The Missing Mage (4 page)

Avera replied to her friend’s greeting. “Elanor, always good to see you my friend. Girls, Elanor is a fashion genius, she will be working her magic with you today.” Avera turned back to Elanor. “Now what we need is a full wardrobe for each. Casual clothes, party dresses, clothing for rummaging around out in the forest... The works.”

Rose piped up, “I like blue, can I have a blue dress?”

Elanor leaned down and tapped her on the nose, “You can have any color dress you like, let’s measure you up and try some things on.”

Ava looked over at Sharon, who had a big smile on her face, “This should be interesting.”

For the rest of the morning the girls went from shop to shop as Avera made sure they got everything they would need. In some stores they did not purchase anything at all, but Avera made it plain to all the shopkeepers that they were important guests and to be treated like her family. After a brief brunch in a pastry shop, Avera announced that it was time to head home. Ava was thankful, her arms were starting to tire carrying around all the new parcels. They made their way from the business district into a residential one. The further they went, the nicer the homes were. Soon Avera announced they had reached the corner of her estate. While many of the neighboring properties had open yards, Avera’s home was completely fenced in. A large brick wall surrounded the property.

Ava took in the wall’s many sections: one along the boulevard, the other stretching towards the ocean. Both walls went on forever.
Her home must be huge
she thought to herself. But, until they reached the gate, Ava had no idea what the estate hiding behind the high walls looked like.

Once they arrived at the large decorative black steel gates, Avera opened them and Ava peeked in. While the front yard was relatively shallow, the length of the fence that continued around the sides of the large sprawling, two-story home, hinted at a generously-sized backyard. As they walked up the house doors, Avera gave a brief history on the property. At one point, several generations before, one of Avera’s relatives had chosen to sell much of the king’s property within the city, allowing for private ownership of land. This particular home had once belong to a Venecian pirate trader, who bought it because of the access to a small cove along the sea. Avera purchased it several years ago, happily moving out of the castle.

Rose, upon hearing there was a beach, immediately wanted to go exploring, but Avera told her to be patient. “There will be plenty of time to see the beach after you get settled in.” As they reached the front door, Avera raised her finger to her lips indicating the girls should remain silent.

Ava watched carefully as Avera spoke, “
Roopa
.” As soon as she uttered the strange word, the door clicked. Avera then swung it open. “One of the benefits of buying a house owned by a pirate. The man spent a fortune on all sorts of magic wards and locks. It’s ironic how paranoid a thief can be about people stealing from him. Just remember the word and you never need a key, but don’t tell anyone our secret,” said Avera as she entered the house.

As they walked into their new home, Avera gave them a brief explanation of the house layout. “The dining room and the kitchen are down the first right hand corridor. All the guest bedrooms are upstairs.” Avera paused, noticing that the girls were no longer listening to her. They were too busy watching the paintings on the walls. “Oh, how silly of me, I always forget how those paintings affect people the first time they see them. Are they not the most wonderful things ever? My nephew Quinton painted them for me.” The paintings in question were a series, and each changed colors and moved. The first was a forest that cycled through all the seasons, the second was of a ship sailing the seas, the ship was bobbing up and down in the waves while the sails billowed in the wind. The third was a portrait of Lady Avera dancing, as she moved her dress color and style would change.

Ava, Rose, and Sharon were enthralled with the magic paintings. They stood there for several minutes staring at the beautiful artwork before Avera beckoned them to follow her. “Come girls, there is plenty more interesting things to see.”

“Those are amazing. Your nephew Quinton is very talented. You look so beautiful in that portrait,” spoke Ava as she grudgingly pulled the other girls towards the stairs.

“You sure are pretty Avera. I love the way your dress changes color,” said Rose as she looked back at the paintings while her sister urged her towards the staircase in the middle of the room.

