I woke up eventually. How much time had passed, I knew not. The only clue as to the time was the setting sun lighting up the room.

“So, you finally woke up. Good! It was getting pretty boring, the only thing to do was see how long it would be before your spit dribbles onto the floor.”

I blushed, lifting my arms to wipe my mouth, only to find them already above my head, unmovable, as they were bolted to the wall with no slack. I looked down to see my legs attached the same to the floor. I felt tired, weak, and hungry, as if I had climbed a mountain for three days without food. I groaned.

“How long have I been out?” I asked the figure hidden in the shadows.

“Longer than me. That’s all I know.” The shape that I had now identified as a child shrugged. I was curious as to who he was.

“How long have you been here? What did you do to be here? Steal a lollipop?” He gave a dry chuckle.

“Oh, if only. No, I’m here ‘cause I’m a ‘deadmage’. As for how long, just today. You?”

“Same. Do you know what your magic is? Maybe you can use it to escape.” Curious, I look up at my wrist to see what animal I had received. I jerked away stupidly. As if I could ever escape my destiny by moving away from the tattoo. There, about the size of a silver dollar, was a snake. The tattoo was very intricate, with the snake wrapped around a tree branch connected to a tree outside of the picture. Its scales were midnight black on top with a dark green underbelly and its eyes had a look of intelligence and power about them. I began to hyperventilate, the urgency of the situation finally hitting me.

“Whoa. Hey, pal, chill out. Just relax a bit. What’s your name?”

“Garret. Garrett Fowler. What’s yours?”

“Blake Harper.” I thought I recognized his figure.

“Oh, yeah. The deadmage before me.,” I said.

“Don’t call me that. It sounds stupid. I didn’t steal anyone’s magic and I’m not dead yet. You’re lucky that these chains weaken deadmages to keep us from using our powers, mate, otherwise you would be colorblind right now.” I apologized. I didn’t want to offend the person I would spend the last few days of my life with. He might not talk to me after that.

I figured that the chains must be what was making me feel this fatigued. All of a sudden, it felt as if someone had given me that nasty drink that adults use to relax. I had stolen a sip of it once when I was little. What was it? Oh yes, Whiskey Fluff. A feeling of peace overwhelmed me. Before I could ask Blake the Butterfly what this feeling was, the door opened to a guard. An Earth Cobra entered the cell room, leading a group of people into the room. It was my family. I wish they didn’t have to see me like this, chained up and branded as a thief. They must be so ashamed of me. My mother gasped at the sight of me and moved closer to Father. My sisters, on the other hand, were far more confused and curious.

“What are those things on Garrett's arms? Why does he look sad? Why is Mommy scared?” their questions were the only sound in the room besides the tapping of the Cobra’s foot. I worked up the nerve to look up at my father but regretted it immediately. He glared at me, his eyes filled with anger, disappointment, and disgust. His fury boiled over, and one of his hands lit in flame. I flinched, afraid for my life, but he just extinguished it and began yelling at me.

“What have you done? Who did you steal magic from? No, wait. I don’t want to know. How could you do this to yourself and this household? You have disgraced the family name with your crimes. For that, you deserve to die. I only wish that I could be the one to kill you. I hereby disown you.” He crouched next to me and ripped the pin off of my shirt. He turned to Lucy and pinned the fox to her shirt, as she was born three minutes before Lacy. It was a not very subtle way of saying I wasn’t firstborn anymore. I fought back tears. I was still their family.

“I didn’t steal magic. I don’t know why I’m a deadmage. I disgraced our family, and for that I am sorry. But I am your son. I’m your son!” the tears flowed freely down my cheeks now, unable to be stemmed by my hands due to the chains. The manacles didn’t stop my body from shuddering as I sobbed. Suddenly, my father swiveled and slapped me full across the face, causing my shaking to stop as I gasped from shock. He turned his back on me and pulled my mother and sister to his side.

“You are no son of mine. Your last name isn’t Fowler, it is Forsaken.” I began shaking and sobbing twice as much as before. My former father strode out of the room, followed by my mother. However, my sisters pulled away from them. Mother went to lead them out, but Father held her back, allowing them time to say goodbye.

“Brother, when will we see you again?” They asked. I forced the tears to stop and put on what I hope was an encouraging smile.

“Who knows? I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Just focus on your schooling and get ready for your Awakening Days. Now run along, before Dad gets mad at you both for slowing down.” The twins turned to leave, but Lacy gave a little start and pulled Lucy back to me.

“Wait, we forgot his present! We were supposed to give it to him when he came out of the big room, but he fell asleep and left before he could get it. Here!” Lacy jabbed Lucy, and the slightly older girl brought out a long, thin package behind her back. When I didn’t go to grab it, they frowned and unwrapped it for me. In Lucy’s hands was a beautifully crafted flail, with an oak wood handle and a gleaming steel chain. The end piece was a heavy lead ball, rounded with no spikes, so as not to injure a person while casting magic. It could cause damage on its own, but mixed with magic it would be unstoppable. Young guild members were often given weapons to channel magic through. Lacy snatched the flail out of Lucy’s hand and shoved it down my shirt. All three of us siblings and even Blake across the room laughed at the gesture. The twins went to remove it, but I stopped them.

“If the Cobra sees it, he will take it away from me. Better to leave it there, where he can’t find it. Thank you both very much. When you both are old enough, it will be my turn to give you presents,” The girls faces lit up at the prospect of new toys. At that moment, Father had decided they had stayed long enough and lifted the girls into his arms. He walked out the door, never looking back. The girls had other ideas, waving over his shoulders. I noticed something.

“Hey, Blake, where is your family?” He frowned, looking down at the floor.

