Lucy sat staring at the carriage, absent-mindedly chewing on the inside of her cheek. Maxwell eventually emerged from the entrance, stooping low because of his massive frame. He went and sat next to Lucy, dust rising into the air as he hit the ground. Lucy glanced over at him and scooted to the side. The sat in silence for what felt like forever. Then Maxwell turned and spoke to Lucy.

“Miss Lucy?”

“What is it Maxwell?”

“You moved away from me.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“This is not the first time you have shown displeasure towards me. Is it something I have done to offend you in some way?”

“No.”

“I would like to know.”

“Fine!” She sighed, “I don’t trust you yet, okay? I only let you come along because Simon said he had no problem with it, but I’m still on the fence about you.  It that what you wanted to hear?”

“I see… well…”

Before he could finish, the door to the carriage flew open, and Simon stumbled out. His feet tripped over each other as he made his way down the steps. Lucy rushed over and grabbed him before he fell over.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I… I think so. I’m just a little dizzy…”

As he spoke, the horse attached to the carriage whinnied and began moving, pulling the carriage with it. Maxwell made his way to Simon’s side.

“Did you get your fortune told?”

“Fortune telling?” Lucy’s brow furrowed, “How much did that cost us?”

“Cost?” Simon rubbed his forehead, “No, she didn’t charge anything for that. Don’t worry about it, the fortune was stupid anyway. You were right to leave the carriage Lucy, she was just a fraud.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You keep rubbing your temples.”

“What? Oh, yeah. It was just hot in there. I think I just need a drink of water or something. I’m fine, really.”

The trio packed up and began walking again. Lucy kept glancing over her shoulder, only to see Simon scratching his head in confusion while sipping from a canteen. Maybe the stress of traveling with Maxwell was finally taking its toll on him.

Speaking of Maxwell, the big lug kept talking Simon’s ear off, completely oblivious to what was going on. Lucy was less than happy about this.

“Are you sure the fortune was fake? It could be one of those things that seems impossible at first, but then BAM! The pieces fall into place and then everything makes sense! Doesn’t that sound at least plausible Sir Simon?”

“Um… yeah… maybe…”

“You know what?” Lucy clapped her hands together, “It’s starting to get dark. How about, instead of camping out as usual, we see if one of the locals will let us stay the night? We can sleep in actual beds, everyone can get different rooms…”

“I don’t know Miss Lucy, the locals hate magic, remember?”

“He can just cover his arms again. What do you think Simon?”

“I… like this idea. Yeah. Let’s go find someplace to stay. How about there?”

Simon pointed to a barn in the distance. Light could be seen streaming from the windows, and music could be faintly heard if you strained your ears.

“Sounds good to me! Let’s go!”

* * *

The sun had almost made it to the horizon by the time they got to the barn. Surrounding the barn were numerous buildings, probably hosting multiple families. Fields of crops could be seen nearby. The barn itself was swathed with light, and the sounds of jovial music echoed across the hills.

As they approached the large building, they caught the attention of a young woman sitting on a barrel outside. She peered at them from beneath her hat and smiled at them with a gap-toothed grin.

“Well howdy there travelers. Come for the party have ye?”

“Um, we were actually looking for a place to stay the night…”

“Don’t you all worry about that! We host travelers coming through these parts all the time. We’ve got some staying here right now in fact! Don’t be shy, come on in and join the fun!”

The young woman stood up and motioned over to the door, opening it ever so slightly. The sound of laughter began to echo out from the open building. Lucy shrugged and made her way in, followed by Maxwell. Simon was about to go in when the woman stopped him.

“Now wait just a moment…”

“Is… is there a problem?” Simon began to sweat nervously.

“You should take off that coat and gloves! We don’t want you passing out from heat stroke or the like!”

“Oh, right. No, I’ll leave the coat on, I’m actually quite cold right now.”

“Well all righty then, you enjoy yourself in there!”

The woman gave Simon a smack on the back, pushing him into the door. He bumped into the backs of Lucy and Maxwell, who were staring at the spectacle around them.

The inside of the barn was closer to a circus than anything else, with people hanging from the ceiling and dancing on tables. Most of the people wore faded shirts and overalls, obviously people who worked in the fields. Others wore anything from floral dresses to intricate suits of armor. People travelling from place to place, stopping at this little barn in the middle of nowhere to have a good time.

Lucy glanced over at Simon, and noticed that he didn’t look very comfortable. He was shifting his feet and scratching at his arms. He kept sticking his finger in his ear and tilting his head as though he was having trouble hearing something.

