Lulu the Apprentice

“We have plenty of time, Lulu darling. Why are you walking so fast?”

Lulu closed her eyes, sighing and turned her head to the ground. When she looked up again, her glare could have cut him in half.

“Do not call me ‘darling’. I am not your ‘darling’ and I will NEVER BE your darling.”

“That’s not what I was sensing two evenings ago in the banquet hall. In fact, from what I recall, you were shooting me some interesting glances, ones that I couldn’t have misconstrued.”

Lulu let out a controlled breath. “Yes, I may have found you appealing that evening. That was, of course, before I discovered just how fond of women you really are.”

“What can I say? Women find me appealing. As a lord I don’t even have to look that hard for them. I’ve found with love that it can present itself in a variety of times and places. When it comes my way, who am I to deny it? Does that make me a monster? Besides, its’ not like I forced myself on them. They were all… quite willing.” Kirk grinned a devilish smile.

She had to admit that he was right. Even now, Lulu found herself drawn to his charm - however depraved - as well as by his looks. It was a smile similar to the one he was giving her now that had attracted her during the banquet. His eyes were like two gorgeous sapphires and that grin could have made her knees weak, if his personality hadn’t done so to her stomach already. Lulu could feel her patience dissipating fast. 

“Lord Kirk, you assume too much about your ‘gifts’. I recommend that we continue this journey in silence. As your escort from the kingdom of Chastain to that of Derdenwood, it is essential that my attention not stray from the road. People have been known to disappear on these paths. I should hate to have to silence you with magic.”

“Ha, ha” Kirk half laughed, “we’ve moved on to idle threats have we? I can only imagine what my father would think if he were to hear that an apprentice mage was making threats, however small, against a family member…”

It took all she had not to curse him on the spot. As much as she would have liked to use her magic against him, Lulu couldn’t afford to be dismissed from the duke’s manner in Chastain. She needed the money. Without a steady income, Lulu would be unable to afford to continue her magical training. Since most legal magical work was done in service to royalty and lords, it was he, at least for now, that Lulu had to to appease. Lulu forced a smile and turned to Kirk. 

“I am sworn to your house to serve and protect you and your family. Of course I would never use my magic to harm you. Although, I’m sure if your father was made aware of some of your more recent conquests, he might have a word to say with you, not me.”

Kirk stepped closer to Lulu, pulling his hand behind her, then gripped her backside firmly. 

“My father needn’t know about ALL of my most recent conquests.” He shot Lulu a lascivious smile. They both stopped walking.

Lulu could feel her anger beginning to boil beneath the surface. She thought of all the ways she wanted to respond, but chose the least aggressive one, despite an overwhelming urge to teach him a longer lasting lesson. In her mind, she visualized a small layer of magic between his hand and the fabric of her dress.

“Remove your hand immediately!” she said calmly, but articulated with menacing intent.

“What if I like it right where it is?”

Without a second thought, Lulu crossed her arms in front of her chest, then sharply increased the magic into his hand.

"Ow” Kirk yelped, ripping his hand away into the safety of his other. The air sizzled in front of the fabric where his hand had just been. 

“Using magic against a lord. This doesn’t bode well for you. I will have to report this to my father, of course.”

“That is as may be, but know this. You will not put another finger on me without my consent, or I will be forced to take my magic even farther. Now I suggest, again, that we walk the remainder of this journey in silence. We will arrive before dusk.”

Kirk started to protest, but thought about it and decided against it. He twisted his fist up to his face, unclenching his fingers slowly to get a look at the burn. Lulu also peered through the corner of her eye to make sure that she hadn’t gone too far. Just as she had expected, the skin had changed to a soft pink. The magic hadn’t been exerted long enough or hot enough to leave boils or any permanent burn marks. She smiled slightly. Though an apprentice, Lulu knew her craft. If he tried again, she might have to leave a scar to make sure that the lesson sunk in.

The magical escort service was nothing new. Royalty and the houses of lords had relied on the services of wizards and mages for security on journeys for hundreds of years. Of course, while royalty and the wealthier houses could afford the employ of a master wizard and a full caravan, other houses were content with the use of a single apprentice wizard. A wizard’s diverse skills as well as their specialization in certain fields made them adept not only in the protection against enemies along the way but also in ensuring their survival whether they traveled on long, unpopulated roads or through dense forests.

