Magi Saga 1: Epic Calling (38 page)

‘Did you Port over?’ Raven asked.

‘We did, to a back street a few minutes away. There were no problems.’

‘Good. Well, feel free to have a wander about Amanda, I’ll take your bags upstairs. You’ll be on the second floor.’ Raven placed his drained glass on the table and walked from the room, giving Amanda a smile on his way out. Amanda returned it and felt a rush of heat come to her face. She looked down for a moment, then looked up to see Gentle Water looking at her. He smiled to himself and focused his attention back to his drink, looking away from her.

Amanda turned to leave the room, ‘I’m going to have a look round,’ she said.

‘Go ahead,’ Gentle Water called back.

Amanda was back out in the hall and headed into the first of two other rooms down here, the first being a dining room that had a window out onto the back garden looking down the side of the kitchen and an open double door into the lounge at the front of the house. Both rooms were filled with old and expensive looking furnishings, leather chairs and oak bookshelves, a stone fire place and plush sofas. The décor was light and the ceilings high making the large rooms seem even bigger than they already were.

Outside, through the large bay window at the front, the pedestrians and cars passed by the house going about their business, but there was little noise from the street, either the sound proofing was first rate or there could be some magic at work here.

So far so good it seemed to Amanda. They had made it to London, Raven was not only a normal looking guy, he was really quite attractive, and the house was just lovely. She certainly enjoyed this trip so far; she just hoped it would continue to be so good.

She heard Raven come down the stairs and walk into the kitchen, Amanda followed and entered the kitchen just behind him.

‘Oh there you are, thought I’d lost you for a moment,’ he said when he realised she stood behind him.

‘I was just having a look around, it’s an awful gorgeous place this. Are all the Legacy’s properties this well-appointed?’

‘Depends on the property I suppose. Most are quite nice though. Now, I’ve put your cases in separate rooms on the second floor, there are only three rooms up there and ones a bathroom so it should be easy to work out which you’re in. I’ll be in the bedroom on the first floor. Now, is there anything I can get either of you?’

‘No,’ said Gentle Water.

‘No, thank you. I’m fine,’ said Amanda.

‘Okay, well, what’s the plan on heading to Paris? Do you want to leave it until tomorrow still?’

Gentle Water looked at Amanda, and gestured that she should make the choice.

‘I’d prefer that, if that’s okay with you?’ she said.

‘Of course, that’s fine by me. We’ll head on over there tomorrow morning as planned then.’

‘Will we all be Porting over there?’ Amanda asked.

‘Yeah,’ Raven replied.

‘Do you know what we’ll be doing in Paris?’

‘I think so, you’ll be meeting some other Magi, showing you around a little bit, I think you will have time to do some sightseeing, and then there’s a big Powow that we’ll be going to the day after tomorrow.’

'Powow?' Amanda asked.

'Ah, sorry, a Charity Ball.'

‘A Ball? As in a “I’ll need to wear a cocktail dress” Ball?’

Raven looked at Amanda’s slightly shocked expression, and glanced at Gentle Water who had raised his eye brows. ‘I guess you didn’t know then.’

‘No. I didn’t,’ Amanda frowned and looked at Gentle Water.

‘I had no idea about this either,’ he said, raising his hands as if to say, don't look at me.

‘Aaah, well now you know,’ Raven replied guiltily. ‘There’s a Charity Ball at the Musée d’Orsay, it’s a Celebrity bash that’s supporting some aid work, some of our Initiated have interests in the organisation. It’s expected to be quite a night. We thought you’d like it, so you’ll need a suitable dress Amanda. Have you brought something?’

‘I…I think so. I’ll have to check.’

‘Are you all right Mandy?’ Raven asked.

‘Oh it's no bother, I’m fine, it’s just a surprise, that’s all. I’m looking forward to it actually. I just need to think about what I’ll wear.’

‘Oh good, it’ll be a great night I’m sure.’

‘What’s the Musée d’Orsay by the way?’

‘It’s an Art Museum on the banks of the Seine, it’s an old converted Railway station and it’s quite spectacular. You’ll like it,’ Raven said.

