“Or,” I continued patiently, “I can deconstruct it completely.” I spoke the longer incantation, which took a full minute, and then the fiber vanished without a trace.
For a full five seconds, Bannen stared at that empty spot. I steeled myself because I had an inkling of what was coming. Most people were unnerved when I did this. Magic as a whole wasn’t leant to this kind of destruction. If a mage wanted to get rid of something, he had to resort to normal tactics—burning it or something along those lines. I could literally erase its existence. Most people’s next thought would be that if I could do it to paper, I could do it to them.
Bannen let out a low whistle. “You’re dangerous. I do like that in a woman.”
That was not the reaction I’d expected. “I’m sorry?”
“No, seriously, dangerous women? Completely sexy. I have a terrible weakness for them, ask anyone that knows me. Or not, actually, don’t do that, they tell lies.” He weighed me with his eyes, switching over abruptly to a more serious tone.
“Your magic would be amazing in a disaster or war zone.”
I blinked. I hadn’t expected that reaction either.
Leaning back, Bannen stared straight ahead, thinking hard. “Whether it was a flood zone, or an enemy’s fortress to get into, your magic would be amazingly suited for it. But it would mean a lot of travel on your part into dangerous places. Those spells you just said, are they always that long?”
Why wasn’t this man afraid of me? He wasn’t even nervous. Was there something wrong with his head? Or was he born without the necessary survival instincts? “My spells can actually be a lot longer. It depends on what I’m trying to do and how big the object is.”
He gave an ‘ah’ of understanding. “That’s why you needed a familiar who could protect you. That now makes more sense.”
He made no sense to me at all. I realize he’s a fighter, and apparently he’s used to danger, but was he immune to it? He was sitting down at lunch with a woman that could kill him in a few sentences. I couldn’t leave it alone. “Most people are nervous after I explain my magic to them…?” I trailed off, not sure how to end.
His eyes crinkled up into a half-moon shape. From seemingly thin air, a dagger appeared, which he twirled with a quick twist of the wrist, and then it disappeared again, too fast for my eye to track. “Pretty lady, you are not the only one deadly at this table. In terms of speed, I can kill you before you can kill me.”
“Good point.” Nothing was fast about my magic. Actually, that brought up another question. “What were you doing before this?”
“Mostly guard work. Escorts for caravans, ships, that kind of thing. Did some rescue work too. In fact, I have a very good idea why your magic picked me. I fit the two requirements. I’m not bound to anyone in any way and I have the fighting skills you need.”
Really? Now that was interesting. I reviewed the spell in my head and frowned. “My magic took me a little too literally. Or liberally. I’m not sure which. I never thought I’d have to qualify and say ‘not human’ in the spell but apparently I do.”
Rob showed up in that moment and delivered our lunch. I had skipped breakfast in preparation for the summoning, so food was a very welcome sight. Bannen bit in with a moan of bliss, which made me grin at him. “Good, isn’t it?”
He nodded emphatically but didn’t even try to speak.
Lunch itself was consumed in near silence. As he was finishing up the last of his pan, I asked, “Since you’re here, do you want to see the city?”
Swallowing, he responded, “Of course! Odds of me traveling this far again are slim to none. I want to take advantage of it. How long can we play around before your master comes looking for us?”
Shaking my head, I explained wryly, “Master has no sense of time management. If he says an hour, it will be at least three. So we have time to do some sightseeing if you want to.”
“Then let’s go. Ah.” Pulling a wallet from his breast pocket, he pulled out two different notes and displayed them for me. “Will either of these currencies work here?”
I stared at them doubtfully. “I don’t recognize them.”
“Yeah, that’s a no.” Sighing, he put them away again.
Realizing why he was asking the question, I quickly assured him, “I’ll cover your expenses while you’re here. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“I do appreciate it,” he assured me although the frown on his face was still there, “but it feels wrong to have a free ride like this. I’d like to work if I can.”
