The Princess of the Night: The Sorcerer

by theanarchisteire

The College

Life was quite peaceful on Gerard’s estate, so both he and Luna knew something was wrong when they heard the sound of a car pulling up outside. They wove their way through the stacks of books in the living room, making for the front door as they heard a knock. It was loud and ominous, and Luna was filled with a sense of foreboding.
“Gerard, there is something wrong with this. I can sense whoever is there has a powerful magical aura. It would be wise to exercise caution.”
Gerard nodded at this as he moved towards the door, the knocking becoming louder, more insistent. He opened the door to see two very official looking men in suits. They had small silver pentagrams pinned to their jackets.

“Can I help you?” asked Gerard warily, instinctively shielding Luna with his body. The man on the left smiled. His long, dirty blonde hair was slicked back. He was tanned and spoke with a pleasant American accent.
“Yes, you can. You see, we are from the College of Mages, and my colleague and I were hoping we could come in and have a chat with you?” he had a certain cadence to his voice, the rhythm of his words setting Gerard at ease. Luna grasped his hand and squeezed tightly, and Gerard snapped out of it.

“No, I think here is as far as you’ll go,” he said, his voice hardening. “Now, would you like to tell me what you’re doing here?”
The man chuckled lightly, glancing at his partner.
“Straight to the point, I see. That’s quite simple really, we want her,” he said, nodding to Luna. Gerard took a threatening step forward.
“You won’t touch her,” he growled.
The pair of mages burst into gales of hysterical laughter. Eventually, the American managed to say:
“And just how do you plan on stopping us?”
Gerard concentrated, and summoned two balls of fire. The sorcerers stopped laughing immediately.
“Just try it, kid,” threatened the second man in a south London accent. Gerard complied, launching one of the fireballs. The two men parted, and the flames passed them harmlessly, fizzling out in the dirt.

“My turn,” grinned the American. Gerard felt himself being grabbed by an invisible force just before he was thrown to the side, skidding along the ground. His head connected with the side of the truck with a thunk, and he slumped to the ground. The second fireball fizzled out of existence. Luna stared daggers at the College mages.
“You will regret doing that,” she promised, clenching her fists. The pair raised their eyebrows, looking at each other.
“Feisty one she is,” laughed the Englishman. They started forward at the same time, grabbing one of Luna’s arms each. The moment they did they disappeared. A second later Luna reappeared next to Gerard. He was moaning and holding the side of his head.
“Are you all right?” inquired the princess, looking concerned.
“Yeah,” mumbled Gerard, rising to his feet. “Hey, where did-“
The two sorcerers fell screaming from the sky, hitting the ground with a crunch. Neither got up.

Luna’s eyes glowed and a blue aura enveloped the mages. A moment later they disappeared again.
Gerard raised an eyebrow. “Are they dead?” he asked
“No, they are merely unconscious,“ answered Luna, “I have sent them beyond the borders of your land.”
Gerard looked relieved. “Good. I’m glad you didn’t kill them.”
He stumbled, his hand going to his head. Luna rushed to his side, supporting him.
“I think you should get some rest. You may have a concussion. Go inside, I will erect magical barriers around your land to ensure these College mages cannot return.”
Gerard nodded, turning towards the house. After a few steps Luna spoke. “Oh, and Gerard?”
Gerard stopped and turned. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for trying to defend me. Most people would not have done the same.”
Gerard looked embarrassed. “I was just protecting a friend. It was nothing, really.”

Luna blushed. “I see… I have not had many friends, so I would not know. I am grateful nonetheless.”
Gerard nodded and entered the house, making for his bedroom. He had said that she was his friend, but in truth she was so much more. Every time he saw her he was taken aback by her beauty. And the aura of sheer power she exuded… it was almost intoxicating. As he way down in bed he thought all these things and more. A voice in his head whispered teasingly:
“Someone’s in love.”

***

Luna sighed as she walked around the edge of Gerard’s estate. She stopped every few metres, mentally casting protection spells. As she walked she thought about Gerard. The first person she had met in this strange world, and the kindest she had known in both realities. She remembered the first night, how he had checked so frantically for vital signs, and used his own clothes to try and keep her warm. And now, he had gone up against two experienced mages when they threatened her. She was not used to this level of kindness. In the past people had only been nice to her because she was a princess. Genuine kindness was a new concept, one which she was thoroughly enjoying. She had felt so angry when the mage hurt Gerard. How dare he hurt the only person she cared about in this world!

Luna exhaled loudly, calming herself. She finished her protection spells and teleported home. She went to Gerard’s room to check on him and saw that he was sleeping peacefully. She softly padded over to him and leaned down, gently kissing his forehead.