The Master Magicians

“Be sensible Gareth,” I heard a smooth, velvety voice say angrily. “There is no way that she… that she…”

“Yes Alana?” asked another, deeper voice – a man.

The first voice, a woman, huffed angrily. “She is only a child,” she countered as though this would change the man’s mind. “And a thief at that, how can we trust her?”

I squeezed my eyes closed tighter, hoping that it would stop my head from hurting. The scream still echoed in my mind and every now and then would flare up, sending shooting pain through my head.

It was like a constant toothache. If you bit into the wrong thing, it would hurt, a lot. An annoying, painful headache, that’s what I had.

And where did it come from? It had come on so suddenly, so strangely. I put it down to the magic that the Fourth Magician had used – the fire. Maybe it had lasting effects on my body.

“I believe you said the same thing about me didn’t you Alana?” a third voice asked, his voice smug. I recognised that voice – it was the Fourth Magician. But who were the others?

“Yes well, you still are, Blake,” the woman named Alana retorted quickly with a little laugh. “Now you’re just a bit older, and musclier.” The way her voice seemed to caress and form the words made my stomach tighten up, and felt a rush of desire that I knew was not my own. It made me feel sick. I knew enough of desire to know that it wasn’t supposed to make you feel ill.

So his name was Blake. The Fourth Magician who the lady, Alana, thought was young too, but in comparison to me, he must be hundreds of years older. After all, magicians lived for longer than non-magical people. I knew at least that much about them. Around these parts Magicians were rare, preferring to stay closer to their own kind. I had once overheard a few of the stall owners complaining about the Magicians and how they favoured certain towns, rarely venturing past the Callad city border. Magician 101 wasn’t exactly a huge part of my learning in the orphanage.

“She will wake soon,” the other man, Gareth, said quietly. It seemed to end the odd discussion that was surrounding me.

A felt a rush of air, and the smell of the wild earth filled my nose, and all the space around me. 

Now that I knew what I was feeling for, I could sense excitement coming from the same direction as the air. It was like a piece of string that held emotion. I could grasp them and sense the emotions of the string. I also felt resentment that was aimed at me and it hit me surprisingly hard, the sheer concentration of the chord was astounding. It was also mingled with feelings of desire and want, which was definitely not aimed at me.

Sensing all of these strange emotions made my heart hammer in my chest, and my stomach tighten with worry. What was happening to me?

“Wake up Kida,” the air seemed to breathe. It surrounded me and filled me up inside. I instantly felt lighter – happier.

My eyelids fluttered open in surprise and I smiled, but it quickly disappeared when I saw the three people standing over me.

Blake, the Fire Magician, watched me, his mouth in a tight line. The rest of his face was smooth and bored looking, as though this was just another duty he had to take care of. His muscled build seemed to tense up when our eyes met and I quickly looked away. Which of the feelings had been his?

The woman next to him was tall and graceful, with a bountiful body. Her muscled arms flexed as they crossed in front of her and I looked up into her face only to wish I hadn’t.

Her face was set in an angry look, one eyebrow raised at her indignation of my youth and possibly even, the fact of simply what I was, I could only guess. Her large eyes were the most startling things, which made me look away as soon as I had spotted them.

They were grey. But not just any grey. They were the kind of grey of dark stormy clouds. The ones you looked at and instantly knew that a storm was coming. I prayed to the Magicians that there wouldn’t be a fight, but deep down inside I could feel it coming.

I took a guess that maybe she was the one feeling resentment towards me. I cringed inwardly trying to sort out my mind and this new sensation.

I finally looked up to see the last man, expecting more aggression, but, again, I was surprised. He looked tired and older than the other two, but still reasonably young. He had short, dark hair that was streaked with grey and a beard to match, but even though he looked so tired, he still radiated some kind of indescribable power, just like the other two did.

Also like the other two people in the room, his eyes were bright, startling in fact. They were bright green, like the green of the trees when they were in full bloom.

