Mages

Azura received an endearing smile from the kind grocer as she received her weekly dozen apples.[1] She was not a fan of the busy city life-style but she was getting used to it. She greedily took a bite of one of the apples as she strolled down Ravine Lane. Azura was happy on Sundays because it made the city look like a much, much more peaceful place then it actually was. An old woman was walking down the street. A pack of young, cheery looking children played knots and crossed on the rock pavement. Yes, this would be an unlikely scene on a Monday or Tuesday. Azura took a sharp turn into an alleyway that would bring her to her father’s house.

She stared up in to the sky to find an assortment of laundry hangings. Above that was the clear, cloudless sky. However, not so far off the horizon, black storm clouds loomed grimly. She, not paying attention, bumped into a man. The contents of her apple basket fell to the floor. The apples, as if they had a mind of their own, rolled in random directions. Azura scramble quickly to get all the apples she could. However, the stranger was faster; he grabbed at least five of them and put them back into the basket before she could get two.
“I am sorry, I was not paying attention,” she said swiftly to the man.
Once the man had grabbed the last apple and put it in the basket he stood up straight. He was young; he looked to be in his twenties or thirties by Azura’s reckoning, though she was miserable at guessing ages. His dark brown hair was almost half combed yet most was hidden under his cloak. His jet-black cloak gave him a mysterious appearance. Had she seen him at night she would have been much more hesitant to say anything at all. His most interesting feature, however, was his eyes; they seemed to be the color the light shone. At the moment they were blue as the sky.

“Quite alright, miss,” he said looking at the dirty apples. “I am just worried that those apples don’t go to waste. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Oh… sorry…I mean thank you,” she said apologetically.
He looked up at her eyes. She was amazed at how penetrating his gaze was. He looked at her as if she were someone familiar. His clear eyes seemed to be mesmerized as well. Azura felt rather strange being the subject of such an eerie stare. [2]
“Well, then,” she spoke swiftly, “I have to go, thanks again.”
“Goodbye,” he said not taking his eyes of her as she brushed passed him.
She walked slowly down the alleyway until she turned a corner to another main street. She sighed when she thought she was a safe distance away. That was rather awkward, Azura told herself, I hope I won’t see him again any time soon.
She relaxed a little as she neared the group of housing where she lived. The reassurance was short lived because she heard some shouting coming from a house nearby.

“I am not coming… I am not coming!” shouted a familiar elderly voice.
“By the king’s royal decree, all those possessing or has possible talents in magical powers, who are not already in the custody of King Josefer the II, will be taken into the custody of the greater magician, Tirostar, until further notice,” said a very ‘Oh! I am so cool and everyone loves me/respects me!’ voice.
Azura looked around to try to find the source of the hubbub, but to no avail. That was until she saw the crowd that was surrounding an area right next to her house. She ran as fast as she dare with the basket. There she saw her elderly friend, Vecho, being hauled away by two guards in gray armor. The voice had been coming from a purple robed magistrate wearing similar armor under the royal purple. A smaller man stood behind him with tan robes on. Something told Azura that he was a mage.[3] He seemed to take no notice what the Magistrate said; instead he glared at Vecho’s wife who was hysterical.

“He’s only a healer! He hadn’t done any harm to anyone in his life!” she spoke exasperated.
Azura felt bad for Vecho and his wife, but didn’t know what to do. She finally felt a flame of anger build up inside. She did something that she would be amazed at later.
“The King can’t be that merciless? You heard his wife; he couldn’t hurt anyone!” After Azura said it she felt a pang of regret.
The magistrate took as step forward and spoke to the crowd, “Every mage is a threat to the well being of our society. Sevrant, the rouge magician, killed hundreds of innocent citizens and our king’s beloved brother. He could have done much more damage if our great adviser, Darsesiv Tirostar, had not killed him….” [4]
Azura could barely listen any longer for the brown robed mage fixed his beady grey eyes onto hers. They contained the same penetrating look that man in the alleyway gave, except there was something else, it was the chilling feeling of superiority. His eyes narrowed as he felt something different with her presence, but before he could search further anymore Azura was gone. She ducked out of the crowd and headed the direction of her house. Within a minute she was at the door.

Azura looked at the sky once more to see that the gloomy clouds had covered a vast distance since she had bumped into the stranger. Yes, there would be a storm tonight.

Azura open the door to her house using a small key she kept in a secret pocket. It swung open easily. Azura slammed the door behind her. She entered a small musty hallway. As she stepped on the wood planks that lined the floor of her home they gave a creek. Her father’s house was old. He had bought it from an antique dealer named Dustin for such a cheap price that they had become good friends after. The gross smell of out of date cheese would not go away no matter how many flowers Azura lined in the hallway.
The funny thing about the house was that each room had its own unique odor. Her room smelled of lavender perfume, her father’s of honey wax, the common room of polished wood, the kitchen of potato peelings and of course there was stale cheese-smelling hallway. There were other rooms also however Azura, her little sister, Fayra and her father never used them. Fayra slept in Azura’s room, not because they needed too, but eleven-year-old Fayra preferred to be close to her big sister.
As Azura walked into the common room to see Fayra engaged in what seemed to be a scroll. [5]
“Fayra,” she smiled, “Since when can you read?”
Fayra looked up at her older sister and replied, “I can’t, Papa just found it in the cellar when he was trying to get some more wine.”
The house had come with all its furniture included and that included the entire assortment of interesting thing that was stored in the cellar. Their father had taken it upon himself when the bought the place to make the place look as good as new. He did that as well as a rundown house could, however there were two areas that he did not fully investigate and bring to cleanly state. These were the attic and the cellar. These places were mostly because he hated small spaces and told stories to Fayra about ghosts living there and there really had not had any need to. A month ago Azura’s father finally decided to venture into the cellar to find some useless antiques that might be worth selling back to Dustin and his antiquities store. To his pleasant surprise he found wine. Very good quality wine, old too and it was worth a fair bit too. This was not the only thing that he found there, but it was the only thing there that caught his fancy. Her father had forgotten mostly about looking around more in the cellar or in the attic. He had a weak point for fine wine. He always said that he would sell it all. Yet every week he snuck a bottle for himself as well as one to sell to Dustin. [6]

Azura was quite surprised to see how well kept the scroll looked. It seemed to be quite new. Fayra rolled it up, passed the scroll and said, “Papa wants you to look at it and see what you think of it.”
As the scroll touched Azura’s hand a surge of energy shot up her had and she almost dropped it. In the last second before it hit the floor, she caught it again. She opened the scroll. On the left of the scroll it showed an old man finely holding what seemed to be a candle. It was hard to tell it was a candle because it the darkness around him clung to him giving him a mysterious look. The only light it showed in the detailed painting came from the flame that only seemed to light up the holders face.

Next to it was written:

Here lies in mine reader’s hand,
a casting of a singular flame.
A candle’s light on thy finger,
to light the path
on one’s journey into the Dark Abyss.
This candle of ones intellect and power
must be first envisioned.
Thy light shall glow from within.
Then release of thy light,
Shall be seen without.
Use can be as small as a prick,
which may guide thy way against the Gloom,
Or Perchance, a tool to ignite a bigger flame.

Azura pondered at what it meant, but to no avail. It seemed to be gibberish to her. Old speak was no hobby of hers.
Fayra must have read the puzzled look on her face because then Azura’s sister said, “Papa couldn’t read it either. His recon is that it’s instructions for an old candle. Pa says that not even Dustin would buy an instruction scroll.”
Azura smiled at that. Her father always made jokes like that. It was too well painted to be an instruction scroll for a candle. Were there instruction poems in the older time? There was some thing else to a connection in-between the scroll and herself. Had she known what the shock of lightning felt like, she would have used that to describe what it felt like when she held the scroll. It felt like a constant buzzing feeling as she touched it, yet it was so subtle that it didn’t cause her to alarm.[7]

“Fayra, where is Papa?” Azura asked.
As if answering her question, there was a thump behind her as someone was trying to lift a wooden table up steps. A wooden door bolted open and a lean, middle-aged, brown haired man appeared at the threshold. Behind him, he dragged a heavy table top behind him.
“Fay! Look what I found,” he said. “This was the kind of things Dustin has been looking for.”
Azura could tell when her father was exited and this was one of those times.
Her father saw Azura and smiled joyfully. He was always happy to see his daughter return… especially with Sunday apples. [8]
“So, how was it? Is it as peaceful a day as you thought, Azu? You have the apples?”
Azu was Azura’s nickname. Her father gave nicknames to just about everyone. “Not enough time to say two or more syllables when greeting a friend,” he always used to say.
The only person he never shortened was Dustin. Unless he wanted to insult him and call him Dust, it would also insult the fact he owned an Antique store. Anyways it was a most annoying habit of his.

Azura showed him the slightly smudged apples. Her father looked over them then said not changing his expression, “Nothing a bit of water can’t fix. What happened?”
Azura avoided the subject of the stranger and instead started on about Vecho. To her amazement her father wasn’t surprised, as she had thought he’d be. His face did turn grim however.
“The old healer should have been more careful. I knew he knew magic, but I didn’t know that the palace was taking healers too. I better go to Margaret later and wish her well,” he said sympathetically.
She did not answer. Instead she said what she was dreading to tell him, “Papa, there’s a storm tonight I think. I saw a group of grey clouds coming near,”
“Really? Are you sure?” he asked gingerly.
Her father hated storms, especially thunderstorms. One of them had killed his mother when he was a boy. [9]Azura’s father never left the house on such occasions.
Azura nodded. Her father peered outside a murky, unclean window to see not only the same clouds she had seen, there were more, many more.
He grimaced, “Ugh, this is going to be a long one.”

Night fell quicker than usual. Azura felt very drowsy and went to bed with her sister early. Azura’s father made sure that candles were lit in places all the time so that if anyone woke up the next day to find there to be no light they wouldn’t panic.
As the storm was at its full blossom the shutters banged against the windows at high speeds. The wind howled furiously. Rain shot down from the heavens as if they where a volley of endless arrows.
Azura’s father sat concentrated on his favorite chair in the sitting room smoking his pipe, waiting till the ceaseless storm would subside. He could not sleep even if he wanted to. Storms kept him more awake then the finest herbal tea[10] or at least so he thought for within an hour he was fast asleep with thunder rattling outside.

Azura had dreams very rarely and when she did it usually was brought on by something. She fell to sleep thinking about the scroll and the picture of the man’s light. As she fell asleep she started to think over that inscription. The words seemed so familiar yet so foreign.
She was now having a dream that her mother was alive and had not died at the birth of Fayra. It was a vivid dream, filled with rich detail and smells. Azura was still a little girl. She was out at the park on a Sunday afternoon. Azura was running around in the gardens overjoyed at being with her mother. The smell of freshly cut roses was in the air.
The dream did not last however for all of a sudden the window burst open in the sitting room. Rain and wind swirled angrily the through. Azura’s father, waking up startled, jumped to the window and tried frustratingly to close it. It closed eventually to his utter determination, and yet it was too late the candle were out around him.

Azura woke suddenly at the bang in the sitting under tried to adjust to the darkness, it was impossible though for not a single ray of light existed in her room to adjust to. Azura was not scared of the dark, what scared her most was what had happened to the light.
In the bleak darkness she called out, “Papa, are you alright?”
Her father voice echoed into her room, it hinted frustration, “I am such a fool. I fell asleep, the window burst open and now all the candles are out. To add to this disaster I can’t even find my flint.” [11]
His voice sounded desperate. “Azu, there’s a flint in your room. Can you give it to me?”
Azura tried to stand up in the unyielding darkness. She felt dizzy not knowing where she was and she felt as if half of her was still in her dream. She took hold of the bed-stand to balance. Then she noticed something was on it. Was it the flint? She felt around. To her surprise, she felt the scroll. She picked it up and wondered why she had brought it there.
‘Never mind that,’ she thought to herself, ‘I just have to find where… this flint is.’
“Papa, where was the flint last?” she bellowed, hoping that Fayra wouldn’t wake up.
There was a pause. Then her father gave his equivalent to ‘I forget were I put it’, “I don’t know. Didn’t you see it last?”
Azura sighed; this is what kind of father she had to live with. She decided to sweep through the room systematically. She used her hands as she would have used her eyes. First she checked the wardrobe where mostly Azura and Fayra’s clothes were kept, but still had some odds and ends inside. She felt around, but after awhile she had the impression it wasn’t there. Next she looked on top of a cabinet where Azura collected strange trinket that she would receive from Dustin. Maybe she or her father had mistaken it for a rock that she got at the beach? She had to use her memory to place what each object was. Her search there was futile. She was left feeling strained and tired from the memory work at such a late hour. Lastly she checked in the cabinet drawers. The first had old linens that she had to her surprise found when the house was bought. She had no idea what they were for, so she just kept them in the drawers as if she or Fayra was going to use it for a bed cover. The second drawer she knew was empty. The last she had little or no memory of for it was too much of a hassle to use. She knew it was unlikely it was there, but she checked regardless. Interestingly it was locked.

She tried to look around her yet her vision did not unjust. Azura sighed in dismay. It was hopeless
‘I can’t do anything in this pitch-blackness. We can do it tomorrow, not now,’ thought Azura. ‘Especially not while I am so…’ she let out a long yawn, ‘…tired.’
She was just about to tell that to her father when she dozed off standing. She was semi-conscience of standing yet most of her was in asleep. Thinking of what to do next was her main though.
‘If only I could have a simple light,” were Azura’s dizzy thoughts.
She did the only thing she could do when thinking of light; she imagined it. First there she imagined a tiny scrap of light so that she could adjust. Then it got bigger and brighter so that it was candlelight, lighting her path. It was such a vivid image. Almost like her dream. She felt that same spark inside as if she was with her mother again. The light seemed so ever real that Azura opened her eyes and to her shock and amazement the light was real. Amazement turned to horror as she realized the light was coming from a flame no bigger than the tip of a candle was levitating just above her index finger. Azura screamed as she tried her best to shake the fire off. The fire disappeared almost instantly her fear did not. Azura tried to remember how it happened that fire appeared from nowhere yet it seemed all a blur.

“Azura! Are you all right?” said a worried voice from another room.[12]
Azura looked at her hand, or tried to. She answered as calmly as she could, “I’m fine… I just… slipped.”
He would never believe what had happened anyways, was Azura’s excuse. It was better to keep some things to yourself especially things that you weren’t exactly sure happened either.
‘What happened?’ she asked herself. ‘What did I do?’
Then it struck her. The candle instructions! It was… Magic.
‘What were they?’ she pondered. ‘Err I think it was something to do with imagining light? Oh, the irony, if only I could get a light so that I could read the instructions to create a light.’
Azura closed her eyes and imagined the light around her. When opening her eyes there was no light. She had been imagining it, was her final decision. Then she remembered the text: Thy light glowing from within.
‘Glowing from within?’ she thought cynically. ‘Is that supposed to mean happiness?’

Azura thought over what made her happy. Her father, her sister, card games with Vecho, finding treasure in antiques and… Her mother, she was sure that was it. She tried it this time. It worked. A small light came from it. Unlike a candle flame it was pure white. It gave out no heat; at least, she didn’t feel any on her index finger. It hung straight above her finger, so close one might think her finger was on fire. Azura wanted to test something. She walked slowly to her bed stand and took a candle. She tried to light it using the fire. It lit beautifully giving off a warming glow. Azura shook the hand with the flame and it went out.

Azura walked to the door and opened it gently. She called out for her father, “I found it. I have a lit candle.”
“Azu, that’s great!” he said from somewhere in the darkness.

He did as she hoped he’d do, forget about the flint and take the candle.
“You better sleep its quite late,” he said holding the candle securely. “I promise I won’t be dozing off again.”
Azura gave her father a kiss goodnight then escaped to bed were she easily fell fast asleep.

٭٭٭

A week and a half had past with almost non-stop rain. In that time Azura and Fayra were restless to get outside. Especially Azura, who was dying to find out about the scroll and its real meaning, Azura’s father was quite persistent on staying inside the house until it was certain that the storm had passed, but after the lightening stopped he had no choice but to allow it. Besides, they were running low on supplies.

Azura’s father had set up a plan in which they could get the “things” done in which they could do with spending as little time outside as possible. He would go to the market to pick up food and then sneak by the nearby Scyralt’s Rocks and Gems to obtain a new flint. Azura and Fayra would both go to Dustin’s Antiquities and see what the scroll and the wine were worth. They would stay there until their father would arrive there with the table he found in the cellar. It was a fool proof plan.
Azura set off with her sister into the never-ending, pouring rain heading to the antiquities store. They briskly walked through the side streets, taking any shortcut they could through the dreadful weather. They reached the entrance of a very familiar store. Hanging on top of the door was written, Dustin’s Antiquities. Azura, eager to get out of the dripping wet rain, opened the door quickly and slipped inside, pulling Fayra behind her.
The room that they entered seemed to be just an assortment of various antiques. There was no order where everything went, because they were just too many antiques in a simple room. Brass and copper gleamed from ancient artifacts. Clay pots were filled with a number of different coins of other currency or of different markings than usual. Books were piled high on rickety old armchairs. Azura loved how there were endless treasures to be found.
Azura quickly gave the door a shove. As soon as the door shut, a voice boomed from inside, “We’re closed… no more customers please.”[13]

“Not even for loyal customers?” she pleaded jokingly.
Azura heard steps coming toward her and Fayra. “Not even for… Azura, Fayra! Hello.”
A man came forth from a room that branched off the main disorganized room. He was younger than her father but looked similar. Yet he looked more knowledgeable and less scrawny. The atmosphere he gave was more serious than her father’s. He stood up straight and greeted them properly.
“Hello, Uncle Dustin,” Fayra said sweetly.

