MageLife (2 page)

My stomach rumbled distracting me from the bauble around my neck. Food. What do I want? The market had to have a food stall. There were lots of stalls in bright colours displaying all sorts of crafted items, even a few enchantments. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I couldn’t find anything to eat until I came across a tavern, just off the main square. Nice clean lines, clear insect repulsions I stepped inside. The light globes were clear but dim. Going to the bar weaving through the tables, was like a maze, patrons all tucking in to their own lunches. I was starving.

“Excuse me could I order some food please?”

The comely waitress came over to me.

“Of course you can Master Mage. What would you like?” Her smoky voice made me smile.

“Um. Could I have steak and vegetables and a glass of silver juice please?”

“Find a seat. I'll bring it over to you,”

“Thank you,"

I meandered back through the patrons until I found and sat at an empty table and waited, thinking over what had happened today. While lost in my reverie, my lunch arrived

“That will be Three Knacks please,” The waitress said.

“Sorry I was distracted, here you go."

I reached into my coat and pulled out my credit shard, a touch of magic transferring my funds

“Thanks, enjoy your meal.” She sauntered off through the throng of patrons.

My meal, while nothing remarkable, was filling and pleasant. The silver juice hit the spot. I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do with my time. I had finished my task for the day, I could practice my magic but all I really wanted to do was go back to my new quarters and settle in. Having decided, I got up and headed for the door.

As I was wandering back to my quarters slowly taking in the view of the town I realised I’d never really paid it much attention. I noticed how clean and smooth the pavement was, how crisp the edges of the buildings were, even the wind was clean and fresh. The whole town radiated light and openness with such broad streets. My journey to my new home was quiet and brief.

As I walked in to my new apartment, I felt at a loss. I hadn't had this much time to myself for a long time. I sat on my bed taking of my boots.

I should really be doing something. Anything. I survived the waves, have worked so hard to pass my exams, and for what? To deal with an abusive boss and petty problems. I know I'm just a Junior Mage but I'm a prodigy! I'm five years ahead of anyone else my age.

As my thoughts went round in circles. My frustration reached higher, I realised something. This anger and frustration served no purpose. It was only my second day. My first real task and just like that my anger was redirected onto myself for wasting my time with petty thoughts instead of improving myself.

With the anger channelled now I felt renewed. Things were clearer. I must prove myself or I would never be a wizard.

I turned to my potted fern gently stroking the leaves using my earth magic to encourage gentle growth. The feel of the leaves making me feel more at home. Plants had always comforted me. Living in the town had me off balance, around all these people. Just thinking about home, not the academy, brought on a wave of homesickness, that I thought I was long past. I was determined to stay strong, I had my fern and my family were only a mirror away.

Feeling better. I went to the basin in the corner, activating the enchantment imbued in the faucet. They were in every modern building. The basin filled with cool clear water as it reached the three quarters mark the enchantment sensed it and shut off. Taking the basin over to my chair I concentrated pouring my magic into the water, the surface rippled, I was trying something I never managed in my lessons, scrying. I could get an image to appear but it wasn't what I was looking for, again. Disappointed I used the water to wash up and headed to bed. A sliver of magic turning off the light Hoping tomorrow would bring me the chance to prove myself.

Chapter 2

Waking up was pleasant without Orb flashing at me. Looking out of the window I saw it was still early, the sun just peeking over the horizon, I took my time getting ready. Having a wash, getting dressed. I really needed to get food for the place. The chiller was bare, but that could wait until the end of the day. By the time I was ready the dawn was upon the town.

Walking the short route to the office, I saw a lot activity in the street as people headed out to their own jobs. Street cleaners with their glowing staves, propelling the dirt on the streets ahead of them. Reaching the special containment openings at the base of the fountains. I marvelled at the ingenuity of the wizards. Who had set up the system?

Reaching the office doors I saw they were already open. Inside there were two adults and a young girl maybe eight years of age. Standing opposite my boss’s desk. The boss looked frustrated.

