Destiny Governed their Lives

Destiny Governed their Lives

  Diane Lynn McGyver

  Copyright2012@Diane Tibert

  Summary

  Although forbidden to read scrolls without permission, Catriona couldn’t help herself and approached the table. She glanced at the open door to the outside, looking for any sign of Sari. There was none.

  A Loss too Much to Endure. Magic wielded by experienced hands can sometimes lead to disappointment; in the hands of a novice, it can be devastating.

  Destiny Governed their Lives is a short story that ties into the Castle Keepers series. Many of the characters who appear in it also appear in Shadows in the Stone and Scattered Stones.

  Follow Diane Lynn McGyver into the Land of Ath-o’Lea and live the fantasy.

  Please note

  This book was written using Canadian spelling.

  Everyone has something…

  “Luvly. A beautiful woman with something I want.” The dwarf who held her was barely tall enough to hold the dagger to her throat. His unkempt beard covered most of his face but could not hide the gaping hole created by two missing front teeth.

  Panic stricken, Catriona stared at the man. She felt the cold steel against her skin and tried to stay as still as possible. “Wh—what do you want?” she stammered.

  Contents

  Destiny Governed their Lives

  About Diane Lynn McGyver

  Sight Visitation Spell

  Copyright

  Scattered Stones – Chapter 01

  Destiny Governed their Lives

  Diane Lynn McGyver

  Catriona slammed the book shut. What did Rod know about magic? He’d been an imbecile all his life, an irritating sty in her eye. Little brothers irked her, and unfortunately, she had two of them.

  She’d show Rod. Just because he called magic ridiculous and said she had a better chance of marrying the duke of Petra than casting a spell, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t be a master sorceress someday. If anything, his words fuelled her desires.

  Grabbing her shawl, Catriona left her bedroom and raced downstairs where she found her mother preparing the evening ration.

  “You’re not going out at this hour, are you, dear?” Her mother, adorned in a simple smock, tucked a loose hair behind her ear as she studied her only daughter. “Your father will be home shortly. Evening arrives earlier these days, and you shouldn’t be out after dark.”

  Catriona rolled her eyes. Her mother always made excuses for her not to leave the dwelling. If she believed her elder, wickedness perched on the doorstep, waiting to snatch every innocent citizen of Maskil. Her mother thought of her as a child still, but at seventeen, she could take care of herself.

  “Momma, I’m going to Sari’s to pick up a scroll. I’ll be back before Papa arrives. Promise.” She didn’t wait to listen to her mother’s protests; she slipped out the front door and onto the streets of Maskil.

  The founders had established the small town more than two hundred years beforehand, but the population was small compared to towns in the south. Catriona believed the war against the evil wizard Lindrum had reduced the number of inhabitants and discouraged others from settling. Although Maskil had won the battle, it hadn’t been victorious. The constant threat of random attacks by Lindrum and his henchmen kept everyone on alert.

  “All that happened before I was born,” mumbled Catriona to herself as she made her way along Tintally Street. No one could honestly say Lindrum continued to threaten Maskil and its Aruam Castle. The man hadn’t been seen for more than sixty years. But it didn’t matter. If a horse vanished, a building burnt or an inhabitant went missing, the citizens accused Lindrum.

  When more severe crimes occurred, the people spoke of the prophecy. The prophecy. Catriona chuckled. What a fantasy. The dozen or so lines describing Maskil’s destiny had been delivered by a half-crazed man who claimed he’d been lost in the Caves of Confusion for fourteen years. By the time he returned to Maskil, he looked like an old man though he declared himself to be only thirty-one.

  A company of Aruam Castle soldiers had set out to find and explore the mysterious Caverns of Confusion, but no one ever found them. They weren’t on any map in the castle archives and no official records existed of travellers visiting them. Still, stories from long ago passed through the years by word of mouth told of explorers finding the caves.

  They were also fantasy, made up to entertain and scare small children, thought Catriona.