“Hello,” Azura echoed.
Dustin was not really their uncle by birth. Her father’s brothers had died long ago. Dustin was just a very good friend of his. However, he was unmarried. Whenever the subject was asked about he merely replied that he was a scholar and he had to leave himself for the one woman in his life, the goddess of wisdom herself. Her father said it was a big lie and that he just hasn’t come across the right women yet.

“So how may I help you two?” he said with a wide grin.
Azura took out a sack that she had kept safe nestled under her arm. She took out a wine bottle and passed it to Dustin.
“Ah, Father Ewin’s finest wine. So he still has more, does he? Hasn’t drunken them all?” he asked jokingly. “Fine, the usual price then?”
Azura nodded. Dustin reached in his pocket and took out the necessary amount of money needed. He passed it to her she pocketed it graciously. Azura wasn’t a fan of business matters. It reminded her too much of how money controlled their lives. She preferred the ideology that not everything costs something. However, deep down, she knew it was a cold, bitter lie.
“So will that be all? Would you like to spend the rest of this dreary day looking for treasure in my store?” he asked, making Fayra increasingly excited.
Azura told her to go look in the store for any interesting items she could find.

“No, Father will be bringing in an old writing table-”
“An antique desk,” Dustin corrected.
“…An antique deck later on. He is hoping to sell it quite expensive,” Azura finished.
“Really?” he said, “I can always sell antique desks for some reason. It seems like every time I buy one it gets sold before I even polish it,” he ended with a smile.

“…There is one more thing,” Azura said before slowly taking a scroll out the sack.
Azura had not talked about the scroll to her father and her father had not mentioned it either. She hoped he forgot about it and apparently he did.
It did not look too fancy. However, the scroll did look like it had some importance.
“So do you wish to sell that as well?” Dustin asked politely.
“I’d rather not… it’s more of a… personal interest,” she said gingerly.
“Ah, a personal interest,” Dustin replied almost mockingly.
“I was hoping if you could tell me what the scroll exactly means,” Azura said.

Dustin put out a hand asking for the scroll. She gave it to him cautiously. For some reason she had strong feelings for the scroll. As if it was the source of this newfound power she was having. He opened the scroll and looked at it closely. His smile had turned to a look of puzzlement.
“Come to my desk a moment,” he uttered, sounding confused.
He walked to into the room in which he had come from. It was small; parchment and papers were stuck all across the room. In the center was a desk not too unlike the table desk her father had found in the cellar. On the front of the desk was an oil lantern. These were rare, the usually were owned by the richer people. On the desk were numerous manuscripts of different kinds. Before Azura could even glance at them Dustin cast them aside and unrolled the scroll on the table.

“Alright, this scroll is more dangerous than you think Azura,” as he spoke quietly he looked in the other room making sure that Fayra could not hear.
“For example, ‘A casting of a singular flame.’ is equivalent to fire magic of some kind,” he whispered.

“Magic?” she pretended to be surprised.
“Yes, to prove this on the sixth line, ‘This candle of ones intellect and power, fire controlled by the mind. The instructions seem to be for apprentices, but still equally dangerous. This is the kind of material mages have been confiscating from me lately. They say it is a danger to the community and such… keep the scroll safe, show no one. Perhaps it’s better just to burn it and forgot it ever existed,” he sounded increasingly worried.

She decided to do something impulsive that she would never do before.
“Burn it? Forget it! It’s too late for that, Dustin.”
“Azura!” exclaimed Dustin shocked.
Levitating off her hand was a small fire. The flame licked at the edges of what was soon to be ashes. The scroll caught fire easily. [14] Dustin was completely confused.
“When…what…how did…you do that?” he mumbled.
Once the flame had destroyed most of the scroll, all she did was wish the fire gone and slowly it subsided into nothing. Azura put the remains into a bin.
Azura had been practicing, despite every fiber of her being wishing she could stop. The sensation of controlling fire was too addicting. After it was too dark to even see outside she snuck into an empty room to test her power. Whenever she could simply use a flint instead she used the flame. It as if something she had been harboring her entire life had revealed itself. She had something many never knew possible. She could do magic.

Azura put her index finger to her lips, “Be quiet.”
Fayra knocked on the door. She sounded worried, “Is something wrong, Uncle Dustin?”
Azura looked at him expectantly.
“No, no, nothing wrong. Azura just spilled some tea on a manuscript,” he lied successfully.[15]
Once Azura was sure Fayra was at the door no more she spoke quietly.
“I read the scroll or rather remembered it. I don’t exactly know what happened, but once I started I could do it easily.”
Dustin sat down bemused, dazzled and taken aback. He had not been expecting this. This was far worse than he expected.
“Don’t tell anyone. No one must know,” he said finally. “They’ll take you away. Why did you tell me of all people?”
Azura stared at Dustin with saddened eyes. “You are the only one I know who is familiar with these kinds of things. I haven’t even told fath-”

“Hello?” called out a voice from the other room. “Dustin, are you here?”
A second later came the happy reply of Fayra, “Papa, Papa! Look what I found.”
Dustin went to open the door, but Azura held it close and mouthed, ‘I haven’t told him,’ as best she could. Dustin nodded grimly and took another attempt at opening the door.
“Hello Arthen, how wonderful of you to drop by,” he said, using tremendous effort to sound cheery.
Her father gave a rather confused look. “Didn’t Azu tell I was going to come?”
Dustin looked unsettled for a moment. “Ah yes, sorry, must have forgotten.”

Azura’s father then looked at her, “Azu, do you know where those candle instructions are? I couldn’t find them anywhere.”
Azura looked embarrassed, “You must have forgotten it somewhere.” He seemed not to be sure. Azura hoped he’d forget about it. Dustin looked eager to change the subject as well.

“So,” Dustin started, “I hear you have a desk I might be interested in.”
“Yes,” Arthen replied happily, “I do. I couldn’t have brought it had it not been for this strapping young lad on the street had helped me.”[16]
He looked around probably expecting the boy to be right behind him. Finally he looked outside store.
“Tyren, you can come if you want,” Azura’s father bellowed.
There he was; jet-black cloak and color-changing eyes, the stranger from the week before. Azura was wide-eyed at his sudden appearance. He entered the store very consciously, still uncertain whether to come in or not. Once he saw Azura his expression turned to surprise as well.

“Tyren, this is my daughter, Azura,” her father said, “and this is Dustin, my friend and owner of this store.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet both of you,” he said politely.
‘Who was he? Is he some kind of mage? Oh no, he is! He knew something about me. He knows I know magic!’ her train of thought was becoming quite grim. She was not thinking correctly. She had to get out of there.
“Umm… Papa, I have to leave… I am feeling sick,” she lied quickly.
Her father once again was puzzled. However he said a word and she was gone. She ran as fast as she could out the door.
Tyren quickly realized this and said, “I must be off as well. I have some business to attend too.”
“Not so fast,” Arthen put a hand out to stop him, “don’t you want some coppers for your help?”
“No need,” was all he said as he dashed out the door.

Azura ran as fast as she could. She took as many side routes as possible to avoid being followed. The rain had gone, but the ground was still as wet as the ocean. She ran too fast and slipped. She quickly got up and continued running. Then she made another vital mistake she ran into someone. Another creepily familiar face, it was the bald, beady eyed, brown robed mage who was at the crowd last week. Behind him were two guards, the magistrate of Andura’s men. After the initial shock at seeing her had subsided he called at the men to arrest her. The next thing Azura knew she was being chased by to two thug-like guards and a beady-eyed mage.
This was a bad dream that became terribly, terribly wrong, Azura thought as she stopped to catch her breath in an alleyway. She was about to start running again when out of nowhere a hand is put around her mouth and she was pulled from behind. Her first instinct was to scream. When that failed she tried kicking and flailing about.

“Stop,” said a commanding, but familiar voice. Her legs loosened and she realized she couldn’t kick them about anymore or move them at all for that matter. [17]
“Relax, I am going to let go of your mouth. I will not hurt you. I only want to talk. Understand?” the male voice continued.
Azura nodded, unsure. He did as he said. Despite her will to resist and shout, she didn’t. Her heart was beating way too fast to think.
“I am Tyren. We met properly at the store. If you run right now he will catch you. Walk down this alleyway back towards the store,” he spoke calmly. “I am a mage, but not the type that will take people away. I hate to say it, but I am a rouge mage. Now if you want to know why those people are following you or why any of this is happening to you, tomorrow at midnight go the Serene Gardens. Even if you don’t want to know, come nonetheless. Till then stay home pretend to actually be sick. Otherwise they will find you.”

His voice was so powerful, so mystic that Azura wouldn’t be surprised if she had been in a trance. Her heart beat even faster. Then all of a sudden, his presence was gone. She could move her legs again. She turned around he was nowhere in sight. From behind her she could hear the far away shouts of her pursuers. She knew for know she was safe. Azura walked down the alleyway, thinking of his lasting words.

٭٭٭

Finally, when night fell, she became restless; she didn’t know what to do. Should she go early, or will she have to sneak out? What does she need to bring? Is it dangerous at night? These questions swam in her mind, as she was comfortable, nestled under the blankets. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t go?’ was one of her final thoughts. However, one thought of Tyren’s words made her think otherwise. Was he a mage? She cursed her curiosity. She had to go.
The clock tower rung eleven thirty, for some poor soul had a night shift and had to ring the bell every half hour. It was time; she slipped out of bed, slowly opened the door, and tiptoed to the kitchen. Azura was not going to take the risk and traipse into the darkness with nothing. She grabbed a candle and lit it using her less than usual way of lighting it, rather than merely using a flint. Azura put it gently inside a lantern. She took the lantern and a set of keys and thought about leaving, but then opened a drawer and took a small antique knife she had once received from Dustin for her thirteenth birthday. ‘Some birthday present,’ she thought jokingly as she looked at the sharp point and edges. Though she knew it wasn’t really meant as a weapon and more as a symbol of new power she couldn’t help but think it would do damage if use as one.

She opened the door and stepped into the blackness of the night. The world seemed an uninviting place during the black, moonlit midnight. She knew her way to the Serene Gardens well; it was close to the center of the city, where almost all of the richer people and some nobles had residence in. Though she was not sure exactly where to go in this newly foreign land, she used her memory much more than her intuition. Azura took an occasional wrong turn; however, most of the way she got right.
There was a sudden change in architecture as she entered the city center. Suddenly, it seemed like the houses got taller and were made of stronger material. Her house had once been made of the same material, but now it was impossible to tell because of how old the house had become. The floors were more cleanly paved. There were even oil lamps mounted on posts to light the way. As she walked further into the city she could see a few guards were patrolling.
Azura was becoming slightly nervous, but as a guard passed he gave he a polite nod and said, “Good evening, ma’am”
She felt more reassured. Azura passed a still active tavern, and voices could be heard inside. She was getting closer to the gardens. Even though she knew it was nice in city center, she never expected it to have such a warm feeling at night. The gardens were a very big place; it looked to be mostly dark except for a lamppost or two. Bells chimed in the distance 12 o’clock, midnight. Azura walked swiftly onto the cushy grass. She enjoyed it for most of the city was either paved or rocky. As a bit of time past she started to get worried she wouldn’t find them, but surely enough she heard voices. She followed them to a lamppost.
Three figures stood under the lamppost; Azura went to investigate further. Then she saw Tyren, who had blended into the dark perfectly all except for his glistening eyes.
Once she finally was earshot, an older male voice was speaking,”…so this girl hasn’t arrived? Pity, I hope she does actually does come in the…[18]Hello, young lady.”
Azura was taken by surprise. Two of the figures that she had seen, not including Tyren, were a lady and a man of the same age. The other figure, the one who addressed her, was old silver-haired man wearing plain white robes.
“Hello?” Azura replied meekly.
As she entered the light the man’s eyes narrowed a little as he looked into her eyes. The other two also stared at her that way. Only Tyren wasn’t giving her that look, instead he gave a warm smile.
“Excuse me, dear. I must talk to Tyren a minute,” he said after a few moments.

There wasn’t much she could do to object. The man and Tyren took a few steps away to talk quietly. Azura felt rather awkward, as if she had been a falsely invited guest. The two other people she had seen, who were standing beside, her sympathized with her.
“It’s all right you didn’t do anything wrong,” said the lady.
“It’s their problem,” continued the man. “My name is Bwenil.”
“And you can just call me Jen,” said the women. “We are twins. What is your name, girl?”
Azura felt a bit nervous. She had not expected to be questioned.[19]
“Um… Azura,” she said self-consciously.
“What a pretty name for such sapphire eyes,” Jen said.
“Thank you,” Azura replied rather sheepishly.
The conversation that was taking place while Azura was introducing herself had turned to an argument.
“She hasn’t even developed her powers yet, Tyren! You can’t expect me to teach her because you fancy her. She shows talent, not any sign of using it,” the silver-haired man said briskly.

“They were chasing her,” he said defensively. “They would have taken her.”
“Yes, they would. Yet they would realize the same thing we did, she can’t do magic,” the flame deep in Azura’s mind to do something impulsive gathered again, “If she can’t do magic, she cannot be imprisoned.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Azura announced confidently.
In her hand a red flame was smoldering. The hand itself seemed to be untouched. The flame gave off an iridescent glow, turning Azura’s natural blue eyes to a fiery red. Amazement engulfed everyone else’s expression as the flames danced.
Azura wished it gone and the fire ceased to exist. It took a few minutes of shock for anyone to speak. Finally the old man did.

“So, Azura was it? Who taught you magic?”
“No one, there was a manuscript I followed.” she said starting to get less confident.
“When most needed, it appears,” the man said to himself. Then he addressed Azura, “I apologize for my atrocious manners. My name is Seltis Farshore, noble and secret mage. I was trying to save you from the same fate that will befall us all. However now I see it’s far too late for that. Now to do what is right I must help you hone your powers. Tyren was right after all.”

“Teach me?”
“Yes, so that you may help others in the same situation as you,” Seltis replied.
Azura felt really pressured. She was puzzled, confused and tired.
“What must I do?” Azura asked, continuing to diminish in self-confidence.
“Your previous life is now at an end. You must now come with us,” Seltis spoke. “First tell your family you must leave. Then meet us at number 9, Prince Lane. Bring any possessions you wish.”
“Will I ever see them again?” Azura asked as tears started to swell up in her eyes.
Jen wrapped her arms around Azura to comfort her.
“Yes, yes, in due time you will. Just not for a short while,” said Tyren sympathetically.
This was all too much, too fast. How was she supposed to take it? She felt weakened and tired; it was too late to think.
“Very well,” Seltis broke in. “We must go before the guards get suspicious.”
Bwenil nodded in agreement, and Jen let go of Azura. Both twins said goodbye and left. Azura felt all of a sudden embarrassed. Why had she cried? This wasn’t the time or the place.
“Goodnight,” Azura spoke softly.
“Goodnight,” Seltis replied. Tyren merely nodded.
She left on the shady path home. Her feelings echoed larger than her thoughts did. Shouting to be heard, yet whispering so quietly it was impossible to listen.

٭٭٭

[20]

Azura woke up late the following day. Arthen let her sleep in since he had been becoming increasingly worried about her. Azura was usually an early-riser, however the night before was a particularly burdening one and she needed to get some rest before she had to break the terrible news. Azura got up slowly making sure she was ready to do what had to be done, tell her father that she was leaving.
She slowly opened the door to her room. She peered out to see if her father was in the hallway. No, he wasn’t. She heard some noise in the kitchen, so Azura entered cautiously. Her father was making some soup. He poured water in to a small kettle and cut up some fresh carrots and potatoes and dropped them in.
“Papa?” she said.
Arthen turned around happy to see his daughter looking well.
“Hello, Azu. Feeling better?” he asked cheerfully as he continued to slice up vegetables.
“Um… I guess,” she replied hesitant. “Papa, I have to tell you something.”
“Yes?” he replied as he began to put herbs into the soup pot.
“It’s important,” she said seriously, “I think we should sit down.”
His face became grave. He left the soup to cook and walked in to the common room. He grabbed his favorite pipe, lit it and took a seat on his favorite chair.

Azura was getting unsure whether to blurt out the truth or whether to just tell him exactly what he needed to know. She decided to go with the latter. It was the one that would keep her family the safest. The less they knew, the less they had to lie when questioned about her.
“I need to leave,” Azura finally said.
Azura was shocked to see not surprise on her fathers face, but understanding and sorrow instead. He put the pipe to his mouth and thought for a few moments.
“You don’t have to leave…we can work things out. They won’t find you of you stay at home,” he proposed.
“How did you know?” she said strongly. ‘Had Dustin told him?’
He looked down in pity. “Dustin told me. I really had to get it out of him. He felt very bad that he ratted on you though.”
Azura sighed regretfully. “I should have expected as much.”
“I mean they can’t take you away. I mean all you can do is get a barely dangerous flame to levitate off your finger am I right?” he asked hopefully.
“Papa, I am afraid not.”

