by P. Tempest
“Orb, can you hear me?” I called into the emptiness of my apartment.
“Yes Tristan, do you need anything?” its voice came from my amulet.
“What is going on with me?” I asked hopefully. Maybe Orb would have the answers.
“Can you clarify please? Whilst I can access all information related to you that has been collected I somehow doubt you want everything.” its voice came again. Personality seemed to be seeping back in to it.
“The visions and what's happening with my senses?” I replied. The thought of having every iota of data recited to me made me think a concise simple question would be the best bet.
“Your amulet reported an opening of your senses and the visions are likely related to that. The attempted influence of your mind yesterday evening is the most likely cause.” Orb stated mechanically.
So it was the gods fault. That's like blaming it on nobody, I thought.
“And the content of the visions? Are they real?” I pressed on.
“Tristan while the data we collect is invasive. We can read your body, mood and your magic, we do not read your thoughts. I have no idea about your visions content but based on what your magic has been doing all night. You may have been reading imprints.”
“Imprints?” I queried, I had a sinking feeling that Orb confirmed a moment later.
“Imprints are the magical residue left by events, strong magic use and high emotion often leave marks on an area. It may be a single stone or a whole forest.” Orb explained.
“Like ghosts?” I asked
“Very much like ghosts if I understand your connection correctly. These marks can haunt an area forcing certain feelings on those in proximity.”
“If it's limited by proximity, why am I feeling it now?” I asked confused.
“If the data I have is accurate then you are not limited by area, reading is an oddity it doesn't show up often, but it’s almost useless. Your senses are clearly, very sharp, you have been reading the whole area not the tiny part in proximity.” Orb replied.
“So this means the visions are likely real but past?” I said half statement, half question.
“That is what I have just said,” Orb said a glimmer of heat in the protest. “So now that the situation is resolved, enjoy your day off.” the connection went dead.
A day off was a rare and supposedly wondrous thing. I on the other hand hated them. A great many years in the academy, waiting for my results or not knowing if I was going to have class that day had left me with major issues about free time. A large block of time with nothing planned out is terrifying for me. The thought of going back to bed was briefly entertained before being dismissed. I just couldn't do it. I hadn't long been off medical leave. Boredom is my constant enemy. I had worked through so many of my books. Shaking myself slightly to get out of my head.
I wandered over to my wardrobe. The recessed door was set deeply into my wall opposite my bed. Hardly noticeable and a very handy space saver. A small light globe set above the rail showed of my meagre selection of non-uniform clothes they consisted of a single blue cotton top with a wide neck and a thick wool jumper. A single shelf holding a pair of heavy cloth trousers. Making my choice, I selected the shirt and the trousers.
Taking them over to the bed, I sat on the edge. Pulling on my trousers and standing to do the small wooden buttons up. I grabbed the shirt and dragged it roughly down over my head. Did my best to pull my long hair out of the way and tie it back with a simple binding charm. Earth-based of course. A quick look in at my reflection in the window showed I was ready to go.
Out on the streets, the remnants of my visions tattered away. The bright sun shone down on the smooth, clean paving. Reflecting of the windows of the buildings, so different to the muddy tracks I had seen. Adopting what I hoped was a carefree expression I carefully plastered on my face, I tried to enjoy my day off. Seeing the streets sparsely populated was nice after the busyness of the last few days. I blindly chose a route, no goal or place in mind. My strides were relaxed as I wandered freely through the central square. The mage headquarters was to my left. A glance showed me the doors were wide open again, the temptation to go in and hopefully be assigned a task came and went. I’d had a rough start as a mage. I doubted Jase would let me have a task yet. A flicker of movement caught my eye as I turned my head away from the headquarters. It was a canopy above one of the many stalls, blowing in the warm gentle breeze. A bright red wave of cloth. I had never noticed a red one before.
“Come take a look,” came a call from under the canopy. A female voice.
Turning my body towards the voice, I slowly walked towards it. The stall was wooden. Much like most of them. A view back in time to market day, almost, a flash of a vision staggered me.
The old square, cobbles and mud. The fountain wasn't there. A large wooden post stood in its place, surrounded by dilapidated market stalls. a few people of various ages universally dressed in threadbare tattered clothes, milling around buying and selling the vegetables and produce available. A feeling of despair hung in the air. Almost palpable. A squad of mages came into the square then dragging a couple. A man and woman. Marching right through the hopeless crowd. To the wooden post. One of them turned to face the square while the others were binding the couple to the post. He was in his late thirties, slim, deep set glowing eyes. A thin lipped grimace on his face as he planted his feet and looked over the square.
“People of West Haven, we representatives of the Solem family. Have found these two to be guilty of disobeying a lawful order of conscription. Hiding the property of the Solem family and actively working against the rule of our rightful lords. The sentence is public execution, they will be burnt at the stake until dead for their crimes. You here are witnesses that justice is done.” he called to the crowd. He raised his arms dramatically, flames rose up in barriers across the square blocking the exits.
