MageLife (35 page)

At the back of the room were the players. Their dull clothes didn't fit the common image of player they looked pale and drawn. Even that short show must have been an incredible drain on knacks, they weren’t known for their fine control or skill. Most knack work was brute force. Farming, building. Even cooking didn't require much delicacy in handling compared to what these guys had done.

The older man was leaning back heavily against the bar, a glass of something in his hand. His blue eyes glowed dimly in the well lit room. That was another thing I hadn't noticed before. His rough face was lined and tanned, he looked more like a farmer than a performer, not that I had much experience with performers.

“Sir Mage I’ve heard a lot about you recently,” he said. His voice didn't carry this time. I found myself leaning in to hear him over the light music that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere.

“Have you? I wanted to speak to you about your performance.”

“I have, not all of it sweetness and light I’ll have you know, but it seems your heart is in the right place which makes for a nice change, better than that fellow you ‘resolved’ earlier.” He took a long pull on his drink before continuing. “What did you think of our little folk show you’re mighty Mageness?”

I would have had to be a fool to miss the mocking in his tone. Although I couldn't tell if it was aimed at me or at himself.

“I loved it, I heard the story as a child, and I was curious about the end.”

A smile curved his lips then as he seemed to take a long while to consider his reply.

“Well the gods’ honest truth is, I've heard many different versions, this one is my favourite though. It’s old, so very old. It felt like the one that we should do tonight.” he shrugged as if it was nothing, but he seemed perturbed by it.

“Oh I've just realised I don't know your name?”

“Leon De Grean, I know yours mage Tristan Sodden.”

“I have a proposal for you. If you are willing to hear me out.”

“Make it quick, me and mine are tired, such performances take a lot out of a fellow.”

“I have an apprentice, neither of us know much daydreamer magic. And I had hopes that I could arrange a deal with you, patronage in exchange for some tutelage for her.”

“You don't know me, I could be a thief or a child abuser or anything. Yet you offer a young girl into my care?” he seemed genuinely shocked.

“You know me though, you know what happened to a man that harmed her. I also know that players don't have the best of reputations, travelling from place to place without family. But that doesn't worry me. I know you have skills you could teach her, not just skills but you have a wider view of the world than I can show her.”

He reached back and pushed himself off the bar. He stood before me, his head raised high.

“Sir, may I take some time to consider this? I'm weary and would like a nights rest before I give an answer.” Pride and something else was in his tone, a hesitant caution maybe.

“Of course, just come by the academy any time tomorrow someone will know how to find me. We can discuss terms and whatever else you want then.” I said with a smile.

“Very well, excuse me I must see to my trope.” Leon said before turning and signalling his group all of whom had been listening intently to our exchange.

I walked back to my table, everyone had finished.

“Are we all done?” I asked while standing.

“Yep” Sophia nodded, her smile was bright but tired.

Airis nodded.

Lyphia stood and came to hold my hand.

The kids stood and joined us, and we left, we received a few nods from the staff and patrons on our way out.

(-----)

Back at our apartment, the children got ready for bed. I found myself at the table looking at the letter still in its envelope.

“Who is it from?” Lyphia asked from behind me, she had just gone to check that Sophia had washed.

“I don't know, I've not looked yet.”

“Well whatever it is it can wait until morning it’s been a long day and I want you all to myself tonight.” I could hear the smile in her voice.

I put the letter back on the table and turned to her. She had unbound her hair, it fell in long ribbons of red around her face, her smile was wicked, so wicked in fact I felt my mouth dry.

“Come along, my mage. I have work for you to do.” she took my hand and led me to my room.

Chapter 32

“Mage you are summoned to headquarters immediately!” Rysan’s voice echoed through the room accompanied by a bright light hovering over my face.

“Urr, I'm sleeping” Lyphia mumbled before rolling away from the light.

I blinked, trying to adjust to the glare that was coming from above me.

“Orb, I thought we had got past this whole waking me up by shouting thing,” I said irritatedly.

“Well Tristan, that was before you did what you did, Rysan is very angry with you.”