  A female hauflin with her arms brimming with bags didn’t see the young girl, and Catriona had to quickly side-step to avoid her. The short hauflin measured only half of the human’s height. Oh, no. Catriona rolled her eyes. Another hauflin without shoes. Didn’t they know it was rude to walk around town barefoot?

  Catriona believed the worse part of the prophecy was that the fate of her home supposedly rested in the hands of dirty hauflins. They were going to save Maskil and rid the land of the evil wizard. The prophecy was a joke. Humans would reclaim the town for themselves.

  After all, humans made up over half the population of Maskil. They were the dominant race. The rest of the inhabitants consisted of a mixture of races and half-races. Dwarfs and elves were more predominate than hauflins. Occasionally, a gnome, orc or other strange beast took up residence. The castle guards always scrutinized these creatures—as Catriona liked to call them—to make sure they stayed within the Laws of the Land. Each time she happened upon one, she cringed. They were unnatural. Her father agreed though he never came right out and said so. The look on his face betrayed his thoughts. Her mother wouldn’t have such talk in her home; she saw all beings as equal.

  Tintally Street appeared busier than usual, and Catriona had to be careful not to bump anyone. With the Harvest Observance almost upon them, many visitors were inside the town walls to shop and be entertained. People came from all around but mainly from the outlining settlements and the nearby towns of Argonanna, Goshen and Petra.

  Continuing on, she found Masonry Lane less congested. Sari’s dwelling wasn’t far away. Cartriona hoped her teacher would allow her to practise her first serious incantation. As a student she had performed a few simple tricks, but she wanted to do more than jiggle a spoon and ripple a page in a book. She wanted to try a marvellous spell such as levitate off the floor. Now that would be enchanting.

  Four days ago, Catriona had asked again if she could borrow the scroll to learn levitation and once again, Sari had said, No. You’re not ready to perform the difficult incantation.

  But I am ready. I rippled pages for an hour today to exercise my inner magic, Catriona had contended.

  Crossing Masonry Lane, Catriona entered Pathway Suw, a narrow lane only wide enough to accommodate a single horse-drawn cart. Sari’s dwelling nestled between two larger structures. She knocked on the door and waited for an answer. When none came, she peeked in the front window.

  “Hmph,” she said to herself. “She’s not here. What a waste of time.” As she prepared to walk away, she heard a noise inside. “Maybe she is home.” Catriona knocked again and tried the door handle. It turned. Opening the unlocked door, she called out, “Sari, are you here?”

  No one answered. Catriona stepped inside for a better look. “Sari, I wanted to speak with you.” Looking around, she found the room empty. The surroundings appeared fine, but the atmosphere didn’t feel right; the sorceress never left her front door unlocked while away.

  “Sari?” Catriona walked deeper into the dwelling and peeked into a small bedroom. It was unoccupied, too. “This is strange.”

  Scanning Sari’s home, Catriona didn’t detect anything out of place. Then she noticed scrolls unrolled on the table. “I suppose this is unusual,” she said. “Sari doesn’t leave scrolls l
ying about.”

  Although forbidden to read scrolls without permission, Catriona couldn’t help herself and approached the table. She glanced at the open door to the outside, looking for any sign of Sari. There was none. She read the title on one of the scrolls. “Teleportation. Oh, my great goodness!” Rumours amongst the apprentices claimed Sari capable of teleporting herself to another location, but Catriona had never witnessed this feat. “I wonder if she used this spell today.” It would explain the unlocked door. She hadn’t left through it.

  Catriona read the next scroll. “Talk With Animals. If I wanted to do that, I would study Hauflin.” She chuckled to herself. “Now here is an interesting one. Bogbear’s Hand. Mmm, I can use this on Rod when he won’t shut up.” When she read the last scroll, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Sight Visitation. She had mooned about working this spell.