‘Sounds grand,’ Amanda smiled.

‘Well, I’ll wash up these glasses and let you sort yourselves out and then we can do whatever you want for the rest of the day.’

‘Can we head into London and see some of the sights?’ Amanda asked.

‘Of course, no problem.’

‘Great.’

With that, Amanda headed out of the Kitchen followed by Gentle Water and headed upstairs to find her case. On the second floor she glanced into the first Bedroom and saw Gentle Waters bag, so she went to the next room at the front of the house and found her own case inside it. Gentle Water saw her find her case and went straight to his room.

‘Will you be long?’ he called out.

‘No, just a few minutes,’ Amanda replied from her room, which she was quite impressed with. It had a large Pine double bed with matching wardrobe and chest of drawers as well as a desk and a few decorations including a wall mirror and a full length one. Amanda quickly sorted out a few things in her case, reminding herself of the outfits she could wear at a Ball and was ready only moments later. She checked herself in the mirror and then headed downstairs.

Gentle Water soon joined her and along with Raven they left the house and headed into the street and set off walking.

The sun had risen a little higher now and the streets were warming up nicely as they went, the morning rush had finished and the roads were more manageable with a few less people about. A few blocks later and the three of them entered Hyde Park from the northern side with Kensington Palace off to their right, visible through the trees.

There were runners and roller skaters moving through the park mixed with people walking their dogs or just taking time to enjoy the sun a bit. The grass looked lush and bright green, the trees were full of life, and Amanda felt happy and excited about what the next few days would bring.

She manoeuvred herself to the side of Raven so she could talk to him easily. ‘So Raven, what is it you do exactly?’

He laughed. ‘Well, all sorts really. I don’t have a job if that’s what you mean, being a Magi and all. But, I’m a member of the Legacy Coven and I help to forward their Goals as much as I can.’

‘And how do you do that?’

‘Well, meeting you two and bringing you both in tomorrow, for example.’

‘Ah right, I see.’ She hadn’t thought of all the little things that would need attention, she’d thought it would be big dangerous missions the whole time. She wondered if that was a symptom of a modern upbringing with films like James Bond showing spying to be glamorous and exciting the whole time. She looked up at Raven, taking in his features, he really was quite handsome and didn’t look much older than say thirty, despite what Gentle Water had told her. ‘So are you really from the Wild West? I mean, you were born a few hundred years ago right?’

‘That’s right, Gentle Waters has no doubt been telling you about me. I was born in 1798, I think I look good for my age.’

‘You certainly do. What’s it like though, I mean, living for that long?’

‘That’s difficult to answer as it’s all I’ve really known, I don’t remember what I thought about life before I knew about being a Magi as it was a long time ago. But I do like the prospect of seeing the future first hand. It changes your point of view as well as you begin to think of things in the long term more. Does that answer your question?’

‘Yeah, I suppose.’

‘But you’re young, you’re still learning about being a Magi so you’re still going through that transition. How do you feel about the possibility that you’ll live for hundreds of years, if not thousands.’

‘Well, I’ve not really thought about it in any great depth. I suppose it’s pretty cool though. I’ll get to see how we turn out, the Human race I mean.’

They continued on across Hyde Park, walking over the lush summer growth of grass enjoying the day, far ahead, the cities buildings slowly approached them.

‘So erm, going back to what you do, sorta, what does the Legacy Coven do, day to day I mean?’

‘That’s a hell of a question Mandy. Well, each Member of the Legacy is their own boss to some extent; each Magi can go about their own lives, doing their own thing, pursuing their own goals as long as they help out the Coven when needed as the Coven will demand some sort of loyalty and service for you to remain a member.’

‘So it’s kind of like a job, in a way.’

‘In a way I suppose. There are many Magi with jobs by the way, just because they can use Magic doesn’t mean everyone stops working all of a sudden. If your job is your passion, then you’ll continue on with it won’t you.’

‘You would, you would. Like an Artist or movie star?’ Amanda replied.