“Thank you girls, I think having a talented magical artist in the family is rather handy, makes me look pretty,” Avera answered modestly. “Here is where all the bedrooms are,” said Avera as she climbed to the top of the stairs to the second floor. “The upstairs is mostly bedrooms and bathrooms. My rooms are down this corridor on the right hand side, guest rooms are on the left.” Avera walked down the main hallway to the second corridor, where she turned left and headed towards the door on the end. When she got to the door, she placed her hand on it, then turned to the girls. “This door is magical like the front door except instead of being activated by voice it’s activated by touch. Only the hand of a person allowed to enter will unlock the door. Each of you place a hand on the door please.” When the three girls had placed their hand on the door, she spoke. “Additional guest, full entrance rights.”

Ava felt a small tingle in her hand, then watched as Avera open the door. Avera continued her explanation of the girls’ living quarters. “This was once a guest suite for larger families, but it will be perfect for you girls.” The main room was a large living room with several couches, end tables, a large filled bookcase, and a fireplace. “Rose go in that door on the left, it’s a perfect room for you.”

Rose ran into the room, Ava and Sharon followed, curious to see what each room was like. The room was simple, a comfortable-looking bed dominated its center, while a large dresser sat on the left side of the room and a small end table was on the right side. What made the room interesting were the walls. Like the paintings downstairs, they were magical. Together, the rooms walls made one big forest mural, with trees and a flower-filled meadow. The ceiling boasted a cloudy sky. The trees and clouds danced in an invisible wind. “As night falls the walls will get darker and the sky clearer. Late at night the stars will sparkle on the ceiling.” Avera was rather proud of this room, Quinton had painted it for her. It was a wonderful room for Rose.

Rose bounced onto the bed and looked up at the clouds on the ceiling. “It’s the best room ever!”

Ava laughed; it was hard to argue with Rose. The room was beautiful. She couldn’t wait to see it at night.

“Ava the next room over is yours. It’s not as fancy as Rose’s room, but it should suffice,” said Avera.

The girls ran to the next room, curious as to its contents. The bedroom was slight larger than Rose’s room, but instead of a forest scene, the walls were a tasteful cream color and a large magical painting decorated the wall opposite the bed. The painting depicted a ballroom filled with people dancing to the music of a band. Not only was the painting moving, but you could also hear the music. “Just rub your hand up or down the frame of the painting to control the music volume,” explained Avera.

Ava giggled and ran her hand up the frame. The music grew louder, a beautiful combination of instruments playing a gentle melody. “It is wonderful. I love it,” exclaimed Ava.

 “Next one’s your’s Sharon. Since you are the oldest I have given you the largest room. It doesn’t have a magical painting yet, but my nephew will likely come for a visit soon and I am sure we can convince him to create something special for you.”

Sharon smiled as she peeked into her room. It was similar to Ava’s, only with a larger bed and empty walls. Even without a magical painting, it was still a tastefully decorated room. “It’s wonderful. Thank you, Avera.”

“Okay, I am glad you girls like your rooms. I am going to leave you to unpack now. You will hear chimes ten minutes before dinner time.” Avera headed out of the suite, wanting to give the girls time to themselves to get used to their new surroundings.

Chapter five

“STILL NOT UP? I figured you would need to catch up on sleep, it’s been a long couple of weeks. But there are people expecting us, so time to get moving.” Verin clapped his hands, opening the curtains to fill the room with light.

Nathan still didn’t know who they were meeting with but he refused to ask. He’d let Verin have his little secret, for now. Nathan quickly got dressed and in short order they were on their way out of the castle.

“Nathan, this is Breon Poultin,” Verin said as he opened the door to the man’s blacksmith shop.

Breon, a weathered and hard looking man, was watching an apprentice work at the forge. He turned and greeted them. “Verin, my friend, it is good to see you, and Nathan it is a pleasure to meet you.” Breon smiled and shook Nathan’s hand. The gray-haired man had more than his share of wrinkles, but his grip was still blacksmith strong. The old blacksmith might look warn  but his grip and the sparkle in his eye hinted at a strong vitality. Nathan took an instant liking to the blacksmith.

“Breon has graciously agreed to let you use his shop during evenings and weekends,” Verin announced to Nathan.

