by Jake Kerr
“I can’t believe I can’t see an entire castle,” I muttered.
“No, Tommy. You can see it. The illusionist didn’t make it invisible. That would require bending light around it. The illusionist makes you think it is smaller.”
Something about Mister Ali’s comment caught my attention but at that moment the door opened, and I pushed such distractions aside. It was the young illusionist. “She won’t see you.” And without further comment he slammed the door.
I looked at Mister Ali, who appeared puzzled. I was stunned. Naomi had always been a friend. We escaped the Citadel together. I saved her life! And now she wouldn’t see me? I couldn’t understand it.
“Perhaps we can find other help, Tommy," Mister Ali said, his voice subdued and respectful. He must have sensed my confused feelings.
“No.” I rapped on the door with the head of the cane. “Something is wrong. I feel it.” There was no response, so I rapped on the door harder. The door remained closed, and I started to get more concerned and angry.
“Perhaps she simply is focusing on her studies, Tommy.” I ignored Mister Ali and banged the door with the cane loudly and with great force. “You strike too hard, Tommy. You may harm the staff.”
I knew that harming the staff was impossible, so I ignored Mister Ali. By then I was convinced that Naomi was held captive or worse. The illusionist was Russian! Maybe he was trying to steal her knowledge.
These and other irrational thoughts filled my head as I pounded on the door. I knew I couldn’t just walk through whatever magical shields protected the castle, so my goal was to simply get the Russian to answer the door again. I would use the staff to get past any defenses at that point.
With more desperation I pounded on the door, and to my shock the cane started to warm in my hand. With each impact I could feel an increasing vibration in the staff.
“Tommy, what are you doing?” Mister Ali looked up with alarm in his eyes. I slammed the cane against the door and heard a rumbling. I struck again. “You will bring the entire castle down if you keep that up!”
The door flew open, and the young Russian stood in front of me. He looked terrified. “Archmage, please. Do not destroy the castle. Please. I have a message from Naomi.” I lowered the cane and leaned on it. The illusionist looked like he wanted to do anything but speak. He finally whispered, “Naomi wants me to tell you that—” he gulped. “—She finds your temper tantrum sad but predictable, and that ‘When the streetlight learns how to be a friend he can ask me politely about a visit.’” I didn’t move, but the young man added in a strained voice, “Please don’t kill us.”
I shook my head. “Kill you? Why would I kill you?” I turned to Mister Ali. “That certainly sounds like Naomi.”
“Indeed. Did you offend her when you last saw her?” I thought back to our last meeting. It was awkward, and Naomi seemed upset, but I didn’t think I said anything wrong. Did I misread something? It was certainly possible. I was an idiot with girls, let alone someone as headstrong as Naomi.
“I don’t think so,” I replied. I turned to the young Russian. “My name is Tommy Black. We can work this out with a conversation. Please let us in.” He shook his head. “I said let us in.” He went to close the door, and I shoved forward plowing into him, knocking him backward.
While I knew to expect the entry to a castle, when I entered it was still a huge shock seeing it. I had just been outside a cabin, and now I was stumbling into a stone entryway that was twice its size. The Russian gathered his balance, his face intense.
“He is a master of illusion, Tommy! Be wary!” Mister Ali yelled. I squeezed the cane to stop time, forgetting that the staff had decided to take that power from me.
“Last chance. Leave,” he said. Presumably his fear of Naomi was greater than his fear of the Archmage. I looked around. I was helpless, and all I could do with the staff was the useless stuff I could do before. I considered creating darkness, but that just meant I’d have to stumble over to find Mister Ali, with the constant danger of discovery. I could have blinded the illusionist, but I really didn’t want to hurt anyone. If only I could make him not see us without blinding him.
And at that point two random conversations came together in my mind—my great grandfather berating me for not being creative enough in my study of my powers with the staff, and Mister Ali outside the door talking about light bending around us. Of course. It didn’t even require a thought. Light flowed around me.
