Gorgon

CHAPTER 1
The cursed one, who saw judgment upon her soul, now back to stir up old memories from the ancient lands. She waits for the right time to strike; those that had sinned against her will now pay her price. No one can stop her now, for she has already started and all the pieces are in place.

*****

Gentle wind brushes past my tan skin; running past me making my dark brown hair run wild behind me.  I look forward and see the setting sun along the vast, calm sea.  I wiggle my toes beneath a thin layer of wet sand that has accumulated on my feet.  I have always hated this island.  I feel trapped here, knowing you cannot leave somewhere is a terrible thing.  It is a small island and is the only place I've known.  Erus, my caretaker tells me that there is a vast land beyond the water, with many kingdoms and kings.  I wish I could go and see these things.  I have always felt like I don't belong here.

I wash off my dirty feet and walk up a dirt path up a grassy hill.  On top of the hill is the Yamisland library.  No one goes there because people in this town just don't appreciate books.  Erus is the librarian; he is very old but is easy to get along with.  I know I was adopted, but Erus doesn't tell me much.

  I open the old wooden door to the library.  It is lit by some small candles.  The dark room's walls are stacked with books.  The room is small and dusty and smells of rotting paper.  Erus is sitting in his worn out red chair reading.  We can't afford good candles, they are just too expensive.  We are very poor and barely get food to eat.  I walk past Erus, going over to a small wooden stool to sit upon.  I pick up an old book with red binding.  On it reads 33.  33 is my favorite book; it explains all the  33 different types of magic.  I have read it so much that every time someone mentions a type of magic I automatically think of everything the book says about it. 

I would give anything to be a mage.  Not like I have much to give away.  Forty percent of the world's population possesses magic abilities.  Usually people gain their magic at age twelve.  Magic is a trait you get from your parents.  Usually if you have magic parents you will possess their types of powers.  I am almost sixteen and no signs have come.  It would be nice to know who my parents are.  If they are mages I might still have a chance, but it's unlikely.

"Reading that book again are you?" Erus says without looking up from his.  "Why would you want magic girl?"  He says with a questioning face.
"I don't know, I just feel like I need to be doing something else with my life.  For some reason magic just interests me." I reply.

"Well you don't have the gift, Karma."  He says bluntly staring intently upon his book.

Karma.  Don't say my name.  I hate it so much; to be cursed with such a name is terrible.  I wish I knew what I'd done to deserve this.  The only thing I want in my life is to be happy and free.  Instead I feel like I was born bearing many sins.

"Karma, I'm sorry." He says closing his book. "How about I tell you something I know about magic?"

"I have read the bo-"

"There are magics that are not listed in 33." He says before I can finish.  "They are called forbidden magic and are illegal to practice. "  "If born with one of these magics the Crown will kill you."

"Why would magic be illegal?"  I say with curiosity.

"Well if the Crown thinks one form of magic is too strong they will outlaw it." He says with a resentful tone.

"That doesn't sound fair ."

"ha ha yes but the Crown gets what they want."

"Tell me about the magic." I say pleadingly.

"Only one," He says as a big smile forms on my face," The Nanomancer."
"Hold on." I say as I get a piece of chalk stone to write with.  I flip to the back of 33 and write "Nanomancers".

"Okay go on." I urge him.

"Nanomancers are excellent swordsmans.  Anything they slash with their magic swords disappears forever.  The Crown believed this magic too powerful and declared it ungodly.  So they were hunted down and killed."
As I finished jotting down about nanomancers I looked up at him. 
"Aren't there anymore?"

"Yes, but knowledge of these things is illegal itself so you must keep it a secret."

I wonder how he knows about this, it is illegal information.  Erus is always bashing the Crown saying how they are the reason for all of his troubles.  I don't know too much about Erus, but I know he didn't grow up here and that he hates it here more than I do.

I get up from the stool and put 33 away in the bookshelf.  I walk over to a small bed.  I made the bed myself out of driftwood a few years ago.  I climb on and get under the one thin blanket.  My eyelids close in hope to dream about magic.
***
I am awakened by Erus' calls and shakes.  I try to hide my face in the blanket, but he shouts, "Karma you need to get to the market quickly."

I open my tired eyes and sigh.  I know I have to go to the market.  If I'm late then all the cheap stuff will be gone.  I stumble out of bed and expose my brown eyes to the morning light.  I quickly brush my tangled hair and slip on my clothes.

Down the hill I jog, holding a small basket carved from driftwood.  I see the small town ahead of me past the trees.  Tents are set up with people selling their goods.  I wish no one my own age is here, they always make fun of me.
My feet set on the dirt road of the small city.    I go past tents selling fruits, meats, fish, and bread.  The diverse smells of the food make my famished stomach growl.  Everything is too expensive for us.