‘Spot on. The Legacy also makes sure it courts the other Arcadian Houses and remains on good terms with as many as it can, and then we do our duty as an Arcadian Coven, fighting Nomad injustice when we find it and trying to protect the masses from the Dark Nomads sick ways. It’s a big job, even though we don’t deal with a huge area in that regard.’

‘It sounds it.’

‘Don’t worry, everything will become clear to you, you’ll learn as you go.’

‘Oh, I’m not worried, I’m just curious about it, that’s all,’ she said.

‘Well that’s good.’

‘So where are we headed first? I fancy a ride on the London Eye for a start.’

Raven laughed and Amanda and Gentle Water smiled at him. The day was going to be a warm one spent with friends who for the rest of the day had nothing else to do except enjoy each other’s company and the environment around them. Her first meeting with a Magi other than Gentle Water had gone swimmingly so far, and she had begun to feel more at ease with the prospect of meeting even more tomorrow.

The three of them continued out through the park and into the city at the other side, disappearing into the labyrinthine streets and the sights they held.

Poor Raven, he was beside himself today, knowing he was about to meet her. I think he finds it all a little too much, I know I find it confusing and I’m the one to blame!

- Her diary

The Legacy

London

The following day, August.

Yesterday had been fun and she had slept fairly well considering that she knew she would be going to Paris today. But then she had been on her feet for most the day, walking all over London to experience as much of the city as possible in a day. With their ability to Teleport between locations, they were able to do much more then they perhaps might have been if they had relied on the tube or walked everywhere.

The first thing they had done had been a ride on the London Eye, the huge Ferris wheel on the banks of the Thames that afforded you great views of the city in all directions. They had followed this up with walks through Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Oxford Street. Amanda desperately wanted to spend much longer in the shops on Oxford Street, but she knew the boys might not appreciate it, and she also wanted to see more of the city anyway.

So they had Ported over to Camden Market, before returning to view one of the galleries and amble through Covent Garden. Later on, they had all gone to a show to finish off the day, using tickets they had picked up earlier on. No trip to London was complete without seeing a Musical after all.

Returning to the house later that night, after darkness had fallen, Amanda’s legs had ached a little and she felt really quite tired and ready for bed. Despite this she had really enjoyed the day and it seemed like Gentle Water and Raven had enjoyed it as well. The nights rest had been very welcome indeed.

Knowing she would be meeting the Coven she was effectively a part of, she wanted to look quite smart and create something of a good impression with them, so she had chosen to go with a more formal look for today. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were interviewing her as much as she might be meeting them. She laid out her black jacket and trousers on the bed and picked off any lint she could see on them. She found the white cotton blouse and the heels she would be wearing and made sure they looked their best too.

Satisfied that she would make a good impression, she then sat herself in front of the mirror and applied her make up for the day, before pulling on her nicest underwear set, blouse and trousers, checking herself for imperfections as she went. The suits trousers were quite snug about her hips and bum, but tapered down to a loose fit at her feet.

Wanting to put across a neat and clean image, she had decided to tie her hair back into a pony tail, before finishing off by putting her shoes on, but left the jacket on the hanger for the time being.

After a final check in the mirror, she gathered up her things and headed down stairs, cursing her heavy suitcase as she went and looking forward to being able to just Port downstairs at times like this.

She found Gentle Water and Raven in the Kitchen having breakfast, and greeted them both warmly with a kiss before setting about making some toast and pouring a glass of fresh orange juice for herself.

‘Wow, you look great Mandy,’ Raven said.

‘Very smart,’ agreed Gentle Water.

Amanda smiled, enjoying their compliments. ‘Thank you guys.’

‘Did you both sleep okay last night?’ Amanda asked?

‘Very well thank you,’ Gentle Water said.

‘Yeah, not too bad myself, it was a long day wasn’t it,’ Raven said.

‘It was, but it was great fun, thanks for putting up with me,’ Amanda smiled.

‘Ah it was no trouble,’ Raven replied. ‘Did you get a good night’s rest?'

‘Yeah, I did. I didn’t think I would, knowing what we were doing today, but after all that walking yesterday, I just fell right off to sleep,’ she answered.

‘Good. So, are you looking forward to Paris?’ Raven asked her.

