Monsters & Magic

Cora laid on her back staring out the window above her. More stars than she had ever seen twinkled in a clear sky.

She had gone over the words Mattias had said enough times to have them etched into her memory. Did he really not want to send her back to the city? The idea that anyone might care about someone like her was foreign. Then again, all of Phaedra was.

“He’s right though,” she whispered to the quiet room. “Nothing good will come from winter.”

Last winter she had slipped on ice and twisted her ankle so bad it been difficult to walk for days.

A soft whimper came from the other cot and turned her head to look at the boy. When the whimper morphed into a cry, she sat up, scrambling for the right response.

She didn’t have to decide before Mattias came running in. He lit the lamp on the wall and grabbed the jar he had left on top of the workbench and pulled the blanket off the boy. Keeping his voice in a whisper, he motioned for Cora to come over.

“Stay by his head and talk to him while I put this salve on.”

Slowly, she crossed the room and crouched by the boy’s head. His face was contorted in pain and his eyes were shut tight.

“Um,” she started, trying to think of what was said to the younger kids back in the warehouse when nightmares woke them. It had been a long time since she had had to deal with that. “Hey. It’s alright. You’re okay.” That sounded right. “You’re safe here,” she added. The words held more truth here than they ever had before.

The boy’s face began to relax and he blinked his eyes open to find hers.

“Mattias is here,” she continued, keeping her voice calm. “He’s helping you get better.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mattias straighten.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever been here before.” She kept talking, saying the first things that came to her mind. “Lots of people come here when they get hurt. You’ll be better soon.” She brushed the hair off his sweaty forehead. “Is someone out there looking for you?”

A stab of hurt made her pause. What if nobody was looking for him? There was nobody looking for her. She took a deep breath, shoving the thought aside before continuing. “You’ll be okay either way.”

Mattias set the jar back on the work bench.

“Do you have a name?” Cora asked as the boy’s face began to relax.

“Marin,” he answered, his voice a whisper.

“Marin,” she repeated. “Do you have a Shield?”

“M-my sister… Sienna.” His eyes closed and Cora had to listen close to hear the name.

“Siena,” she repeated, looking up at Mattias.

He glanced at the sky, slowly growing lighter, then he motioned for her to follow him out of the room.

She stood, then paused, looking back at the boy. His chest rose and fell in slow steady breaths, and his face looked relaxed. She followed Mattias from the room, coming to a stop at the table.

“He’ll sleep for a while now,” the healer said, grabbing a cup from the shelves above the counter and filling it with water. “You did well holding his attention and helping him calm down.” He handed it to Cora and turned to grab another one.

She dropped into a chair and took a sip, unsure of how to respond.

“Have you decided what you are going to do?” he asked, joining her at the table.

Cora stared at the cup in front of her and shrugged. Silence filled the space as she thought over her answer. “I don’t know,” she said at last. “I’m not sure I have a place here,” she added when Mattias did not speak. “I mean… It’s not like I have a family out there… here or in the city…” She struggled to get the words out, her voice becoming quieter as she went. “I think I would stay… I don’t know if there’s a Shield out there for me…” The last part was more of a mumble. “It’s probably easier to just go back,” she said, raising her voice to a normal volume.

“What’s easiest is not always what’s best,” Mattias responded.

Cora scrunched her brows at his response.

“Hey guys!” Seth cut through the conversation, stretching as he crossed the room. “You’re up early, Cora.”

She rolled her eyes and took another sip.

“The boy woke up,” Mattias responded. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear it.”

“Oh! Is he still up? How is he? Did you find out who he is?” He looked back at the door to the cot room as if expecting the boy to come walking out.

“Cora did,” Mattias said, nodding in her direction.

“You did?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah.”

“Well?” Seth pressed, grabbing a chair and sitting at the table.

With a sigh, she answered. “His name is Marin. He wants to find his sister, Sienna.”

“Is that all?” The disappointment in his voice irritated Cora.

“He was in pain, Seth,” she reminded him.

“I got him back to sleep,” Mattias added. “We know who we need to find now.”

Seth nodded. “Alright. Want me to go find Idris and tell him?”

“No. He’ll be back. I have work for you, both.”

“Alright,” Seth said with a sigh, getting up from his chair and grabbing a basket from the counter that had a cloth draped over the top. The smell that came when he uncovered it and set it on the table had Cora’s mouth watering.

Not long after, the sun lit the house and the smell of spices filled the air. Cora stood at the counter chopping up vegetables, or trying to. Every time she sliced off a piece, it went flying across the counter. She had finally taken a towel and rolled it up to catch the pieces before they landed on the floor. When the first knock of the day came to the front door she turned to watch, grateful for the distraction.