Now that I was looking at him, I could feel the excitement pouring from him, the string I was holding becoming thicker. It was a strange feeling but it was not like I was actually holding a piece of string. It was something that I could feel from their minds – their souls.

He saw me looking and he smiled widely, his eyes brightening.

“Do you know who we are, child?” he asked softly.

I just stared at him, trying to get my mouth to move, but when it wouldn’t obey, I shook my head slowly.

Gareth smiled at me again and I got the faintest smell of the warm earth again.

“You… you’re all magicians,” I said, my mouth suddenly dry.

He smiled again, wider this time, his bright green eyes sparkling.

“Oh get on with it, Gareth,” Alana grumbled, her grey eyes swirling angrily as she watched me. “Some of us have better things to do.”

Gareth’s eyes glanced towards her and his mouth turned down for a moment. When he turned back to me his eyes were glinting boldly.

“I am Gareth Firestorm,” he introduced. The magician gave a comical bow, flourishing his hand towards me. “My impatient comrade is Alana Greenblade.” Alana gave me a murderous look before crossing her arms in front of her chest with a huff. “And of course, you have already met this fiery fellow, Blake Moon.”

As he spoke, Gareth clapped Blake on the shoulder. The corner of Blake’s mouth lifted slightly, his eyes still stony.

Gareth, who seemed undeterred by their unhappy responses, continued on cheerfully as he came and sat down on the bed beside me.

“What am I doing here?” I asked, utterly confused.

“All in good time, my dear, but first why don’t you tell us about yourself? Hmmm?” Gareth watched me expectantly a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

I didn’t know what it was, but my body felt relaxed, as if I could implicitly trust him, without knowing a single thing about him.

“For example, Kida, how old are you?”

“I’m 17.”

“Good, good, and how did you come to have a run in with Blake here?” Gareth asked, indicating to Blake.

I glanced up at the fire magician, to be met with his stony expression and then lowered my head quickly.

“I – I might have stolen from him?” I said, my voice squeaking at the end and coming out more as a question.

“She thought she could steal from him and get away with it, probably does it all the time,” Alana spat out hatefully.

“I did not, and I do not,” I bit back, glaring at her.

“Oh, well then, that makes it so much better doesn’t it,” Alana growled out.

“You have no idea what I have been through, or anything about me!”

“Enough!” Gareth yelled, successfully finishing the argument.

Alana and I continued to glare at each other. I would not back down. All my life I had dealt with people like her, those that looked down on me just because of my position in society, but she didn’t know me at all.

“What about your family, do you have anyone we need to contact?” Gareth asked gently, bringing my gaze back to his large, green eyes.

I lowered my eyes and shook my head slowly.

I felt Alana’s emotions shift from contentment to glee. She ran a hand through her shoulder length grey-blonde hair as a smile appeared on her lips.

“I don’t have parents,” I said quietly.

“Oh well even better, just a common street rat,” Alana spat, her voice disdainful. “Not just a thief, and completely unknown - just as plain as the next person on the street,” she continued on spitefully. “That’s just what we need.”

I look up at her in anger to see her mouth curved up in a wicked smile, sneering at me, and that set me off.

Frustration bubbled in my chest and an urge to hit her coursed through my body. I may have lived on the streets, but that was a choice I had no part in.

“I am NOT,” I yelled and tried to get out of bed. I didn’t get far before I was forced down by a tremendous gale that suddenly blew at me.

It pushed my head back against my pillow and made my skin crawl with the pure revulsion that it carried with it.

“Alana, enough,” Gareth said quietly, but his voice commanded power and respect.

Alana’s eyes narrow as she watched me, her face a disgusted mask of hatred. I could feel the energy coming off of her, raw and full of fury, or was it jealousy? I could not quite tell. The emotions seemed to quiver and then break off, the emotions disappearing from my grasp. I could no longer sense her. 

