Wizard's Masquerade, page 7
“What are you doing? Shit—” Quinn’s voice broke off, but it was too late.
She had fumbled the last sentence, gotten the words wrong. With no other choice, she hurriedly finished the spell as best as she could, hoping the ending hadn’t been vital.
And then it was done.
With a shaky breath, she tried to close the book, but it was too heavy for her. Or maybe she just didn’t have the willpower because Quinn appeared by her side and reached past her to slam the book shut.
“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded. His tone was angry, but his dark eyes betrayed his fear.
“I…I don’t…I…” She shook her head, at a loss for words.
Suddenly, a loud snap sounded against the desk, making them flinch. The book had flung itself open, back to the page that it had been on. The words were aglow, the previously black ink now shining with a green light that hurt her eyes.
“What the hell have you done?” groaned Quinn, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.
“Let go of me,” she snapped, wrenching her arm free. “This is your fault. You interrupted my summoning.”
“Summoning? You mean you summoned a demon? Shit.”
“Look, I didn’t mean to, alright? But—”
A hissing sound interrupted their argument. In unison, they both turned back to look at the book. A faint bubbling could be heard as the words slid slowly off the page, the ink congealing on the wooden desk. Taking a step forward, Leyna found that she could now view the illustration.
Her eyes widened at the twisted and grotesque form depicted in the drawing. It was unlike the small, dog-size demons that ran around on all fours that she had learnt about in demon law, which were supposedly more tractable and had been frequently used in the wars. This was something different—it was bi-pedal and almost humanlike in form.
A loud, unearthly roar shook the room as a blinding light appeared, causing Leyna to stumble backwards into Quinn, who caught her by the shoulders. The white light began to swirl rapidly until a portal had formed in front of them, releasing thick, dark smoke that smelt of sulphur.
“Don’t look at it!” said Quinn, and Leyna tore her eyes away from the portal just as the smoke began to clear. It was crucial to never to look into a portal—not that she had expected to ever see one with her own eyes. Her demon law professor had warned them that a mortal who dared to look through one at the monstrous world beyond would go mad and lose more than their wits.
She heard the sound of raspy clicking coming from the portal as Quinn dragged her out of the room. They were both coughing from the smoke as they returned to the office, which seemed empty with the furniture missing. A dark rectangular imprint on the rug was the only evidence of where the heavy desk had been.
“What’s going on?” asked Mary, entering from the corridor outside, Grace in tow. She wrinkled her nose. “We heard a noise. And what’s that smell?”
“A demon,” said Quinn, his voice stern. “Mary—run and get help. Fetch the headmaster. Go.”
Mary paled but left almost immediately, and Leyna couldn’t help but be impressed by Quinn’s command.
“Quinn—” began Grace, but he cut her off.
“Grace, I don’t want you here. It’s not safe. Go. Go now.”
Before Grace could reply, slow, heavy footsteps sounded from the other room.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Flinching at each footstep, Leyna turned to see a tall, thin figure appear in the doorway of the secret room. It stooped to fit under the frame, and when it straightened, it towered over them. A scream caught in her throat as she beheld the creature—she had been mistaken if she thought it looked anything like a human. Its skin might have once been pink, but now it was grey and tinged with blue, and the eyes were lifeless and unseeing, pale and milky as if it were blind.
But she knew that it could see her with the sharpness of a hawk because it pointed directly at her.
She was rooted to the spot as she waited to see what the demon would do. Would it submit to her as its master? Perhaps she should have stepped forth and said something authoritative, but it wouldn’t have made a difference—the contract either guaranteed her safety, or it would leave her at the mercy of the demon. And she didn’t think she could have mustered a convincing command even if she wanted to.
The demon opened its mouth, which was unnaturally wide and full of razor-sharp teeth. A clicking noise sounded, mixed with a gurgling that made her shiver.
No human could understand the demon tongue—but she didn’t need to.
Its arm was still stretched out, pointing at her, and she could hear the demon inside her head, a hissing that spoke in her own voice: Little wizard. How you tremble. Is this your first summoning?
“Leyna, what’s happening?” asked Grace behind her.
“Get back, Grace,” came Quinn’s voice. “Let us handle it.”
Us? thought Leyna. Since when had she and Quinn been a team?
Meanwhile, the demon was waiting for her to answer, its pale eyes haunting. How did it know that this was her first summoning? She gave a small nod, wondering if she would die today.
The demon made another short clicking noise. Pity, it hissed.
“Pity?” asked Leyna out loud. “W-what’s a p-pity?”
A pity for you. You were doing so well for a novice. If not for your error, you would not have to die now.
By the time the clicking had come to an end, her whole body was trembling.
“Leyna, what’s going on?” asked Quinn.
Petrified, she couldn’t move—could only wait, terrified, as the demon tilted its head at her. Suddenly, moving so fast that she barely registered it, the demon leapt at her, seizing her by the legs and wrenching her closer. Her head and shoulders slammed against the hard floor before she could scream, and then she was breathless.
