The full moon cast harsh shadows on the ground, dipping Gimma into a bright but cold tint. Embry squinted and slowly made his way over to the hunting party that already assembled on the main square. The dry snow crunched under his feet and he felt the ice-cold air filling his lungs.

The air smelled fresh and clean but here, in the monastery, he could also smell the burning wood in some of the fireplaces and the animals in the stalls nearby. The faint yet sharp scent of thunder was also to be found, always wafting around the pages as they wandered around, fixing the last of the protective spells for the big hunt.

People murmured calmly but the screeching sound of short swords getting a last test and knives slipping into sheathes, spears clacking and arrows tumbling around in their quivers meant the time for the nightly hunt was close.

Embry stared off into the darkness beyond the gates, thrumming with energy. After arriving in Gimma and finding a new home, he had bonded with another page.

Berinn.

The page had a sharp tongue and a cheeky grin and his spark was strong. But after the mage had caved to Berinn’s endless stream of seductive offers and let the page into his bed, everything had been askew.

His magic felt more off-balance than before and even if he could concentrate more and didn’t blow up… things… he knew it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

And he didn’t know what it was but his magic kept tangling around traces of a lingering spark smelling so strongly of thunder that it didn’t fade immediately. Sometimes he could smell it out in the cloister, in the middle of the night, and it made him WANT.

It drove him up the wall. Because he had a bond but his magic was acting up and throwing a tantrum and he felt so out of control.

A strong hand clapped his shoulder, pushing him involuntarily forward. He staggered but caught himself.

The man behind him laughed.

“Damn, Em. Are you sure you want to hunt with us? We don’t want to end up having to save you when a boar or a mean weasel attacks you.”

Embry straightened up. “Very funny.” He looked the other mage over. “Does the wolf coat serve any purpose or is it just to blend into a pack?”

Aik’s booming laugh echoed through the night. “It’s my goodluck charm. The first wolf I killed. And it keeps my back warm. Plus, the ladies and lads like it. Hopefully enough to keep me warm when we‘re back.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Embry sighed. After catching Aik in many different situations with different people in different positions, he gave up on questioning Aik‘s taste in partners. “If that’s your only concern. What will you hunt tonight?”

Aik shrugged and scratched on his chin. “I am not part of the chase with the nets, and traps aren’t my thing so whatever crosses my path and is big enough will be fair game. And you?”

They slowly trudged towards the gate where more and more people spilled out into the darkness surrounding the monastery. “I want meat. Boar or deer maybe?”

Aik nodded approvingly. “Sounds good. You know you have to present it to your page?”

Embry groaned. “I know. He’s reminded me several times. Every single day. For weeks.”

“And no magic,” Aik reminded him.

“I know, I know.” It could interfere with spells and the magic of other mages. Healing charms could be spoiled and protection tokens made futile.

They passed the main gate and got their torches handed over by peasants, who smiled and wished them good luck. The residents were thrilled by the hunt. A wandering pack of wolves had already killed three young cows and the farmers would be relieved to have the pack gone. For most, the chance to eat game was also a welcome change in the sometimes bland diet of winter and the feast that followed the hunt was always highly anticipated by everybody.

Aik cracked his knuckles. “Let‘s go. I am so ready for a good kill.”

They stomped towards the trees, little glittering flakes falling from branches here and there. The snow would be soiled and red in the morning. Embry thought about how he missed hunting with his family, his mother kissing him goodbye and wishing him luck. And his heart ached for them.

Aik bumped his shoulder. “Thinking about Ûwila?”

The younger mage kicked some snow and smiled at his friend. “Yeah. Father would have liked this. We ate more fish and there wasn’t a lot of game to hunt. So every time we did hunt, it was a huge thing for everybody.” He sighed. “I really miss them. Everybody. Sometimes I see mundane things or hear a certain sound and it drags me back home before everything burned.”

Aik clicked his tongue. “I am sorry it happened. But I’m glad you‘re here.”

Embry huffed. “Yeah, me too.“ He tilted his head and stared into the trees. “Am I allowed to use sight?”

Aik laughed. “Nah, no cheating! Though you have to show me how that shit works.”

They trudged deeper into the forest, listening for the other hunters and the occasional hollering and howling.

The moonlight was bright enough for Embry to see the group. They calmly stood in a little clearing nibbling on branches and searching for acorns. The ears and heads went up here and there when they heard snow falling from the trees or little creaks and cracks. The other hunters were far away. Embry tried hard to suppress sight and concentrated on one doe he deemed perfect as an offering. He had been sat for a while, his thundering heart slowly calming down enough to concentrate on the group in front of him. He didn‘t dare get any closer and he had only one shot. He drew his bow, forcing the bowstring further backwards and praying the wood wouldn‘t make any noise when bent so much in the cold. The doe looked in his direction, still chewing, contemplating if the little rustling she heard was worth fleeing.

His magic hummed.

He shot.

The catch was a warm weight on his shoulders when he made his way back to the monastery. He trudged calmly, mindful of his step so as to not slip or stumble. The doe was heavy, probably half Embry‘s weight and he felt his footsteps growing heavier, sinking deeper into the snow when he left the woods. He knew he should be tired but the thrumming of the magic kept pushing him forward and dragging him back towards Gimma. He saw other hunters dragging their prizes back to the monastery. Though only game or foxes. The wolf hunt would probably take all night, chasing them through the woods and into the nets. Wolf meat had a foul taste so they‘d likely do the grim part of the work in the woods anyway.

