After the first initial moments of panic, Bren calmed down and moved through the streets carefully. Unlike in the Farlan capital, not all the merchants had buildings. Many of them just worked out of a stall on the street. Bren moved from one to the next looking at anything that might be of interest when he heard Avalanche barking.
“Come here you thieving….thieving whatever you are,” Bren heard a man yell as he caught a glimpse of avalanche running toward him.
As the rock hound normally did, it brushed up against Bren’s leg threating to knock him over in his unsteady state. Bren absentmindedly patted Avalanche on her head as he looked around at the now staring people on the street.
“You there, stop!” A tall thin man said running toward Bren. Not knowing what was going on, Bren looked down at Avalanche with a questioning glare. “Is that…that thieving beast yours?” The man asked, huffing as he bent over to catch his breath.
“Yes,” Bren replied without hesitation.
“Then you owe me for damages,” the man gasped. “That beast chewed up two of my finest rings and ate their gems.”
“Avalanche, if you were hungry then you should have let me know,” Bren replied, looking down at the creature trying not to laugh. Avalanche had a knack for eating things she wasn’t supposed to. He couldn’t count the number of times his mother had come looking for her because she had eaten the gems out of a piece of her jewelry. “How much was the cost sir?”
“It will be fifty gold or I will have you and your beast thrown in the dungeon,” the man said, grabbing Bren by the arm.
“I have no problem paying you the desired amount as long as you can prove the cost of the items my dog has eaten, but you will unhand me,” Bren said, pulling his arm free from the man’s grasp.
“Guards,” the man called loudly when Bren’s hand drifted too close to the sword on his waist.
Bren didn’t try and run, he stood his ground as three large men wearing the colors of Countess Elisee arrived. “This creature ate my goods and this boy refuses to pay for the damages,” the man squawked, pointing his finger at Bren.
“Boy, if your creature has damaged this man’s goods, then you have to pay him for them,” the guard said, looking at Bren menacingly.
“I never refused to pay for the damaged goods,” Bren replied. “I just demanded that he unhand me and prove the worth of the goods that were damaged.”
The man let out a loud humph before leading Bren and the guards to his store. Bren felt more than slightly nervous when he entered the man’s store as it was much nicer than he had expected and filled with fine jewels, though none of them would compare to the ones in the queen’s collection.
The store owner laid two rings on the counter in front of Bren and the guards. Bren picked one up and looked at it closely. It had a silver band and the facet for the gem was small so he knew they couldn’t have been very large. “You said they were priced at fifty gold, what kind of gems did you have in them?” Bren asked.
“They each had large diamonds, each worth thirty gold each easily,” the man replied confidently.
“Sir, I know I am young, but I have spent the entirety of my life looking at fine gems. I may not be able to tell which ones are of a better grade, but I can tell you there is no way that a diamond large enough to cost thirty gold could fit within this facet.”
“Why you little Thief, are you calling me a liar? Trying to get out of paying for what your creature did?” The man accused Bren, his voice raising with each word.
Bren didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have the large sum of gold the man was asking for. He knew that he could sign a receipt of goods to be paid at the palace, but that would tell his mother where he was at.
“Sir, may I see your inventory list?” One of the guards asked after looking at one of the rings for a few moments. “That should clear up this misunderstanding.”
“Well I…” the man stuttered, earning him a scathing glare from the guard. “Right away.”
It didn’t take long for the man to return with a long sheet parchment with numerous things written on it. The guard looked it over as he walked through the store making mental notes. “I don’t see the rings on the inventory sheet. You have two rings that I can’t find, but together they only add up to a gold and four silver so they couldn’t be what you were describing.” The guard said sternly.
“They just came in the other day…I ….must not have put them on the inventory sheet yet,” The man said.
“If you don’t have some documentation of the goods, then I can’t make the young lad pay for them can I?” The guard said, giving Bren a sly wink. “Sir, unless you can prove the value of the goods we are done here. My advice is that next time you don’t try to cheat someone out of their gold because they look too young to know what you are doing,” the Guard continued, almost laughing as he escorted Bren out of the store.
“Thank you sir,” Bren said as soon as they were outside.
“It was a pleasure son,” the guard said with a snicker. “That fool is always parading around as if he was nobility. It felt good to see him squirm to tell you the truth lad. That aside, you need to keep a better eye on your four legged friend there,” The guard said, looking over to where Avalanche sat, now surrounded by children.
“I will sir,” Bren promised, before walking over to Avalanche and giving her a hard slap on the back of the head. His interest in the market gone, Bren headed back to the inn to see if Faye was feeling any better.
Bren found Faye still in their room though she was now awake and holding her head firmly between her knees. “It won’t stop spinning,” She said raising her head.
“It was your idea to drink all that ale,” Bren said trying not to laugh. “Thanks to that, we’re stuck in the town for another night when the Tower is only a short distance away.”
“Stop complaining,” Faye said looking at Bren, her face holding a slight green tint. “All you have done since we left the farm is complain. Can’t you just enjoy life?”