  She glanced at the door, the window and then around the room. Should I? Yes, I should. I’m definitely ready. I’ll surprise Sari by mastering this spell and make her proud to be my teacher. I’ll be her best apprentice. She rolled up the scroll and tucked it inside her skirt pocket then drew her shawl around her. After straightening the other scrolls, she went to the exit. As a last thought, she set the lock on the knob and closed the door behind her. She had done Sari a favour by securing her dwelling.

  Catriona hurried along the dusty lane, anxious to get home and work on the incantation. She made the turn onto Masonry Lane and looked ahead to the crowd bustling along Tintally Street. She placed her hand on the outside of her shawl and felt the bulge of the scroll beneath.

  As she entered Tintally Street, a dwarf bumped into her and almost knocked her to the wooden sidewalk. He frowned at her for not watching her step and continued on his way.

  Scruffy and rude, she thought. And no shoes. They were almost as bad as hauflins. So what if they were a little taller and had lived amongst humans longer.

  Suddenly, people in the crowd ahead screamed. Catriona looked up to see four large horses galloping down the centre of the street. The male riders wore armour and wielded swords. They swung at innocent bystanders too slow to get out of their way.

  Catriona watched a citizen fall victim to the blade. She felt like screaming but covered her mouth. She had to get home, but she needed to pass the horses and fighters to do so.

  Pushing her way towards the nearest shop, she fumbled along the sidewalk, hoping to keep the wall of people between her and the intruders. Others had the same idea and soon, she found herself shoved in the direction of the street. She staggered forward, looking for a chance to escape.

  Finally, she came upon an alley. After tripping over a woman who struggled to keep her child near, she managed to flee into the passage and behind the stores. As she ran, the noise of the commotion faded in the distance. Terrified the fighters might rein their horses in her direction, she ran blindly past several buildings until she tripped over a wooden crate.

  Picking herself up and pushing her skirt into place, she looked around to see how far she had come. “Barker’s Leather Store,” she said, out of breath. “Almost home.” She turned to run, but an unknown force abruptly shoved her against the side of a wall.

  “Luvly. A beautiful woman with something I want.” The dwarf who held her was barely tall enough to hold the dagger to her throat. His unkempt beard covered most of his face but could not hide the gaping hole created by two missing front teeth.

  Panic stricken, Catriona stared at the man. She felt the cold steel against her skin and tried to stay as still as possible. “Wh—what do you want?” she stammered.

  “Whatever you have.” He grinned. “A few coins, a ring, a pretty trinket. If you have it, I want it.”

  Catriona swallowed hard. She possessed only the small ring her mother had given her for her birth celebration and Sari’s scroll. “I don’t really have anything,” she said, almost in tears. “I don’t have any coins.”

  “Everyone has something,” he said, spraying warm spit on her chin. With his free hand, he poked around her shawl. When he felt the bulge, a smirk spread across his face. “Ah, everyone has something.”

  “You can’t have it. It’s not mine. I have to give it back,” cried Catriona. “Please, don’t take it!” Her knees weaken and cold needles pricked at the back of her neck.

  “I’m making you sad.” The dwarf appeared sympathetic. He ripped open her shawl and pulled out the scroll. “But you see, everyone has something.”

  Suddenly, the dwarf jerked forward and fell unconscious to the ground. Catriona looked up and saw her brother Rod. He had struck the dwarf in the back of the head with the hilt of his sword.

  A wave of relief washed over her and although weak from fear, she stumbled forward and hugged her brother.

  “I know. I know. I’m a hero,” he gloated. “Just doing my duty.”

  Catriona pulled away and smacked him on the shoulder. “He scared my senses out of me and all you do is stand there and brag.”

  “It’s what I do best according to my sister.” Rod grinned. His tan-coloured hair shaded his eyes as he stared at her.

  The dwarf moaned, but didn’t move.

  “We better get out of here before he wakes or we’ll have more of a headache than him,” said Rod, turning for home.