Wizard specializations varied greatly. Some had a vast knowledge of the forests and all they contained. Others excelled in cities full of people where their guile and speech-craft would allow them to charm people, convincing them to do things - whether for good or evil. And others yet were exceptionally good at divining a sense of direction from the environment around them. The wizards that excelled at this last skill often chose a calling in the magical escort service. Regardless of the twists and turns along the way, one of these wizards could easily determine the quickest, least dangerous path to take.

While Lulu had dabbled in many different aspects of magical study, she had not yet discovered her specialty. She found that so many fields held interest to her that it was difficult to narrow down which one or even which ones to focus on. Lulu could identify a handful of useful plants in the forest, but often confused other medicinal herbs and roots with their identical, poisonous counterparts. When it came to tracking, she had only a rudimentary knowledge of how to determine her direction along a trail. As a result, though a competent escort, she lacked the skills necessary to take her fares on longer, dangerous journeys and had never dared to volunteer for them.

Journeys, like the one she was on now were perfect for her. They were far enough away from home that she could identify the terrain and was familiar with the surrounding forests as well as the kind of people - friend and bandit alike - to expect along the way. At least it would have been the perfect journey for her had she not gotten stuck escorting House Bradigan’s youngest son Kirk.

Before swearing allegiance to Duke Thorne Bradigan, Kirk’s father, Lulu had known very little about the members of the Bradigan family. Now, after a month of service Lulu had become familiar with all of the family members including, most recently, Kirk. While each of them displayed an air of superiority and to a varying degree vanity, Kirk’s level of conceit was unparalleled. Even though she had know him for three days, it had only taken one evening to figure out what he was about. At first enamored with him as their eyes met across the room she soon learned of his voracious appetite for women and left, but not before witnessing him begin to ensnare yet another woman.

As they walked, Lulu caught a glimpse of Kirk's face as he turned to look through the trees. When women looked at him, in his mind, they wanted, no, needed him. And he was often right. But to Lulu, there was nothing more repulsive in a person than when they were aware of their own beauty and presumed that all were swayed by it. 

The two of them walked on. Lulu read the declination of the sun compared to the treetops and could see that within an hour they would arrive in Derdenwood. She could hardly wait. Nothing sounded better right now than to seclude herself away in her room for a day or two before it was time to return to Chastain with Kirk.

“So what stopped you?” Kirk asked peering over at her.

“Pardon me?” Lulu asked, snapping out of her thoughts.

“Two nights ago in the banquet hall. I saw the look in your eyes. You wanted me. I’ve seen it before in plenty of women. Then you were gone. What stopped you from approaching me?” That terrible, lusty smirk had returned to his face. 

“Fortunately for me, a fellow apprentice intercepted me before I could make my way over to you. She informed me of the kind of man you were and the appetite that you had for women’s bodies.”

“Other apprentice? Oh, do tell me, was it Rory?” Kirk chuckled. “Did she happen to mention the night that she and I spent together?”

Lulu glared at him.

“I love the company of wizards. They know how to make a man feel real good.” At this, he put the fingers of the hand closest to Lulu on her shoulder and slowly dragged them down her sleeve seductively. “You know what I mean?”

Lulu stopped walking abruptly. “Do you recall what i said about touching me again without my consent?” She breathed in and out a rigid breath and crossed her arms. Her eyes were an inferno of rage and magic. 

Kirk removed his hand. “As you wish.”

Lulu grimaced and started walking again. 

“A pity really. For you that is. But don’t fret, I was able to find another suitable, equally titillating substitute.”

“As I recall, before I slipped out of the hall, you were beginning to court the duchess Lorelai of house Danes. Were I you, a little prudence would be in your best interest. I don’t imagine that the Duke would take it too kindly if he were to hear about the tryst you shared with his wife.” 

“I won’t tell him if you won’t.”

“You disgust me.” Lulu frowned, her arms still crossed, and looked away off into the trees.

At that exact moment, there came a rustling in the bushes on both sides of the path. They stopped walking and looked out into the branches, but before they could locate the source of the noises, a sharp cry pierced the air. “GET THEM.” Four men lunged at Lulu and Kirk from the trees, two from each side of the path. 

Kirk sprang into a frantic run, clopping his way down the path, his pursuers trailing close behind. Clearly his faith in her abilities was low. For a moment, Lulu froze. This was the first time that she and one of her fares had encountered this kind of danger during her travels. Lulu managed to take a few steps backwards, but before she could raise her hands up to defend herself, they had tackled her to the ground. 

