Calm Like a Bomb
By Lexi Cullen
Prologue: The End
"Hurry up! Let's get this done, and quick." The man held a small child in his arms as they apparated into the forest and started at a brisk walk towards their destination.
"What's the rush? It's still asleep." The man's partner lagged behind slightly, tripping over a few stray tree roots on the forest floor.
"We need to get this done before it wakes up," the man insisted, moving still quicker into the foliage and underbrush. Twilight was upon them and the moon's light waivered behind the clouds.
The duo came up to a passage and entered. At the back of the opening was a large expanse of stone. The man directed his partner, "Conjure the chains."
Eyeing his partner with a weary expression, he placed the child on the ground and stripped off its shirt, baring its chest. Turning back to his partner, he saw that the chains were now being merged with the vertical stone plane – four in all.
"Alright, heat 'em up," the man ordered.
The man's partner looked back awe-stricken. "Kaz, you intend to forge them into a three-year-old child's skin? Are you serious?"
The man, Kaz, seethed at his partner's ignorance. "Yes, Lerawski, I do. So it was said, so it is done."
Edina Lerawski kneeled before the child, brushing the black hair away from his forehead. On the boy's right temple, a pattern of what looked like Celtic knots and vines were seemingly tattooed on his flesh near a lightning bolt scar. In actuality, the design had been slowly manifesting according to his relatives. They had practically begged Kaz and Edina to take the boy and his 'freakiness' away.
"Kaz, I can't. He's only a child. I can't do it. This may have been prophesized but I won't be the condemner."
"Fate demands this of us," Kaz insisted. "You cannot deny Fate! You cannot run from it either. You and I both know that by now Edina. He will survive if we do this. It is all according to plan – Fate's plan. Don't trifle with things you cannot grasp, Lerawski."
Edina had tears in her eyes – Kaz was right. This was her second chance to redeem herself and her second chance at life. Fate had given Edina a choice to die while the Healers tried to fix her hastily after and accident or to live and bind the child with the help of Kaz. The lives of many depended on this happening.
Morals came into her mind as she reasoned that she would save the lives of many if she did this one task. She would be able to continue living and the boy would only temporarily be in pain, right? Fate had told her he would be happy eventually. The boy would have love in his life but right now, she needed to bind him.
Edina shook her head to clear the thoughts out of her head. "Okay, let's do this before my morals catch up with the present." Her wand raised and the iron links turned an angry red with heat. "You take his left side on three. One...two... three!" Edina took a deep breath and waved her wand in a circular motion.
The pale boy propped against the flat wall screamed in agony as the chains fused with the skin on his thin arms and chest. A green glow surrounded him as he fainted, still breathing.
Edina's hand covered her mouth to stop the sobs from escaping her mouth. Tears rolled silently down her flushed cheeks as she stared horrified at the boy and what she had done. Kaz's hand tugged on her arm, pulling the shocked woman from her place. "It's time to go, Edina. Our task is done."
Edina let herself be pulled out of the cave and Kaz apparated them away.
Andor Krum and his eight year-old son Viktor had been hiking through the Bulgarian forests for the past two days. They did this trip every year, adding an extra day to their trip each time. This was their third year and at sunset Andor would apparated them back home to Sofia where Viktor's mother would ask them for every detail of their adventure.
Viktor looked to and fro but couldn't spot a single animal anywhere. As they continued to walk amidst the greenery they heard distant sounds of life but none in the immediate area. "Father, where are the animals? I don't see any birds or anything. Did we go the wrong way?" Viktor looked up at his father questioningly and tilted his head to the side.
Andor laughed. "Viktor, you know that the only wrong way is a trial that has..."
"Already been tread, I know, I know," Andor's son interrupted.
Viktor stumbled over a tree root and his father caught his arm swiftly. Andor gave his son a 'be careful' look and they continued. A growling sound came from nearby and Viktor was startled.
"What was that?" Viktor asked.
Andor spotted the rock formation and moved forward. "Hold on a second, son. Let me look first." Andor moved quietly into the opening in the rock and investigated the cave. Sounds of chains against rock rattled through the cave.
