by Simon Archer
“You’re right, that pie was delicious,” Nadeine said after finishing her second piece. “You’re quite talented.”
“Well, that’s the magic, really,” I said as I polished off my third piece.
“Exactly,” she said. “I’ve been told that the better a person is with magic, the better the food they create with their magic will taste.” She smacked her fork against her plate. “And this is divine.”
“Well, thanks then,” I said as I rubbed the back of my neck. “Maybe I should try some more cooking then.”
“Perhaps another time,” she said as she got to her feet. “If you make anything else that delicious, you’ll have to roll me out of here.” She clapped her hands. “Besides, I thought maybe we could try some telekinesis.”
“Oh, I always wanted to use the force to move objects with my mind,” I said with a laugh.
“It is a useful skill to be sure,” Nadeine replied as she handed me another scroll. “Especially because I want you to move that table over there.”
I almost remarked that the table in question was massive, long and wide, and seemed to be made out of a heavy metal substance, like my bedframe.
This spell was definitely harder too. It was a more complex melody, an A minor scale this time with several variations.
As I hummed the melody, the lights I produced were fewer in number, but considerably brighter. The lights snaked out around the tabletop and flipped it over.
“You are advancing far more quickly than we expected.” Nadeine looked at me, her eyes wide and her eyebrows arched. “You already have a strong foundation for our magic. Our time may be coming after all.”
“Time for what?” I asked.
“For getting back what is ours,” she said, and though I wanted to ask about it, I knew from the look on her face that the topic was closed to discussion, at least for now anyway.
After practice, we went to dinner in a great hall full of elves. The high council sat at a table in the front, and Nadeine and I were invited to join them. As with my breakfast, the food was almost endless. I ate some kind of succulent meat pie, a thick pasta covered in cheese, and more than one helping of thick bread pudding. It was mouth-wateringly good.
“How do you get so much food without magic?” I asked Nadeine.
“It took a long time for the kingdom to recover from the loss of our magic, but over time we’ve recovered many of the skills necessary to survive without it,” she said. “Even so, the loss cuts deep. We long to practice our magic as we once did.”
I thought about how empty I felt when I wasn’t able to play my cello, and I thought I understood what she meant.
“So, what will we work on tomorrow?” I asked as we headed back toward my room.
“You will not work with me tomorrow,” Nadeine said when we reached my door. “Dalibor will assist you in your practice since you are advancing so quickly. Remember, he is the head of the council. He used the magic when he was a small child, so perhaps he will be of more assistance to you.”
“Okay, sounds like a plan,” I said, but there a twinge had appeared deep in my stomach, kind of like whenever I was going to meet a famous new instructor at Julliard. It was a strange combination of fear and excitement.
3
Nadeine woke me again the next morning and took me to the library where Dalibor was waiting for me, still sporting the long golden robes he had been wearing at the council meeting.
“Hello, Leo,” he said brightly. “The council is very impressed with your quick progression. I look forward to working with you today.”
“Thanks,” I said, looking around to see if there were any props for my practice today. “Do you think I’ll be able to make a cello appear today?”
“A… cello?” Dalibor asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.
“Yeah, the instrument that I play,” I said.
“Ah, yes.” A flash of understanding crossed Dalibor’s sharp features. “I don’t think so, Leo, I’m sorry. It usually takes many years for mages to conjure an instrument. My older brother was nearly fifteen when we lost our magic, and he had yet to conjure one.”
“Well, hopefully, it doesn’t take that long for it to appear,” I said, determined to work even harder.
“I doubt it will take you very long to manifest an instrument,” Dalibor said cheerfully. “You have already progressed into your magical adolescence. You are performing spells that would take children two or three years to master.”
“Wow, really?” I said, relieved. I wanted to get back to the cello as soon as possible. Even now, I was itching to go up to my room and pull out my instrument. I had fallen asleep before I’d gotten a chance the night before. “Why do you think that is? That I’m advancing so quickly, I mean.”
“I’m not sure,” Dalibor said, his brow furrowing. “Part of it may be your age. Our children would develop their magical abilities as toddlers and start learning by the time they were five. Perhaps you are able to advance more quickly because your mental faculties are stronger. Personally, I think it is your knowledge of your world’s ‘music’ that is behind it. You seem to have a natural aptitude for our magic.”
I straightened up, a rush of pride washing through me. It almost felt like when that famous cellist had taken an interest in me in middle school and given me private lessons. It felt good to have someone important think I was doing something well.
“So today, Leo, we will be working on a spell to provide light,” Dalibor said, gesturing around at the surrounding room.
“Light?” I asked. “Don’t they all do that?”
“Ah,” Dalibor said. “You are referring to the lights you see when you produce your magic. Yes, you are correct that those lights appear during every spell. But they only last for the duration of the spell’s action. For an illumination spell, the action is prolonged, and the point of the spell is to provide light in a dark room or area.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “So, this spell lasts a lot longer than the other ones.”