“You can leave my room if you feel like that,” I cautioned, the words slipping out of my mouth in anger before I could stop them. After all, who was I to order a Master Magician around? I knew who she was. She was the Third Magician, the Air Magician. She had quite a reputation that was appearing to be true. There was always gossip floating around the streets of Verdana, and the Third Magician’s temper was often a curious piece of gossip for people to discuss.

Her eyes widened as though she realised I knew, but then the anger returned to her face, a dark look appearing in her cloudy eyes.

“Really?” Alana reared up in anger, her eyes darkening rapidly. They were brewing, like a storm approaching. The grey swirled relentlessly in her eyes and I shivered in the bed. “You think that you can order me around like a servant girl?”

“Stop it,” Gareth said, interrupting her rant. Blake put a hand on her shoulder gently, almost lovingly.

I cringed at the sight and felt my stomach tighten again as I felt the white hot desire flash through me again. Why was I feeling that way? Why would he like her? I looked away, my mouth suddenly dry.

 “Well then,” Gareth remarked, as though he was amazed. His eyes flicked to the door, almost expectantly, but then they glanced to me and watched me, as though waiting for my body to manifest into something gruesome.

I looked up at him almost defiantly; trying not to focus on the other two, one made me angry and the other… well he made something else happen entirely. Something that happened which didn’t feel like it belonged to me; and looking into his face only seemed to make it worse. 

“I’m sorry to hear that, my dear,” Gareth said softly. He patted my arm gently and sat down on the bed closer to me. “Have you been on the streets your entire life? Do you know much about us” – he gestured to himself and the other two – “or Magicians in general?”

His questions were fired out so rapidly. Why did they want to know about me? As Alana had put it, I was a street rat, a nobody, and of no consequence to them.

“No, I haven’t lived on the streets my entire life,” I began slowly, thinking through my words before I said them. I didn’t want to give too much away in case they wanted to use it against me, but I didn’t know if they had the power to sense dishonesty. “I used to live in the Orphanage, the one down on Renn Street. Its just across from the square where I…”

I trailed off as my eyes flitted to Blake’s, who simply raised an eyebrow at me as if daring me to finish my sentence. I could see the anger building within his gaze.

I swallowed my guilt and continued. “I lived there until I was about fifteen. They taught me enough – to read and write, rules of society, and to work with money. I learned some things about Magicians and other creatures like the vampires, wolves and the fae, but only what little the Sisters knew.”

I paused and looked to Gareth who nodded, encouraging me to go on.

“Anyway, once we turned fifteen, the Sisters organise an employer to take us on. We work for food and lodgings, enough to get us by basically. It is an arrangement that continues for life.”

“Hmmm, I see,” Gareth mumbled, appraising me with a tilted head and a contemplative expression. “So, we should be contacting your employer then…?”

A dry laugh burst from my mouth before I could stop it. “No, goodness no. That arrangement… didn’t work out.”

Gareth raised a brown at me in query.

How could I tell them about that? I didn’t know if I should. I knew Alana would only think worse of me, and Gareth would likely frown in disappointment. I hadn’t known them for long, but my understanding of their personalities grew with each moment.

“Why not?” Blake asked gruffly, surprising me.

“We had a difference of opinion when it came to the work that was expected of me,” I responded slowly, watching their reactions.

I knew Blake wanted to ask more, but he simply folded him arms across his chest, his gaze zeroing in on mine as if to probe my mind for the answers.

I didn’t want to tell them. I didn’t want to remember the way his calloused hands had felt sliding along the skin of my thighs as he had tried to move them upwards. Or the sound of his nose breaking when I had punched him. I didn’t want to remember how the guards had dragged me kicking and screaming from the Masonry as the Mason had cursed at them to have me hung, all the while he pressed the bloody rag to his disfigured face. I had felt a sense of satisfaction of that, which had quickly been outweighed by the pressing fear. That had been the first of many trips to the cells and the memories still haunted me during sleep.

