Dax

Bartram and Kai walked in front of my father and I, as if they were attempting to put as much space between us as possible. The town was just beginning to wake for the day's festivities, seeing as the summer solstice festival was today. My father wanted to get an early start to the day and convinced us all to get out of bed and take a morning walk before the celebration began.

"Dax you seem distanced this morning, is everything alright?" My father asked, laying his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm fine," I responded and glanced ahead of us. Kai was following closely behind his father's gait. Many would mistake that for respect, but I knew that he only followed so meticulously to Bartram's requests due to immense fear. "I have too much on my mind right now."

"Perhaps we could talk later? It feels as if it has been centuries since the last time we just sat down and discussed what is happening in our lives." My father asked hopefully. In many ways, he expected me to be rebellious and refuse his offer, but it genuinely did sound nice to sit and talk with my father.

"That sounds perfect, Father."

His face lit up and he grinned from ear to ear.

We began to fall behind Bartram and Kai, so we quickened our pace until we were trailing on their heels.

My father quickly jumped into a conversation with Bartram and Kai fell back so he was walking beside me.

"You should get back to your father, Kai. I don't want you to upset him for my sake." I whispered gently.

Kai gave me a side glance and smiled. His hair still had not been trimmed and he was able to braid the ends of it to pull it away from his face. His freckles became more and more evident the longer we walked in the sun, and his pale cheeks slowly were turning red.

"Who said I'm doing anything for your sake, Dax? Perhaps I just wanted to walk further away from my father because he smells." He slid in hands into his pockets and held his head high, grinning with his teeth on full display.

"Oh hush," I scolded him. "We both know you were getting tired of walking up there, all by your lonesome."

He pouted for a moment before giving in to my accusation. "You may be correct, but you have no proof."

I rolled my eyes and fell into step with the boy next to me.

Each time I looked over he was smiling with a skip in his step as if the world had opened itself up for him entirely. He was oddly happy this morning, and I decided that I liked this side of Kai.

But of course, the moment was short lived.

"Kai." Bartram grunted.

And with one word, he took every ounce of happiness from Kai's body. Kai took his original post behind his father with his shoulders slumped forward, and his feet dragging against the stone walkway.

The four of us finally arrived to my father's desired destination, the large fountain at the center of the town. Ornately carved statues of beautiful women and men sat all around the stone base, and water flowed over them like rain. It was my father's favorite place in all of Madeo, and I suspected he and my mother shared many memories here.

"It is a beautiful fountain, Auden." Bartram told my father, clapping him on the back. "Though your obsession with it still unnerves me."

"I've told you, it's not an obsession. More of a healthy admiration."

The two men began talking of the sculptor and the origin behind the stone people draped across one another, and I slowly gravitated towards Kai who had sat on the base of the fountain, alone.

"I'm sorry." I told him quietly.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Dax. You have done nothing wrong." He twisted his body and looked into the water that sat in the basin of the fountain. His reflection was distorted by the slight ripples caused by the water cascading down.

"I can't help but to be sorry for what Bartram does to you." I said, running my fingers along the liquid, watching as the shapes of the coins under the surface changed and morphed as the water was disturbed.

Kai remained silent, watching his reflection get further and further away from who he was.

"Perhaps we should change the topic." I almost whispered, sinking into the stone. "I've heard Grohera's meadows are covered in flowers this time of year."

"They're gorgeous." He responded, lazily. "Each and every one of them."

<>

The festivities only grew as the day passed, and people began flooding into the streets as the sun set, preparing for the lantern ceremony.

"May I ask a question, Auden?" Bartram looked to my father as they stopped at yet another vendor.

"I can't see why not."

"What's the significance of Madeo's lantern ceremony? I've heard many stories, but I'm still unsure."

My father paid the woman at the booth as she handed him two paper lanterns with the Madean crest carefully drawn on them.

"We light them on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, to honor those lost to us and to send them our best wishes. The summer solstice is a very sacred day here in Madeo." My father gave a curt nod as we left the booth and hurried away to finish the short walk back to the fountain.

"And the whole kingdom participates?" Bartram asked in disbelief.

My father nodded and pushed past a few people standing in the way.

"Dax and I usually only light one for Moira, but I wanted to let you and Kai in on the tradition. So I bought one for Laila as well." My father handed the extra lantern to Kai, whose hands shook violently. "You're 16, Kai. I'm sure you can light the lantern on your own."

The pair of Groherans remained dumbfounded as my father and I perched on the basin of the fountain, preparing our lantern. They had never been shown the kindness they received here in Madeo, and to be welcomed into such a sacred tradition flattered the both of them. So Bartram and Kai set aside their many differences for a few moments to light a lantern to honor Laila.

