Maren was among the first brave novices who took the courage to grab their books. She was also among the first unfortunate novices to feel their weight.
“The Fauna of Aria, The magickal Powers of Stones, Herbology – book one,” she read the book titles aloud, taking one from each. But as she picked them up from the table, she understood the fun was over. When she failed to bring the books at least to the library exit, she wailed, “That's impossible!” Her fingers were ready to drop the books on the floor, when suddenly, one by one, they all disappeared from under her nose.
“Here, let me take them for you,” said Magnus kindly, taking all three books from her and placing them on the top of his own books. Now he was carrying six heavy books, but he moved around as if he was holding absolutely nothing.
Maren looked utterly dazed. But after what she saw last night, she had started getting used to it. Magnus was the strongest of all novices, there was no doubt about that.
“Thank you,” Maren said, grabbing one of her books back. “But I'll take this one. Don't want my arms feeble.” At these words, they both chuckled.
Darius was watching all this from where he stood with his gang, although he hadn't spoken with them since the quarrel in the kitchen. All five members of the Black Squad were standing next to the table with books, but until now, they hadn't even laid a finger on them.
“Hey,” said a girl's voice quietly.
When Darius turned in the direction where it came from, he flinched in shock. It was Fjalldís.
Fjalldís turned to him shyly, staring at the floor while saying, “I just wanted to thank you for –” She didn't finish the sentence for all his friends were furtively looking at her. Surely they wanted to hear it. Just what could she want to thank Darius for?
“Well, you know what for,” Fjalldís said, reaching for her books. That was however nothing but an act to hide her red face.
For a moment, Darius didn't seem to believe what had just happened. Perhaps the potion from Viktor really worked? As he looked at Magnus again, he got a brilliant idea. After all, the books couldn't be so heavy, considering that he took six of them at once without any difficulty.
“Here, let me take these for you,” Darius said simply.
“Really?” Fjalldís said, a trace of surprise in her voice. “But... are you sure you can carry all that?”
“Sure, it's nothing,” Darius said confidently. He reached for his own books but when he discovered he could barely hold them, it was too late. Fjalldís placed hers on top of his and in the next moment they could look for him on the floor.
That was it. Nightmares, no sleep, hassled by his friends, tired from cooking and now, on top of it all, disgraced in front of a girl.
Fjalldís clapped her hands to her mouth. “A-are you all right?” she gasped, sounding rather concerned.
There was no answer to that question. Without a word spoken, Darius drew himself up from under the books, although he'd rather never get up again.
“I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't think you wouldn't make it,” said Fjalldís in an attempt to apologise, but the four biting stares of Darius' friends made her pick up the books in a hurry. It was time to set off. “Anyway, thanks... But I think I will just take them myself,” she said quickly, disappearing in haste, although she was carrying three heavy weights.
As Darius was glaring at Magnus in envy, there was a burst of laughter behind him.
“That's how it ends up when someone plays a hero,” said Viktor tartly.
This comment wasn't something that would make Darius feel any better, but at least his friends spoke to him again. Perhaps they could finally forget about the morning hassle.
“This is my doomsday,” growled Darius, sweeping dust off his black clothes.
Giselbert gave him a friendly pat on the back. “Don't worry, there will be a plenty of other opportunities,” he said cheerfully.
“I'm not so sure,” said Darius as he saw Fjalldís admiring Magnus' strength from a distance. And she wasn't the only one.
Then Aedan's resonant voice got their attention. “All right, my little potential druids. Have you had enough fun? Everybody get in line and march towards the courtyard. Quickly now, come on,” he said, hurrying them out.
Everyone with their portion of the load, the novices shambled out to the courtyard. From there, Aedan took them through the town and down the serpentine road to the rocky valley and the forest.
As they walked, the novices broke into groups and were busy chatting. Magnus decided to use this opportunity to tell Maren about his vision from last night. He leaned close to her discreetly, whispering, “Last night I saw something very odd in that crystal ball. There was someone in flames but he wasn't burning, he was just... standing there, holding a book. A heavy black tome.”
“What's so strange about that? Even we are holding heavy tomes now,” Maren said quietly.
Even though she didn't seem to find anything suspicious about that, Magnus was certain the book from his vision wasn't just “The Fauna of Aria” or “Herbology for beginners”.
“No, you don't understand. It was something else, something of much higher importance,” he insisted. “The person took it to the library of the Mages Guild in Ragna. And I know exactly where it is. I saw it in the divination, it has to mean something!”
Maren remained in thought for a while. “Could it really be something that important? What do you think? Could it show the future? Or the past?” she said curiously.
“I don't know, but one thing's for sure. The one who entered the cave after us had a divination too and they could have received the very same message from it,” Magnus whispered.
“And that's bad?”
“Yes, if they take the book from the Mages Guild before we get there,” said Magnus.
Maren finally seemed to understand.
“We've got to be first! We have to do it before anyone else does!” she squealed eagerly and unfortunately, loudly enough for others to hear it.
“I am really glad that you're aching so much to learn,” Aedan said.