  Catriona picked up the scroll that had fallen to the ground, tucked it back into her pocket and drew her shawl tightly around her. She looked down at the dwarf’s feet. At least he wore boots.

  “Another spell?” asked Rod as he led her towards home.

  “Of course.”

  “I hope it’s not for changing brothers into newts.”

  She smiled. “Maybe it is.” There were times when she appreciated having her royal pain of a brother around.

  “Momma sent me for you,” he said. “She worried because of the approaching night.”

  “Did you hear the commotion?”

  “Yes.” He looked at her. “It looked unfriendly, so I took the alley. It was luck.” He grimaced.

  “Not destiny?” she quipped. He always said destiny governed their lives.

  The smile returned. “You’re right. It had been written seasons ago that I’d rescue you and you’d repay me by cleaning my armour.”

  “I think you better reread the Book of Destiny.” Catriona smiled at him sideways.

  Rod led the way between the buildings and climbed onto the boardwalk in front of their home. When he reached for the door knob, Catriona pulled at his sleeve.

  “You’re not going to mention any of this to Momma, are you?”

  “And become your personal bodyguard? Naw.” He shook his head. “That’s not in our destiny.” He grinned and walked inside the dwelling.

  The evening ration filled the table by the time Catriona and Rod entered the kitchen. Their mother ushered them to the basin to wash their hands and then to their chairs.

  “You shouldn’t have been out,” her mother scolded. “Papa told me about a tragic event on the street. What if you had been caught up in that?” She shook her head. “I raised you to be responsible, but it takes only a second for Lindrum’s henchmen to destroy what we have.”

  “Momma, you shouldn’t worry so. I’m fine.” If her mother knew about the dwarf in the alley, Catriona would be house-bound for weeks. “I went to Sari’s for only a minute.”

  “I told your Papa we should relocate to Callaw. It’s a fine city to raise a family. We’d be safe from all this violence.” She placed the last dish on the table and took a seat beside her husband. “Emerson, we should leave Maskil for safety’s sake.”

  “Kathleen, we have been over this a hundred times. I can’t leave. Nor do I wish to. Maskil is our home. We can’t abandon it because we are afraid. If we do then Lindrum has won.”

  Catriona agreed with her father. Maskil was their home. She’d been born here and wished to stay forever. She wanted to carry the conversation further but decided to concentrate on eating instead. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could escape to
her room to work on the Sight Visitation scroll.

  When the last bite of ration entered her mouth, Catriona removed her dishes from the table and put them near the washing basin. She slipped from the kitchen and went to her bedroom where she flopped on the bed to read the scroll.

  “Sight Visitation.” She rolled the name off her tongue. It sounded enchanting. She read the ingredients needed to work the spell. Water. We have plenty of that. Oil from the green olive. Momma has a vile in the cupboard. Whole seeds from yellow rattle grass. She was unsure she’d recognise this plant if she saw it. Fennel grounded into a rough powder using a pestle of agate. Where will I find an agate pestle?

  Catriona rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Perhaps this would be more difficult than she’d initially thought. As the minutes ticked by, she wondered if she would ever be the great sorceress of her dreams. She imagined other sorceresses coming to her for advice and even the Lords of Aruam Castle seeking her consultation. Were these aspirations only fantasy? They would be if she gave up on every incantation.

  She forced herself to continue reading the scroll and made a list of the items she’d need to purchase. By the time she finished, her mother peeked into the room to say good night.

  She hid the scroll in a small box at the bottom of her closet and placed the supply list beneath her hair brush on the bureau. Then she changed into her nightgown, extinguished the oil lamp and crawled into bed. For a long time, she stared at the dark ceiling dreaming about what images she might see in her vision. Maybe she could spy on her brother, or view a lord in the castle or see where the evil Lindrum hid. She chuckled at the thought of being able to see what her friends were doing and taunt them about it later. Then they’d take her magic seriously.

  Catriona nodded off and dreams filled her sleep. Most night images amazed her. One horrified her.