“Uh,” Magnus gasped, as the general thrust the permit back on his chest.
Xanthar made a few steps backwards, gazing in front with a hateful stare, his chest heaving wildly. He pointed a finger at Magnus so that everyone would know that he wasn't going to let the boy live in peace. His eyes beamed with unimaginable ferocity. “I am not finished with you yet. I will find the evidence. And nothing will save you then.” At these words he turned away, his long police coat following him like a shadow, leaving into the street labyrinth of Ragna, pacing heavily.
There were small noises of disappointment, as the townsfolk watchers didn't get to see any breathtaking action. They slowly walked away.
Valezar looked at Magnus and Maren. “You should see your faces! You look as rigid as statues! You can breathe now, it's over,” he said, laughing through his white beard.
Magnus twitched as though somebody had slapped him to wake up, but Maren remained stiff. “Maren, you can let go of my hand now,” whispered Magnus quietly, hoping that Valezar didn't see anything from behind.
At these words, Maren seemed to finally recover. She made a long step aside from Magnus, which appeared to happen within a fragment of a second. As they both rounded on the old mage, her face turned pink.
“You both seem to be kind of nervous. Perhaps it's because you're hungry? I invite you for lunch at my place,” said Valezar with a smile on his wrinkly face.
Maren was thankful there were no comments about her holding Magnus' hand a moment ago. “Really? That's very generous of you! I am Maren. And you are Sir Valezar, right? Magnus has told me so much about you! I almost couldn't stop him,” she went on with a sweet smile, but a sudden poke coming from the left startled her.
Valezar was well aware that Magnus hadn't mention a word about him, but he used what Maren had said to his advantage. “Oh yes, he is a very talkative young lad, isn't he?” Valezar said gleefully and turned to Magnus, who seemed a little suspicious about Valezar saying that, as if he was trying to figure out whether he was being serious about it or not. “Yet another reason why I should treat you to a proper meal!”
In the next moment, Valezar was leading them to the house of the Pathico Company. Meanwhile, they could hear a familiar sound from the tower, but no one paid attention to it.
No one except Magnus. “Twelve o'clock,” he murmured, but fortunately this time he didn't see the dragon on the tower explode to pieces. Something from that moment gave him a gloomy mood.
Once they entered the Pathico house, Valezar hung a sign saying “CLOSED” on the door, to ensure his guests' uninterrupted comfort. With a subtle gesture he asked them to sit around the table. This time Magnus didn't have to wander in the dark because it seemed like everything was prepared for their arrival, including lighted candles and fresh food on the table.
Maren instantly ran to the table as if she wanted to get a place next to the wall. Magnus dropped his bag behind the armchair and sat next to Maren, while Valezar was brewing tea.
“I have lived in Ragna all my life,” Maren said, fixing her mage cloak on her shoulders. “I saw this house many times. It wasn't always without windows. What made you have the windows walled?”
Valezar smiled. “One should always go with the flow, not against it. All the citizens of Ragna barricade their windows at night because they fear for their safety. But if the windows bother them so much, why don't they get rid of them? I got rid of mine and I don't have to care about it any more. When I want a little sun, I go outside,” he said with his back turned to them, still preparing the tea.
A moment of silence occurred till Maren and Magnus absorbed the information.
“I am really proud of you, Magnus,” Valezar said over his shoulder as he was placing the tea pot and porcelain cups on a serving tray.
Magnus wasn't sure what Valezar meant by that. “Oh, if you mean the permit it wasn't so difficult-”
“Forget about the permit already!” Valezar interrupted him. To Magnus' astonishment, there was a trace of irritation in his voice. After a moment of silence, Valezar sat down by the table, pouring tea into their cups. “It's not even two days since you came to Ragna and you have already found a girlfriend. Congratulations,” continued Valezar, this time with a touched smile. Instantly, he could see two pairs of bulged eyes staring on him; one of them gazing in awe and high hopes, the other in shock and disagreement.
“A-ah... Maren isn't my girlfriend. We're just friends,” stuttered Magnus, but he was lucky that he didn't see Maren's expression when he said that.
“Let's see if you'll talk like that after a few years,” preached Valezar.
Before Magnus could say anything, something small swept past his head abruptly and landed squarely in Valezar's hand. It was clear. Valezar had summoned one of the gingerbread cookies from Magnus' backpack.
Maren looked quite startled, even though that day she had become a witness to various oddities of unexplainable character.
Magnus gave a heavy sigh, groping at the place where the gingerbread brushed his hair. “I hate it when you do that,” he said grumpily.
“Come on! You shouldn't be so over-sensitive,” advised Valezar.
The gingerbread in his hand nodded, a few crumbles falling off it down on the table. “I don't like to agree with the old boring chap, but... he's right! You're an oversensitive wimp!” it yelled, but didn't have the chance to say anything else.
“Hmm, a bit hard, but otherwise tastes good,” said Valezar while chewing on the gingerbread. “I am lucky I still have a few teeth left.”
Maren gave in to her curiosity. “That gingerbread... spoke?” she said incredulously, as though she didn't want to believe it.