“Now don’t go making me out to be some saint. I agreed to rent out my shop during hours not in use and for a fair price, besides that my business partner would probably have my head if I refused you. Two coppers a month, in coin or work. It’s fair for all involved.” Breon smiled and laughed. “It’s a good thing your uncle is a terrible negotiator. When I found out you would be making black steel I probably would have paid you just to watch you work instead.”

Nathan smiled at this, having a blacksmith shop at his disposal was perfect. They had discussed his desire to continue with smith work while in Balta, but Nathan hadn’t been convinced that it would be realistic. Weekends and evenings wasn’t a lot of time, but it was more than enough for the idea he had in mind. “It’s a good-looking shop; well worth two coppers a month to me. What time do you close in the evenings?”

“I send the apprentices home at five, so the forge is available after that. If you come down around that time on the days you want it, I’ll make sure they keep the forge nice and hot for you. On weekends you will have to fire it up on your own,” replied Breon.

Nathan was pleased that his uncle had arranged a forge for him. Blacksmith work was a way of honoring his father and his grandfather. “That is perfect, thank you. I look forward to using the shop.”

After they left the shop, Nathan turned to Verin. “His business partner would not like it if he refused us?”

Verin laughed. “You caught that I see. Yes, when Breon finished his apprenticeship years ago he went to the banks for a loan to start his own shop, but he had no capital or family name so they rejected him. Your aunt Avera found out and offered to stake him for a percentage of the business. Breon was more than happy to have a partner and Avera has made her original investment back several times over.” explained Verin. “Your aunt is quiet the shrewd business woman. Over the years, she has invested in several businesses around Balta and abroad. I gladly handed over my finances to her years ago. Money has never been my strong suit, being a ranger is much easier. “

As they walked, Verin was leading them to the outskirts of the city along the sea. Finally, he stopped at an older three-story building. “Head inside; I have an errand to run. I will be back before long.” Verin said before taking off down the street.

Nathan looked at the building. It was fairly nondescript and, aside from being setback from its neighbors, it was hard to tell anything about it. Nathan knocked and entered the building. ”Hello?” he said.

“Up here, come on up,” came a voice from above. Nathan followed the stairs to the second floor. The entire floor was an open room lined with bookshelves, a big table sat in the middle. Nathan recognized the man at the table as Balthazar, a mage. He had been at the meeting about the fire mage and the attack on the city.

“Have a seat, I’m sure you are wondering why you are here,” spoke Balthazar, his gravelly voice filling the room.

Nathan sat down across from Balthazar, and waited for him to continue.

“I asked your uncle to not explain who I was, it’s easier to explain in person than have a third party confuse the issue. My official title is Grand Mage. Simply put, I am in charge of the mages who owe allegiance to the king. Now, many of the magic users in Balta are not mages. Musicians, artists, craftspeople who enhance their own work with magic use; they do not fall under my supervision. I help direct the studies of our mages and, in times of need, the use magic to help protect the kingdom.” Balthazar paused for a moment to let this sink in.

Nathan had already surmised most of this, but was still unsure where he fit into this logic. “Does that put me under your supervision to be trained, or would I count as a craftsperson using magic?” said Nathan.

 “Excellent question, Nathan, and the heart of why you are here today. Normally a young magic user like you would have the choice. Take up full-time magic studies or just learn magic as a supplemental skill. I’m told your blacksmith skills are excellent, and your affinity for the earth compliments that well. Technically, bloodstones are probably a little advanced for normal blacksmiths to use as supplementary magic, but as it’s a family trait, you could use it without having to study under supervision. However, I’m afraid your affinity for earth is not your only magical trait. You have mind connection abilities, which are a strong and sometimes dangerous magic, especially for those without formal training. Not only to you, but also to the ones with whom you share the connection. But before we get too far into that, let’s get a better idea of how much inert magic you possess.”

Balthazar stood and walked over to a shelf on the wall, coming back with a large shallow bowl, which he placed in front of Nathan. “I know it’s terrible for a mage to brag about his magic abilities, but I always get a kick out of this spell. It truly is one of my most ingenious creations. I’m going to fill the bowl with water, and then you simply put your hands in the bowl and relax, letting your magic flow through you into the bowl of water.” Balthazar explained as he grabbed a pitcher of water.