Mage War

Chapter Two: Magefell

We finally dock. It’d taken forever. The Guard here took a long time to inspect us for any illegal goods, which I guess is fair, since Magefell will probably be the place with the most enemies. For every two people who love mages, there’s the person who is suspicious of them. It’s just the way life works. Which means that just Awakening created thousands of enemies for me. I guess that’s just another thing to be cautious of.

Me and Jade say farewell to our ten day shipmates, including—finally!—Kellion. Jade will travel back with them tomorrow. I’m not going to miss that trip. Solid ground feels good, but for a few minutes I’m stumbling around on the ground. It feels like the earth is on a seesaw. Whichever way I turn, it inclines. I finally catch my footing, and look around for Jay. For once, she’s having the same problem as me. I can see some of the civilians here in Magefell laughing at us. I try to glower at them, but I don’t know how successful I am. Jade grabs me in trying to right herself, and both of us tumble to the ground.

“Really? You had to bring me down with you?” I murmur.

She laughs. “What are friends for?” I can’t help but smile.

“So, What do you want to do?” I ask her. “We have plenty of time before I have to get to Magefell. Any ideas?”

“Not really. Let’s just have a look around. See what we find. Maybe go over to the market.”

“Good idea.”

We only get up off the floor when we almost get run over by a horse-drawn carriage, and the driver curses at us.

— — —

Ten minutes later, we’re lost. We took a right at the docks, and then a left over by the creepy lady’s house, then a right, left, another right, straight (Jade thought we were going in circles), and then another right… We don’t care though. We’re here to explore the sights, and explore we will. So far, we’ve seen nothing special. Except for that crazy lady. She was smoking something, probably Khaq, the most sold drug in the world, and asked if we wanted any fun. She cackled at our incessant denial, before sending “us lovebirds” on our way.

“You think we should ask anyone for directions?” asks Jade. I arch my eyebrow at her.

“You want to ask the people in this street? They look beyond shady. They seem as ready to cut your purse and slit your throat as to answer your questions. If you want to, go ahead. I’ll just be over there.”

She rolls her eyes. “Ah, here’s someone.” She grabs my arm and drags me over to the muscled man with one eye on the corner. I protest, but they’re lost as she stomps over to the man. He looks her up and down in a less than decent way, and smiles at her. It looks more like a snarl. Also, he has several teeth missing.

“What do you want, pretty lady?”

She scowls at him. “Tell us the way to the market.”

He keeps his smile, though it seems to droop a little now. “Now, you don’t need to take that tone with me, missy. I’m sure we could have a lot of fun together.” He cups her chin.

I unsheathe my sword a little, and he hears it. I’m getting pissed now. He’s crossing the line, and I’m prepared to do something about it. He turns towards me, eyes narrowing.

“You try that with me, and I’ll gut you like a pig.” He looks more dangerous now than he did a minute ago, and I didn’t think that was possible. He turns back to Jay, and she cringes, and does exactly what I was waiting for. She slaps him. Hard.

I can almost feel the slap as his head jerks back from the motion.

“Forget him. We’ll find the market on our own. You know, I really am not liking this city so far.”

Not that easy to forget him, though, with him chasing us down the street. Thankfully, he’s a little overweight—ok, a LOT overweight—but he’s still quick, and I’m out of shape, considering I was just on a boat for a week.

As I run, I look back. Dammit, he’s catching up. I take my dagger out of my coat. I don’t want to lose it but I have no choice. I throw it and keep running. I hear a grunt, and a fall, but don't bother looking back.

I really hope we find the market soon.

— — —

We did. The market wasn’t far, thankfully. Now I didn’t have to worry about the man or any of his potential friends. Jade, obviously, was unfazed.

The market looks great. It’s shaped like an oval, with stalls on the inside border of the oval, and shops on the outside border. At sunset, it has such an inviting look, making me want to wander forever around it.

“Where to first? I was thinking we could just start here and search for things that catch our eye.”

“Sure,” I respond. “Just remember, we need to find a dagger for me. Oh, and after this, we should find an inn. We could have a meal there, and you could stay the night.”

“Good idea.” We start to explore the stalls, and read the signs on the stores. Jade is the first to find something interesting.