‘I am. I’m a little nervous about meeting all these people I’ve heard about, but, I am looking forward to it. I can’t wait really.’

‘Well, once you’ve finished up your breakfast, we should be nearly ready to get going. I have a few things I need to sort out here first, but that shouldn’t take me much longer than half an hour, so take your time okay?’ he said, gesturing at her toast.

Amanda nodded and took another bite, smiling as she did so. She caught Gentle Waters eye as she returned her attention to her breakfast and noticed he was smiling at her in a knowing way. He looked away before she could say anything, but she knew what he was thinking, but could he blame her? Raven was tall and athletic with a rugged manly quality born from a life outdoors. He was attractive and sensitive, how could she not like him?

From the first moment she met him yesterday she found she really quite fancied Raven, and although she tried to rein it in, she couldn’t help flirting with him all day. She didn’t do anything outrageous, she just walked with her arm through his a bit or let any touch or contact between them linger for perhaps longer than it strictly should.

She didn’t know if Raven noticed, but Gentle Water clearly had, and had rolled his eyes melodramatically at her several times during the day.

He probably thought she was being a little obvious, but that was all right, she actually hoped that Raven noticed.

She finished her toast and juice before using the conveniences and checking herself out in a mirror once more, this time with the jacket on. She thought she looked very sharp.

Raven caught her looking in the mirror. ‘Very nice. You’ll create an impression looking that good I’m sure.’

Amanda smiled and flushed slightly. ‘Thanks, that was kind of the plan, as long as it’s a good impression.’

‘Oh, I’m sure of it. You look really good, I’m sure everyone will think so.’

Amanda felt really good about herself, she loved these compliments from Raven, she just couldn’t get enough of them.

A little later on and the three of them stood in the entrance hall with their bags packed, ready to go. Raven worked some Magic which temporarily lowered the Aegis on this house and started to concentrate. Raven was Porting over using his own Magic while Gentle Water took Amanda with his, and she as stood there, she felt the Essentia surge around her as the Magic went to work. It was a feeling akin to a drop on a roller coaster where you feel like you’ve left your stomach behind.

Amanda noticed a golden glow to everything for the briefest of seconds, the scene changed and the Essentia calmed, they had Ported. If all went well, they should be in Paris now. Amanda noticed how Raven had suddenly moved position without taking a step, he had ported to slightly different place relative to Amanda and Gentle Water.

The three of them found themselves in a side street between two buildings that Raven had checked out moments before Porting to make sure it was clear. The buildings on either side went up several stories, and there was a strip of blue sky high above them.

Further along the alleyway, Amanda could hear the street life of a bustling city, along with the occasional shout from a street vendor that was clearly in French.

Raven stepped up next to Amanda and Gentle Water and smiled. ‘Let's go?’ he said.

The three of them walked out of the alleyway and into the street in a busy city suburb of Paris. People walked purposefully along the street heading to work, the passing cars and taxis weaving this way and that.

Raven led the way, while Gentle Water walked next to Amanda and pointed out the house a little up the road and on the other side from them. It had a high stone wall surrounding the grounds of the quite large town house. The stone work of the wall and building looked greyish colour, shot through with green from the ivy which snaked its way up the brickwork. Only the top of the house could be seen over the wall.

There were a couple of Gates in the perimeter wall, they crossed the street opposite a small door sized one and walked up to it. The walls of the building loomed up before Amanda, her view of the house obstructed by this imposing barrier.

Amanda couldn’t feel any Magic coming from the house at all, so she looked at it using her Magic and saw that even looking at it like this, the Magical signature of the building was simply non-existent, it looked normal.

‘You feel any Magic?’ Gentle Water remarked.

‘No, but there must be an Aegis around it at least,’ Amanda said.

‘There is, but it is hidden by Master Magi of Legacy, hidden to look like normal flow of Essentia. If you know what to look for, or studied it for long time, you find Aegis, but you won’t notice it if you not looking for it.’

‘That’s impressive,’ Amanda remarked.

They reached the gate which Raven opened up, the gate had looked locked, but opened easily for Raven. There was an intercom next to the gate which Raven hadn’t used and a small post box for letters.