“Tristan, get over here,” He called out, after noticing me stood in the doorway.

I walked to stand in front of him, I saw Orb hovering behind Senior Mage Rysan a faint green tinge colouring his lower half. I may be good with golems but my skills with air and fire are non-existent, I do not understand what the colours mean. Focusing back on my boss.

“Tristan, this is Mr and Mrs Leif. They have a problem you can solve for us.” I was puzzled, nothing sprang to mind in relation to my skills. My puzzlement must have shown

“Their daughter has shown signs of her knack, its earth as far as we can tell," He told me

“But Sir,” I protested. “She can't be older than ten.”

Rysan raised a hand, stalling my protests. “Yes, she is eight, her knack is developing fast, she would normally have a few more years before needing to learn control. She's too young to learn it at school, so I am assigning you as her master until she’s got the basics,"

“Umm, yes Sir” I was feeling very unsure about all this.

“Take her to get something to eat while I make the arrangements with Mr and Mrs Leif,"

I walked over to the young girl, my knowledge of children is slight, but I recalled something about being on their own level. So I sunk down to one knee, looking her in the eye.

“Hello. I'm Tristan I'm sure you heard what's happening. Is this okay for you?” I said to her trying not to talk down to her. She was eight not stupid.

“Hi. I'm Sophia, I'm scared, are you going to help me?” she declared very bravely

“I'm going to do my best to help you, I'm new at this too.” I replied feeling that such honesty deserved honesty in return.

“Are you hungry?” I asked

“Yes. Can we get the eggs and bacon? It's my favourite,” she smiled around the words

“Sure we can Sophia.” I smiled in return, this kid is great. I really fancied bacon now.

I stood, cast a look back at Rysan still hashing out the details with Sophia’s parents, motioning to Sophia to let her know we were going now. She came to my side shyly, and we were off.

I remembered this cafe at the end of the road near my apartment. I had walked past it every day since moving to this part of town. The whole district was built of a pale cream stone, everything from the streets to the buildings which felt like they flowed up out of the edges of the wide central thoroughfare. The cafe was cosy. The tables made of the same cream stone rising out of the floor, large windows letting in the bright morning sun. The place was busy, but that didn't matter, the smells of bacon and sausages, cooking drawing us in. I looked to my side to see the matching look of anticipation of Sophia's face. We took a table by the door and looked down the menu that was made of glass, the words gently glowing.

“Can you read?” I enquired as the question occurred to me. Sophia’s green eyes took on a proud glimmer as she answered.

“Yep, course I can read. Why do your eyes glow? My grand mama's eyes do that, but my mama’s don't, does it hurt? Can you see in the dark?”  She rattled out before pausing, clearly having run out of breath.

In that brief window, the waitress arrived to take our order.

“What will you have?” She asked, giving me an amused quirk of the eyebrow. I looked over at Sophia she was looking unsure, I felt it was my duty to reassure her so I said

“You can have anything you want. It’s my treat,"

Her little face brightened with such a smile, I instantly felt better about my task.

“Ummm. Can I have, um, the bacon and the scrambled eggs and glass of milk please?” She asked the waitress.

“Of course you can honey!” she responded

“She’s so polite,” She remarked to me before asking me “And you?”

“I’ll have the same but I’ll have the blue ice tea please,” I said and with that she was gone, back to the kitchen.

I took a deep breath, trying to buy time to think before answering Sophia’s questions.

“Right I'll give you the short answer about my eyes, and then if you think it’s not enough, you can ask again later, does that sound fair?”

She nodded quickly, her red hair waving around.

“Here. My eyes glow because I am a Mage and I have a lot of magic inside me. No I can't see in the dark any better than you and no it doesn't hurt.” I stated as clearly as I could

“But that doesn't explain why my mama doesn't have glowing eyes but my grand mama does. Will I end up with them too?” She was not letting this go.

“The older someone is, the more magic they have, normally. So one day you might glow too. Unless you want to be a Mage. Then you will certainly end up with them.”