The destitute people just stood there, not a mummer of resistance or surprise could be heard. They just looked resigned.
With a look back to the accused he asked “Do you have anything to say in your defence?”
The woman spat towards him but remained silent. Anger and defiance etched into her features.
The man reached out his hand to the woman, grasped it then just bowed his head, a tear could be seen trailing down his face.
Her anger melted away at the touch of his hand. A glimmer of a smile hovered around her mouth as she looked at the man.
“No? Your silence will be taken as an admission of guilt. The sentence shall be passed now.” the accused stated firmly, disgust evident in his tone. The mage turned to his three squad members and nodded, all four raised their hands in unison.
A dim yellow glow emanated from the stake. Flickers of light started streaking from the point to the clouds above. Rumbles of thunder and bolts of lightning shot across the sky. Blasts of wind blew straight down from the sky, pushing many of the crowd to their knees. The glow intensified shifting to a bright blue. The heavens opened, rain pouring down on the square, soaking the dejected knacks but not touching the flame barriers or the mages. The stake flared once more, a blazing red. A fountain of fire poured from the tip of the stake. Bathing the poor couple in flames. The sound of steam hissing drowned out their screams as their flesh soon blackened and split. The stench of burning hair and meat filled the air. A few in the square were sick, noisily vomiting where they knelt and still the fire fell on the pair. Heat drying the eyes of those crying at the sight.
The mages stood impassively, grim statues with bright eyes, watching the horror that they had brought about, as one they lowered their arms the wind and rain stopped. The growling storm silenced. The flames ceased. The barriers vanished. Not a sound could be heard.
The accusing mage turned once more to the people. “Justice has been served, remember this day.” he said softly, his voice wavering slightly, with a nod of his head his squad formed up behind him and they marched back the way they had come. The only sign they
had been there, were the few blackened bones that were swiftly crumbling to ashes.
After seeing that I had no further desire to explore the town. I just wanted to go home and find a way to block out these visions. Tears streamed down my face. My stomach was churning with the desire to vomit but I choked it down. The woman that had called me over rushed to my side.
“Are you okay?” she asked as she placed a hand on my arm, steadying me.
“I will be, thank you for your concern.” I replied shaking off the touch. I didn't know what was setting off these visions, but I didn't want to risk another.
“Well, excuse me then I have work to do.” she said coldly.
I must have offended her. Pulling myself together, I took the quickest way back to my apartment I could. The shining streets felt like they were mocking my mood. I was keeping my eyes open for people, I didn't want to bump into anyone. My senses had gotten sensitive again, flashes of enchantment were everywhere. The streets positively shone with the signatures of its shapers. The street lights, shone with both their shaping marks and the simple enchantment, they carried what looked like threads of twisted air, tied the lights one to the next, to the next. The temptation to follow the threads was gaining traction in my mind. My will was stronger though. My apartment was but a few steps away. Forcing my body to carry me the final stretch. Once inside the temptation past. I could still sense the threads but I wasn't as consumed with the thought of them. Striding to my water basin, a rush of my magic flowing ahead of me. Water flowed from the pipes. A near desperation filled me as I placed my hands on the sides of the basin. Lowering my face into the water my senses instantly cut off. I pulled out, dragging the wet strands of hair from my face. Water seemed to help
“Orb!” I shouted out, rivulets of water flowing into my mouth. I spat to clear the water.
“Tristan, what's wrong?” came its voice from my amulet again.
“How do I stop these visions?” I pleaded for answers. I must have looked a wreck.
“Tristan, I am a construct. I don't have the same facility with magic as you," it warned before continuing “I can assist in a purely hypothetical way, for instance, basic warding may help, but from my records I can advise that magic isn't the answer.”
I was pacing around my apartment in sheer frustration, clenching my fists and intermittently growling through Orb talking. Focusing my attention on the sound of his voice was helping but the fact that I was hearing it through a magical item was distracting.
“If magic isn't the answer, what is Orb? This sensitivity has made me useless.” my frustration was boiling over
“Tristan please understand, I don't know the answers I only have my records. Reading is a rare and complex area of study, few mages develop it. It's an almost exclusively wizard skill. I can and will help you as much as I can.”
“Wizards, would the wizards know how to help me?” I mused aloud.
“More than likely. I can request aid from them but I have no idea how long it would take. They are in conclave with the seniors I would like to avoid disturbing them.” Orb murmured
“Fine no wizards yet, but if this lasts too long I will order you to get help” I conceded. I even wagged my finger at it despite the fact he wasn't in the room and couldn’t see.
“Tristan the way I see it, the best way to help you is to master your senses you have to learn to control it.” Orb advised me.
“How the knack do I do that?” I asked. I stopped my pacing whilst trying to work out ways to gain control of my senses.
“Practice, is the best way I'm just a call away if you need help," the connection ended with those final words.
“Practice, practice” I said to myself as I thought through what Orb had said. Nothing for it but to try.
I walked over to my chair, sat down. I closed my eyes took a few breaths before opening my senses as far as I could.
