Wizardness

Tobias saw a flex of power from Commander Lee. The halflings staggered. They stood dazed for a moment. They suddenly rushed about their chores. Their eyes were unfocused and their movements were erratic and jarring.
“What are you doing to them?” Raven asked.
“I’m dominating them. It’s the only thing the damn halfings are good for. This is all their fault. Fuck them.” Lee spat.
Tobias glanced at Raven. He felt his shock was mirrored on her face. He cleared his throat. “Sir, they’re slaves. They had nothing to do with this.”
“Ha. You haven’t gotten it all figured out it seems. Well, you’ll learn soon enough, I’m sure. Tomorrow, you start building. Stick to the plan here.”
He suddenly disappeared. The halflings staggered. One of them fell to the ground. He was panting. Another ran out of the barracks holding her stomach.
One of the halfings turned to Tobias, “He’s right. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Thank you for fighting for us though.”
The halfing checked on each of his fellow slaves, before returning to work.
“What the hell is going on?” Raven ask.
“I, uh, I really have no idea.”
“It seems that even the halflings ‘understand’ why they’re slaves.”
“I wonder if I would have done that in another echo.”
“Done what?” Raven blinked in confusion.
“Dominated the halfings, tried to dominate you and the rest of the fist, or damp, tried to dominate Lee.”
Raven patted his arm, “Maybe that’s why it’s an echo. Maybe we failed whatever we’re supposed to fix and it became an echo.”
Tobias nodded. “I need some air. Thanks.”
“Yea.”
Tobias headed out on his walk again. These echos, what were they? He thought about the Fist. He could almost see where they were on the Island. Plain high up in the mountain somewhere. Dar’kid seemed to be flying, some how. The two women were in the barracks. They were fuzzy though. Giggles, on the other hand, was crystal clear. He was running along the path. Tobias could almost hear him whooping in excitement.
Tobias smiled. This power was dangerous. He recalled the halfings’ stagger and their blank stupor. He shuddered. He glanced back at the barracks, he took a step back. He could see them too. They really only resolved into an image when several were together. They would come into and out of focus.
Tobias felt a wave of disorientation passover him. He suddenly felt eyes on him. He blinked and looked at the halfings again. They were staring back at him. He quickly let his connection lapse. His vision of everyone snapped shut. He suddenly heard birds and the wind around him. Maybe he had heard Giggles, after all.
Tobias turned and continued up the path. Each step felt heavier than the last. He counted his breath. Slow and steady. He felt exhausted though. He closed his eyes. Something, some emotion, seemed to boil out of his chest and into his eyes. He staggered and fell to his knees. He gasped for breath. A sob broke.
Tobias didn’t understand where it was coming from, but it was overwhelming. He took a breath. Then another. It was a feeling. A hard tough feeling. He was alone. He couldn’t turn to his mother for advice or for support any more. This all felt so heavy. He’d nearly died only a few days ago. Giggles had lost and found his leg. So much.
He felt himself roll over to his backside. He hugged his knees and sobbed. He didn’t know how long he sat like that, but eventually he felt a large hand on his back. A heavy body settled next to him.
“It is ok, my friend.” Plain’s deep voice cut through the fog. “I am here for you.”
Tobias blinked open his eyes. He glanced over at Plain. He was looking at Tobias with grave concern, made graver by the sincerity of his plain blocky face. Tobias wiped his eyes and took a breath.
“It feels like too much. I didn’t even know it was too much.”
Plain nodded. “I felt it. The fight with Lee. I did not think you were ready for it. I do not think you were. You outmaneuvered him and won. You did it for us, though.”
Tobias nodded.
“There is a cave here. It reminds me of my cave growing up. I was able to celebrate my mother today. As I finished I felt your battle. I lent you strength.
“Later, I felt you, as if you were looking over me. Your spark is fanning to flames.”