A tiny inferno was wrapped around her entire hand. It gave off massive amounts of heat. It was almost impossible to look at. This time however, to Azura’s surprise, her sleeves caught on fire. It didn’t burn her, but she instantly put out the small fire. Then she made inferno fade slowly as if the air around it was swallowing it. Azura’s father was shaken at the sight of fierce flames glowing violently his daughter’s arm as if it couldn’t hurt her

.“Papa,” Azura said, “There are some people that could help me learn how to use my power and hide it. The only problem is I can’t come back here otherwise they’ll find you,” Azura was feeling miserable. “There is nothing else that you can do for me.”
“That’s not true. There’s Dustin. He knows some things about magic. Please Azura don’t go,” Arthen protested.
“Dustin knows some things, but not many. These people, they can show me things. Please Papa, don’t make this harder than it already is,” Azura said teary eyed.
Arthen stood up and looked at his daughter sympathetic and heartbroken at the same time. He was going to have to let his daughter go. It was as simple and as harsh as that. He loved her and he knew in the depth of his being that it was going to have to be.
Azura sprang to her feet and embraced her father. Tears started slide down her cheek. He almost felt like crying as well. This moment could be the last time he’d see his daughter again. No, this wouldn’t be.
“Azura, if anything goes wrong you can come back anytime. I don’t care if it’s today or in a year. You are always welcome back, even if it’s only a visit,” he said thoughtfully.
“Azura, are you leaving?” said a weary voice at the doorway.
Azura wiped away some tears to see Fayra’s troubled face.
“Fayra, it’s alright.”
Azura went to comfort her sister.
“I’ll be back soon,” Azura knew it was an empty promise, but it would keep Fayra happy for the time being.

She went into her room and took out a few things. She wanted to be brisk. It was almost too painful to think leaving this room. What was she going to do? Where will they take me? Azura took a few possessions that she thought might be useful and a few that where for more sentimental reasons like her knife. She was going to miss this place as much as she would the people inside it. She packed everything into a sack and went into the living room to say one final goodbye. When she did, she saw her father waiting for her with a tan traveler’s cloak and foreign-looking hat in his arms.
“Azura, this was a special uniform that was given to your mother when we were in the Ice Hills together. It’s meant for traveling. I don’t know if you will be doing that a lot but… here, take it,” her father passed her the cloak and hat. She took them graciously.
“Your mother would have wanted you to have it,” he spoke softly and forlornly. “I want to give you something, but I don’t know what.”
“Give me your love, Papa. That is all need right now,” she said to him with a saddened face.
He embraced Azura, “You have that, my daughter and so much more.”
She knew that she wasn’t going to stay in Andorra forever. Azura had planned to leave and explore. However now the idea of leaving her home was like the thought of having your soul ripped out of you. The charm that everything homey possessed seemed to disappear. Vanish.
Azura wished that her father would never let go. That she would never have to go. However when it ended she was left with that warm feeling inside.
“Bye, Papa,” Azura said as she exited the house, “Goodbye.”[21]

٭٭٭٭The End of Book One٭٭٭٭
Azura took off on the active main street. She wasn’t bothered anymore about the mage and the magistrate’s men; she was too gloomy to be concerned with the likes of them. She walked down the loud street, head held down. Azura wore the foreign cloak, hoping she’d feel that same exuberance that her mother must have had when wearing it. However, she felt indifferent to all feelings except emptiness and self-pity. On the street it must have given Azura an odd appearance; however, no one really would give anyone any notice on a busy weekday such as this.
Many rude workers bumped into her without apology or even a second glance; this would normally make Azura furious, but this was the way of the city on a Friday. Everyone has the something they need to do and they don’t want to get out of the way for anyone, even a fellow worker. As she continued on, the street got quieter and less active. Then the next thing she knew, people were conversing in normal voices; the pedestrians’ clothes started to improve in quality; the ground was neatly paved. As she neared the area she had an idea of what Prince Lane[22] was, she started to be the center of attention all of a sudden. People pointed at her behind her back and whispered something to another. It seemed the cloak was the source of their attention.
She was starting to feel lost and estranged in a place like this, as if she did not belong. Finally she found a sign saying;
Serene Street, straight ahead. – Partilon Sideway, turn right. – Prince Lane, turn left.

She felt reassured and took a turn down Prince Lane. She started to read the numbers engraved on silver number plates. … 4, 6, 8, 10… then she looked at the other side, 3, 5, 7… 9!
There it was. The building she was to be staying in. It was grand, tall house, at least two stories high. The wall made with smoothly cut stone. It had a small but elegant garden and around the garden was fence of iron.
Azura had little idea of what to do. So she went to open the fence when a voice came from behind.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” it warned.
Azura looked behind her and was alarmed to see a guard. Had she done something wrong?
The soldier cautioned her, “Breaking and entering is a felony, girl, and it is punishable by death around here. It would be a pity to see that happen to a girl as young as you.”
“I-”
“Better not say anything,” the guard spoke firmly. “Just leave”
“But I was invited,” she spoke sheepishly.
“Ha, sure you were!” he laughed. “What would Lord Farshore, uncle to… Why am I even bothering to explain? Scat.”[23]
The front door opened and Seltis came through.
“Toquil,” he spoke briskly, “Could you open the gate for my grand niece please? I have been expecting her.”
Toquil, the forty-year-old personal guard, was dumbstruck. He slowly let open the gate and Azura went past. He felt like killing himself for his ignorance.
“Thank you,” she said as she passed despite being treated badly only seconds before. [24]
“And Toquil, you can have the day off today. I won’t need you for anything,” Seltis said with a smile.

He gave a stunned nod and walked down Prince Lane annoyed, because he had been so very stupid.
Azura gave Seltis a quizzical look when he was gone.
“He is my personal guard, my bodyguard as it were. Us nobles are assigned one for our own protection and are sometimes used as almost errand boys. Toquil usually is quite nice. Lately, though, he has been having some marital issues. He hasn’t been doing too well with his wife. I said you were my grand-niece to avoid his questions,” he explained.
“Oh,” was all Azura said.
They entered the house. Azura wasn’t surprised to see that it had a lot of rooms, because it seemed to be similar to her house.[25] However she was not expecting to see all of so well kept everything was. Seltis walked Azura into a dining room. It was relatively large. Maybe a dozen people could sit comfortably around it. All the places were set neatly with sparking silverware. He sat down at his seat at the head of the table.
“Where is Tyren?”
“Who’s that?” he said.
Azura was getting very confused. She was about to speak, but he stopped her.
“Please sit,” he spoke heavily. “There are some things best talked about while relaxing on a late lunch.”
Seltis lifted a fancy food coverer to reveal some steaming risotto. He politely served Azura first and took none for himself.

She was rather awkward taking the food, so she asked, “Aren’t you going to have any?”

“Me?” he smiled, “No, I have lost my hunger long ago.”
Azura gave a puzzled look.
“Don’t worry, you’ll understand eventually,” he said reassuringly.
She just cautiously started eating. Seltis looked out the window checking for something. It was as if he was sensing something.
“So to the matter of business—Tyren reveal yourself.”
Instantly, Tyren was in the seat across her.[26] Azura dropped her fork and almost fell back in her seat in shock.
Where did he come from? What was he doing hiding? Azura wondered.
“Was she followed?” Seltis asked him.
Tyren’s face was serious and pale. In the shade of the house his eyes were hazel and deep. He sat there rather still as if trying to look like he had been there all this time.

“Two apprentices,” he spoke solemnly, “they sensed her. The followed her around for three blocks. I revealed some of my true aura, it confused them and they had no idea which to follow. Then I double backed on them they decided to pursue me instead of her; I got them lost and then caught back up again. When she entered Center Square she attracted a lot of attention. It took me just until now to make them loose her trail.”
“Good, good,” Seltis nodded.
Azura felt somewhat betrayed and guilty at the same time. He acted so casual till now. Had she done something wrong? They didn’t trust her? A glare of rage came across her face.

“What is this about?” she intruded in their conversation.
“So sorry, Azura,” he spoke sympathetically. “Mages have powers unlike normal humans, such as invisibility,” he gestured to Tyren, “sensing magic or extended hearing. We needed to make sure that you weren’t followed. The risk is too great. If someone was ‘overheard’ using magic it would have been foolish to mention names or the word “magic”.”
“Why…why didn’t you tell me?” she spoke faintly.
“Never mind that, it is behind us now. The first thing you need to know is how to cloak your aura,” he spoke swiftly.
“What’s an aura?” Azura asked, nervous about finally learning something.
“Your aura is an energy field that you radiate. One can tell a lot from ones aura and can use an aura to sense things that they cannot normally sense. Everyone has an aura, but only a few have actually mastered theirs completely,” Seltis said, very engrossed by the subject. “Cloaking is one of the first things an apprentice learns. Without it, an enemy mage can tell how much power you have, if you are healthy or not, or even if you know or don’t know magic.”
Azura was starting to feel very scared, “Who has been cloaking me till now? Why haven’t the mages found me?
“Right now, Tyren is doing his best to cloak it for you, but it’s extremely hard cloaking another person especially if they are unaware of it or are unwilling, not to mention distance. Tyren is going to make you aware of your aura, but beware, after you do this, you will never feel the same.”
“I understand,” Azura said nervously
“Alright then,” he gave a nod to Tyren, then said to Azura, “Close your eyes and relax.”
Azura did as he said. She breathed out slowly and calmed down. She all of a sudden felt a chilling go down her spine. Then she felt a shroud of energy surround her. It was the most amazing sensation. She could sense what was around her. It was almost like she could feel, but not feel; see but not see. It was impossible to explain how she felt. She felt so free all of a sudden. A smile was radiant on her face.
“Azura, don’t get carried away,” Seltis warned. “Sensing everything around you might be nice, however, other mages can sense you easier.”
“Azura, could you please carry on with the instruction,” Tyren spoke for the first time rather strained. “I’m not sure how much longer I can cloak you.”
“I got quite far without you cloaking me. Why would it make a difference now?” Azura asked curiously.
“The more power you have, the more you have to hide, my dear girl. Tyren is suffering every second you waste. If the cloak wavers for only a moment, any mage in Center Square could sense you. Especially because of your extraordinary amount of raw power,” Seltis spoke seriously.
“Raw power?” she couldn’t help asking.
“Please…please Azura. I can’t… just learn,” Tyren started to break into a sweat.
“Alright, quickly imagine a light surrounding you. Not magical, but something similar to holding a lantern…Do you have it?” asked Seltis.
“Yes.”
“Now don’t put that lantern out, but instead, dim it in your mind’s eye: start to cover it with something. Slowly slide it over the lantern, blocking the light,” he spoke calmly to her.
“I did it. I don’t feel any different. Did I just cloak myself?”
“No, but we’re almost there though. How did you feel when you covered that lantern?”

“What?” she replied still with closed eyes.
“How did you feel?”
“Um… I don’t know,” she replied.
He sighed, “That the thing with all you young adults, you couldn’t tell sadness from depression. Try again. Look for feeling now.”
She did as Seltis asked. She was searching inside herself. It made her feel lonely, angry and secretive except in a very subtle way. She had no idea why she what these feelings, but the just were there. Normally, she would not have noticed the faint emotion that lingered there, but she was very well focused now.
“I know the feelings. What must—”

There was a sudden crash as Tyren fainted collapsed from his chair. Azura was uncloaked! What was she suppose to do?
“Don’t worry,” Seltis reassured, “I got you. Now just take those feelings and try to feel them all at once as you focus on your aura.”
She focused on all of them and on her aura; oddly enough, her aura started to shrink and feel less sensitive.
“Fantastic,” Seltis sighed, “My, my, I apologize for putting you under so much pressure. Poor Tyren, both him and I never expected cloaking someone else’s aura to be so difficult.”
“What? You hadn’t even done that before?” said Azura shocked.

“Well, I have taught numerous people how to cloak their own aura’s, but cloaking some else’s is a rather new prospect for me. We better get him of the ground and into a bed quickly; he looks quite weak. Help me carry him.”
Azura took one of his arms Seltis took the other. He was surprisingly light; however, not light enough to carry completely, so they had to drag him.
“What was all that stuff you said about how it was harder to cloak other people considering distance and awareness?” she asked him confused.
“It was a white lie to make you more comfortable with the procedure,” he said frankly.

Azura gave him a fierce, disapproving look.
“What? No one was hurt,” he said, trying to protect him self.
Azura and Seltis gently placed the unconscious Tyren on to the bed. Azura then looked down to see how he was. His face was sweating profusely. He seemed to have a strong fever as well.
All Azura had to do was look up at Seltis again for him to say, “I see… point taken.”
“Don’t lie to me again,” she spoke seriously. “Was what I did the easiest way to achieve cloaking?”
“It was the fastest,” he said. “The easier ones take hours, some even days.”
Azura sighed; she was tired all of a sudden. She felt like she needed to sleep. A wooden clock by the door said it was only 4 o’clock.
“I suppose you’re tired and want to unpack your things,” he said, as if he was reading her mind.
“Yes, that would rather be nice,” she agreed.
“Alright then I’ll show you to your room.”
Seltis brought her upstairs to a room that looked rather like her own except it contained a single bed and much more space. She walked in to examine it; the empty cabinets held more than enough space to fit her small amount of possessions she owned.
Seltis left her do her unpacking. She did he best to stay awake but in the end it was futile. She collapsed into bed and fell asleep.

٭٭٭

“So you’re awake I see,” he observed.
“Yes, but and more tired than ever,” Tyren added.
“Hush, hush, Azura is sleeping,” Seltis replied.
Tyren used his extended hearing to hear the faint breath of a sleeping Azura. Tyren tried to stand again, but almost collapsed had Seltis not caught him.
“Ah, thanks.”
“I knew we shouldn’t have done what we did. I was too much of a risk,” Seltis said observing Tyren’s frailness.
Tyren shot Seltis a glare, “It was your idea. Besides, if you could help all this time with cloaking her, why didn’t you?”
“Experience is one of the most important elements in magic, Tyren. You know that,” he reminded Tyren.
“Yeah, I guess,” Tyren said faintly.
“The others are arriving shortly,” Seltis spoke as he helped the hobbling Tyren get to a seat in the common room.
“What?” Tyren said confused. “At this time of the night?”

“I have arranged a midnight meeting.”
Tyren sat down on a comfortable table that was placed near a small wooden table. He adjusted himself so that his leg could rest on a footstool. The common room was a warm and cozy place; however it wasn’t as inviting a place in the dull candlelight.
“What for?” he asked, confused.
Seltis took a seat on another chair. He closed his eyes. He breathed in slowly and then let out a sigh.
“You will see,” Seltis replied, rather distracted.

They rested there for a few minutes before four figures appeared at the doorway to room. They walked into the under lit room and Seltis waited until they took seats. The figures were shapeless and hard to make out in the weak light. Tyren was quite tired and didn’t really notice them come in until they spoke.
“Seltis, why have you summoned us here?” said a female voice. “You told us to not to meet or to be in the same place unless it is an emergency.”
“Yes, I did, didn’t I? Well, I would call you all for no reason would I now, Mona?”
“Tyren, do you know what he’s talking about,” said a male voice.

“Unfortunately, I do not,” Tyren replied wearily.
“Bwenil, be patient. I will explain,” Seltis said to the man. “Recently, I acquired a new student. Bwenil and Jenna might already know this, but her raw power is far above average. She supposedly has received no instruction in magic whatsoever and she has self-taught herself a fire spell from writings on a scroll she could barely read. It’s a weak candle fire spell, but a spell none the less.”

“That’s preposterous,” interrupted another male voice rudely. “Are you certain you were hearing correctly?”
“Yes, Persivre, I heard it as well,” Jenna spoke for the first time.
“As I was saying she expanded her own knowledge of the spell to a full-fledged burn spell,” Seltis finished.
Mona’s face was lit with excitement. She gasped, “Someone with that much power with magic is a gift for the heavens. We might have found our savior.”
“Or our destroyer,” Seltis added cynically. “I am starting to have doubts. Maybe she’s a spy? Tirostar is a very cunning man; he’s smart enough to do such a thing. It might slightly far fetched, however we can not be sure of anyone anymore, especially one so… unusual.”
Persivre nodded in agreement, impressed by Seltis’ deductions. However, the rest were unconvinced.
“Enough!” Tyren spoke up. “That’s a lie Seltis and you know it; I met her father.”
“We can’t be sure. You are very fond of her, causing you to be distracted,” Seltis disagreed. “Besides, even if she does end up being who she is, she could be extremely dangerous to us.”
“In what way?” Mona asked puzzled.
“In the wrong hands, she could destroy so much,” Seltis said dramatically.
“You speak as if she is some kind of weapon,” Jenna said. Her face gave a flare of anger.
“She is. We all are. Mages are all weapons that can be persuaded at a certain cost,” he spoke adamantly.
“So, Seltis,” Tyren joined in, “what do you propose we do? Kill her? Lie to her?” he mocked. “Keep her in the dark? What are we supposed to do?”
“Relax, Tyren, relax. I understand your passive anger at me,” he defended himself. “I have a pessimistic look on things. It might all go as hoped. Maybe she is our savior. However, all I wanted to do was prepare for the worst. For when it comes, we are guaranteed to be surprised,” he ended quite enthusiastically
“So, is this all we came for?” Persivre asked impatiently. “That was a rather fast session.”

Persivre yawned and drew on some of his magic to teleport home.
“Wait, Persivre,” Seltis stopped him. “We haven’t finished. I would like to hear the statuses of each of you first.”
“Fine,” Mona started, “In Camgie, we have two fugitives found recently, both fully trained pyromancers; they somehow got out of Camgie Prison. I have no idea how you could escape that magical prison keeping all those mages. However, they are under my care now.”
“In Lozern, there is almost nothing to report,” Persivre announced rather content not having to explain anything. He hated this procedure, especially all the talking and point jabbering.

“In the capital, Larcent City, things have gotten more difficult,” Bwenil started.
“Security is at every corner. Guards and royal mages make sure to look into all odd occurrences,” Jenna continued. “Tirostar has apparently doubled his efforts. However, we did find a few Hiders in an abandoned shack near the coast.”
“We are worried that there will eventually be no mages in Larcent City,” Bwenil ended.
“This is indeed grave news,” Seltis spoke.
“We are not finding that many mages here either,” Tyren added.
Persivre sighed, “Yes, yes, it’s one big mess really. Now can we leave?” he said snobbishly.
Seltis then concluded the meeting, “I shall hereby conclude this meeting. Shall magic watch over us.”
All of the visiting mages stood up and started to prepare to leave. They each drew power in the form of blue light.
“Goodnight, everyone,” said Persivre then in a flash of blue light he vanished into nothing leaving behind a few sparks of white light.
Tyren felt better and stood up to say farewell to Mona.