Maren and Magnus realised that everyone was standing still, probably listening to Aedan's instructions for quite a while. But the two of them didn't hear a word from what he said. What was this even about?
The only indication for them was a flock of birds black as ink, sitting on the trees nearby.
“I wanted to show you how to do it, but since the two of you want to be the first, I'll be happy to fulfill your wish,” said Aedan in a tone of acted mercy.
Maren and Magnus shot each other terrified glances as they heard Aedan's voice again.
“Go ahead, you have a great opportunity to show us how astonishing your communication with animals is.”
Magnus' heart was sinking. Did he hear clearly? Did Aedan really say communication with animals?
The rest of the novices had already begun to lay their heavy books down. It seemed they would stay there for longer than they expected. Many of them groaned, shaking their hands to ease the pain.
While others were doing their best to take good care of the books and not give them one scratch, Darius slammed his harshly on the ground. “Oops,” he said airily. He was lucky that his teacher was busy with someone else now, because otherwise he would be punished for his cruel behaviour towards Mother Nature.
Serena was the first to break the silence with a gloomy “I hate ravens.”
It seemed the birds had noticed the novices, watching them with their gleaming eyes that reflected great wisdom and the deepest mysteries.
“I think they are sweet,” Fjalldís said, looking at the ravens with a loving gaze. As she noticed several curious novices staring in her direction, her eyes darted downwards. So she wasn't such a big fighter after all! Maybe it was just her utmost wish, but there was a kind and sensitive girl hiding beneath the cloak of courage and bravery.
Maren shot an imperative glance at Magnus. It was time for him to do his part of the play.
�
��Ladies first,” said Magnus generously, trying to fool her with a charming smile.
“Are you serious? You're a man!” Maren whispered indignantly, “You should shield me from this shame!”
There seemed to be no other choice for Magnus. He stepped forward in order to show them all how to communicate with animals. The only problem was that he had no idea what to do. He cautiously edged closer to the birds, taking great care to step on the ground very quietly.
Maren and a group of other novices were watching Magnus with such a tense air it almost left them breathless. After all, this kind of bird didn't rate among the smallest ones as their long, sharp claws and huge, strong beaks suggested.
However, some novices were having fun. The whole Black Squad sneered, watching Magnus tremble. They weren't scared at all. But how could they be if they were hiding completely in the back, using the rest of the novices as their shield?
The only one who observed the whole thing with a grim face was Aedan, his arms strictly folded on his chest as he watched Magnus' every step. When Magnus came fairly close and the birds still sat there, Aedan frowned.
Voices from the back could be heard constantly.
“Now! Now he's going to shoo them!” shouted Rodrick.
Despite the malicious sneers and ill-willed comments, Magnus came right in front of the ravens. He mouthed wordlessly at Aedan, but he didn't give him any further instructions.
“What are you waiting for? Give them an order,” said the druid stoutly. It seemed he wanted to prove that Magnus was not able to communicate with animals, no matter what.
Magnus glanced at one of the birds. As he did that, a strange feeling flushed him. Did the bird look back at him with understanding?
Ready to hear a thundering laughter from the Black Squad and without any doubt many others as well, he reached out carefully. Magnus had absolutely no idea how to talk to ravens and he felt he had never done it before. “Could you please –” he started, but before he finished it, the raven hopped on his arm.
Maren and Fjalldís beamed. Unbelievable!
Aedan gave a furious growl, “That's impossible! He doesn't even have a druid cloak yet!” This was supposed to be a punishment for not paying attention! But so far, it looked more like a reward; all the girls admired Magnus' extraordinary abilities. And the boys? They just envied him in silence.
The Black Squad was no exception. Quite the opposite, envy had overgrown even their heads. While Magnus was enjoying his moment of fame, Darius gave his comrades an unspoken order to change their position. It was time to ruin the big show.
A group of novices surrounded Magnus in a circle.
“How did you do that?”
“Do it again, I want to see it one more time!”
“Can you teach me?” the novices squeaked admiringly over each other, doing their best to get Magnus' attention.
Magnus was tilting his head from side to side, not knowing where to look first. The unpleasant feeling of being watched had suddenly changed into a sensation so fabulous that he couldn't suppress a humble smile.
It seemed like Maren was enjoying his fame with him. She dashed to his side, smiling proudly in all directions as though she wanted everyone to see that she was a friend of Magnus.
Magnus did a few more of his incredible feats in communication with ravens. The novices couldn't stop admiring him and the excitement among them continued to grow, when suddenly a small rock flashed over their heads.
Silence. Did anyone know such a spell? No, not yet, but they all fell quiet as if someone had used it. There was a rush to see what was going on — everyone turned in the direction the stone came from.
Even though the rock landed near Magnus, none of the ravens flew away. In the next moment there was an outbreak of screeching so loud it made all of them cover their ears, except for Magnus who still had one of the ravens on his arm. Something was telling him the attack was directed at this particular bird. As he goggled into the forest, he saw another stone flying from the bushes and this time it hit his chest.
Although the novices admired Magnus and he was their idol just seconds ago, now they didn't recognise friend from foe. They screamed in horror, running around in circles. No one was certain of what was happening, but as the following words suggested, the attackers were not far.
