“Well, now, pleasure.” Autumn caught Dagwood’s arm and pulled him forward. “She needs to examine you, honey.”
“Again?” he whined to his aunt.
“Be still, son,” Everest commanded gruffly. “Magus, if you will. I surely want this question answered, if he’s a mage or not.”
“Oh, he’s certainly a mage, that’s not in question,” Rena answered in an absent tone, her eyes already at work. “A strong one.”
Dagwood perked up. “Am I really? You can tell by looking?”
“Rena’s eyes can see everything,” I explained to everyone listening, mostly so that my wife could focus. She was terrible about talking and examining something at the same time. “Seriously, anything. Never, ever bet her on how far something is, either. She can tell you the exact distance. That’s why, Master Everest, Mistress Autumn, the MISD sent her up to examine him. She doesn’t need to do a traditional examination, as her eyes alone can tell her everything she needs to know about him. We also know that she can confirm if he’s a Void Mage, although it would be a historical moment if he is, as most Void Mages are female.”
Everest looked disappointed by this. “They are?”
“Very, very rare to get a male Void Mage,” I explained patiently, feeling some sympathy for him. “Which is why the MISD were confused by the report of your son. But Rena can confirm this for us.” I paused, waiting for her to chime in.
She stared hard at the boy, brows drawing together.
Uh-oh, I recognized that look. She’d gotten lost in some tangent. I poked her in the shoulder. “Rena, honey, pull back.”
“Not spiraling down,” she answered readily, still with that look on her face. “I’m just examining something. Give me a moment.”
I didn’t expect that response. What exactly was she seeing that confused her so? Perhaps the boy’s eyes? Hollensbeck said they’d reminded him of Rena’s eyes. Settling into a parade rest, I waited patiently. The crowd murmured to each other, restless, but also waiting. The bond thrummed a little, also rearing its head, not quite easy with this crowd. I eyed them sideways, mentally planning an escape route if we needed it. Small town people never reacted in quite the way you’d think they would.
Then we waited some more.
When five minutes ticked by, I poked her in the shoulder again. “Rena.”
“This is seriously strange.” Blinking, she finally lifted her head, switching to Turranskan to speak with me. “He’s not a Void Mage, but he has the eyes of one.”
She wasn’t pulling my leg, was she? “Wait, are you serious?”
“Perfectly. It’s why he’s so good at destroying things, I bet.”
“I thought you said that a Void Mage couldn’t pass down any traits to a descendant.” The crowd murmured again, pressing in closer, straining to understand us.
“Pretty sure I’m still correct on that. This is just a talent of his magic that’s manifesting.”
“Soo…” I glanced down at the boy, who seemed fascinated that we spoke in a foreign language. “Where does that leave us? Can the MISD just find him a master?”
“No.” Rena grimaced as the word left her mouth. “It would be like training up under a man like Tarkington, who’s a good master, but doesn’t understand what you’re seeing or how to properly train you to use the ability. I don’t wish that kind of master on this child.”
Since she had lived through that herself, and it took Mary to properly train her, I understood perfectly. “So what do you want to do?”
“Either way, we can’t leave him here. We’ll have to either train him or take him to Mary.”
Yikes. I really didn’t know how to feel about this. But I didn’t think this news would go over well with the rest of the village. I shifted to put my self solidly behind Rena, ready to defend her if necessary.
Switching back to trader’s tongue, Rena explained to the aunt and father, “Your son is not a Void Mage.”
“He is too!” Blue pushed his way through and got right into Rena’s face. Or he tried, at least. I moved faster than he did, blocking him with a forearm. He tried to shove past me, and I planted my feet, not moving. Frustrated, he glared up at me and then chose to lean around my torso, voice rising as he argued, “He’s a Void Mage. He can destroy things!”
