcome you, both, into our humble society for the rest of your days. Congratulations ladies, you are now Priestesses.”