“Where did he go?” I heard our host's strained voice. I was invisible, but the trouble was that I couldn’t see either. That’s when the final piece clicked into place. My own eyes need light to hit them so I could see. I allowed light to bend all around me with the exception of the center of my irises. I could see.
I walked over to the edge of the room.
The young Russian's eyes darted around. “What sorcery is this, Ali?” Mister Ali was smiling. “I have the Sight, and this is not an illusion. What is happening?”
“What is happening, young man, is that you are facing the most powerful Archmage in history.” Mister Ali closed the door behind him, and walked over to the Russian, who was crouched in a defensive position. "What is your name?"
"Arkady," he replied.
"Well, Arkady, why don’t you just go tell Miss Naomi that her rude friend Tommy did not take no for an answer.” He looked around the room. “I see you have no chairs. It matters not. We do not mind standing while we wait.”
Arkady nodded and backed out of the room. Once he was a few steps down the hall he breathed easier and increased his pace. He didn’t know that I was following.
8
AN ANGRY NAOMI
We walked down a long hall, up a staircase, and then down another hall. The castle was indeed huge, but it appeared to be mostly empty. There was a library with a fire, and on the second floor there was a soft light coming from behind a partially closed door, but those were the only signs of life. Eventually, we climbed another staircase that ended at a single wooden door. Arkady knocked on it.
“Come in.” It was Naomi.
I snuck past as Arkady closed the door and continued into the room. It was large and circular, with bookshelves full of books of all sizes filling the walls. Against the far wall was a large plush reading chair with books piled on a table next to it. A gas lantern filled the room with a diffused light.
Naomi looked up as Arkady approached, and my heart filled with a painful yearning, not necessarily of the romantic sort but of the type you feel when you finally see a dear friend that you have been parted from for many years. Standing across the room, alone and invisible, made things even worse.
I couldn’t help but stare. Naomi looked thinner. Her face was drawn, and she seemed sad and tired. She smiled slightly as Arkady approached. “Did he leave?” He shook his head, which elicited a bigger smile from Naomi. “I didn’t think he would. Did you get the door closed? Is he waiting outside? I should make him wait in the wet and cold for a few days before I see him. Teach him some humility.” Arkady was shuffling his feet nervously, and Naomi noticed. “What’s wrong? Did he stop time before you could get the door closed?”
The words came out in a jumble. “No. He didn’t stop time at all. He forced his way into the foyer and turned himself invisible and I couldn’t see him and you told me not to hurt him anyway and I wasn’t sure what to do but he told me to come get you so here I am.” Naomi frowned, and Arkady added, “I’m sorry.” I couldn’t tell if Arkady was afraid of Naomi or worried about disappointing her.
“It’s okay.” Her voice was warm as she talked to him, which made me jealous. I wanted her to talk to me that way. Naomi’s brow furrowed. “Wait. He didn’t stop time?” Not waiting for a response, Naomi stood up. “Something is wrong.” She looked concerned as she placed a book on the table next to her. “I will handle this.”
She walked past Arkady as he held up a hand. “One more thing.”
Naomi stopped and waited. In her look I could se
e that she was simply waiting for Arkady to speak, to provide her knowledge, to interact with her on his own terms. And in that look I saw all the maturity that had developed over the past two years. She was obviously still rebellious and wouldn’t listen to anyone, let alone me. She was just as intense as I remembered. Yet she was now willing to listen.
But then I considered something else. What if she was listening because Arkady was more than just a fellow magician? Were they alone in this castle? A handsome young man alone with her to share an interest in magic? Could they perhaps be girlfriend and boyfriend? My chest started to tighten as I pondered the possibilities.
As Naomi listened, Arkady stated, “Mister Ali is with him.”
Her eyes went wide, and I saw what I thought was fear in them. “He is in trouble,” was all she said before she rushed to the door. I ran to follow, doing my best to not make any noise or to give away that I was behind her. Luckily there were no closed doors between her study and the foyer, so as she rushed in, I quickly followed behind and moved over to be near Mister Ali, who stood like a statue, his arms crossed, and his eyes looking at the door we just entered through.
