Until My Dying Day

Ch.2; What happened in Drewton

"I'm confused, why can't we use magic to break in and get supplies?" Wes said annoyed by the fact that Blaine refused to use magic. It would be much easier that way.

"Didn't you ever listen to your mother when she taught us about Karma Charms?" Blaine retorted, still toying around with the knife he found earlier in one of the drawers. It must have been a murder weapon earlier and the person most likely put it there to hide it. There probably were a lot of hidden stuff in this shabby room.

Wes gazed at him expectantly, making Blaine sigh and continue, "Karma Charms are spells that are based on the intention of an adult wizard. They can be good or bad. For example if the wizard is to do a noble deed or uses magic that doesn't have any negative impact on the environment or his surroundings and is done by a good hearted wizard, then he shall move on with his life and become a more powerful wizard by gaining experience."

"However, if the wizard does something for his own benefit selfishly and corrupts the life of a living being or even causes an imbalance in nature, then the wizard shall be cursed with the Karma Charms spell which will not able him to live a normal life and bring bad luck to him until he's paid his dept. But as I said, only adult wizards."

Wes looked horror-struck and shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "I'm never doing anything selfishly ever again! Like the pranks we pulled on the villagers! Especially since we're eighteen and officially adults! Why didn't I pay attention to classes? Good thing you know these stuff, otherwise I would've been cursed by now."

Blaine patted him sympathetically on the shoulder as he grinned. "It's okay, I know you have the attention span of a ten year old who gets too excited over things." Wes smirked despite himself but quickly returned his attention to his best friend.

"Well, I hope you know that we have limited use of our magic as well." Blaine grinned at Wes' disbelieving look. He really didn't pay attention to anything.

"No! I did not! Why the heck did they invent magic if you can't use it limitlessly?" Wes explained which only made Blaine shrug and hold back a chuckle.

"You know it doesn't work like that. You have to earn your powers. Full wizards can limitlessly use their magic but unfortunately we're a long way from that. It comes with experience and knowledge which we lack in." Blaine said nonchalantly. Even though limitless magic would've been handy in desperate situations, sometimes he knew that without earning something, it did not have the same feeling of accomplishment and power.

"I guess so..." Wes muttered defeatedly. It was hard thinking straight in this dirty and old space with barely any light and fresh air. He wondered how Angie could sleep in the next room. "So, does Karma Charms involve fighting with our magic against people or in case we're in the woods, animals who threaten us?"

"If we're threatened or attacked we can use our magic, but as I said, we're not full wizards so I don't know how much of our powers we could use." Blaine frowned and looked off into the distance. He was planning to find a full wizard who could teach them defence and other magic they were lacking.

Wes nodded to the newly received information; this was good news at least. "We can always use our powers as plan B at least!" He decided, Blaine only shook his head and grinned.

"So here's the plan," Blaine began, "we try to get weapons first since our magic isn't strong enough for combat. We get the supplies next; hopefully we'll find enough in an abandoned store. I heard a family had to evacuate before they could pack up their shop."

"When did you have time to figure all this out?" Wes interrupted him sceptically. He wasn't sure the abandoned shop would be the best source for supplies.

"While you and Ange were sleeping, I had time to casually ask around." Wes gave him an incredulous look. "Don't worry, no one was suspicious." Blaine assured Wes, which didn't do much to comfort him.

"Back to the plan; after that we continue our journey towards the Capitol; the problem is I need you to find the right path to head on. If I went I'd be suspicious to the people I talked to earlier." Blaine explained further.

Wes nodded along to the plan, impressed by how thought through it was, except for- "One minor problem. Where are we going to get gold from? We need some just in case. And I think we need gold to pay for the weapons too"

Blaine smirked and assured him as he got up. "You know me, I always have a plan."

Wes looked unconvinced but shrugged it off. They fell into a peaceful silence until he started to shift uncomfortably in his seat again. "Blaine, why didn't we try to stop the fire? I know our magic isn't powerful enough, but still."