A human form came into view crossed with what appeared from the distance to be black ropes. Instead, as Andor approached the being, he saw an untamed mop of raven hair and what looked like ropes were actually iron chains that crossed the young child's skin.
Andor continued into the small cavern and felt the tingle of another's magical signature. He cast a revealing charm and found nothing but a nutrition charm. He glanced once again at the being to see green eyes were staring at him with fear from beneath the black hair. The being, a young a boy, started muttering incoherently.
Andor went closer to the boy and viewed the chains. They were melded into the youth's skin. As Andor observed the boy became hysterical. He began crying and screaming louder and still louder. Andor could faintly hear Viktor's rushed steps on the floor of the cave over the boy's screams.
Once Viktor's head of dark hair was visible, Andor went to him. "I'm going to try to free the boy. I need you to calm him if you can, Viktor." Viktor nodded at his father, not totally certain of their pursuit.
Viktor placed his hands out in front of him as he went close to the boy, succeeding in getting closer than Andor before he boy screamed again. Viktor proceeded forward despite the child's distress until Viktor had his hand touching the boy's soft cheek. The boy held his breath, staring into Viktor's brown eyes with his own green ones.
"I am almost done, Viktor. Just stay where you are," Andor reassured.
Viktor kept still, just staring into the enrapturing green orbs. It was like they were telling him the secret of life and all he had to do was look at this boy's green eyes. The black hair on the boy's head shifted in front of his right eye and Viktor pushed the hair aside like a reflex reaction.
The taller boy's hand brushed over the manifested designs on the side of the green-eyed boy's pale face. "Father," Viktor said, "he has markings on his face."
In the next moment, Andor Krum had managed to get the chains to detach from the wall with their charms nullified. "We must take the chains off of his skin carefully. Just keep him as calm as you can. I fear he will hurt some."
Viktor nodded his head and stroked the boy's black hair. "It will be okay. I promise," Viktor nodded his head at the boy as he said it over and over again.
Tears poured from the boy's eyes as the elder Krum pulled the chains away and healed the skin over as he went. He only got the ones from the boy's chest off before he started screaming again and backed away from Andor. He crumpled to the floor behind Viktor and cried.
"I think our trip is going to be cut short, Viktor."
Viktor nodded to his father, agreeing. "Just make sure he is safe."
Andor managed to gather both boys in his arms and apparated to the Krum family manor. "Lailya! We're home!" Andor called to his wife of ten years.
Lailya Krum came out into the hall moments later from her study. "My dears how was... Oh my!" She exclaimed the last part after seeing the still chained boy with black hair. "What happened? Did anyone get hurt? Come here Viktor," Lailya fussed over her son.
"Ere Viktor."
The Krum family turned to the boy with chains on his arms. Viktor pushed out of his mother's arms and stepped closer to the boy. Viktor motioned to himself saying, "Viktor. I am Viktor. My name is Viktor Valvro Krum. Viktor."
Viktor put his hand on the boy's jaw, sliding his hand down to the point of the boy's chin and pulling the boy's face level with Viktor's. "Viktor."
Viktor smiled.
"What happened to the boy and why does he have chains hanging off his arm?" Lailya demanded.
Andor shrugged. "All I know is that they were forged into his skin. He was surviving off of a nutrition spell for who knows how long."
"Viktor is fond of him. Very gentle with him," Lailya observed. The corner of her mouth lifted into a half-smile as she gazed at the boys. "Was he alone?"
"Yes."
"Is he magic?"
Andor sighed, "I am convinced it is so."
"I always thought Viktor should have had a brother."
"So you want to adopt the boy? Is that where this s going?"
Lailya elbowed her husband, "Only if you will agree to it, dearest."
Andor took one last look at the boys on the floor with Viktor saying what things were and the boy repeating them. If this is what it took to get their shy son out of his shell then so be it. "Let's do it."
"I was thinking Izaak Krum. Like?"
"I do but I think we should ask Viktor."
"Viktor, do you think Izaak Krum is a good name for your new friend?" Lailya aked.
Viktor turned to acknowledge his mother's question and said, "Kozmas. Kozmas Izaak Krum."
Lailya smiled and gather both boys cautiously in a hug. They would be a family.