Sample Chapter

WOVEN MAGIC CHAPTER 1— BORN OF TWO WORLDS

(Version 2)

I felt a tingly nagging sensation as if someone was looking at the back of my head. My eyes skimmed over the crowded main street, along the shop fronts and outdoor stands. Something about a plain little man drew my attention. What was that? He had colors swirling inside of him.

As he walked closer, I heard a woman mutter, “Filthy Wizard.”

He’s a wizard? What’s a wizard doing in the tiny village of Mecosta? He headed straight for me, so I turned and ran down a back alley.

“Hey you, girl!” Of course, he noticed me.

A net of blue threads appeared before me. I batted them out of the way, as though they were cobwebs. At the end of the alley I climbed onto a barrel and up onto the roof as I’d seen other kids do.

The Wizard stopped in the alley. My sandals crunched over sand as I ran from roof to roof, through a winding course only someone living here could navigate.

When I reached the bakery, I bent over breathing hard. I’d reached the end of my run, to get to the next roof I’d have to jump.

I felt the wizard again and knew he was still close behind. I had no choice. My stomach lurched, but I held my breath and leaped across the gap to the next building. In midair, I realized I wouldn’t make it.

I closed my eyes preparing for the fall that didn’t come. A yellow light held me to the side of the building. As I stared it dimmed and disappeared and I slid to the ground landing heavily on my butt. That would leave a bruise, but at least I got away.

Mary sat outside her back door a few houses from mine. “Altera." She waved at me, then frowned as I got closer. "What’s wrong?” We hadn’t been friends long, but she can tell when I’m upset, not like it’s hard. As if having greenish hair wasn’t bad enough, when I’m upset it changes.

I sighed. “What color is it now?” It’s too short for me to see, why draw attention to it?

“Purple.” She tried, but failed to contain a giggle, knowing how I hate purple. At least she doesn’t know that when my hair is purple it means I’m afraid.

“I’m okay,” I waved her off. “I’d better get home.”

“Walk with me this weekend?”

“Sure.”

I opened the front door and groaned when I saw the fancy unfamiliar shoes in the entryway. I crouched down and sneaked into the living room, trying to eavesdrop through the wall, but they were talking too quietly and I couldn't hear a thing. I stood and walked through the doorway into the kitchen.

The wizard sat at the table with mom. Our vine woven chair bowed under his weight.

“For such a young girl she shows-“ He stopped when he saw me. "How did you do that?”

“Do what?” Is he mad at me for running away? I stood there staring at my sandals, hoping he wouldn’t curse me. Wizards did terrible things to you if you upset them.

“My magic disappeared.” The net?

“I don’t know.” I told the truth.

“I’ve never seen someone with your coloring before. I’ve been speaking with the traders and they haven’t either.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know that either.”

“Was her father...?” he began.

“No, her father was human.” Mom snapped, and then took a deep breath. “Sorry, I’ve heard that a lot over the years, her father was just an ordinary man.”

People often assume that my father was a Kuth, a native of this world. I don’t know why mom always gets upset from what I’ve read most of the Kuth are friendly.

“Fascinating.” The Wizard said. “I’ll write an invitation for her to the college, of course she can’t attend until she turns eighteen.”

I shuddered, picturing a huge dark building filled with people who could do who knows what to you. As fun as it would be to see the capital, living with the wizards would be awful.

“It isn’t mandatory.” Did he read my mind? “She could always come to Dal, that’s where I live. I could take her on as my pupil for now.”

“I didn’t realize children were taught magic.” Mom said.

“Oh, yes, certainly. Anyone who show an early talent. Otherwise, it’s too easy for them to hurt themselves. Magic can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I appreciate the offer, but our lives are here.” Mom said.

He nodded as though expecting this. “I will be in the village for a week, if you’d like any instruction. It’s not like I’ve found anyone else with magic.” He scowled.

“Does everyone hate wizards?” I blurted out.

He smiled sadly. “Magic comes from this world, so people naturally mistrust it. Not everyone is like that, some people respect wizards, especially in the capital.”

I frowned, as much fun as it would be to have magic, I didn’t envy him.

He made me uncomfortable so I was glad when he didn’t stay long.

“What is he doing here?” I asked after the door shut behind him.

“Supposedly looking for people with magic.” She raised her eyebrows pointedly.

“I do not have magic,” At least, not much.

She frowned as though she didn’t believe me, but I didn’t argue.

“You should at least go and talk to him.” I could tell she was thinking of the exploding oven incident.

“I’ll think about it.”

She sighed, knowing I wouldn’t go.

I went in my bedroom and closed the door before creating one of my glowing blue threads. They’re pretty, but they don’t actually do anything. Maybe if I knew more about magic, I could learn how to use them. Should I speak to the wizard? This could be my only chance.