“Good luck with Azura. I wish you well, Tyren, Seltis, Jenna, and Bwenil,” Mona said then disappeared as well into a blue light.

“Tyren, make sure Seltis doesn’t get too serious about Azura being a spy,” Jenna said with a smile. “She is a good girl.”
“Don’t worry, Jenna,” Tyren smiled. “I will.”
Jenna walked to Tyren and gave him a kiss. She hugged him then she whispered in his ear, “I’ll see you soon.”
Bwenil shifted uncomfortably, and then sighed, “Let us go already.”
She walked back to her brother and together they both disappeared in a big flash of blue light. Seltis sat unmoving on his comfortable armchair; he was quite confused at what had happened with Jenna.
“You and Jenna?” he spoke surprised.
“Don’t ask,” he replied calmly. “It’s complicated.”
“Oh,” was all Seltis replied.

٭٭٭

Azura woke up to the bright light of morning. When she opened her eyes she expected to be welcomed by the familiar surroundings of her room. However it wasn’t her room. It was surprise that engulfed her next, then realization. She was in Seltis’ house. She got up from bed and changed into some new clothes. Once she had gotten clothes on she made her way downstairs. The hallway was empty so she went into the common room. There a healthy Tyren greeted her. However Seltis was no where to be found.
“Morning, Azura,” he said sounding normal.
“Good morning, Tyren,” she replied happily. “You seem better.”
“I am,” Tyren replied. “I am sorry about yesterday.”
Azure had a moment of puzzlement.

“What do you mean?” she asked confused.
“I must have been a bit snappy,” he elaborated, “I didn’t mean any harm in what I said.”
“Your too polite, Tyren,” she laughed as she gave him a playful jab. “You didn’t say anything that couldn’t be justified.”
“Sorry…oh… I mean… never mind,” Tyren responded.
Azura burst out laughing, “You starting to sound like me when I bumped into you the other day.”
“You seem awfully uplifted today,” Tyren said with a smile. “Seltis mentioned to me that you weren’t to happy yesterday.”
Azura nodded enthusiastically.
“Where is that lying nobleman anyways?” she asked jokingly. “He said I was going to learn to control my powers didn’t he? How can I do that when he’s off somewhere?”
“Um…” Tyren spoke uncertain, “he’s out on an errand he’ll be back shortly. Azura, are you alright?”

A smile was radiant on her face. She overjoyed by something and Tyren was very curios at what.
“What?” she asked. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, no, you just seem very excited that’s all,” Tyren said unsure whether to delve deeper into the subject.
“I feel better than ever,” she answered excitedly. “Let’s go out to town.”
“What?” he replied surprised.
“Come on, no use waiting till Seltis gets here. Might as well see which neighborhood I’m be staying in?” she said trying to be convincing.
“Uh… what about breakfast?” he tried.
“I’m not hungry.” Azura pulled at his arm and led the way to the door. She opened it and Toquil stood on guard at the gate.

“Good morning, miss. Good morning, Master Farlight,” Toquil greeted them.
“Good morning,” they both said.
They walked down Prince Lane Azura still holding Tyren’s arm. Once out of earshot, Azura giggled, “Your second name is Farlight?”
Tyren seemed a bit distant all of a sudden, “The orphanage I was in was called “Home of New Light”. It was custom to have the last name “Light” then. It wasn’t until I was with Seltis that I changed it to Farlight.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Azura all of sudden felt miserable.
“No,” Tyren smiled, “it’s all right.”
Azura and walked into the midtown market. Though officially Center City was not a town, it was often referred as one because of obvious difference to the rest of the city. The market was a slow, peaceful one, quite unlike the ones that she was used to. The streets around her reminded her of what in was like on Sundays.
“Is it always this quiet?” she asked surprised.
“Pretty much,” Tyren replied.
Azura bought a pair of overpriced pieces of pie using what limited money she had. Tyren insisted on paying, but Azura wouldn’t budge, she felt bad for asking about Tyren’s past.

They continued on, taking a bite or two at their warm apple pie. There was a small garden placed near a fountain they sat down at the fountain and ate their pie.

“So is this enough breakfast for you?” she said as took a bite.
“I guess,” Tyren replied.
There was a long period of quiet as they took in the warm morning scenery; the bright sky bluer then the clearest water; the fresh smell of baked breads; the wind blew ever so gently.
“Azura, what made you want to continue magic and not lock it away and tell no one,” Tyren asked.
“Huh?” she said confused. “What do you mean?”
“Once using magic some people are too scared by it and lock way their power forever. What made you continue to use it?” he asked thoughtfully.
“I don’t know actually,” she said as she looked at the sky. “Perhaps it was that fiery feeling I felt when ever I did it. I felt the thrill of doing something that was impossible I guess. Actually it frightened me.”
“What did? Magic?” he asked curiously.
“No, that different side of me,” she said. “It was so unfamiliar. I never had felt like it before.”
“But you are happy you felt it,” Tyren added.
“Yes,” she said excitedly. “I guess I did.”
Tyren smiled, “Don’t worry, I think that part of you was always there it just didn’t have the right time to come out.”
“You think so?” she said unsure.
He nodded. They continued to eat their pie. Once they both had finished eating, Tyren said, “Well then, we better get going.”
“Alright,” she said cheerfully.

‘This is weird,’ Tyren thought. ‘It’s as if a permanent smile is imprinted on Azura’s face today.’
They walk back the way they came. By now it was already noon. They walked down Prince Lane until they saw a familiar house. Toquil stood fully armored, guarding the gate.
“Tyren,” Azura said before they went in. “Thanks for taking me out to breakfast.”
“Me?” Tyren laughed. “You practically pulled me outside and bought the apple pie. I should be thanking you.”
Azura laughed as well, “Yeah, I guess something has come over me.”
Azura and Tyren then continued inside the gate that Toquil opened for them.
“Lord Farshore awaits you arrival, Master Farlight,” he said as the past him.
“Very well,” Tyren replied, “Thank you, Toquil.”
Before they could go however Toquil asked Azura politely, “Miss, may I have you name?”
“Um…sure, It’s Azura, Azura Starwind,” she replied.
“Very pretty name, Miss Starwind,” he said politely.

٭٭٭

“Oh, hello, Azura, When Toquil told me you had run off with Tyren to town I thought he was joking, and that means a lot, considering that Toquil never jokes,” Seltis said seriously.
Azura had her unusually radiant smile on face. However, it dulled a bit when she saw Seltis’ serious manner.
“I am sorry to keep you waiting, Lord Farshore,” Azura said sincerely. “I didn’t know you would be out so shortly.”
“Lord Farshore? Please you don’t have to call me by that name. Just call me Seltis,” he said looking suspiciously at Azura. “You seem to be rather…cheerful?”
“Yes, I am. I’ll be finally learning magic,” she replied excitedly.
“Uh, Azura, before we start, do you mind if I have a quick chat alone with Tyren?” he asked politely, but still quite suspiciously.
“Sure,” she said, “just don’t take too long.”
Azura exited the room. She closed the door then put her ear to the door.
‘I am so tired of them being so secretive all the time. I want to hear what they are talking about,’ she thought angrily.

“What’s wrong with Azura?” said the voice of Seltis adamantly.
“This morning she seemed rather uplifted, despite her being sad yesterday,” Tyren’s voice answered slightly annoyed at Seltis’ cynical curiosity. “She caught me by surprise when she literally pulled me out the door. We had a nice time, okay? Don’t be fishing around for any theories that she’s a traitor or something.”
Seltis thought what? As well as Azura feeling a bit self-conscience being talked about so secretly she had to worry about them thinking she was a traitor. They had no right did they? She felt a deep flash-fire of anger swell violently inside her.
“I’m not,” Seltis reacted plainly. “You should really treat me with more respect. I did raise you since you practically were a child. Anyways, you said you had a nice time?” his tone started to get mocking. “How about you and Jenna? You decided to go with Azura instead then?”
Azura lifted her ear from the door, shocked and speechless. Was it true?
How could I have been so stupid? To even think that Tyren could be interested in someone like me. I should have expected as much, why would someone like him still have no love in his life, a vicious series of questions burdened Azura’s thought.
She hesitated. Should she listen in anymore? What good as already come from it? Her curiosity got the better of her so she continued to eavesdrop.
“…besides there are more important things to talk about,” she heard Tyren finish. I understand now,” Seltis said in a thoughtful tone. “Yes, more important things. Azura. So you say she has had a random mood swing?”
“Yeah, but it’s probably nothing,” Tyren replied.
Despite being heartbroken, she had to agree with Tyren. It was just her being excited; however, now that feeling of happiness was completely gone. They had destroyed her good mood, and frustration overwhelmed her. She felt like bursting in and shouting, but she held back her urge and instead waited.

“I’m afraid not, Tyren,” Seltis said rather gravely. “Now I predict that Azura was… happy, excited, lively, humorous, outgoing and perhaps a bit more angry than usual. Am I correct?”
Azura sensed a moment of shock in between Tyren and Seltis. So what? Normal people have those feelings also what’s wrong? Anger continued to swell inside her.
“How did you know?” Tyren asked surprise thick in his voice.
“Hmm… Someone who is so filled with magic is easily influenced by it. Sometimes it can go so far as to influence ones behavior or personality,” he said the last word very carefully. “Azura is normally quiet, shy, sensitive, sad and secretive. Now what do the characteristics of the new Azura remind you of? Different elements will have different effects on one such as her. I’ll give you a hint…it is the only element that she currently knows.”

“I understand Seltis, there is no reason to play around,” Tyren said, aggravated with Seltis. Azura had enough. She burst right inside. Seltis and Tyren were both taken aback. She acted as normal as possible; luckily, she seemed to fool them.
“Oh, I apologize. Did I interrupt?” Azura asked peaceably.
“No, no,” Seltis smiled, “we were just finishing.”
Tyren remained slightly uneasy of about the secrecy. Azura decided to make them more uneasy considering, they were keeping information from her.
“That’s good then. Finally we can fire up our day by you teaching me some magic. If I don’t I might even get a bit hotheaded from waiting too long,” Azura said casually with a hint of satisfaction.
Seltis gave a guilty expression to Tyren. Azura could see that Tyren looked like he really felt bad. He looked down and was about to say something, but Azura continued so that he wouldn’t have to explain. She knew that, despite the fact that he loved Jenna, she was still a friend in his eyes.
“So then,” she said expectantly to the elderly man who she had once felt respect toward, “shall we start with the instruction?”
Seltis looked down thoughtfully then said, “Yes, yes, we shall.”
He walked a few steps to a cabinet that was located in the corner of the room. He opened it and took an old book out. Some pages were torn, the cover was faded, and altogether the book was in pretty bad condition. The cover seemed to be written in a foreign language.
“Um…is that book magical?” Azura asked.
“Well, there is much debate at whether a book or a scroll containing magic instructions actually is magical, however the short answer would be no,” he smiled. “This book contains the basic grounds of magic. You probably won’t be able to read it, but I can and I shall use it to teach you the basics.”
“What language is it in?” Azura asked curiously.
“Penthrill, the language of my forefathers,” Seltis answered swiftly.
Azura decided not to ask what he meant. It was better to ask when she was sure he didn’t think of her as some spy.

“Firstly, we will begin with some mind exercises,” Seltis spoke.
Tyren faked a yawn.
“Unless you would like to read Penthril and be in charge of Azura’s education, I suggest you either leave or pretend to act slightly interested,” Seltis scowled.
Tyren rolled his eyes, “Fine.”
“Alright, Azura, let’s begin. Think of yourself as light as a feather.”
Despite the awkward request she did what he asked. She closed her eyes.

“Think yourself a rock, heavy and immovable.”
Azura had that feeling she wasn’t doing this right.
“Does this help with controlling your mind?” asked Azura trying to concentrate.
“No…actually it’s just to get you used to following awkward orders,” said Seltis frankly with a laugh.
“Oh,” was her curt reply.
“Are we done yet?” Tyren asked impatiently.
“Could you please leave then?” Seltis replied irritably.
“Fine, I’m off then,” Tyren replied rebelliously. He turned to exit the common room. Azura was puzzled. Where was this coming from? It was almost as if he had planned to make a show of this or something.

“What is happening here? Is there something I don’t know?” Azura announced outright.
“Never mind, he’ll get over it,” Seltis said half-heartedly as Tyren left the room. “Now that we’re done with that, let us start. Allow me first ask you about how you turned a candle light into a burn spell.”

“Burn spell, You mean the bigger fire? Well, I don’t know, I thought more about the fire than the light I guess,” Azura said.
“Really?” asked Seltis sounding interested. “How can you control it though?”

She gave a guilty smile, “Um, I can’t exactly; I almost burnt my clothes last time.”
“Still, that’s terrific Azura. You took initiative to learn something by trying new things,” Seltis commended.
Azura wasn’t sure what he was getting at. Didn’t he think she was some kind of spy?
“Thank you?” she said unsurely. It was true. She had sunk back into that same old Azura.
“Magic needs some exploring before done properly,” he laughed. “In magic there are six starting elements, two major and four minor. Light and shadow are the majors. Fire, water, earth, and air are the minors. Each element has their opposite. Two elements that are not opposite can form a hybrid element. For example, water and air create ice; fire and earth make magma. There are two absolute hybrid elements in magic, each extremely powerful. These are creation and destruction. Creation, which is composed of light and earth and destruction, created of fire and darkness. This might sound all new to you, but this is fact in magic. There is also pure, neutral magic belonging to no element and has its own unique power. As a matter of fact, all the elements come from it.”
“What must I do?” Azura asked meekly. She was totally confused what to do.
“All you have to do is remember that fire isn’t the only element,” Seltis grinned.

She suppressed a small laugh. Azura couldn’t believe herself. One moment she was furious at Seltis for being so deceptive and suspicious, and next she was laughing at his odd sense of humor. Seltis was just too likeable in person.

“Anyways, first we should, as quickly as possible, learn to try another element. It would be nice to have another element for a change,” he tried to sound casual, but a small bit of worry was apparent in his voice.
“So, which element are we going to work with?” Azura said unsurely.
“Which ever minor element you want,” Seltis replied.
“Minor? Not light or shadow?”
“Well,” Seltis spoke, “it’s best to pick something else for now.”
“Alright then, water,” Azura gave a pleasant smile.
“Water?” Seltis asked surprised. “Why water?”
She took a step backward as if she had done something wrong.
“I chose it because I thought it described my personality best,” Azura said. “Why is there something wrong?”
“No, no,” he said as if he was looking into the distance, “it’s just that water is the exact opposite of fire and that doesn’t happen when a mage picks their starting elements.”

٭٭٭

Inside the room was a black-haired man his eyes were bandaged yet the rest of his body was free. He lay on a bed with a small blue fire twirled in between his fingers with perfect rhythm. The expression of the young man was of boredom.
“Pyron,” the older mage spoke annoyed as he gently closed the door, “Could you please stop playing with fire?”
“Playing with fire? I am fire,” the young man gave a malicious grin of amusement.
The older mage sighed. Then he addressed Pyron again in a more indignant tone, “Stop. Now, Pyron, or I’m going to be angry.”
A glimpse of worry crossed Pyron’s face as the small fire diminished into nothing. He got up from the bed and proceeded to a bow to the older magician.
“I am sorry, Master Tirostar. I was just bored,” he said respectfully.
“Boredom is just a pointless phase in an unfulfilled life,” Darsiv Tirostar announced.
“Well, then. Looks like my life hasn’t been fulfilled yet, now hasn’t it?” Pyron replied swiftly.
“Not yet,” a sinister smile came across Darsiv’s face, “not yet. However, I have good news you; won’t be stuck in this cramped up room for long, Pyron. The air-head of a king wishes to see my new place-taker, and that will mean no more hiding for you.”

“New? I have been your place-taker for years,” said Pyron, like angry child.
“But of course, Josefer doesn’t know that, does he?” Darsiv rolled his eyes at the short-sightedness of Pyron. “He couldn’t see you till now because otherwise he’d recognize you from before the… incident.”
“Speaking of before, I had another dream from that time,” Pyron said rigidly.
“Really?” said the old mage, wide-eyed with amusement.
“I was him. I was at the place of my blinding. I remember my rage. I remember looking down those cliffs at the waterfall waiting for your arrival,” Pyron’s voice was thick with foreboding and sadness. “I remember then lying on those rocks and deciding that was the most peaceful place I had ever been.”
“Yes,” Mage Tirostar nodded. “It was. I am amazed that only after all these years you remember.”
Pyron remained quiet. Then, all of a sudden, his mischievous grin came back in a flash, as he realized something.
“So the king wishes to see me? The irony,” he laughed.
“I know, I know,” Darsiv sneered as they both proceeded to open the wooden door to the endless hallway of Palos Palace.

                                                                ٭٭٭

King Josefer was a young man, being only in his early thirties. He suffered from depression. He had only gotten worse over the years, though. The love he had for his brother was unmatched by many. It was said that the heart of the king had died with the death of his father and his brother.
Josefer was a strong idealist, his depiction of what was in his head and what was real had blurred into one, especially considering the fact that half the things in his head came from Tirostar.
Josefer sat on his throne despondently. The throne room was large filled with strict, motionless guards and overdone hangings of the Fienstar’s family crest. If the throne room was a reflection of the king’s feeling than he would be the happiest man in the country; however, that was not the case. If the king truly was to express his feelings into the room it would be a cave, a terrible, dark and cold cave. There was three small knocks on the two big silver laden doors.
The king looked up at the doorman and nodded. The scrawny doorman opened the door slowly. A herald walked inside.
“Your majesty, Lord Tirostar and…Pyron have arrived,” the herald said unsurely.
“Very well, show them in,” Josefer announced whilst stretching his arms in a manner rather unlike a king.