Bren sat down on the ground next to Faye. “You might be right,” he said after a few moments. “It’s as if I am always looking for the bad in everything, but you have to admit drinking that ale was a very bad decision.”
Faye laughed lightly then let out a loud groan. “I can’t argue with that. I have never felt so bad in my life.”
Thad continued to walk through the darkness. It had only been a few days since he had left Humanius behind in hopes of finding some way to escape the prison of darkness.
The knowledge that his son and daughter were now fully grown ate away at him. He had missed so much. As he trudged along, Thad started to day dream about what his son might be like.
CHAPTER VIII
When the Mage’s Tower came into view, it was clear what it was. It towered above everything else within the city. At a distance, it was almost as if it could split the clouds. The look on Faye’s face let Bren know that he wasn’t the only one impressed with the sight.
With the exception of the Tower, the rest of the city looked much like any other. The houses were made of brick and mortar from what Bren could tell, and not held together with some odd form of magic.
Bren didn’t know what he was expecting, but a part of him felt disappointed. Faye’s eyes on the other hand were still lit up like a child who had just received a new pony. Bren decided to keep his complaints to himself as they moved through the city streets toward the large tower standing in the center of the town.
When they were only a few streets away from the Tower, the city and houses started to change dramatically. The plain mortar and brick gave way to houses with large murals with moving paintings or odd items in the yards that moved of their own accord. There was even a house that had a talking gate that greeted them as they passed by. Bren felt the excitement that had been building in him for the past few days come back to life as he found himself surrounded by every type of magical item imaginable.
“Look!” Faye said, pointing to a
large sign at the corner of the street that had flashing dots on it. “It tells where you are and where everyone else is. If we had this back on the farm, it wouldn’t have taken my parents anytime to find me when I ran off to play as a kid,” Faye said laughing.
Many of the items Bren had seen in his own home, but many more were new to him. The two continued toward the Tower, their eyes constantly searching for new objects of wonder. As they finally approached the large double oak doors to the Tower, Bren was in a state of awe. It had looked impressive from a distance, but up close it made the palace seem like a cottage. The building was massive and Bren could not believe that it had been built in only four years.
Inside, Bren and Faye found three women sitting at desks. “I need to see whoever is in charge,” Bren said, his voice coming out broken and weak.
“If you wish to enter the school, then you must apply during enrolment, which is in another five days. You just missed the last one by a week. If you need a place to stay while you wait for enrolment, there are many inns whose prices are reasonable. If you can’t afford those, return and I will see what I can do,” The lady said quickly and concisely in a rehearsed manner.
“You don’t understand, I need to see whoever is in charge,” Bren said again more determined.
“No, you don’t understand,” the lady replied with an annoyed sigh. “Everyone who comes in here thinks they need to see whoever is in charge, when in truth most of their answers can be found by many other means. So, why don’t you tell me what you really need and I will point you in the proper direction.”
“I am Bren Farlane, prince of Farlan and rightful heir to my father’s title,” Bren said proudly, though his voice still shook slightly.
“You need to see the person in charge,” She said, almost laughing to herself. “That will be Arch Mage Sae-Thae, who at the moment should be in his study. I will send a runner to him if you could please wait a moment,” the lady said, showing Bren and Faye to a long bench.
As Bren waited, he couldn’t help but laugh. Uncle Sae-Thae was the head of the mage’s school. He had met with Sae-Thae more times than one could imagine, though over the past few years his visits had lessened. It was Sae-Thae who had argued with his mother on his behalf for the rights to his title to the Mage’s Tower. He had been one of the few people Bren trusted completely.
It wasn’t long before a tall female with ash grey skin, deep blue eyes, and dark black hair approached them. Bren knew that she was a vathari, though slightly different than the ones he had met in the past. Bren couldn’t help but find her beautiful, almost like one of the sculptures that his mother had in the garden.
“Master Farlane, if you would follow me, I will take you too Master Sae-Thae,” the vathari woman said curtly.
“Shall we go Faye?” Bren ask as he got up to follow the woman.
“I was only instructed to show you to master Sae-Thae, your friend will have to wait here.”
“I think I have the right to bring whoever I wish with me. If Uncle Sae-Thae doesn’t like it, I am sure he will let me know when we arrive,” Bren said sternly.
“As you wish,” She replied, with a bit of anger in her voice.
“Where did Avalanche go?” Faye asked, looking around for the rock hound.
Bren had almost forgotten about Avalanche. “She is always running off. It will save you a great deal of headache if you try not to think on it too often. I just hope she’s not destroying another jewelry store”
The female vathari led Bren and Faye to a large staircase. After more than ten minutes of climbing, Bren was sweating and his feet started to feel heavy. The longer he walked, the more he started to believe in the stories of mages living in their towers and seldom coming down. If they had to make this climb every day, they would all look like captains of the guard.
“This way,” the vathari said, opening a thick wooden door with the odd carvings in the wood.
As Bren walked through the doorway, he instantly noticed the tall vathari man sitting hunched over the desk in the back of the room. At the sound of their entering Sae-Thae looked up, his large black eyes examining Bren for a long time. “I thought something might have happened to you,” The vathari mage said after a long pause of silence. “Your mother sent word that you might be coming and that she wanted you returned on sight more than a fortnight ago.”