Blaine took a moment to consider then swallowed a sob. The past night was still painful to remember. Blaine didn't really understand either but only knew one answer. "I-I was scared. The o-only thing I thought about was to get Wes and Angie out of there. I-I knew I couldn't save anyone else..."

He let a tear roll down on his cheek; he didn't dare to look Wes in the eyes. His parents died that night and he fully blamed himself for it.

When he looked up he saw the elder give him an understanding nod then smiled encouragingly. "Me too, but I never paid attention to classes so I couldn't have stopped the fire anyways." He frowned then glanced at the bedroom behind them with a sigh.

They were probably the only three occupants of Drewton left now. The others couldn't have made it, even the ones who fled the scene. The smoke in their lungs would've suffocated them even if they were far away from the source. The smoke was from a magical source and they were humans after all. It was designed to kill any human who breathed it in for long enough.

Blaine quietly stepped into the room where Angie was still fast asleep, inhaling with soft gasps and exhaling with relaxed sighs. He didn't want to wake her, so he gently sat down next to where she was sleeping and sadly beamed at her.

She was so young but she had already been through a lot. What more would she have to experience that was as horrible as this? Blaine shook his head at the thought. Instead he focused on how adorable she was and someday, someone will be really lucky to have her. She was the sweetest girl he ever knew and he just wished her life would be easier from now on, but he frowned because he knew they would be struggling for the next couple of months before they found a new village or town to live in.

Wes stepped in the room too, Blaine motioning him to be quiet and to sit on the bed next to him. Wes gladly obeyed and soon was looking at Angie the same way Blaine was. After a while he spoke up. "Try to get some sleep dude; we have lot to do tonight. I'll find a path and observe the area to make sure it's safe." He left the room and Blaine scooted next to the girl and tried to rest. After all, it was going to be a risky night. He just hoped Angie wasn't affected by the smoke. But she might've been sleeping it off, getting it out of her system by taking a long nap.


Wes made sure to completely check out the whole area and even gazed around for any dirt paths that could lead them towards the Capitol. Unfortunately there were no signs and he could just guess which way the roads led.

He noted that one path on the east side of the town led to the mountains. The one on south would take them to the remains of Drewton. There wasn't one leading north so he figured that's the way the Capitol was. Of course, no one ever dares to enter the forest and the trip would probably take weeks so there wasn't much chance one would survive going that way. "That's clever", he voiced, and headed to the west side of town.

The west town square was as busy as the other three only this area was more decorative and cheerful without the feeling of constant depression. In the middle there was a fountain which had a huge stone fish on it, the water coming out from its mouth. The cobblestones were pale gray and next to the shops were neatly fashioned shrubs. People were going in and out of stores, women gossiping about the huge fire they saw coming within the forest. They thought it was the Fire Spirit protecting them from the evilness inside the woods. Wes swallowed his disgust at the oblivious women; trying hard not to give a snarky retort. He instead searched for the west path.

It wasn't really wide, but it stretched pretty long. It disappeared in a turn and probably kept going. Only the plow-field was visible around it, a small hill and the edge of the forest that was on the noth side of town. It was probably a safer way to the capitol than the woods, so Wes decided they would leave tonight and head down this way.

As he was walking back to the inn he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and stumbled into somebody, making him almost knock her over.

"Watch where you're going freak!" She said irritated as she brushed away her stray blonde locks with her hand.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention-" Wes apologized as he bent down to pick up her dropped items. The girl looked a little confused at first, like she wasn't expecting him to reply.

"Yeah, I figured that," the blonde sighed. "You don't have to pick up my stuff you know." She smiled then knelt down next to Wes, collecting her items into the basket as well. He noticed that it was oddly made out of green vines instead of wood and there even were little flowers laced into the small gaps.