I sat up and rubbed my face as Orb's words sunk in.

I jumped up, grabbed my uniform and left the room, Orb followed along behind me.

I made my way to the large table and chairs in the main room. I started to get dressed.

“You don't have a pendant, we have no other way to contact you. Master Jase has been ordered to provide you with a new one,” Orb said, its glowing body flickered with strange shapes and colours, far more than I had ever seen in him before.

“Don't bring up my pendant. You know why I don't have one.”

“Tristan I know, but that doesn't change the fact that as an active mage, you need to be accessible.”

“I'm still active? I thought I would be suspended already,” I asked as I pulled my trousers on.

“Why would you be suspended?”

“You know, reasons.”

“Tristan you have to be more specific than that. I don't know what you have done to earn Rysan’s ire, but whatever it is, fix it. We need as many mages as we can to fix the town. The wave knocked out most of the enchantments.”

“How come you and the academy weren't affected?”

“The academy is…. I don't know how to explain it. As for me, my forms aren't as rigid as most of the constructions, I'm closer to a spell than an enchantment. I was still affected, my connections to things outside of myself were disrupted.”

“Really?” I asked as forced my feet into my boots.

“I don't know exactly, Orbs are not allowed the design schematics of their own construction. I only know what I know through observation.”

“That’s very clever.” I commented as I stood. “How do I look?”

“The same.”

“Very helpful. I know you don't need clothes, but you can do better than that.”

“You are now wearing your uniform.”

I sighed.

“Shall we go then?”

“Yes.”

(---------)

“Representative Mage Tristan Sodden, I have heard some very disturbing news. Explain yourself,” Rysan ordered me.

Orb had escorted me to Rysan’s office, where I was confronted by a rather stressed out Rysan and a placid Jase.

“You will have to be more specific about the news you have heard... sir,” I said.

“Don't be glib with me boy!” Rysan shouted into my face.

I leant back.

“Sir, I don't know what incident you are talking about.”

“You killed a mage, not just a mage but my friend, in cold blood. That is what I am talking about. Explain before I do the same to you.”

“Rysan, don't threaten the boy. That is not your place.” Jase snapped at Rysan. “Step back from him and compose yourself as befits your position.”

“Fuck you Jase, you've pampered and protected this little shit since day one. He is reckless, disobedient and downright murderous. I should put him down like a dog,” Rysan screamed at Jase. Spittle flew from his lips as he spoke, his face was red and his fists were clenched.

“Rysan, compose yourself or I will dismiss you.”

“He murdered my friend, give me a single reason why I shouldn't bleed him here and now.”

“One, Tristan will have a good reason for what he did. Two, you do that, you even attempt to and I will burn you to cinders where you stand,” Jase replied calmly. There was nothing in his tone or manner to indicate that he had just issued a death threat.

“Give me your fucking report, Tristan.”

“I had just finished restoring a wall strengthening charm in a shop on the edge of the residential district. My Apprentice Sophia came to find me as I had taken longer than expected. We were on our way back to the academy when we encountered a mage threatening a man in his own home. We witnessed the mage…”

Rysan grabbed my shirt and pulled me to him.

“Use his name. Say the name of the man you killed. You little shit, I will not stand here and hear you make up lies to cover your actions.”

“You asked for my report, now unhand me and listen to it.”

“Or what? You going to get Jase to fight your battle for you?” Rysan looked to Jase who hadn't moved at all.

“No I fight my own battles, you want to hear this or not?” I grabbed Rysan’s arm and calmly pulled myself from his grasp.

“Speak the truth. No more lies.”

“Sir, he has spoken no lies, the only stress in his voice seems to be from being threatened by a superior,” Orb interjected from behind me.

“Silence Orb, I neither need nor want your opinion.”

“Sir you made this an official matter, in which case you are required by law to have an Orb present for truth reading. If you disregard the law I will have no choice but to suspend you and contact the wizards for further instruction.” Orb said in its monotone official voice. I was starting to see the massive void between Orb as a being and Orb as a tool.

