The Sphere (The Magi Series #2) (4 page)

-Olivia 

Chapter 2:

THE LEGEND OF THE
SPHERE

Early the following morning, Elijah decided to meet his
friends, Paul and Isaac, at the marketplace, like they had done frequently
during the summer months.  The city center, where the markets were located, was
near the Southern Gates, no more than a five-minute walk from the Roddick
residence.  The markets were always buzzing with people eager to catch the
latest deal or be the first to discover a new gadget from the traveling
salesmen that showed up with their carts more frequently during the summer
months.

Elijah also needed to visit the city center to stop by Walter
Henderson’s Clocks and Repair shop.  His father’s pocket watch had started to
slow down and make dreadful noises.  Elijah received only a modest allowance
from the Roddicks for doing odd jobs around the house, so he didn’t have much
money to repair his watch.  But since he treasured it more than most of his
other possessions, he figured it would be best to fix it now rather than put it
off and potentially harm the watch, even if it meant spending everything he had
earned during the summer.

Elijah picked up his pack, a handful of his own coins, his
pocket watch, and then bounded out the front door.

The Roddicks may have lived five minutes from the city
center, but it was hard to tell.  The house was surrounded by larch and aspen
trees, which in the summer was an extraordinary sight.  With a view of a runoff
from the river on one side, and the woods in the back, Elijah thought it was
one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Savenridge.  He always paused to take
in the view when he left the house.

Elijah took the path that led through the back row of shops
and stores.  As he passed Grimble’s Bakery on his way into the center, he
smelled the fresh bread and was briefly tempted to buy a loaf.  His stomach
gurgled at the thought, but he resisted the urge.

When he reached Walter Henderson’s Clocks and Repairs,
Elijah took out his father’s old pocket watch and checked it one more time
before walking in.  It still made the dreadful noise.

The shop looked very similar to the inside of Walter’s
house, which Elijah visited a year ago to ask about his uncle’s disappearance.  There
were clocks and all kinds of gadgets spread about on top of the two long
workbenches at the back of the store.  Behind them were two small rooms. 
Inside one, Elijah could see more clocks and gears and tools lying on dusty
workbenches. In the other room was a workbench with large scraps of wood and
wood chips on top.  There was also what looked like the beginnings of a clock
frame in the process of being carved by a young man.

The only difference between this shop and Walter’s home was
the ornate display of clocks for sale hanging along the outer wall and the tall
grandfather clocks, also for sale, standing upright and arranged neatly around
the room.  Each clock looked unique and carefully hand-crafted.  When the young
man who was inside the repair room noticed Elijah walk into the shop, he put
down his project.

“G’day, sir!  How may I help you?”  The young man had rough
hands and wore a set of overalls.

“I’m wondering if Walter Henderson is available,” Elijah
said.

“Old or young?” the man replied.

Elijah gave him a puzzled look.  “Old or young?”

“There’s a Walter Senior and a Walter Junior.  I’m Walter
Junior, if that’s who you’re lookin’ for.”  As soon as he said this, Elijah saw
the resemblance.  Both he and his father had the same energy and talked
quickly.  They even looked similar, except this Walter had a receding hairline
whereas his father’s hair was thick and salty colored.

“I’m looking for Walter, Sr. I suppose,” said Elijah.

“Well, I’m sorry I can’t help you there.  He’s out of the
office for the remainder of the week due to his administrative duties with the
marshals, but he should be back early next week.  Can
I
help you with
something?”

“I have a pocket watch that’s stuck, and it’s making a weird
noise,” Elijah said.  “I thought maybe he could have a look at it.”

He handed over the watch.  Walter, Jr. inspected it and held
it up to his ear.  “Yeah, I see what you’re sayin’.  Sounds like it’s catchin’
on somethin’, don’t it?  Hm.  Yes, it’s definitely catchin’ on somethin’.” 
Walter continued turning it over.  “We don’t get many of these anymore since we
stopped sellin’ pocket watches years ago, but m’dad used to make ’em.  So if
anyone would know anything about fixin’ these guys, it’s him.  Tell you what. 
Why don’t you leave it here, and when he returns, I’ll have him take a look. 
Couldn’t hurt it.”

