Nature Mage

by Duncan Pile

But there’s no real value in self-questioning at this point,” Hephistole said more briskly, rousing himself from his uncomfortable reverie. “We closed up his pyramid after Shirukai fled. He was a powerful Mage, and we couldn’t undo or even understand all of the enchantments he’d placed on it, so it was never taken down. We removed many artefacts, some of which had very dark purposes, and sealed it up for good - or so we believed. No-one has ever liked working near it ever since, as there is some fell enchantment about the place, so that part of the campus has remained largely unoccupied even to this day.”

  “I know what you mean,” Gaspi said. “We explored around there one time soon after we got here, and there was no-one to be seen. Lydia leaned on the wall around the pyramid, and got ill.”

  “That’s very interesting,” Hephistole said. “Voltan, perhaps you can have a talk with young Lydia, and see if we can learn something. She may have some kind of empathic ability.” Voltan nodded in agreement.

  “As you know,” the Chancellor continued, “that seal was broken during the attack last week, and a secondary force of Wargs was transported directly into it from somewhere else. I have no idea how Sestin has managed to preserve his life, or how he managed to transport the Wargs over any kind of distance, but we can only assume that he is still very much alive, and even more powerful than he was before. We also have to accept that, for some reason, he has decided to make war against us.”

  Gaspi tried to weigh up this news, as Hephistole lapsed into silence. Hephistole was right; telling him this placed a shadow over everything.

  “How can we stop him doing it again?” he asked. “Couldn’t he just transport some more Wargs into the pyramid? Or demons?” The thought was very disturbing.

  “Good question,” Hephistole said, but with none of his usual enthusiasm for such a thing. “First of all, I don’t believe the demons can be transported, as they are not material in any true sense. None came through with the Wargs, and we were aware of their growing activity for the last year, as they found and destroyed people with magical talent. At this point Voltan believes, and I agree with him, that the demons needed to drain those poor weather workers and Healers in order to gain strength for the attack. It appears that this is how they feed, and gain power. If this is so, you can probably see why a city of magicians would be a powerful lure.

  Secondly, we had been complacent about Shirukai’s pyramid, as no-one believed him to still be alive. We have already found and destroyed the device he used to transport the Wargs. It was built into the floor of his study, something we failed to identify all those years ago after he fled. I am fairly certain that he cannot use the pyramid again.”

  Gaspi breathed out a sigh of relief. “What do you think he wants? And I don’t mean to sound rude, but what do you think I can do to help?” Gaspi asked.

  Hephistole ran a long-fingered hand down his face. “I wish we knew, Gaspi, I wish we knew. But we have to be on the alert now. We will be enchanting weapons throughout the summer, recruiting and training new guards, and preparing all our Mages for combat. I will be doing what I can to discover more, but for now we have to do everything we can to be ready. As for what you can do...we’ve decided to disband your class. You’re all at about the level we’d do that anyway, and I think the student’s parents will want to spend some time with their children. We’re sending all the first years home for a couple of months, so you can go home and rest for a while with your friends, and come back ready to study again next year as a journeyman Mage. I’m including you in this because it seems that destiny has brought you to us at a time when we need you most, and I’m not foolish enough to ignore that. Something tells me you will have a very important part to play in all this before long.”

  “But don’t you need me here, enchanting weapons?” Gaspi asked. He didn’t want to stay when his friends would be going back to Aemon’s Reach, but if it was necessary then he’d do what he could to help.

  “No, Gaspi,” Hephistole said, with a warm smile. “You’ve done more than enough, and we have plenty of magicians who can enchant.”

  “About me having an important role in all this...I’m not really sure that can be right,” Gaspi said, pulling a wry face.

  “What makes you say that?” Hephistole asked, looking genuinely surprised.

  “Well, I nearly died, didn’t I?” Gaspi said, expressing something that had been quietly bothering him since the attack. “There were four of them, and I only killed two of them before the other two got me. If Taurnil hadn’t come along when he did, I’d have been a goner!”