The herald left then, quickly returning with two people following. The two figures entered the room, one confidently, the other following behind rather unsurely. The king leaned forward in his throne to investigate his new guest. A wry smile was present of the first man, who the king recognized almost instantly as Tirostar. The other, however, was not someone the king felt he had met before, yet he was strangely familiar. The king fell back in his seat in surprise as he realized that the second man had a black bandage covering his eyes.
“Greetings, my king,” Darsiv said respectfully.

“Your Majesty,” the other man, Pyron, bowed. To the king’s surprise was plainly done in his direction as if Pyron knew he knew exactly where the king was sitting.
“Good morning, Adviser Tirostar,” he said rather brashly. “So is this your place-taker?”
Tirostar nodded politely. The king took a glance at Pyron.
He then said, addressing Darsiv, “Tirostar, I heard that your place-taker was especially good at magic, but I didn’t know that he was-”
“Blind, your majesty?” Pyron supplemented with a mocking smile.
The king nodded uneasily, only remembering later that if Pyron truly was blind he wouldn’t have noticed.
“I can sense everything around me far better than any eyesight can,” he explained confidently. “And I can assure you that that the rumor that has me being extremely talented with magic is real.”
“Well then, justice is indeed blind,” the king smiled meekly.

The king looked unsurely about, and then turned to Tirostar. Josefer mouthed to him, ‘Is he trustable and loyal?’ Pyron gave smile of small amusement for he could sense what he saying. The king, however, didn’t notice. Tirostar put his arm around Pyron’s shoulder.
“I would put my life in his hands, your majesty,” he said aloud with an overly cheerful smile. “He is both loyal to me and cunning.”
Josefer felt slightly more confident. He trusted Tirostar with not only his life, but also his kingdom.
“So, now that this is dealt with, let me have a progress report,” the king said.
“Another 200 hundred mages have been captured. Most were scramblers. However, we did find a few unusual cases,” spoke Tirostar in a twisted kind of happiness. “Even three years into the ‘Conjuror’s Ban’ we still find more. Do not worry. Soon, my king, Terrania will be free of magic.”
Josefer looked down onto the marble floors in deep thought, ‘Magic free. Brother, father you will be fully avenged. Soon even Tirostar and Pyron will have to pack away their books and we’ll be at peace.’ He gave Tirostar a more worried look.
“And where are the prisoners?” He bit his lip.
“Soon, when we are ready, they will all forget how to use magic. After all, Camgie Prison blocks then from using any helpful magic inside. They will not be able to do anything when we cast a mass memory alter spell,” Tirostar announced triumphantly.
“I don’t know what that means and I don’t care, as long as none of my people are hurt,” the king said strictly.
Tirostar felt slightly annoyed at the king’s heaviness and tried to lighten the king up a little, “Don’t you think this momentous occasion deserves a party?”
“Yes,” the king itched his face subconsciously, “I suppose so.”
“So then, farewell my king,” Darsiv bowed followed by Pyron, who didn’t say a word.
“Farewell,” was the king’s reply.
Once the two had left, a scribe who was perched on a seat farther down, asked, “Party, your Majesty?”
The king nodded uncaringly.
“The usual people, my king?” the scribe asked, scribbling invitations.
“Yes,” he replied slightly more enthusiastic. “However, make sure you invite my uncle.”
“Lord Farshore?”
“Yes,” Josefer smiled. “I always enjoy his company.”
Tyren finally returned to Seltis’ house after doing a week and a half of Seltis’ task he bestowed on him. He had left so abruptly that there must have been much question to where he had gone. Seltis knew exactly where he went and that was why Tyren’s anger was so apparent the day he left in that lesson.
Toquil was not at his post; Tyren thought he must have been out somewhere. He entered the house going into the common room first, where Azura was standing opposite Seltis. He was explaining something about the water element from what Tyren could here, but he was speaking in a low, almost inaudible voice. Azura eyes were wide open like an eagerly learning student. They didn’t seem to notice him.

“I don’t understand I already learned how to move things. I want to learn more about water,” said Azura in her fiery voice.
“You drive me insane. Just because you learn something doesn’t mean that you just fly to the next thing. You first have to practice,” Seltis sighed. “Oh, well I guess we can.”
A small grin of satisfaction was formed Azura’s face. Tyren faked a cough. Azura and Seltis both looked at him in surprise.
“Tyren!” Azura walked over to him worriedly. “Where have you been?”
His face was slightly paler, and he looked a bit more tired than usual. However, it was very apparent that he was glad to be back.
“I see your mood hasn’t changed since I left,” Tyren laughed. “Well…” Tyren became serious, “it’s probably in your best interest that I don’t tell you where I have been.”
Seltis gave Tyren a grim look. He knew where he had told him to go.
Azura frowned, “You know I hate secrets. Please tell me.”
Tyren grimaced, “Camgie Prison. I have been scouting out that place with Mona for the past week. It’s been rather… dark there lately. To think hundreds of innocent people all taken captive for what?” Tyren seemed passionate about this, “Suspicion. That is what kind of world we live in.”
She felt bad she had asked him such a question. However, she held her fatal expression. Her eyes drilled and her mouth was straight and unsmiling.

“Who is Mona?” she asked.
Seltis stepped in this time, “She is one of us,” he looked at her guiltily. “There is some…politics among us mages that I should tell you about.”
Azura sighed, “With you mages, there is always something you hide from me.”
She circled around Tyren like he was to be cross-examined in some excruciatingly complicated way. 
“So, Tyren, was that all you did? You weren’t with any other mages were you? Not Bwenil and…Jenna?” she asked him casually with a small hint of tension.
“No,” Tyren said plainly, “I didn’t see them. They are at the capital.”
He didn’t see what she was getting at. Azura was glad Tyren acted so honest because she knew he wouldn’t lie too easily. Then something struck her, she was immensely jealous and that she had just cross examined him to see if he had seen his loved one or not.
“Sorry,” she said aloud to Tyren without noticing it.
“Why are you sorry?” Tyren was still clueless.
Seltis was just a spectator in this conversation, but decided to intervene. He sat down on his favorite chair.

“Please, sit down,” Seltis gestured to some chairs. “We do have more important matters to attend to.”
Azura took a seat on a wooden seat. Tyren followed and took a slightly more comfortable cushioned seat. It was these moments when Azura’s father, Arthen, would take out his pipe. 
Seltis spoke in a low voice, “At the time before the rampage of Sevrant, there were few defined factions, two of which were the strongest, the Nightstalkers and the Officials. The Officials are the group of mages that follow the rule of the king through the Master Mage, Tirostar. The Nightstalkers, on the other hand, were a shady bunch that defied the king’s rule from the very beginning, and their most loathed enemy, the Officials. These, assassins, as they call themselves, killed various important mages in the Officials ranks, as well as receiving side pay for any rich merchant who wanted someone to disappear.
“Then, after the purge started, chaos eliminated all the weaker mage groups until they were all captured or had disappeared. Only two of the original groups remained strong. One was obviously the Officials who carried out the purge, and the other one was the Nightstalkers, who hid in the shadow anyways and could not be found. The miniature war between the two ceased for two years, leaving even smaller resistance to the Officials. That was when I established the new faction. Its goal wasn’t to fight neither the Officials nor the Nightstalkers. It had one goal. To save those unfortunate mages who weren’t as lucky as me. I made rules and “saved” my first followers from a grim fate and then it was started, they where Mona, Persivre and a few others. Jenna, Bwenil and Tyren were already with me for a while before.” 
Mm, Jenna and Tyren go far back, Azura mused.

“Most of the others tried to flee the country,” Seltis continued. “Some of us who stayed wanted nothing less than to seek out the Nightstalkers and join them. In the end of my followers who stayed, there was only Mona and Persivre, Mona because she believed in helping people and didn’t resort to violence, Persivre…err for more personal reasons… however, in the end I found that they were all that was needed. I made Persivre, Mona, Tyren, Jenna, Bwenil and myself, the captains of our team so that we are strategically spread about the country.
Azura sat bewildered and wide-eyed. She never expecting it to be this complicated. The word Nightstalker rang a bell but she remembered little about these mattered. But before Azura could say anything a scruffy personal guard with his unkempt armor entered the room.

“Toquil, didn’t I give you the day off?” Seltis asked quizzically.
“I apologize, milord, but I was called here by the king’s messenger. It appears he wishes to give you an invitation for a party,” Toquil said in his humble voice.
“Mmm… That’s odd,” Seltis frowned. He continued to mumble to himself, “I bribed that scribe to the brim to intentionally forget me from the invitations. I bet Josefer asked for me.” Then he said to Toquil, “Alright then, tell him I will be right there.” He looked to Tyren, “Just talk to each other until I return,” Seltis said infuriated at this disturbance.
He and Toquil left the common room. An awkward silence filled the air; it was however broken quite swiftly by Azura.
“Why did you never tell me you were a healer?” she asked.
Tyren considered her for a minute. “I am not. Earth and water means flesh and blood no more than it means mud and rain. Being a healer is not an element. Being a healer is a choice. Besides, being a healer won’t save this world. Healing one can’t heal them all,” Tyren sounded solemn and serious. “Sometimes fighting truly is the only way. I only wish Seltis saw that. People just think that because we have power that we abuse it, but they are wrong.”
Azura felt his frustration and strong will and admired him for it. She did not feel the same way. She understood the normal person’s side of things. To fear power was normal especially, after it had done such wrong.
Healing could save people too, yet Tyren didn’t believe it. He wanted to heal the world, not just one person’s life. The way he thought was as if his head was it the clouds and he was seeing humanity as a whole rather than seeing everyone’s life as individual. Azura could feel strong air energy within him. She felt strange making such observations and even stranger sensing the magic given out by people.
“If I was fatally injured,” Azura started, “would you think healing me would make your world a better place,” her words were deep yet no emotions were in either her voice or facial expression.
There was a pause in Tyren’s thought flow. He knew what he was going to say, but not how to say it. He chose his words carefully.
“To my world saving you would make the world a better place, but…but not necessarily to the world around us,” he said this dreading her reply.
Azura looked thoughtfully out the window at Seltis and the messenger conversing, and then said without looking at Tyren, “What’s the difference?”
He looked down. This conversation was getting too melancholic for Tyren’s tastes.
“The way I personally perceive the world has no say on how the world is,” he said this quickly.

Seltis came to Tyren’s rescue. He walked back inside and glanced at too very gloomy faces.
“I hope you weren’t explaining the prisons, Tyren,” he warned.
“Oh no, no. I haven’t,” the younger mage defended.
Azura looked to Seltis and asked, “So what was that about bribing, a party, and the king’s scribe?”
“Yes,” Seltis sighed, “I did bribe the scribe to take me out of there invitation lists. I hate parties. All you do is gossip about the newest developments in the mage seeking or talk about which new estates they own. It’s worked till now, but I knew my nephew wouldn’t be fooled forever.”
“Nephew?” said Azura surprised. “Is you’re nephew the party organizer or something,” she laughed.
Seltis smiled at her ignorant remark, “Why of course not. My nephew is the king.”
Shock crossed Azura’s face. Tyren remained still. She couldn’t believe it. She knew that if Seltis was a noble that he would be close to the king, but she never believe he was that close. The person who had caused so much pain to thousands and had ripped innocent citizens from their homes could be inches away having tea with someone who was saving them. This was unbelievable, too unbelievable. It felt like the ultimate betrayal.
“Why…why…if you…” Azura stuttered trying to get her mind straight. Then she just spat it out with rage what she had to endure the past weeks, leaving her home, being chased and acting in weird ways foreign to her, “WHY? You all this time could have talked to him! You could convince him and all you’re doing is saving one or two mages when you can save them all. The man who is supposed to be doing all of this evil is your nephew! You’re a fat coward!” 
Tyren shifted uncomfortably. His demeanor showed him to take no sides. Seltis, on the other hand, stood there his anger becoming more and more apparent.

“How dare you!” he chided. “Do you not know anything? Have you any idea what it was like for the man?”
“What could have happened to justify our king? His brother died because of Sevrant. That is no reason to make us all suffer!” most of Azura’s anger had transformed into frustration.
Seltis had a cooled off a bit as well, “The king’s past is a grim one. Josefer was fifteen when his father fell ill. His father and I were very close friends; after all, my sister had been his wife before she died. We had talked much about what was to come of the future with Josefer and his brother. Josefer’s older brother, Jastis, was five years older than him and he wasn’t one to think about important matters nor was he one to have others do his bidding. He was very brash and very good fighter as well. He often left to settle any problems, no matter how trivial, on his white steed. This was very hard on Josefer, being the youngest of two, because not only was he appointed the duties of a prince, but also of a regent because his father was not fit t o rule in his condition and because of his brother’s ‘absences’. Darsiv Tirostar had taken a particular liking to him and did his best to assist the rather young king.
“On Josefer’s sixteenth birthday, Jastis appointed Tirostar the official adviser to the king knowing that in the past year that Josefer had been more of a king than he had. It wasn’t till a few months later that everything turned to chaos. Tirostar’s apprentice went insane. He had delved too far into shadow magic and had mixed it with fire.”

Azura winced. She had thought the idea of shadow and fire an interesting combo. However, she would prefer to stays sane. 
“Destruction started. Sevrant went south and started destroying all in his path; he was unstoppable. Villages and towns were completely destroyed and were never to be rebuilt again. He killed man and mage alike. Many tried to stop him.”
Though Azura could not exactly remember 4 years ago too well she did remember that.  The streets were practically empty because of the fear. Arthen did not allow them to leave the house as if had been stormy weather.
“Josefer and Jastis were announced to have a joint reign over the kingdom by then. They tried various methods to capture or kill him, yet it was to no avail. By that time he had reached Falor, a small town, just to the north of the country. That town was known for its particularly gifted mages, however to this day it doesn’t exist anymore.”
Tyren grimaced as he said the last words. She barely noticed until Seltis carried on. 
“A vicious battle started in-between the town and him. He killed almost all of the mages and then something almost unexplainable happened. He stopped. He went into seclusion into the forest leaving the shocked civilians who hadn’t shown any violence to him alive. Some say that he had ran out of power and needed to rejuvenate, while others say his conscience caught up to him. Josefer suggested that they should send an army to kill the possibly weak Sevrant while he was alive. Jastis disagreed and thought it best to sent only their Elite and him to do the job. Tirostar had advised them both to let him handle Sevrant. They decided to compromise and send only Tirostar and Jastis accompanied by Elite soldiers. The results of this were very bad. According to the only survivor, Tirostar, this is what had transpired. Alone, Sevrant sat on a ledge of a cliff, a waterfall below him. He was said to be waiting. The troops had come from behind him. The surrounded him so that he only two choices to fight or to jump down. What he did, however, was fight. He killed all of the elites in one black fire.”

Azura was wide-eyed amazement. How could any individual do that much killing in one single spell? How powerful was he?
“Luckily, Tirostar had protected Jastis. Darsiv then tried to talk to Sevrant, convince him he has done wrong. He was unmoved and unconvinced. Jastis then attacked him. He almost succeeded in killing him, but only cut his left arm. Sevrant then instantly killed Jastis using a shadow charm. Darsiv and Sevrant then entered a fierce battle. The apprentice lost his balance and fell to his death at the bottom of the waterfall. Tirostar weak and feeble from the battle claimed to have seen the dead body of Sevrant and then collapsed. Servant’s dead body was never found.”
Seltis said what he said next in a more serious and melancholic tone, “After hearing the news of his brother’s death, he had the burden of having to tell his already weak hearted father the death of his eldest son. When the weak king heard of Jastis’ death, all he did was cry till his death a day later. Josefer then ascended to the throne of sorrow, followed only by Tirostar, his guardian and adviser. The king fell into depression, and so Tirostar ruled in his stead for a time. The king one day declared all mages to report to the authorities to be taken. Not many did. Josefer then forbade the use of magic unless used by Officials. This caused more problems for mages. Then, finally, a month later the unthinkable happened…he started t he arrests. Hundreds of mages were taken and put into prisons. All of these decisions were made under the supervision, if not influence, of Master Mage Tirostar. The rest is history,” Seltis sighed.

That was the longest story someone had ever told to Azura in one sitting. By the end, all anger and rebuttal was forgotten and what is left is shock and emptiness. She couldn’t say anything and there was nothing she could say. Seltis asked to be excused and went to his bedroom to change.

                                                                  ***

The bald headed mage waited patiently outside the tower. He had waited this long, so why would a few minutes matter. The door to the tower swung inward making a high pitch screech. Darsiv Tirostar stepped out. Following him was not only his dim shadow, but also a man in a hooded robe.
“You wanted to see me, Crosal. What do you want?” Tirostar asked expectantly.
“I apologize, my lord, but I have a problem,” the bald man replied.
Tirostar rolled his eyes, “We all have those, Crosal. Speak up.”
“I am so sorry,” Crosal said eagerly. “I believe a mage group still lives.”
“Really?” Tirostar showed some amusement towards this. “What do you have to prove this?”
The man accompanying Tirostar shuffled uncomfortably. Crosal eyed him suspiciously.
“I saw another mage. He was with this girl who I also suspected of being a mage. I had trouble catching the girl, so I suspected she was getting help. I tried to find her whereabouts and found her with this man. I didn’t pursue them this time. The man was definitely a well-trained mage; he hid magic real well. That wasn’t the reason though. This man, I could have swore it was him. It was Light,” Crosal announced.
“What?” said Tirostar confused. “I left that boy on the streets when he was ten with barely a quarter trained. Tyren would have been dead by now.” 
“That’s when I thought it was a group thing,” Crosal nodded.
“Are you sure it was him?” Darsiv looked at Crosal critically.
“Honest, it had to be him. His eyes were… you know,” the ice-blue eyed man said.
A smile formed on the mysterious man behind Tirostar.
“No two pairs of eyes are the same,” he said.
Tirostar nodded, “Pyron, go with Crosal and deal with it.”
Pyron’s smile remained as he walked to Crosal’s side.
“As you wish,” he mocked.
Tirostar regarded Pyron very carefully. “Don’t kill him, just capture, understood?”
Pyron nodded half-heartedly, “So basically I can hurt him, just not kill him?”
Darsiv sighed. The two were gone in a flash of blue light.