“That's the last thing we need, the wizards have only just left. Fine make a note that I'm listening to the opinion of the West Haven Orb acting in its professional capacity.” Rysan’s gaze rested on Orb, you could have melted stone with the heat in it.

“So noted.”

“Continue your report representative mage, use names where possible.”

“Very well sir. We came across a man being threatened in his home by Mage Selac Freant, he used magic to damage property to intimidate the man, from the conversation I overheard it sounded much like extortion. Some form of protection racket.”

“Speculation,” Rysan barked.

“It may well be speculation sir, but I feel it is relevant. My apprentice is a child, she is eight, if you don't remember. She felt the need to inject herself into the situation. Mage Selac Freant used magic to harm her, he left a large bruise on her face, for her interfering in his wrong doing. I had to intervene.”

“Rysan, Selac harmed an apprentice, Tristan was well within his rights to do what he did.”

“I don't care.”

“I named him, Ventrastus, for his abuses of the people and for his harming of my apprentice, I executed him for it.”

“You jumped up little fucker, you killed my friend on a pretext.”

“No I killed your friend because he was abusing the people he had sworn to serve. I named him oath breaker for it. I killed him because he tainted all mages by association. But the real reason I killed him is because he harmed a little girl. My little girl!”

“Fuck you, she isn’t your daughter. She’s an apprentice, she means nothing,” Rysan spat.

“I have had enough of this. I was justified, I broke no laws. He earned it. Now either punish me or shut up,” I found myself saying.

Rysan’s eyes went wide, he roared then turned to swing at me.

I stepped back and raised my own fist.

“Tristan don't,” Jase shouted, he rushed out of the corner in an attempt to stop what was happening.

It was too late. I was faster than Rysan. My fist connected with Rysan’s eye. I could feel it squish slightly under my blow. Rysan staggered back. I grabbed at his collar and swung again and again. My heart pounded in my head. My breath came in short, ragged gasps. Each blow hit with the dull thud of flesh striking flesh.

“Tristan, get off him,” Jase ordered from the corner.

I pulled myself off of Rysan who had fallen under my uncontrolled flailing. I was breathing hard, almost dizzyingly hard.

Rysan stood, bruises were just beginning to show around his eye, his lip had swollen and spit.

“Orb what is the punishment for striking a Senior mage?”

“Depending on the circumstances: relocation, dismissal, suspension, permanent severing of his links, bar his basic link.”

Rysan’s swollen lips, pulled back into a grim smile, blood was visible on his teeth.

“Jase, strip his links,” he ordered. “This boy isn’t fit to be a mage.”

My blood ran cold, I could feel the heat leave me in a rush.

“Sir, that is not possible in these circumstances,” Orb said.

“I'm the one in charge here. Do it Jase.”

“Sir, you can’t overrule the wizard laws,” Orb said, his monotone voice loud over the beating of my heart in my ears.

“I don't give a fuck. Strip his links.” He spat blood in my face.

“Rysan, I won't, Orb has told you that it’s not allowable. So pick another punishment,” Jase said, his face was tight with tension.

“You are always defending him Jase, he is not your son. He doesn't deserve it.”

“It doesn't matter what you think Rysan, you are wrong. Choose another punishment.”

“Relocation then, I won't have to see his face. You hear that boy? You are going away from the only home you will ever have, and I've done it to you. How’s that make you feel?”

“Just fine, sir. In fact, far better now that I've punched your face into a swollen, bloody mess.”

“Get out! I don't care how special you think you are if I see you again I will kill you!”

“Take it back Rysan. Now!” Jase called out.

A sense of power flowed into the room, faint but unmistakable

“Why should I?”

“Because you are about to be oathed, you fuck wit,” I shouted at him.

“Fine I’ll take it back, I'm sending you to Nelar. Hopefully that will do my task for me.”

“You can’t send him there! It’s out of our jurisdiction,” Jase said.

“I can. Orb replay the message,” Rysan said as he turned to his desk. He rooted around in a drawer to pull out a small cloth. He sat in his chair and dabbed at his face, flinching.