“All right,” Elijah replied.  He tenderly handed his watch
to Walter.  “Please take care of it.  It’s very special to me.”

“Not t’ worry,” Walter said.  “We’ll treat it like a
newborn.  I’ll send word when he’s looked it over.”  He walked behind the front
benches and picked up a scrap of paper.  “Just write down your name and where
to find you.”

“Thank you,” Elijah said as he wrote down his information. 
Walter waved and returned to the back room where he continued his project.

Elijah stepped out into the fresh air of Savenridge and
gazed along the main road, which was now humming with people.  Apparently,
Isaac and Paul had the same idea about showing up early because he quickly
spotted them in the middle of the inner marketplace, inspecting a
creepy-looking puppet sold on one of the temporary carts, jam-packed in the
middle of the road.  The owner of the cart was busily tending to a group of
small children eager to touch every single puppet and didn’t bother with Paul
or Isaac, probably guessing teenagers were less likely to purchase the toys.

Elijah walked up to Paul and Isaac who had moved to another
cart selling an assortment of books.  There was a permanent bookstore on the
south side of the road that did better business, but the temporary cart, owned
by a shy old lady by the name of Mrs. Wittle, had a sizable group of customers.

“Hey, guys,” Elijah said casually.

“Hey, Elijah!” replied Isaac with enthusiasm.  “What are you
doing here so early?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Elijah responded.  “I
needed to take my pocket watch in to get it repaired.”

“Coming early wasn’t my idea!” said Paul.  “Isaac’s stomach
made that decision for us.  He got word that a traveling salesman selling
caramel chocolate clusters would be here today.  I’m sure if he had learned
about this yesterday, we would have been camped out here all night!”

“Hey, I have a knack for finding quality food.”

“You have a knack for finding
any
food,” Paul
replied.  “And I’m not sure I would call walnuts mixed with caramel and
chocolate ‘quality’.”

“Are you kidding?!?  They make them in little animal
shapes,” Isaac argued.  “That takes talent!”

“You don’t even
look
at the animals!” Paul squawked. 
“You pound three or four at a time with your eyes closed.  To be honest, I’m
shocked you even knew they came in animal shapes.”

Elijah laughed.  “Well, let’s go get some!  That sounds good
to me too.”  The three boys headed up the road, weaving through the rolling
carts and booths all stationed in the middle.

The marketplace was unlike anything Elijah had ever
experienced before coming to Savenridge.  The shops on the sidewalks were
permanent buildings, where the more stable and successful businesses were
stationed.  The carts and booths in the middle of the road, however, were
usually temporary, some lasting as little as a week if a potential business was
not successful, but there were rare cases when a cart became permanent.

It was generally understood that the wealthier Magi would
make most of their purchases in the established shops on the sidewalks like the
General Store and Auntie Ella’s Garments, and that the Magi not as wealthy
tended to find their bargains in the middle with the carts.  However, wealthy
or not, everyone loved to peruse the sea of carts on any given day because you
never knew what you were going to find, especially when the traveling merchants
came around.

Elijah, Paul, and Isaac finally found the chocolates, and
four gold coins later (two bags for Isaac), they were each munching on their
own bag as they headed down the road past the stone tower with the four
elements engraved on it.

Even though they were currently eating candy, Isaac insisted
that they go into The Sweet Tooth—a small, old-fashioned candy store that reminded
Elijah of an old western candy store.  What Elijah loved most was that they
made their candy right there in the store.  They had workers behind counters
and in the back, hard at work supplying the constant demand for fresh sweets. 
Taffy stretchers and chocolate dippers and maple molders and cotton candy
swirlers and doughnut glazers and fudge bakers and ice cream shakers all had a
full-time job keeping the teeth in little kids rotting.  If it wasn’t for the
constant crowd, Elijah would have liked to have gone inside and just watched
for hours.  It was fascinating!

