The Mages Guild was full of highly polished walnut wood and intricate designs of blue and gold, from the curtains and seat cushions, down to the large rugs across the semi-reflective floor. Several seating areas were placed at one end of the long room, below a large, rectangle stained glass window―bright amber with a single blue eye in the middle. Bookcases filled the wall before her, though most were half-empty.
The length of the wall beside her, near the seating area, was decorated with paintings of people―mages, she assumed. Each one had a silver plate below it, giving the person's name. The largest was of Stephen Farlon, a kind-looking man with short, brown curls and a small, black-and-white monkey on his shoulder. A slightly smaller one next to that was of Richard Wilnic, a blond man with a freckled face who was holding a white bunny against his chest. Yet another was of Kathleen Athley, an older redhead with a fox sitting beside her. Julia noticed that all of the portraits had animals in them.
At the other end of the room, stood a walnut desk before a wall of cubbies, each holding scrolls. A willowy blonde was stationed there. She wore a flowing blue dress with gold embroidery around the long sleeves and neckline.
As Julia walked closer, the woman closed the book she was reading and set it down. “Eolys’ blessing be with you. How may I be of assistance?”
“Eolys?” Julia asked. “Sorry, I’m not from around here.”
The woman looked shocked. “Eolys is the God of Magic.”
“Oh, right. Well, I was wondering about joining.”
“You want to be a mage?” she asked, a touch of disdain in her voice. “And you don’t know who Eolys is?”
“Sorry. I’m new here. So, can I join?”
“That is for to Vardan to decide.” She stepped out from behind the counter. “I’ll take you to him.”
When she turned toward the stairs, Julia noticed the embroidered eye in a rectangle on the back of the women's dress, it was the same as the window above the sitting area. She assumed it must be their logo.
At the end of a long hallway, they stopped before the last door. The woman knocked softly before letting herself in. “Vardan, I’ve brought you someone who wishes to join.”
An old, thin man wearing a matching dress―Julia now realized they were robes―looked up from an open scroll on his desk. He had short, gray hair, dark eyes, thin lips, and a clean-shaven face. Julia felt a little disappointed; she had kind of expected Merlin.
He smiled flaccidly and bowed his head slightly to the woman. “Thank you, Kora,” he said in a very calm voice. When she left, he sat forward in his blue velvet chair and set his elbows on the desk. He folded his hands in front of him with his lips almost touching his thumbs as he studied Julia. Finally, he nodded, seeming to approve, and motioned her to a chair in front of his desk. “What is your name?”
“Julia.”
“Well, Julia, do you wish to be a mage?”
Obviously, she thought, but aloud she said, “Yes.”
“You have some ability,” he told her in an almost-bored voice.
“So I’ll be able to use magic?”
“Perhaps. Your ability is low, but you have enough mana to cast now.”
“What’s mana?”
He looked shocked for a moment, and then told her simply, “You can be schooled after initiation fees are paid.”
“How much?” she asked worriedly.
“300 gold pieces, and that is non-refundable.”
“Why would I want… Oh, so if I’m unable to cast spells―”
“It is your problem, not ours,” he answered. “You have the ability, I can feel that, but whether you are able to use it or not is unknown.”
“Can I be taught to use it here?”
“Yes, in some ways. Such as, to focus in order to cast spells.”
“And I won’t be able to get any spells until I pay to join?” she guessed.
All he offered as reply was a small, single nod.
She wondered how many people joined and were never able to use any magic. “No thirty-day free trial?” she asked, half-jokingly. His frown was answer enough―of course not. No trials, no refunds, so even if you couldn’t do anything, they still got their money. Well, she thought, business was business, no matter where you were. She hated that she only had his assurance of some unseen ability, but what choice did she have? Now, how was she supposed to get that much money?
“Will you join?” he asked, growing impatient.
Suddenly, she remembered her earrings―three diamonds were set in each of the two golden teardrops. She hoped they didn’t know about cubic zirconia here. Taking them out of her jacket pocket, she showed them to him. “How about a trade? Surely these would be well worth 300 gold pieces,” she said with false confidence.
His eyebrows rose with interest as he inspected them. After a moment, he nodded. “Yes.”
She noticed the smirk he tried to hide―maybe the earrings were worth more than that, or would be if they were real, but then maybe they would never figure that out. She smiled. “So, do I sign a contract?”
“No. You may return to Kora now, and she will assist you further,” he told her, and it was clear from his tone that she was dismissed.
Julia stood. “Is there some proof of my membership?”
He looked weary of her now. “Kora will assist you.”
“Thanks.”
Downstairs, Kora took down her full name: Julia Renee Clark. That got an odd look because apparently middle names weren't a thing on Kelstone.
Kora then gave her a robe that matched hers, and instructed her to put it on. She was to wear it any time she visited a guild―otherwise she wouldn’t receive any services. What services those were, however, was not clear. When asked, Kora only said, “We will assist as we are able.” Typical business people―get the money and then promise as little as possible in return. Julia wasn’t worried about it, though, since she was given four starter spells which were written on parchment scrolls: fireball, ice shard, shock, and heal. That alone, she figured, was worth the money that she hadn't actually paid.