If I was to tell them all of that, they would send me back to the cells. I knew they would. If I had learnt anything from the Sisters in the orphanage, it was that Magicians, especially Master Magicians, drew a firm line when it came to punishments for rule breaking. Regardless of the reasons for my assault on the Mason, which I was far too ashamed to discuss with them, it was still a physical attack – which was punishable by death.

“I see,” Blake mumbled.

“Do you?” I responded through clenched teeth, raising my brow in query as anger took a hold of me. What could he really know of the shit I had been through?

Blake met my glare, his eyes narrowing. I wouldn’t allow myself to be the first to look away. I was going to show him.

The air started to pulse around us as the temperature in the room slowly began to rise. I could feel my skin started to sweat in the heat, the air seeming to waver around us.

“Enough, Blake!” Gareth cried out, grabbing Blake’s shoulder and snapping him out of it.

Blake’s flaming eyes darted away from mine and the tension and temperature eased. 

“Sorry,” he muttered as he moved away before his eyes flickering my way and shooting me a final glare.

Alana had a small smirk on her lips that I wanted to wipe of as an irrational rush of anger coursed through my chest. There was seriously something wrong with my emotions lately. 

“So, you have no one?” Alana commented, her lips curling almost in delight. It made suppressing the urge to hit her, even harder.

“Yes, I have no one,” I replied darkly, lowering my gaze to my clenched fists. I didn’t realise that I was death gripping the bed sheets, and took a focussed breath, in order to force them to relax a little. I knew, without looking, Gareth would hold a sympathetic look. People always did when they put two and two together and figured out that I was alone, but what they didn’t know was that I was so used to it, I almost preferred it. 

I glanced up and, sure enough, his face was crinkled in sympathy. I didn’t want or need their sympathy. It did nothing to feed or clothe me. 

“It’s fine though,” I said, shaking my head. “I am happy enough with my life.”

“Well then…” Gareth began, his voice thick with emotion. “In that case, do you mind if I ask you some more questions?”

“No, of course not.”

“You said you knew some of magic, and Magicians, what exactly do you know?”

My fingers played absently with a loose thread of the sheet at my stomach as I thought back to my learning. I could barely remember much of the lessons the Sisters’ had taught me, but the idea of Magicians had always piqued my interest.

“I know there are the five elements… that you are all Master Magicians, who are ranked according to their strength and control. That a Magician’s eyes are indicative of their source elements…” I glanced up meeting Gareth’s surprised gaze.

“That’s more than I thought you would know,” he chuckled. “And of course, you are right, the three of us are Master Magicians.”

I grinned, glad I had paid that little bit more attention in those lessons. It was nice to finally feel worth something.

I am of the Earth,” he said, smiling and bowing. “Then there is Water, Air,” he added, pointing to Alana, “Fire,” Blake’s lips twitched in what I assumed was a small smile, “and –“

“Spyrit?” I summarised. It definitely was all in the eyes. Their power source was reflected in their eyes: Gareth with his bright green, Blake with the red sparks and Alana with her brooding grey. It made sense that she would be of the Air, I thought haughtily, after all, she seemed to be such a dreary, dour person.

 “Yes, Spyrit,” Gareth agreed, nodding slowly and interrupting my thoughts again. 

“What colour is Spyrit?” I asked, and I sensed surprise radiate from Gareth.

He smiled gently and I waited. I could feel the amusement in the air. I got the impression he wasn’t going to tell me.

“Now Darius is the current First Magician, and Water Magician,” Gareth said, continuing on as if I hadn’t interrupted. “I am the Second, the Earth Magician, and I’m guessing you can put two and two together to know which is which with Alana and Blake.”

My eyes flicked over to the other two magicians, both of which looked annoyed and bored at the current topic of conversation.

“Together with other creatures, vampires, wolves, the fae, and even non-magic folk,” Gareth gestured to me, “The balance of power in maintained between light and dark.”

My eyebrows furrowed slightly, unsure of why he was telling me all of this. My head was spinning and I felt uneasy to the stomach. I understood all of what he was saying, but why was it important to me? After all of this, they were going to dump me in the cells, or if I was lucky, back on the streets, and they were going to leave and go on with their business.