“After our battle, Lee completely dominated the halfings. It was disgusting. He hurt them. After seeing you all, I saw them. They could look back at me.
“My power, I could do what Lee did to them. I could do that to you. It makes me sick.”
“You will not do that to us. You open yourself up to us when you look in on us. This turmoil you are feeling now, we felt when you saw us. That is what the halfings felt.”
“I just don’t understand how Lee could do such things to them.”
Plain looked at Tobias in surprise, “They are prisoners of war. Do you truly not know why we fight? That the halfings started this war?”
“What?”
“Hmm. Maybe it is good that you did not know.”
“WOOOOOOOO” cut through the relative quiet. Tobias and Plain turned in unison to see Giggles bearing down on them. His face lit with a brightest smile.
“My friends!” He cried.
“Slow down!” Tobias called, just moments before Giggles barreled into them. The three briefly rolled down the hill before Plain dragged them to a stop. Giggles roared in laughter. Plain chuckled. Tobias scowled, but couldn’t hold that for long in the light of Giggles pure joy.
“Oh, the freedom of two legs. It’s so great. I am so very lucky. I was down deep, you know.” he laughed.
“I’m happy for you,” Tobias said.
“As am I,” Plain said.
Giggles pointed at Tobias, “You, you are breaking the molds of echos left and right! I love it! Let those pasts go! Make it new!”
Tobias disentangled himself from the other two. He stood and dusted himself off. “Let’s get something to drink. I think we’ve earned a treat.”
When the three strode into the barracks, they found Dar’kid in conversation with Raven and Red.
“My daggers, Fwoon, has really kicked my spark into high speed. It’s exhilarating catching a thermal and then diving back towards the base of the mountain.”
Red sat up and glanced at the three joining. “It seems that Tark isn’t the only one getting a hang of his spark. Slim’s hanging out with hawks now.”
“Well, then it’s something worth celebrating!” Giggles laughed. He jumped and clicked his heels together.
“Wait! Your leg, it’s back? How?” Raven cried.
“When this guy,” Giggles nodded towards Tobias, “cut our strings with the commander.”
“Those poor halfings.” Raven said.
“They’ll be Order Boy’s soon enough.”
“The Laughing Man is right. A person can only be tied to one Command Spark. Order Boy cares about those he is tied to. The commander will lose everyone, eventually.” Plain said.
Two pitchers of ale and several mugs thumped on the table. “Let’s celebrate our freedom!”
“What’s to celebrate? I don’t want to be dominated by either of those men.” Red said.
“My echos show me that –“
“I don’t care what your echos say. I want to hear it from him.” She pulled her sword from it’s sheathe. Red’s hair lifted from her shoulders. She stood and advanced on Tobias, dragging her sword behind her. The stone sparking on the steel.
“What do you want to hear from me, Red?”
“Tell ME, that you will not try to dominate me.” With the ME, Red’s hair burst into flame. It flowed behind as a flaming wreath.
Tobias could feel a darkness emanating from her thread. He felt nauseous. He stood and pushed the darkness back. He reached out and grasped Red’s hand. “Will you follow orders? Will you fight with all your life for this fist? Will you turn that cruel blade towards that would do harm to those you love?”
Fire flashed in Red’s eye, “I’ll follow orders that have me do that. If you give me a single order that would harm anyone I love, you will die.”
“I will not dominate you. Just know, I will order the fist into danger. Its up to you to keep the fist safe. Will that suffice?”
Their grip flared. Red’s hand grew warmer. It quickly felt like Tobias was holding a burning ember. He could feel sweat pouring down his face. Red’s flames flashed from red and orange into a bright blue-white. He nearly recoiled from the heat.
She nodded. Her hair dropped to her shoulders. The flames winked out. Her sword growled, but went back into its sheathe.
Tobias felt the darkness pull back from their thread. He blinked, still seeing her white hot hair. She dropped heavily into her seat. She looked different somehow. More solid, more real. “Let’s have that drink.”