One man held her arms together as the other knelt down on her back working to bind both of her wrists tightly between a coarse rope. Struggle as she might, one of the men, let alone two, was far too strong for her. But even in her dilemma, Lulu still found a moment to smile. At least she didn’t have to worry about Kirk for now. She could still hear the diminishing clunk of Kirk and his pursuer’s boots racing long the dirt path. 

Still twisting and squirming in an attempt to free herself, an idea popped into her mind. She would need to focus and it would have to be timed just right, but it could work. Lulu cleared her mind and went limp. Out of nowhere a deep, loud clap like thunder roared. A ball of fire exploded between the men and expanded outward pushing them off of her and scorching their exposed skin in the process. Immediately afterwards a brilliant flash of light lit the forest, temporarily blinding and confusing the men. 

They rolled around on the ground rubbing their eyes and clutching their burned skin. Neither of them could see anything past the the black, sparkles that filled their vision. She didn’t have long before they regained their sight though. Her hands were still bound, so she rolled onto her back and lifted the upper half of her body off the ground. Next she swiveled her legs underneath her hips and used them to slowly, carefully stand up. One of the men was fumbling around on the ground beside her, reaching around with his hands. The skin on the side of his body that had faced the fireball was swelling up, bright red like a tomato. They kept shouting to each other asking where the other was or if he’d found her yet. 

Lulu tiptoed around him into the forest and sat down, hiding behind the trunk of a massive oak tree. She needed to undo the rope around her wrists before she could deal with them properly. Clearing her mind, Lulu tried to focus her magic into a fine point so that she could burn a line through the rope. But before she was able to channel her magic, Lulu heard the sound of someone traipsing around close by, ruffling foliage and pushing branches aside.

“She’s gotta be around here somewhere!” one of them yelled.

Their vision had returned much quicker than she had expected. Worse yet, the person walking around was getting close. If he got to her before she could undo the rope, she was finished. Lulu kept trying to focus her magic into the rope, but was finding it difficult to concentrate under the pressure that he might stumble upon her any moment. Sweat started to bead on her forehead. The sound of the man’s boots diffracted around the other side of the tree trunk. 

There was no longer time. Lulu closed her eyes and held her breath, hoping, futilely, that he would overlook her somehow. The man stepped around the tree right in front of her. She could hear the crunch of soil under the sole of his boots half a meter away. He stood there for a moment, breathing heavily and grumbling, and then bounded off in another direction.

Lulu was perplexed. The man was right there; he had to have seen her. She opened her eyes and looked around. There was no sign of him anywhere nor could she hear movement in the brush around her. Lulu breathed a sigh of relief and leaned her head down towards her body and was shocked at what she saw, or rather what she didn’t see. There, where her legs should have been were large tree roots and instead of her ruby traveling dress, there was only tree trunk. 

With her pursuer gone, Lulu could finally focus her magic and snapped the rope around her wrist. When she pulled up her hand, instead of fingers, she saw a small, leafy tree branch lifting up towards her face. For a while she was confused, but after a moment’s thought it dawned on her. Her specialization. It was camouflage. The fear of getting caught had somehow triggered her innate ability. She could take on the appearance of anything around her. This gave her an idea on how to rescue Kirk, deplorable as that sounded. She practiced her ability until it was dark, then followed the men back to their camp.

A campfire burned brightly. One of the men sat against a tree keeping watch, while the other rested. She could see the struggling form of Kirk, wrapped in a burlap sack and bound tightly with rope around the chest and legs. Kirk was yelling all manner of threats at the men and demanding to be set free. The man laughed heartily at the sight of Kirk struggling on the ground whilst giving demands. He stood and walked over to Kirk. 

“I hardly think you’re in a position to be giving orders. Now be quiet or I’ll have to silence you myself. Oh, and by the way.” The man kicked the burlap mass hard in the side and it fell still. “Luke asked me to send his regards. You remember him don’t you? Or perhaps his wife?” 

The man roared with laughter. He went to sit down, but a rustling in the trees stopped him; he turned around. 

“Who’s out there?” He demanded.

A low gurgling growl filled the air. The three sleeping men stirred and looked out in the direction of the noise. 

From the shadows came the massive form of a walking tree. It had two massive, burning eyes and a gaping knot in the shape of a cruel smile. The tree swung its branches and continued moving towards them. 

“This forest is haunted one of the men shouted.”

“Let’s get out of here” another yelled.

All four of the men fled into the night. When she was sure that the coast was clear, Lulu transitioned back into her normal form. She leaned over the burlap sack and ripped open a hole where she could see the imprint of Kirk’s nose underneath. 

She laughed when she saw his face. “I bet you were starting think that we were never going to make it.”