Embry wheezed, the cold air starting to hurt his lungs and changed the position of the doe on his shoulders when he passed the gate. People clapped and studied his catch approvingly. Deer was something everybody liked to have on their plate and a big beautiful one like her was even better. He slogged towards the fires burning in the middle of the main square where the pages, some peasants and other hunters were checking the spoils. Women and men were happily presenting their prizes and praising the hunters.

Embry huffed, stopped and looked up at the moon. This tradition was tiring. He was nevertheless looking forward to the preening face of his chosen one and all the praise he was about to get. He made his way over to the group and felt the tug getting stronger.

Just when he was about to reach them, the tug wrenched him away, dragging him in another direction.

Sight crawled back into his vision, brightening the darkness and bringing out the details hidden by the nightly shadows. He saw Aik, blood-soaked but proud in the midst of the group, grinning at him broadly. There was also Benji, and Eva who inspected the beast with wild, predatory eyes herself and he bet she wished to be the one hunting in the woods.

And there was Berinn, who watched him with a cheeky grin, wanting to step forward.

But this wasn’t for him.

The words stuck in his throat and Embry couldn’t get out the apology he was about to mumble as he passed his confused page.

He heard Aro scolding Berinn, who was shouting, distressed by the public dismissal he had just received. Embry knew that would cost him later but the magic tugged and dragged and hissed and urged him onwards. He passed the refectory and the great cellar. His knees started to give out and he had to lean against the cold wall. He wanted to get rid of the doe and just close his eyes for a bit. The weight on his shoulders felt heavier with every step.

He looked up at the moon, still fairly high, and wondered why he couldn’t offer the doe to his page.

He dragged himself closer to the garden of the monastery, wondering who his magic had picked to be worth the offering.

“Yo, Em. Are you awake?”

Embry blinked and groaned, every bone in his body tired, hurting and just so heavy. He wanted to turn around but his shoulders hurt too much.

“No. Let me lie a bit longer and die peacefully.”

Aik laughed, leaning against the doorway to his room with folded arms. “Aro said you can stay in bed a bit longer.” He took a closer look. “Is that blood on your face and hands? Didn’t you wash up?”

Embry stared at his bloody hands, dried flakes falling off in patches. He lifted the cover and yes, still fully clothed. He groaned again. “Fuck, the matron will kill me. I have no idea how I got here.”

Aik walked over to his window and peered outside. “Figures. Where’s the beautiful doe you brought back from the hunt?”

The younger mage dragged his hand over his face and tried to remember what had happened. “I don‘t know… Fuck, I have no idea who received it. Oh gods, I dumped a hundred pound doe at somebody’s feet and I have no idea who got the offering. What’s wrong with me? Shouldn’t it have been Berinn?”

Aik watched Embry slowly talk himself into the beginnings of a serious panic attack, then dragged him up, ignoring the howling and complaints. “You know… sooner or later it will pop up. Probably. And then we will know who got it. Until then we‘ll clean you up because, by gods, you smell and then you get to deal with that angry page of yours.”

“And then I saw the brown wolf and he growled at me and moved and–” Aik stopped in the middle of his epic, and quite unrealistic, tale of how he killed the wolf when a little clacking sound at the window interrupted him.

Embry was sitting chin deep in hot water and just turned his head to watch the older mage opening the window swiftly before sticking his head outside, listening. The bathhouse was mostly empty at this time so nobody yelled at Aik for letting out the warm, moist air but Embry wished his friend would speed up. The chilly air crawling in wasn‘t pleasant.

“Aik… hurry up!”

Aik waved a hand at him, stuck out his head once more and closed the window, grinning at him impishly.

“Matron told the kitchen maid, who told Mads who told… I forget… who told Benji that your doe was brought to the kitchens sometime ago by Eva who didn’t want to say where or how she got it. She just told the staff it‘s yours and the presentee would like to gift the community with the offering.” He plopped down on the stone bench next to the tub. “Still no bells ringing in that pretty head of yours?”

Embry scratched said pretty head. “Fuck. No. If Eva won’t tell, I‘ll never know.”

Aik leaned back and rubbed his cheek. The scar probably hurt from the cold. “Maybe they’ll come forward when the feast takes place. Wouldn’t be the first time. I haven’t seen someone in such a deep magic trance for a while. Like you were stupefied. Quite a sight to be honest but I like you better when you know what you’re doing.”

Embry thought about all the times his magic had acted up and felt the tug and want in the last couple of weeks. He started to have doubts. He didn’t want to, but the lingering feeling of missing a piece of the puzzle was like stuck thorn he couldn’t reach.

“We‘ll see.” He didn’t want to share his apprehension yet. “Tell me more about the epic hunt of yours.”

The feast came and, with it, a very angry page. The slap Embry received was a well deserved one and his cheek glowed for quite a while, stinging in the cold air. But no presentee showed up or made themselves known. And Embry had a feeling he‘d never know for sure. He had a flickering memory of brown eyes watching him and soft fingers tracing his cheek but it could have been a dream or just his imagination. And it hurt to be left in the dark even when the pull had been so strong, but he tried to distract himself.

“Don’t search for them. They might be married, be spoken for or just not interested.“

~~~~~~

Beta: Rena Freefall