Music to My Ears

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. Literally. The long-awaited fall festivals had arrived, and the performers were making a great show of it. The crowds awed as the flames danced. I moved right past them and continued on. Elemental magic was common in Silkmere. I was surprised the tourists hadn’t gotten tired of it. I certainly had. 

“Miss, if you’ll allow me, I sense great magic,” one of the vendors called as I passed. I barely gave them a second look, turning the other direction instead. Of all the vendors, that one was the only one who moved when I passed. I had walked through that market for years. You’d think everyone would know better than to approach me with the thoughts of magic. 

“Ah, Marigold. What can I get for you today,” Madame Colbert greeted as I arrived at her stall. 

“Some paper and paints, please,” I replied. The old woman waved her hand, and a stack of paper and a set of paint levitated out of the pile behind the booth. If it had been anyone else, I would have snarled at her. If it had been anyone else, I would have refused to buy anything from the magic wielder. But, this wasn’t just anyone else. This was Madame Colbert. If you refused service from her, you basically blacklisted yourself. As soon as the transaction was done, however, I allowed myself to frown. Gosh, I could still feel the magic in the air. I shuddered in disgust. If there was a god, I was cursing him out for giving the pitiful humans the gift of magic. 

I made my way back to the rooms I shared with a few other girls. There was another reason I never refused Madame Colbert. She was the one who paid for our room and let us sell in the market. Without her, all of us would have already starved. None of us had a family to call our own. My own parents had been killed for practicing divination when I was ten. If Madame Colbert hadn’t taken me in, I would have died on the street. 

“Back already, Mare,” Carlita questioned, breaking me from my thoughts. She was the oldest out of the five us in the rooms. There were three bedrooms, so she was the only one with her own. 

“I’m just dropping these off and heading to the woods,” I answered before walking into the room I shared with Mona. We were all pretty tight, so I just put the supplies on the bed, trusting that no one would touch them. Since the festival was here, most of the vendors made little trinkets for the tourists. I had a full set of paper trinkets and painted scenes, but since there was still time to make some more, I thought why not. Without another word, I headed to the woods at the edge of town. If I wanted the pieces to sell, I’d need some authentic objects from the town. Some yellowed and oranged leaves should do the trick. 

As I walked through the woods, I was aware of the distant festival music. I used it to mask my footfalls, careful not to disturb the animals around me. My body moved to the beat, and my feet practically stepped in time. I had gathered a few materials when I heard the music changed. This had happened once or twice before in my life, but I was never sure if the music actually changed or if it was just all in my head. I never dared to ask any of the other girls for fear that they think me completely mad. At the time, I was inclined to agree with them. 

Still, when the music shifted, I tensed, straining my ears to listen. The music was tight and suspenseful. When I turned, I saw a dark figure making its way through the trees. Instinctively, I crouched down. For once, I was grateful for the strange music. 

“Soon,” I heard the man say. “Everything will be ready soon. The packs are coming. Everything is falling into place.” Since I couldn’t see anyone else around, I assumed he was talking to the wind. An elemental mage, I realized. An elemental mage skilled with the air could send messages over long distances simply by talking to nothing. 

I counted to sixty and waited for the man to disappear from sight. Finally, he did, and I was able to breathe. I had enough supplies anyway. It was time to head home. I walked through the woods, resisting the urge to run. Who was that man? Or was it a woman? What were they doing? What was falling into place? It didn’t make any sense. 

“Mare, did you hear,” Mona questioned as soon as I stepped inside. She looked at me from where she was making biscuits for the tourists. I simply shook my head, taking my seat at the kitchen table. Mona was always in on the latest gossip. There was nothing that she had heard and there was nothing I had. 

“The royal priests have come to town. King Samuel died, and his son has taken the throne,” she continued and leaned in closer. “Don’t you know what that means?” I certainly did, but I didn’t want to say it. 

“The old guardians are dead. The priests are going around to choose new ones,” she declared and grinned. Yep, that was it. The stupid royal guardians. Every king had a set of them, and those guardians were only loyal to him. When the old king died, the guardians went and took their own lives. If they refused to do so, someone just killed them. It was all rubbish. Why on earth would a mage allow themselves to become a guardian if their life was usually cut short. 

“Remind me how the stones work again,” I suggested. Mona just shrugged. 

“The stones practically have a mind of their own, my dears. I’ve seen them fly through the air to their masters without warning. They choose only the best mages for the guardians. I have no doubt that someone in our town will be chosen as a guardian,” Madame Colbert answered. I jumped. I hadn’t even heard her come in. 

“Do you really think someone from here will be chosen,” Mona inquired. I scoffed. I wouldn’t say that the mages in our town were powerful. I wouldn’t even say we had any mages except for Madame Colbert, and she definitely wouldn’t leave. 

