Rajhu wandered out of the inn, letting the cool summer breeze wash over him as he took in the sights of the city. It had been many a year since he had wandered this close to his homeland. Even now, with it countless leagues away, it felt close.

Still, ever since he had been confronted with this curse, this magic power that seemed to be ebbing and flowing just beneath the surface of his conscious mind, Rajhu hadn’t had a moment’s peace. He couldn’t have kept the fact that he was shaken from Will. Least of all, he couldn’t have hidden his terror at the reaction of Garrot. Whatever had gone amiss in Durjen, had done more than Rajhu had ever feared it could. Things were out of his control, and it seemed as though they would never be made to yield to his will again.

‘Maybe we should just move on, now…’

Rajhu turned to see Will walking up behind him. He had Rajhu’s bag slung over his shoulder. A worried look flickered through the boy’s eyes, though Rajhu pretended not to notice it. Will wasn’t one to let people see his concern. The fact that it was showing spoke to Rajhu of the situation he had put them in.

‘Eeh…’ he shrugged. ‘I don’t know what to do now, Will. It’s all gone bad.’

‘So… Let’s just get out of here. There’s nothing left to see anyway.’

‘You’ve seen all Cavrey has to offer in a day?’ Rajhu asked, smirking.

‘We spent the night in a dingy inn,’ he shrugged. ‘I can get that anywhere I go.’

‘I still haven’t figured out what’s wrong with me, Will!’ Rajhu relented, frustration flashing through him in a rush. ‘I want to be normal again! I don’t like all this magic, you know. Never cared for any of it. Life is life, and I just want to get on with living it…’

Will shrugged. ‘I gotta tell you, Rajhu, I think you’re making a big mistake.’

‘What do you mean?’

He shifted, moving the bag from his shoulder, and setting it on the ground in front of him. ‘Well… Maybe what happened isn’t as bad as you’re making it out to be…’

‘Oh, come on, Will! Giant blue hands came out of my back! That’s not being normal, man!’

Will smiled. ‘No… No, it’s not normal… But it’s pretty cool, too…’

Rajhu canted his head, narrowing his eyes in observation of his friend. Had everyone gone mad but him?

‘Look… You’ve been given incredible powers, Raj. I mean, you don’t even know what you can do, do you? This could be good for us, you know. And who knows? This might be fate.’

‘I’m fated to be cursed?’

‘Don’t think of it like a curse, Raj… Maybe you’re supposed to have this magic, this… power.’

Rajhu paused. He hadn’t thought of it like that. In fact, if he were honest, he hadn’t given any of this much thought since it had happened. Garrot’s reaction had scared him, but the fact was, he had been faced with a horde of Akrian Pirates, and came away with barely a scratch. Against a dreaded Kilrot, Rajhu had been victorious.

‘You’re actually considering it now, aren’t you?’

Rajhu waved off Will’s comment with a flip of his hand. ‘Shush. Let me think about this for a moment, okay? There is a lot to consider…’

A gentle breeze ruffled Rajhu’s clothes, whispering through the manicured trees that hugged the side of the inn. The warm summer air seemed to calm him all the more, and yet, he still could not decide what he thought about all of this. Magic had been given to him, but at a cost he couldn’t quantify. What had he become? Was it something good, or something very much the opposite?

‘You took something from me, Rajhu Heroh…’

The voice cracked through the air, as if it were the sole sound in all the world. As it fell into silence, Raj could feel every nerve in his body coming alive. His skin tingled with terror as a figure walked up the street. Raj stared at the sight of the man. Dressed in dark, loose clothing, the man was large, with golden skin, and a trimmed white beard.

‘Do I know you?’ Rajhu asked hesitantly.

The man inclined his head, then swept his arms about his body. ‘I admit, my appearance has changed since last we met, but I am one and the same. You took something from me, Rajhu Heroh… I would very much like it back…’

There was no doubt of it in Raj’s mind now. Though he had changed, though his body was chorded with lean muscle now, the eyes held the same dark glint.

‘Raj… Who is this?’ Will asked, stepping closer. Raj could see the boy tensing, readying himself for a fight. He had no idea what good it would do, though.

‘My lamp… Raj. My lamp!’ The man growled. ‘I want it back!’