IV. The Buried Ring
The ring was a dainty thing resembling a flower’s stem wrapped in a silver alloy that sung when Vahn touched it. The magic warmed his skin, urging him to slip it on, but he wasn’t daft. In the center was an amber gem, reminding him if tree sap, but the magic that exuded off it was King Elwick. A quintessential piece of himself and its construction was a wonder of its own. White superficial gems dotted the rest of the band and sparkled despite the dirt from the field clinging to them still.
Speaking of the field, once the ring had been extracted, the magic Vahn had casted worked immediately, making the crops grow. He’d had to rush to snap his magic before the cycle went too far. At least that was fixed.
He and Hawke sat inside the kitchen with Josie and Jerome now. The four of them examined the ring, barely touching it aside from Vahn, and to all the world, it truly appeared like any old ring. Vahn didn’t have the words to describe the way it felt like Elwick was right there. In his palm. While he sat fascinated despite the danger, Josie haltingly began to tell them of her dalliances with King Elwick. Jerome had been silent since they all came in and watched his daughter sadly, hurt in his eyes.
“Two months ago,” Josie began, eyes boring into the table until Hawke settled a cup of coffee in front of her. Then she stared at the dark liquid instead, like it might save her from admitting her fault in all this. She swallowed a gulp and breathed out. “Two months ago, I couldn’t sleep. I heard this strumming from the fields outside. At first, I ignored it. Even I knew Wild Magic sometimes played tricks out here in the fields, but… I just… it continued and continued and I grew so restless, I had to answer it or I’d find it in my dreams.
“I didn’t know what he was, but when he spoke to me, he was kind.” Josie ran a hand through her hair, pushing her curls back to mask the sad smile across her lips. “He told me stories and wonders I would never see in my lifetime. I liked listening to him—it made me feel less alone out here.”
Jerome’s face shifted, but he remained impassive. Vahn watched him for any more; it was clear emotions fought under the stony surface, but he kept them close. Hawke finished passing out the coffee and sat back down, a distant look on his face.
“Elwick does that,” Hawke said and sipped from his mug. “I wouldn’t blame anyone. He preys on the lonely. It makes them easier to tempt.”
Josie frowned deeply. “I saw him so many nights, they blur together now. I never felt like he was tempting me to do anything I wouldn’t, but it must have been gradual. We laughed. We sang. We played games. It was only then I began to feel magic.” She ran her fingertips across her mug. “It was subtle enough, I managed to break through it, but before I could confront him and ask him why, he gave me that ring.” She looked at it, eyes narrowed. “I panicked. I feared his reaction if I rejected him outright, so I buried it and drew sigils across our house to protect me and my father. I’d never showed him where I lived or told him about the village and I thought for sure if I stopped showing up, he’d grow bored and leave. Days passed and he never appeared.”
“Until now,” Vahn said softly.
“Were you going to say anything?” Hawke asked and despite how soft his own voice had been, Josie tensed. “Were you going to just let him take Vahn?”
“He was going to take the village,” Josie whispered.
“You really think Vahn was going to allow that?”
The table grew silent. Hawke wasn’t wrong. Vahn had a terrible back up plan, just in case. He would have offered his own magic to replace what Elwick had lost. Except, now that they had the ring and he felt just how much of Elwick was inside that little gem, such an exchange would have killed Vahn. Too much for any mortal to replace. For even a High Magician to replace.
He was relieved now he didn’t have to. Would have been a sorry end of his life.
“I was going to tell you,” Josie said and tears sparkled in her eyes. “I swear! I just…”
“It’s okay,” Vahn said.
Hawke looked alarmed. “It is not!”
Vahn nudged Hawke’s leg with his own under the table. “Yes, it is. We know now.”
“When I stopped going to meet him,” Josie continued slowly, “he became a voice in the trees. A soft whisper upon the breeze asking where I went. I never felt afraid. It was comforting, somehow, and I know that’s wrong, so I ignored it still. I never thought it’d come to this. I didn’t think burying the ring would kill the field. I kept thinking to unbury it, but I worried he’d find me.” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I thought for sure he’d disappear if I simply pretended we’d never met.”
Hawke frowned and leaned back. “He doesn’t move on until he gets what he wants.”