  Voltan barked out a laugh, and leaned forward in his chair. “Gaspi - it took several Mages to take down a single one of those demons. The fact that you managed to deal with two of them is amazing. And the weapon you produced is so powerful that Taurnil managed to defeat the other two. The two of you together are a force to be reckoned with!” Voltan leaned back in his chair. Gaspi felt a little encouraged; praise from Voltan was rare.

  “Gaspi, I think you greatly underestimate your part in last week’s events,” Hephistole said. “If you hadn’t been so resourceful, I’d probably be suffering Shirukai Sestin’s cruel ministrations as we speak.” Hephistole didn’t quite shudder at the thought, but he looked like he wanted to. “In short, Gaspi, Shirukai’s mission failed because of you, and I owe you my life.”

  “But I owe Taurnil my life,” Gaspi said, “and we probably all saved each other at some point during the fight. I really didn’t do anything more special than anyone else.”

  Hephistole smiled from ear to ear. “I should have known you’d see it that way,” he said. “If I thought it was false modesty I’d have to chastise you, but I think you mean exactly what you say. I happen to think you did something pretty remarkable, and so does Voltan, but we won’t force our opinions on you any longer. Modesty is a strong quality.”

  Gaspi flushed, but didn’t bother with any further denials. “So, I can go back home for the summer?” he asked.

  “Yes, Gaspi, you can go back home,” Hephistole said. “Whatever Sestin’s reasons are for trying to capture me, I think it’s fair to say he’s had a major setback. He has lost the advantage of surprise, and knows that we are now aware of both his existence and some of his plans, and he can no longer use the pyramid. On top of that, we’ve destroyed the force he sent to us. The demons, at least, will have cost him a lot of energy to control, and he’ll no doubt be licking his wounds for a while. So yes; go home, and enjoy the summer with your friends!” Hephistole beamed a beneficent smile at him, and Gaspi was surprised to see something more reserved, but similar, on Voltan’s face.

  “Well done, Gaspi,” Voltan said, his tight smile warming up his normally stern face. “I’m proud of what you’ve done this year.”

  Gaspi was taken aback by this open praise from his normally reticent mentor.

  “Thanks,” he said with a smile of his own. “I’ll get going, then.”

  He walked over to the transporter and stepped onto it, turning back to face the two magicians, his stern mentor and the enigmatic Hephistole. “See you, then - Voltan, Heppy,” he said with a grin, which was answered by an even broader grin than his own from Hephistole. Speaking the word of command, he was transported out of the office.

  Chapter 37

  It was quite a large group that set out from Helioport. Jonn had been given leave for the summer months to accompany Gaspi, Taurnil and Emea on their trip home. Roland and his large family of gypsies were not due to visit until the next year of college began, and Lydia had decided months previously that she would go back with Taurnil to Aemon’s Reach when class was eventually disbanded. Taurnil’s folks and Emea’s Ma were travelling back with them too, and so all in all there were eight of them setting off on the long journey back to the mountains.

  As they stepped out onto the road Gaspi couldn’t help looking around at them all, and wondered at how much they’d changed in the last year. Taurnil had lost most of the doughy look he’d always had back in th
e village, and looked more like a fighter. He looked somewhere in-between the boy Gaspi had known and the fighting man he was becoming. He carried himself with a kind of quiet confidence that was reassuring, and since he and Lydia had been together that assured quality had deepened even further. Gaspi thought he looked like a man who knew his place in the world.

  Jonn seemed to have banished his old ghosts. He smiled more freely than he’d ever done and Gaspi couldn’t imagine him ever getting lost in drink again. He was truly happy for his guardian, who’d given everything to look after Gaspi for as long as he could remember. The changes in Emea were subtler, but no less profound. She’d never be the type of person to be brashly confident, but there was a kind of underlying calm that grounded her sometimes nervous nature in something more peaceful and stable. It was as if there was a kind of glow around her. Gaspi knew she’d found a kind of contentment in healing that went beyond an enjoyment of magic. It was almost…spiritual. Emea must have sensed his scrutiny and caught his gaze with a puzzled look, the familiar frown line appearing down the middle of her forehead, and Gaspi found himself welling up with emotion for her. He was very lucky not to have lost her this year, and swore inwardly to do his best never to put her through that kind of upset again.

