The Bound

Yuavi closed the leather-bound book with a snap before shoving it into her knapsack. She continued to rummage through the apothecary cabinet, not bothering to shut any of the drawers she'd searched. A clock ticked steadily as she gathered supplies, a constant reminder that time was of the essence. A bottle of quills tumbled to the floor, making her pause as she listened for anyone who might've heard the disturbance. Yuavi felt her heart swell as the clatter of keys sounded in the lock.

The matronly lady that entered the room only hesitated a second before snapping the small twig that hung amongst her ring of keys. Instantly, shrill calls blared throughout the temple, warning an intruder had entered the grounds.

"Shit," Yuavi muttered, tossing the knapsack onto her back as she vaulted over the desk and out the window. The clay tiles rattled under her boots as she lengthed her stride.

"Yuavi, hurry up. You're running out of time!"

"Don't ya mean WE are running out of time, you no good wastrel!"

Margaret rolled her eyes before screaming, "Look out!"

Yuavi ducked, feeling the spell graze her arm, scorching the fabric of her robe. She barreled forward, determined to make her escape. A whoop flew from her lips as she clambered onto the fire escape, riding the extension ladder to the ground. "Run, you moron, run!" Margaret screamed as she sprinted to her ancient truck. She gunned the engine before leaning across the center console to throw open the passenger door. Yuavi slammed the door behind her, pounding the dash in triumph.

"Did you get it?"

"Have I ever failed you before?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to, you rookie."

"Fair enough."

"Let's just get back to the temple and face the music," Margaret's many earrings trembled, the only sign that she was nervous.

"They can't be that mad at us. We're doing them a favor, all of us a favor, really."

"The Director might not see it that way."

"Don't kid yourself. He's never cared about bending the rules. Well, that is, if it pays off."

"Exactly, and we've just pulled off the heist of the century."

"We kinda just did, didn't we," Margaret said with a sidelong smile, allowing herself a brief moment to revel in the glory of their accomplishment.

#

"Explain yourselves."

"Well, sir. I was practicing my auditory expansion charmwork, and I happened to overhear a meeting you were having in the private study." The Director arched a silvery brow, clearly caught between exasperation and annoyance. "Anywho, I heard another professor mention that Water Temple had The Book of Fire, but that nobody knew exactly where it was or how to find it. But then I remembered the entrance examination. When I was waiting to be tested, I overheard the temple’s healer reminisce about her examinations before the fall of fire," everyone in the room stilled, recognizing the tragedy of the fourth elemental extinction.

"Anyway, she mentioned how safety is found in every opposite. The older woman who was with her smacked her before muttering that safety is found in silence. For some reason, it stuck with me. A few weeks ago, it dawned on me. She had The Book of Fire."

"And how exactly did you manage to steal it? Hmm?"

"Well, sir," Finally it was Margaret's time to speak, "That's when she came to me. You see, I'm really good at wind tracing. I helped her find the healing room, and she did the rest."

"That still doesn't explain how you managed to get in and out of the Water Temple without incident."

"Well, we were spotted, but only at the end. The schoolmarm set the alarm off, but she was too late."

"Explain how you got into the temple, Yuavi. Now."

"Ohh, that's simple. I just walked in." Yuavi couldn't help but smile at the shocked look on the Director's usually composed face.

"You just walked in?"

"Ya, they just assumed I was a student. We all wear the same robe. It was kinda simple."

The Director raked a perfectly manicured hand through his salt and pepper hair. "Genius, absolute genius."

"So what does that mean? For us?"

The Director looked at his secretary for the first time. She'd been scribbling notes, pretending not to listen. "Please summon Henry."

"Henry, sir?"

"Yes. Promptly, please."

As the secretary bustled out of the room, she sneaked a glance at Yuavi, clearly awestruck. For the first time, the enormity of what she'd done settled in. I've just changed the world, I have, she thought to herself.

#

As it turned out, Henry was almost as ancient as Yuavi's great, great, great grandfather. Each time he coughed, she worried he would topple over. "Pay attention," He barked, his dry voice sounding like snapping chalk. "You've gotten yourself into this, you little shyster. So stop whining about it," he shook his knobbled hand at Margaret, heading her off before she could protest.

"And, how exactly have we signed up to be thieves?"

"By stealing, you dolt."

"But we took a book from a rival temple. I don't see the harm. It didn't even belong to them!"

"Well, next time, think about it. Until then, PAY ATTENTION!" He roared.

Yuavi and Margaret settled down, half excited, half nervous. "Okay, we're sorry. Can you please explain it again? More slowly this time?"

"Yuavi will wear this," Henry pushed a battered metal box across the table. "And you, Margaret, will use this." He opened a second box and placed an ornate pair of scissors on the table before her.

Yuavi glanced at Henry, silently asking permission to open the box. He nodded, his straw-like hair flapping down onto his heavily wrinkled brow. She opened the box, surprised to find it lined with dark blue silk. Nestled inside was a heart-shaped locket. On its face, a chain-link had been engraved with the words integram dimidiam cum stamus. "A whole of a half, together we stand," Yuavi murmured, transcribing the Latin aloud.