I go over to a small tent that has good prices.  The kind old lady there hands me a few apples and a small loaf of bread.  I hand her the small amount of money.  I know it was not enough, but the woman has a kind heart and allows me to take the food anyway.

With the food in my small basket, I start my way back to the dirt path.  I see girls around my age dressed in nice dresses and hats.  They look at me like I shouldn't be here, and they whisper clever things to each other.  One of them approaches me.

"Girl," she says, " do you live in the woods?"

"No." I say to her with stone eyes.  I know what she is implying.  Just because my dress is dirty and worn out and my hair's a mess.  She thinks I'm stupid because I don't go to school.

"Well, you must have never bathed before in your life," She says with a stuck-up tone.  "Look at the dirt on your skin," she points to my tan skin," you are so dirty your skin is stained."

The girls behind her laugh.  I turn around and walk away.  I don't let their insults bother me.  I know I'm different.  People around here have ivory skin and I stick out like a dark stone mixed with diamonds.

I walk slowly up the path keeping my head down.  I place the basket inside the library and return outside.  Walking down the grassy hill I go towards the calling ocean.  I sit down on a big, coarse rock.  I take my knees into my chest and gaze at the horizon.  Sometimes I feel like the ocean is my only friend.

"You just let those girls get away with what they said to you?" A hissing voice whispers.

I jump at the sound of the voice.  It has a sinister tone to it.  My head moves quickly, eyes scanning around me, but no one is here.  I look back to the calm ocean.

"You belong out there." The voice echoes around me.

Startled again by the voice I jump.  "Who's there?" I call. There is no response.  The only sound is the gentle waves splashing on shore.  I glance around.  I must be hearing things.  It's probably just my conscience, or I'm just tired.

I go back to the library.  I don't mention a word of this to Erus.
"Karma," Erus starts," I got a letter from the city leader saying that people from the mainland are coming to Yamisland."

"Why would anyone want to come here?" I say unenthusiastically.  I don't feel like talking to him today.  I must've stayed at the beach for much longer than I thought.

"They are recruiting people for their army."

Oh right.  The kingdoms of the continent each had their own armies.  Which is strange because they all follow under one big city.  I don't see why he would tell me such useless information.  I eat a piece of the bread I got this morning.  I sit down at the stool, munching on the bread.

"They are from Zeuthorx," Erus starts," the city of lightning."

I know what that means, most people from Zeuthorx are electromancers.
Electromancers: People that can control lightning at will.  They can generate electricity throughout their body.

"Karma you should go and see them, you are always talking about magic." he says with a worried face.

"Okay."  I say looking down.

"What's wrong?  Did something happen?"

"No," I lie, "I'm just tired."  The sun was still up and I wasn't the least bit tired.  I get up and head towards my bed.

***
Getting out of the bed I notice It is very bright outside, I bet it's already midday.  I take a slice of an apple and go outside.

It is a very bright day.  Erus is out sweeping the path.
"Off to see the Zeuthorx recruiters?" He says with hopeful eyes.

"No." I say looking away.

"Karma look," Erus grabs my arm, "I know you hate this island, but If you just ask the army recruiters, they might take you back with them."

"Thanks Erus," I say smiling at him," but It just doesn't feel right."  He lets me go and I walk down to the beach.

The wet sand folds against my bare toes and cools me down. The beach is such a nice place.  The The bright sun shines so beautifully against the ocean. I notice a different feeling in the air.  A pretty melody fills the beach.  It is music, something I have read about, but never heard.  I look to my left.  A little bit out is a big rock with someone sitting upon it.  I silently walk over there to try to get a glance.  The sound is so mesmerizing.
Close, I now see a boy playing an instrument, it looks like a lute.  He's probably my age, maybe a little older.

The sound stops.  I look up and see him staring right at me.  My face gets warm.  A small smile forms on his face.  He has dark hair like me and it hangs around his face in a side-swept way.

"Hey," he calls out motioning to me to come over to him.
Should I go over there.  I don't want him to make fun of me like the people on this island, but he seems different.  Part of me just wants to bolt from the very spot, but I don't want to miss out on meeting someone new.  My legs seem to move against my will forcing me to go over there.  I hop up onto the rock and sit next to him.

"Hi, my name's Colta." He says to me with a smile.
"Mine's," I don't want to tell him my real name.  Not because I don't trust him.  It's just... It's embarrassing.  " My name's Karma."
"Sorry for bothering you, it's just I'm kinda lost and you look like you live here."

"Uh right.  Where are you going?" I say trying my best not to make eye contact.

