Feral Magic

traveled from one face to the next in search of anyone who’d be just as surprised as she was. None were.
“Come on, dinner will be ready soon.” He turned without waiting for a response to address Anton and Blitz. “I assume you’re with her?” They nodded. “Then you’re welcome too.” Zak helped the two boys to their feet. The rest of his crowd seemed to ignore her after that, settling themselves into a routine they’d probably done dozens of times.
Vixin stood rooted to the same spot, trying to piece together what she’d seen. It could have been a cheap trick. A ploy to add to his numbers. But...the vines. That certainly wasn’t a trick. She could still see the man’s blood seeping from his mouth. Through his clothes. Was his death on her hands?
She took a breath and finally seated herself against a tree, watching those in Zak’s company walk back and forth. Some manned the fires, others skinned animals, and the remaining few took stock of their new collection. She shifted her attention back to the trees. They shouldn’t linger. This camp wasn’t that far away from the place they’d just robbed. It would take nothing for—
“Don’t worry about them.” Zak tried handing her a chunk of cooked rabbit, the creature impaled on a stick, but she turned away. “Come on, take it.”
“I don’t need your charity.”
“It’s not charity. We all work to help one another. Everyone has a job to do.”
“You don’t know me or whether I’ll stay.”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. You were there. You played a part.”
Her stomach growled and she eyed the rabbit.
He chuckled, “Go on, take it.”
Vixin took the rabbit and tore through its center without another thought. She chewed in silence, Zak’s eyes heavy on her as he bit into his own.
“I know you’re curious, but probably not going to ask.” Particles formed around them and Vixin stiffened. He held up his wrist and a dark blue stone reflected the firelight. “I can control the element of water.” He pointed to her wrist. “And you can control earth.”
Vixin finished chewing and eyed her bracelet. “That’s what the vines were?”
Zak nodded. “Some people get the hang of it quicker than others, but anyone with a colorful stone has the ability to control an element.”
“How do you know this?”
He shrugged. “Figured it out.” Yeah, like she was going to believe that. “We’re surrounded by plants out here, why not try it?”
She tore another piece from the rabbit and stared at the ground. Shadows from the fire flickered around them, but his particles never left the air. She poked one and a water droplet slid down her finger. Vixin eyed it curiously and placed her hand on the ground, running her fingers through the dirt. Could something like magic really exist?
She focused as she’d done so many times. Skills often required concentration, and if magic were real—she jumped when something moved beneath the earth at her command. It was like an extension that pulsed beneath her fingertips. Dozens, no hundreds, of tiny lights just waiting to be lit. Seeds, roots, all manner of things wriggling, waiting. Like they were a part of her but weren’t.
Vixin centered her attention on one directly beneath her hand. She pulsed what she could only assume was energy into the tiny particle. It shifted. Grew. Until something rustled beneath her palm. Vixin raised her hand and the seedlings grew, unfurling its leaves, rising to where her hand hovered just above it.
Her mouth gaped as she continued to feed it, watching it grow larger and larger, like a time-lapse video right before her eyes.
“Wow.”
Zak’s voice startled her, and her gaze shot toward him. He stared at her small creation as if he’d never seen magic himself.
“You just—I’ve never seen someone try and just, do it.” He shifted his attention back to her. “So, what’s your story?”
In response Vixin ripped another bite from her rabbit, pointedly ignoring his question.
He laughed, more to himself than at her. “All right then, maybe another time. In the meantime, make yourself comfortable. We leave in the morning.”
“Where to?”
He glanced back. “Stick around and you’ll see.”
After they’d settled for the night, Vixin seriously considered leaving. Anton and Blitz would be fine now, but something kept her glued to the spot against the tree. Zak had set up lookouts, to her approval, to ensure no one snuck up on them, but it wasn’t until after their first rotation that she found herself dozing. Exhaustion hit hard, but with all the new faces Vixin found sleep difficult.
She’d stick around long enough to see what their morning travels promised and then decide if she’d be better off on her own.

Chapter Three
Vixin woke before sunrise, watching those who stirred with her and taking special note of the lazy and carefree. Only a few seemed to resent their current situation.
To her dismay, resentment or not, they all answered to Zak, rushing toward him with questions and successes alike. Vixin still wasn’t sure what to think of him.
The particles he’d formed in the air last night had to be an illusion, but—she spread her fingertips into the earth. Sure enough, those same lights responded. She didn’t bother feeding any of them. Knowing they remained was enough to confirm reality.
Magic. She never imagined such a thing could exist. It defied science. Logic. But the question of why still remained. Why here? Why now?
“They’re back!” Vixin’s head shot in the voice’s direction. She stood, ready to draw her daggers or run, but when the small group embraced those at the edge of camp, she relaxed her hold and headed toward them.
Anton and Blitz gave her a passing glance as she zigzagged through the people. Perhaps this small group had been part of what Zak spoke of last night. Maybe