“Exactly. That’s what makes it so much more complex. But we think it is worth a shot since you are advancing so quickly. If you cannot produce or sustain the spell, however, do not worry. We are asking a lot of you with this one.”
I thought they had probably asked a lot of me already, but it had gone well so far. Dalibor pulled a scroll out of his flowing golden robes and handed it to me.
I studied it. Dalibor was right in that it was a much more complicated scale. It was an A-flat major: not the most difficult scale, but not exactly a simple one either. There were three variations this time instead of the usual one or two.
I sat down cross-legged in the middle of a circle again and memorized the melody. It took a little longer than the previous spells, but not a lot.
When I stood and started humming the melody, streams of golden light didn’t appear like they normally did. Instead, particles of light formed in the air all around us and illuminated the room. I could feel the energy draining from me as if my own body was what was providing the light for the entire library. I supposed that was because it was.
Dalibor was laughing and running his hands through the golden particles of light in the air. The wrinkles around his eyes crinkled, lighting up his face.
“Was it supposed to do that?” I asked as the light dissipated. The scale wasn’t quite complete yet, and none of the other spells had ended before I was done with the tune.
“No, but it’s alright, Leo. That was far more than I ever would have expected on your first try. Let’s keep going until you can hold it for an extended period.”
I nodded. I was able to hold the light for only a few moments at first, and then we built up until it stayed for an entire hour. I was exhausted, far more than I had been the night before, but adrenaline and excitement were rushing through me.
“This is excellent, Leo, excellent,” Dalibor said, clapping his hands together once in excitement. “You are progressing beyond what we ever could have expected.”
“What do you want me to do with all this stuff?” I asked, voicing a question that had been nagging at the back of my mind since I’d arrived in Eviorah. “Nadeine said something about ‘taking back what’ is yours? Do you think I can give you your magic back?”
Dalibor’s face darkened. “These are very good questions, Leo. For now, we just want to investigate your magic and see how your abilities progress. We will speak more of this soon, is that alright?”
“Sure,” I said, not sure how else to respond. I put the issue out of my mind and went to dinner with Dalibor and the others, a delicious four-course meal of smoked fish, chowder, and biscuits and gravy. As we ate, Dalibor told the other council members about our practice session.
“Leo Hayden is doing exceptionally well,” he explained to a wrinkly old man sitting on his other side. “I have little doubt that he will far exceed even our wildest expectations.”
“Is this so?” the old man asked, leaning back in his chair and looking at me carefully. “What has he accomplished thus far?”
“He has learned many basic spells for moving objects and completing tasks in the previous few days,” Dalibor answered, reaching out and piling more food onto my plate when he noticed I was running low. “And today, he mastered the light spell in a very short amount of time indeed.”
“This is excellent news,” a middle-aged woman said, leaning her head down to the table so that Dalibor and I could see her. “I am most impressed and excited to hear this.” A man sitting next to her whose facial features looked a lot like Dalibor’s leaned forward now.
“I must say, Brother,” he said, speaking to Dalibor. “I had my doubts about plucking a stranger from another world, but I have never been happier to be proven wrong.”
“Rare praise, Noham,” Dalibor said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he winked at me so the other man couldn’t see. “You honor me. I will remember this moment forever.” I stifled a laugh and dug into a third helping of the chowder before returning to my room.
That evening, I meant to pull out my cello, but once again fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
4
The next day, Nadeine let me hop back through the portal to contact my family. I knew they would be starting to worry soon, and I didn’t want my mom to call the police or anything. It was kind of weird going back to Earth. We exited the portal back in the alley by the bar, and I noticed that the air in Queens had a stale quality to it compared to Eviorah, and the whole place just seemed dull. I called my mom as soon as we stepped out of the portal. She answered before the first ring was even up.
“Oh, honey, where have you been?” she said, not giving me a moment to respond. “I tried to call you to come over the other night for dinner, but you never responded. You’re not sick, are you? Do you need chicken noodle soup? I can bring you chicken noodle soup. Just sit tight, I’ll be right over.”
“No, Mom,” I said hastily. “No need. I’m not home, actually. I’m really sorry for the blackout, but I got a gig touring in Europe.”
“You did,” she screeched into my ear, gasping audibly. “Oh my goodness, Leo, I knew you could do it. I just knew it. I’m so proud of you. Hold on, let me call your father. We’ll have a party tonight.”
“Hold on, Mom,” I said, wincing at the thought of her going to so much trouble. “It’s okay. There’s really no need. I’ve actually left already. It was a substitute position, and there wasn’t any time. Their cellist got some kind of weird flu and had to cancel. I’m already at the airport.”
“Oh, we’ll come to meet you, honey. I’ll get your dad from work…”
“No, Mom, I’m sorry,” I said. “My flight leaves in just a few minutes. You won’t make it by then. I’ll be fine, I promise. But I won’t be able to contact you for a while. Can’t afford the international phone, you know. I’ll let you know what’s up as soon as I can. But I’m all good. There’s no need to worry.”
