The Beast Within by SL Perrine

Author:SL Perrine [Perrine, SL]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Burning Willow Press, LLC
Published: 2017-03-04T06:00:00+00:00

I located Ty in the back of the house, manipulating a rosebush. The rosebuds were growing from bud to full bloom. They shrank back to a bud before the petals had a chance to wither and die.

“That’s beautiful.” I didn’t even realize I said it out loud, but Ty turned his head to look at me. He didn’t look as he usually did. He looked tired and forlorn. There were dark circles under his eyes and his skin was ashen.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked as I approached him. Pushing his blond hair out of his face, I saw his sunken cheeks and eyes.

“I was just going to ask you the same thing. You look like you’re on your deathbed.”

“That’s just the magia. It takes a toll on us here.” He continued to manipulate the plant.

“Well, whatever it is, I feel better than you look.” We both laughed, if only slightly. I knelt down beside him and the rosebush. “What do you mean? How is it any easier in Pylira?” The grass was soft beneath me and the sun kissed my face. The last few months, it had gotten cold and the springtime yard lifted my mood.

“In Pylira, we have the energy of magia that lives there, and we can draw from it.” He waved a hand over the rosebush and the blossoms opened and shrunk back to buds again.

“What about here?” I picked up a petal that fell to the ground.

“Here, what we draw from, we eventually kill if we're not careful, by stripping it of all its energy.” He looked at me and then my hand, where the single petal danced.

“I’m not killing anyone to do magic.” I closed my fist around the petal, crushing it.

“No, not like that. The energy I’m pulling is from nature; plant life and insects mostly. The rest comes from ourselves. That’s why you passed out last night. We forgot to teach you to pull from nature.” He looked back to the rosebush.

“So, I made myself really tired?” I chuckled a little at the sound of it, but by the scornful look on his face, I knew he was not happy. “Why so glum?” I poked at him.

“Renee, this is very serious stuff. By not teaching you properly, I could have gotten you killed.” He stood and turned away from me. I saw the petals on the rosebush wither and fall to the ground. His fatigue was swiftly gone, and I could see the color rush back to Ty’s face.

“Ty, it's okay... I’m okay. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” I stood and placed a hand on his arm to turn him, but he didn’t budge.

“If you had died, then this would all be for nothing,” he snapped back.

“What would?” He wouldn’t look my way, which bothered me. Finally, he turned and faced my direction. He looked like he studied my every feature.

“I came here knowing I would be trapped away from my family. That would all be for nothing if you weren’t here.

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