"I imagine it has to do with your tent being a healers tent. People coming to the camp would see yours first." That sounded like a reasonable answer. I grinned.
"Correct. That way if someone is needing help they know it is here. Also if they mean harm they will usually avoid a healers camp. Now, most of what we have will look familiar to you. However there are two main things that are different in a healers camp and a regular camp. The work tent and the tools. The work tent is the large bundle there. We will not unpack it tonight, but it is where we actually make our healing substances. The tools are in these chests. Each chest doubles as a seat for working. We can leave these beside Tag tonight. We will not be needing any of it. The rest of the stuff we need to set up." He proceeded to show me how to set up a nice little camp. Within a short time two tents stood beside one another, Stain's was striped in blue and green. Mine was a multitude of colors. I had no idea where it had come from. I simply stared at it for a minute. Stain noticed. "I believe your uncle had that. It is a Wanderers tent. You can tell by the color and shape. He told me he received it as payment from a clan. Believe me, that is a better tent than any other in Sunnydale. Mine is also a Wanderers tent, but made specifically for me. Hence the colors. Now, let's get dinner cooked."
"About time." Grumbled Pat. "I am stiff from riding on that shell."
"How can you be stiff? You slept the whole time!" Cracklecord was stretching. Sparks came out her nostrils as she looked at Pat.
"That's why am stiff. Did not move since lunch." Pat glided to the fire pit. "So, how long do we have to wait on dinner? I am hungry."
"Not long if Madam Cracklecord will help." Stain grinned. "Could you get a fire going for us?" He asked Cracklecord.
She grinned in a sneaky manner. "If young Ott can place some wood in the pit I can see what I can do."
I grabbed three large pieces of wood. Each was about the size of my thigh.
"Stack them with one end on the ground and the other end leaning on each other." Cracklecord stated.
When I had the three pieces stacked up they looked a little like a tent. Cracklecord walked into the inner part of the tent of wood. A bright glow started there. Suddenly a flame shot out of each gap and the logs were fully engulfed in flames. Pat squeaked and jumped back. Stain started laughing. "I believe that will do Cracklecord. Ott put that pot next to the fire and our dinner will heat up. It will be a few minutes till it is hot enough to eat.
Pat had composed himself and was calmly cleaning his scales. I could tell he was embarrassed at being startled by Cracklecord. She walked out of the fire and leaned against the pot. She still glowed bright enough that looking at her hurt.
"How did you do that Cracklecord?" I knew she could live in fire, that was part of who she was. But how did she create fire?
"Do what Ott?" She smirked at me.
"Create fire." I knew she was mocking me, if gently.
"I am a mage Ott. I have an affinity for fire and metal." My jaw dropped. A mage? I had heard stories of mages but since I never saw anything that was truly magic then I just assumed they were stories.
"I did not know mages actually existed." I admitted. "I thought they were all stories." I sat there and wondered about all the stories I had heard. "Are you the only salamander who is also a mage or are all salamanders mages?" My curiosity was burning as brightly as she was.
"Well Ott, to be honest mages occur about as frequently in salamanders as they do in other species. Except for the farie. All of them are mages to some extent." She was truly enjoying herself. "My cousin, who is a water salamander, has an affinity for water and gems. He makes such beautiful things." I thought about that. What was the 'farie'? Why are they all mages? And what did she mean by 'other species'? Did that include dragonets? What about humans? Most of the stories I had heard had been about human mages. I pondered these questions. I was about to ask all of them when Stain said that dinner was ready.
"Hold your questions till after dinner Ott. I promise that they will all be answered." Stain calmly handed me a bowl. The smells made me realize how hungry I was. My stomach growled loudly. "And I think that puts everything into perspective." Stain chuckled. He handed Pat and Cracklecord a bowl and then dug into his. We were all very hungry and ate all of what my aunt had sent.