  Lydia was perhaps the least changed of all of them, but that was because she’d been way ahead of them when they’d met. She’d always shown a self-knowledge that was a bit frightening, and had a kind of strength that rarely faltered. Once or twice he’d seen her crack around the time she and Taurnil were working things out, but Emmy had said that even in the heat of battle she had been calm.

  Gaspi couldn’t help comparing himself to his amazing friends. Had he changed as much as they had? He’d certainly become a capable magician, but the most important changes were more personal than that. He’d learned how to meditate, and found he had inner resources he’d never known about. He’d also learned that he could be insecure and jealous, and short-tempered too, and that he needed to be aware of those things in future if he wanted to avoid getting all bent out of shape again.

  It’s no surprise they had grown so much, considering everything that had happened, and it looked like the coming year was going to be even more challenging. Gaspi didn’t know quite what to make of Hephistole’s talk of destiny. Instinct told him the Chancellor was right, and that some unknowable force had chosen him and given him his natural talents for such a time as this, but sometimes it was hard to believe. Whether any of that was true or not, Gaspi was determined to do everything he could to help Hephistole and Voltan in the war they said was coming.

  Shrugging his shoulders, Gaspi pushed away thoughts of darkness and danger. Now was the time to relax and enjoy the summer with his friends. Depending on what next year brought, they may not get another chance for a while.

  Gaspi enjoyed every part of the journey home. He’d not seen much of the scenery along the Great South Road on the way to Helioport as he’d been unconscious, rushed towards the city by a desperate Jonn. The red soil of Helioport’s flood plain soon gave way to loamy ground and pale green scrub, which grew over the low rolling hills that stretched away for miles on either side of the road. The hills grew steadily taller as they travelled, a prelude to the majestic mountains that awaited them further north.

  Each night Jonn made a campfire, and Lydia insisted on cooking for them. At the outset of the journey she’d made her intentions clear, and when Emea’s Ma couldn’t talk her out of it, no-one else had tried. Thankfully, she was pretty good at it. She’d bought some spices from a travelling merchant before setting off, and Jonn had brought along plenty of supplies, and so Gaspi had the unexpected treat of richly flavoured and beautifully cooked food at the end of each day’s journeying. One evening, after wolfing down a particularly juicy stew, he looked over at Taurnil, who was reclining against his backpack, licking his fingers in obvious contentment and appraising Lydia with a proprietorial eye.

  “You’re a lucky man, Taurn,” Gaspi said carelessly, earning him a raised eyebrow from Emea. Ignoring the warning sign, he turned his attention to Emea. “Can you make stuff like this?” he asked.

  Emea’s raised eyebrow was joined by the other one. “Why do you ask?” she said. Jonn secretly caught Gaspi’s attention from behind Emea, grimacing and drawing a finger across his throat. Gaspi cottoned on at last, realising he’d inadvertently stepped onto thin ice and needed to backtrack before it cracked beneath him entirely. “No reason,” he said quickly. “No reason at all. I was just curious.”

  Emea’s Ma chuckled warmly. “Smart boy,” she said, and Taurnil’s parents joined in the laughter. Seth leaned forward and cuffed him across the back of the head. Emea flushed bright pink, but couldn’t contain a little smile, which pulled the corners of her lips upwards against her will.

  Gaspi caught her eye, and seeing that the danger had passed, laughed nervously at his own helplessness. Later that night, Gaspi fell asleep wondering if he’d ever feel on stable ground again.

  It took them four days of leisurely travel to reach the point where they were to diverge from the Great South Road. They paused to find the gypsy encampment where Gaspi had fought off the first demon they’d encountered, and Jonn told the tale of that dark and fateful night. After a bit of searching, they came across the spot. Emea’s Ma stared in horrified fascination at the wide patch of scorched earth where the grass still refused to grow back. It was surrounded by a thick fringe of lush green growth and stood out in stark contrast, a magically inflicted scar on the virgin soil. After Jonn told the story, Lydia left Taurnil’s side to give Gaspi a kiss on the cheek.

  “You saved me that day,” she said, her voice rich with sentiment. “Thank you, Gaspi.”