“Ooh, look at that. That is beautiful.” It’s a dress. Looks like she found a clothing store. The sign says Dove’s Fashion. I’m grateful for Jay finding this store because I wasn’t really allowed to bring anything from Erenfeld to here, except for my weapons and coin. I don’t know how expensive everything will be, but hopefully not that much. Plus, the trousers and shirt I’m wearing now are dirty, and won’t last the winter. Pity. I had some good coats back in Erenfeld. I hope Magefell has clothes for me.

Jade pokes me in the shoulder. “I bet you I can go in there and buy everything I need before you do.”

“No way. Silver sphere?”

“Got it. Go.” Our competitive nature is shining through now. I smile as Jade runs in the store. I’m confident knowing how long women take in stores, and slowly ease into the store. When I walk in, I notice that a woman is already leading Jay into the back. Huh! That’s surprisingly quick. I walk around the store, noting the suits. They look good. I might try one of those. I start to touch one to get a feel for it.

“Hi!” A voice next to my head makes me scream.

“AAAAHHH. What the hell? Who are you?” Standing in front of me is a gangly teenager, possibly fifteen years of age, scruffy brown hair framing his face. He’s dressed sharply, probably to advertise the clothing here.

“Do you be needin’ anything, sir?”

“Uh, yeah? How much for one of these?”

“Depends on the size you be wantin’, sir. What size be you?”

I look at him for a second. His rough accent is hard to understand.

“I be wear—sorry, I usually wear size eighteen.” That’s actually a little bigger than what I wear, but I’m growing. Size eighteen is about the size of a nineteen year old, so the kid looks at me inquiringly.

“That be a little big for you, I think sir. Don’t you be thinkin’ size sixteen maybe?”

“No, that’s what I be—am wanting. And no need to call me sir…” I leave the sentence open for him to say his name.

“Reg, sir. Okay, if you be wantin’ size eighteen it’ll be five gold spheres.”

My eyes pop out of my skull. “Hell, no. Anything cheaper?”

“Sure, if you don’ mind us deliverin’ it later, you only need to pay 3 gold spheres and 5 silver globules. How about that, sir?”

That’s still expensive, but I can afford it now. “Sure, I’ll take it.”

“Do you be wantin’ to pick it up here, or at your residence?”

I don’t really know if they deliver at the academy, so I just tell him I’ll pick it up here.

“Alright, sir. You be order number 456. Here be a slip of paper. Bring it back here when it’s ready. It should be ready in two weeks or so.”

“Ok. Thank you, Reg. Nice to meet you.” I give him the money.

“Same to you, sir.”

I walk towards the exit, but turn around at the last minute.

“Call me Zade, Reg.”

As I walk out the door, thinking about the silver sphere I’m about to win from Jade, I hear Reg’s voice.

“Yessir, I mean Zade, sir.”

I laugh.

— — —

I can’t believe it.

As I walk out the door, Jay is already there. I didn’t even see her after she went to the back. She can’t possibly have finished before me. She holds out her hand.

“My sphere.”

“How? They have to take your measurement, and that includes your waist, bust and hips. YOU CAN'T HAVE DONE ALL THAT IN LESS TIME THAN IT TOOK ME TO TELL REG MY SIZE!”

“Who’s Reg?”

“It doesn’t matter. How did you do it?”

“Shh. A magician never reveals her secrets. The sphere.”

I grudgingly hand over the sphere. Jade starts telling me about the dress she bought.

“It’s a beauty. It was a little expensive, but how could I not? Kalla is going to be so jealous!”

I drown her out, as we keep walking through the market. I see an apothecary, filled with potions, and medicines that probably hurt as much as they heal. The Three Day-Old Constipation. I already like this store. They advertise a love potion, and I’m tempted to spike Jade, but I couldn’t go in there without her noticing. So I let her in on the idea.

“Jade, I have a great idea. I’m going to spike someone in the academy with a love potion.”

“Why and how?”

“Because It’s fun. Also, there’s a store over there. I’ll be right back.”

“No way, I’m coming with.”

That’s how we find ourselves talking to one of the weirdest women I’ve ever met.

“Hi, I’m Selyn. What will this lovely couple want today? A love potion maybe?”

I scowl. “That’s the second time.” Jade is smiling, so I shoot her a glare. “And yes, we do want a love potion.”

She shakes her head. “Every teenager wants a love potion these days. It doesn’t replace true love, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. I just want it as a prank.”