Rena let out a patient breath. I could hear it gusting out. “Any magician can destroy things. I’m afraid that’s not a valid argument. If you’ll let me finish—”
Another woman tried to shift in closer, pressing, and I had to move again, blocking her. She looked kin to Dag with her dark hair and round face. “But he doesn’t destroy things like a magician would, does he?”
The crowd murmured and nodded agreement.
Yeah, I had a feeling it would be like this. I cast Rena a quick glance, not sure how she wanted to handle this, just wanting to move soon. The bond pulsed unhappily over my wife being surrounded on all sides with angry people. I was in total agreement with it.
Rena decided to not argue with the villagers and continued speaking with the aunt and father in her reasonable tone. “Dagwood’s magic is manifesting in a peculiar way, so that his eyes can see the world the same way that a Void Mage’s would.”
That got the crowd going again, some of them in surprise, others confusion. But it stopped them from trying to press forward, at least. I held steady even as I kept an eye on Rena.
“Dagwood,” she knelt to put herself more on his level, pointing to a large grey stone nearby, “when you look at this rock, what do you see?”
“Lines and stuff.”
“Lines and squiggles, sometimes numbers?”
Dagwood lit up. It reminded me of someone who had finally found another that spoke the same language. “Yeah! Can you see them, too?”
“And erase them,” Rena answered with a reminiscent smile. “Ah, I remember that early stage. It gets confusing at first, because you see so much all at once, and it’s hard to focus your eyes properly. I bet you trip over stuff a lot.”
Dagwood nodded, not bothered by this. “And walk into stuff.”
Seeing how the adults were worried about this, I assured them sotto voice, “She still does that. It’s just something they get used to, don’t worry about it.”
“So he IS a Void Mage!” Blue argued loudly, at such a volume that it nearly set my ears to ringing.
Rena ignored him. “Master Everest, I know that’s not quite the answer you wanted.”
Everest shrugged, hands splayed, and he looked more bewildered than anything. “I don’t know what I expected. Do you—”
“Oi!” Blue tried to push past me again, harder this time, using nearly his full strength to do it. It rocked me back an inch before I could get my back into it, stopping him dead. Frustrated, his face turning red in growing anger, he tried to get out of my hold. “You move, I’m not arguing with you! Everest, don’t you let them blind you like this. Your son’s a Void Mage and if you let them say otherwise, they’ll just use him to their own ends!”
“What ends?” I demanded, exasperated. “It’s not like he’s less because he isn’t a Void Mage. Didn’t you hear Rena? He’s still a powerful novice mage.”
“He’s a VOID MAGE!” Blue bellowed and several other voices joined in, echoing this.
“Oh for the love of—” Autumn reached around me and smacked Blue in the back of the head. “You stop being stubborn, you old fishmonger. What do you know of magic? What do any of us know of magic? Two agents from the MISD came out, neither of them say he’s a Void Mage. This girl is the Void Mage herself we heard of in rumors! If she says he isn’t, I’m satisfied.”
“As am I,” Everest declared, glaring at the whole village. “Magus Hach, what can we do about Dag’s training?”
Rena reached out and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Dagwood, you need training, but a regular mage won’t be able to really help you. They’re not going to understand how your eyes work, and how that affects your magic. I think the best thing that you c
an do is come with me. I’ll see if my master will take you on as a student.”
Everest stiffened, a little alarmed by this. “But what if she doesn’t?”
“Then I will,” Rena assured him, standing again. “Master Mary likely will not object, it’s just that she’s very old, and she might not have the energy to complete another student’s training. But I promise you, sir, he’ll have a proper master one way or another.”
Autumn and Everest shared a speaking look, one of unease, but I didn’t understand where the hesitation came from. Then I realized, belatedly, what the problem likely was. “Do you have the means to pay the apprenticeship fees?”
With a sad shake of the head, Everest dropped his eyes to the ground, slightly ashamed.
That didn’t surprise me. People did good to eat up here. I looked to Rena, finding my wife staring hard down at the boy. Her uncertainty shifted into determination as I watched, mouth firming up in a way I recognized. “Then let’s do this. I’ll ask the MISD to cover the costs. In return, Dagwood, you’ll be required to work the first five years after you’re licensed with the MISD.”