It was such a refreshing response, hearing those words. “Master Venn liked your skills, so he’ll probably find work for you to do while we’re waiting on Master.”
“Speaking of, what does your guild do? I mean, what do they specialize in?”
“We’re rather jack-of-all-trades, actually.” Knowing full well what the tally was, I put the money plus a tip on the table before leading him off. Now, where would be the best place to go? Maybe the main market? “It’s odd for a guild, as usually they have a specialty, but our founders were three childhood best friends. They had wildly different approaches to life but wanted to form a guild together, and so they did. Ever since, the guild has been rather eclectic in skills. My master is the only mage and I’m his only apprentice.”
“You say ‘eclectic’ but I’m not sure what jobs you’d take on.” Bannen looked all around him, even turning at one point to walk backwards a few steps. “What’s the main commerce in this city?”
I glanced at him, somewhat bemused. His questions kept surprising me. “Corcoran is known for its magic, fine arts, and trade. Because of our location we’re a main trade hub.” I pointed to the left. “Just west of us, about ten streets over, there’s a large port. That’s where most of our trade comes in.”
“Ah, is that why I smell the sea?” He lifted his face and inhaled deeply.
I was so used to the smell that I honestly didn’t notice it most days. After he said that, though, my nose paid more attention to it and I inhaled as well, gathering a lungful of that tangy scent of salt and water. “That’s why.”
“Ships and trade, eh?” He nodded in supreme satisfaction. “I can find work here.”
Something about his tone made me think that he had no intention of going back home. I wondered why? “You said you were sneaking on board ship when I summoned you. Where were you going?”
“Estok,” he answered promptly. “You know of it? No? It’s not as large as this place, but a sizeable enough city, and a lot of trade goes through it at as well because it’s also on the sea. I’ve worked a few times for a caravan boss that’s based there. I thought, hop on board ship, stay quiet for the day it will take to get down there, then charm him into hiring me on for the season.”
So he’d actually had a solid plan and wasn’t just going Adventure time! Interesting. He might be a little reckless but he knew how to plan ahead.
Out of nowhere, Bannen moved forward, an arm around my waist to keep me upright even as he lifted me abruptly off the street and into a shop’s doorway. I was suddenly close enough to feel warm skin and have the clean, sharp scent of soap and man in my head. Wha—?
“Reckless,” Bannen noted in disapproval.
In the next instant, a magical trolley car barreled past us, nearly knocking into a vendor’s stall and missing another pedestrian by inches. I stared at it incredulously. When had he noticed that? I’d been looking straight ahead and hadn’t even sensed it. “Where did it come from?”
“Rounded that corner on two wheels.” Bannen jerked a thumb to indicate the next street up. “Isn’t that kind of speed illegal?”
“It certainly is. Hopefully the Enforcers catch him.” I let out a low breath when he let go and stepped back again. That had surprised me, and sent my pulse racing in more than one sense. “Thank you.”
“Occupational habits,” he said with a grin and a wink. “So where are we heading?”
“Main market?” I offered hesitantly
. “And then you tell me from there if something catches your eye. The main market has the best view of the city as it’s at the highest point.”
“Sounds good to me. Which way?”
“Straight ahead.”
We spent three hours in the city and had a remarkably good time. Bannen was curious about everything, asked good questions, and was generally pleasant the whole time. He physically moved me several times, whenever he thought someone was getting too close for safety’s sake. Just how engrained was it, to protect the person he was with? Half the time, he didn’t even break stride in the conversation, it was that natural.
I dreaded returning to the guildhall but there was no choice. He had to talk to his family and I had to own up to the mistakes that brought him here. We returned and I took him straight through to the back of the room, where Master’s lab took up the left corner of the building.