“That’s what they all say. I’ll tell you what though. Because you’re a first-time customer, and a young one, I’ll give you fifty percent off. Plus you can add in—”

“No thanks. How much for the potion.”

“With the discount, 3 silver spheres.”

Not that pricey, surprisingly. Not even a full gold globule. Good. Hurriedly, to get away from the store as quickly as possible, I pay her.

“Come on, Jay. Time to leave.”

“You wait outside. I’ll be right back.” I glare at her. She’s up to something, though I don’t know what. Eh. Probably nothing important.

“Thank you. Come again soon, mister…”

“Zade. Sure, I’ll come back soon.” Sarcasm obviously. Selyn is fine, but she was getting on my nerves. I’m glad to be leaving the store.

— — —

For the next half hour, we just explore the market. Enjoying the smell of baked food and perfumes, feeling of the warmbreeze on our skin and the sight of a beautiful night. The last one we will spend together. Eventually, we find a place that sells weapons, and Jade stays outside while I go in The Gilded Warrior.

There’s a marvelous display of weaponry in the store. Magnificent swords with hilts of gold. Longbows with fancy designs on them, arrows for normal use, and ones that could light. Axes and maces, the first of which looked sharp and interesting, though I don’t know when I would ever use it. The latter doesn’t really interest me. It looks heavy and clumsy, but could definitely do a lot of damage.

As I look around, I spot the daggers. Some of them are clearly too expensive, having hilts inlaid with jewels, and masterfully crafted blades that undoubtedly have enchantments on them. But even the less stunning daggers still looked inviting.

I peruse the daggers. I finally land on one that is a little shorter than normal, but the hilt is comfortable, and looks perfect for throwing. The dagger has a silver carving with words in a foreign language. I wonder where the owner is?

“Hello? Is anyone here?”

“Yes, yes! I’ll be with you soon.” The voice is coming from the back of the store, which is hidden behind a shelf full of books.

Soon, a portly man, shorter in height, comes forward towards me. I expected a more muscled man to sell swords, but this man looks more inviting. He looks at the dagger I’m holding, and nods approvingly.

“Ah, Nightwielder. A good blade. Are you interested?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Call me Wil. And you are?”

“Zade. How much for the blade?”

“One gold sphere.”

I purse my lips. Damn. I can afford it, but not by much. I somewhat regretfully give him the coin. As I turn to leave though, I turn back.

“What does the inscription on Nightwielder say?”

He nods approvingly. “I’ll let you figure it out for yourself.”

I turn my head questioningly, but I won’t press him for an answer. I walk out the door, and hear one final thing.

“Nighwielder is a special blade, Mister Zade. Treat it well, and it will treat you well.”

What the hell?

— — —

It’s getting late. The sun is basically gone by now, so me and Jade look for an inn. We pass by one called The Maiden’s Kiss, but it looks less than reputable, and we’re not looking for any trouble. Plus, Jay would never want to stay there.

We finally decide on an inn with a better look and name. Ember on the Waters. It’s the inn I saw from the ship. The outside wall with the ember in the middle of the ocean looks even better up close, and now that I’m there, I realize how tall it is. The painting is probably eight feet tall. I have to crane my head to see the top.

We enter the building, and are immediately greeted with the smell of warm meat and beer. My stomach starts to rumble. We are immediately greeted by a barmaid. She leads us over to a table in the corner.

“What will y'all be having today?”

“Just a hot meal and a room.”

“Y’all will have to talk to the mistress about the room. We’re always full. But I can get y’all a meal soon enough.” She leaves, shuffling towards the kitchen.

I lean back on the chair, finally able to relax for a little.

“Hey, you’re not going to let the last moments we spend together ignoring me, are you?” Jade sounds both amused and annoyed.

I look at her. “I don’t have anything to talk about.”

“So you are going to ignore me.”

“Yup.”

I close my eyes, then I feel a sharp kick on my foot. I sit up.

“Ow. What the hell?”

She shrugs. “You can’t ignore me.”

“Clearly.”

She rolls her eyes. “You’re insufferable.”

I grin. “I try. That way, you’ll be glad when I ignore you.”

She starts to respond, but she’s interrupted by the barmaid, carrying our food. It’s venison and rice. She’s also carrying two beers. Jade asks her to take her beer back, but I take mine. I’ve heard that mages aren’t allowed to drink. If so, I’ll make the best of this I can.