  Gaspi put his arm round her and gave her a squeeze. He didn’t really understand Lydia a lot of the time, but she was very important to Taurnil, and she was Emea’s best friend. He supposed that you don’t have to understand someone to grow to love them; and standing there, remembering that dark night of over a year ago, he recognised that she had made an inroad deep into his affections.

  “You’ve had quite a year,” was all that Seth had to say.

  They turned off the road after that, trekking through thickening forest for two days and nights, before emerging onto the broad plains that skirted the great mountain range that cradled Aemon’s Reach. They camped at the base of the mountains, not wanting to start the most arduous section of their journey until they were fully rested. Emea sidled up to Gaspi round the campfire that evening, and snuggled up under his arm.

  “Can you believe it?” she asked excitedly. “Tomorrow we’re going

  to be back in Aemon’s Reach? I can’t wait to see my Da and Maria. She’ll be so much bigger by now!”

  “Jonn says it’ll take two days to reach the village,” Gaspi said, “but

  yeah... it’s gonna be strange.” He was quiet for a long moment. “Do you think people will really believe we’re magicians?” he asked, voicing a concern that had been niggling at him.

  “What?” Emea asked incredulously. “Why wouldn’t they?”

  “I’m pretty sure some people won’t,” Gaspi said. “Or will pretend they don’t – Jakko, for one.”

  Emea pushed herself off his chest, and looked seriously into his eyes. “Now, Gaspi - you’re not going to stir up all that nonsense again, are you?” she admonished.

  Gaspi thought about it for a minute. “Nah...I guess not,” he said with a grin. “Heppy said I had to grow out of that, and so did you in your own way! I‘m just winding you up.”

  “Mmm,” Emea murmured disbelievingly, resting her head back on his chest. “As long as you are,” she said, sleepily.

  Gaspi mulled it over before he slept that night. He had been winding Emea up, but there was always that little voice in him that wanted things to be seen for what they are, that wanted fair treatment. He couldn’t afford to listen to it anymore, and he’d never use his magic to pick a fight with someone again, especially if tha
t person wasn’t a magician themselves. But he hoped that one day that voice would go away altogether, and he wouldn’t be bothered about what people thought anymore.

  They set off up the mountain the next morning, and it quickly became clear that it wasn’t going to be easy. Taurnil’s training meant he was much fitter than the other three and he wasn’t too troubled by the climb, but Gaspi and the two girls were soon pulling in massive lungfuls of air as they struggled up the slope. Seth and Jonn were doing fine, but the two ladies were struggling even more than the magicians, so they had to keep the going really slow and take a lot of breaks.

  Despite the exertion, Gaspi found himself enjoying it after a while. There was something invigorating about the feeling of blood pumping through his veins, and the views just kept getting better. He struggled to keep his eyes on the trail, wanting to look around at every moment, but after tripping twice and almost falling down the side of the slope, he forced himself to wait for the breaks to drink in the view. In those breaks he would sit facing back the way they’d come, the heaving of his lungs slowing down gradually as he looked out over the scene. The tops of tall trees stood way below him, and even the birds were circling beneath their vantage point. At the base of the mountain the plains stretched away endlessly until they met the pale blue dome of the sky. The best time was at sunset, after they’d made camp, when they all sat in contented silence, bewitched by shimmering reds and oranges smeared across the underside of mountainous, billowing clouds. The colours deepened to purple and then to black as night fully eclipsed the day, leaving them bathed only in the warm light of the fire, and later the silver glow of the stars.

  The next morning, Gaspi awoke with a kind of nervous tingling in his belly. He shouldn’t be nervous really, but the idea of seeing his home again set a thousand anxious butterflies free in his stomach. Emea was excited and Taurnil was obviously looking forward to showing Lydia his home. Only Jonn seemed to share his mixed feelings. Gaspi caught his eye a few times as the day wore on, and they drew nearer to the village. Jonn smiled at him on each occasion, but his smile seemed a little tight, and Gaspi couldn’t help feeling that for Jonn this was less fun than it was for anyone else. He’d just have to make sure he looked after his guardian while they were there.