Somewhat to my surprise, Master was already setup. Usually even after giving him three hours to work in he still wasn’t quite ready yet. But the mirror was uncovered, a stool placed in front of it, and a faint, blurry outline of several humanoid shapes on the other end. When they were ready to actually talk, everything would become pristine and sharp, but this unfocused state was easier to hold in stasis.
Bannen glanced around in curiosity as he stepped into the room. It was my turn to maneuver him around the dangers—Master had a cluttered-organized method of working on projects—so that he didn’t bump into something that wasn’t sitting properly on the work tables. He moved obediently according to the pressure I put on his arms, like a doll. In spite of my screw-ups, he still trusted me, eh? At least this much.
Plopping into the stool, Bannen stared at the mirror with open misgiving. He didn’t say anything, but his reluctance to argue with his parents was clear enough. It made me feel a little worse.
“Ready?” Master asked us both, his expression kind. There was a hint of something else, possibly amusement, but then he wasn’t the one in trouble, so of course he would find this situation entertaining.
Taking in a deep breath, Bannen squared his shoulders. “Go.”
To my magical eyes, I could see Master touch the spell engraved in the top center of the mirror, focusing the call. To Bannen, it likely looked as if Master just waved three fingers in front of it. Three people came into focus—an older man that had the same features as Bannen, with crows feet around his eyes and three thick braids along his right temple instead of the multitude that Bannen sported. I hadn’t thought to question it until now, but did the braids mean something?
The woman had Bannen’s eyes, although her face was rounder, and she was dressed in the same warrior-like garb her husband and son were sporting. There was a younger girl, looking about my age, standing behind the parents who remarkably resembled her father, only she was shorter and had slightly fairer skin.
“Xian Liang!” his mother snapped, leaning forward with energy as if she wanted to propel herself through the mirror. “Where are you?”
Xian Liang? Come to think of it, the name ‘Bannen’ was very western in origin. It didn’t fit his culture at all. Was it a nickname? I’d have to ask later.
“Corcoran,” Bannen answered factually. “I was summoned by a magical spell. Which is a very strange experience, let me tell you.”
Come to think of it, he would be the first to explain how it felt, to be summoned as a familiar. For the sake of magical records, we really should have him describe it and record that down somewhere.
As his words were my cue, I stepped forward and offered a smile that fell quickly flat. “My name is Rena. I’m afraid I’m the one that accidentally summoned him.”
“Accidentally?” the father asked with a penetrating look at me. “And how did that happen?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted around what felt like a rotten lemon in my throat. “My master and I are going to pick everything apart in order to figure it out. Accept my humble apologies and be assured that I will make sure your son is cared for until he can be returned to you.”
His mother pounced on that. “Then you can return him?”
“Yes, of course,” I assured her. “Not immediately, but within a few—”
Bannen cut me off. “It’ll take a while for them to trace my route and charge up enough magic to return me. That and they have to figure out how I was summoned to begin with. So don’t expect me home anytime this week or next, Eo’ma.”
Wait, what? I had to clamp down on my expression before I gave the game away, but even then I was looking at him from the corner of my eyes in confusion. What game was he playing? We could return him next week, easily.
Both parents stared hard at their son and it was clear enough they knew when he was bluffing. “You,” his mother stated crossly, “have no intention of coming back here until forced to.”
Bannen beamed at her. “Duh.”
“Xian Liang,” his father growled, not entirely threatening, but in mounting exasperation. “Son. You are being an imposition.”
“They have work that I can do here, I can earn my keep,” Bannen responded levelly, his smile still in place. “You said I couldn’t leave home because I had no way to guarantee work or have a safe place in case something went wrong. Well, guess what, A’ba? I have a safe place to stay and guaranteed work where I’m at. Why shouldn’t I linger here, see if I like the place?”
“Because you’re on the other side of the world!” his parents snapped in unison.
Pointing up at me, Bannen riposted lightly, “I have a friend who is a mage, she can pop me over when I do need to go. In the meantime, let’s not rush things, shall we?”
