Lothering was not the type of village to draw attention to itself. It was a quiet town with an appearance straight out of a masterpiece painting, with bright flowers flourishing in the spring, and a thick white blanket of snow in the winter. The Chantry was a popular destination for locals and travelers alike, the structure offering a safe harbor for those seeking shelter from a storm, or for the wayward soul to find meaning and purpose in an ever changing world. It was not uncommon for travelers to permanently relocate to the sleepy little town after only one visit, such was the impression that the village left on them. It was a town where everyone was willing to help those in need, yet did not pry into the personal affairs of their neighbors.
It was the perfect place to disappear completely and re-establish a new identity. It was the precise reason that the Hawke family had chosen to make it their permanent home. The family was not wealthy, but their children never went hungry and they were always able to find enough to share with their less fortunate neighbors. The father, Malcolm, had a booming, infectious laugh that could be heard from several houses down and never failed to bring a smile to the faces of all who heard him. His wife Leandra was a wonderful cook, able to make the most delicious out of the simplest ingredients, and there was always plenty to share with those who were uncertain where their next meal would be coming from.
Anyone who encountered the Hawkes had nothing negative to say about them. Their kindness and good humor had even passed on to their three children. Well, two of their children; the younger boy Carver seemed to live in a perpetual state of moodiness and seemed incapable of cracking even the faintest hint of a smile. There was speculation that Malcolm favored the older son, earning the resentment and contempt of Carver. Of course these were simply rumors based on speculation, and there was no evidence that Malcolm favored any one of his children more than the others.
The only daughter, Bethany, was a sweet girl if not a little shy. She was a quiet soft spoken child, preferring to spend her time playing with her brothers rather than the other children of the village. She seemed especially close to her older brother Garrett, seeming to prefer his company to that of her twin. He seemed to act not only as her playmate, but also as her protector, keeping a close eye on her even at a distance.
Garrett was five years the twins' senior, and strongly favored his father in both looks and humor. His dark hair and eyes caught the attention of more than one young lady throughout the village. Much to his mother's relief he chose not to pursue any of these subtle advance. Leandra held an ill disguised fear that Garrett would also inherit his father's smooth talking ways and she would end up a grandmother before a respectable age.
The Hawke's were a tight knit family, and like most families, they held a secret that could hold catastrophic consequences should the information fall into the wrong hands.
The twins were spending the day playing by the river near the outskirts of the village. They were taking turns skipping rocks across the river, and as usual Carver was pouting about coming in second to his sister.
"No fair!" He whined. "You were using magic!"
"I was not!" Bethany shouted back. "If I was using magic I would have aimed them at your head."
"Keep it down!" Carver hissed, looking around nervously. "Do you want people to know what you are?"
"And what would that be?" Came a voice behind them, giving them both a start. One of the local boys Roland stood with his arms crossed, a smug expression plastered on his face. He was flanked-as he always was-by his two cronies Lucian and Anton. The two boys lacked the brain capacity to form an original thought, so they looked to Roland to do the thinking for them. The seemed to find a small sense of purpose by doing Roland's dirty work, their stupidity making them the perfect lackeys to be ordered about.
Roland was the son of a wealthy merchant, and a bully in every sense of the word. His father had paid the city guard to ignore his son's crimes on more than one occasion. He therefore thought of himself as invincible, and his boldness seemed to increase by the day. He therefore had no qualms about harassing the Hawke twins in broad daylight, and did not care who saw him.
"N-nothing!" Carver stammered. "I just meant that she was cheating!"
Roland stepped forward and Carver took an instinctive step back. "Is that so? B'coz me and the boys here could have sworn we heard you say she was a mage."
Lucian and Anton grinned and nodded their heads stupidly.
"You wouldn't be calling me a liar now would you?"
Bethany had become noticeably pale, and was shooting nervous glances between her brother and the boy who was no doubt about to make their lives very miserable.
Carver was visibly beginning to panic. "No! I mean, you're not-I mean she's not-" his words were cut short as Roland shoved him backwards into the river. The three bullies roared with laughter as Carver struggled to regain his footing, only to slip and fall back into the freezing water.
Roland turned his attention to Bethany, his cruel grin still plastered on his face. She looked around frantically, hoping that someone would hear the ruckus and come to see what the commotion was.
"What's the matter?" Roland said mockingly. "I thought Mages were supposed to be powerful. Come on then, summon a swarm of hornets to attack me. Summon lightning from the sky. Summon a demon to come and do your bidding."
The blood mage remark struck a nerve but Bethany remained still, unwilling to unleash her untamed magical abilities on the boy. She had little else in the line of defense, but if she were to give any hint that she was gifted with magic, she would be ripped away from her family. Yet she was left with little choice, she and Carver were outnumbered and her twin had thus far remained unhelpful. She clenched her jaw as she felt the familiar tingling at the tips of her fingers. Maybe a well placed shock bolt would be enough to scare them away. She could easily say the bolt came from one of the clouds that covered the sky, and hope that her family's good standing in the town would be enough for the villagers to buy her story.
A figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere, colliding into Roland and sending him flying into the stream. The twins' older brother Garrett jumped in after the boy, delivering a well aimed punch to the side of the boy's head. Lucian and Anton advanced on him, Lucian jumping onto his back and wrapping his beefy arms around his neck. Garrett instinctively tried to pry his arms from around his throat, only to be delivered a heavy blow to his nose knocking the two boys backwards. Garrett fell backwards, crushing Lucian beneath him, and Anton made to deliver a kick to his ribs but was knocked off his feet by Carver who seemed to have finally regained his bearings. The four boys rolled around in the mud in a short scuffle in which the Hawke brothers quickly gained the upper hand. Roland emerged from the river covered in mud, giving him a rather comical appearance. He made to enter the scuffle but failed to see Bethany's outstretched foot and fell flat on his face. It soon became apparent that for all their bravado, the small gang of bullies did not have the skill to win in a fair fight, and soon all three boys were running towards the village with their tails between their legs.
Garrett wiped a line of blood away from his split lip and Carver would no doubt be sporting a black eye in the following days, but they had successfully managed to keep the family secret safe. At least for now.
"You alright little sister?" Garrett asked with a reassuring smile.
"Yes." She said truthfully. "I just hope they don't tell anybody what happened."
"They won't. Roland will never admit he was beaten by a girl."
Bethany smiled in spite of herself. It was times like this she was truly grateful for her older brother, he always knew what to say to put her mind at ease.
"We got lucky this time." Carver chimed in, his pessimistic nature a stark contrast to that of his brother. "What if she can't control herself next time? What if-"
"And where were you?" Garrett snapped. "You are supposed to look out for her, you're her brother! What would have happened if I hadn't shown up?"
"I could have handled them." Carver mumbled, shuffling his feet awkwardly.
"Carver is right." Bethany said, her eyes filling with tears. "My magic puts everyone at risk. I wish Mother and Father would just let me go to the circle. It would be best for everyone."
Garrett and Carver's expressions softened at seeing their sister in such distress. Garrett placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "That's not true. You didn't ask for this, and it's no more your fault than mine. It'll be okay little sister, I promise one day people will come to see magic differently. And I will always protect you."
"So will I." Carver said, awkwardly placing his hand on her other shoulder. He was not as good at this as his brother and had a difficult time showing his softer emotions. But that did not mean he loved his sister any less.
Bethany smiled and hugged her brothers tightly. They stood embracing in a scene that would touch the heart of anyone who saw it. Especially a proud father who stood watching from a distance.
A smile came across Malcolm Hawke's face as he watched his children, a sense of calm washing over him at knowing that should anything happen to him, his children would always watch out for one another. It was all a father could hope for.