Her dress was odd too. It was a shade of light pink but it was not sowed from the fabric the other dresses were made out of like all the women wore, it was a silky material with a slight shine. It also seemed as if it was scaly. Nobody would notice the small laces around the skirt area that were so delicately placed at her waistline that they were not obvious but he certainly didn't miss them. It seemed like the dress was not made by man. But she couldn't have been a wizard. He would've known, because wizards can tell each other apart from the humans. Then what was she?

His thoughts got interrupted by the girl, who stood up, shoving his shoulders a little bit as she picked up her basket. "Hey, you okay? You seem distracted." The mysterious girl frowned.

"I'm fine, just thinking." Wes assured her with a smile. People were starting to stare at him oddly.

"Well finish up thinking and help me pick up an order for my father. He's really strict about where I go so I usually tell him I go out to collect nectar from the flowers. He doesn't know I smuggle in food from here." She gestured around the west town square with a smirk.

"So we're getting nectar?" Wes asked with his eyebrow raised. He never heard of people getting nectar for themselves. People usually got it for their animals but only on rare occasions because usually nectar was really expensive.

"That's only one thing on my list, of course I have more! You catch on slow, freak." She stuck out her tongue and went into one of the shops, Wes tailing behind.

She made a quick spin then addressed the cashier. Wes was looking around so he didn't really bother to notice she twirled again when she came back to get him.

"You coming? Because I have to get back or my father will go berserk." The girl waited impatiently at the entrance.

Wes joined her next to the fountain, sitting down and just looking at the sunset above them.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Said the blonde suddenly. "I always sneak out to see this view back home; never fails to amaze me." She sighed then looked to Wes for some confirmation. He made a slight nod but didn't provide an answer. They stayed in silence while the people around them slowly started to get back to their homes before nightfall.

After a while he spoke up, "I wish my life could be this beautiful..." he trailed off. They stayed like that for a while. Eventually the girl got up and said goodbye but before Wes could think it through, the words blurted out of his mouth. "I didn't catch your name!"

"It's Quinn, Quinn Fabray." She smiled and curtseyed with a wink.

Quinn, that was a pretty name. It perfectly suited her, he thought.

Quinn readjusted her basket on her shoulder and Wes noticed a silver iron bracelet on her wrist with a carving of a tree in a circle of vines. Before he could give his answer he quickly jumped aside because a carriage rushed past him, almost hitting him in the process. When he looked back to where she was standing before, she was gone.

As he got back to their room in the inn he couldn't get his mind off of her or her beautiful blue-green eyes. But there was something strange about her which made him question his knowledge on humans. Could they just disappear? No, that's silly. But then why didn't he see her after that carriage went past him? She might've gone into another shop. But the carriage went past him so quickly he would've at least seen her go. And what was that marking on her bracelet?

He shook his head, trying to focus on their escape tonight. He wanted to leave as soon as possible, but that meant they would have to bring Angie along too.

He strode into the room where Angie and now Blaine as well were sleeping. Blaine curled his body around Angie, like he was protecting her from all the horrible things that waited for them out there.

He didn't have the heart to wake them but he knew he had to, so he started nudging Blaine's shoulder, making the younger groan with protest. "Wake up Blaine, it's time."

"Just. One. More. Minute." Blaine said hoarsely as he uncurled himself from Angie and sat up. "What time is it exactly?"

"Well because I'm so nice and checked out the whole town for a path for us to continue our journey on tonight, it's almost midnight." Wes said sarcastically and sat down on the bed.

"Wait, you were in town all day?" Blaine said back incredulously. "I don't even know how you managed that."

"Long story, I'll tell you later" Wes shook his head as Blaine smirked knowingly.

"The point is! We can't really take Angie with us on a task like this or leave her here. I don't know what to do" Wes groaned with frustration. Blaine only rolled his eyes.

"There's nothing we can do about the fact that Angie has to come with us." Blaine frowned and stroked her hair, making her nuzzle closer to him.

"Crap, we're really doing this, huh?" Wes muttered anxiously. Blaine looked around the room one more time before answering.