“I still don’t understand why I am here, and not in the cells.”

“Well –”.

“See how dim-witted she is?” Alana interrupted angrily. “She doesn’t even know; she has no idea of the shift in the balance of pow –”.

“Stop!” Blake growled cutting her off. His eyes were dark and brooding, the red flashing through dangerously.

Alana’s eyes darkened and narrowed as her face turned to him and she bared her teeth like an animal.

“You are still a child,” she hissed quietly, in a deadly voice. “Trying to protect your little heart again but I tell you it won’t work.” She smiled cruelly, her eyes dark and wicked. “I can smell it, a storm is coming and it’s heading straight for you!”

If Blake was afraid, he didn’t show it, he just stood watching her with his face cold and hard. His eyes were bright and I could finally sense something from him - it was anger and it pulsed off of him like a flame.

My head spun as I tried to make sense of her comment. But what was I thinking? Not many of their comments made sense. There was really no point in trying to figure any of them out. They spoke as if I should know what was happening, at the same time as acting if they did not want to share what was going on. But I already knew that. Growing up on the streets I had heard the stories. The Master Magicians kept many secrets and many things to themselves – it was their way. But why were they telling me all of this? I was, after all, just a street rat with no magic - a commoner.

I sensed fear and the humming began as a low buzz in my ears. I tried to block it out, but now the humming was mingled with the scream, like a fuzzy sound that wasn’t coming through properly. It echoed, and came closer, and further away as I screwed up my face in the effort to stop it.

I had no idea what was happening but a slamming door broke through the noise and the sound seemed to just stop. Blake was watching me, his eyes dark and brooding. I could see the emotions circling around in them. Strings of emotion had been set free from his mind and floated around him, now that he had finally let his guard down. I could sense fear as well as pain, and a lot of it. I realised I had taken on the emotion, letting it seep into me so it was part of me, the despair swelling around inside.

Alana had left abruptly, however I could still feel the tension that remained in the room.

Gareth had his eyes on Blake too, his mouth in a tight line.

Had any of them noticed what had happened? Hadn’t they heard the humming sound that seemed to pulse around me? I pulled the covers up under my nose hoping I could fade away. 

“I’m sorry Kida,” Gareth offered, and I imagined, with sombre eyes. “This is hard for her. Alana is still grieving.”

“It has been twelve years Gareth,” Blake spoke softly, his eyes rolling. “I think she has had long enough to grieve.”

“You have yet to experience the loss of someone so close to you. The connection they had… and regardless of that fact, she was still Axian’s student.”

“Axian? The Axian… As in… the last Spyrit Magician?” I pulled the covers down so I could see them both watching me.

“Yes,” Blake said quietly, his eyes sad.

My stomach tightened and I bowed my head in shame again. I had no idea how Alana felt. To lose someone important must be a hard thing. I got the strange feeling that Blake knew how she felt too.

Instead, I just had an empty hollow where something important should have been; the memories, the love, the thoughts of the parents that I never knew, parents that I had long ago lost all hope of thinking actually loved me.

I felt so ashamed of myself.

“Wait… What exactly happened to him?” I asked, my mind suddenly clicking. I knew something about the history of the Magicians, as all citizens of Verdana did, but there was so much mystery that surrounded Axian’s death. He was the first Magician. Strong and powerful, and from what I knew, very much young and healthy when he had died. Now I had the opportunity to hear it from the Magicians themselves.

Gareth and Blake looked at each other quickly, their faces worried.

“He was…murdered, Kida,” Gareth proclaimed finally, his voice cold and full of hate.

“Gareth, you continue to think it was murder, but I disagree,” a voice countered. 

I looked up to see a big pair of wide blue eyes staring at me, and a wise calculating look deep inside them. I knew instantly, just by meeting those eyes that seemed to ripple like water, exactly those he was.

It was the Water Magician.