I lay back on my bed wondering what that yellow light was. I closed my eyes trying to remember what it felt like. That’s it, that’s exactly how it felt. I opened my eyes and saw a tiny yellow ball floating above my hands. No wonder it felt right. I should stop now, I’m enough of an outcast without magic, but as I stared at the light in my hands, I knew I couldn’t.

For years, I’ve tried to make things move without touching them, but it never worked. Could this light help me somehow? I stood and went to the window, a hole in the wall. The last time something strange happened was the day Mary and I became friends. She still thinks I drove the canine beast off with a stick.

We saw the animal on the edge of the pond, but as we were running away, Mary tripped. I grabbed a stick and whacked the beast on its long muzzle when it lunged for her. It snarled revealing long fangs.

As it leaped towards us, I held my breath. About a foot away, it ran into some sort of invisible wall, shaking its head as though dazed.

I raised my stick, breathing heavily, and yelled. I don’t know what I was trying to do, but I must’ve looked frightening, because it slunk off with one last growl.

My stomach tightened thinking about what happened next. Mary didn’t want the adults making the pond off limits. She convinced me to lie and say nothing about what had happened.

For the next eight months, I kept an eye out for the beast around the pond, but I never saw it again.

Both times something happened I was afraid. Maybe if I can make myself scared... I dug a small mirror out of my dresser and sat down on my bed. While thinking of everything I’m afraid of I stared at my hair in the mirror. At first nothing happened, then gradually it faded from the usual green to purple. It worked!

I pictured my pencil rolling across the table and then my sock floating up to me, the light scooping it up, but nothing happened. Now that I’ve finally done something with magic, I have to figure out how I did it.

I created one of my blue threads and tried to use it like a fishing line. My hand closed on my sock and I stared at it. How did I do that? I threw the sock back onto the floor and tried again, making sure to watch closely this time. The blue thread appeared attached to the sock by a spot of the yellow light and slowly lifted the sock up to me.

I grinned dropping the sock and doing it again and again. After my thread attached to the sock I could move it where I wanted, but it wasn’t easy to direct. Once I started, I couldn’t stop and I wound up staying up too late, finally falling asleep on the floor.

The next morning, I sat out behind my house practicing with my threads. Just as I was forming a thread on a stick, the blacksmith turned the corner and I froze. He’d caught me, it’s all over.

He continued on, barely giving me a second glance, and I exhaled slowly. How did he miss a glowing blue thread or maybe he didn't notice me?

There had to be a way to figure out if other people can see them. I headed to the outdoor market and poked my head out of the alley. I created a thread as far away from my hiding place as I could, in front of a stall only about ten feet away. No one even looked at it. I created thread after thread, but no one paid them any attention. They can’t see them. I’m not just imagining it, am I?

I attached the next thread to a potato and lifted off a seller’s stand. She stared at it wide-eyed and I quickly put it back down. As she looked around, I ducked back into the alley. Did she see me? I waited for a few minutes before peering out. She still looked confused, but she wasn’t looking this way.

I breathed a sigh of relief. If she’d seen me, she would’ve known it was me. Everyone already suspects I have magic, because of my strange hair and yellow eyes.

Later it occurred to me that this might be the perfect time to practice my new ability, with the wizard in town everyone would suspect him if anything strange happened.

Unfortunately the next day, Mary showed up and insisted on doing something together so practicing my new magic had to wait.

As we walked down Main Street, I noticed a boy sitting outside the new shop. The large trading building stood out with its slanted roof and glass windows. I wonder what our small village must look like to him. Instead of orange bricks, our buildings are only large slabs of stone held together by yellow clay.

The boy smiled shyly when he saw us before turning to retreat back into the shop.

“Hello.” I said, smiling at him.

“What are you doing?” Mary whispered elbowing me in the ribs.

“It’s called being friendly.”

“You know who he is.”

“Yes, he’s new and alone, I can understand that.”

She nodded. “Hi.”

“Uh, hello.” He turned around as we walked up to him. He sure was tall.

“I’m Altera and this is Mary.”

“Altera?” He asked.

“I’m named after the small moon.”

“I’m Freddie.” He held out his hand and I shook it, feeling strange.

“How old are you?” Mary asked. “I’m eight.”

“I’m ten,” I added.

“Almost twelve.” He slid the dirt around with his boot. “Why is your hair that color?” He glanced at me quickly before looking back at the ground.

Mary giggled and I shrugged.

“I was just born this way.”

He gave me a crooked smile.

A wet drop hit my face and Mary squealed.

“It’s raining!”

“This is only a sprinkle,” Freddie laughed. “You should see the rain they get in Nited.”

We stood under the eaves of the shop and Freddie’s mother came out bearing a tray of hot tea.

