I woke to the smell of food, my belly grumbling to remind me the stew last night had been the only food I’d had for a day or so. I sat up and rubbed my eyes sleepily. The cabin didn’t appear any more impressive with the morning light streaming in through the windows than it had in the dark. Still a cluttered and musty wreck. Why anyone would live here was beyond me.

“Hungry?”

His words pulled my attention back to the present. “Very. What’s for food?”

He held up the cast iron skillet with a protective glove. “Meat and potatoes.”

“Your descriptions are a bit lacking.”

He shrugged with a smirk, plating enough for both of us. He handed me my plate and vaulted over the couch to sit next to me.

“Do you jump over things all the time? First that branch, now your couch. I feel it’s an unnecessary flex.”

He burst into laughter as though I’d told a joke. I stared at him as he composed himself again.

“I do leap over many things. At my height, it’s easier than ducking under.”

“I wouldn’t really know, being the shortest person in any of my villages.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Villages? Plural? I thought most of you stayed in the same place your whole lives.”

I gave him a shrug as I chowed down on the fried sausage and potatoes. “I’m not really welcome in places for long periods of time. I’m cursed.”

“Ah, I understand now. You’re one of the Descendants, aren’t you? That explains how you produced that knife so quickly.”

I stared at him. “I’m what?”

It was his turn to stare. “You’re kidding, right? You don’t know what you are?”

“I’m cursed. That’s all I know. The Gods have cursed me with power but very little control. I didn’t mean to make that dagger appear yesterday. It was just an automatic reaction to a threat. I can only sometimes use it on purpose.”

“Is that why you need to go down the river? Looking for a teacher?”

“Something like that.” I tried to ignore his expectant look. “Look, I’m not really comfortable sharing more with you. We’re still strangers.”

He extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Samriel.” I didn’t extend mine. “What? I’m trying to stop being strangers. So, I’m Samriel. What’s your name?”

“Kindred.” I slowly took his hand, relieved when the sharp pain didn’t happen this time.

“See? Now, we’re not strangers. Now can you be less evasive?” He grinned at me.

“Sorry, Samriel. Not that easy to gain my trust.”

“Darn. Guess I’ll just have to continue being charming in hopes you’ll open up a bit more.”

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help but be amused by him.”Where’s the boat?”

I followed Samriel back to the river, the boat held over his head with no effort. He was already tall, but with the boat lifted above his head, it was much more evident. If I weren’t so used to literally being half the height of everyone around me I might have been intimidated.

The river was a bit calmer than it had been the night before, but I was still glad for his boat. I wouldn’t make it across no matter how much I wanted to do this by myself. Sometimes help is required.

I guess.

“Alright, kiddo. In you get.”

“I’m not a kid and I’m going to have to ask you to stop calling me one.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, Kindred. I actually thought you were a child…You probably get that a lot.”

I sighed with a nod. “Yeah, I’ve been considered an adult by my people for a few years now. Not that it matters. It’s part of my curse.”

“Do all Descendants of your people have stunted growth?”

“There are no others like me.”

“That’s not very likely. There are countless Descendants throughout the world. I’m sure your people must have some others.”

I shook my head as I climbed into the boat. “No. My people had our Sparks taken. A punishment for our ancestors betraying the Lady of Order.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because that’s an orderly way of handling things.” He froze before pushing the boat in the water. “Wait…Wait…you’re one of the Scopids? Cursed children of the Chaotic One? I thought you were all wiped out.”

“Sort of. The Lady of Order saw the darkness in my people and it was foretold that we would bring destruction to the world. So, our Sparks were taken. None of us have had magic since. No one until me.”

He was silent for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. “That isn’t something to be ashamed of, Kindred.”

Before I could say anything, he shoved the boat into the current, leaping into it with his paddle and quickly gaining control of the boat. I clung to the sides, my nails digging into the wood. I tried to keep as calm as possible. The last thing we needed was for this boat to catch fire.

“You look nervous, Kindred!” I glared over my shoulder at him as he laughed.

“This isn’t funny, Samriel!”

“I think you just have the wrong perspective. Hang on! It only gets worse from here!”

“It gets wor-”

I was thrown about as the rapids became violent, almost flying out of the boat. Samriel caught me before I could get far, pulling me close to him.

“Might want to stay close! Water’s pretty rough!”

I didn’t have the luxury of a different option if I wanted to stay out of the water. I clung to his leg, praying to the Gods that I would survive this.

I sat next to the fire Samriel had built for us, wrapping my blanket tighter around myself. We’d gotten a good distance, but the sun was setting. It wouldn’t be safe to try to keep going. The rocks were hard enough for Samriel to avoid with the sunlight. Besides, I wasn’t going to complain about being on solid land for a while.

Our clothes were soaked, drying by the fire. Samriel had given me a blanket he’d put into a waterproof bag and a shirt he’d brought for himself. It was almost comically large on me, but at least I wasn’t naked. He’d put on his extra pants, but was shirtless as he cooked us up some game he’d caught. His pale skin was covered in scars. Some looked like they were from animal attacks. Others were pretty clearly from magical combat. Scars caused by magic always had an odd sheen to them.

“It’s rude to stare, you know.”

My face went a bit red as I glared at him. “I wasn’t staring. It just isn’t often I get to see someone who has survived so many magical wounds.”

“Survived is a kind of loose term, I’m afraid.” He touched the Fire Scar on his chest. “This one was fatal. It is only by chance that I was revived. This was my second chance. I don’t know if I’ll get a third.”

There was a sadness to his words, but I didn’t push him. Whatever happened had left with him a haunted look when recalling it. I knew better than to pry for information when it invoked that kind of look. Magic scars left more than a physical mark on the body. Your very Spark could be left permanently damaged if the wound wasn’t tended properly or if it was damaged too frequently.

“Is it true that they always hurt?” The question came out before I could stop the words. Sometimes curiosity got the best of me.

“Not always. When in the presence of the offending Force they tingle. I am a bit more susceptible to being damaged by that Force again, but exposure therapy is a fairly successful treatment.”

“Exposure therapy?”

“I get in magic fights a lot.”

“That sounds kind of dangerous.”

He laughed quietly, handing me a portion of the meat. “My life is kind of dangerous, Kindred. At least I get to choose this danger.”

“I guess that’s a good way to look at it. Still sounds like a stupid idea.”

“Never said it wasn’t a stupid idea. It is an effective one, though, and beggars can’t be choosers. Eat up and get some rest. The river doesn’t get easier from here.” He got up and stretched before heading toward the trees.

“Where are you going?”

“Nature calls. I’ll be right back. Unless you want to come with me.” He laughed at my confused expression. “It was a joke, Kindred. Lighten up a bit, huh?”

I watched him disappear into the darkness with a sigh. “Wish I could…”