Jerome settled his mug down. “Which is?”
Vahn examined the ring and dusted off the flecks of dirt. “It’s an engagement ring. It’s patterned after old ones the Floating World still trades.” Josie went pale and she wouldn’t meet his gaze. He figured she’d already known the implication if she hastily rejected it out of hand. “He must be lonely and you became the answer to that.”
Jerome tapped his fingers on the table. “There’s a story about that, actually.” He glanced around the table. “The Many Consorts of King Elwick of the Wild. Just a folklore traded around, but the consorts always die because he outlives them.”
“More like they become a shell he discards,” Hawke said and crossed his arms. “Once he grows bored, they lose everything they are and join his court. Life’s a passing fancy to him; he’ll live it, grow bored, and toss you aside and you become nothing.”
“Then we know what to do,” Jerome decided and nodded. Vahn was glad he had confidence at least. “We give the ring back and all should go to normal, right? He’ll leave?”
Vahn moved the ring between his fingers. Each turn caught the light and the magic shivered as it touched Vahn each time. “What do you think, Hawke?”
Hawke shook his head. “Josie’s an obsession.”
Vahn nodded in agreement. “He’ll stay until he has a new one. Or an old one.” Hawke shivered and tightened his arms.
“How do we give him one?” Jerome asked.
“There’s me,” Hawke grumbled. “He’s been after me for years.”
Josie’s eyes went wide. “Can we do that? What’ll happen?”
Hawke shrugged. “If he catches me, I’m dead.” His face scrunched and he faced Vahn, suddenly skeptical. “Yeah, actually, Vahn? The fuck are you thinking?”
Vahn stopped fiddling with the ring. “You’d be bait.” He waited and Hawke gritted his teeth with a wince. “You’ve been running this long and I think we can run a little longer. If we give him back the ring and he knows you’re here, he’ll forget all about Josie. We can run and get a head start.”
Hawke was already shaking his head. “How? You show him I’m here and he’ll forget about Josie all right, but I can’t run that fast. He’ll be on me before we can blink.”
Vahn frowned. “I’m working on that part.” He sat back and chewed on his lip. He didn’t have much time for anything involved. They’d already wasted too many days. “He’ll come back for us at night, right?”
“If that’s what he said, yes.”
Jerome straightened his back. “Actually,” he said, “I have a horse. He’s down at Mill’s farm when I don’t need him. Fastest thing in the village. If you need speed, I can let you use him until you get to Ramvale.”
Vahn raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure? We can’t guarantee the horse’s safety.”
“If you get him to Ramvale alive, just hand him to the stables there.” Jerome smiled sadly. “I feel that I have to do something. First you helped my field and now you’re saving Josie. I can’t fight magic, but I can do this.”
Josie was nodding and she perked up as Vahn glanced at her. Sadness was gone; replaced with fire. “Let me help too,” she said. “Any way I can. I didn’t mean to set you up. I truly thought if we did all the wards, we’d be safe. I never considered he’d continue to be here afterward.”
All the help Vahn could get was wonderful. He nodded and the last piece of the plan he was working on slotted together in his head. He smiled and clutched the ring in his palm. “Hawke. I have a plan.”
Hawke made a face and Vahn slapped his knee with a laugh. “Hey! What’s that face for? Haven’t my plans always worked?”
“Yeah, okay.” Hawke rolled his eyes and knocked his elbow into Vahn. “Your first plan traumatized a girl and killed a man. Then you almost got my hand chopped off for cheating!”
“Jake was never going to do that!”
“And then I almost got smashed by a spirit!”
“If you’d done the lullaby like Orleia said, that wouldn’t have happened!” Vahn laughed as Hawke continued shaking his head. Vahn jiggled Hawke’s knee. “Come on, trust me!”
And in the end, Hawke was smiling. The little crooked grin as he leaned on the table to face Vahn. “All right, all right. You gonna fill us in then?” Josie and Jerome nodded, watching expectantly.
The little thrill Vahn had last night was back and raced through him anew. His lips parted into a smile as he leaned back and held up the ring. “Well, first: Josie, you need to help me load as much magic in this thing as possible. We’re going to give him a light show.”
🙡🙢
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