Annie Hayden's Arc

Chapter 5 of 27

The rest of the mountain passed without another attack. Annie kept the flower cupped to her chest. The fox stayed close, its tail throwing warm light on the snow. By the time the trees thinned, her legs shook and her boots were soaked through. But she was down. The valley opened below her, and the village sat in the low light with smoke rising from its chimneys. The woods between still worried her. She remembered the man's warning about hunters drawn to her warmth. So she walked fast and quiet, one hand on the fox's back. Twice she heard branches snap and froze. Nothing came. The trees gave way to a worn path, then to the first houses of the village. She let out a long breath. She had made it through. The path climbed toward the center of town. Annie glanced up a low hill at the edge of the village. A large house stood there. Beside it, still and pale, stood a white stag. Its coat caught the light in soft rainbow color. She knew that animal. It was the one the ice man had ridden on the mountain. Her heart jumped. She almost climbed the hill to find him. But the flower burned warm in her hands, and her deal came first. She kept walking. The apothecary sat crammed between taller buildings. Carved wood framed its windows. Colored glass and hanging bottles caught the last of the day. Annie pushed the door open. Inside, dried herbs hung from the beams, and the air smelled of smoke and old paper. Aelindor Brightspire stood at a table, golden hair loose over her purple robes. She had sent Annie to die on that mountain. Now her sharp eyes went wide. "You came back," Aelindor said. She set down her staff. "With the flower." Annie stepped forward and held it out. The petals moved like small flames. "I got it. I did what you asked." Her voice was steady, but her hands were not. "Now you teach me." Aelindor took the flower. She looked at Annie, still empty of magic, holding a thing that should have burned her to nothing. "You have no magic," she said slowly. "This bloom should have killed you." Then the fox trotted through the open door and sat at Annie's feet. Its tail curled around her ankle, flames and all, and did not burn her jeans. Aelindor went very still. She crouched and studied the fox, then Annie, then the fox again. "You didn't survive the fire," the mage said quietly. "It survived it for you." She rose, and something new lit her face. "You cannot make magic. But you can borrow it. Through this creature." She almost smiled. "That changes everything about how I teach you." Annie looked down at the fox. Her way to survive this world had four legs and a burning tail.