"Ott, if you will clean up after dinner I have something to do. Then I will make sure all your questions are answered and give you your gift." Stain walked towards Tag and removed a small chest. He carried it back to the fire and sat down. "Cracklecord, Pat, could you both come over here. Ott, the dishes?" Stain obviously wanted me gone for a minute. I took the stuff from dinner to the stream. An area was obviously for washing. I cleaned all the bowls, pot, and spoons.
"Ott, if you are done I am ready to begin." Stain called out. He had removed a handful of objects from the chest and set them on its lid. I set all the dinner stuff beside the fire to dry.
"Ott you had some questions about Cracklecord being a mage. I will answer those questions and any others you can think of. But first I have something else to tell you. I bet you have wondered why I picked you to be my apprentice. You think it was done at the last minute, however your father sent me a letter last year that I might want to test you to see if you could be my apprentice. You see, my last apprentice had finished his training and your father thought you might have the abilities to be my apprentice. Those abilities are very unique. You might ask why. You think anyone can be a healer. And to a point you are right. The abilities that I speak of are not just those for healing. I am more than a traveling healer. I am also more than a King's Man. Your father told me you are aware of that little fact. You must not share it with anyone unless I give you permission to do so." He paused, like he was attempting to figure out what words to use. Finally he simply looked at me, stuck out his hand, and a ball of fire appeared above his palm. "I am also a mage Ott. I do not just have an affinity for fire like Cracklecord does. Yes I can use fire, but I do not have a simple affinity. I have the ability to access all magic." He stood there as the ball of fire changed to a ball of water, then dirt, and finally what looked like a cloud. "Magic falls into four main families. Fire, water, earth, and air. Cracklecord handles fire magic the best, but she also has some earth magic. That is why she works well with metals." Cracklecord looked pleased and smiled at Stain.
"And I have an affinity for fire and air." Pat spoke up. "Although I am not on the same level of either Cracklecord or Stain. I am what in a human would be termed a hedge wizard." He smiled at me, but also looked a little guilty.
"You are a mage?" I sputtered. "When were you going to tell me! I thought we shared everything Pat!" I was mad. My best friend was a mage and I had no idea!
"Ott!" Stain had raised my voice. "Pat might not have been allowed to tell you. There are rules to magic and usually mages are sworn not to tell those who are not mages anything about magic."
"So why are you telling me about it? Why pick me for an apprentice?" I was confused and upset. I sat down and felt tears form. Frustrated I looked at Stain, Pat, and Cracklecord. "Why are the three of you telling me all this?"
"Because Ott, you are a mage." Stain looked me straight in the eye. "Your father noticed some signs of magic about a year ago. He contacted me and I felt that it was in everyone's interest to check. He was right. You are a mage. What kind of mage I have no idea. But we will find out tonight."
"If my dad had an idea that I was a mage, why did he not say anything?" I was really upset now. My dad had kept this from me for a whole year!
"The king swore your father to an oath once. Part of that oath involved magic. Only very specific people could be told about anything magic in nature. I am one of those people. Lightfoot was not allowed to tell you. I believe he wanted to tell you, but he could not without breaking his oath. And Ott, his oath was made with magic. So if he broke it the king would know and Lightfoot would be considered a traitor. It was up to me to tell you." Stain looked upset, not at me but the situation.
<
br /> "So.... I am really a mage? How did that happen?" I wondered, was magic like hair color. Something passed down to your children.
"I believe your mother and father both might have a little magic in their families. I have seen your father in the woods and he moves like no man I have ever seen. Your mother made baskets that occasionally were involved in incidents that had a smell of magic, even if nothing could be proved. These are called 'small' magic’s. They are not flashy or obvious. But many people have them and they usually run in families. Every once in a while a child of such a family will become more. Maybe a hedge wizard like Pat, able to manipulate magic on a basic level. And some become mages, those with an affinity for a family of magic." Stain had entered into a teaching mode. "Now each family of magic has its weaknesses and strengths. They also are unique in various ways. You will learn details about each in your training. But before we get too ahead of ourselves we need to do a test. You are a mage Ott. What kind I do not yet know. But let's find out."