She was instructed to read each scroll, though they were written in some strange language. Kora told her that if she tried to read it, she would be able to. So Julia stared at the symbols, willing herself to understand them, and after a moment, she felt like she understood. A second later, she gasped as the scroll disappeared. This happened with each one. Apparently, this was normal. It made sense―that way, you couldn’t just pass it on to a friend. No free downloads, no pirating possible. Some companies back on Earth would love to know how to do this, she thought.
“You’re sure I know the spells now?” Julia asked. “I mean, I don’t feel any different.”
“The scrolls only disappear once you’ve learned them,” Kora said impatiently.
“But I don’t even know what they said.”
“Of course you don’t,” Kora told her as if she were stupid. “It takes years of study in arcane writing before you can actually read and write it. But anyone with magic in their blood can learn the written spell. That’s how arcane writing works. What rock have you been living under?”
“Yeah. Well, thanks,” Julia muttered, then gladly left the disdainful environment.
She decided to go practice on her own, figuring she would test the fireball spell. She could try to catch some dinner with it; kill and cook it all at the same time―it was a brilliant idea. She headed into the nearby pine forest and found a small clearing. A rock the size of a cantaloupe sat near the middle, and she chose that as her practice target. She scanned the area quickly before she started, just to make sure she was completely alone. She had no idea what she was doing and didn’t want anyone to witness her making a fool out of herself.
When she was satisfied that no one was watching, she walked up to the stone, thought about fire, and threw her hand out toward it.
Nothing happened.
Holding her hand out, palm toward the rock, she commanded, “Fireball.”
Nothing happened.
She picked up a twig and brandished it like a wand. “Go fireball!” she said, pointing and swishing it toward the target.
Nothing happened.
She tried a number of commands, each one sounding more ridiculous than the last. She tried using both hands, and then some grand gestures. Still, nothing happened.
Running out of ideas, she sat down on a fallen tree and gave an exasperated sigh. If her stomach would just stop its incessant growling, she might be able to focus.
That was it. Vardan had said focus was key. She imagined a man wearing flowing white pants. She watched as he moved in her mind’s eye. His face looked serene and focused. He closed his eyes and raised his hands over his head, as if he were grabbing an invisible ball that rested there. Slowly he pulled it down the front of his body, then, stopping at the bottom of his chest, he breathed out and let it go.
She supposed she had seen it in some corny movie, but it was worth a try. She stood and faced the rock again. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to think of nothing but a single flame. She mimicked the moves of the mysterious man. Holding the invisible ball above her head, she focused on pulling it down in front of her. As she did so, she felt a warmth pull through her. Her pulse quickened with excitement and a little fear. She forced herself to continue. But when her hands got to her chest and she heard a short, crackling sound, her eyes flew open.
The imaginary orb she held wasn’t imaginary anymore. It was a glowing, red, semi-materialized thing, like smoke―there, but not. In the center of it was a small spark. She stared at it in amazement, mesmerized by it. She watched it turn into a flame, then grow into a fire that filled the space inside its sphere, somehow not burning her at all.
Curiously, she took one hand away and held the ball of fire in her palm. It fit perfectly there, as if it were made for her. She brought it up to her face and stared at it. It was beyond beauty, she thought. It was magic.
Suddenly, something moved behind her, startling her, and she physically jolted. The fireball fell from her hand, landed on her boot, and made a very small explosion on impact. It seared a hole through the thick leather, but didn’t burn her when it touched her skin.
Turning around, she glared at the culprit―a small, brown rabbit.
__________
Julia walked back to the shack with a cold foot and a stomach that was loudly demanding dinner. When she entered the house, Falcon was sitting at the table, sharpening his dagger on a whetstone.
“What happened?” His tone was worried, but then he took in the robe she had draped over one arm and the rabbit-shaped chunk of charcoal in her other hand, and erupted with laughter. “Fireball?” he guessed.
She gave him a tight smile and decided hitting him would take too much energy. She felt oddly drained, as if she had been doing something physical. “It might be fine once we cut away the top layer,” she replied defensively.
He stood, grabbed the crispy animal from her, laid it on the cutting board, and, in one fluid motion, brought his blade down and cut the rabbit in half―even the bones were burnt. He started laughing again.
She hung up her robe, then crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him until he finally sobered.
“Okay…” he said, smiling but serious. “I’m glad you got in.”
She nodded as she sat down across the table from him, then told him everything―all the way up to the stupid bunny.
“I’ll see if Akira can patch it up,” he told her.
“Do we have money?”
He smirked. “And by we, you mean me. When did I marry you?”
She flushed. “I just meant―”
He chuckled. “I’m teasing. It doesn’t matter, anyway. She’s a friend.” He grabbed one of his spare boots from beside the fireplace and handed it to her. “Here. Wear this in the meantime.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled.
“So, all humor aside, you should be pretty pleased with yourself.”
“Yeah.”
“I was told I don’t have any magical ability.”
“You tried to join?”
He nodded. “Of course. I’ve always played fighters in games, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to play with magic for real. I imagine it’s an awesome experience.”
She grinned widely. “It’s seriously amazing.”
He gasped dramatically. “Has the great Kelstone hater found something she actually likes here?” She rolled her eyes, and he smiled.
He took her boot when she exchanged it for the spare, and then walked to the door. “I’ll be back after a while,” he told her. “There’s some dinner on the stove―some properly cooked food.” He chuckled again as he left.
She stuck her tongue out at him, but unfortunately he didn’t see it.