“Yes, Mona. I’m quite sure,” the woman answered. I swore she looked straight at me. I stood, bowed to the great mage, and stalked to my room with my supplies in hand. It was rubbish, the guardians. The mage’s home town was always revered, but I actually hoped no one would be chosen. If anyone was chosen, crowds would flock here and magic would flourish. That was the last thing I wanted. Magic was evil. The guardianship was proof of that. If what Madame Colbert said was right, and it probably was, the guardians didn’t choose the position. They were forced into it. They were forced to tie themselves to a king who would probably die soon anyway. Then, they were forced to follow him to the grave. 

I sat on my bed making and painting trinkets until Mona came running in. Without so much as an explanation, she grabbed my arm and started dragging me out of the house. I tried to wriggle away, but Mona was pretty strong. She pulled me out of the house and into the street. At one point, I gave up fighting and just tried to keep up with my friend. Finally, we came into the town square. That’s when I could see what all the fuss was about. The royal priests were gathered in the center of town. The time to choose the guardians had come. 

“Hear ye, hear ye, citizens of Silkmere. I bring saddening news. King Samuel of Asnaria has passed away. Prince Aaron has risen to take his place. Therefore, with a heavy heart, I announce that it is time to choose new guardians, the Divine. All those who are sixteen or shall turn sixteen in the coming months, please step forward. Anyone who does not comply will face the wrath of the king,” the priest declared. The crowd shuffled and backed away while Mona just shoved me into the empty space. I knew that the new king was around 16, so I assumed that was why the priest said that. A few girls in the town would giggle and swoon over Prince Aaron. Since Mona was one of them, I knew way more about the prince than I wanted to. Unfortunately, my friend was too young to participate. I’d be doing this alone. 

“Please line up five to a row, if you will,” the priest continued. More shuffling. I thought it would be the perfect time to break away and run. I didn’t want this. I could slip away. There were other girls. I wouldn’t be noticed. But, I heard the music in the air. It was sweet with a hint of danger woven in. I stiffened and looked around. No one else seemed to hear it. 

The royal priest bowed and took a tray from one of his companions. Those were the stones. Probably fresh from a few dead bodies. I shuddered at the thought. The tray was covered in a veil, but when it came off, I swore I heard trumpets in the music. As soon as the cover was off, the stones started to buzz, and the crowd gasped. Madame Colbert was right. Those stones certainly had a mind of their own. 

There were six stones. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, the colors of the rainbow. They sparkled and gleamed in the light. Still, one by one, the stones stood still. All except one. The purple stone continued to buzz and glow until it flew from the box toward the chosen group. It hung in the air for a moment as if weighing its options. It was small, so you could hardly see it. Still, the whole crowd held their breath in anticipation. Finally, it made a move. It had chosen a new guardian. Madame Colbert was right. The thing is, the one the stone chose was me. 

It zipped through the air straight to by ear where it made its home on my earlobe like some sort of earring. The crowd gasped, though I was sure I could hear Mona cheer. 

“The Guardian of Oeus, the God of Wonders, has been chosen. Would the receiver of the stone please step forward,” the priest called. The trumpets were louder than ever, and I found myself practically rooted in that position. The music pulsed quietly. This couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t be chosen. I didn’t want to be chosen. I didn’t want magic. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to tie myself to a king. I didn’t—

“Please, step forward,” the priest repeated, and this time, someone shoved me forward. Against my will, I walked toward the priests. The speaker took my hand and held it to the sky. 

“All kneel before the chosen guardian,” he commanded. I stiffened. Kneel, no, I didn’t want them to kneel. Before I could object, however, everyone dropped to their knees. Even the priests kneeled until I was the only one left standing. The music swelled with glory and honor. If it were my choice, I would have ripped that stone out of my ear and thrown back to the priest. I didn’t want this. Still, I caught sight of Mona, Madame Colbert, and Carlita in the crowd. They were kneeling but their eyes were turned to me. All three were smiling so brightly as to rival the sun. I couldn’t let them down. So, I nodded and let the music flow. I, Marigold Weathers, was the chosen of Oeus, the God of Wonders. I, Marigold Weathers, was a guardian. 

At last, everyone stood and looked at me. Some looked in awe, some in fear, but everyone looked at me. I tried my best to seem like a real guardian as if I didn’t want to run off the stage at that very second. I could fake a smile, but I wasn’t about to fake how I truly felt about the stone on my ear. 

The priest ushered me away to their royal caravan. There were a few other altar boys and such bustling around. A few stopped to stare at me. Well, they were either staring at me or the mystic stone embedded in my ear. I resisted the urge to tell them to all go away as the music seemed to become more angelic. 

The priests gave me my own temporary tent, saying we would be leaving shortly. So, I sat in that tent while contemplating my fate. I was a guardian, a real guardian. The stone chose me for whatever reason. Me, the girl who wanted nothing to do with magic, was now a guardian. Why did you choose me, I wondered. The stone seemed to hum in response, and a melody slowly formed. Only this time, I didn’t just hear the music. I could see something. I saw myself and the five other guardians kneeling before the king. I saw us helping people, protecting them. I saw us all changing the world. It showed me exactly what magic could do. For the first time in a long time, I saw the purity of magic. So, when the music swelled and filled the room, it was music to my ears.