He motioned me towards him. I was still reeling from all that they had revealed. My dad had some magic? My mom too? I was a mage?
I sat down in front of the chest. On the lid sat four gems.
"Each of these gems has an affinity for magic. They have each been infused with pure magical energy of a specific family. The blue gem has water magic. The red has fire. The brown is earth. And the white is air. I am going to ask you to do something in a minute, but first I will show you what will occur. Cracklecord, could you help me?" He pointed at the red gem.
She smiled, "Sure Stain." Her hand reached out and rested about a foot above the fire gem. It slowly rose and gently spun.
"Now Ott. She is not casting a spell as such. She is simply focusing on the gem. Her energy is touching the gem's energy and attracting the gem to her hand. Now the water gem if you would Cracklecord." She grimaced.
Her hand moved to above the water gem. It did not rise, but instead started to slide off the chest.
"See Ott. She not only has an affinity with fire, but she repels water magic. Pat, mind giving us a demonstration?" He indicated the air gem.
Pat placed his snout over the air stone, again about a foot up. It raised up an inch or so and stopped.
"Pat is much weaker in pure magic, so the gem only rises a little. Thank you Pat." Stain scratched him behind the horn.
"Now, I have an affinity for all four families. I can make all four gems rise right up to my hand. I want you to place your hand like they did and focus on that gem. Let's start with the earth. Focus on that gem alone." Stain had placed my hand over the brown gem. I stared at it, my anger lending me focus. The gem did not move for a moment. Maybe they were wrong, maybe I am not a mage. Suddenly the gem shot up and struck my hand. It stuck into my palm. The pain was intense. It felt like my hand had been crushed by a whole mountain. All three mages jumped back in shock. Stain grabbed my hand and pulled the gem out of my palm. A small hole had been cut into the meat below my thumb.
"Ott, I am sorry. I have never seen a gem do that." Stain seemed upset. He pulled a vial from his vest. Pouring it over the cut the liquid started to glow. "Hold on for a minute. It should close up."
Sure enough the cut closed completely. Only a small scar was left.
"Well, at the least we know you are an earth mage." Pat grinned.
"I think that was pretty obvious." Cracklecord snickered. "And a strong one at that."
"Well, let's try the rest. Ott, how about a little less focus this time?" Stain was tense. "Go ahead and try the air. Focus on the white gem and let's see if you have air magic."
I put my hand over the white stone. My hand still hurt a little. Was that going to happen again? The gem did not seem to want to move.
"Focus Ott. You have to focus on the gem." Stain seemed a little annoyed.
Right. Focus. Suddenly the white gem shot up, just like the brown one. This time it stopped against my hand instead of in it. The white gem spun against my hand. The feeling of summer breezes brushed my hand.
"Well, that is air also." Pat seemed happier about me having air magic than the earth magic. "Hey maybe he can learn to fly?"
"Quiet. Okay Ott. Now the blue gem. Let's see if you have water magic in you also." Stain seemed even more tense now.
I repeated the whole hand over the gem thing with the blue gem. It also shot to my hand. It seemed to flow around my palm cooling it as it moved.
"Dear spark! That is three." Cracklecord seemed shocked and a little awed.
"Let's try that last one Ott. Fire. Focus on the red gem." Stain seemed almost resigned.
I carefully put my hand over the fire gem. It shot to my hand and stayed there. A warm heat spread to my palm. I looked at Stain. He seemed to have aged. His eyes filled with tears as he watched the gem float against my hand. "Stain? Are you okay?" I was a little worried now.
"Yes Ott. It is just that I have waited a long time to find someone like you. What you are is very rare. I have rarely seen anyone else that had the ability to raise all four gems." His hands reached out and all four gems rose and danced around his fingers. He smiled. "When I said I was going to teach you everything I knew I did not realize it was going to be so literal."
Pat laughed and a little steam came from his nostrils. "I always knew that Ott was special. I just did not realize you were that special."
