Page 26 of I Will Always Find You
“No!” Anastasios gasped, his face growing pale. He turned and whispered to Nicholas, “That will surely kill him! He is trying to break the connection by reversing the spell placed upon the great beast, but he is but a boy! Surely his body will give out long before that occurs!”
The Romani witch noticed Anastasios’ troubled expression and agitation, even though he could not hear his whispered words to Nicholas. Not wanting to intrude on his new friend’s private thoughts by mind-walking, he took a moment to examine the older man’s aura. He observed that it radiated sadness, worry, and even fear.
The Romani witch’s heart warmed as he continued to tell his story.
“Anestis prayed to his Egyptian gods, asking for strength and guidance. He was confused. Why was his magic not obeying him? Again and again, he spoke the spell in reverse as he cut away at the boar’s hide. He focused on absorbing the pain and taking the bloodletting into himself for as long as he could stomach it, trying to break the connection, end his magic’s deadly effect, and save the beast’s life.
“Watching from the side in horror, Cassander knew he had to stop his friend before he lost any more blood in this foolhardy endeavour. If the boar had to die, so be it, but Anestis’ life would not be sacrificed along with it.
“Cassander considered tackling him away from the dying animal, but he worried that in doing so, the dagger might accidentally injure one of them. After all, he was no athlete.
“So, just as his grandmother taught him, he concentrated his thoughts and drew upon his will, an innate power rather than a learned one. He focused on the dagger with the intention of moving it!
“In a moment that felt like an eternity to Cassander, the talisman flew from Anestis’ hand! Then, with all the willpower he could muster, he pulled at his friend’s body, yanking him back towards him and away from the dying beast. Now that the dagger was gone and the chanting was stopped, Anestis’ wounds began to heal.
“However, it was the end for the boar; it bled out and died.
“Though Anestis was covered in blood, Cassander held his distraught friend, who, through tears, repeated that murdering the animal was not his intent—killing wasneverhis intent. Anestis understood that the animal had only acted on its instincts, not wickedness, and did not deserve to die. Not when he had the power to intervene for good! All he ever wanted was to save, heal, and alter fates for the better, man or beast.
“Sadly, for the first time, that ancient power had failed him terribly.
“Cassander took the heartbroken Anestis to his family’s vardo to clean him up, feed him, and give him time to settle his nerves before he returned to his father’s home in the city.
“He was also eager for his new friend to meet his grandmother so they could inquire about what had happened to the spell. Cassander knew very little about Egyptian magic, whether it involved blood or not, but his grandmother possessed a wealth of knowledge about enchantment and sorcery.
“The old prophetic woman was already outside, waiting for them, with a mixture of relief and anger evident on her face when she spotted them. She had sensed that something mystic had disrupted the natural world and that her grandson was at its centre.
“Cassander’s grandmother immediately took the boys to the river and set to washing the blood and dirt off them. After hearing what her grandson had done, the vexed old woman scolded him for using curses frivolously when he could have achieved the same results through willpower, accessing his innate, unseen forces. In a stern voice, she explained how and why the magic had turned on him.
“As the boys’ clothes were soaked through with blood, Cassander’s grandmother sent her naked grandson back to the vardo to get dressed and to fetch his friend some of his clothes to wear back to the city. After Cassander left, the old woman wrapped Anestis in a wool blanket to dry, and she gently brushed his thick red hair to comfort him.
“In a soft, soothing voice, she reassured the distressed boy that he had done nothing wrong and that his magic failing him had nothing to do with any punishment for hubris on his part. And though her grandson’s intentions were good, Cassander’s disregard for the consequences of using magic without thought set everything in motion that day.
“The wise old woman calmly but firmly stated that it was a valuable lesson in understanding the delicate balance between trust and responsibility when wielding mystic power, one that both boys would benefit from learning. She told Anestis that she knew he was meant to meet her grandson, for she had received a vision from the goddess Fortuna. In that vision, she saw a handsome red-haired boy of great power who was a pivotal part of her grandson’s destiny.
“Upon his return to the river with dry clothes, Cassander felt such shame and feared he had lost Anestis’ friendship. He was sure he would never see the wonderful, red-haired boy again after that day. But his fretting was all for naught, for Anestis’ heart was pure, and his understanding and forgiveness were immediate and unconditional. And it always would be.
“This ends my story, at the beginning of the lifelong friendship between Cassander, the Romani mystic, and Anestis, the half-Roman, half-Egyptian magus. Their bond was so powerful and true that nothing could break it—not the hatred of others, the impending destruction of Pompeii, or even death itself.”
The room swelled with spirited applause and boisterous laughter. Burly, inebriated men, their faces flushed and eyes gleaming with merriment, enthusiastically patted the Romani witch on the back, their hearty slaps echoing like thunder amidst the revelry. The air was thick with the scent of ale and fellowship.
For the first time in quite a while, the Romani witch felt truly welcomed and appreciated in a room full of strangers, just as he had when he first walked into Gian’s tavern centuries ago.
As his admirers began to fall away, the Romani witch returned to his table. Anastasios and Nicholas were both still seated there. One was smiling; the other was not.
“Good Anastasios, I know I was a little long-winded, definitely not as witty as Nicholas here, but surely I was not so terrible as to warrant such a grimace!”
The Romani witch laughed along with Nicholas, who said that as a beginner, he spun a mighty good yarn, but that he definitely needed to work on his brevity.
Anastasios turned toward the exit and then back to the Romani witch. “My friend, I wish for you to stay until tomorrow. Enjoy a good dinner and have a drink or two. Be merry, and remember that you are among friends and not alone. In fact, I invite you to stay here with us for as long as you wish.”
The Romani witch felt honoured to receive such a grand gesture of friendship. However, Anastasios knew he needed to continue his journey to Athens. He decided he could wait until he arrived there to have his boots repaired if it meant reaching Aeneas sooner rather than later. It was but a two-hour walk.
The faint sense of his beloved’s spirit still held firm upon the air. The Romani witch knew it would grow stronger the closer he got to Athens, where Aeneas was undoubtedly; he was now so close to reuniting with him after all these years.
“I am very humbled by this show of affection, Anastasios. Please know that when I find my Aeneas in Athens, I will return here with him. I would love for you two to meet, although he will be going by another name and may act like we just met. I know this sounds confusing, and I promise to share our story with you one day. Now, I should be on my way while it is still light out.”
Anastasios took the hand of the Romani witch in a firm grasp and said, “I need to show you something important before you go, my friend.”