That set the villagers talking again, but this time in happier tones. I still wasn’t sure what the argument was, why they were so insistent that Dagwood be a Void Mage, but the promise of him training under a Void Mage and working for the MISD apparently axed the problem off at the knees. Or at least, it did for Blue, as he finally stopped pushing against me and took a step back. I still got glared at, though. Not all was forgiven.
Dagwood’s father looked heartened by this offer, as did the aunt, but I still reassured them, “It’s a good workplace.”
They took that as the golden truth, considering we were both in the MISD blue.
Dagwood lit up, nearly vibrating with excitement. “Do I get to wear the uniform?”
“No, you’re required to wear the uniform,” Rena corrected, biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing.
“And fight monsters?”
“Only on good days,” I assured him, also trying not to laugh. “Bad days they make you do paperwork.”
“But it pays well,” Everest said, tone questioning.
That alone told me where the priority was for this man. He didn’t want his son stuck in this village, eking out a living for the rest of his natural life. “That it does, sir. They pay quite well.”
Relieved, he nodded and knelt down next to his son, taking the boy by both shoulders. “Dag. I want you to be a mage. You go with these people, sign on to the MISD, alright?”
For the first time, doubt entered Dag’s expression, his mouth hovering between smiling and frowning. “You won’t go with me?”
“I can’t, son. You’ll be apprenticed to someone else. But when you’re grown and ready, you come back for your family.”
Expression clearing, Dag gave his father a slightly uncertain nod. “Will.”
“Good.” Everest drew him in close, hugging him hard enough that Dagwood likely felt squished, although he didn’t utter a word of complaint.
Sensing something still a little awry here, I cleared my throat and offered, “You’ll still see your son about once a year.”
The way they jerked around to stare at me, mouths agape, told me my instincts were dead on. “No, really, it’s required that apprentices have two weeks off every year to see their family. Maybe not this year, as we’re a ways into it, but you’ll see him next.”
The way that Rena looked at me, then them, said she didn’t understand why they were confused. But then, to her, all of this was common knowledge. I doubted anyone in Seagrove had been apprenticed to anyone outside of this village in living memory.
“Well, thank you, Master Hach,” Autumn stated, putting a palm to her heart and breathing out a heavy sigh. “I feel better knowing. Dag, let’s get you packed up. No sense in you lingering here a day longer when you have things to learn.”
I thought to argue, as surely the boy would like to have the afternoon and tonight to say goodbye before leaving with us, but at the same time, there wasn’t a good place for us to stay the night. Either way, I chose not to argue, as this was their call and not mine.
The villagers stepped in, some of them offering to either help or send something along that Dagwood might need. We lost half of the crowd due to this and I steeled myself against any odd thing they tried to send along with Dagwood. Right now, I was all about avoiding conflict up here. Blue stayed to glare at me. I think the man didn’t know how to let an argument die.
As aunt and boy went to pack, Everest cleared his throat and ducked his head diffidently to Rena. “Can I ask a few questions, Magus?”
“Of course,” Rena assured him immediately, both of them standing again.
Letting my wife largely dole out explanations and reassurance, I basically stood by and looked decorative. Then the obvious question occurred to me. Rena said to take him to the MISD and sort it out, but we weren’t going directly there. Did she plan to bring him along on the job?
I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
I didn’t have much in the way of experience with children, being one of the youngest in my family, but being around Bannen’s family had taught me a simple truth: children were not made to be quiet. Quiet was usually an indication that something was very, very wrong.
Dagwood’s silence as we traveled away from his home that evening was understandable. He didn’t know either of us, or what to expect in his immediate future. I hadn’t pushed him. We went to bed in a very small hostel that night, then got up again early the next morning to catch the first train heading northwest to the coast. It was a short trip, barely more than a few hours before we got off, which landed us at the ferry dock to cross the channel into Z’gher.
