Strange Magic

When morning came, Aisling stood outside in the light and looked at her white cottage with wistful eyes before joining the three soldiers who were waiting for her. She had lived there for only three years, but it was her first home as an adult.

Nostalgia was inevitable.

She shook off the feelings of melancholy and beckoned to the soldiers with the attitude of a self-indulgent queen.

"You do not expect me to haul this luggage myself, do you?" She motioned to the pile of suitcases and bags behind her.

The three people had sour faces at the words. They could not believe that their status had been lowered to that of errand people. This woman from this inferior land did not even seem to care about their importance, even though she seemed to know about their origins.

Aisling noticed their feelings and smiled without a care for their indignation. "We are losing daylight, people. Chop-chop!"

The three could do nothing but follow her orders despite her wilful and obnoxious behaviour.

Some important people seemed to need her for something, and it seemed they were willing to do anything to get her to Farallon, even accommodate her unpleasant personality.

Their supervisor had admonished them severally not to mess with the target, or they would be in trouble. As little foot soldiers, they could only follow the will of their superiors. Even if it meant being her gofers…

Aisling walked ahead of them with a pep in her step as she felt the morning sun and the salty wind in her face. She had already seen their yacht beneath the cliff earlier in the morning, so she did not need them to lead the way.

When they neared the vessel, she looked at the Fata Morgana in the distance around the Farallon Islands. She had always been intrigued by mirages of all forms. And she knew that the one close to this area had some special meaning.

"Little One, what can you tell me about the mirages in the water around this area?"

Little One remembered the message from their superior to obey the woman and responded quickly. "The natural appearance of the land is ideal for superior mirages, but the effect of the Fata Morgana is enhanced by an illusionary technique designed to conceal Panthalassa."

Aisling nodded in understanding.

Farallon Islands had always been a restricted zone for the general populace because of the numerous deaths which had taken place there long ago. The natural treacherous water, coupled with the mirages and illusion magic was a definite recipe for disaster.

"Why are you telling her this? Can she be trusted?" Little Three asked.

"It's not that big of a secret. Everyone knows about the existence of Panthalassa, but the Pacific Ocean looks open and empty. It does not take a genius to figure out we are using an illusionary barrier." Little One rolled his eyes at her.

Little Three's face reddened a bit in embarrassment. She knew she was just finding fault with Aisling, but she could not help it. Her arrogance and overall demeanour were infuriating.

Little Two did not speak. As the leader of the other two, he had to maintain his dignity. Although most of it had probably sailed away into the horizon when Aisling had dubbed him, Little Two…

Life was hard.

When they got on the ship, the three people were relieved. The woman could not make trouble while in their domain.

"Ms Flynn, this is your room. You can rest here until we get to the borders of Farallon." Little Three said with an obvious hinting expression. She wanted Aisling to stay in the cabin.

Aisling smiled. "How long will it take to get there?"

"A couple of hours. Panthalassa's border is secured by the Ring of Fire, so there are only a few safe entry points to Farallon." Little Three explained.

"You are quite forthcoming, Little Three," Aisling said with a smirk.

The soldier cursed in her heart because she realised that she had shared more information than she wanted.

"I am just trying to make you feel comfortable here." She said quickly in defence.

Aisling laughed. "You are quite cute like this. Girls should be cute."

"I am a soldier first." Little Three spoke with solemnity. She did not like it when people implied that she should be weak just because she was a woman. She wanted everyone to realise that she was a soldier with lofty ambitions.

"You can be fierce and cute. I can see that you already have someone beloved in your life." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "There is a time to use hard tactics, but your home is not one of them."

Little Three blushed because she had always presented herself as a tough woman with no interest in the matters of the heart. But she was actually like an old married woman. Still…

"How did you know?" She asked with surprise.

"A trifling talent, my sweet Three." Aisling waved a hand. "You can leave. I will be coming up in a few minutes. Get a deck chair and a tropical fruit cocktail ready."

Little Three found herself outside the room before she could even understand what had taken place. She walked back to the upper deck in a daze.

"Did you get rid of her?" Little One asked excitedly.

She lifted a leg and kicked him. "Why don't you go and get rid of her yourself?"

"What happened?" Little Two finally spoke.

"What else? She cast her witchcraft over me, and now I have to make her a tropical fruit cocktail." She pointed at Little One. "Get a deck chair before she comes up."

The three of them hurried to set up a place for Aisling and prepare to set out. They could not explain the exact feeling that they got from the woman. It was not just about obeying the instructions from their superiors.

Something about her seemed to compel them to submit to her will. Rather than the force of magical power, the feeling was intangible and fleeting.

The strange thing was they did not feel enthralled or hypnotised. In fact, they still had resistance towards her, but they could not help the desire to escape from her but also see her approval of them.

"Hey, doesn't this remind you of we first joined the Order?" Little One said as he placed a large umbrella over the lounge chair he had set up on the deck. "Do you remember Instructor Gaza?"

Little Three nodded. "I hated that guy. He used to nit-pick at everything. He even corrected my breathing. What an infuriating man!"

"But how did you feel when he complimented you?" Little One laughed.

Little Three came to a realisation. The one time he had said that her uniform was the only one in order during the training, she had almost floated away with joy. She boasted without limits and walked like she owned the academy.

When she fell from grace again with Instructor Gaza, she worked even harder to meet his impossible standards.

It was the same feeling with this Aisling.

Except they did not have a long relationship which would have led to that kind of conditioning. Moreover, she was not even that strong. If they attacked her seriously, not that they would, they would defeat her.

"Do you think it's an unknown type of magic?" She asked.

"What is an unknown type of magic?" Aisling asked as she appeared in a light blue sarong wrap dress which complemented her platinum hair and silver eyes.

"Nothing!" Little One and Little Three spoke at the same time. They felt guilty as if they had been caught doing something naughty.

Aisling lifted her brow as she looked at them before walking to the shaded lounge and lying down.

She wiggled her fingers in Little Three's direction. The female soldier understood immediately, and she rushed to fetch the chilling tropical drink for the self-appointed queen.