“Oh, okay, sweetie,” she said, and I could hear the disappointment in her voice. “We’re so proud of you. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, swallowing a lump in my throat. “I love you guys.”
“We love you too, Leo,” she said, and before she could say anything else, I hung up and headed back through the portal with Nadeine.
Over the next few days, I continued to practice with both Dalibor and Nadeine. I learned new spells very quickly and spent most of my time committing them to memory and practicing jumping between them. I learned spells for cooking meat, creating a small flame, writing without a writing utensil, silencing nearby noises, and raising and moving more objects into the air.
On my fifth day back in Eviorah, Dalibor introduced me to a new kind of spell.
“Alright, Leo,” Dalibor said as Nadeine led me into the library. “I believe it is time for us to try our hand at combat spells.”
“Awesome,” I said, excited. This was something I’d been waiting for since I first discovered my new abilities. I looked at the scroll and committed the subtle variation on an F-sharp minor scale to memory.
“Okay, I’ve got it,” I said a few moments later.
“Excellent,” Dalibor replied. “Let’s begin then.” He turned his attention to Nadeine. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” Then the female elf stalked over to one of the circles etched on the library’s floor and unsheathed her sword. It was long and silver, like her armor, but a bit lighter in color. It looked heavy, but the way she wielded it, she made it seem like a feather.
“Do I get a sword?” I asked, eyeing the long silver blade with envy.
“You don’t need one, Leo,” Dalibor smiled. “You have magic, which can overpower any sword if your spells are sufficiently advanced.”
“Oh.” It was really cool that I got to do magic, but a sword would have been nice, too. Then again, maybe I could make a magic sword? “Do I have to aim it at her or anything?” I asked, referring to the magic.
“No, the magic will detect her presence as an enemy,” Dalibor said. “Or at least, it should.”
“Great…” I said, eyeing Nadeine’s sword again. It looked very sharp.
Nadeine grinned. “You will have to just overtake me before I reach you.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath and decided to do my best. Then I began to hum the subtle variation on an F-sharp minor scale, the most difficult scale to learn.
Nadeine launched herself at me, swinging her sword, and I jumped backward. As I dodged for my life, my voice began to falter.
“Don’t stop singing the spell,” Dalibor called out, and I started up again as I darted around Nadeine’s slashes.
She nearly caught me once or twice, but as soon as I started humming the scale again, thin strips of golden light arose between us and wrapped themselves around her sword, yanking it away from her before pushing her back out of the circle.
Dalibor clapped when I stopped humming and reached down to help Nadeine up. She gripped my hand tightly but looked away from me when I met her eyes.
“Yes, well done, Leo,” she said, her eyes wide with excitement.
“I think it’s time for us to reconvene the council,” Dalibor said. “And provide some answers to your many questions, Leo.” That sounded good to me. Questions had been racing through my head the whole time I’d been in Eviorah, but every time I asked someone, they’d just tell me I’d get answers later. I guessed later had finally come.
We walked together to the room at the top of the building where I had first discovered my powers what felt like a lifetime ago. My life in Queens felt so far away. It may as well have been lived by a different person. Juilliard felt even more distant.
When we arrived in the council chambers, the rest of the council members were already there waiting for us, and two younger elves I didn’t know were standing off to the side. One was a man who looked a lot like Nadeine, and the other was a very pretty girl with soft features and kind eyes. I vaguely recognized both of them from t
he hall where I’d been eating dinner. Dalibor climbed up to his chair and addressed the rest of the council.
“Thank you all for convening on such short notice,” he said. “Our new friend Leo Hayden has been progressing exceptionally well. He has mastered a whole host of rudimentary and intermediate spells already, and just today has displayed an ability to engage in combat.”
The other members of the council turned and muttered to each other in hushed, excited tones. Dalibor motioned for them to be quiet and turned to me.
“Leo, you asked me when we first practiced together for what purpose you have been brought here to learn are magic,” Dalibor said. “What Nadeine told you is true. We do wish to regain the abilities that were taken from us.” He sighed heavily, either from loss or regret. “Many years ago, a young elf named Viktor was exiled from our kingdom for violent and erratic behavior. We have reason to believe that he was behind the force that took our magic. We also have reason to believe that he is hiding out in the vast forest beyond our city gates. The forest is too dangerous for us without our magic, though we have developed our abilities as swordsmen. This is why we must ask you to help us in our quest.”
I tried to process all of this new information. “Wait, you want me to find this Viktor person for you?” I asked.
“Yes, if you would be so kind and brave as to accept this task,” the woman named Magdalina said.
“Alone?” I asked. They couldn’t possibly expect me to do that. I had no idea where this forest even was.
“No, not alone,” Dalibor said, smiling a little. “You will be accompanied by two accomplished warriors. You already know Nadeine, of course, and this is her brother, Bernsten.” He gestured to the corner where the three younger elves stood.
“And this,” he continued, turning to the girl with the kind face, “is my daughter, Marinka. She will represent the council on this mission since we are too old and slow to be of much use to you.”