Most of the time, Dagwood stared about with wide eyes. He clearly had never seen the world before, and I kept grabbing him by the shoulder, maneuvering him around obstacles before he could crash into them. He couldn’t seem to keep his attention on where he was going, too busy staring at everything else. The ferry dock here wasn’t even that big, barely a small town. I wondered how he’d handle seeing a large city, like Foxboro.
This time of year, the channel water was a bit choppy because of all the rain and storms blowing in. The ferry was delayed as a result, but only an hour, so we found shelter in a nearby café and ordered an early lunch. Huge picture windows faced the channel, which captivated Dagwood’s complete attention. Bannen and I sat opposite of our guest at a little round table, coaxing the boy to eat.
Not knowing the food I ordered, Dagwood was hesitant to try any of it but finally consumed most of a sandwich, although he ignored the fruit. Typical boy in his tastes, then, only wanting meat and starches. Or maybe that was the only thing he semi-recognized?
Still, I had no questions from him. I didn’t think this was quite right. The boy surely had a million things he wanted to know. I poked Bannen in the side, indicating Dagwood with a jerk of the chin, silently telling him to do something.
Bannen stared at me with considerable exasperation and mouthed, ‘Like what?’
I didn’t know what, just something. I poked him in the ribs again. He knew children better than I did, surely he knew of a way to get Dagwood to open up.
“So Dagwood,” Bannen started casually, sipping at his tea. “I think we forgot to tell you a few things. We’re not actually heading straight back to MISD Headquarters.”
Dagwood’s grey eyes darted between the two of us, and he reached up to tug at the shaggy brown hair tumbling over his ears. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Rena has another job to do first. We’re going up to the mountains near giant country; Gargan.”
Sitting on this for a moment, Dagwood stared down at the table, then his head came back up hopefully. “Are we fighting monsters?”
What was it with little boys and fighting? Seriously.
Chuckling, Bannen shook his head. “Not this time, sorry. She has to open up a hole in the mountain so they can build a railroad
line through it.”
“Oh.” Dagwood went back to staring out the window.
Well that attempt worked for about two seconds. “Have you ever met a giant, Dagwood?”
He shook his head, attention drawn briefly back to me.
“We have a friend of ours that’s part giant, Vee. She invited us up for the holidays one year and it was quite fun. I felt like a child the entire time, they were so huge. I barely came up to their bellybuttons.”
“Vee is in the MISD too, she’s an agent we worked with while fighting Toh’sellor,” Bannen pitched in. “I think you’ll meet her at some point, her and Chi. In fact, maybe they can help us figure out what to train you in.”
Dagwood’s head drew back in confusion. “I thought I’d learn magic.”
“Well, sure, but you learn combat skills too.” Bannen smiled, and Dagwood’s attention visibly cemented on the conversation. “All mages do. It helps them with using combat magic later on. And it’s a good backup, in case you can’t work magic for some reason. So, what do you think you want to learn? Archery? Hand-to-hand? Swords?”
“All three?” Dagwood asked hopefully, literally hanging on to the edge of his seat.
I found this response funny and had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. “Might be tough to do that at first, we’d have to find weapons your size. But Bannen, don’t you think he can start hand-to-hand training now?”
“Sure, I can teach him the basics until we get him to Gill.”
You’d think we’d just offered the boy a sack of gold. I had the feeling we’d tapped into some dream of his, of being a soldier. Maybe because he understood that better than being a magician, having very limited experience with magic. Or perhaps because he had an inherent interest in destroying things. Most men of my acquaintance did, for some reason. “Tell you what, Dagwood, let’s do a little training with magic too. I can give you exercises that will help you control your eyes, so it’s not so overwhelming.”
“That’ll be good,” Bannen agreed, inclining his head to me. “It’s dangerous to be easily distracted when fighting someone. Your eyes are powerful, if used right. We should train them too.”
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