"Get ready for the bumpy ride, my friend"


It wasn't hard finding the weaponry. Blaine really hoped the seller would sell the weapons not only for gold but something else too. Like magic.

They were surrounded by a dozen racks of weapons as they entered the small, old shop. Each rack was dedicated to a specific weapon. There were swords, axes, daggers, whips, shields and an archery section. There were even some items they didn't even recognize.

The three of them were greeted with a growl form of a 'hello' when the salesman acknowledged them. Wes made his way to the daggers that were in all shapes and sizes. Angie looked at them in horror behind him. Blaine went straight to the seller to bargain.

"No gold, no weapons." The grumpy seller spat. He was a tiny man with long gray hair peeking from under his cape, almost completely covering his eyes. The counter he was standing behind would've been taller than him if it weren't for the stool he was standing on.

"What if it weren't gold I was to offer you? Blaine leaned closer, trying to persuade him to do the same. However the man didn't move.

"What could ye possibly offer me that's worth more than gold?" He asked cautiously. He seemed unfazed by the situation though.

Blaine pretended to consider then continued. "Have you ever heard of wizards?"

"Aye, but I thought they be extinct in this area and all of 'em were livin' in the capitol." The man said as Blaine nodded along to the story. He was getting his attention, it was working.

"Blaine, where are you going with this?" Wes interrupted him as a warning. He didn't get his angle. How could exposing their true nature possibly benefit them?

"So, say there were more wizards out there who weren't living in the Capitol. Would you believe that story?" Blaine said, looking deep into the man's eyes, not caring about Wes' warnings from behind.

The seller's eyes widened when he realized, and bowed his head in shame. "I'm so sorry my friends," he said as he changed into a younger version of himself and spoke with a different accent. He was much taller now and had short dark hair with olive skin and piercing green eyes. "I should've known you were wizards, I was just so caught up with the act that I didn't notice the signs of my fellow beings."

Blaine smirked at the shocked faces of his friends and turned back to the seller. "I'm Blaine and this is Wes and Angie." He said as he gestured to the others and continued. "How long have you been in hiding?"

The man frowned. "My name's Everett and as long as I can remember, ever since my village got burnt down and my friends and family died in the fire. I'm twenty-one now and I was sixteen when the attack happened."

"You see, most people in the village were wizards there and I guess the Capitol thought burning it down would kill everybody and not have a trace left after it, making it seem like an accident. Only it wasn't. I should've been with them, I should've helped. If I wouldn't have gotten mad at my family and ran into the forest I could've helped somehow." He explained and sat down on the stool he was previously standing on.

"If most of your village's occupants were wizards, why couldn't they stop the fire? I'm sure they had enough power together" Blaine frowned, cocking his head to the side.

"I think the magic was by a force more powerful than any of the other wizards that lived there. But I still should've helped." He buried his face in his hands.

"There's nothing you could've done. If we wouldn't have gone out to our usual place in the clearing, we would've probably died too." Wes assured him sympathetically. Everett faintly smiled.

"I kept in hiding because I'm afraid they'll come after me and kill me." Everett glanced at his hands, feeling unsure about his safety. It's been a long time since he was in the presence of other wizards.

"Why would they do that?" Blaine asked, looking concerned. He was starting to think these happenings were strange. He knew they weren't accidents.

"I've lived here five years and there weren't any 'accidents' at all. I'm guessing it's the fact that there aren't any wizards living here. I mean wizards they know about." Everett chuckled despite his bitterness.

"Why would being a wizard change that?" Wes muttered, holding Angie by the shoulder.

The man shook his head. "Don't you see? They're trying to extinct wizards all around Isaaclantopia so there will only be wizards in the Capitol. They want to seem superior to the humans. I think it's because they want the whole kingdom wrapped around their finger and afraid of them. Didn't you ever notice at your village that all the wizards had to 'accidentally' die before they came close to figuring out the plan of the Capitol wizards?"