“Yes,” nodded Valezar without any trace of excitement in his voice. “These are the same gingerbread cookies that saved your necks yesterday.”
Maren gasped. “So that's why the backpack spoke!” she said, sounding agitated as she turned to Magnus. “Magnus, you were right! The backpack really was talking! Or more precisely... its contents!” she repeated in wonder.
That didn't change Magnus' annoyed facial expression at all, though. “I know that. It was you who didn't want to believe me,” he mumbled. He had been looking forward to showing her that he was right so much and in the end he didn't enjoy it at all!
Maren turned back to Valezar, her eyes open wide. “But how can you know that? Did you see us?”
“I know because it put them into Magnus' bag myself,” said Valezar with the smile of a trickster, which brought something youthful to his old face. “I saw how it happened but I wasn't there. I can see it right now, through Magnus' mind.”
“Why do you always have to rake through my mind?” growled Magnus.
Valezar didn't react to this question at all. He knew that Magnus was worried for his private thoughts, which he would like to keep for himself. It was probably quite inappropriate to go through other people's minds without their permission, but just like anyone else who had this gift, he simply couldn't help it.
Neither did Maren pay attention to Magnus' question. “Wow! So you know how to read the past from the minds of others?” she said, sounding utterly amazed.
Valezar nodded. “Yes, I can read thoughts,” he bragged.
In the period of her whole life-time, Maren hadn't felt more excitement than in the past several hours. She leaned over the table keenly.
Valezar gave Maren a knowing smile. “Hmm, life was boring, wasn't it? Then suddenly Magnus appears and everything turns upside-down as if by the flick of a magick wand,” he said as he gave a hearty laugh.
Maren gasped. “That's exactly what I was thinking! It works, Magnus! He actually read my mind!” Maren shrieked. Her eyes widened even more.
Magnus knew what was going to happen but before he could even formulate the thought in his mind, Maren was already shaking him in the armchair.
“Magnus! Magnus! He's totally cool!” she screamed zestfully.
Magnus just rolled his eyes as he l
et out a disgruntled groan, his head resting on his hand. Until this moment, it was him who was the cool one. Did he even stand a chance against Valezar now?
“Well,” said Valezar, when he realised it was time to change the topic, “I still don't understand what stopped that beast from killing you.”
Apparently it worked because they both looked at him.
“Oh, that's not how I meant it,” laughed Valezar as he took a sip from his tea cup. “Though, you were really asking for it. But of course not you, dear Maren.”
“And what should I have done? The thief stole my whole rucksack with the residence permit in it! I had to get it back!” Magnus defended himself, while Maren had completely forgotten that she was still holding his coat. Magnus wanted to tell her something but in the end he didn't say anything. He looked at her wordlessly with his silver eyes.
“Oh, sorry,” Maren said as she let go of him immediately, though Valezar saw that she didn't really want to.
“Hmm, and I am sure you think it was very heroic,” continued Valezar, sipping the hot tea.
Magnus' gaze darted downwards. “You're right, I shouldn't have done that. But in that moment, I simply didn't think of it,” he said, this time sounding a bit tamer.
“Relax, I didn't say you were wrong to do it. You listened to your intuition, and only thanks to that you now have your... eh.... friend,” said Valezar in a doubtful tone. In addition to preaching, he also liked doing something else - provoking. And that always worked well on children.
Magnus gave Valezar another grumpy look.
“By any chance, do you know what that monster was that you met last night?” asked Valezar, his face looking yellowish in the candle light.
Magnus found it difficult to not start laughing. That must have been a joke! “You are asking me? Me, who doesn't even remember what happened two days ago? I would expect more likely you to give an answer to me.”
Valezar taunted back. “Me? Me, who can only read thoughts and the past? Don't be ridiculous,” he said and waved his hand airily, “I'm not a walking bestiary.”
“Wait,” Maren interrupted them, “you don't remember the day before yesterday? You must have a really short memory then!” she said, looking startled, as she turned to Magnus. It looked as though she was about to start laughing.
“Exactly!” Valezar interjected quickly. “Magnus has the shortest memory of all the people I ever met! And believe me, there were lots. He doesn't even remember anything about himself!” There was a pause in which Valezar looked at Magnus, a slightly puzzled expression on his face. “Oops, I guess I shouldn't have said that, huh?” Valezar grinned guiltily.
Magnus shot him an annoyed glance. Valezar was raking through his mind again!
“But if that's true, how do you know your name and your age?” said Maren curiously.
Magnus looked for a moment as though he was hesitating. After a short while he decided to reveal his secret, although he was sure that Valezar had already known everything. He raised his hand to the chain hanging around his neck as he drew a pendant of silver colour from under his tunic. The amulet contained a beautiful faceted black stone, just as big as his eyes, glinting in the yellow candle light.
Maren gazed upon this small thing, but not even Valezar could tell what material it was made of. But whatever it was, it surely wasn't cheap.
When Magnus flipped the amulet over, there was something engraved with tiny letters on the opposite side:
Magnus Il'Idiel
10
“Hmm,” Maren was thinking, “that could be anyone's pendant. How do you know it's yours?”