Seth jumped up from the table where he had been mixing dough for noodles and ran to answer.

“Matt,” he called, “Idris is back.”

The healer emerged from the cot room, a scowl on his face. “Don’t call me that.”

Seth ignored him.

“How is the boy?” Idris asked, meeting Mattias in the middle of the room.

“He’s stable. He woke early this morning and talked to Cora a bit.”

All eyes turned to her and Cora backed against the counter, wishing she could disappear. When no one spoke, she opened her mouth and forced words out. “Um. His name is Marin… He is looking for his sister, Sienna…” When no one reacted she added, “That’s all he said, really.”

“That is helpful,” Idris said. “Now we know who to look for.”

“Did you find Maya and Rio?” Seth asked.

“I did. They will meet us here,” he answered.

“Alright, Seth finish up so we can clear the table. I’ll grab the map.” Mattias crossed the room to the side that had the cushions and pulled a rolled up piece of paper from one of the shelves on the wall.

Seth lifted the ball of dough and dropped it into Cora’s hands. “Here. It can sit on the counter for a bit.” Then he took a wet rag and wiped down the table top just before Mattias unrolled the paper. The map took up the entire table and Cora could not resist the pull of curiosity, stepping up to the table for a closer look.

On one side, a port was marked with little shadows of ships over blue that stretched from top to bottom. The other side looked like flat desert all the way to another border of blue. At the top and bottom of the map, little points clustered together to look like mountains.

“Is this Phaedra?” she asked without thinking.

“It is,” Mattias said. This is the city.” He pointed to the center of the map where lines crisscrossed around blocks like a maze.

Everything shared versions of beige, gold, and brown colors, with the exception of the blue borders, and a splash of colors between the port and the city.

“What’s that?” she asked, creeping forward to look more closely.

“That’s the market,” Seth answered. The excitement in his voice did not at all match her image of a market. Nor did the colors that marked its spot on the map. That’s probably where Marin will end up if they don’t find his sister, she told herself. At least, that’s what would happen back in the city. She glanced up at Mattias and his words rang over her thoughts. “There are no rats in Phaedra… Nobody here goes without a home or basic needs.”

“What happens if you don’t find her?” she challenged, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

“Why wouldn’t they?” Seth asked.

“If he has no one, we will take him to live with Gabe and Marian. They take in kids who have no one,” Mattias answered, holding her gaze.

Cora gave a tiny nod and stepped back to set the dough on the counter. She crossed her arms over her chest and threw a look at the cot room when another knock came at the door. It opened before anyone could get to it and an older woman walked in with the confidence of someone who lived there. Her green cloak was the same dark color of the trees that Cora and Seth had passed on their way to the cave, and her hair was a mix of gray and turquoise. Behind her, a man followed closely. Wavy golden hair fell around his face and his blue eyes shone with what looked like excitement. He shut the door behind them and they joined the others at the table.

“Good morning Mattias, Seth, Idris.” The woman spoke loud and clear as she addressed everyone. When her eyes landed on Cora her brows rose. “And who is this?” Her eyes were an unsettling shade of gold and she way she looked at Cora was as if she were a puzzle to be solved.

“This is Cora. She’s a friend of Seth, staying with us for the time being,” Mattias answered.

The woman nodded, not taking her eyes off Cora. “I see. Good morning, Cora.” When she finally looked away, Cora felt like she could breathe again. “So, who are we looking for?”

“There is a missing Shield,” Mattias explained, glancing toward the cot room. “Her name is Sienna. Her brother is here.” He motioned for them to follow him into the cot room.

Cora turned her attention to the map, wondering about Marin and where he had come from.

“Alright,” Maya announced their return after a very short time, loud enough to snap Cora out of her wondering. “We will start in the market near the harbor.”

When she had indicated the area she was talking about on the map, Idris spoke up. “I will take the central shops and move out from there.”

“Very well,” Maya said. “We will meet back here before rounds.”

The man beside her caught Cora’s eye with a grin as he nodded his agreement. Around his neck, a golden band like the one she had seen on Delta’s wrist stood out, catching the sunlight.

Without waiting for confirmation, Maya and the man disappeared out the door.

“Idris,” Mattias said, catching the other man’s attention as he headed for the door. “While you’re out, do you mind asking about a Shield as well?”

He nodded and turned back to face them. “Of course. Do you have someone in mind?”

Mattias shook his head. ‘Maybe Isla will know someone.”

“Alright. I will ask.” He shot a glance at Cora before turning back to the door.