٭٭٭

Night had fallen on the house. The study gave a gloomy feel considering it was well lit. Seltis was dreading the party more than ever now. He was dressed in some of his finer clothes; they looked expensive, especially the silk and lace. He also had on his fine gold rings and chain. Seltis looked a bit too extravagant for Azura’s taste, but she breathed not a word about it. There was an unusual silence in between them, but there were a few odd questions about what was yet to come.

“So what is Persivre like?” she asked
“Well,” Seltis said, his face thoughtful. “Let us just say he has an uncanny sense of himself and is probably the most skilled mage, under me of course, in our little group. He may seem most of the time slightly egotistical, but he is better at heart than his outside impression,” then he added, “Quite the opposite of me it seems.”
“It’s alright, Seltis. Why are you so grim?” Azura asked, quite frustrated.
“I promised you, there would be no more secrets,” Seltis looked at Azura seriously. “You will meet some the captains of our Mage group. You know Jenna and Bwenil already and I have told you about Mona and Persivre, but it will mean nothing unless you start to trust me again.”
Azura was looked down and frowning. Her mouth twisted into a meek if not slightly forced smile.
“I told you, I apologized for what I said to you earlier,” she said not too convincingly. “You don’t have to show me anything you don’t want too.”
Seltis allowed himself a grin, “Come, Azura. You’re going to have to do better than that. Your fiery side is curious and it couldn’t lie if its life depended on it.”
“My fiery side?” Azura blushed.
“You listened in the other day, remember?” he laughed. “Don’t think for a second that I thought it otherwise with your obvious hints.”
“Alright,” she admitted. “There is no point in lying about it. Besides, I might still be a traitor,” it was her turn to laugh.
Seltis raised his hand as if to swear something, “I don’t believe that anymore, I promise. I was just being the cynical me that I am.”
“No doubt a good liar as well, Seltis,” she teased. “After all, I doubt that you openly admit to the king that you are ‘assisting’ mages he wants to capture, Lord Farshore.”
“Could you please stop calling me that,” said Seltis as is face turned pink. “It makes me feel rather awkward when someone I know quite well calls me that. Seltis is what you call me and let it stay that way,” he said briskly.
“All right, Lord Seltis,” Azura bowed her head mockingly.
Seltis rolled his eyes, “I, honest to goodness, have no idea what you find so funny.” 

His expression changed a moment then he checked a special device in his pocket. It seemed to be just a miniscule slab of glass. He read it as if written in it was a line of text. Azura had seen this odd thing a few times during the week Tyren was gone. She had asked what it was, but all he gave away was “It tells me when I can catch a rift.” Theoretically, that was supposed to mean that he could teleport somewhere, but what he needed a piece of glass for she had no idea. He stood still and straight.
“I apologize, Azura, I must be off. Give my regards to the rest,” he gave a toothy grin. 
She heard him curse about having to go to the party under the smile, though, and she burst into laughter. Luckily, he had already disappeared in the flash of light.
Now was the moment of truth. Azura was now to face the real problem; not being the subject of Seltis’ judgment, but his various ‘captains.’
The wooden door from the elderly mage’s study creaked eerily. Voices could be heard from downstairs. Azura shuddered. They were already here. She wasn’t so sure that she wanted to see anyone anymore. What was she to say?
She crept down the stairs making ever so little sound. She listened in before entering the common room. A pompous sounding man was pronouncing to someone his exploits. Tyren was talking to someone as well. It was a woman. Azura felt the need to enter, so she held her breath and walked inside.

***

The girl walked in. Her long hair was plain and brown. Her facial qualities weren’t too out of the ordinary. Her eyes, however, they were the most gorgeous hue of blue Persivre had ever seen. This was a lot considering he preferred less bashful colors such as red or orange. They were like sapphires, yet just as beautiful as the open sea. By his reckoning she was pretty and cute… and innocent. She was surprising very young. Their group had always consisted of rather youthful adults…but she had a very girl-like quality.
Persivre ruefully admitted to himself his own distasteful habit of judging people from their first appearance; however, he gave little care to anything he did these days.
All conversation had ceased. The young mage looked at them expectantly. Mona then greeted her in her ordinarily calm tone. He took advantage of this to whisper into Bwenil’s ear.
“To think, Seltis thought she was a traitor. Not unless they trained her to look so bloody innocent. I mean, if she was to be in Lord’s court the grand jury would say not guilty before they even heard a word from the defense,” Persivre sniggered.
Bwenil allowed himself a subtle laugh.
“So true, see what we said before. You’d have to be crazy to think Azura was a spy.”
Mona brought Azura to Jenna where they exchanged a few words and a curt nod. They were about to address to Persivre when he quickly added in to Bwenil, “That or Seltis.”
“Hello,” Azura said faintly.
“Good evening, you must be Azura,” he said a tad too polite for how he usually acted.
She nodded, “I am. And who are you? The man who is to be better than everyone else?”

Persivre felt awkwardly hurt by this abrupt comment. Sure, he was arrogant, but that was no reason for sarcastic remark about it. He was about to defend his pride when he realized something. She was being honest… there was no sarcasm intended.
He blushed, “Why no, you do me too much honor. I am not the best here, but merely of the best.” He gestured to everyone else, and then considered her question, “It is you who has been said to have the more…fascinating powers.”
Everyone, except Azura, stared at him open-mouthed. Not only had he complimented someone else…he was being modest. This made Persivre feel self-cautious. He felt like a bad person who had just done a good deed. He did not enjoy feeling like a bad person.
“So then,” he said, “let’s get on with this meeting already.”
Bwenil shifted. He looked up at the ceiling then took a seat. Mona and Tyren followed. Then Jenna and Azura took a seat. Persivre thought to remain standing to show his superior over the group, but decided otherwise. The reason for Persivre’s rather childish and arrogant acts was usually because he felt like no one appreciated his power, but for now he was sated.
Mona was usually the more of the proactive leader type. She had short silvery-blond hair which always gave her the appearance of being serious about her job as a captain. He knew this and rather despised her for it, but he knew better now.
“Seltis tells us your talents in magic are coming along well. So, have you already learned how to use the power to control basic fire?” Mona asked.

Azura blinked, didn’t think the captains would be this badly informed, “I have done that before I even came here.”
Persivre and Mona’s faces were illuminated with amazement. Jenna and Bwenil expressions remained the same. Tyren, however, had satisfied grin on him.
“When we found her she had already expanded her skill to novice fire magic,” Tyren added subtly.
Mona continued to be dumbfounded. This time, however, Persivre was not surprised. Persivre looked deep into Azura’s eyes as if they were somehow going to explain it all. He saw nothing sinister, nothing wrong, he saw a bit of fear, but what he saw the most was her innocence, her ignorant bliss. Nothing was the same for Persivre after that moment. Something in those eyes was making him experience something. He felt like something inside him was revealed. A euphoric feeling of realization stuck him. When had his innocence gone? When did his fear and arrogance take over? What had he become? Those eyes…those accursed eyes. 
A tear ran down Persivre’s cheek. Then another. 
                                       
                                                               ***
The party was exactly as he expected it to be, dull and mostly predictable. Seltis Farshore truly was bored. One thing he was glad of that he made a fashionable entrance. He stifled a laugh just thinking about it. Everyone else appeared at the tower-filled palace entrance in his or her gold inlayed stagecoaches, while he just walked straight out of the barren grassland outside, like it was an average everyday thing to have walked to the palace. Of course he hadn’t walked, but it had appeared as if he had done so. It was risky to have teleported too close to the palace. A secluded knoll would have to do. A five-minute walk was nothing compared to the hassles of playing the game of “who has the shinier carriage?” He enjoyed seeing the other nobles look at him as if he was to have admitted to everyone that he was a mage.
The party was held in the overly large throne room. It was generous enough to fit the entire party in it. Smiling servants served food and wine at tables at the side of room, as always. At the end of the room King Josefer sat, strong and dignified in his seat of power. His handsome face was burdened with seriousness. On top his blond head he wore the crown of Jastis, the first Fienstar. It was golden and plain other that the elaborate engravings on it. No gem was needed to give it a royal look. It was the person who had the crown that made the difference. He who had possessed it now seemed completely different than how he felt. Seltis could tell. It was behind that mask of strength, behind those grey eyes of wisdom, even behind his very words and expression was something sorrowful.

‘Josefer was always a rather dedicated king, but he was indeed a better actor. It must run in the family then,’ Seltis chuckled to himself.
He wore his copious amount of jewelry well, but he was by far not the most heavily “burdened” person. Some people had golden clothes, which they so enjoyed to flaunt. Others wore a ring on each finger, making their hand resemble something close to a street weapon. Of the nobles invited, he wasn’t exactly as high or as wealthy as the rest. Seltis didn’t particularly care about that. He was family and that was to count as something.
Seltis walked slowly toward the king’s throne, pushing through the throngs of the nobles. Each gave a sound similar to a cat’s screech whenever he stepped on their foot. Josefer was speaking with the Truskan ambassador.
‘This is going to be interesting,’ Seltis grinned.
“I told you, ambassador,” Josefer said agitatedly, but still polite, “just continue already to what you wanted to speak about. You have been complimenting my country for the last quarter of an hour.”
The ambassador was a plump man in his late fifties. He had thin, black hair on his head as well as an eerie, unsettling moustache than shivers down Seltis’ spine.
“I…apologize. It is very hard not to find good things about your country, your Majesty,” he hyperbolized. The king’s persistent glare still drilled into the Truskan ambassador. “As I was saying,” the man said nervously, “it would be a great honor to present this proposal from the King… Galdios Zecear and his beautiful daughter, Erene to His Majesty, once crowned prince, now king, Jos—”
“Get on with it,” Josefer waving his hand toward the ambassador in frustration.
“Um…” the ambassador stuttered. “R-right, your majesty.”
He stepped up to give the king what looked to be a small hand-sized portrait of someone. Josefer examined it closely. Seltis took a few steps to where the king was sitting to get a closer look. It was of a girl who couldn’t have been a day over fifteen. She was beautiful and cute, powerful green eyes looking back at you. Her hair was black as the night sky. On her head was a silver crown. It was embedded with sapphires, emeralds and rubies. From the neck down she wore an unfamiliar coat of fur, not hers but of an animal. The chubby ambassador folded his arms waiting a reply.
“This is…” his Majesty started unsurely.
“Erene, you’re Majesty, Princess Erene,” he said satisfied.
The king shook his head confused, “I don’t understand. Am I supposed to admire the artwork?”
The man unfolded his arms, outraged, but still trying to use common courtesy. “No, no, no, you’re Majesty… This is a proposal from the king. A proposal for marriage.”
“What?” the king looked kind of shocked, “To her? She barely looks like she’s even fourteen. She could be my niece for goodness sake. What are you playing at?”
“I assure you, your Majesty. She is older than she looks. She is almost sixteen,” he exclaimed proudly. “She had been a great admirer of you and saddens to hear your story. His Majesty, to tell you the truth, has little care for you and your magic poor country; however, his will to make his daughter happy is very strong, like a bull. Besides, its all for empire building.” 
“Empire building?” Josefer scowled. “I believe that and marriage are the last thing on my mind right now.”
“But-” the ambassador pleaded.
“No,” he said heavily. “No. Let this child enjoy her childhood while it lasts.”
“But-” the heavy-set man tried again.
“Leave, please. Enjoy the party. Then go send your little note home to tell of my reply,” the king said gloomily.

The ambassador left cursing under breath at how magic poor the country was. He had been defeated by a king in a country that was not truly his. Seltis walked to Josefer where the king sighed, partly out of relief, partly out of sadness. Once he noticed Seltis, however, his face turned to a smile.
“Seltis! Glad to see your face again,” he said, alit with excitement.
“Yours too, Josefer, yours too,” Seltis replied. “You know you can’t stay unmarried forever… even if it isn’t to a fifteen year old girl.”
“I know, I know,” he frowned. “So uncle, what think you of my party?” he said serenely.
Seltis turned to the mass of people then said to the king. “It’s clear you’re not enjoying it, Josefer.”
The king stifled a yawn, “Is it that obvious, Seltis?”
“No,” he replied contently, then he smiled, “only to the people that know you half as well as I do.”
The king gave a nod of agreement, “Apparently, Darsiv Tirostar doesn’t know that.”
The topic was dying fast. Seltis wanted to talk about something else.
“So how are things?” he slipped by. “With the purge, I mean.”
The king adjusted his crown and then said half-heartedly, “Purge? Yes, why else would we party? We’re almost finished.”
“You know I don’t agree with it,” Seltis frowned.
The king said quickly, “I know.”
Josefer hated talking about this. He always got frustrated and knew now was going to be no different.
“So why?” the elderly noble eyed him.
Josefer was about to lose his temper.
“Why?” his nephew replied angrily. “Because what he did to the kingdom. Because he killed my brother and made my father suffer. What other answers do you want, Lord Farshore?”
This was getting dangerous. The king did and said terrible things when he was angry; however, Seltis wasn’t going to back down on this one. 
“One man’s pain shouldn’t be his people’s misery,” he said harshly.
“Don’t lecture—” the king started.
Seltis Farshore raised a finger to say he wasn’t finished.
“One man’s crime should not be punished on his people.”
The king glared at him with irritated defeat in his eyes.
“A bunch of hogwash, that is,” he said grudgingly. “If my father was alive he would start a bloody massacre — no pun intended — to get revenge for his eldest son’s death. I am light compared to him.”
Tears started to fall. No one but Seltis saw it. Josefer wiped his eyes, and Seltis decided to try to make him feel better. He knew how close he was to his family.
“Your father was not that kind of man. Surely he was rather bold sometimes, but he never went against his people. Never,” he said forcefully.

The king was unconvinced, yet the hint of relief was visible on his face.
“Sure he would,” he rebutted. “He was crying with hatred at what had been done to his son…my brother…Jastis,” Josefer started to fade away.
“Josefer—” Seltis was cut off as his nephew continued.
“He would have killed every mage that wasn’t an Official, I swear it,” he said again, fiery.
Seltis cooled. He stared emotionless at Josefer. He proceeded to do something he never thought he’d do.
“Even me?”
Josefer thought he hadn’t heard correctly, “What?”
“Even me?” announced louder.
The king was puzzled. What was that supposed to mean?
“You’re not a mage…” he said.
“Indeed, I am,” Seltis smiled.

٭٭٭

Mona was the first to react. She got out of her seat and came to his aid.
“What’s wrong, Persivre?” she asked worriedly.
Persivre wiped at his eyes unconvincingly. “Nothing… just not feeling very well today.”
Azura and Jenna looked at him sympathetically. Tyren and Bwenil looked at him completely puzzled. The old Persivre would have been furious at his now tarnished reputation, but the new one didn’t care.
‘Those eyes,’ his thoughts expanded rapidly. ‘It burns to think of them. What are they? Magic? Her eyes. They’re…they’re not right. She has the eyes of a seer.’ 
Mona continued to attempt helping the man.
“Perhaps you should go into the other room and relax?” she asked him worriedly.
He hesitated. Resisting would mean little. Especially at his new discovery. He wasn’t sure what to do.
‘A Seer… That was impossible. The last one was the Flame of the North. That wicked man conquered half of Archenia. The great conqueror’s seer eyes were said to have been a myth, but hers…’ He stared at them. Fear struck his heart. ‘A seer, someone whose power is so strong that they get visions. Someone that is so complex that with a mere look into your eyes can put you into an internal war. Could this innocent girl be so powerful? Was her destiny written in stone before she even touched the scroll? How do I know she is a Seer?’ Persivre looked at the others in the room. ‘They didn’t know. How do I know? Internal struggle. Tears. He shuddered. ‘Maybe she was here to save the world?’ he grimaces, ‘Then again maybe she was here to destroy it?’ 
“Persivre?” Mona looked at him, expectant and worried.
“Perhaps a small nap would do me some good,” he said, disheartened.
Persivre stood up and walked to Mona and whispered into her ear. ‘It’s in her eyes.’ She looked at him puzzled. He gave a subtle gesture towards Azura. Mona still was clueless what he meant.
‘She’ll see it when the time is right,’ he told himself.
He glanced around they still looked at him and saw that they had concern written across their faces. He walked out of the room.

                                                                               ٭٭٭

“Wh-what?” the king stuttered. “You’re joking, right?”

The room around them remained talking normally, but the two were caught in a sphere of almost silence and confusion. Seltis looked away, not being able to stand seeing his nephew’s look of betrayal.
“Would I joke at something like that?” he said glumly. “So what now? To the prisons with this old man?”
The king gaped at him. “Father…”
“He knew,” Seltis replied, still rather sad. “The man had the courtesy not to tell about it.”
“Why?” his nephew said, confused. “The purge only started…”
“Personal reasons,” Seltis replied. “A noble with magic? Ha. That’s unheard of.”
“How,” Josefer started eagerly, “do you know magic?”
“Your mother and I are grandchildren to Kalid, late known as Kalid Farshore,” Seltis started. “He was a priest—an equivalent to a mage—in Penthillian before he established a home here. He still practiced magic though secretly. He, over time, became a well-respected man and through a series of events, which you know of, he became a lord. He did, however, still teach his children and grandchildren the art as well.”
“Her Majesty knew magic?” Josefer was shocked.
“Yes,” Seltis sighed, “she did.”
This was total chaos for Josefer. Not one single thing made sense anymore. His world had flipped upside down in one conversation.
“And then what happened?” Seltis asked expectantly.
Josefer considered him with his deep wood-colored eyes. Was he seriously expecting him to do? Lock his uncle away?
“You are not a threat to the kingdom. You have proved your worth from much dedication,” he spoke. “You have proved your loyalty.”