At this point I felt like they really needed to talk in private, without the audience. Master must have felt the same, as he caught my eye and jerked his chin toward the door. Grimacing, I nodded. To the family, I said one more time, “I’m very sorry for your worry. We will of course make sure that he can call home often. Rest assured he’s safe where he is and we’ll see to his every need.”
Bannen’s father unbent enough to give me a brief nod and smile. “Thank you, young magess. I appreciate it.”
Not knowing what else to say, I tried for another smile, then quickly took myself out of the room before I could get embroiled in the argument that was already brewing. Silently, I wished Bannen luck. He was going to need it.
I retreated into my workroom, giving Bannen privacy while staying nearby enough to end the call. There was only a connecting door and wall between the rooms, so I could hear his voice, if not make out the words. He slipped into his own native language at some point and I found myself creeping closer to the door, trying to hear it better. It had a sing-song quality that seemed heavy on the vowels. I found it charming if totally nonsensical; I couldn’t begin to decipher the sounds.
My workroom wasn’t as large as Master’s, perhaps roughly half the size of it, but it definitely had a better sense of organization. It didn’t contain the same sort of projects, of creations-in-progress as Master’s workshop held. The back wall boasted nothing but bookshelves crammed full; one long table sat along the opposite wall with charts and graphs and squiggles because my main work lay there. Analyzing magical spells and finding ways of improving them, or removing the weak links, is my only way to really do creation magic. Intellectually, my brain understands how normal magic works.
It’s my magic that won’t cooperate.
One long couch dominated the other wall, and it was there I flopped, feeling the exhaustion start to set in. I hadn’t had a breathing attack while walking around with Bannen—thunderation, but that would have been mortifying, especially as I’d forgotten to take any medicine with me—but still, my body didn’t like that I had spent three hours walking about. I shoved some of my multi-hued pillows behind my back, threw my feet up, and sighed. Oh, much better. Reaching for the glass sitting at the low table in front of the couch, I realized in aggravation that it was empty.
Too lazy to get something to drink, I gave
up and took one of the packets of medicine sitting on the table, unfolding it enough take the powder dry. No pharmacist in the world makes tasty medicine but I cheat and put powdered sugar in these things as soon as I get them. It’s the only way to keep myself from upchucking it. Medicine was VILE.
That out of the way, I pulled a pad of paper over to me and set about reconstructing the summoning spell I’d done. For the life of me I couldn’t think of what had gone wrong. We’d had to incorporate Master’s magic a little, as summoning spells lay on that iffy border of creation magic, and my own magic didn’t seem strong enough to pull it off. But all he’d done was the activation of the spell, my own magic responsible for the rest of it. Even if Master’s magic had somehow messed with this, how in the world had I pulled a human being?
From Z’gher?
I drew it all out then tapped the pencil against the pad absently as I stared at every line, every notation, every element. All of it looked correct. All of it looked perfect, actually, why by the seven bells….
Frustrated, I popped up and grabbed three reference books before sitting down again. Flipping through them, I started looking for the unusual notations in familiar history. There were some doozies. A few notable mages had not summoned animals but objects, powerful magical objects that had a sentience to them that allowed them to bond. I couldn’t imagine being magically bound to a sentient quarter staff, or a sentient mirror, but at least that had a precedent. A few mages had summoned a familiar from great distances, too, that wasn’t unusual. I didn’t even set the record with Z’gher, despite it being on a different continent completely.
Even though I had stared at it for hours while preparing the summoning, I once again referenced the summoning spell drawn out and hanging above my worktable. It looked precisely like the one I had done.
“Research,” I said to the air in general, “is supposed to clear up your confusion, not leave you with mental knots.”
Nothing and no one answered me, of course, because I haven’t lost my grip on sanity far enough to hear the little voices. At least, not yet. Although this situation might well drive me mad.
The Human Familiar (Familiar and the Mage Book 1) Page 3