"The yamisland city hall."  He says while running his fingers through his brown hair.  I know where it is; It is not directly in the city, it's a little farther out.
"Yea I know where it is.  Follow me."  I start walking along the coastline.  It's a short-cut.  He catches up to me, with his instrument in his left hand.  We start to engage in a conversation.  Well he is.  I hear his words running through the air, but I try not to listen.  I don't do well around people.
Talking to him isn't that bad.  I don't know how I started talking to him.  I think it's just his friendly attitude.  He doesn't even make fun of me. I just have to be myself.  We talk on about how I've lived here forever and how I hate it here.  He says he is from Zeuthorx and is here to recruit people.
"They sent me here to find new people for our army," he starts, " We need as many men we can get, mages preferabely."

"Are you an electromancer?" I ask excitedly.  I am now very comfortable around him.  He's really easy to get along with.

"Yea." He says with a red face.

A smile forms on my face.  I have met mages before.  This island has many yamancers.  There is just something different about him.

Yamancer: A mage that controls the shadows.  They can morph into shadows or manipulate them. 

We talk awhile longer, chatting about Zeuthorx and the main land.
" It's a big city, with cobblestone streets and huge stone houses that surround our great castle."  He says with big eyes and gestures.  It sounds like a great place.

  I wonder why Erus has never told me any of these things.  I can't stop thinking about how cool he is.  He plays the lute, sings, and is into art too.  I find myself staring into his stormy blue eyes and quickly break the gaze.  I don't usually feel this way around people.  I steer us off the beach and into the city.

In front of us sits a medium size stone building, City hall.  Colta, not realizing we've arrived starts talking about his music.  It is a pretty interesting topic. 

"I can teach you how to play if you want.  It's very simple if you practice, and you can use the notes as a form of code if you wanted to." He says.  He notices we are here.  "Oh look, we're already here."
"Yea." I reply looking down.

"Well I gotta go, but I promise I'll teach you how to play some other time." 

"Okay.." I say looking down.  "How about tomorrow?" I say.

"Yea, oh...wait I think I'm leaving tomorrow morning"

"Oh..." I say abruptly while darting off.  I didn't even look behind me.  I don't know why.  I feel like I have made a new friend.  I don't want to say goodbye.
I hurry down the city.  I must be running fast because I am already at the foot of the hill.  I walk inside the library.  Erus is waiting for me holding up a candle to light the room.

"You've been out a while." he states blankly.

I smile at him and go sit on my bed.

"Karma, do you remember what today is?" He says while going to sit down.
I think for a moment.  I don't want to look stupid.  I feel like I always look stupid.  Like when I went into town and the girls laughed at my tan skin.  I am not good with time and calendars.  "The day the Zeuthorx people came?"  I say.  I know that is today, but he might be talking about something else.
"Karma today is the day you turn sixteen." he says cheerfully.

"Really?!" I say surprised.  I knew it would be time soon because it's springtime.

"What do you want this year?  Some new soap?  I have been saving up."

I stare down blankly.  I don't need any new soap.  I don't need anything.  I want to leave this island and be free.  To do that I need to know the truth.  no more mysteries.

"Erus,  Who am I."  I say bluntly.

He looks at me harshly first, but his face relaxes and his eyes show sadness.
"You're Karma of Yamisland." He says faintly, looking down.

"I know that, but where did I...come from?"

He takes a long pause, staring into my eyes.  "I knew this day would come eventually." He says looking down.  "The thing is I don't know."  "I found you after a storm washed up on the beach." He says concerned.

"On the beach?" I say in disbelief.

"Yes,  you were just a baby."  He gets up from his chair and goes over toward the bookshelves.  His old hands reach for a big fat book.  He opens the book to reveal it had been carved out.  He reaches in and pulls out a beautiful blue necklace.  " This was the only thing with you."  He comes over to me and hands the necklace to me.  It has a silver chain and a teardrop-shaped blue crystal pendant.  It glows blue and pulses like the ocean.

"What is this?" I ask turning it over in my hands, examining every inch of it.  I have never held anything so beautiful before.

"I'm not sure," he says sitting back down," but from the moment I saw it I knew it was magic."

I flip the stone over in my hands and on the back is a strange emblem.
"Erus, this is my key to finding who I am."  "I need to get off this island."
"I know."  "Unfortunately there is no way off of here.  You have to have a boat, and no one on this island owns one."

I pause for a moment, thinking hard on how to leave here.  The Recruiters!  Maybe Erus was right about asking for their help. Maybe Colta will put a good word in for me.

Erus, I'm going to go ask the recruiters if I can get a ride on their boat." I say with passion.

He looks at me with gentle, old eyes.  What will happen to Erus, he can't stay here alone.

"Go." He says in a soft voice.

"But I can't leave you alone." I protest, now realizing how selfish I was being.
"Nonsense, I can take care of myself.  You'll go to the recruiters first thing in the morning before they leave."