‘I thought the gate was locked,’ she remarked to Raven as he held open the gate for her.

‘It was,’ he said, winking at her at the end of the sentence.

Magic, Amanda thought, smiling, and passed through the gate and into the grounds of the house, which now loomed up large before her.

The house was a simple rectangular affair with a flat front face. It had three floors in total Amanda could now see, the ground and first floor were in the building proper while the second floor had been built into the roof space. The surrounding garden looked well-tended, but not extravagant. There were areas of grass, flower beds and trees, shrubs and even a water feature. It looked very pleasant out here, and Amanda thought she’d enjoy these gardens.

‘From outside the walls, the gardens always look empty, even if there are lots of people in them,’ Gentle Water said to her from where he walked behind her.

Raven closed the gate behind them and caught up with them where they had waited for him. He led the way up to the front door, a deep reddish wooden one with a big Lion head knocker in the middle of it. Above this, an intricate metal lattice circular design had been set into the wood. Upon getting closer she could see it was some kind of snake or serpent with vicious looking jaws and spines on its back, and it looked about ready to bite its own tail.

‘It’s an Ouroboros,’ Raven said. He must have seen Amanda’s curious expression upon seeing the design. ‘It’s an ancient symbol that has many meanings, but generally symbolises cyclicality, unity, or infinity. The Legacy uses it as their logo.’

‘Oh, I was wondering what it was for, it’s a little vicious looking.’

Raven gave the symbol a look. ‘Yeah, I suppose it is.’

‘It’s nice though, I like it.’ Amanda blurted, hoping she hadn’t offended him.

Raven smiled to himself as she said this. ‘Well, let’s get inside shall we,’ he said, and opened up the door.

Amanda followed Raven inside, Gentle Water came in behind her and closed the door. The lobby area seemed quite large considering the size of the house, she had thought it would be smaller than this, but it felt really quite spacious.

Gentle Water leaned in to talk quietly to her. ‘You’ll find the whole place filled with Magical effects and things, one of them being that it’s bigger on the inside then on the outside. It started off the right size, but as the coven grew, the house had to grow as well.’

‘How many Magi are there in the Legacy again?’ she asked. She did think Gentle Water had told her this once before, but she couldn’t remember.

‘There are over thirty members globally, but they don’t all live here. It’s rare we get everyone here, although it would hold that many.’

Amanda nodded and went back to taking in her surroundings.

The first impression she got when she walked in here felt similar to the feeling you get when you walked about a stately home that had been preserved for a few hundred years. All the furnishings were old, many of them didn’t look like they were from this century at all. The wallpaper, carpet and rugs, everything had an age about it, and yet it all looked very well preserved for a working house.

The rug she stood on right that moment for instance, it was clearly old, and although it could do with a little clean, it hadn’t really worn away much.

The lobby was rectangular in shape with doors leading off it, a staircase leading up and a corridor heading deeper into the building. It was very quiet in here, there were no sounds from the Paris streets outside, which she thought must be a magical effect.

‘How about I go and sort out which rooms we’ll be having while you take Mandy for a bit of a tour round,’ Raven said to Gentle Water.

‘Good idea, shall we have look around?’ he said to Amanda.

‘Yes, that would be grand, lead on. Shall I leave my stuff here?’

‘Yeah, nothing will happen to them,’ Raven said.

Gentle Water then led Amanda through a door to their left and into a reception room with seats carefully arranged about the room, some with small tables next to them. There were paintings on the walls, none of which moved Amanda noted disappointedly, even though they were very impressive anyway. There was no one in here.

More doors led off from this room, and Gentle Water led the way through one door way, holding it open for Amanda as she passed through. Amanda immediately noticed someone in this room. She sat on a nice looking couch, watching a flat screen TV on the wall. The woman turned to look at Amanda and Gentle Water and smiled warmly.

‘Gentle Water, you’re back, it’s so good to see you again.’ She stood up and the TV suddenly transformed into a painting. The woman quickly walked round the furniture towards them. ‘Come here,’ she said as she embraced Gentle Water for a moment.