Seltis should have been reasonable and taken that without a word. He, however, decided to push the king further.
“And the people?” he asked grimly. “How are they supposed to prove their loyalty to you if you never give them a chance to? Why just put them in chains for a crime they didn’t commit?”
This was getting more complicated.
“I…I…” the king was at a loss for words.
If he said that it was because nobles were just born with the right to be with the king then that was showing favoritism to an individual group of people. Though that was a fact of life, he couldn’t say it aloud. Seltis’ waited patiently for the kings answer his face gave away any emotion.
Why had he questioned him? Josefer frowned in frustration then slammed his armrest, “Because I said to!”
“Alas, the problem with absolutism,” Seltis gave a sad smile. “It’s all because you said so.”
Josefer’s more natural side took over. He calmed. He was almost disgraced with his answer. They were so into their debate that they hardly noticed Darsiv Tirostar walk right in front of them. He had a radiant smile engraved on his face.
“Maybe—” the king was cut-off by him.
“Was that talk about absolutism I hear?” Tirostar he gave fiendish smile to Seltis and then looked up to see the king had been interrupted. “Sorry, your majesty. I didn’t mean to intervene.”
The king sighed. He actually preferred it this way. Now he wouldn’t have to answer so quickly and he had time to think. To think about the weird predicament he was now in.
“No, no, Darsiv,” he said, “we just finished.” He looked around for a chance to excuse himself. The eager face of Lord Stonebridge was the first thing he saw. “I apologize but I fear I can’t stay and talk. I see that the Lord Stonebridge is getting rather desperate to talk to me.”
Tirostar bowed and so did Seltis, but Seltis had a glint in his eye that spoke, ‘I will see you later’. Josefer sat up and was ready to face the bane of his existence… small talk.
He could imagine it now: Your Majesty, odd weather we have been having recently, especially in the northern regions…Your Majesty, when I walked in the palace today I saw that there were two banners on the western tower instead of one. Do you, perhaps, ٭know why?… Your Majesty, what do you think of the gold market? It’s interesting, isn’t it?… This was going to be a long night. 

                                                             ***

Azura was not sure what to make of it. Persivre just left the room.
‘Why had he cried? What was wrong? He looked at me and then all of a sudden started to cry. Was it something I did?’ Azure thought vigorously.
She said he last thought aloud once he had left, “Did I do something to make him cry?”
Jenna, Bwenil and Tyren were surprised that she thought it was her fault; however, the one who was the most surprised was Mona. She looked at her with a hint of newfound interest.
“Azura,” Tyren said franticly. “What do you mean, ‘did I make him cry?’”
“Why would you think such a thing?” Mona added curiously.
Azure had no idea as well why she suspected herself. It was just that he had looked at her so oddly and then…
“I don’t know,” she said rather innocently. “I don’t know him. Maybe I insulted him in some way.”
Tyren sighed with relief. Jenna and Bwenil just smiled. Mona, however, chuckled.
“Don’t worry, girl,” she said still laughing. “If you insulted him you’d get a completely different reaction.”
Azura felt awkward. She really hated not knowing what other people thought was funny. She looked at Tyren disconcertingly. His eyes were calm and collected. He said nothing, but she needed him tell her that everything was all right.

“So then,” Mona said cheerily, “we were talking about fire magic, weren’t we?”
Tyren gave an emotionless nod, his face even more blank than usual. Azura wondered how he kept such a straight face all the time.
“Novice fire magic, you say? So have you decided on that as your final element yet?” she said enthusiastically.
“Mona, give the poor girl a break,” Jenna interjected feeling sympathetic for the confused Azura. “Final elements are only decided at the end of magical tuition, you know that as well as we do.”
Mona considered Jenna for a moment. She then said, intimidating with her grey moon-like eyes glimmering, “Jenna, you are indeed correct, under normal circumstances an apprentice would be only subject to the choosing at the end; however, don’t forget these aren’t normal times for mages. These are dark times. Faster learning processes are necessary. Seltis agrees that a faster trained mage lacking knowledge in unnecessary skills while excelling in others is better than having a slow, but proper apprentice with only limited knowledge in all the subjects.”
Jenna looked down in embarrassment. Her brother put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. That wasn’t exactly Mona’s desired effect.
“Besides,” she added, “she has shown has shown that she can jump leaps-and-bounds as far as magic is concerned.”

Azura felt like saying, “I am here. Talk to me, not about me.” She didn’t, though. Sometimes she had to be her water side. Calm and collected like…Tyren. Tyren. She looked to him. He was listening in to the conversation. He was so silent. So distant yet he was right in this room. This reminded her to check the auras around her. She was amazed to feel very faint auras of the other mages. They were so well hidden. To them, she must stick out like a sore thumb. It took a lot of concentration just to sense what kind of magic was around their aura. A few minutes went by, and she excluded the rest of her thoughts as she tried to sense even the slightest hint of magic on Jenna or Bwenil. It was like trying to find the heartbeat of a dead man.
“Azura? What do you think?” Mona asked.

Azura snapped back into focus. She had just unwittingly lost a few minutes of the conversation.
“I’m sorry,” she said spacey, “I kind of blanked out there.”
Mona looked rather peacefully at her, “No matter, do you think it is necessary to choose?”
“Choose?” Azura said biting her lip. “You mean an element.”
She gave a curt nod.
She thought hard on it. Was this the choosing as Mona put it? Did she have to be absolutely sure? No, none of this was official.
“I think fire and water,” she said meekly.
“Really?” Mona said. “I indeed have had my fair share of surprises tonight-”
“I know Element opposites are a rare choice,” she replied cutting her off.
Silence took over as Bwenil, Jenna and Mona made expectant glances at each other. They were waiting for each other to say something. Tyren and Azura shared puzzlement as finally Bwenil said something.
“We weren’t going to do this now…” he smiled uncertainly to Azura, “but we wish to invite you to our mage group as a full member.”
                                                ***٭ End of Book 3 ٭٭٭٭
There was a long pause between Seltis and Darsiv. It was the silence of a thorough investigation. On the outside they were friends…no…more like friendly acquaintances, but on the inside… To Tirostar, not knowing of Seltis’s real powers, he was nothing but an irritating fly on the bridge of his nose, annoying and impossible to get rid of or swat without hurting himself; however, to Seltis… he was the true enemy, the puppeteer who played the king into abolishing magic. The leader of what he called the Traitors, the Officials. The stretch of silence continued unperturbed by the conversations around them. Finally Tirostar spoke.

“You seem rather healthy for a man of your age, Seltis,” he gave a false grin. “You should be proud of yourself.”
Normally, Seltis would be flustered by this subtle rudeness hidden under a complement. He knew as well as the next man it was rude, not to mention bad-luck, to mention a person’s age or to even say “a man of your age;” however, he decided to continue the polite warfare.
“Not too young yourself, yet you look not a day over 80,” he said with a more convincing smile.
Tirostar frowned and said in a gruff tone, “I am 74.”
Seltis could have burst out laughing, but he held it in as best he could and turned his smile to a sympathetic sad impression.
“Oh, I apologize,” he said.
Darsiv’s frown persisted. “Let’s remove this guise of friendship, shall we? The king isn’t around so we don’t have to continue for show.”
Seltis expression turned to a glaring smile, “I thought you would never ask.”
Darsiv’s anger started to become more apparent, “So then, you think you’d convinced the king that he was wrong about locking the mages?”
“No, he is too hypnotized by your magic to do that,” Seltis replied, pretending to be ignorant about magic.
“Don’t be so ignorant, Lord Farshore,” Tirostar said snootily. “I could do no such thing in magic.”
Seltis said, “So you’re not as skilled as you say you are, I see.”
Tirostar gave a poisonous leer of hatred, “Leave magic to the mages, Farshore. No use delving into a subject that you know absolutely nothing about.”
Seltis thought mockingly, ‘You really have no idea how stupid your really are, Tirostar.’
“Oh, you mean the mages that you locked up?” He said with dry amusement. “It doesn’t even look like they have a right to know magic, do they?”
Darsiv Tirostar eyed Seltis closely. His hatred for the man had tripled now. He felt like killing him.
‘Just wait, Darsiv,’ he told himself, ‘he’ll get his fair share of suffering. Just stick to the plan.’
“No, it appears they don’t,” he said, “but then again, who will magic be for in the magic-less Utopia that will be that his majesty has been so wanting to create?”
“For Traitors, Tirostar,” Seltis replied guardedly, “that won’t listen to our king’s command.”
Darsiv’s heart skipped a beat then started to thump erratically. ‘Did he know? Did he think that I am a traitor? Damn you, Seltis. I swear you will pay.’
“Yes, indeed,” he said cautiously, “However, I hope for a day where there will be no traitors.” Then he added maybe a bit too quickly, “I am sorry, it appears I have to excuse myself.”
Darsiv walked sheepishly into the crowd, he looked over his shoulder trying best to hide fear. Seltis was looking at him with his all knowing eyes and a thin, but apparent smile gleamed on his face.

***

It was Tyren and Azura’s time to be baffled. Had they heard correctly? A full member of the mage group. Was this one of Seltis ways of expressing his trust for Azura? She tried to find her voice.
“I don’t understand…”
Tyren continued for her, “the reason for this. She has still officially an apprentice.”
Mona spoke, “Seltis has the strong belief that even if you are not fulfilled with your training that you at least have an official place in our group.”
“Besides I have no doubt that you have had your fair of being left in the dark,” Jenna added.
Azura nodded in complete agreement. She had no idea. She hated being left in the dark in things probably more than any normal person would be. She had been content with not knowing things all her life. Not that she had the light she intended to use it…no pun intended. She thought of that first bright light she created that fateful night.
“Yes, I have indeed had enough of that,” she smiled.
Mona began to speak slowly and calmly. “Our customs are very strict. I hope you realize that, Azura. You break one of our rules and you will be banished. You see our mage group is strongly shaped around some beliefs. We will not kill another individual even if it is for self-defense. We fight for others rather that ourselves. We are here to help the ones being captured, not to fight the captors. Otherwise we would be no better than those Nightstalkers. We have no blame, only the understanding that the human race makes mistakes and shouldn’t be blamed for them.”

Taurism. It all made sense now. They didn’t believe in violence if it meant killing or attacking. It was a nice thought. No blame. No guilt. Just to see the positive. She knew people who were Taurists. She wanted to believe it to be true, but she saw flaws. Too many… Why not understand one who kills for their cause? She bit her lip in frustrated thought.
“You don’t have to believe in our customs,” Mona added with a smile. “You just have to follow them.”
Azura sighed in relief. Since when was she going to attack someone, let alone kill anyone?
“Do you agree to these terms?” Mona concluded.
Azura’s heart raced. This was going to be her life’s decision…or was it? No, she decided. There will be a better time. Seltis promised so. Whether he actually did was regardless. It was what he stood for. He stood for the hope and pride of mages. He stood for the start of peace.
“Yes,” she said dignified, “Yes, I do.”

٭٭٭

Indulged in his games of fire, the fire mage locked himself in his small bedroom. It was morning, yet his room was dark except for the fires that were lit on his own hands. 
Pyron’s hands were flaming with blue and flickers of yellow. They were mesmerizing even one who couldn’t see them. The fire was so harmlessly passing through his individual fingers that he began to wonder about it. He felt their power. It was his power. It was unlike a mage to be amazed by his own power, especially if he had had it for so long, but Pyron couldn’t help it. 
‘Why doesn’t fire burn?’ he thought as the inferno played on his hand. 
He looked without eyes into the endless flickering center as if somehow it held answers. Thinking was not what Pyron usually did, mostly because he didn’t care. However, lately something dark was awakening inside him. Something that was so foreign to him that it was familiar. 
Why did the fire not hurt him, but burn others? A thought struck him. 
“Does fire question?” he said aloud with a small chill of fear. He said fire as if he was fire. After all, he was fire. Pyron was flame. That is what it meant. It was his element. His. He needed to know if he was falling from it. He needed to know. 
‘No,’ he thought, ‘fire does question…but it never questions itself.’ 
“Pyron? Where are you, lad?” Crosal’s voice sounded from outside the door. “It is time to do the first watch.” 
Pyron ignored it and continued to think. What was wrong with him? He wasn’t usually like this he was carefree and mischievous. Now he was what? Serious and thoughtful. This was not of the element of fire. This was of something else, not of earth or of air. This weird feeling had happened before. It made him think of one thing. 
‘Sevrant, is that you?’ His heart raced, ‘Sevrant of darkness, Sevrant ruler of destruction, why are you coming up now?’ 
A blast of memory hit him with a forgotten power that overwhelmed him. His head, it couldn’t stand the ferocious memories that shot into his mind. First an instant headache swallowed all his strength, not only making him loose his fire, but fall to the ground flaring with pain. They came and flew by right in front of him, and he blacked out.

In one flash he was somewhere else, no longer in his room. Fire was around him. People’s screams were drowned in the violent crackling of the flame. In front of him was a woman was grabbing his leg, she was begging him to spare her son who was behind her. He was a young lad, only 10 and was crying shivered behind his mother. 
“Please,” the woman was desperate, “take me let my boy live. 
Servant raised his hand and an all-engulfing flame swallowed them both. Both disappeared from existence and from memory. 
‘Why’ Servant thought, ‘why are we here in this pointless existence?’ 
A tear fell down his cheek, he put his hand to his the tear and took a look at the moist droplet on his forefinger totally unfeeling. He continued to walk forward, heeding for neither flame nor screaming victim. He was Death and nothing was going to deter him from his broken road. 

“—Pyron!” there came a pounding at the door, “Pyron, are you in there?” 
Disorientated by his sudden flashback, his vision snapped back into focus. He was on the floor, looking up at the dark ceiling. The room now was completely black now that Pyron had stopped with his fire. He stood up teetering a bit. He opened the door to reveal an eager Crosal. 
“We have to go, Pyron…” He looked at him confusedly, “What’s the matter, lad. You look like you have seen a ghost.” 
Pyron reacted with one of his usual sly smiles, “No,” he replied, “but perhaps I am one.” 

*** 

A week had soared by since the meeting and Azura becoming a member to the mage group. It was interesting to see that neither Azura nor Seltis had actually said anything about that night. Probably because they were so into there own decisions they would have to make that they gave little interest in each other’s. Azura was starting to learn some very complicated fire spells. She now could do the infamous fireball. It was still in training, but adequate, especially to the untrained eye. She was rushing a bit too fast for Seltis’ taste, but he had to admit she did have a thirst for knowledge. If there was some higher step involved in casting a spell she wanted to know about before her time to do it was. It was hard for him to tell her off because she did it most of it correctly, but it still was magic not for level. 
Teleportation was to be today’s lesson. The elderly mage wondered whether it was wise to start with the hardest pure magic exercise this early. Azura was up exactly on time as usual. Tyren stood in his corner as usual waiting to observe the morning exercise before leaving for his daily patrol through the city to seek out mages and spying on the Officials’ activity. Sending one person wasn’t the most efficient way, but sadly with the lack of assistance and the problem of getting caught in larger groups made it one of the only ways. 
“Tyren, I know I had something planned for today but since Azura has become a full member of our mage group, I think you should show her the ropes, is that how you say it as a commoner?” Seltis smiled. 

The healer nodded returning the smile. This would mean she would spend sometime with the ever so mysterious and reserved Tyren. She became slightly excited at the thought. Who was Tyren actually? 

Azura was astounded at how fast she was learning it all. Once outside, She could feel almost all the presences of the people around her. She was told of the various ways to avoid attention; however, she was still trying to grip onto the fact that all the mages in the group did was mostly just hiding. How could they even expect to find anyone, especially if they were hiding, if the others in the group were hiding themselves? 
Tyren strolled down the street shoulder to shoulder with Azura with his warm grin occasionally tossed toward her. He looked up in his usual thoughtful manner. Azura looked at him almost admiringly. ‘What is he always thinking about?’ she asked herself.

He broke from his ponderings and unexpectedly said, “You really getting the hang of this, aren’t you?”
As his eyes met her a spark shot up her back at she looked away, oddly blushing, “Me? Being a mage or supposedly searching for survivors?”
“Both,” he answer curtly.
Azura looked up meekly, “I don’t think I could ever fully get used to being a mage.”
“I understand,” Tyren said. Then added more deeply, “I mean I understand why you might think you not ever going to get used to it, but I know that, from experience, if you wait long enough, the memory of not having something will disappear.”
Azura’s eyes trailed down, “I didn’t ever want to be a mage. I mean there were tons of people who always wanted to be a magician, but not me. There was never a definite path for me.”
She peeked to see what expression Tyren had. He was staring at her with a confident smile. In his eyes was all that reassurance and kindness. Azura then realized how mysterious he actually was. She did have feelings for him, but what did she know about him? His eyes were ones that had seen and experienced many things, most likely not all of them good, but he wasn’t much older than she Then again, his cloaked appearance made him look older and perhaps more sophisticated.
He replied almost in a trancelike state, “You say that, but your destiny could not have been planned more perfect, as if the gods have planned something.”