“I have a question,” I tell Jay. “How are you going to get your dress back in time for you to leave?”

She scowls a little. “I had to pay extra. The seamstress was nice enough, though. I’ll have to pick it up really early tomorrow.”

I take a bite of the venison, and my eyes widen. Food always tastes better when you’re really hungry, but this is amazing.

“I’m sorry, but the venison is more important than you. I’m going to ignore you now.”

Jade’s eyes narrow. Now I'm scared she’ll try to take the venison from me, so I warn her.

“Don’t you dare.”

She looks at me innocently.

“What?” She asks.

“MY venison.”

She laughs, and shakes her head. Then she turns solemn.

“Seriously, though. This is the last time we’re going to be together for a long time. Please.”

I’m not smiling anymore.

“Yeah, I don’t know what I’m going to do now. Life is just so uncertain, you know? I have no idea how to be a mage, I’m starting over in a new place where I don’t know anybody, and you won’t be there. I’m a little lost. So I’m trying not to think about it. It’ll come, and I’ll just go along with it.”

“You can’t do that. You’ve got to be proactive. Don’t let the world carry you around, Zade. I don’t know what’s going to happen to you either. But I know you. You’ll get through it all. You’ll probably destroy the world, and fix it right back up. You’ve got this. But you can’t be led along.”

“I know, you’ve said. But how am I going to act if I don’t know the consequences for anything I do?”

“It’s faith. You had faith in coming here.”

“No, actually, I was forced.”

“True, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t have a little faith. If you didn’t believe everything would be fine, you would’ve run away. You need faith in the things you can’t see or touch. Maybe you’ll go the wrong way. Maybe you’ll do the wrong thing. Maybe you’ll lose yourself completely. But you need to believe that everything has a purpose. That belief is important. That belief is faith. Don’t forget it.”

“Thanks. Now I’m going to ignore you again for a few minutes to digest what you just said..”

Jade chuckles. “I’ll allow it. This once.”

I turn to my food while I ponder the big move I’m making. I find it daunting, obviously, but the main problem is I hate being alone. I’ve had that problem ever since my parents died. I break down at the thought of being alone. It tears me apart. For the last two months, Jay was the only reason I didn’t go completely insane. Sometimes, I feel completely insane, though.

I guess that’s why this move may be a good thing. Maybe I’ll find healing here. I’ve heard Mages can do anything. Obviously, that’s not true, but maybe I can forget my problems. I hope I need to focus on being a mage so much that my parents’ death is not an issue. That sounds harsh but I don’t want the memories to leave, only the pain.

Yes, I do have trust issues because of all this. It’s not that I don’t trust people in general, it’s just hard to open up. Jade is the only person I open up to. I wasn’t always like this, but now it would feel normal to confide in someone as soon as I met them.

I finish my food. It tasted amazing, and I would have another plate, but I should probably head over to the academy soon. Jade is still eating, though. I’ll let her finish.

“So,” I venture, “What will you do when you get back, Jay?”

She nods, and swallows the food in her mouth. “I’m going back to my job in the guard. I heard about some skirmishes between Farmer Holdstadt and Farmer Jolston, so I’ll probably take care of that. It’s just the usual. Nothing magical for me.” She smiles to let me know she’s joking.

“Hey, I didn’t choose to be a mage. Magic just chose me. Does that make me special? No, because I already was special.”

“You, special? I clearly remember Danni talking about how you almost killed her once because you thought the bear’s cave was a man made cavern. The only thing you’re special at is being stupid.”

I gasp in mock outrage. “You’re calling me stupid?”

“Yes.”

“That hurts.”

“Like the bear’s claws when it broke your arm?”

“That was five years ago!”

“Two, at most.”

“Whatever. It’s been a long time. Plus, Danni would’ve done anything I told her. She had such a crush on me.”

Jay laughs once again. “That’s true. Remember when she tried to kiss you during Autumnfest?”

“I do! How old were we then?”

“Six, I think.”

“Yeah, I lived my entire life back in Erenfeld. All my memories are from there. Now I’ll be living in Magefell, Jay!”

“From the small town to the big city.”

“I knew everyone back in Erenfeld. Now there will always be people I don’t know here.”

“You can always talk to Selyn or Wil.”

I shudder. “Selyn is a nightmare.”