“Hey Simon, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Um. No. I think… I think I need to use the bathroom.”

He took off his backpack and threw it to Lucy before running into the crowd. Before she could do anything, he was already lost amongst the party. Lucy grumbled and slung his bag over her shoulder before wading into the crowd herself, with Maxwell following close behind.

The two of them found their way to the center of the party, where a band was playing on a raised platform. Lucy turned to ask Maxwell if he saw Simon anywhere, but sighed as she noticed that he had begun dancing and posing with a small pack of muscular men.

“Yes! Yes! This is my kind of PARTY!”

Lucy plopped down in a chair next to one of the many tables that dotted the area. She was so preoccupied in her own thoughts, she didn’t even notice that there was someone else sitting at the table. A cough caught her attention, and she saw a small, shaking man sitting at the table. He was tugging at a set of loose-fitting armor.

“Excuse me… are you a… magic user…”

“No. Why, are you scared of magic too? You don’t look like a local.”

“I’m not, but I’ve learned to fear magic users too.”

“Well then I’m sorry, because I don’t get it.”

He leaned across the table and stared at her intensely, his eyes bulging in his skull.

“I’ve seen why. I understand. Two nights ago, I stayed at a nearby farmstead. I wasn’t the only traveler there. There were all kinds of people, including a magic user. He seemed nice enough, but then it happened. I awoke to the sound of screams that night, and it happened…”

“What happened?” Lucy began to lean away from the man who was starting to freak her out. The man moved back and away from her, staring off into the distance.

“He attacked. I don’t know why. I emerged into the night, only to watch as the people who had housed and fed me were struck down. Shards of ice rained down from the rooftop, plunging into people, freezing their wounds as they cried out in agony. I can never un-see it…”

“That’s terrible, but it’s still just one person. You shouldn’t let one magic user ruin all of them for you. In fact…”

“You don’t get it!” He hissed at her, “It’s not one man! This happens every time! According the locals, the past four magic users to pass through these parts have attacked! It’s a curse! A curse that every magic user who enters these lands shall destroy everything around them. It’s not about one bad apple, it’s every magic user who comes here!”

“Every… magic user…”

Lucy got up from the table, and ran over to Maxwell. She grabbed him by the ear and pulled him away from the people he was dancing with.

“Gah! What is the meaning of this?!”

“We need to find Simon. Now. And we need to leave as soon as we can.”

Before Maxwell could respond, a scream echoed throughout the building. The band immediately stopped playing, and the crowd turned to face the scream. Smoke was rising steadily from the back of the room, and a tidal wave of people surged away from a fire that slowly began to spread.

An arc of lightning shot upwards, striking one of the rafters and causing it to catch ablaze. The young man who Lucy had been talking to stood up and shakily drew a sword.

“No… Not again…”

As the farmers ran away from the fire, large groups of travelers drew their weapons and ran towards it. Lucy watched as bodies flew up into the air. As they hit the ground, sword slashes were easily visible across their chests. Maxwell backed away as a body fell at his feet.

“What!?”

Lucy bent down and pressed her fingers to the neck of one of the bodies.

“They’ll live.”

“What is going on Miss Lucy!?”

“I told you, we need to find Simon and get the hell out of here.”

As she said that, the sound of lightning accompanied another body flying through the air, but this one landed gracefully on one of the ceiling beams. The figure looked down at the scrambling, panicking people below, his eyes glowing with multicolored light. Simon pointed his arm downwards, and a bolt of lightning struck the ground, lighting the wooden floor ablaze.

Arrows, spears, and broken bottles flew upwards at him, only to be easily deflected with a swipe of his sword. He slashed at the ceiling, causing chunks of wood to fall and feed the fire below, while opening a large hole in the roof at the same time. He let loose another bolt and launched himself upwards, disappearing through the hole.

Lucy turned and ran towards the door of the building, which had been flung wide open. She could see Simon drop to the ground and begin running off towards the open fields. She had almost made it to the door when a metallic hand grabbed her shoulder.

“Simon would want us to help these people.”

“Simon just attacked these people!  He’s getting away, we have to chase him Maxwell!”

“At the expense of others lives?”

“But… I…”

“Lucy.”

Lucy tightened her fists, her knuckles turning white. But then she sighed and released her grip. She ripped herself away from the door, and ran into the blazing building.

As she and Maxwell went to help save people from the raging fire, Simon ran off into the night. His eyes were wild and filled with multicolored light, and his mouth was curled into a smile. But at the same time, lurching sobs struggled to get through his clenched teeth, and tears streamed down his face.