A sudden feeling came over Azura, as if somebody was watching over her. She closed her eyes and scanned through the various people around her. She felt no intense auras that a normal mage would have. She panicked; what if there was a strong mage looking over them right now? No, she decided, she was getting too worried over nothing. Tyren must have felt it because he looked at her concerned.
“Is something wrong with-” he stopped dead in his tracks.
There was an intense aura coming from up ahead. It was hard to tell if it was of an official or of some other source, one thing was certain though it was going to attract a lot of attention very soon.

“I…” he started.
Azura nodded, “I felt it too.”
Tyren thought about whether or not it was wise to bring Azura to check out the scene. If it ended up being an official he could easily hide, if it was truly a stroke of luck and it was a mage he could very quick transport them to safety alone. On the other side, splitting up was generally not a good idea. Two mages are certainly better than one, especially if one was only in training. Tyren decided to stick with the former.
“Stay here,” he said commandingly. “Don’t attract any attention. I will be right back.”
Tyren ran towards the direction of the unmistakable source of the power. He couldn’t help but look back to see if Azura hadn’t moved. She stood there like a memory, so distant and still he wasn’t sure she was not a figment of his imagination. Her face was cast down in echoing shadows that seemed sorrowful. He continued into an alleyway more persistently.
‘Get a hold of yourself, Tyren,’ he told himself. ‘You’re imagining things.’

The alleyway was a slightly dark and shabby place, yet something was down there. At the end of the alleyway there was an opening. Tyren walked forward cautiously. The opening was circular and large, one that someone might expect to be surrounded with people. In the center was a fountain, not so different from the one he eaten by with Azura, it was a finely crafted one with sculptures of angels staring peacefully outward, though to Tyren something was wrong. Ominous. That was the word he would describe them as.
All at once the power that he had felt nearby disappeared. It was gone. 
‘Not a trace anywhere,’ Tyren observed. ‘Why was it in such a secluded place to begin with?’ Ahead toward the main street a few men were visible running towards the place he had instructed Azura to wait. Tyren started to run back down the alleyway. ‘Unless—’
A blast of fire jetted from above. Tyren was flung backwards. He flew for a few meters and hit the fountain at a painful speed. He heard a crack on impact. He couldn’t tell whether it was he or the fountain that had made the noise. He dropped into the shallow water headfirst.

‘—it was an ambush.’
In Tyren’s hazy view, he could make out a hooded figure drop down lightly into the alleyway. All that was visible on the man’s face was a clear, mischievous smile. Tyren was about to go unconscious as the man neared him. Blood was in the water below Tyren; it was his own.
“What a disappointment,” the man’s voice was childish, perhaps not because of age but of his personality. “I thought you’d at least have put up a fight. Explosion magic is amazing; the first impact of the fire is practically harmless, but it being lunged at hard objects at intense speeds can prove to be…fatal.”
Tyren was weak; he was barely hanging on to stay awake. Azura, they tricked him, they were going to get her. He had failed. He put up is hand and called out, “Azura!”
The figure stood there almost waiting for him to die. “Oh, don’t be so pathetic. She—” 
The man took as step backward agape. Tyren was trying to stand up. A green light shone over his body. A craze burned in his eyes like wildfire. The light grew stronger. He stood up straight and with the vengeance of a madman. The green light ceased and in its place was his now fully healed body.
“So the true beauty of healing magic finally shines, Tyren?” the man said with the same confident voice as before, unfettered by the beguiling spectacle before him.
Tyren jumped down from the fountain. He walked forward with deliberation until he was exactly opposite the stranger.
“Let’s begin shall we?” the hooded figure laughed

٭٭٭

All she had to do was wait… that was all Tyren had said anyways. Azura was feeling anxious when almost ten minutes had passed with no sign of him coming right back. She hesitated; should she go and follow him? He had been very emphatic on her staying where she was. Yet she really wanted to know what was keeping him and if something was wrong. The decision was hard to make. She decided to look to another option.
Azura used her power, her sixth sense as it were, to check the nearby area. It was hard to brush past the throngs of people around her. The amount of traffic within this part city was normal, nothing out of the ordinary; that was until she saw a minor disturbance in the crowd. It seemed that a small group of people were pushing past the rest. They had somewhat aggressive auras and… they were heading towards her. Azura’s blue eyes widened in panic as she saw them coming. She stepped back only to stumble on to a familiar presence that she regretfully missed until too late. It breathed down the back her neck, proof that she had been caught unaware. Azure spun around, knowing exactly who to expect. The bald, cold, gray-eyed mage leered at her with a thorn bush-friendly smile.
“So,” he spoke icily as the advancing disruption in the crowd, which turned out to be guards, joined him, “I have been brought down to kidnapping, have I?” he sighed almost melodramatically. “Oh well, I guess at least that bastard left me something easy. Now lass, if could just come with me…”
Azura’s heart grew heavy. She could hear the thumping of her own heart. She was feeling especially scared of this man, the same one who had looked at her with those calculating eyes all the way back when they took Vecho, one of her elderly neighbors, way back when she was not even a mage. It pained her to see that man so close.
One of his men grabbed her shoulder. His brutish hands pulled her as gently as a rhinoceros would treat a rabbit. She could smell his foul breath from a meter away; it was a smell similar to rotten milk left out for weeks.
“Don’ yehs wanta make it easy for uz?” the guard said with a heavy accent.

“Yes,” the mage grinned like he was hiding impatience, “please do.”

Azura gently touched the guard’s hand. His face twisted with misunderstanding. Azura faced the mage and smiled a dastardly smile.
“No.”
“Aaahhh!” The guard whose hand was clasped on her shoulder hollered. 
He ripped his hand back to see it was badly burnt and fell to his knees in pain and shock. The other men all drew their blades, fearful of what this girl could bring. The only one there that remained cool as tempered steel was the mage.
“So the lass does know something,” he said expressing some amusement. “So maybe I will get my fair share of action after all.”
He wrapped his arms around his shoulder and took a step backward. The men circled in on her, their blades were all drawn and pointed at Azura. She was trapped.
“Your orders?” said one of the more educated, younger and less brutish soldiers. “Shall we capture her, Master Crosal?”
“You can try, lad,” Crosal said. “However if I ordered you to kill her I think the outcome would be the same. With you and your friends face-down on the ground unconscious.”
The soldier looked hurt. That was a real blow to his ego.
Crosal continued, “That is the way it is when facing a mage with a blade.”
Crosal’s goons decided to try anyways. They prepared to lunge forward and attack the most deadly foe they would ever face: a 16-year-old mage apprentice girl.

The truth was Azura was bluffing; she had only learnt that particular burn spell a few days ago as one of her introductions to first-degree battle magic and the only other was to make an uncontrollable inferno. She had no idea how she was going to defeat the dozen men that surrounded her. Azura could just give in, but that didn’t seem quite right. She had to do something, even if it was just to stall. She wouldn’t give up without a fight. Then she remembered that on her belt she had her knife. The knife would pose useless unless she could get close to one of them.
She quickly lashed out at the younger guard who had been speaking before. The other men expecting to see magic where surprised to see a drawn dagger instead. The guard even though his blade was drawn was caught completely off guard as if he had all of a sudden fallen into a trance. Azura went to cut at the man not to kill him. She merely slashed a two-inch long cut on his left cheek. She withdrew her position. Everyone was still. Especially the man she cut, he stared with wide-eyes at her, unmoving. Then as fast as it came the trance-like state disappeared. He touched his face and looked at the blood.
He stepped back and yelled shakily, “Master Cr-Crosal, j-just do what y-your gonna do and get it done with!”
The other men unsure of what just happened all stepped back waiting for Crosal to finish it.
Crosal’s voice deepened and the air about him grew serious, “I will show you what real magic is like.” He raised his hand at her. His thin arm reached out slowly like the predator slinks to its prey and then all was silent. Within the first second Azura felt lightheaded. By the fifth everything was blank, she was on the floor and unconscious.

***
Tyren stood across from the hooded man. The man stood still, he was just mellow and unchanging on the outside as Tyren was. His face was dark as the shadow seemed to cling under the gloomy hood. Only his malicious smile was visible shining its mockery down upon Tyren.
Tyren kept his mysterious face unreadable, however inside Tyren was shaking in fear. He never had to use that magic before in a life or death situation like that and this man, he was powerful, powerful and merciless. He worried that if he didn’t get to Azura fast, she would have a similar fate to the one he just avoided by a hair’s width. He needed to stay determined to go to Azura.
Tyren lowered his head, covering his eyes with shadow. “Get out of my way.”
The mage appeared like he was considering him for a second, “How about you make me?”
The healer mage raised his arm above his head and paused. His enemy merely watched. After a few seconds, suddenly an enormous ball of water levitated above his hand. Tyren quickly lowered his arm and the sphere of water with it. Next he shot it at such a speed that it mattered little what was being thrown, because no matter what it was, it would hurt. The water little resembled a ball anymore and more a javelin being hurled. All the enemy did was raise his hand and in a second the javelin was replaced by a burst of steam. Tyren was open mouthed and amazed.
“So you truly believed that fire’s weakness was water?” a voice sounded from within the cloudy steam.
A blast of fire shot out from the midst of the steam towards Tyren. He quickly raised a hand in defense and the flame was extinguished with a response of water, which evaporated on impact. The steam cleared, revealing the hooded figure almost completely unchanged.
“Looks like it works both ways,” the fire mage observed curtly.
“Who are you?” Tyren asked wide-eyed.
“Who am I? Well, to tell the absolute truth,” he replied grinningly. “I don’t even know all of my identity yet.”
“Why are you trying to stop me from Azura? Why do the Officials need her?”
“Stop you? That I have no intention of doing; I merely wish to capture you. As for this “Azura” she is just a new prisoner that will be going Camgie prison,” he concluded with a provoking laugh.
Tyren clenched his fists tight and his eyes grew shadows under them. He brushed away any thoughts of backing off. He transferred the raw anger he had toward this man into magic that would attack. He cast a spell. His fists slowly turned a brown hue, each one glowing with magic, hardening as rough as rock. Then with the concentration of a precisionist, he charged at the hooded man with exuberant force. His fists were raised like weapons capable of death. As he reached foe he shot a fatal blow…that his foe dodged barely by dashing to the left. The blow landed onto the wall that was right behind the hooded figure. That part of the wall smashed though, leaving a rather large hole.

The hooded figure laughed even harder, “Temper, temper, Tyren. Concentration will only work if you are emotionless.”
Tyren was uninjured in his encounter with the wall. He pounced back into action. He jabbed with his left and right with utmost determination, his foe dodged everything even when Tyren was sure he wasn’t aware, but he didn’t even flinch when moving out the way. The Healer stopped, exasperated.
“H-ow? You-you have no blind spots. It’s like you could beat me blindfolded,” Tyren panted.
“It would seem so,” his enemy smiled wryly.
Tyren attacked again this time with less speed and force. He tried as hard as he could just to land a single one to that smiling face.
“How can you dodge every one?” he asked in the midst of the battle.
Still dodging every hit, the fire mage answered in a tone unlike before, it hinted a bit of sorrow even though he didn’t answer, “They say that eyes are windows to our soul. Your soul is kind, Tyren, you are capable of no evil and have no thoughts in your untroubled past or have ever carried any hatred and you may never face true hardship… As for me,” a smile arose, “well let’s just say my windows are forever closed for no one to see.”

He spun around and raised a hand. A blast of flame shot Tyren back and landed him to the dirt floor. Tyren got back up with bad first degree burns all over him. He took a moment to catch his breath.
“Ooh… Sorry about that,” he said mock sympathetically, “I should really be catching you at this point, shouldn’t I?”
There was no reply.
“You know, Tyren,” he started, “your finest quality is probably your mystery, which is kind of ironic because your greatest fear is for someone to take away that final layer of mystery and find that you truly are nothing. That is the truth, under that mask of mystery you wear so fondly there is nothing but a frightened child.”
His wounds barely tended to, Tyren lashed forward again, this time leaving not a moments rest in-between throws. His hatred of the shadowed mage was deepened in his eyes. Still the hidden man dodged at every hit with ease until one caught him by surprise and almost landed him.
“So,” the fire mage said with suppressed anger, “you want hand on hand combat? Well, fine with me.”
His hands burst into flames. He clenched them tightly and shot out a few jabs. Tyren dodged most of them, but only just. However the one that did hit him left very nasty burns. It was as if they were competing in a normal boxing match, only one hit could mean the ending of the game.
“Aren’t you tired yet,” the mage yawned.
Tyren’s face was shot with exhaustion. It looked like he would fall down at any moment. However they continued, relentless as ever. After the fire mage was absolutely sure that Tyren would have lost concentration, he began to suspect something. Even though Tyren’s face read anger, he felt none in his aura. It was then he realised that Tyren’s fists no longer had any power to the punch. It was a trap.
Tyren face lit into a satisfied smile as he noticed his foe’s face, what he saw of it anyways, turn to confusion. Tyren stepped back out of the fight and abandoned the guise of fatigue. He lifted his arm and in a second the fire mage was in the air. He rose higher and higher until he was several meters off the ground.
Startled, the mage cried out, “You tricked me.”
It was Tyren’s turn to give a mocking smile, “Now who is the weak one?”

The mage shot a blast of flame at him; it turned quickly into steam as Tyren responded with a blast of water. The mage then tried a fireball, launched at shocking speed. Tyren still prevented it from doing any harm.
“You measured how far you needed to be to negate all my spells,” the mage yelled outraged.

Tyren nodded a response, not breaking eye contact with the cloaked man, though what was there was an unreadable shadow. 
“You must be concentrating real hard to be keeping me up here. So one distraction and…”
The healer remained quiet as the fire mage stopped in midsentence. The fire mage put his hand to his chin as he thought of a solution.
“You know,” he said, “you can’t save this girl of yours if you don’t run for her now.”
There was no reply, only Tyren’s fixed eyes. A few minutes passed with no event. It was a stale mate. Until the fire mage sparked up a conversation.
“How long have you had your water and earth powers?”

“Three years,” Tyren replied still stuck in his position.
“Wow, exactly like me,” the mage said happily. “That means you probably don’t know about this.”

The mage not moving his head or look at what he was doing raised his hand to the sun then pointed to it powerfully. Tyren frowned in confusion. Then the hand went down slowly and pointed to the ground at Tyren’s feet. Within a second flames burst out in front of him, he dived backwards tripping over a rock. He lost concentration. This let the mage free from the magic and he fell somewhat gracefully on to the ground below. He walked to the now vulnerable Tyren.
“Time to end this game of ours,” He said grimly.
He raised his hand ready to cast a binding spell, when a blast of light hit him making him fly backwards. He hit a wall then collapsed down.
Tyren, eager to save Azura, got up and ran towards the main street, not even questioning the occurrence. He jolted forward at a break neck pace.
He reached the place he told Azura to wait for him just in time to see two men drag the unconscious girl onto a wagon. He was eager to go there and just rip her from their hands. Then his legs went stiff. He couldn’t move. It was the magic that Tyren used usually, but who would want to stop him from saving Azura?

Tyren called out to her as the cart began moving, “Azura! Wake up! Azur-”
“Hush, Tyren,” said a familiar voice, “you’re attracting too much attention. I have enough of that as it is.”
A man stood behind him. He wore the rich garments of a noble.

‘Seltis,’ Tyren thought surprised, ‘you let her go.’[27]

                                         ٭٭٭٭The End of Book 4٭٭٭٭

---

[1]  Azura is a young girl about twenty years old. She has black hair and startling bright green eyes.

[2]  WARNING! SPOILER!!- The reason he was so startled was because she could do the exact same thing he could *wink-wink*.

[3]  (WS means WARNING! SPOILER!)

[4]  This is a fairly main character and you will see him a lot.

[5]   WS- This scroll is so important, that if it had not been there, I wouldn’t have had a story

[6]    Sorry but Dustin isn’t really main character. WS- She can do magic!! Wahoo!! YEAH ROCK ON!

[7] ‘Magic’

[8] Apples, Azu, Nicknames, Fay, and even more nicknames of Dust.

[9] Lightning, sorry for that. *sniff*

[10] Or maybe even some ice cream, sugar, or for all you adults, CoFfEe to keep you awake.

[11] Flint sort of equals…. Give me a drum roll please? BumDumBumDumBumDum. Did you guess? MAGIC!

[12] You do know that that’s her dad, right? Well are you excited about this? Please don’t forget to comment.

[13] Err, Snotty much? ‘Uncle, Uncle Hello, Hello, Polly want a cracker?! It is me, your niece, you are so mean.’ I know, right? I should have written that in their. Wait, but who is the young boy coming into our story?

[14] Come on, I thought that all mages were supposed to be dead or in jail. Shouldn’t you keep that kind of thing secret? Oh well, this story needs more ‘oomph’. Where is that young boy anyways…..

[15] … Successfully? Are you so sure? Sigh. My writing isn’t very good.

[16] Aha!!!! Here is that young lad boy! Found him… Nay, I found him FIRST. NO, ME! NO, ME! N- Fine, you did. You win. >:P

[17] “Oh God, am I being mage-napped? Or am I being r- Oh ok thank you! Never mind…

[18] Theeeeee…….

[19] … It’s a name. Of course she will be asked that!

[20] Aughh! I am Bored! BoRRRIIINNNGGgggggg….

[21] Sigh. L  That was such a hard part to write. ٭ This is actually probably just the end of chapter one.

[22] This used to be Princel Lane but I was too annoyed to change it.

[23] Did you know that scat is another name for poop? I think that guard is scat…

[24] Awww, that was nice of her!

[25] Hmmm… Yet, is there any connection?

[26] GAHHHH!!!!

[27] First, ooooooo. Second, can you figure out whether Seltis is bad or good? Wait and find out!