“Thank you,” I said taking a fancy white cup.

“Thank you.” Mary echoed.

The tall woman looked like her son, same dark complexion and thick curly hair.

“What is the capital like?” I asked after his mom left.

“Yeah, tell us about it.” Mary slid onto the ground clutching her cup.

“Well, there are more people and all the buildings are at least twice as tall, and they have normal roofs.” He gestured up at the shop.

“That’s not normal.” Mary said.

“Only here, because it rarely rains,” I said.

“Now do you know that or are you guessing and pretending that you know?” She accused and I grinned. “We don’t care about the buildings, how do the people dress?”

“They all wear more clothes, in layers, because it’s colder there, but their clothing is in brighter colors.” He looked at me and frowned. He must know my mom is the town weaver. I smiled to let him know I wasn’t offended.

“What do they do for fun in the city? There’s nothing to do here.” Mary whined.

“Work.” He chucked, “Go shopping, or out to eat.” He coughed. “Maybe see a band.”

“Go dancing?” Mary asked wistfully.

“I suppose, though most musicians play in the street for coins.”

“There are street performances?”

I could tell Mary was jealous as he spoke about the dancers and puppet shows. It didn’t bother me, because I plan to see all those things for myself.

***

After several months practicing with my threads, I was finally getting better. I sat on the dusty ground with my back against the cool schoolhouse wall. While I waited for Mary, I formed a small pile of rocks using only my threads. Mecosta’s famous sheep chewed on the scraggly bushes in the field behind the school.

I wonder if I can lift that big rock? It started wobbling in midair, so I added another thread and it steadied. Soon I’ll probably be able to lift two things at once. I dropped the rock into my hand, examining it. Is the yellow inside of it magic?

I wanted to get a better look inside, so I lifted the large rock into the air and released my thread. It rolled in the dirt without even a crack. I did the same thing with another rock and it broke into three pieces. There must be something special about this one. Maybe the yellow light makes it sturdier? I wonder if I can add that yellow light to a normal rock. It felt similar to my yellow magic.

A small yellow light formed in the center of the rock. As I watched, the light grew bigger. Something’s wrong. I ducked as the rock shattered, spraying fragments in every direction. I gaped at the dents in the side of the wall and then looked down seeing fragments scattered everywhere, but nonewithin a foot of me. Was I protected somehow?

“What was it this time Altera?” My mom only uses my name when she’s mad at me. “It sounded like you blew something up out here.” She put her hands on her hips.

“I didn’t mean to.”

She sighed. “Come take a seat in the back of the classroom.”

“But this is lower history. I’ve already heard this lesson.” I usually have class with the older children, except math, I hate math.

She gave me her teacher look, a glare that will make even the most unruly of children obey. I followed, scuffing my feet, and not meeting the stares of the younger children as I slumped into a chair.

“On Earth we had electricity and running water inside our homes.” Her voice echoed in the small classroom. She explained everything the adults went through to establish a society in this strange new world and form an uneasy peace with the native Kuth.

I attached a thread to Mary’s book, gently lifting it off the table. She turned around, staring at me wide-eyed and giggled. I quickly put the book down before anyone saw. Mom turned around, her eyebrows meeting in the middle as she glared at me.

Mary might be my best friend, but sometimes she’s so immature. I wish there were kids my own age, but I was born the day after the shift. Everyone else was born either back on Earth, like Freddie, or a couple of years after we got here, like Mary.

“Altera, ready to go?” Mom called.

“I’m ready,” I realized the classroom was empty.

“Off in Alterworld again?” She chuckled. I stare into space so often we even have our own word for it.

We headed home as the rosy glow of the sun sunk in the purple sky. The men working outside the traders shop waved at us. I stared at the leafy bushes they were planting. It must have cost them a fortune to bring the bushes all the way out here. They looked like they belonged in a forest. What would be like to walk through a forest?

My entire body tensed, the hair on the back of my neck prickling. I’d never felt that something was wrong this intensely before.

“Mom, they’re coming. Run.” I sprinted off.

“Altera!” She shouted after me.

Before I knew it, I was at the edge of the village. About twenty people rode towards me. As they got closer, I realized they had orange skin. They were Kuth, dressed for battle with holes in their helmets revealing thick short horns. As they rode closer, the muscular men and women took out weapons, either wicked looking swords or long bows.

Arrows rushed towards me and I gasped, covering my head with my arms as though it would do any good. The chaos of the town behind me became a dull buzz as the arrows slowed, stopping in midair.

What do I do now? I didn’t exactly come here with a plan. These warriors will destroy the village and kill everyone if I don’t do something. My stomach tied in knots when I thought about my mom. I screamed and the last thing I saw before the world turned black was a bright blue glow.