“Not him! Throw it at the bird!” a boy's voice hammered in something that was supposed to be a whisper. It came from the nearby bushes.
With a sudden rush of understanding, Maren and Magnus exchanged two unspoken words: Black Squad! As soon as they realised this, all of the black birds set off and flew right into the bushes before them.
There was a set of deafening yells that carried across the whole forest. The Black Squad leapt to their feet, quickly vanishing into the distance. Darius recovered last. With a terrified look on his face, he stumbled as he turned to follow his comrades, the shower of feathery rockets bolting after him.
Magnus and Maren chuckled, but Aedan seemed desperate. There wasn't a single moment when those five would behave! “Magnus, I have a quest for you,” he said swiftly, giving his novice a significant look, “You will guard your friends until I return. I'll be right back!” He then turned away from Magnus who stopped laughing at once and dashed into the bushes. As he went deeper into the forest, he prayed to Mother Nature to forgive him such an imprudent run.
As for the Black Squad, it took a while till they could finally stop and catch their breath. It seemed that the birds stopped following them only after they left the forest. They were now standing on a field of grass and fragrant flowers, right next to a small lake with clear, deep water. Its gentle waves were shimmering under the sun rays like diamonds. For a while, this sight had completely gained their attention.
Giselbert looked around, clumsily raising a torn black sleeve to shield his eyes from the sunlight.
“Have we lost them? I think we've lost them,” he said, still panting hard.
No one answered. Instead, there was a quiet burbling sound coming from the lake, but no one except Darius noticed it.
“Hey guys, I heard something,” he said, leaning closer to the water's surface, “Maybe we should take a look.”
“Yeah, it's probably a fish,” Rodrick said airily, still looking around. Neither Viktor, Henry nor Giselbert seemed to give it any importance.
Although his friends didn't even turn around, Darius looked so close at the lake that he could see through his reflection. There was nothing strange though — his friends were probably right.
Then he suddenly yelped, sitting back into the grass.
“What are you doing?” Viktor asked irritably.
“I... I saw something in there,” Darius said, his voice shaking. Watched by his puzzled friends, he tried to get away from the lake but he was stopped by something even worse.
“Here you are, band of scoundrels,” growled Aedan angrily which suggested he wasn't exactly going to give them a warm hug. “You have seriously violated the rules of our guild. You tried to hurt an innocent animal!”
“We didn't want to hurt the bird, we just wanted to shoo it away,” Henry said defensively, but his voice was shaking.
“That's the same thing. Ten push-ups! All of you!” Aedan commanded, not a sign of compromise in his voice.
The five boys stared at him in silence, as if they were not sure they heard what he said.
“You can't give us such punishments, we're only ten –” Darius tried to change Aedan's mind, but he was cut off before he could even finish.
“THAT is the poorest excuse I've ever heard. Twenty push-ups!” yelled their teacher so audibly it made the whole Black Squad jump up and get to work right away. None of them made it to twenty though.
Just as the five boys in black scrambled to their feet, the rest of the novices panted into sight, emerging from the forest.
Aedan didn't seem to be pleased with their arrival.
“What are you doing here?! Magnus! Didn't I tell you to wait for
me?” he shouted.
Magnus looked as if he had turned to stone. Seeing the druid's red face, he needed a great deal of courage to start talking.
“Y-You only told me to guard them. They're all here, safe and sound, so I did as you asked,” he said carefully, almost whispering.
Aedan just grumbled something under his nose as he turned away. Magnus even thought he heard him counting. Precisely in ten seconds, Aedan rounded back on his novices with a slightly calmer expression.
“Listen up. I forbid you to ever come near this lake, is that clear? There is a vast swamp not far from here and I really don't need anyone to get lost. You give me enough worries as it is,” he said grumpily.
The novices gazed into the distance beyond the lake. Truly, it appeared those woods were darker than anywhere else. Magnus had a disturbing feeling that there was something evil there. Something that Aedan decided not to mention.
“All right, then. Let's continue the lessons,” Aedan said in a slightly brighter tone as he started walking back to the forest, but then he suddenly stopped. “Wait a minute. Where are your books?” he said in a suspicious tone.
There was long and painful silence, then Maren spoke.
“We didn't bring them.”
“WHAT!?” Aedan blurted out, louder then was appropriate in the presence of Mother Nature.
Maren quickly jumped behind Magnus, but he had difficulty stopping his knees from shaking. “Eh, I think you just broke one of the rules,” he said irresolutely, looking right at his teacher.
“GO GET THEM! NOW!” hammered Aedan's voice. He swung his arm towards Magnus and Maren so furiously they were forced to start running at once. The rest of the novices followed them without hesitation. It was no wonder, with such a wild bear on their heels!
They had several more animal communication exercises but because Magnus wasn't allowed to join them, they were all unsuccessful. However, one good thing happened that day. Aedan decided to take them to the Ragnan Mages Guild the next day so they could borrow more comprehensive books about animals. But Magnus and Maren didn't really care about that. They only cared about one book and Magnus knew exactly where to find it.
Drakonika (Book 1) Page 17
