Confined

Even though I accepted his presence at the lunch table, I still didn't like him. After the conversation about his transfer, he went back to his obnoxious, annoying and self-centered antics. By the time the day was over, I was glad to mist home, disappearing the second the bell finished ringing

I knew Trish wasn't home yet, her shift didn't end until around ten o'clock tonight. I wandered upstairs towards her room where the door was left locked. I placed my hand over the doorknob and pushed my magic through my body towards my palm. The magic allowed me to feel the mechanics inside the knob and as soon as I found the lock and clicked it back. I turned the knob and pushed the door open.

Trish's room was basically the library of the house with a bed. The room itself was three stories and filled to the top with books. The books ranged from new, old and even ancient. Trish came from a long line of librarians and bookkeepers, so her main inheritance was the novels and volumes that had been collected over the years. Most of the books she had on the bottom and middle stories were spell books, medical books and alchemy charts with potions.

Not interested in the bottom floor, I climbed the stairs to the second level. Since I had moved in with Trish I worked my way up, finishing all the books on the first floor and half of the second in a year and a half. While searching the spines of the books, a shimmer caught my eye from the third floor. Following the light, I reached the third floor. In a glass case sat the Regere, the laws of Nidrus. This case was unlocked. I had never actually read it, but I knew the basics.

Sliding the lid off I then pulled the large and thick book out and sat down. The book itself was probably a few hundred years old. On the front were the words "Regere: Our Protection" in perfect font. The quote "Our Protection" was a common thing to be said in Nidrus. The founder, Alicia Falon, had said that everything she did and created was for the protection of Nidrus and Praecantatio.

I could feel the brittle paper between my fingers and feared it might just fall apart if I weren't careful. Opening the book the first page was a letter and I recognized Trish's family name.

Nix Family,
I am happy to present to you the first edition of the Regere. It is because of your help that I could keep the future safe. You are the true foundation of Nidrus. Without you, our people would be lost and mixed, having no sense of pride for our becomings. I thank you for your dedications to our lives. You have provided our sustained life, our world and our protection.

I never knew Trish's family was involved with the creation of Nidrus. What protection did they provide? And why would we be lost and mixed without it?

Turning the page over, the laws began. The first rule was no surprise to me, "No one shall wonder beyond the Gates. Defiance of this Law is punishable by death upon return." This rule was the most basic and the first thing you learn. As emphasis, the words took up a whole page.

I flipped through the pages quickly and got bored, reading things I already knew. I placed the Regere back in the case and closed it. On either side of the case were bookshelves that held books that looked as old as the Regere. A thick volume caught my eye with the black spine and silver lettering. Pulling the book from its place, I glanced at the front cover.

It was black with silver symbols covering it. It looked like a language, one I had never seen before. The symbols looked familiar though. At the edges of the cover were silver lines that curled in at the corners. I pulled on the cover to open it, but it wouldn't move. Using what ever strength I had, I pulled again at the cover and still it didn't budge. I placed my fingers on the pages that still remained closed and tried to open it from the center. It didn't open.

"Stupid book! Just open already!" I screamed in frustration. "Aperi!" I said, placing my hand over the cover and forcing my magic to my palm. The book glowed and shook in my hands. I smiled, expecting it to fly open. The light went out and the shaking seized, but the book didn't open. I groaned in frustration, falling to the floor and placing the book on the floor. I let both my hands hover over the book and forced all my magic to my hands. "Aperito, secreta" I said, telling my magic to uncover the secrets of the books.

This time the book shook violently. A scream sounded through the room, one that wasn't mine. Terrified, I scooted away from the book and was pushed against the rail. The book continued to scream and shudder against the floor. A black light shot out through the silver words, holding them in the air like a projector. The symbols changed and twisted into letters I could read.

"Restricted Spells," the words read. The book screamed again, louder than before as it jumped against the wall. It seemed almost as if it were fighting against my magic. The black light letters flickered and disappeared. In their place, blinding red symbols surrounded the room. The floated about the air, filling the whole room. I couldn't help but be distracted by them, they were a crimson red and looked as if they were bleeding.

With one last scream, the book jolted up and spun in the air once. It fell with a loud thud and the symbols disappeared. The book's light left and it sat on the floor as if it had been untouched. Fearful, I cautiously moved to pick it up. I drew back with a shriek as the black cover seared my hand. Using my mind's magic, I placed the book back in its place.

I ran down the stairs and left Trish's room, locking the door behind me. When I got to my room, I gazed at my hand. The skin was burned and fleshy. In the center was a symbol. Something I had never seen before, in any books I had read or any class I had taken. The symbol confused me. It was a long line with another line almost through the center but further towards the top. It looked like a letter but struck me as something different.

What does it mean?