Before i was born, before my mother or her mother were born there had been a metal world that

fought to kill the worlds magic strangling its last breath until the magic whipped back like a
rubber band stretched taut .

The world fell to pieces and society backed up to start anew.

Magic wrecked buildings, transportation and people in an instant and technology became
largely obsolete.

People sought marriages and social circles that would largely benefit their survival and most of
all they sought power.

But some power was even to foreign for them.

It was said my father had been a handsome traveler, who smiled as he fell into his cups and my
mother decided to take him to bed then take his money.

She had tried to rid herself of the pregnancy with tonics and magic but one snowy winter day i
arrived in the inns stable and with my first cries my magic was known and the town immediately
began to distance themselves from me.

What creature had Matty Pierce bedded down with to make a child that made the metal in the
house sing, a child that mostly seemed normal until its cries were ignored and the air became
heated.

I was kept in the barn and forbade to speak to the guests as they arrived and in my breaks
between their passing I would read from books and bits of paper guests left behind.

It was how i learned why i was kept in the stable.

The book on the theory of magic had a section labeling each branch of magic but not a single
one labeled a metal manipulator because magic hated metal and electricity thats why the cities
fell.

And it was for this reason that i now sat eyeing the little toy car i had plucked from one of the
boxes i stored as the locals called it “old world garbage’.

In theory i should be able to run my magic through it and it should work…

I reached to the pool of molten mana and sent it trickling down my fingertips and-hiss

The car caught fire and the plastic bits bubbled red ooze onto the sand floor.
Another failure, i kicked sand over it then tossed it into the trash bucket and grabbed another toy
a clapping metal monkey.

This time when my magic ran through it shivered…then promptly exploded.

The bakers old mare eyed the jutting pieces of metal in her stall door with complete indifference.

“Sorry matilda”

The mare knickered and chewed contentedly on her hay.

“I just dont get it” i muttered as i plopped down onto the sandy soil. “Electricity manipulates
metal thats how i move the metal, isnt it?”

The mare looked woodenly at the far wall.

“Like, how else am i moving it? I mean it looks like lightning doesnt it?”

I held apart my index fingers and allowed it to flow like a channel bridging the two.

The mares hair puffed on end and the dust that she had been holding in her coat fell off in a
cloud.

I eyed her as she paused briefly then continued chewing while staring at the wall.

“What am i missing?”

“Oi! Oi boy fetch me my Matilda!!”

I jumped to my feet and quickly saddled the mare and led her out to a rather happy baker who
placed a silver coin in my hand before mounting his mare and plodding back into town satisfied
with his weekly bread delivery.

Going behind the inn i went to the back door and slipped into the kitchen, the walls creaked as i
heard my older sister take her clients.

Mother sipped her coffee and counted the small wad of cash at the kitchen table.

She sat her cup down and without looking extended a knowing hand for the coin.

“Get back to the stable and be on your best behavior our guest said there will likely be some
soldiers coming into town and we want them to feel welcome”
I nodded, she didnt like it when i talked ,men were only tolerated for work but boys? Well boys
especially ones with no money that wasnt allowed.

Slipping back out the door i went to the stable to lay out straw as the dark came so did the
customers trying to hide their indiscretions under the cover of dark.

Is it really hidden when everyone knows?

Music always begins to play when theirs more than one guest to drown out the sound and the
women walked back down the stairs disheveled sometimes dripping with the proof of what they
had done in the dimly lit rooms upstairs.

As the stalls filled at nice the volume increased and drunks soaked in sex and alcohol came in
and out.

Never make eye contact and have the horse ready as you start to see them waddle towards the
stable.

That was the rule but as if my mothers words had summoned them painted horses rounded the
bend heading for the stable men riding on them appearing tired and worn.

I quickly put some of the regulars horses on hitching posts for easier access for their masters
and poured more water.

As i turned they were dismounting in front of the stable.

“Is the inn booked lad?” said the man in front as he handed me the reigns.

I shook my head and more soldiers handed me reigns asi ran back and forth.

Paints on horses denoted the purpose in the area by marking where they were from and these
were likely the soldiers of the lord of the neighboring city.

As the night went on and more soldiers came more locals made themselves scarce as the noise
intensified.

Soldiers had come before but not this many and i worried over the strangeness of it all.

Why?

As the morning light came to wipe sins clean the music had died but the soldiers remained.

I crept to the kitchen, to bring the nights pay and froze as i opened the kitchen and a soldiers
gaze landed upon me a chipped mug in his hand.
“We’ll be staying a few days, the madame says your to stay in the barn boy” he said as he
raised a brow.

I nodded tucking the sack of coins into my jacket and turning to open the door.

Heavy foot steps coming behind me made me shiver.

“Your a strange lad, magic scents a bit odd , like snow but blood”

I turned to blink into grey eyes, he had to be some sort of shifter to say that the dog shifter in
town had a real concerned look about my smell.

I slowly turned the knob and fought the urge to run as his eyes bore into me.

There were no visitors to the inn that day and i hid in the barn waiting for someone to bring me
food.

None came.

I licked my dry lips as night came and i began to eye the horses water..

No one was coming…i could just leave and find something in the woods like the gatherers did.

Hesitantly i walked out of the stable ignoring the soldiers loitering around the inn and went in
search of dinner.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i watched as the boy pulled a coin from his pouch and with a whistle the metal flew like the old
stories of bullets through the air and struck rabbit.

my second stiffened as he witnessed it.

Metal the downfall of the world before.

i’d found my payment, for not destroying the city lord i would take this boy and a handful of the
soldiers Malcolm had stationed in this town in hopes they would impress me before my arrival
unfortunately for them i was early and had seen them lazily pacing about the town rather than
doing drills as Malcolm had bragged.

The city lord was late paying for the clean water i provided the city and now it was time to
collect.

“Ill have that one and tomorrow we will surprise the soldiers and have them do some drills”
“Yes sir” Keen grinned.

He did love dicking around with people that didnt pay…and malcolm was likely as we spoke just
being informed i would be early and planning to rush over at dawn.

“Thats a dangerous skill” he remarked as he gestured at the boy who sat quietly gutting a rabbit
in the woods.

“Very, but also handy”