“She was sweet. I like her.”

“You like everyone.”

“Eh. True, I guess.”

We grow silent, and I finish my beer. I stand up.

“Jay, we should go. Let’s talk to the innkeeper and pay her. Then you stay here, and I’ll go to Zenyth.”

“I'm coming with,” Jade says indignantly, crossing her arms.

“But you’ll just have to come back.” Now she has her hands on her hips.

“So?”

“You can come with me. I just thought you’d like to stay.”

“Let’s just find the innkeeper.”

I call over the barmaid who attended us.

“Can you call over the innkeeper please.”

“Sure,” she replies, “Mistress Anan will be right with ya’ll.”

She walks toward the kitchen, and a minute later, a pudgy woman with a friendly air around her walks over to us.

“I’m sorry, we don’t have two rooms available. Now, if you’re fine with sharing a bed, then…”

Jade bumps in. “I’m the only one staying, miss. Yes, I’d like that room.”

“Just the night?”

“Just the night, no breakfast.”

“Great. This meal, plus the room, comes to five silver spheres.”

We pay her, and leave., and start the trip to the tower, which looks close, but is on a hill, so should take us an hour to arrive.

Jade looks at me. “Ready?”

I take a breath. “Ready.”

— — —

Forty-five minutes later, we’re winded. We’re almost there, but the trek is tiring me out, and now I want to sleep. It’s been a long day.

I can still see, so I still think we have maybe an hour and a half before midnight. I think the glow around the city will give at least some light even then.

“How are…you holding…up?” Jade asks.

“Fine,” I respond. “Just…tired.”

Jay nods in understanding. The tower stands above us, taunting us. The blue glow around it invites us, while at the same time, the tower keeps itself away from us, no matter how much we walk.

I force myself forward. This is the final stretch, then I arrive at my new home. My new beginning. My new life.

My legs complain, but my brain is resolved. My eyes are narrowed in concentration, and I push forward.

I keep pushing.

I keep pushing.

I keep…pushing.

I keep.

I…keep.

I…

I arrive.

Or at least, I arrive at the gate which leads to the tower. And now that I’m closer, I can see it’s not a tower. Not just a tower, anyway. It’s a mansion, the tower just being its central point. Mages really like a grand life.

There’s a guardsman at the gate. I speak to him.

“My name is Zade Helstorm, and I’m to be admitted here at the academy.”

He nods. “We’ve been expecting you.” He opens the gate.

I start to walk in then hear a voice behind me.”

“Zade, wait.” It’s Jay. “I don’t think I can go in.”

The guardsman nods. “Unless she is a mage or a warrior, she cannot come in.”

I look back sadly.

“It’s time,” Jade tells me.

I walk over to her and she gives me a strong embrace. I feel tears in my eyes, and I let them flow. I can tell she’s tearing up too.

“Thank you for coming with me.”

“I had to, Zade. I had to. I don’t want to leave.”

“I know. I don’t want you to leave either. But you have to.”

“All good things come to an end.”

“Exactly.”

We stand there, holding each other for a lifetime, not daring to let each other go. Then Jade releases me and smiles, crying.

“Go. I’ll see you one day. Soon.”

“I’ll go back to Erenfeld."

“You better.”

“I will.” Then, to reassure myself I say it again. “I will.”

Jade leaves. I watch her go, until she turns the corner. I wipe the tears off my eyes, and walk over to the guard, who looks a little uncomfortable.

“I’m ready.” I take a deep breath and walk in.

There’s a courtyard, but it’s too dark, and my eyes are too wet for me to notice, so I walk straight up to the tower. I knock on the door and wait. Eventually, a man opens the door slightly.

“Name.”

“Zade Helstorm. I’m a mage, and I’m here to join the academy.”

He looks down at a piece of paper in his hands, and scans it. Then he opens the door completely. I’m supposed to go in now. But I hesitate.

My life was never perfect. The last two months have been torture. I just left the only person I cared about. My life is about to be changed in a drastic way. Am I ready? No. But I remember what Jade said.

Faith. You need to believe that everything has a purpose. That belief is Faith.

I take a deep breath in and close my eyes. I open them slowly and walk in the door.

“You have entered Zenyth, Zade Helstorm, Mage-in-training,” the doorman tells me. “Welcome to your new life.”

Welcome to your new life.