I really didn't want my breakfast ruined, by all this pointing out of how odd my eyes were for my age.

Our breakfast arrived just then I thanked the waitress and paid for us both. I could tell she was bursting to ask more questions and while I respect curiosity, I’d had enough. So as she opened her mouth to utter the next one, I interrupted with one of my own.

“What did you do with your knack?” She flushed and looked down at the table which was almost as cute as when she smiled.

“Ummm, my parents think I made the plants in the garden grow, but I don't think I did they were just like that, when we woke up,” She explained very quickly.

Well that covered why they thought it was earth, but not why they thought it was her,

“Anything else that you may have forgotten to mention? We need to find your range before we can teach control,” I coaxed her.

“Well when I was playing with Josh, he's the boy that lives at the house down the road, we were playing stone skipping on the lake, right?” She looked at me, checking to see if I was listening. I nodded, trying to look extra attentive. She continued.

“Well he was beating me, he got 5 skips, and I only got two I was getting mad that my stones wouldn't do it, and then my next stone did ten whole jumps but that's not magic, I just got good at it. Right?” She looked like she was desperately wishing I would agree that it wasn't magic.

I felt torn, I really liked this poor girl, but I had to do what was best for her.

“Sophia I would love to tell you that it’s not magic, but I can’t. I'm sorry, it sounds very like when I got my knack. I’ll tell you about it if you want, but it may be a bit sad. Do you want to hear it?” I wasn't sure if this was the right way to approach this but it’s all I had.

She nodded looking more and more vulnerable. It made my heartache, but duty came first.

“I was nine. When I bloomed, its young, but it happened more often back then. I didn't know what was happening. I accidentally channelled most of my magic into the earth creating Zelf as I thought of him. He was a mirror to me. A boy shaped rock, the same size as me. We went everywhere together, he was my only friend. Since my blossoming all the other kids were scared of him. He couldn't talk but we played. He looked after me. Then the waves came.”

I had managed to talk normally until this point but the memories of this time still choke me up. My next words were thick with suppressed emotion.

“My parents were tired, helping to look after those that had lost everything in the destruction left by the waves. I asked Zelf to help them, he went.  But I was just a kid I didn't know they needed charging or constant exposure to their creator when they are so young. He died a few hours later while I was sleeping. I never got to say goodbye to him.” Poor Sophia her eyes had welled up, but then so had mine.

“That's really sad. But that's real magic, I didn't really do anything," she sobbed at me. I don't think she really believed that any more.

“Everyone has some magic. It's nothing to be scared of.” I tried to comfort her.

“You don't even have to use it if you don't want to, but we can't have anyone getting hurt because you can't control it. Can we?”

“No, I guess not.” She had calmed down a bit by now.

Trying to change the subject.

“Let’s eat our breakfast, then we can go find out what your parents are doing.”  I calmly said. I really didn't want her upset again.

I had to remember this cafe for breakfast. The bacon was crisp, and the eggs had to be the best I had had in a long time. Sophia looked like she was enjoyed them too. I nodded at the waitress as we left. Acknowledging the aid she had given me with Sophia.

Walking back into the office, the boss was at his desk, signing something with Mr and Mrs Leif countersigning, where he indicated. Sophia ran to her parents straight into the arms of her mother. She started telling them, what we had talked about at lunch. I stayed back not wanting to interrupt their family bonding. The boss motioned me over as he stood up

“Mr and Mrs Leif, I'm going to brief Junior Mage Tristan. We shall leave the office so you can explain to Sophia while I bring Tristan up to speed.” Rysan announced. Far calmer than I had ever heard him before turning on his heel and walking into his personal office behind his desk. I of course followed him.

I had never been in here. To be honest it wasn't what I expected. There was a deep red desk next to which was a waist high pedestal that Orb was now resting on. A huge unlit fireplace taking up a whole wall, a basin on the other side. And a chair that Rysan promptly sat down in, I remained standing unsure what I should really do.