As we released the lanterns into the night sky, many others appeared from the tops of houses, filling the night sky with little dots of light, all of them representing a person who was missed dearly. The ceremony always brought tears to my eyes, so I stood quietly and slipped away. My father was used to me leaving for a few moments after the lanterns were lit, so no attention was brought to my departure.

I walked to a quiet alley, shrouded in darkness due to the buildings around it, and took a deep breath.

Occasionally a lantern would pass over my head and I would send a silent prayer along with it, hoping for peace of mind for the sender.

But my peace was short lived as someone clasped a hand over my mouth.

I flailed about in hopes to break free, but I stilled very suddenly at the sight of the knife.

"I do not wish to hurt you, Prince Dax, just empty your pockets and we will both walk away unharmed." The voice surprised me, it seemed as if a woman had entrapped me, her strong arms holding me in place.

I shook violently and stuck my hands into my pockets, praying there was something of worth in them, but all I could find was a single necklace. My mother's necklace.

I shook my head, telling her I had nothing in my pockets, and she removed her hand from my mouth but still held me in place.

"I don't have anything of worth on me. It is the summer solstice, no one carries their valuables to speak with the dead." I told her shakily.

Another lantern passed overhead and I couldn't help but to wonder if my father would be lighting 2 lanterns in a year. One for his late wife and one for his only son.

"I heard something rattle in your pocket," she said, pressing the knife against my throat. "Don't lie to me."

I shook violently. I couldn't give up my mother's necklace. It's all I had left of her. It stayed in a box in my dresser all year, until the summer solstice, and them I would carry her with me that entire day.

"Please, it belonged to my mother. I can't give it to you." I pleaded. Anyone that lived in Madeo knew of my mother and her death. Perhaps this woman would have mercy on me.

"I would normally let a boy like you be, but feeding my family comes first," She tightened her grip and dug the knife further into my neck, ripping at the skin there and drawing blood.

Panic rolled across my body like waves. I couldn't give her the necklace, I just couldn't.

"Please ma'am. It's the summer solstice. We are all mourning."

She stayed silent, but her hand that held the knife began to shake, digging it further into my neck.

"Fine, if you won't take it out of your pocket, I will." She slammed me into the wall, face first, and began rummaging through my pockets.

I felt my entire body heat up. I couldn't let her take the necklace. I just couldn't. My entire being felt as if it were on fire, as if an inferno had awakened in my soul and began tearing through each and every layer of my skin until it met with her.

And all at once, I felt those feeling ooze out my being to the world around me.

The woman screamed and released me.

I turned to see what had happened with her, but the sight of my hands stopped me in my tracks.

They were surrounded with wisps of  purple light, creating a film over my skin. I looked to my legs and then to my arms and discovered that they looked the same. My entire body was covered with the purple wisps like a protective shell that hardened in my moment of need.

I looked up to find the woman, but she had disappeared.

I shook, even worse than when the woman had me in her clutches. At least when she had me, I wasn't the one who was in control. But now that I was, I didn't know how to stop what was happening to me.

I looked up, hopefully to find someone that could help, but my eyes landed directly on Bartram, who stood at the entrance of the alley. We held eye contact, him looking at me with disbelief and me looking at him with terror.

As Kai and my father appeared behind him, Bartram's eyes flashed a hint of disgust at my shaking form, but as soon as my father saw my terrified eyes he rushed foward.

"Dax are you alright?!" He asked in disbelief. He reached out to touch me, but I jerked away.

"Don't touch me!" I yelled, squeezing my arms around my body. "Please... don't touch me."

His eyes softened and it seemed he had made sense of the situation.

"Breathe, Dax." He said softly. "You're okay, you're safe here."

I did as he said and breathed slowly. His calming words flooded into me and the panic slowly washed away. I hadn't realized it, but the purple hue that covered my skin slowly faded until I was left completely defenseless.

My father, once he was sure the wisps around me had disappeared, ran forward and held me in his arms.

"You're okay." He told me gently as he held my head to his chest. "You're okay."

I shook in his arms.

"What happened?" I sobbed. "What did I do?"

Silence settled across my father, as if he was unsure if he should tell me the truth.

"You're a Magi, Dax." He whispered in my ear. "And that is a wonderful gift."

After he had calmed me down enough to where we could make the walk home, my father guided me through the emptying streets of Madeo with Kai and Bartram following behind us at a slow pace. I didn't need to hear their conversation to know what Bartram was telling his son.

As soon as we entered the castle, I was guided straight to my bed chamber where I laid awake for hours on end.

And I swore I could hear Bartram yelling the same phrase over and over.

"Your son is a monster."