The bombardment almost knocked me unconscious as my mind tried to understand everything that was within range. I held on, this reminded me of my first awakening when my magical senses first came on line. The vast amount of information available was overwhelming. I struggled to let it go. I didn't need to understand it all. I just needed to acknowledge it.
A few more deep breaths and some muttered comments about useless constructs while I shifted position in my chair. My hands clenched into fists as I fought for control of my own senses.
It's not a battle was the thought that suddenly bloomed in my mind.
That thought forced me to relax, my senses seemed to be calming. Trying to focus on my immediate surroundings I could feel my amulet and my wild shield. The feel of them was radically different but I could tell more about them. The amulet was a warren of tightly bound strands and nodes. The shield bracer was something altogether different, the base disc was void of anything but hidden deep within it was a tightly imprinted form, surrounded by almost ghostly lines and nodes, one of which thickened as it led away. I gasped as I realised where the thread went. It went straight into my core weaving into a knot with my link. I hadn't expected to see that.
Just that tiny revelation had given me a grasp on my expanded senses. I could use them the same as my old ones. I could ignore them too. The ability to ignore things has to be one of the most useful traits of being human. The fear of my senses had receded slightly, although I was still dreading more visions. I got up. I was seeing the glimmers of enchantment everywhere, the play of the magical energies infused through all things. It was simultaneously the most beautiful and the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed. The lack of any mortal element there shows how truly insignificant we are. A slight effort of will enabled me to function on my normal level. The addition sense was still there but easily ignored, I just had to get used to the constant effort it took.
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, I walked over to my large window looking at my town, for one of the first times I felt connected to this town, invested. I had lived here for years as a child, for all my life if you counted my time in the academy, which I didn't really. The academy could have been in the middle of nowhere for all I had known. My recent struggles on behalf of the people of West Haven had given me a new appreciation of the work we mages did, at least in the new age.
My smile died on my lips, at the recollection of the vision. The execution. The sight of the people had struck me almost as much as the actual execution. Seeing them so downtrodden and defeated. That many knacks could have fought of the mages easily if they had worked together. Power levels are fairly nonsensical the variations are minimal between knack and mage. It's in versatility and knowledge that we can overpower them. The thought of fighting back had just not occurred to them. How much ingrained conditioning that would take boggled my mind.
My practising with my expanded senses had taken me a lot longer than I had originally thought. The sun was slowly setting. I cleared my mind and focused on the beauty of a thing I took for granted on a daily basis.
The sun slowly sunk turning the sky into a tapestry of reds and oranges touches of blue could still be seen. My intense focus on absorbing the moment let my senses slip slightly.
The sun was wreathed in magical energies, streamers ebbed and flowed across the sky. Faint glimmers blues and yellows could be seen floating slowly, quick moving darts of greens in all shades flashed past. Flocks of birds.
Maybe this ability wasn't so much a curse as a gift. Clearly a double edged sword but being able to see the added beauty of that moment is something I would treasure for years to come.
I stood watching the last flickers of sunlight fade. Satisfaction and hope for the future warring with the despair and grief for the past, much like the light and dark of the sun setting.
My own mind was settled for now at least, so much for my day off. A chuckle escapes my lips as a thought crossed my mind.
Boredom isn't the enemy anymore.
Chapter 12
A night without nightmares was a relief. I had some dreams, vague vi
sions, but nothing like yesterday. I counted that as a success. A quick wash and a rummage in the laundry hamper produced, a decidedly more alert and prepared mage. I bound up my hair with the same charm as usual as I was doing so my stomach grumbled. I grinned, I had forgotten to eat in all the excitement of yesterday. A quick look out the window told me it was just after dawn, plenty of time before I had to be at work.
I took my time, enjoying the early morning air. I had timed it just right to see the street cleaners with their staves, fulfilling their duties, I relaxed my control on my othersense. The street came alive with light. The residual traces of the people that used them. Faint swirls and eddies in the air above. The cleaner’s staves shone. The complex weave was a delicate tracery of tiny strands and nodes, so tightly woven that I could spend days studying it. The enchantment was also aesthetically very striking. It evoked a feeling of cleanliness. The great many active threads were weaving themselves along the streets, pushing the dirt on a wave ahead of them. I tore my eyes away and pushed my other sense back down to normal levels. Breakfast called me, the scents of frying bacon and sausages carried well in this quiet early morning air.
The cafe I had gone to with Sophia was just opening, the very same waitress was working, taking the first few orders of the day. My feet took me inside without consulting my brain, drawn by the smell of such deliciousness.
“Take a seat please, I’ll be over in a moment to take your order.” the waitress said, her brown eye tired. She must have been here early.
“Thank you” I said with a smile.
She returned the smile wearily.
This time I chose a small table near the kitchen door. It was almost empty in here. Seating myself in the comfortable chair, I glanced over the menu. The faintly glowing words, tempted me to use my sight again, but I resisted. My stomach had already made up its mind before the rest of me could.