Easily, the most popular store at the marketplace was
Flacco’s Toy Shop.  Unlike the other stores, they let the kids play with their
toys inside without having to buy them.  Some kids would come in, play with a
toy for a bit, and then leave.  When young boys wanted to fly some of the
miniature planes, they were even allowed to go outside and throw them around as
long as they checked with the owner first.  Jeb Flacco, the owner, never could
say no to a small child who couldn’t afford to buy a toy.  Elijah was amazed
that they stayed in business, but there was always a line at the purchasing
counter with parents and kids alike, handing over their gold coins for a new
toy.

When Elijah, Paul, and Isaac had finished their bags of
chocolate, investigated all the carts and booths (finding none more interesting
than a cart selling different types of desert lizards), and caught up on
everything they had done since they had last seen each other, they decided to
get out of the crowded marketplace and head into the woods.  Paul took a seat
on the large root of a tree leaning precariously over a small bank.

Elijah looked at his friends.  He had seen them a few times
over the summer, but he still thought he noticed a few differences.  Even
though he had always looked years older than he was, Paul had somehow filled
out more, looking practically like a grown man.  His arms and neck were a bit
thicker.  His chest puffed out a bit more.  And a few patches of facial hair
grew around his face.  Unlike Elijah, Paul had not let his hair grow out during
the summer.  It was still parted neatly down the middle and carefully groomed.

Isaac had also grown during the summer, but his growth was
not muscle.  He had gotten taller, which helped spread out his baby weight, but
his face was rounder and his belly a little wider.  He had also developed a
touch of acne on his cheeks, and he too was sporting a few hairs coming out of
his chin.  He smiled, like his usual self, with a sparkle in his brown eyes.

“Some summer, huh?” Paul said.

Elijah and Isaac agreed by nodding their heads.  Isaac tried
to reply but couldn’t with his mouth full of chocolate.

“I don’t know about you,” said Paul, “but I’m ready to be
back.  I don’t think I can take much more of my mom constantly nagging me about
finishing chores or keeping curfew and everything.  I swear sometimes she nags
just to be sayin’ something to me.”

“I suppose that’s better than completely ignoring you,” said
Elijah.

“I would
love
that!” replied Paul.  He flashed a
devilish smile which he made often.  “It sure would beat the nagging.  I can’t
wait to get out of there.”

“Out of your home?” Isaac asked.

Paul laid back.  “Well, I guess not forever.  But it sure
would be nice to be on my own for a while.  Speaking of, do you guys want to
apply for cottage housing this year?”

Isaac snorted.  “There’s no way we’ll get in our first
Novice year.  That’s only for older Novices.

“Hey, it’s worth a shot!” said Paul.  “
Someone’s
got
to get in, don’t they?”

“Yeah.  It just won’t be us,” said Isaac.

Elijah looked puzzled.  “What’s cottage housing?” he asked,
remembering when Hannah mentioned it the other night at the covenant verse.

“It’s a bunch of small cottages just off the far end of the
barracks,” Paul replied.  “Each year, after your preliminary year, you can
apply to live there instead of the barracks.  You still have to report to
training on time and everything, but you get to be a little more on your own. 
Man, I hope we can get in.”

“How many are in a cottage?” Elijah asked.

“About four, some hold five,” Isaac answered.  “But don’t
worry.  We won’t get in.  Trust me.”

“When can we apply?” asked Elijah.

“Our first day,” said Paul.  “But they don’t make any
decisions until after orientation.  Do you guys want me to sign us up?”

“Sure,” answered Elijah.

Isaac sniggered.  “What the heck.  Might as well.  It
couldn’t hurt.  Put Adam down too.  And while you’re at it, ask if we can get
our own servant.  And a chocolate fountain installed in the cottage.  In fact,
ask if they can build us our own mansion high up on the mountain top.”

“Will do,” said Paul.  He threw a piece of dead bark at
Isaac who promptly threw it back.

“Dang it,” said Isaac.  “I shouldn’t have mentioned
chocolate.  Now I want more.”  He stood up and dusted off his rear.  “I’m gonna
go back to the marketplace for some more clusters.  Anyone want more?”

“I’m good,” said Elijah.

Paul shook his head.  “No, but I’ll come with you.  I left
my crossbow in the woods by the river bend and I’m ready to go hunting.  You
want to come, Elijah?”

“I’d better head back,” Elijah said.  “Mrs. Roddick will
worry if I’m gone too long.”