People were yelling and screaming, but she couldn’t make sense of anything, could only watch in horror as the clawed hands dragged her across the floor. She tried to roll onto her stomach, flailing, but it was useless. Briefly, she was able to grab onto the doorframe, clutching at it for a moment, the tendons in her fingers screaming in protest as the demon forcefully tugged her by the leg.
She caught a glimpse of Quinn leaping towards her, reaching to seize her hand as he landed heavily on the floor.
And then she was yanked into the darkness of the secret room. Sheer terror engulfed her. It was pitch black, and she couldn’t see anything. She could only hear screaming, which was loud in her ears. The sound was piercing and terrifying, and she realised that it was coming from her lungs.
The dragging stopped. Her world was black, consisting only of the cold floor under her body, and a white pain that grew in her leg as searing-hot hands burnt through her clothing. She tried to kick her legs free of the monster’s grip, but its clawed hands held tight.
Suddenly, a blue orb appeared, illuminating the room with a bright glow.
Raising her head, Leyna saw a tall wizard standing there.
“Quinn,” she murmured.
Propping herself up on her elbows, she whipped her head around to try and get a glimpse of the demon. The last thing she saw was a wide mouth with ugly triangular teeth hovering near her calf. A second later, the demon snapped its jaws around her leg, the teeth piercing her flesh. She fell forward and screamed as the demon shook its head like a dog, tearing at the skin and muscles there.
New voices were yelling, and she was dimly aware of flashes of magic lighting up the room as more people entered, but she only caught a glimpse of their feet as, blinded from the pain, the demon tore at her leg savagely.
Out of nowhere, a fireball flew overhead and landed nearby, the heat wave washing over her. The demon gave an unearthly roar, releasing her leg in the process. Gasping, she tried to shift her weight so she could cast a spell at the demon behind her, but something had fallen on her, and she couldn’t get her arm free.
No, not something. Someone had fallen on her, and the weight of the body had trapped her. She tried to lift her head to see, but the body blocked her vision, and she only saw the legs of a table. She began to sob against the hard floor, convinced that the person who had fallen on her was now dead.
But then the weight shifted and the person lifted themselves off, and she was free.
Leyna couldn’t bring herself to get up, however. Hot spells crashed around her, narrowly missing her, and she kept her head down and eyes squeezed shut, praying that the newcomers had subdued the demon, that it was all over.
But it wasn’t.
The demon grunted as it seized her leg again, and she cried out as excruciating pain ripped through her.
Whatever the wizards were doing to stop the demon wasn’t working. Every time a spell was cast, it would only bring her a brief reprieve: the gnawing at her leg would stop, at least for a while, as hot spells boomed around her, making the room flicker and glow with light.
And yet, the minutes ticked by, and time and time again, the demon would return to her leg. Pain exploded every time its teeth found her limb, gnawing at the bone and flesh there.
By the time the headmaster arrived, she had lost consciousness.
Chapter five
Medical Bay
Leyna opened her eyes to see a stark-white ceiling. Tilting her head down, she saw that she was tucked into a bed with white sheets. At the end of the metal bed frame sat a slender man with an angled face and sun-kissed hair. It was the wizard from the medical tent.
“Finally awake?” he asked, resting an arm on the metal frame.
Her mouth was parched, and she had to swallow several times before speaking, but the words were croaky. “Where am I?”
“In the Guild’s medical bay.”
She cleared her throat, and the wizard stood and offered her a glass of water, which she drained eagerly. He then handed her a teaspoon laden with a crystalline gold syrup.
“What’s this?” she asked, taking the spoon uncertainly.
“Honey. It will help.”
She ate the honey, which tasted unusually bitter, before turning back to the wizard. “How long have I been—”
“Allow me to fill you in,” he interjected, beginning to tick a list off with his fingers. “Let’s see now…you’ve been here for eight days, and you’ve been unconscious for most of it—partly due to trauma, but mostly due to the sleeping draughts we’ve given you. Your left leg is in a bad way, but Master Emsworth and I have done all we can to save it.”
He paused. “Are you following me so far?”
“Yes. How’s my leg?”
“It’s fine.”
“Just fine?” she asked. Something about his tone suggested that it was not fine.
The wizard tilted his head, which caused the hair of his side part to fall across his forehead. His words were slow and careful as he regarded her. “Do you remember what happened to your leg?”
“Yes,” she said quietly. “I remember.”
If only she could forget. Memories flashed of the demon in the office. Her nightmares had been full of screams as a blue-skinned demon stalked the school, slaughtering hundreds of sleeping students and teachers in their beds. She had also dreamt of a swirling, smoky portal that led to a world too deranged to even set eyes on—except that in her numerous nightmares, she had dared to look. She had looked through to the world beyond and lost her mind.
“Are you alright?” prompted the wizard, breaking through her thoughts.
“Yes,” she said. “What happened with the demon?”
“The headmaster fought it…and won. It was sent back to its world.”
Leyna swallowed. “Did anyone die?”
“No, thankfully.”
She let out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding.
“So, how is my leg?”
“Well, I have done all I can to save it. I’d say it’s looking better than anyone could have hoped—but whether you can walk remains to be seen.”
She felt like something hard and cold had dropped into her stomach.