Blaine and Wes exchanged glances. But Angie was the one who spoke up next. "My momma told me, that every ten years an older wizard had to sacrifice themselves for the Evil Sprit that watched over us. She said we would get punished if we didn't give him one."

Everett looked surprised by her knowledge but frowned at what she said. "That's pretty clever, making it seem like it's just a coincidence that the spirit lives there. I bet they sent it there to slowly kill off the wizards. I guess they got impatient and decided to make it faster"

"But how can they just do this?" Blaine hollered as he banged his fist on the counter. He had enough of all the crap the Capitol has put him through and now he was definitely going to avenge the deaths. All of them.

"First things first, we mustn't blow our cover. If they find out we're wizards the first thing they'll do is alert the Capitol and have us murdered." Everett explained and started searching in one of his drawers; he made a satisfied noise when he found what he was looking for. He laid out an old piece of parchment on the counter.

"A map?" Wes looked at him incredulously. It was indeed a map but there was something more to it, it looked magical.

"Oh, not just any map, my friend. No, this is a special map, passed down by my ancestors to me. It shows secret paths and they glow red when there are enemies nearby. This is the only thing I had with me when my village burned down. How do you think I've survived this long?"

"And you're giving it to us?" Blaine said, taking a look at the map. Four green dots glowed on the map at the place they were standing.

"Well of course, the green shows your allays and yourself" he smiled then took out a few knives. "Oh, and you'll need these for your trip too."

"How did you-"

Everett cut Wes off. "I don't think you came in here with a child because you wanted sweet-talk with a concealed wizard, am I right?" he shrugged then continued in the pantry. He laid several items in front of them on the countertop.

"You're really considerate but-" Blaine started but again, Everett cut them off.

"I'm being nice because I know why you came here and what you're about to do and you'll need as much help as I can provide you with. Now let's see what do we have here- ah, there we go." He pulled out a large bag from the pantry and put it on the counter.

"Food supplies, water and a first-aid-kit are in there. It should be enough for at least two weeks. Take as many weapons as you need. I know you have magic but trust me, Karma Charms and limited magic can be a bitch sometimes. That's all I can do for you. Oh, and one more tip, whatever you do, don't drink from the fountain. It's intoxicated to kill wizards." He explained the last part seriously.

"Why am I the only one who never heard of Karma Charms or limited magic before this morning?" Wes threw up his hands hysterically and huffed in annoyance.

"Why don't you come with us?" Blaine offered but Everett just waved his hand dismissively and shrugged.

"Because I can't leave this shop. I'm keeping my eye on this town. If you ever need help you can contact me by sending up fireworks. I'm the only one who'll see them if you concentrate on my image. But only use these colours and in this order: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Lilac. Got it?" Everett demonstrated it in a smaller version. The different colours hit the ceiling but they didn't damage it, because they were only miniature fireworks.

"Yeah got it." Blaine smiled sadly by the fact that Everett didn't join them but it was a good idea to keep an eye out and be informed.

"I'll send you a letter if I find out anything and I expect you to do the same!" Everett said and gave Blaine more than a dozen blank parchments and a quill. "Don't waste your magic on writing with your wand; you never know when you'll need it.

"We'll wait outside, Blaine." Wes said as he picked up the stuff from the counter and put it into the endless bag Everett gave them.

When they left the shop Everett leaned in closer to whisper in Blaine's ear. "There's a long journey ahead of you but you'll have to lead your friends through it to complete your quest. I wish you the best in overthrowing the wizards in the Capitol and restoring our name to its full potential."

"Thanks Everett, for everything. Hope to see you soon, in a non-dangerous situation!" Blaine waved him goodbye as he stepped out of the shop. He could see through the small glass in the window that Everett turned back into the grumpy looking old man he was disguised as before. He smiled at their new friend and turned towards Wes and Angie.

"Well guys, it looks like we have a quest to accomplish."

"Yes, we do." Wes gave him a cocky smirk, while Angie jumped up, grinning and clapping her hands together.