"So, what now?" I was getting tired.
"Now?" Stain sighed. "Now we all sleep. Cracklecord, I believe that there is enough embers for you?"
She looked at the fire. "Looks about right. Could I have one more piece of wood? It has been a long night."
I grabbed one and placed it in the fire. "Thank you Ott. Goodnight." She settled into the heart of the fire, pulling embers over her like a blanket.
"Pat? I believe there is a pallet set for you in Ott's tent. Will that do?" Stain had stood up and put the gems back in the chest.
"That is my usual set up Stain. I will be fine." Pat walked to the tent. "Goodnight Stain. Ott, do not stay up too late." With that he ducked into the tent.
"What about me Stain? Is it my bedtime?" I was a little irritated.
"If you want. I promised that I would answer your questions Ott. Either now or later." Stain sat back down. He was talking softly, in deference to our sleepy companions.
"Could I think about all of this? Perhaps ask my questions later?" I had too much information to form good questions now. Maybe in the morning.
"Sure. That is fine with me. Goodnight Ott." Stain stared into the flames.
"Oh, what is my gift Stain?" I had almost forgotten.
He smiled and chuckled. "Why the knowledge that you are a mage. That is the gift only I could give."
I thought about that for a second. "Well, good night Stain." I went to my tent. It was dark inside. Pat was on his pallet snoring already. I changed and laid down.
My thoughts ran in only one direction.
Me. Otter Willow Lightfoot. A Mage.
***
"Good morning! Time to get up!" The voice outside my tent was loud. I sat up. "I am up. I will be out in a minute." I pulled out some clothes and struggled into them. Time to face the world.
"Morning Stain."
He was sitting beside the fire. There were smells that spoke of breakfast in the air.
"Did you sleep well my apprentice?" Stain question seemed to hold humor like a bucket holds water.
"I guess. I do not remember much." I sat down across from Stain. Pat had dragged himself out of the tent and laid on the ground in a patch of sun.
Cracklecord looked out from the fire, "Foods almost done Stain. Good morning Apprentice Ott."
Her formal greeting reminded me of the night before. My head snapped up and I stared at Stain. "I am really a mage?"
All three of them stared at me. Then Cracklecord snickered. That set off Pat and Stain. Even Tag seemed amused.
"What?" I do not like to be laughed at.
Cracklecord took a deep breath, composing hersel
f. "You should see your face. Did you think that it was all a dream?" A ball of fire rose from the embers and seemed to cuddle against her leg, much like a puppy.
"I am not quite awake." They did not have to find it that funny. "So I am a mage?"
Stain gained control of himself. "Technically you have mage powers. Once you pass certain tests you will be considered a mage. Right now you are an Apprentice Healer but also an Apprentice Mage. They often go hand in hand since many people who are mages also want to help people. The easiest method of helping people is to heal their bodies." He started to move food from pots and into bowls. "Here you go, eat up. We have some things to do today."
While we ate he explained the plan for the day. "I had wanted to continue on today. However I had anticipated things working out differently. First I thought that Ott would have one family of magic, maybe two. With him having all four the situation has changed." He looked at me. "There are a few lessons that we need to do now instead of later. They are the first lessons any mage apprentice learn, but with your affinities they are much more important." He looked at Cracklecord. "Will our staying here a couple of days cause you any problems?"
"I told you Stain, I am free for now. I plan on traveling with you and young Ott until my plans change." She smiled.
"Stain? I thought we could not stay at a King's Site more than a day?" I was a little confused.
"Well, yes. Technically that is true. But I get an exception." Stain smiled, almost seeming to be embarrassed.
"An exception? Why and what kind of exception?" Still confused here.
Pat snickered, "Stain gets an exception that allows him to stay at any King's Site as long as he wants or needs."
I looked at Pat, "Why?" Less confused but still not understanding.
Pat looked at Stain, "He is the King's High Mage."
The Wandering Apprentice Page 9