“W-walk?”
The man pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded down at the foot of the bed. The sinking feeling in her stomach increased as she followed his gaze down to the outline of her body beneath the sheets, and it occurred to her that she might not have a leg anymore.
“Is it…is it still there? Or is it amputated?”
“It’s still there. We were able to restore it, for the most part. Do you want to see?”
“Yes,” said Leyna immediately, and began to pull the sheet back, but pain shot down her body as she leant forward, short and sharp, causing her to cry out. The man rose swiftly and moved to stand by the bed, gently pushing her back onto the pillow.
“Try not to sit up yet. You need to rest. Allow me.” With a swift motion, he pulled the sheet back.
She was wearing a hospital gown, white like the rest of the room except for the pale-pink pattern. The air felt cool through the thin fabric, which flowed down to her ankles. She had both her feet, and they looked perfectly normal.
Leyna let out a shaky sigh of relief to find that she could wriggle her toes.
“That’s a good sign,” said the wizard, watching her tilt her feet back and forth.
“They’re fine,” she exclaimed, laughing in astonishment. “My feet are fine. I can move them!”
“Yes, that’s a good sign,” said the wizard again, his tone neutral. He reached down towards her foot, his fingers brushing the skin there as he took hold of the nightgown’s hem. It looked as if he was about to lift the fabric up.
She tensed at the intimate gesture and opened her mouth to protest. But then she noticed that he was looking at her, waiting for permission to do exactly that—to lift the gown away and expose her legs. Her stomach sank as she realised why.
“Th-there’s more?” she asked, eyeing the outline of her legs through the gown. Surely, if her feet were normal, then both her legs were fine as well?
“Yes.”
“Show me.”
Much slower than he had been with the bedsheets, the man lifted the hem away with great care. Travelling down the side of her gown was a high split, which was uneven as if it had been cut with shears or scissors. The wizard’s hands moved deftly, parting the fabric easily to reveal her legs, all the way to the tops of her thighs.
Catching sight of her legs, Leyna’s throat constricted, making it difficult to swallow.
The right leg was perfectly normal—the skin smooth and pale.
But the left was nothing like she remembered. Both her legs lay straight on the mattress, with a slight bend in the knee, but the left had a moth-eaten appearance as if chunks of it had gone missing, and the skin was heavily scarred. A motley of white, pink, and angry reds covered her misshapen leg.
It was ugly.
But at least she had a leg. It was more than she could have hoped for, and for a moment, she wondered if it would make for an impressive battle scar. But then she remembered the real reason for the injury, which was not from a battle at all, but a result of her own foolishness. It was not a story she would ever wish to tell, and the embarrassing memory made her want to throw up.
“Leyna?” prompted the wizard, his tone not unkind.
She didn’t speak, worried that she would cry if she did. Fighting back the tears, all she could do was stare with lips pressed together at the new limb. The top of her thigh was plump and unscathed, and the bare foot was normal, but everything between her ankle and her knee was scarred and hideous. What would her mother say? And if she ever met a potential suitor, how would she explain it? Though unmarried, she’d had enough flings in her early years at the Guild to know that this was not something that could be hidden from a partner for long.
Damn what my future husband thinks, Leyna thought, trying to bolster her spirits. I’m the one who has to live with this.
Deep down, however, she did care. One of her goals in becoming a huskarl had been to achieve independence from the pressure to marry, which was partly financial but mostly parental. This career path would secure her the kind of stability that marriage couldn’t compete with, as well as the status and recognition that she longed for.
Sadly, despite her achievements throughout her years at the Wizarding Guild, her mother’s desperation to see her settled had not diminished. In fact, it had only increased, which was evidenced in the letters she had sent to Leyna over the years. The letters were usually presented as a general inquiry into her health, but, in reality, they were thinly veiled attempts at matchmaking.
And she did wish to get married eventually—just not now, and not for anything less than having found true love.
The minutes stretched until, finally, the wizard broke the silence, his head tilted as he appraised her. “What are you thinking?”
“I…I don’t know what to think.” This was an opportune time to express her gratitude to him, but she was too shocked by the state of her leg to find the words.
“I can understand if you feel upset,” he said carefully. “And this may not be of any consolation, but what you see now is a vast improvement from when you first came in.”
“Of course,” she said quickly, not wanting to fathom what that must have looked like. She knew that she was lucky to still have both her legs, even if the wizard had the grace not to say so.
“And you’re due for another round of healing in the morning. It will help with the residual pain.”
“And will it help with the appearance?” she asked.
“No, I’m afraid not. Your leg was broken…The bone was shattered and had to be reset…the muscles remade…the skin and vasculature regenerated…I’m afraid that’s the best we could do. I tried to improve the skin today, but I feel we’ve reached the limit of my abilities and what your body can cope with.”
Leyna shut her eyes. “I’ve seen enough. Cover it, please.”
She heard the rustle of fabric as the sheets were laid back over her.
“Your parents visited,” said the man matter-of-factly, his tone lighthearted as if they had been in the middle of idle chitchat. As if he were trying to divert her attention from her leg. “As have your friends.”