“Tommy?” Naomi’s eyes darted around the room. I stopped light from bending around me. Ali jumped a bit in surprise, while Naomi’s eyes went wide. I smiled.
“Isn’t it neat?”
She marched over, a scowl on her face. The scowl somehow made her prettier, with her sharp cheekbones and blue eyes framed by furrowed brows and a gritted jaw. She was wearing a white cotton shirt and khaki pants, which was almost the same outfit I remembered her wearing when I had last seen her. But more than anything I was distracted by her straight blonde hair, which was fine and airy as it flew around her head with each step.
“How dare you!” she exclaimed, hitting me on the upper arm, punctuating each word with a punch. “You leave me for two years, forgetting all about me, and now you just show up with a smile and a neat trick?” She paused and stared at me, her chest heaving. I stepped back, thoroughly confused. In her office she seemed incredibly concerned about me, and yet now she was in a rage.
“Naomi—” Mister Ali said, which elicited a quick spin on her heels to face him.
“No, traitor. There is no Naomi from you.” She turned back to me. Her eyes were glistening. “You have some nerve, Tommy. Tossing me aside and then forcing your way into my home.” She emphasized the word home, and I was perhaps one of the only people in the world to know the force the word held for her. She had lost her home when her mother was killed defending us from an attack.
“Naomi, listen—”
“No, Streetlight. You listen to me. Yeah, I know. You went out and did all of these great deeds saving magical creatures. Believe it or not, I’m proud of you for doing that.” She took a deep breath and added, “but you left me behind, Tommy. You left me behind.”
I didn’t reply. I was devastated. All of my feelings came rushing back as I watched her rage. I had seen her passionate anger again and again. It was one of the things I loved about her.
She looked at me while I looked at her. Finally, I replied, my voice a whisper, “I didn’t know you wanted to come.”
Her eyes went wide, and she hit me in the arm again. “You’re an idiot. Why would you think I wouldn’t want to come?”
“Because I’m an idiot?” I sensed the barest hints of a smile. I lowered my head. “You deserved more than to just run around with me, anyway. You needed more. And what about your magic? You were an amazing magician. You are an amazing magician. You wouldn’t want to waste a chance at learning more just to watch me run around with this.” I held up the cane.
“Well, thank you for being kind enough to decide for me how I should run my life, Mister Black. That’s so very gallant of you.”
“Wait, I didn’t mean it that way!” She was mad again. I just didn’t know how to talk to girls, most of all Naomi. Even when I tried to say something positive it came out all wrong.
“What did you mean then?” The hint of a smile was gone, and the rage was simmering.
“I- I don’t know. I wanted you with me, but I was afraid. I don’t know why. Maybe I thought you’d get hurt. Maybe I thought you’d get bored. Maybe I thought you were more interested in learning magic than being with me. I don’t know. I really don’t.” I looked down at her face, which I couldn’t read at all. “I wanted you with me, but the thought scared me. There. Are you happy?”
Naomi smiled. “Happy you finally told me the truth? Yes, I am.” And like that the anger was gone. She turned and walked over to the door. “Follow me. There’s a room with chairs down this hall.” She glanced over at Mister Ali. “And the traitor can come, too.”
I looked at Mister Ali, who shrugged.
9
DISCUSSIONS BY FIRELIGHT
Not far down the hall there was an arch to the left that opened into the small study that I passed earlier. Naomi marched in, and the rest of us followed. To the right was a desk with chairs in front of it, and to the left was a sofa against the wall with wingback reading chairs facing it. A large painting dominated the wall opposite the entry. It portrayed a mighty dragon falling from the sky from what looked like an attack from a Persian magician. Under the painting was a large fireplace, a crackling fire in its hearth. Gas lamps on sconces were interspersed along the walls. Unlike the Scottish weather, it was bright, warm, and comfortable.