Before she could fight him off, Henry gripped Yuavi's thin wrist in his claw-like hand and plunged a pin into the center of her palm, drawing out a scarlet drop of blood. He then scooped the locket up and pressed it into her blood-stained palm. It hissed like grease in a hot pan.

"Ouch, what the fuck, Henry!"

"It has to be yours. Really yours. The way it will be, Margarets."

"What will be mine?" Margaret asked, clearly afraid.

"Your hair."

"What?" the best friends asked in unison.

"Cut a lock of your hair. Quickly if you please."

"Margaret, don't. You don't have to do it."

Slowly, Margaret lifted the scissors to her shining golden curls and snipped a riglet. It fell to the desk, all three of them stared at the hair before Henry continued, "When the world burned, the magical artifacts of The Four were distributed to the three remaining disciplines Earth, Air, and Water. The intention was to safeguard artifacts against the non-magical who share our world. If they ever took possession of even one of the artifacts, it could be the downfall of us all. If another temple fell, the magical balance of elements could never be sustained. Mages would cease to exist. Our power, uncontrolled, will burn us from the inside out."

"Then how did we survive the fall of fire?"

"That's the point, my child. We did survive. They sadly did not. The remaining temples formed a trinity. Together, we harness their power. Any disturbance threatens the peace we've managed to maintain."

"We've never been told, sir. What happened, I mean." Margaret asked in her way of non-asking.

"They didn't pay the price."

"Of magic? What do you mean?" Yuavi asked, unsure how any mage could stave off the physical toll of spellwork.

"Yes. Magic always has a price. They strived to be above the basic laws of nature. For a while, they managed. They tethered their spells to the dead. You see, a corpse will have residual energy for a short period following death. They collected the energy and used it in their spellwork. But they didn't account for the unstable nature of the afterlife."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with us, with this?" Yuavi asked, gesturing to the locket and lock of hair.

"When you stole The Book of Fire, you revived a plot that's been dead nearly as long as your parents."

"Henry, you brute. How dare you bring up her parents' death," Margaret snapped, her usually polite demeanor gone.

"Ahh, you still don't understand, do you. It was your parents Yuavi, they were the last ones to try."

"Try what?"

"To give back what was never meant to be ours."

"And what is that?" Yuavi asked nervously.

"Fire."

#

"I don't understand. Why can't it be someone else? Someone who isn't important?"

"Shame on you, Yuavi. Every life is valuable," the Director said sternly.

"Why, because I don't want to drain my friend of life just to find some stupid scroll?"

"We've been over this. The locket only works if it’s connected to someone whom you love. It's the only way."

"It's fine, Yuavi, don't worry. I'm not scared."

"Well, I am," Yuavi snapped, fighting to control her temper.

"Enough. Let's review the plan again."

Yuavi placed her head in her hands before letting a groan loose from deep in her chest.

The Director motioned for Margaret to hand over her lock of hair. With trembling hands, she passed it to him. He pried the locket open, coiling the curl tightly before dropping it in. "Sigillum," he murmured, sealing the locket once more. He offered it to Yuavi. She turned her back to him and lifted her hair so he could clasp it around her neck. It settled onto her breast bone, feeling much heavier than it ought to. Yuavi lifted her hand palm up, shaking like a leaf in a storm.

Gently, the Director cupped her palm in his own before using his other hand to press the pin deep into the Yuavi's palm. A pool of blood welled in their hands, trickling down their wrists onto the shining hardwood floor.

"Now, girl. Cast the spell," Henry growled.

"Integram dimidiam cum stamus," Yuavi whispered, afraid of what would come next.

Margaret gasped, clearly surprised rather than in pain. As the blood drained from Yuavi's palm, it filled Margarets.

"Now, If you're hurt or if you run out of strength, you can call on her to support you. This mission is larger than any one of us; it may take two to complete it."

"What happens if I'm mortally wounded. Which one of us will die?"

Both Henry and the Director looked at the floor, unable to meet either of their students' eyes.

"That is up to you, Yuavi. You can either draw on her strength and hope to survive on your own reserve after her's is gone, or you can drain yours and hope she has enough for the both of you. If she doesn't, you'll both die."

"No," Yuavi shouted. I'm not going to do that.

"Yes. We are."

"Why? Why would we do this?"

"For the Bound. They can't help that they were born with fire magic. If we find the Trinity Scroll, we can break the magical binding that restricts their power. They can be taught. We can give them their lives back, Yuavi. We have to try."

"Why?" Yuavi demanded, her mind whirling with all the ways this could go dreadfully wrong.

"For my brother."

"You have a brother? Why have you never mentioned him?"

"Because he's one of the Bound. Nobody likes to think about the Bound. I didn't want your pity. I still don't".

"What's his name?" Yuavi asked, finally breaking the silence that stretched between them.

"Nathan."

"Where is the scroll kept?"

"In the Earth Temple."

"Alright, I’ll do it. But only because I want to meet Nathan."