“I don’t have one. My mom died in childbirth with my youngest brother. The rest of them passed away in the plague outbreak years ago. I’m the only one left,” He said, his voice breaking. I didn’t know what to say after that, so we sat in silence for a while.

The Cobra strutted in, carrying what looked like iron collars. He bent down, and with a small sound of protest from Blake, locked the object around his neck. He turned towards me and did the same. I opened my mouth to ask why he did such a thing, but no sound came out. I guess that you are only allowed to speak for your last goodbyes.

I sighed, no sound coming out, to calm my tremors. The room was silent. I wished that Karina was here. Her endless chatter would have been nice, even if it was her complaining to me about how hard training with the Fire Foxes was. It was sure to be a long time of suffering and reflecting. Just then, a whooshing sound flew through the room, as though a massive bird had flapped its wings. In the corner of the cell opposite to the door, a tiny pinprick of light slowly grew in the shadow, slowly growing, until it was blinding. A bang resonated through the silence. There, standing where the bright flash had occurred, was a door. I stared at it for a second, before glancing at Blake. He was also gazing at the intricate escape route, his jaw dropped in wonder. As we continued alternating between looking at the doorway and at each other, it opened. A head popped through the opening. It was a girl, her hair shoulder length and neon purple. She spoke.

“Coming?”

We stared at her in disbelief. Surely she wouldn’t expect us to all of a sudden to speak or break our chains and stand up to join her. She laughed.

“Are you boys really so stupid that you would think I wouldn’t break your locks too? Wow. Kids these days.” She shook her head in mock disappointment, before fully stepping out from behind the door. She wore a blueberry-colored tunic over a pair of cotton breeches.

She went over to Blake the Butterfly, pulling a long wooden hairpin out of her gently rolling hair. After leaning over one of his leg cuffs, there was a click, and the clasp popped open. She worked slowly, but after a few minutes, Butterfly broke free. Abruptly, he disappeared into thin air. She did the same for me, her breath quickening each second, glancing every now and then at the cell gate. I examined my now bleeding wrists as she undid the chains around my ankles. Just as she was undoing my last leg, there was a noise outside the door. As the shackle popped open with a click, the door to the cell swung open via magic. The same Earth Cobra that had led my family into the cell came marching down the hallway, shoving along what I assumed was another deadmage. The girl from the doorway swore under breath. She worked furiously as the footsteps approached our cell. I jumped to my feet just as the new child and his guard came up to our cell. The guard let out a shout and ran to the wall opposite of the open door for the alarm. As he pulled a lever a shrill siren sounded and all the cell doors slammed closed trapping us in our cell with a few guards. They were of different guilds, each large and brandishing weapons.

“We have to go NOW!” Doorway Girl yelled.

Blake suddenly reappeared right next to the doorway and ran through. I started to move towards it right as a stone the size of a baseball hit me in the back, sending me to my hands and knees. I quickly scrambled back to my feet and whirled around. The guard quickly let loose another volley of stones from a sling straight at my head. Right before my head was about to be stoned a new doorway opened directly in front of my face. The rocks sailed straight in and out of the window where the dimensional door had opened.

“Keep him busy while I open a new escape route,” she called over her shoulder.

“Do what?” I asked.

“Use whatever power you received to be in here to buy us time, you nimrod!” I ducked under an incoming projectile hurling through the cell bars.

My power? What power? What did a tree snake even mean? Suddenly something clicked within me. My mind reached out, searching for something to use. It didn’t make it far before I realized what my gift was. I took hold of it, channeling my adrenaline and anger into controlling it. The vines slithered through the window and onto the ceiling. Moving faster than was thought possible. In a split second, they had reached the guard and crept around his throat, cutting off his air supply. He tried feebly to escape, raking and pulling at them. But anytime one vine was ripped off two more quickly replaced it. As soon as he had gone unconscious I retracted the vines and in seconds it looked as though nothing had happened. Doorway Girl had finished opening a new doorway and stepped through, dragging me with her.

“Wai-”

The rest of the shout was cut off as the door shut closed. What did I just do? I stumbled backward, feeling even weaker than before, and almost knocked over Blake.

“Hey, watch it!” he complained. Before I could reply a man strode up and addressed us.

“Well done, I knew you could do it. Come with me.” He began walking quickly through… wherever we were. It seemed to be a city, the sky black with stars sparkling all throughout it. The streets were cobbled and lined with shops selling everything from exotic silks to roasted nuts. Behind them were tall brick buildings packed tightly together with miniscule alleyways in between. Brightly colored tarps hung over the entrances. People filled the streets and flowed in and out of the what I now assumed to be apartments. The streets were far less organized than Litalia’s. I suddenly realized that the man that had spoken to Ivory had been addressing us for quite some time, and I hadn’t listened to any of it. I tuned in immediately.

“-any other deadmages at the prison?” He looked questioningly at the girl, who shook her head.

“These were the only two I saw. I didn’t have time to look for any more. The guard came in with another person right at the end, though.”

I remembered the kid that had been shoved into the room. He had looked terrified. I never got a good look at his wrist, but he looked to be about thirteen and had chains with enchantments like Butterfly’s and mine.

“He was a deadmage, too. We have to go back and save him!” Ivory and the old man glanced at me, sharing a look.

“We can’t go back. If we do, we risk being captured. I am the only one who can make portals here. If I get caught, we won’t be able to save anyone,” Ivory said.

“Well then, can you at least open a new one and let Butterfly and me back into the room to rescue him?”

Blake stared at me. I guess I said his nickname aloud.

“Butterfly? Really? Can I just call you Snake then?” He looked furious at his nickname, but there was no turning back now. Butterfly had stuck, and I liked it.

“You can call me anything you want,” Ivory and I said at the same time. Blake blushed furiously at our teasing. He opened his mouth to reply, but had his words stolen from his lips as we reached the town square.