Knowing that his mother had already sent word to Sae-Thae made the young man’s knees weak. “You don’t plan to cart me back to her do you?” Bren asked, looking into Sae-Thae’s face for any hint of his intentions.
“Why would I do that when I have been trying to get her to let you come here ever since you could walk?” Sae-Thae replied with a toothy grin, showing of his large pointed teeth. “I don’t think I will be able to hide your presence from her for long though. Your mother is very adept at gathering information. In fact, I am surprised she hasn’t already caught you. Just what have you been doing these past days?” Sae-Thae asked, his eyes focusing on Faye who stood nervously behind Bren.
“Working on a farm,” Bren answered honestly. “This is Faye, a friend who I met on the farm. She can use magic,” Bren continued, the words feeling awkward coming out of his mouth.
“Is that so young lady?” Sae-Thae asked, looking at the young girl again with his penetrating dark glare. “Internal or external magic?”
“”Internal I think,” Bren answered when Faye suddenly seemed to lose her voice. It was a new experience to see the headstrong girl suddenly speechless and Bren was kind of enjoying the look of uncertainty on her face. “She was able to turn herself invisible.”
“Really, that is impressive young lady. I would love to see if that effects my sight as well as the human eye, but I am guessing you don’t have complete control of it,” Sae-Thae answered with a light laugh that came out almost as a growl.
“How would you know?” Faye shot back, her ire exceeding her fear at the strange person standing in front of her.
“That’s simple,” Sae-Thae responded. “From the look on your face, if you could control your gift, you would already be using it.”
Faye crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave the vathari mage a harsh look. In return Sae-Thae returned a smile. “I like your friend Bren, she would have made a fine vathari and might even help you grow a bit. You have always been too hard on yourself. Now, let’s get down to the reason you saw fit to come all the way to the Mage’s Tower.”
“I came to claim my inheritance,” Bren replied confidently.
“I see,” Sae-Thae replied after a brief pause for thought. “You are fourteen, the age that Farlan recognizes as entering adulthood, but I think you might wish to reconsider.”
“Why?” Bren asked defensively. “Do you enjoy it that much?”
“I see you have grown a sharper tongue since I last saw you,” Sae-Thae said harshly before giving another toothy smile. “That is good. In truth, I hate having to listen to the mages here whine and whimper. I much preferred it when I was the head of the council of mages within my own city, but I have come to this position out of respect for your father. In truth, if I wanted to keep it, there would be little challenge of disposing of you right now.”
“Then why?” Bren asked, not arguing about the vathari’s statement about disposing of him. Bren knew that if he wanted to, the mage had more than ample power to get the job done.
“Because, you have not yet come into your own power,” Sae-Thae explained. “If you were to take your father’s seat at the head of the mage’s council, they would treat you like a pawn and even though you had a seat of power, it would lose most of that over the next few years. You need something more than your father’s name to hold yourself up. If you wish, you may follow me and I can show you what your duties will entail once you do take over, but I strongly suggest you wait a few more years before taking your father’s seat as your own.”
“He shouldn’t get the seat just because his father wanted him to have it,” the vathari woman s
aid in a spiteful tone. “There are plenty of other mages, human and otherwise, who would be far better suited for the task.”
“Isophena, that is enough,” Sae-Thae said with far more vehemence in his words than Bren had ever heard before. “This is not the place or time to discuss this.” Almost as if remembering that Bren and Faye were in the room, Sae-Thae turned back toward them, his expression suddenly calm. “I am sure you and your friend are tired and I myself have many things left to do before I retire for the evening. Isophena will guide you to your room. Your friend is staying as well I assume?”
“Yes,” Bren said looking at Faye for conformation.
“Good, come by in the morning and we will work out a schedule for you,” Sae-Thae added, almost absent mindedly as he waved the three off.
Though not too happy with the task, Isophena lead the two back down the stairs to a long hallway. “Male rooms are on the left and female on the right. We don’t have many rules here regarding curfew, but if you make the arch mages mad, be sure that punishment will follow.
Isophena stopped at one of the doors and opened it. “Faye, this will be your new home. Your roommate is another human so you shouldn’t be too afraid to sleep,” she said mockingly.
Faye entered the room, mumbling under her breath. Though her words were too low for him to understand, the smirk on Isophena’s face said they were none too pleasant.
“Why are you in such a bad mood?” Bren asked, unable to control himself.
Isophena turned on him with fire in her eyes. “I have been training under master Sae-Thae since I was old enough to mold magic and now that you show up, he drops everything and nearly forgets that I even exist.”
From what she had said, Bren could tell that like it or not, he and Isophena would be spending a lot of time together. If he didn’t want every moment of that to be painful, he knew it was best to try and get along. “You think you should take over the seat when Sae-Thae steps down? Then how about when it comes time, we ask his honest opinion on the matter and if he thinks you are better suited, you can have it Isophena.”
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