Naomi sat in one of the wingback chairs. She leaned forward, her elbows on her thighs, and her hands folded between her legs. I sat in the other chair while Mister Ali sat on the couch.
She nodded toward Mister Ali. “What’s with him?”
“You can call me Mister Ali, Naomi.” He was clearly irked by her attitude, and it made me smile inside. Naomi drove everybody crazy. She ignored him and waited for me to reply.
I recounted my story, outlining how I visited Cain and how I was preparing to go to Germany when the staff somehow rebelled.
“I’m so sorry, Tommy. That must have been scary.” I nodded. I hadn’t exactly described it that way to the adults, but Naomi nailed it—it was scary, like suddenly losing your sense of hearing or sight.
“Mister Ali thinks that it must contain a magical creature, and that it may be trying to break free.”
“Of course it contains a magical creature. Where did you possibly think the magic came from?” Naomi rolled her eyes.
“I don’t know!” I replied, embarrassed at my own naïveté and ignorance. “It’s a big question that I need to answer, but more importantly I’m trying to understand what this means for me and my control over the staff.”
“I see. Nice to see your concern for enslaved magical creatures has a limit.”
I stared at Naomi. “Is that what you think of me?” I stood up. “You really think that’s how I feel?” I took a step toward her, preparing to yell, but I was too hurt to even do that. “Come on, Mister Ali. We don’t need her help.”
I strode toward the door wondering if I was making a huge mistake but too hurt to care.
“Tommy! I’m sorry!” I continued through the arch. I didn’t care if Naomi or Mister Ali followed me. No one knew what was in my heart but me. I had spent two years alone, chased, and harassed. I could do it again. There were footsteps behind me, and a hand grabbed my shoulder.
“Tommy. Please.” It was Naomi. I stopped and turned. Naomi’s face was red, and she looked scared. “I sometimes say things that I don’t mean. I don’t know why I do it. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. You just say things that hurt others. I get it. It’s your schtick. Ha ha. You don’t know why. It’s just a thing.” I turned and started walking. “Well do your thing with someone else.”
“Tommy!” She ran around me and planted herself in front of me. I had to stop so I didn’t run into her. Holding out her hand, she spoke, her words coming out fast and clipped as tears started to fall down her cheeks. “I don’t know why I do it. Maybe it’s because I don’t like people being close, but that’s not
right because I like you Tommy and having you around was one of the things I’ve really missed so maybe I am just afraid of that. Maybe I think you’ll leave me like my dad did and my mother did and you did before and I just don’t want that to happen to me again and maybe I’ve always felt that way because I’ve always been alone.”
“So you are pushing me away because you’re afraid I’ll leave you?”
“I don’t know.” To my utter shock, Naomi walked forward and put her arms around me, hugging me tight. I lowered my hands onto her back and returned her hug as she whispered, “I really don’t know anything.”
“I don’t either,” I whispered.
“All I know is that you’re really my only friend in the whole world.” She pulled away and wiped her face with the sleeve of her shirt.
“You’re my only real friend, too,” I replied. “And I seem to have done a pretty good job of pushing you away in the past.”
“Ha. We’re a pair. Both of us do our best to drive away our friends, including each other.” She grabbed my arm and tugged as she headed back toward the study. Mister Ali was near the archway, watching both of us. “I’m sorry I’m so difficult, Tommy.”
“I’m sorry that I’m so clueless.”
We sat down and Naomi’s mocking attitude was gone. “So the staff is no longer working?”
“No. Some of it works. Just not the most powerful magic.”
“So you’ve done magic with the staff since then?”
“Yes. I’ve created, removed, and focused light.”
“What about the invisibility thing. What was that?”
“Oh, that’s a new power I just discovered. I can bend light around things making them invisible. They exist, but they can’t be seen because the light won’t reflect off them back to our eyes.”
“I did not know that, Tommy,” Mister Ali finally spoke up. I glanced at him. He was rubbing his chin. “That’s a powerful magic in and of itself.”