Valezar was leaning over the table, staring at the pendant intensely, but the light was dim and the letters were too small for his elderly sight to read them. He gave up and sat back into his armchair.
“Because I feel inexplicably connected to it. I know it's mine,” said Magnus, hiding the locket back under his shirt. “I just wish I knew more about myself. I feel such emptiness inside me, insecurity,” he sighed, sounding rather downcast now. “I don't know what to do. I don't know where I belong. I don't even know why I came here in the first place. I know nothing!”
“Don't worry,” said Valezar soothingly, “One day you will remember everything. Perhaps even things that you would prefer not to remember at all. What can you tell me about the flame in Zimbadur's reception salon?” asked Valezar in an effort to revive Magnus' memory.
“I don't know. Nothing, I guess,” said Magnus dully.
“Not even that the flame came out of your own mouth?” asked Valezar calmly.
“What?” Maren couldn't believe what she just heard. She thought it was anything else but this! Her eyes were running from Valezar to Magnus and back. She was putting together everything she had learned about Magnus so far. They met at night, when everyone else is afraid to go out. The talking backpack, immunity to fire (even though that was probably her doing), extreme sensitivity to cold and now even spewing fire? Magnus must have been the weirdest guy she had ever seen! “That's so cool!” Maren squeaked suddenly. Clearly, she was looking for the most unusual things that existed in the whole wide world.
“Well, maybe you just have an extraordinary talent in magick, but it's strange nonetheless,” said Valezar, deep in thought. “And you, Maren, I don't know how it's possible that no one arrested you for the fire shield spell last night, but you better not push your luck next time.”
There was a moment of silence. Everyone seemed to have something on their mind.
“Well, enough of worries, it's time to eat now,” said Valezar. His worried expression changed to a caring smile.
Magnus and Maren's eyes brightened when Valezar lifted the lid off of a pot full of tasty delicacies that smelled absolutely wonderful.
After the lunch at Valezar's place and talking about all the shocking news, they walked down the street that Magnus had ran through when the thief stole his backpack.
Maren seemed to be strangely silent.
“What's the matter?” asked Magnus considerately.
Maren shook her head. “Nothing... It's just... I should go home now. I wasn't there all night and I'm sure my mum won't be too happy about it,” she said drearily. But it wasn't only the thought of her angry mum what made her sad. She was to spend the rest of the day without Magnus, till the next morning!
Obviously, that caught Magnus' interest. “You're going home? Then I should go with you! I'd be very pleased to meet your mum-”
“Are you insane?” Maren interrupted him, “She won't let you cross the threshold.”
Magnus smiled. “I made it to Ragna through two guards, I'm sure I can handle your mum,” he proclaimed proudly.
In a short while, he wasn't so sure about what he had said any more.
As Maren knocked on the door of a medium sized house, her mother instantly emerged on the doorstep, a sour expression on her face. She must have been a little before her thirties, and if her face wasn't so scowled, she'd be very pretty as well. Her wavy hair was just as light as Maren's, combed to one side and covered with a deep red scarf which was tied on the top of her head with a black bandana. That was nothing unusual among the women of Ragna. Her clothes weren't exactly luxurious, but even so it was clear that she was keen on good fashion taste and tidiness.
Mrs. Samai placed her hands to her sides in order to evoke even more respect in front of her daughter. It didn't seem that she would jump from happiness when Maren introduced Magnus to her.
“Mum,” Maren said carefully, “This is Magnus.”
Maren's mother surveyed Magnus with her piercing blue eyes from head to toe. “Well, at least I know who gives you the bad influence in clothing,” she said sourly, looking back at Maren, as if Magnus had suddenly disappeared. “Where have you been? Yesterday I was waiting for you with dinner, today with lunch - and you are nowhere in sight. Don't tell me you were in school because I know that you weren't. All of your books are at home,” said Mrs. Samai strictly, clacking with th
e tip of her shoe on the floor as she waited for an answer.
Magnus had a feeling this couldn't have a happy ending. Maren went to school! No matter how hard he thought about this, he couldn't imagine how she would manage the school in Ragna and also attend the preliminary guild an hour of travel away!
This time it was Maren who stammered. “I... I was...” she mumbled, not sure what to make up.
“All this time you were skipping school with this ragamuffin of a boy, weren't you?” said Mrs. Samai, breathing heavily under her pointy nose.
Although Magnus was used to name-calling of various kinds, this was something different. It was Maren's mother.
“Inside, at once,” Mrs. Samai ordered.
“But mum, it's not his fault that I wasn't at school. He attended all the classes. I have met him just now. He goes to school every day, he's very diligent,” Maren lied. “Right, Magnus?” she said carefully, hoping that he would understand what to do.
Magnus didn't like the fact that Maren had to lie because of him, and even more so when he had to join her and start lying himself. “Y-yes... I do... I go to school diligently,” he said, as he made short, scared eye contact with Maren's mother.
“Magnus is going to have straight As on his report card,” Maren went on, letting out a fake giggle. “He knows everything, he could even teach others.”
Drakonika (Book 1) Page 8